Hampton Bays Third-grader Genesis Camacho, sixth-grader Erick Quintanilla and high school junior Stephanie Brenes each earned Student of the Month honors for October from the Hampton Bays School District. Each... more
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the Community Outreach Program and Adopt-a-Family delivered over 70 Thanksgiving baskets to families and individuals in need throughout the greater Westhampton area. In December, the program went even further, delivering 85 Christmas baskets filled with gifts to those facing challenging circumstances. These included families, individuals experiencing hardship, shut-ins, and single parents with children struggling to make ends meet. This heartwarming effort was made possible through the coordination and support of local churches, charitable organizations and community members. Together, they ensured that those in need received food and gifts, bringing joy to their holidays and making ...
27 Jan 2025 by Staff Writer
I do not know John Leonard. I have not followed his performances on the Zoning Board of Appeals and environs, as Jose Reyes has [“Storied Past,” Letters, January 23]. Even when forced to acknowledge the litany of objections raised to his fitness to run for office, I had no interest in his mottled career. It was enough for me to find him personally reprehensible and politically unfit, as well as dumb, when he decided to make his bones by going after Gayle Lombardi. Gayle Lombardi! That long-standing, close-researching, unstinting, unselfish, unassuming, devoted, brave and honored member of her community. Like ...
by Staff Writer
Residents should have deep concern regarding Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger’s proposed law on tree removal, which raises serious questions about government overreach and transparency. This rushed proposal was drafted without the knowledge or input of all trustees or the public. The law would make it illegal to remove a tree within a property setback without obtaining a permit. Residents would need permits to remove any private tree, whether “living, dead, standing or downed.” The law defines a “regulated tree” as one with a diameter greater than 10 inches. Fines for noncompliance range from $1,000 to $10,000 per tree, and ...
by Staff Writer
The matters discussed in your article [“Southampton Village Board Looks at Options for Mitigating Cut-Through Traffic on Somerset Avenue After Accident There,” 27east.com, January 14] raise difficult questions and problems. For years, a persistent group associated with the west village’s Somerset Avenue area has clamored for most-favored-neighbor status to make the area a private enclave or one-way street, thus eliminating its afternoon traffic problems and leaving the rest of the neighborhood to pound sand. Unfortunately, some village leaders seem inclined to make a Faustian bargain granting Somerset’s wish, thus making it the village’s new Camelot. That would be a mistake. ...
by Staff Writer
As I look around Flanders, I ask: How prepared are we to fight a disaster like the fires in California? Are we prepared with equipment and personnel? What can homeowners do to help minimize the problem besides new ways to damn and curse those responsible once we learn who is the team leader? George L. Stamatiades Flanders
by Staff Writer
There has been an eruption in America. It is a phenomenon I have not felt in my seven decades of life. There is a feeling that was missing certainly since Ronald Reagan’s second election landslide that spoke to a confidence that our values and beliefs had been restored. A visceral feeling of love for this nation that we so desperately have wanted to celebrate again. Yes, this sounds like the ravings of a love-struck teenager, and you wouldn’t be wrong to chuckle a bit and think this guy has lost it. And you would be right. The wave of joy ...
by Staff Writer
I want to thank The Southampton Press for giving John Leonard the opportunity to explain his abhorrent behavior as an attorney during the middle of his career [“Democratic Candidate Acknowledges Past Law License Suspensions,” 27east.com, January 24]. Although his mea culpa was admirable, I wish he had volunteered that information to voters instead of being prompted to come clean by my letter [“Storied Past, Letters, January 23]. Leonard hopes to convince town voters that he hit a rough patch 10 years ago. We all have — that’s relatable, and being relatable wins votes. I’ll even accept John Leonard’s bouts of ...
by Staff Writer
For total transparency, I am John Leonard’s dear friend. He is as close to a brother to me as anyone can have. That said, I believe it gives me a unique insight into his character and raison d’être. Prior to John’s appointments to prestigious boards in the Town of Southampton (Architectural Review Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals) and his Democratic Committee involvement, he was a champion for the community with his pro bono work. Even when he was building his law practice, he never cut back on helping people. It was done quietly, with no public recognition or ...
by Staff Writer
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on Nov 20, 2009