What a mess the Marsden Street proposal has become. It’s the result of a toxic stew: school district officials hellbent on a project, with only passing interest in actually addressing... more
Town and village officials, and police departments, on the South Fork all deserve a round of applause and unqualified support, both for their recent principled stance on the Trump administration’s new aggressive policies toward the immigrant community, and for taking steps to reach out and make sure the men, women and children in that community get the message: Don’t be afraid of police officers. They’re there to help you. East Hampton Town and Village led the way last week, making a special effort to send a clear message. They said the town and village, and its police departments, will cooperate ...
12 Feb 2025 by Editorial Board
The destruction of nearly 100,000 ducks at Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue late last month due to an outbreak of the avian flu there was alarming, and a tragedy for the family running the farm and their employees. It’s unclear whether the last remaining duck farm on Long Island will be able to rebound. The outbreak at the farm was the latest in a series of scary global outbreaks in recent months, affecting the poultry industry and resulting in a sharp increase in cost to consumers. Locally, it follows an outbreak of the deadly virus at Spring Farm, a game ...
5 Feb 2025 by Editorial Board
The first two weeks of the second Donald Trump administration have been a fire hose of developments “flooding the zone,” so it’s easy to miss small developments that could have enormous impact in some quarters. One of those is the Federal Communications Commission and its new focus on NPR and PBS. The New York Times reported that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has launched an investigation into “whether the news organizations’ member stations violated government rules by recognizing financial sponsors on the air.” Its conclusions could lead Congress to take away financial support. NPR and PBS acknowledge corporate sponsors on air, ...
by Editorial Board
Over the past three issues, coinciding with the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump to a second term as the chief executive, The Express News Group has been exploring the potential fallout of Trump’s tough new immigration policies on the East End, in a series titled “Crackdown.” It concludes this week with a conversation about the potential impact on the businesses and economy of the region, which relies heavily on immigrant labor in so many sectors. Trump’s win in November appears to have been driven largely by his rhetoric on immigration, which was embraced by a nation that seems ready ...
29 Jan 2025 by Editorial Board
The future of journalism is in good hands, if the members of the Springs School Journalism Club are any indication. The Express News Group was happy to welcome a handful of members of the club to our Southampton office on Friday to show them what we do and encourage them in their collective journey into the field. They needed little encouragement. The middle school kids were enthusiastic, engaged, and ready to soak up whatever bits of wisdom the Express staff shared with them. And we put them to work — the club members came to the office with a series ...
22 Jan 2025 by Editorial Board
Smart government includes the development of new sources of revenue to avoid lofty tax increases and cover growing bottom lines, while still trying to improve services and infrastructure across the board. And in Sag Harbor, the Village Board of Trustees has been trying to do just that — increase funding, including, most recently, implementing a paid parking program that may be unpopular, but has the potential to raise a significant amount of revenue on an annual basis for years to come. Another proposal, introduced during a Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce meeting earlier this month, would increase fees for organizers ...
by Editorial Board
U.S. Representative Nick LaLota finds himself with a long runway as of this week. After he was first elected to represent the 1st Congressional District in 2022, the Republican served during a Democratic administration and a split Congress. After his reelection in November and Donald Trump’s second inauguration on Monday, he is now a Republican serving during a Republican administration, with the added benefit of a newly minted Republican Senate as well as continued GOP control of the House of Representatives. He is better positioned than he ever has been to deliver big for Suffolk County. He has had some ...
by Editorial Board
It’s tempting to say that, when it comes to the affordable housing crisis on the South Fork, the hard part is over — the heavy lifting that it took to get the Community Housing Fund approved in Albany, and by local voters in a referendum, was no small feat. Now that it’s in place, the money is flowing freely: Just a year in, both Southampton and East Hampton towns already have upward of $10 million to spend. For years, the lamentation was “if only we had the money …” Full marks to everyone who addressed that. But an Express Sessions ...
15 Jan 2025 by Editorial Board
It seems a lifetime ago, but there were moments of real promise in the relationship between the Shinnecock Nation and state and local governments. In 2020, after workers at a building site in Shinnecock Hills disturbed the remains of an Indigenous person, the town swiftly took action. A year later, the Town Board delivered a new law aimed at protecting graves and other culturally significant sites in town, with a focus on locations of importance to the nation. Two years later, New York State followed with a long-overdue law protecting unmarked graves. “I’m so happy it got done and this ...
8 Jan 2025 by Editorial Board
CANDY CANE: To East Hampton Town and state officials, for taking steps to address troublesome intersections — adding turn lanes at the Route 114 and Stephen Hands Path intersection, a turn lane into the Ross School from Route 114, and roundabouts at Two Holes of Water Road and Three Mile Harbor/Springs-Fireplace Road. It’s not just about traffic flow; there are safety concerns at some of these locations that should make them priorities. They seem to be, and for that residents should be grateful. CANDY CANE: To Guild Hall, for completing a massive renovation and its decision to preserve the design ...
19 Dec 2024 by Editorial Board
