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  • New scientific findings show worsening coastal water conditions

    New scientific findings show worsening coastal water conditions
    2026/04/22
    Commercial landscaping companies and governments on Long Island would be eligible for rebates to transition from gas-powered to electric lawn care and snow removal equipment, under a bill passed by the New York State Legislature."Gas-powered landscaping equipment emits a stunning amount of air pollution, not to mention the noise that blights communities across the state," Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the bill, told Newsday in a statement. "This bill will make it easier for New York's landscaping companies to transition to cleaner, quieter equipment."The proposed legislation — which also applies to nonprofits, universities and school districts — would set up a state rebate program for battery-powered equipment, including leaf blowers, lawn mowers, tree trimmers and snow blowers, as well as batteries and chargers. The bill aims to "reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution," according to the legislative language. The rebate amount would be set by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, and be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The funding would come from existing revenues controlled by NYSERDA.Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the State Senate yesterday passed the bill by a 54-8 vote, and it was approved by a 99-42 margin in the Assembly on Monday. The measure will now head to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose office said she would review the bill.Assemb. Scott Gray (R-Watertown) was among those who voted against the measure."If the product is appealing and the marketplace is doing a good job trying to move the product along, I think government is the last...entity that should step in and put its fingers on the scale in a private marketplace and try to drive customers to a certain product," Gray said on the Assembly floor.Gray also cited concerns over the use of taxpayer dollars for the program as well as with the safety of lithium-ion batteries.Statewide, over 69 communities, including several on Long Island, have adopted laws to ban or restrict the use of gas-powered equipment, Assemb. Steven Otis (D-Port Chester), the bill’s sponsor said on the Assembly floor.The bill also would save taxpayers money by lowering costs for school districts and municipalities purchasing new equipment, Otis said. Long Island business and landscaping groups favor a rebate program as business owners struggle to meet new municipal restrictions along with the rising cost of gas and oil.***Southampton School District parents who wish to enroll their children in the elementary school’s dual language program must attend an upcoming informational session and sign a one-year commitment letter by May 15 to gauge interest, as part of a series of expected changes to the curriculum’s format.In the event that more students want to participate than there are seats, a lottery will be held on May 20, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fatima Morrell.“The whole program is not changing,” Dr. Morrell said during a Board of Education meeting last night. “We do have to think a little bit more systemically, though, about how we use our teachers to get the best for our kids. And I think there were some serious concerns about our program.”Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that a nearly two-hour-long presentation and discussion dominated last night’s meeting, eliciting questions and feedback from board members, parents and students alike. A deeper dive into the proposed changes — some of which are being brought on by decreased enrollment — will be discussed at pre-K informational sessions this coming Friday, April 24, at 8:30 a.m. and on Monday, April 27, at 2 and 6:30 p.m., and kindergarten through third grade sessions on Thursday, April 30, at 8:30 a.m. and Wednesday, May 6, at 2 and 6:30 p.m.For over 20 years, the dual language program has been a pillar of strength in the district, Morrell said. The Spanish Embassy’s Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports recognizes each of Southampton’s schools as an International Spanish Academy, or ISA, which “implement a Spanish-English dual language immersion curriculum with the support, consultancy and recognition of the Ministry,” according to its website.Southampton is the only district in the state with this designation, reported Dr. Brian Zahn, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.However, Spanish and English teachers said they often find themselves competing for time, and families also are lacking information about the program. Some parents agreed, saying that they don’t fully understand how the program works and want the ability to choose whether it’s the right fit for their children.Addressing School Board President Zach Epley, a parent and new Southampton home owner said, “You're saying you're giving us choice, but if we go to a lottery, you're taking away that choice from us, that choice that we've ...
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  • 23 Long Island schools flagged for subpar academic performance

    23 Long Island schools flagged for subpar academic performance
    2026/04/21
    Twenty-three schools in 16 Long Island districts have been flagged for subpar academic performance in the state's latest accountability ratings, a Newsday analysis has found. More than half of the schools — 15 — were classified as needing targeted support and improvement, also known as TSI. Six were designated as needing additional targeted support and improvement, or ATSI.Two schools, one in Hempstead and another in Riverhead, were marked as needing comprehensive support and improvement, known as CSI. That designation means the schools are ranked among the bottom 5% of schools statewide. There was good news as well, though. Central Islip had no schools on the state's needs-improvement list for the first time in more than a decade.Brentwood, Wyandanch, William Floyd, Patchogue-Medford and Westhampton Beach also were taken off the list this year. Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that the number of schools in Nassau and Suffolk on the 2025-26 list dropped from 29 the year prior but was higher than the 11 identified in 2023-24.Educators have argued that the improvement labels unfairly stigmatize schools. Officials in some of the districts identified in this year’s list criticized the designations, saying they were based on the performance of a small subgroup of students and are not indicative of the student body as a whole. Others cited outside factors, like increased immigration enforcement in their communities, as having a negative impact on their schools.State officials said the accountability ratings offer “an opportunity” to improve academic outcomes. The data used for identification can help educators zero in on learning gaps, they argued.Rachel Connors, a NYS Education Department spokeswoman, told NEWSDAY that the accountability system is not intended to "diminish the work of educators, but to highlight where additional support and resources are needed.”“We understand and respect that educators work incredibly hard every day to support their students, and that no single designation can fully capture the full story of a school community including its culture, relationships, or the progress happening in classrooms,” she emphasized.***Crossing Long Island Sound will cost you more after both the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry and the Cross Sound Ferry announced fare increases due to current fuel prices. Dandan Zou and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that this week, the Cross Sound Ferry in Orient listed its fuel surcharge as 9.5%. That's actually down from 10.7% recently, the company reported on its website."Due to the volatility of fuel costs, Cross Sound Ferry uses a floating fuel surcharge," the ferry said on its website. "The fuel surcharge is a percentage applied to all published fares, and is based on our most recent fuel costs." Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient. As of last Wednesday, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry enacted a 4.5% fuel surcharge to all ferry fees, increasing one way tickets from $74 to $77 off-peak and from $76 to $79 peak for a vehicle with a passenger."This surcharge will be reviewed weekly and may be adjusted upward or downward based on fuel costs and market conditions," the ferry website said. "Any revised fuel surcharge will be posted in advance and, unless otherwise stated, will take effect on Wednesdays."***ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology.Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of this month.ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult mentors and volunteers to support its South Fork chapter.For more information or to apply, visit the program page at rewildlongisland.org/summerprogram.***Framing April 20th NOT as a celebration of cannabis culture but as a public-health warning, Suffolk County officials, law enforcement leaders and addiction treatment providers gathered yesterday at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research in Calverton to sound the alarm about cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, youth access to THC products and drugged driving. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Monday’s event, hosted by Wellbridge, featured Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, District Attorney Ray Tierney, Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., Suffolk police Chief of Department William Doherty, Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin and clinicians from Wellbridge and Outreach Development Corp.Again and again, speakers returned to one central point: marijuana may be legal in New York but driving while impaired by cannabis is not.D.A. ...
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  • East End police to take part in "No Empty Chair" statewide campaign for safe teen driving

    East End police to take part in "No Empty Chair" statewide campaign for safe teen driving
    2026/04/20
    Southampton Town police said yesterday that they rescued a kayaker marooned on a sandbar due to rough seas in the Great Peconic Bay.Janon Fisher reports in NEWSDAY that police responded to a 911 call around 4:30 p.m. Sunday from the boater who said that she was stranded about 500 feet northeast of the Shinnecock Canal, in Hampton Bays, according to a news release.Before help arrived, the kayaker jumped into the water, but was found and pulled from the water by the Southampton Town Marine Patrol.During the rescue, an officer suffered a leg injury “due to the sea conditions,” according to the release.Marine Patrol took the woman to the Meschutt County Park where Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance workers treated her for hypothermia.The injured officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.The U.S. Coast Guard, which also responded, recovered the woman’s kayak.***Long Island's homeless population rose 32% between 2022 and 2024, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office. According to the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, as of 2024, there were approximately 500 families with children in shelter and over 1,100 single adults in shelter. Mike Giuffrida, the coalition's associate director, told NEWSDAY that homelessness and displacements are on the rise due to lack of affordable housing in Nassau and Suffolk.***Island Water Park Corp., which owns the Calverton amusement park, has filed a new application to amend its site plan to allow drifting events, the use of battery-powered bumper boats on the site’s manmade lake, a floating dock for the boats, a fire-suppression well drawing water from the lake and a zip line over a portion of the water.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that approval of the application would require the Riverhead Town Board to amend a covenant imposed as part of the June 17, 2025, site plan approval prohibiting use of the track by any vehicles other than go-karts. It would also require amendment of an earlier recorded covenant restricting the lake to nonmotorized watercraft.That go-kart-only restriction was not incidental. It was one of the conditions the Riverhead Town Board relied on in March 2025 when it issued a conditional negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, finding that no further environmental review was required for the then-pending site plan application.Island Water Park’s new application came before the Town Board at its work session this past Thursday, where Senior Planner Greg Bergman outlined the proposal and cautioned that the track restriction was tied directly to the 2025 SEQRA determination because go-karts were viewed as having more limited impacts than other vehicles.Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin, who acknowledged meeting with company representatives some time before the work session, expressed support for the application, and support for following procedures.“Like every other business in town, you’re here. We want you to be successful. You have a CO. We want to make sure we’re going through every step…and how we can assist them…So thank you for presenting, “said Supervisor Halpin.***East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign beginning today through Friday, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. School resource officers and patrol officers will participate in outreach and enforcement aimed at reducing dangerous driving during prom and graduation season.The traffic safety committee’s message to teens is simple.“Be buckled up. Be a cell-free motorist. Be a sober driver. Be in your chair on graduation day.”The statewide campaign runs today through Friday, April 24.The campaign includes daily enforcement themes this week.Monday, April 20: underage drinking and impaired drivingTuesday, April 21: seat belts and child restraintsWednesday, April 22: cell phone use and textingThursday, April 23: Operation Safe StopFriday, April 24: speeding in school zonesThe campaign is intended to raise awareness of highway dangers and promote safe driving habits among young motorists, police said. State and local law enforcement agencies are expected to increase patrols near high schools and focus on violations of the Graduated Driver Licensing law and other traffic offenses.For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.***East Hampton Town officials are poised to block driving on town-owned portions of Gin Beach in Montauk, a popular destination for bathing, during the summer season between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that this change comes because town officials, at the behest of Marine Patrol, say the beach is a lifeguarded one, popular among families with small children, which means beach driving should be blocked during the times when there is a lifeguard on duty. The change would take effect the Thursday before Memorial Day and run until ...
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  • Southampton Town Highway Dept. to begin pedestrian enhancement in Noyac

    Southampton Town Highway Dept. to begin pedestrian enhancement in Noyac
    2026/04/17
    After keeping their social distance from trains during the height of the pandemic, weekend Long Island Rail Road riders are back in a big way, and then some, according to a new state report.Alfonso A. Castillo and Joseph Ostapiuk report in NEWSDAY that according to the report by the office of NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, weekend ridership on the LIRR was 27% higher last year than in 2019 — a year in which the railroad set a modern ridership record. The boom in Saturday and Sunday demand has helped offset lagging weekday rush hour ridership, which remains nearly 40% down from pre-COVID levels, according to MTA data.Officials and riders attributed the railroad's surging weekend ridership to several factors, such as the boost in service that came with the opening of Grand Central Madison, and the growing cost of driving.LIRR ticket prices have also recently increased. But new discount promotions have reduced the cost for families traveling on the LIRR on weekends.The LIRR averaged 267,567 riders each weekend in 2025, up from 210,313 in 2019. The railroad's weekend ridership has been trending up for years, beating 2019 levels in nearly every month since 2023, when the railroad opened Grand Central Madison and significantly boosted service levels to accommodate a second Manhattan terminal.Although the LIRR's overall ridership has bounced back faster than the MTA predicted, the railroad closed out 2025 still down about 8% from pre-COVID levels.Among all Metropolitan Transportation Authority agencies, including subways, city buses and Metro-North, the LIRR on weekends is "the only transit mode analyzed where ridership has fully recovered and even improved compared to the pre-pandemic baseline," the report said.But weekend ridership recovery has outpaced the MTA’s expectations across all its agencies since the pandemic, when trains and buses were largely empty for months. After carrying 91 million passengers in 2019 — the most in 70 years — LIRR ridership plummeted to just 30 million in 2020. Last year, it was nearly 82 million, buoyed by particularly strong weekend crowds.***Later this month, Southampton Town Highway Department crews will begin work on a long-awaited pedestrian enhancement project in Noyac that will bring sidewalks and crosswalks to a more than 2-mile stretch of Noyac Road, improving pedestrian accessibility and safety along the busy corridor. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charles McArdle and engineer Nick Jimenez were on hand at the Noyac Civic Council meeting last week to discuss the plan, which is being fully funded by the Town of Southampton. Jimenez and McArdle said they expected crews to start breaking ground on April 27, but cautioned that the project will take much longer to complete than the recent repaving and restriping of Noyac Road, which was done in about a week. This project could take up to 12 weeks to complete.On the bright side, McArdle and Jimenez said there was a good chance the sidewalks would be finished before the height of the summer season, as long as the weather cooperates. If there are extended delays, and the traffic becomes untenable as the summer season bears down, it’s possible the project would require a break and then be picked back up in September to complete.Sidewalks and several crosswalks will be added down a roughly 2.5-mile stretch of Noyac Road, starting at Ruggs Path east of Trout Pond Park and will continue easterly along Noyac Road, past Serene Green, to Cove Avenue East, where it will meet an existing sidewalk that extends all the way to Sag Harbor Village.The sidewalks will predominantly be on the south side of the road, but will be installed on the north side at certain points, including near MJ Dowlings and Jimmy Jim’s. Several new crosswalks will be installed, along with the diamond-shaped pedestrian crossing signs with blinking lights. The Noyac Civic Council leadership strongly urged members who live along that stretch to review the plans, which can be found in detail at noyac.org.***Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert tomorrow at 6pm in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. A full capacity crowd is expected so you are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Due to fire code regulations, organizers cannot guarantee seating once that capacity is reached. Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.Saturday’s concert is free; donations are greatly appreciated. The performance will begin promptly at 6 pm tomorrow in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with no intermission.You are invited to a reception with Llewellyn immediately following the concert! For further info visit the Shelter Island Friends of Music website at sifriendsofmusic.org ***Gov. Kathy Hochul…running for reelection as the Democratic party candidate in this year’s gubernatorial race…is getting politically ...
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  • Arrests made over charges of bribery within East Hampton Town

    Arrests made over charges of bribery within East Hampton Town
    2026/04/16
    Arrests made after an investigation cloaked in strict secrecy and undertaken by the Suffolk County district attorney’s office, over charges that staffers were taking bribes to expedite permits, sent shockwaves through East Hampton Town last week.At the helm in that office at that time was former East Hampton Town Chief Building Inspector Joe Palermo, who was the first to notice — and report — what looked like unusual patterns: Building permits that should take weeks to process were being approved in a matter of days. His reports nearly two years ago ultimately launched an investigation by the district attorney’s office that ultimately led to two people being charged and indicted on five counts of receiving bribes, a class D felony, and five counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, are now awaiting their next court date, which is slated for May 21.“We did such a huge volume in the Town Building Department — it's always, always busy,” Palermo said. “A mistake can always happen. But, usually, if something happens, you look into it and you make sure you correct it.”One example came where a pool was being constructed outside a double setback. The Building Department sent the applicant to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and Palermo realized that the permit was turned around almost immediately. Typically, such a permit would get logged in, and the total turnaround would be around four weeks.Palermo, at that time, began to get suspicious — and those suspicions were echoed elsewhere in the department. Others began to point out discrepancies.“That’s when I realized what was going on,” Palermo said.Palermo, who had been asking town officials what he should do, was told to observe and document — take notes, make copies — any actions that appeared suspicious, as his reports were being investigated.Suffolk D.A. spokeswoman Emily O’Neill said interviews with the people who are said to have paid Calderon is what ultimately unraveled the scheme. This is how the D.A.’s office got word that Calderon would allegedly send half the money to Benitez as part of the stated operation.The Suffolk County D.A. investigation did not involve working with the leaders of the local government. Investigations of that nature require strict secrecy, O’Neill said, to bring them to a successful conclusion. However, she said, the East Hampton Town attorney’s office did initially bring the stated issue forward, and a former employee in the Building Department was a “huge help and important resource.”***The group of five residents who are suing Southampton Village for following through with a land swap plan that would alienate Lola Prentice Memorial Park as part of a plan to build a sewage treatment plant have filed a petition for civil contempt against the Southampton Village Board. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the filing stems from a vote that the board took at its meeting on March 12 to support the passage of a pair of bills in the New York State Assembly and Senate — sponsored by Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and Senator Anthony Palumbo — to alienate the park as part of the land swap. The plaintiffs have said that the board’s support of this, and involving the park in the plan, violates a 2019 Suffolk County Supreme Court injunction that ordered the village to use the park “for education or recreational purposes only.”In the petition, the plaintiffs argue that by voting for this resolution, the board “disobeyed the order” despite alleging that “each respondent had knowledge of the order prior to undertaking the above described actions…The aforesaid actions taken by the village and Village Board, collectively and individually, have impaired, frustrated and prejudiced each of the petitioners’ rights and benefits obtained by the order,” the petition reads.Southampton Village’s current plan is to acquire the property at 135 Windmill Lane, currently home to The Express News Group, demolish the building and turn it into a new dog park. The plant would be located on village-owned property behind the ambulance barn, while leach fields would be located underground at the current park.If a judge finds that members of the board acted in contempt of court, they could be subject to fines or possible jail time.The village is holding an information session about the sewer plan this coming Saturday, April 18, at Southampton Village Hall at 10 a.m. The meeting will also be streamed on Zoom, which multiple attendees lobbied for on April 9.***East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign during the week of April 20, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that school resource officers and patrol officers ...
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  • Riverhead Country Fair not being held on 50th anniversary

    Riverhead Country Fair not being held on 50th anniversary
    2026/04/15
    A Deer Park orthopedic spinal surgeon, accused of copying and pasting 43 virtually identical surgical reports, has been named in another federal racketeering lawsuit, this time for providing unnecessary spinal surgeries on drivers and passengers involved in allegedly staged motor vehicle crashes with FedEx vehicles.The wide-ranging lawsuit, filed last week by FedEx in New York's Southern District, alleges that Dr. Alexios Apazidis, along with two dozen other physicians, lawyers, chiropractors and radiologists, conspired to bilk the mammoth delivery company through sham lawsuits and inflated medical bills.Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the RICO lawsuit is the latest to pull back the veil on what critics contend is an interconnected fraud scheme in which motorists claim catastrophic injuries from motor vehicle crashes that they deliberately caused and then — at the recommendation of their attorneys — seek treatment at preferred medical providers. All of the accidents cited in the lawsuit occurred in the five N.Y.C. boroughs.The FedEx lawsuit, which follows the pattern of similar complaints filed across the country by the ridesharing service Uber, comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul has launched a crackdown on staged vehicle crashes that cause drivers’ insurance premiums to escalate. Long Island, Hochul said recently in Deer Park, has seen an 80% increase in auto premiums since 2019, in large part due to criminal networks that conspire to stage accidents and provide unneeded medical treatment to extort large settlements or insurance payouts."The FedEx RICO case underscores exactly why Governor Hochul's auto insurance reforms are needed now," Hochul spokeswoman Kristin Devoe said in a statement. "This case is not unique and New Yorkers are paying the price for a system that allows loopholes to be exploited by bad actors, driving up premiums across the board for everyone. The governor's proposal is about stopping these scams, lowering premiums and protecting law abiding New Yorkers."Tom Stebbins, executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, an advocacy organization that supports the governor's proposed changes, said the lawsuit should serve as a "wake-up call" to state lawmakers who have resisted Hochul's reform measures."States throughout the country are enacting liability reforms for a reason," Stebbins said. "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, staged car crashes have become big business for crooked doctors and lawyers."The 2026-27 New York State budget was due April 1st. Disagreements continue over policy items, including a climate bill and car insurance reform as well as this “staged accident issue.”***East Hampton Town officials say that multiple pairs of eyes now see each application that comes through the Building Department, ensuring in the wake of a major bribery investigation that all is done above board.The way the beleaguered Building Department handled applications in the past had been “vertical,” in the words of East Hampton Town officials, meaning that each application went to – and stayed with – one building inspector throughout the process. This approach, which town officials said was new, was described, then, as “horizontal.”But they say that the process now mirrors that used in departments in western towns, which have exponentially greater populations but roughly the same number of building applications.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town Principal Building Inspector Richard Normoyle took the helm at the Building Department, which had been plagued with a backlog, turnover and lawsuits, late last year, bringing with him a 30-year background in municipal building operations that included employment in western towns, such as Huntington and Babylon.“We're ensuring that this type of thing never takes place by breaking apart some of the responsibilities that the building inspectors previously held by themselves,” Normoyle said this week.“The way the process used to work was once the application came in, the building inspectors would handle the process pretty much from beginning to end,” Normoyle said. “They would review the documents. They would do the inspections. They would write the permit fees. They would write the descriptions. These are now jobs that are going to be broken apart.”But the investigation conducted by the district attorney’s office, which culminated in charges of receiving bribes against Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, was not the only reason for the changes to departmental operations recently undertaken.East Hampton Town officials say the procedural changes are also a means of boosting procedural efficiency in the department, bringing it more in line with the processes that Normoyle saw while he worked in western towns.***Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert this coming Saturday, April 18, at ...
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  • Sag Harbor proposed budget would hike village taxes $600 for median home

    Sag Harbor proposed budget would hike village taxes $600 for median home
    2026/04/14
    President Donald Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV offended Long Island Catholics who spoke with Newsday yesterday, including some Republicans who otherwise support the president.They said they disliked Trump saying Leo is "weak on crime" and caters to "the radical left" and Trump subsequently comparing himself to Jesus Christ in an apparently AI-generated image. The image disappeared from Trump's social media on Monday after backlash. Trump then said it was meant to show him working as a doctor for the Red Cross healing people. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the Rev. Francis Pizzarelli, a Roman Catholic priest and founder of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson, said that "the president really crossed the line when he disrespected the Holy Father and that should not be acceptable to any God-fearing person…It’s just another thing where the president thinks he can really go after someone with an ad hominem attack if they don’t agree with him." Father Pizzarelli added, "I don’t understand why our political leaders have not called him to task with cleaning up his language and to stop demeaning people. He’s the president of the United States. ... At least treat people respectfully."The backlash on Long Island, home to 1.2 million baptized Catholics, came after a poll showed President Trump's standing slipping among Catholics nationwide.Trump won the Catholic vote in the 2024 presidential election by a 12-percentage point margin over Kamala Harris, 55% to 43%. But he now has an approval rating of 48% among Catholics, according to a poll conducted jointly between March 20 and 23 by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research.***The Long Island Rail Road has fired another worker who admitted to possessing a cloned employee ID card that coworkers used to cover up for his absences.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the termination of road car inspector Eric Smith marks the resolution of the last remaining disciplinary case against the 36 employees implicated in the ID card counterfeiting and distribution ring uncovered in a three-year investigation by the office of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General Daniel Cort, which announced the firing on social media Friday.Exploiting a COVID-era health precaution that suspended the requirement that workers scan their fingers at biometric time clocks, the workers used equipment purchased on Amazon to run off duplicates of employee ID cards, then kept the extra cards at their job locations, including a Ronkonkoma facility where Smith worked, investigators said. Employees would use the cloned cards to swipe coworkers in and out when they arrived to work late, left early or took extended breaks, according to investigators.MTA payroll records show Smith, who worked for the LIRR since 1997, made $164,925 in 2024, the most recent year for which data was available.LIRR officials have said they’ve taken several measures to prevent employee wage abuse in the future, installing security cameras near time clocks and mandating regular audits of worker facilities by managers. In September 2024, the MTA reinstated the finger-scanning requirement at biometric time clocks.***The Peconic Baykeeper will be leading two marsh cleanups, on Saturday April 18 and Saturday April 26. After the destruction wreaked around our coastlines by ice on the bays this winter much help is needed. Mike Wright reports on 27east.com that the April 19 Meadow Lane Marsh and Shoreline Community Cleanup event will focus on the vast marshlands along the Shinnecock Bay shoreline off Meadow Lane in Southampton Village.The Baykeeper will have a 10-yard dumpster on site for disposing of the collected junk. Baykeeper Peter Topping says “the more the merrier” for volunteers!The gang will be gathering at the Dune Beach parking area in Southampton at 9 a.m. this Saturday.There will be complimentary beer and wine, courtesy of the Southampton Publick House, for those volunteers over 21.The second event, Saturday April 26, will focus on the Sag Harbor shorelines and will start at the Breakwater Yacht Club at 10:30 a.m.For more information about either event, call the Baykeeper’s offices at 631-653-4804***New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking off the gloves, accusing the powerful trial lawyers lobbying group of outright lying about her plan aimed at saving a bundle on car insurance.Carl Campanile reports in THE NY POST that Governor Hochul is proposing changing the legal definition of “serious injury” to cut down on frivolous and fraudulent claims such as staged accidents and to cap the damages victims can receive if they are uninsured, convicted of impaired driving, or have a felony conviction connected to the accident.At a recent press conference, the Trial Lawyers Association — accompanied by Assemblywoman Jen Lunsford (D-Rochester) — presented a handful of cases of accident victims, claiming Hochul’s proposal would have ...
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  • Suffolk County may be declared "disaster area" over oyster crop

    Suffolk County may be declared "disaster area" over oyster crop
    2026/04/13
    The Trump administration's $2.2 trillion budget proposal prioritizes defense spending while proposing significant cuts to domestic programs, notably targeting New York and other blue states for alleged program mismanagement.Proposed cuts include eliminating the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, prompting bipartisan opposition from local lawmakers concerned about the high cost of energy.Lawmakers and officials, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, criticize the budget for exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and prioritizing military spending over essential domestic programs.Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that the proposed budget also calls for the elimination of the $3.3 billion Community Development Block Grant program, which has long been used by municipalities to build affordable housing and improve blighted neighborhoods, and cutting $393 million in federal funding for homeless programs.Members of Long Island’s congressional delegation have raised concerns about some of the cuts, particularly to the heating and cooling assistance program that the administration tried unsuccessfully to eliminate last year and as well as during Trump's first four years in office. Those attempts failed amid bipartisan pushback, and lawmakers told Newsday they’re prepared to fight again for the program. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), noting he is "the only Northeast Republican on the House Appropriations Committee," said that last year he helped secure support for an additional $20 million in funding for the LIHEAP program, but he also blamed Hochul and state lawmakers for not doing enough to keep energy prices down."I will continue fighting to support LIHEAP so Long Island families can afford their energy bills and stay safe," LaLota said.Another Suffolk County U.S. Congressman, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), told NEWSDAY, "Cutting LIHEAP is the wrong approach for those already struggling with high energy costs, especially in high-cost regions like Long Island, where energy bills can be a real burden." Garbarino noted that during past attempts to cut the program he has led a bipartisan effort in support of maintaining its funding.***The East End’s representatives to the New York State Legislature have introduced new legislation that would give commercial fishermen immediate relief from the state’s fuel tax, as a way to ease the burden of skyrocketing gas prices. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that since the Trump administration ordered U.S. military forces to join an Israeli assault on Iran, the per gallon price of the diesel fuel their boats run on has more than doubled, fishermen said this week.Commercial fishermen are entitled to relief from state taxes, much like farmers are. But, unlike the agriculture industry, they have to pay the full price for their fuel at the pump and then can apply to the state for a rebate, which can take months to get back.The bill introduced last week by NYS Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni of Sag Harbor and State Senator Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk would give fishermen the break immediately so they do not have to carry the costs of the fuel taxes, as well as the increased burden of the cost of gas until the red tape clears.The state’s three largest commercial fishing ports are all in the 1st Assembly and Senate districts represented by Schiavoni and Palumbo.A similar bill that Palumbo has introduced in the State Senate would extend the fuel tax exemption to charter boat captains, as long as they can show that they earn at least 50 percent of their annual income from running for-hire fishing trips on their vessel.Whether the proposal will win support from the rest of the Legislature and the governor’s office, and how quickly it can be implemented if it does, remains to be seen.New York State budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 has not passed yet. It was due April 1st.***ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology. Students who complete 60 hours of supervised volunteer work will be eligible to receive a $300 stipend. Participants may also choose to complete fewer hours to earn community service credit while still taking part in the educational programming.The program runs from the end of the East Hampton School District academic year in June through Labor Day, connecting students with local residents and nonprofit organizations working to protect biodiversity across the region’s green spaces and waterways. Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of the month.ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult ...
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