As tempting as it is — as beneficial as it would be to protect a cluster of public parking spaces in crammed-up Sag Harbor — village officials have to resist... more
March 18 is such an odd date for a Southampton Town vote, and timing could be everything as voters go to the polls to temporarily fill a vacant seat on the Town Council, created by Tommy John Schiavoni’s election to the State Assembly in the fall. Snowbirds are away, people are heavily distracted by so many other things going on in the world, and the race could just as easily pass many town residents’ notice. But it would be unfair to both Republican Rick Martel and Democrat John Leonard not to pay attention and, more importantly, not to show up ...
12 Mar 2025 by Editorial Board
It goes without saying — but let’s not let it. The weekend’s sudden drama was a spectacular reminder of a couple of things: how delicate our balance with nature is, how devastating human activity can be without ill intention, how risky the new extreme weather and resulting conditions are, and, once again, how much in debt the entire region is to the men and women who run toward danger instead of away. The weekend’s wildfires near Gabreski Airport made for stunning visuals, with walls of flame and columns of smoke, and the entire situation brought back memories of past conflagrations ...
by Editorial Board
The death of a river otter on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike last month — the victim of nearby traffic — should serve as a wakeup call to drivers on the East End. The loss of the otter, a species that disappeared from Long Island years ago and only now making a slow comeback, highlights a growing problem: Our roads are a deadly barrier for wildlife of all kinds. Add to that the propensity for drivers to speed through the area to make up for lost time in the ever-growing congestion of South Fork commuter traffic, and it’s a disaster for ...
5 Mar 2025 by Editorial Board
First, it was the Cranberry Hole Road Bridge in Amagansett, which was closed to all traffic in May 2023, then again a few weeks later, after the road over the Long Island Rail Road tracks was deemed unsafe. The bridge, built in 1895 and renovated as recently as 2007, remains closed and likely will have to be replaced. Now, it’s the Ponquogue Bridge, a much larger 38-year-old span that was closed on February 21 after concerns about “deterioration” of the concrete girders supporting its road deck. It’s back open again, but with weight limits that will keep some important commercial ...
by Editorial Board
Among the many ideas that have evolved in the past few decades is the notion of a “gathering.” For centuries, it meant getting together in person, face to face. In the latter half of the 20th century, telephones and even video began to unite the globe for conversations (credit where due: the first such gathering by telephone actually took place in 1916 and involved more than 5,000 engineers in eight American cities). But there was nothing to rival the “virtual meeting” that became part of most people’s lives in the last quarter century, and an essential part of many people’s ...
26 Feb 2025 by Editorial Board
It feels like a classic “family dispute”: The Southampton History Museum, as respected and beloved a local organization as there is, and the Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery, which in its brief life has done plenty to spread goodwill even as it bolsters the local shellfish populations, supports the baymen who rely on them for a living and, as a bonus, helps clean the waters. Plus, the hatchery provides a much-needed link between the storied past and present of aquaculture on the South Fork, and its future, by bringing in a whole new generation of shellfish enthusiasts through educational programs. As ...
19 Feb 2025 by Editorial Board
Esly Escobar found a passion for the visual arts quite by accident, he says. The LTV studios technician and Westhampton Beach resident describes one winter when he literally threw colorful paints on cardboard, and he fell in love. Before long, he had cleaned up a spot in his basement to serve as a studio and “got lost in it” for years. “I’d forget about everything. I would just go to work, come back, go buy materials,” he said. The driving passion resulted in him producing over 70 paintings. He soon found himself with a solo show at the Remsenburg Academy, ...
by Editorial Board
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
