The Long Island Daily

The Long Island Daily, formerly Long Island Morning Edition, with host Michael Mackey provides regional news stories and special features that speak to the body politic, the pulse of our planet, and the marketplace of life.

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  The Long Island Daily

  NYS Board of Regents takes major step to phase out Regents exams as graduation requirement

  Sep 15, 202610 min

  For more than 30 years, the path to high school graduation in New York State has required Regents exams, the rigorous end-of-year tests that have determined whether students receive a diploma. Matthew Haag reports in THE NY TIMES that the New York State Board of Regents, the governing body for its schools, voted yesterday to take a major step in its yearslong plan to phase out the exam as a graduation requirement, a far-reaching overhaul intended to eliminate barriers to graduation for some students. The board authorized the State Department of Education to move ahead with a plan to make the exams optional. The changes represent New York’s most substantial education policy overhaul in decades, a sweeping rethinking of student expectations and diploma requirements in a state long held up as a model of rigorous graduation standards. State education officials insisted on Monday that the changes, which will introduce other options for students to demonstrate they have mastered material, will maintain high expectations. Education officials are calling the new graduation requirements “NY Inspires”. “NY Inspires is fundamentally about strengthening teaching and learning and creating deeper, more meaningful educational experiences for every student. By maintaining rigorous standards while giving students more opportunities to apply their knowledge, think critically, solve problems, and demonstrate what they know and can do, we are better preparing them for college, careers, civic life, and the future,” said state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa. “These transformations will give educators greater opportunities to engage students in high-quality learning while providing a more complete picture of student growth and achievement.” Some education groups expressed concern about the shift away from the exams, saying that making them optional could water down academic standards and would not result in students being better prepared for college or careers. Even backers of rigorous standards though such as senior fellow Ray Domanico of the Manhattan Institute said the Regents exams in recent decades were a bust, dumbed down to maintain or bolster graduation rates. “The results were not meaningful. There was exam `scrubbing’, cheating,” Domanico, the veteran education researcher, told The NY Post. The big question is what diploma requirement the Education Department will propose to replace the Regents exams. “There has to be a meaningful way to determine if students are meeting expectations. They have to come out of high school prepared,” Domanico said. *** Long Island's roadways are home to hundreds of controversial automatic license plate readers, widely called Flock cameras, and while law enforcement officials say they are a valuable crime-fighting tool, critics have raised alarms about their potential for widespread government surveillance on citizens. Nicole Fuller reports in NEWSDAY that more than 700 of the plate readers adorn poles and other structures in Nassau and Suffolk counties, according to an open-source database on the website Deflock.org that looks at the vastness of the network. It shows a network of more than 140,000 automatic license plate readers across the country. But in recent months, several municipalities across the country, including in New York State, have canceled their contracts with Flock Security, one of the largest manufacturers of the technology, founded in 2017, after residents raised concerns about privacy and potential wrongful use. The New York Civil Liberties Union {NYCLU} helped draft legislation that is pending in the New York State Legislature to restrict the use of automatic license plate readers for felony investigations and locating stolen vehicles and missing persons. The legislation would also prohibit data sharing outside of New York State and would only allow the data generated from the cameras to be held for 48 hours unless it was being used as evidence. The plate readers capture the license plate number of a vehicle, as well as its color, make, model and other physical characteristics like bumper stickers, allowing law enforcement to use the data to place suspects in the vicinity of crimes. Critics point to varying rules on how long the data is stored and rules around access to it. Suffolk County legislators last month sent a letter to Flock, saying constituents have raised privacy concerns, although Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina, in a statement, said the department has usage protocols in place. “License plate readers are a valuable law enforcement tool that can assist with criminal investigations as well as cases involving missing or vulnerable people including children and the elderly," Catalina said. "Access to LPR [license plate reader] data is used exclusively for authorized law enforcement purposes." The commissioner added that searches of its license plate reader database are limited to investigative commands and require a case number, and searches are subject to audits. "The fixed readers capture still images, not video, and are directed at public roadways, not private property," Catalina said. "The department will continually review its policy to ensure appropriate safeguards remain in place while providing law enforcement with an effective tool to protect public safety." In total, it appears there are about 725 cameras operating in Nassau and Suffolk counties, according to the crowdsourced data. *** The Town of Riverhead will hold its annual lottery for the 2026 bow-hunting program at Town Hall this coming Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the lottery will be held in person only in the Town Board room at 4 W. Second St. Participants must be Riverhead Town residents or Riverhead real property owners. Participants must possess a valid New York State deer hunting license, big game tag, bow hunter education certificate, landowner’s endorsement and all other required documentation. Hunters must also bring a current New York State driver’s license and current New York State bow-hunting license. All required paperwork, including license agreements, will be completed in person before the lottery is held. Participants must be at Riverhead Town Hall no later than 6:30 p.m. this Thursday. Bow-hunting for deer will be permitted, in one-week time slots from Monday through Sunday, on the following town-owned properties and dates: Oct. 1, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027: EPCAL Oct. 1, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027: Sound Avenue Oct. 1, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027: Middle Road Hunting will be permitted from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset in the designated areas, subject to the directives, terms and conditions set by the town’s Wildlife Management Advisory Committee and Riverhead Town officials or employees. *** A Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate from Amity Harbor, Long Island acknowledged yesterday that he had posed years ago in an explicit ad campaign modeling leather bondage gear, saying that it had no bearing on his campaign or ability to serve. The array of photos, which surfaced in The New York Post and a local news site, Messenger Papers, shows the candidate, Christopher Gallant, shirtless and variously wearing a leather collar attached to a chain and a leather face mask. In some of the photos, he is in intimate situations with another man. They appeared on the site of a bondage apparel company called Mr. S Leather; Mr. Gallant’s lawyer said they were taken around 2010. Andy Newman reports in THE NY TIMES that Mr. Gallant, 37, an openly gay military pilot, former air traffic controller and volunteer firefighter, is trying to unseat Nick LaLota, a Republican who has represented New York’s First Congressional District, covering eastern Suffolk County, since 2023. Mr. LaLota won his seat by 10 points in 2024, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — the party’s national campaign arm that is trying to help Democrats retake the House — considers the seat “in play.” Mr. Gallant’s lawyer, Sara Azari, said in a statement that the photographs “were taken during a private, consensual photo session involving Chris and his then-partner, with whom he was in a committed four-year relationship. Chris was also friends with the owner of Mr. S Leather, and the shoot was intended to be fun and personal, with the understanding that Mr. S could use select images in connection with certain products.” She said that Mr. Gallant “remains fully committed to his campaign and to earning the trust of the people he seeks to represent.” The Suffolk County Democratic Committee chairman, Richard Schaffer, said that Mr. Gallant “was always open and honest about who he is to both the committee and the voters of Suffolk County, and I have not seen any photos that would change that opinion.” *** The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced last Thursday, Sept. 10 that its field investigation of contaminated drinking water near the site of a 2023 fire at a Battery Energy Storage System in East Hampton suggests that the perfluorinated compound in the water “may be linked to the use of a vapor-based waterless fire suppression system” that, when combined with water, can break down into the chemical compound now found in public drinking water wells. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the DEC and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) are currently completing a field investigation begun in June of 2026 to determine the source of these chemical compounds, which have forced the shutdown of two Suffolk County Water Authority wells at its Bridgehampton Wellfield...

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  The Long Island Daily

  8.2 million households set to recieve $200 from Hochul adminstration

  Sep 14, 202610 min

  Financial education is being taught to students in grades 5-12 as part of a recently implemented NYS mandate that requires students in grades 5-12 to learn about finance in areas such as budgeting, money management, credit, debt management and investing. Instruction for students in K-4 is not required until 2027-28. The instruction comes at a time of decreasing financial literacy among adults, according to one survey, and could help students navigate the challenges of learning to manage money, build wealth and deal with debt. Schools are rolling out new finance courses or integrating the material into existing subjects. Lorena Mongelli reports in NEWSDAY that the mandate is part of the state's push to reform high school graduation standards under the new Portrait of a Graduate initiative, which involves phasing out traditional Regents exams and offering other pathways for students to show competency. Education experts said learning about finance is increasingly important in a modern economy with high living costs — particularly because studies show many adults lack the knowledge necessary to navigate the financial landscape. According to the 2026 TIAA Institute-Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center Personal Finance Index, financial literacy has declined since the annual survey began tracking the data 10 years ago. And Gen Z is the most challenged in this area, with only 38% of respondents in that age bracket answering index questions correctly, the survey found. Teaching skills at an early age can help students make informed decisions about creating financial goals, building assets, avoiding debt and creating emergency funds. It also helps create lasting security, experts said. While many schools on Long Island already offered some form of financial literacy education, they have now aligned their curricula with state guidelines, either by offering more stand-alone finance courses or weaving the instruction into existing courses. *** Utility rebate checks for up to $200 will be mailed to 8.2 million households statewide starting next week, per an expected announcement from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul today. Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the election-year checks are part of a one-time $1 billion program, known as the Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate Program, which was included in the state’s $277 billion budget in May along with changes to how utility rates are set up in an effort to lower costs and increase protections for consumers. “Too many families are struggling with rising household energy bills and soaring gas prices at the pump — and that's why we're putting money directly back in New Yorkers' pockets by sending energy rebate checks to millions of families as part of our affordability agenda,” Hochul said in a news release provided to Newsday in advance. The energy rebate checks will be mailed out starting Sept. 21 through December to qualifying New York residents based on their 2024 tax returns. No action is needed to receive a check. Qualified married joint filers or surviving spouse filers with incomes up to $150,000 will receive a $200 check under the program, while those earning between $150,000 and $300,000 will receive $150. Single filers earning up to $150,000 will receive a $100 check. Today’s announcement comes ahead of November, when the governor’s seat and all 213 seats in the State Legislature are up for election. *** The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island & the North Fork will host voter information tables at locations across the East End this week, including events marking National Voter Registration Day which is tomorrow Tuesday, September 15. Volunteers will distribute voter registration forms, absentee and early mail ballot applications, and information about the November 3 election, voting machines, early voting dates and locations, the League’s 2026 Directory of Public Officials, and upcoming voter education programs. The Suffolk County Board of Elections deadline for receipt of voter registration forms and absentee or early mail ballot applications is October 24. The deadline for returning an absentee ballot is Election Day, November 3. Voter registration forms are available through the New York State Board of Elections. Questions can be directed to the Suffolk County Board of Elections at 631-852-4500. For further info about voting and The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island & the North Fork visit https://lwvhsinf.org/ *** Southampton Village will pay a $600,000 lump sum and front pay going forward to a police officer, settling a federal lawsuit in which the officer said he faced discrimination and was denied a promotion because he is Black. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that S.V.P.D. Officer Kareem Proctor will receive a $600,000 payment, inclusive of attorneys' costs, for "claims of pain and suffering," according to the settlement, which was obtained by Newsday from the Village of Southampton through New York State's Freedom of Information Law. Proctor will also receive front pay each year he remains employed by the village, in addition to his salary as an officer. Front pay is an "equitable remedy" recognized by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to make victims of discrimination whole. Proctor will receive $10,000.87 of front pay this year. The amount will increase each year, reaching $16,529.92 in 2043, according to the settlement. He continues to work as a village police officer. "I'm happy to acknowledge that the village has seen fit to settle this matter, which is longstanding and has served as a major concern for one of Southampton's dedicated public servants," Frederick K. Brewington, Proctor's Hempstead-based attorney, told NEWSDAY. He added that Proctor "is relieved that this lawsuit that he was compelled to bring to seek some quantum of justice is now behind him." The 2021 lawsuit said Proctor, one of three Black employees in the department at the time, was promised by former Village Police Chief Tom Cummings that he would be promoted to detective after serving 18 months on the Suffolk District Attorney’s East End Drug Task Force. But Proctor was removed from the task force one day before he would be due the promotion under the state's Civil Service law, according to court filings. Proctor, 47, of Flanders...he grew up in Southampton Village...was hired by the department in 2008. The lawsuit said he suffered civil rights violations, lost wages and other adverse impacts. He sought damages of $30 million. Mayor Bill Manger Jr. signed the settlement Thursday after it was unanimously approved by the village's board of trustees. Proctor signed the agreement on Aug. 25, and Cummings, who was also named in the lawsuit, signed it Wednesday. "The village is pleased that this matter has been resolved," Manger told NEWSDAY. "The village is proud of the performance of its police department under the leadership of Chief Hurteau and believes it was in the public's interest to resolve this matter at this time." *** Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman promised to end a New York state “war on drivers” by killing Democrat-driven green energy mandates if he’s elected. Carl Campanile reports in THE NY POST that Blakeman ripped his Democratic rival Gov. Kathy Hochul for her pro-EV crusade to phase out gas-powered cars in favor of zero-emission electric vehicles by 2035. “Kathy Hochul looks at middle-class commuters and sees an ATM,” Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, told The Post. “She already hiked tolls and fares 21 times, slapped drivers with a congestion pricing tax just to cross into Manhattan, and now she’s literally trying to dictate what vehicle you can keep in your driveway.” The 2022 law backed by Governor Hochul — the Advance Clear Cars Mandate 2 — requires all new passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs sold in New York State to be zero emissions by 2035. Hochul promoted zero-emission electric autos to meet the state’s climate change law requirements for dramatically reducing greenhouse emissions and air pollution. Hochul doubled down on her support for the ban on gas-powered vehicles during Earth Week in April 2026, saying $30 million in government funds were available to help subsidize New Yorkers’ purchase or lease of an electric vehicle. But Blakeman said the edict strips driving consumers of choice while imposing crushing vehicle prices and overloading an already fragile electrical grid. Hochul and the Democratic-led legislature have also banned gas stoves, furnaces and propane heating in new buildings. Hochul, seeking re-election to a second term, did push back and tweak a mandate that New York cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. The new goal is 60% by 2040, with changes to how that measure is calculated. *** More than 100 volunteers spread throughout the Calverton National Cemetery on Saturday, September 12, to dig up weeds in planting beds as part of National Day of Service and Remembrance. A partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration and Carry the Load, a Texas-based nonprofit founded in 2011, this day of volunteer work honors the many first responders who died on 9/11. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that more than 100 national cemeteries across the United States participated in the occasion with about 15,000 volunteers estimated, according to Samuel Brown, the undersecretary for Memorial Affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who spoke at Saturday’s Calverton ceremony. After which...

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  The Long Island Daily

  Green Thumb organic farmstand agrees to sell development rights to Southampton Town

  Sep 10, 202610 min

  Legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush just two months after the 9/11 attacks created the Transportation Security Administration, federalizing a security system that had mostly been a patchwork of private security firms. The act brought with it the enhanced airport security apparatus we still have today. But over the past quarter century, advances in technology have also helped ease some of the restrictions rolled out after 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners. Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that with a mandate of "protecting air, land and rail transportation against terrorist threats, sabotage and other acts of violence," legislation creating the Transportation Security Administration was officially signed into law on November 19, 2001, by President Bush. No longer would airport security be run by different private security firms hired by each airline operating out of an airport. The TSA would also create a universal list of banned items including box cutters, knives and sharp scissors after learning the terrorists used such weapons to attack people aboard the planes. The TSA also required all bags loaded onto a plane to go through X-ray and scanning machines. "There's no question that aviation safety and our kind of terrorist policy posture, our approach to terrorism, shifted completely after 9/11, shifted from a more kind of reactive model to a more proactive model," said Corri Zoli, an instructor and researcher with Syracuse University’s Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute. To speed up the screening process, a number of U.S. airports have started to use biometric scanning machines that immediately match a person's photo ID with a camera scan of their face to ensure a traveler's identity, versus having a TSA officer do their own visual check. However, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and civil rights groups have raised concerns about the further expansion of biometric use without guardrails for how data is stored and protected from cyberhackers. Asked about the current state of travel security, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), the current chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement to Newsday that as head of the committee his focus is "making sure TSA has the tools and resources it needs to stay ahead" of changing threats. "Americans are safer flying today than we were 25 years ago," Garbarino said. "But the threats we face continue to evolve." *** The Southampton Town Planning Board has scheduled a Public Hearing at 6:00 o’clock this evening in the Town Board Room. One contentious matter on the agenda is Long Springs Farm, a historic 21.7-acre estate at 437 North Sea Mecox Road in the North Sea hamlet of Southampton Town. Originally built in 1913, the main farmhouse features classic covered porches and sits on an elevated terrain overlooking rolling meadows, sun-filled fields, and a series of spring-fed freshwater ponds and streams. The property acts as a critical ecological buffer zone, directly abutting 62 acres of vacant, protected Suffolk County parkland to its west, making it a highly valued environmental and scenic asset to the local community. The Long Springs Farm development project by Kamicutico LLC appears on the Southampton Town Planning Board agenda for preliminary subdivision review at this evening’s 6:00 PM public hearing in the Town Board Room to gather community feedback regarding the future of this property in North Sea. *** In remembrance of those who died and served nobly in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, there are ceremonies across the east end tomorrow including in Southampton Village. Amy Zavatto reports on Southforker.com that Southampton Town Department of Public Safety places 343 mini American flags annually in front of the lawn of the Southampton Town Hall to honor the number of firefighters lost in attack. Tomorrow morning at 8:15 a.m., the Southampton Fire Department is holding a memorial service, sounding a siren at 8:46, 9:03 when Mayor Bill Manger and Chief Polis Walker will also speak, 9:47, 9:59, 10:03 and 10:28 a.m. respectively to note the key moments of attacks and tower collapses. Also, sirens will be heard by locals as fire departments across the East End will be sounding their horns and sirens between 8:46 a.m. and 10:28 a.m., marking the exact moments when the Twin Towers were each struck and fell, when the Pentagon was struck and the time that Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Penn. *** The owners of the Green Thumb organic farmstand in Water Mill have agreed to sell the development rights on a section of the farmland that supplies their stand to Southampton Town in a deal that would require the land to be used exclusively for food crops and actively farmed in perpetuity. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the four Halsey family siblings who own the farmland off Deerfield Road — just a few hundred yards from the farmstand across Montauk Highway — will sell 15.3 acres of fields to the town for $6.5 million, after carving out a portion of the land for future family house lots. “This whole property has been certified organic for over 30 years,” said William Halsey, one of the siblings who owns and farms the land on the east side of Deerfield Road, just north of the LIRR tracks. Under the “enhanced” development rights agreement, the deal would place permanent covenants on the property requiring at least 80 percent of the land to be dedicated solely to growing food crops and actively cultivated by a bona fide farmer — or the town could step in and lease it to one. The enhanced rights agreements were developed by the town and the Peconic Land Trust in 2015 to address a growing problem: Properties “preserved” from development with millions from the Community Preservation Fund were disappearing beneath horse paddocks, riding rings, nursery stock, or vast swaths of manicured lawn. The enhanced deals also shave the resale value of the land down to a fraction of its market potential, making it much more affordable for working farmers to purchase. Once development rights are sold, the land’s taxable value is similarly reduced to a fraction of what it would be if slated for residential development. “We’re excited this will stay in farming,” Jacqueline Fenlon, director of the town’s Community Preservation Fund, told Town Board members, who could approve the deal later this month. *** The owners of the popular waterfront restaurants Rumba and Cowfish in Hampton Bays have asked the Town of Southampton for water quality improvement grants to help upgrade the two restaurants’ septic systems to modern nitrogen-reducing systems. The total grant request is for about $800,000, with $437,000 requested for Cowfish and $310,000 for Rumba. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that both restaurants are owned by Rooted Hospitality — the restaurant group that also owns Flora and Fauna in Westhampton Beach. Their restaurants in Hampton Bays sit just feet from the waters of Shinnecock Bay, near the southern mouth of the Shinnecock Canal. Rumba is the more complicated of the two proposals — situated on a tiny property wedged between residences, with a long history of problematic septic issues. “This is a site where we were always concerned with balancing the functionality of a successful restaurant with making sure it had an updated system,” said Jacqueline Fenlon, who manages Southampton Town’s Community Preservation Fund, which provides the water quality improvement grants. Councilman Bill Pell suggested that the owners coordinate their project with the owner of a neighboring cluster of rental cottages. Fenlon noted that the owner of that property has already inquired about funding possibilities for an upgrade. Sitting essentially at the water’s edge, the projects are high priorities in the fight to restore water quality in the bays, according to Brian Grogan, a wastewater engineer working for the two restaurants. He spoke of this with Southampton Town Board members, who are assessing grant proposals for water quality improvement funding from the Community Preservation Fund. “Considering we are a waterfront property, it is extremely important,” said Grogan. “Anything that comes out of the sanitary system goes basically straight into the bay — probably in minutes.” *** In remembrance of those who died and served nobly in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, there are ceremonies across the east end tomorrow morning. Beth Young reports in East End Beacon that the Town of Riverhead will hold its annual memorial ceremony, led by Town Clerk Jim Wooten, at 10 a.m. by the Calverton 9/11 Memorial on the corner of Edwards Ave. and Riley Ave. Riverhead Town hall will have a delayed 11:30 a.m. opening tomorrow so town employees can attend the ceremony. The Greenport Fire Department will hold a ceremony of remembrance at the Third Street Firehouse at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Sag Harbor’s Old Whalers’ Church will be open “for personal or quiet prayer from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. “All are welcome to drop by for silent prayer and remembrance,” according to the church. *** Two wind farms under development off the coast of Long Island have continued construction despite onslaughts from the federal government, and their developers said this week that both still plan to become fully operational by 2027. Sunrise Wind in Suffolk County and Empire Wind off the south shore of Nassau County have completed nearly all onshore work, pile-driven offshore monopiles and foundations, and have started or are preparing for the final phase

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  The Long Island Daily

  Renewed call to overhaul outdated LIPA power plants amid potential deficiencies

  Sep 9, 202610 min

  Long Island Power Authority headed off a short-term power deficiency by retrofitting power plants and re-upping undersea cable contracts, but a longer-term deficiency looms, according to a recent state filing, leading some to intensify the call to overhaul Long Island’s biggest, oldest plants. In a letter to the Public Service Commission in August, PSEG Long Island, writing on LIPA’s behalf, described how the utility had retrofitted three small power plants in Shoreham and Glenwood Landing to allow them to be powered up this summer using a technology known as water injection, which cools the plant and reduces emissions to within state standards. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the utility also entered into a new contract for 345 megawatts of capacity over the Cross Sound Cable, and it extended a contract with the Neptune cable owners to provide its 600-plus megawatts of capacity through 2030, a decision the Long Island Power Authority later filed a federal complaint over to object to its 50% cost increase. The combined moves addressed what the state grid manager saw as a potential capacity deficiency of some 254 megawatts by 2030, ensuring that LIPA will keep the lights on by showing that it has agreements in place with power generators in the event of spiking summer demand. Capacity contracts are essentially lease agreements that ensure LIPA has sufficient potential to meet demand on the highest peak days. LIPA pays separately for energy from the plants depending on grid conditions and demand. But the short-term fixes don’t fully address what could be a looming shortfall of upward of 500 megawatts by the middle of the next decade. For that reason, National Grid Ventures, which owns and operates the fleet of large and small fossil-fuel plants across Long Island, says the urgency increases each day to begin the process of repowering the largest plants. Such a move, the company says, would avoid a growing backlog of demand for power plant equipment caused in part by frenzied interest in data centers. “We certainly think repowering is a necessary solution,” said Will Hazelip, president of National Grid Ventures. “We think it needs to be a live option that’s being developed today.” He noted that National Grid’s East Hampton plant has continued to operate this summer even with South Fork Wind farm producing well. “It highlights that even with renewables, you still need fossil fuel power generation to keep the system reliable,” Hazelip said. *** A former Springs Union Free School District staffer alleges in a lawsuit she was fired following her refusal to improperly classify two immigrant students as disabled. The suit brought by Lauren Seaton, who was hired as the district's director of pupil services in 2023, also claims her dismissal followed her pushing back against plans to hire an uncertified student teacher for a classroom with special education students. Lorena Mongelli reports in NEWSDAY that Ms. Seaton also oversaw student support services, including special education and Individualized Education Programs for students with a disability, as well as placement decisions and other duties. She claims the Springs School District retaliated against her and ultimately fired her in January 2025 after challenging officials on issues that would have potentially violated federal and state laws in summer and fall of 2024. “She's alleging that she was wrongfully terminated after refusing to participate in actions or condone actions she believed were unethical, unlawful and harmful to students," said her Melville-based lawyer Alexander Gilbert. Lauren Seaton is seeking $8 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages, along with other relief. In October 2024, two teachers asked Seaton to label two immigrant students as disabled but evaluations showed the students had language acquisition issues that are not considered disabilities, according to the lawsuit filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court. One teacher complained to Nancy Carney, the district’s superintendent, according to the lawsuit. When Seaton told Carney that the pair did not meet the criteria for classification as having a disability requiring special education services, Carney said they needed to reduce the size of their general education classrooms, according to the complaint. The students were both recent immigrants who did not speak English, Seaton told Newsday. According to the lawsuit, “inappropriate special education intervention can impede a student’s language development." Misclassifying a student as disabled potentially violates federal and state laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Of 1974, according the lawsuit. Seaton recommended adding integrated co-teaching classrooms, which include special education students, or another general education classroom. "Students are being pulled into special education programs they don't need, while the support they actually require, targeted language instruction, goes undelivered," Seaton said. The Springs School District, in a motion seeking to dismiss the case, argued Seaton’s claims “reflect routine professional disagreements." The motion also states, “Plaintiff does not allege any unlawful conduct actually occurred, that any student was denied legally mandated services, nor that any action by the District created a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety." *** The Choral Society of the Hamptons will hold auditions for its chorus this coming Monday, September 14, beginning at 6 p.m. at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church. The chorus welcomes singers who love to sing and have basic sight-reading abilities. Audition applications are available at choralsocietyofthehamptons.org. The Choral Society’s final concert of its 80th anniversary year, “Holiday Music on the 250th Anniversary of America,” will be conducted by Resident Conductor Walter Klauss on Sunday, December 6, with performances at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Auditions, rehearsals and the holiday concert will all take place at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church. Rehearsals begin Monday, September 21, at 7 p.m. and will continue weekly. *** Riverhead officials are preparing to seek proposals for a townwide parking management system that could eventually tie together downtown parking enforcement, beach permits, code enforcement and the town justice court. But at a Riverhead Town Board work session last Thursday, the long-term technology discussion repeatedly returned to a more immediate concern: how to keep downtown businesses accessible while construction continues to squeeze available parking. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that parking consultant Kevin Wood told the board the town should issue a request for proposals for a unified parking enforcement and permitting platform, calling it “the right, transparent thing to do” as Riverhead looks at “upgrading and modernizing the system as a whole.” The system under discussion could include handheld ticketing devices, automated license plate readers, digital parking and beach permits, QR-code ticket payments and real-time data on parking violations and turnover. Officials said the goal is to move away from handwritten tickets and siloed systems currently used by different departments. Dawn Thomas, the Town of Riverhead’s community development administrator, said handheld ticketing devices could allow officers to scan registrations, select violations from a drop-down menu, print waterproof tickets with photographs and upload the information automatically to the justice court system. The printed tickets could include QR codes allowing violators to pay online quickly. The Riverhead Town Board is expected to continue the parking discussion at future work sessions. Wood said the next presentation should be followed by “at least two more meetings.” *** The Village of Southampton is seeking millions in water quality improvement funding from the Southampton Town Community Preservation Fund to help finance the next phase of design and planning for a downtown sewer system, as it prepares to kick off the project’s regulatory review this week. Southampton Village officials say they need an additional $5 million to complete the primary design for the sewer system, which will serve the village’s downtown business district. However, Southampton Town officials informed the village last week that the grant request for the second half of this year will have to be substantially trimmed down, as the town has just $2.3 million remaining in its water quality grant coffers for the year. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that preliminary designs would connect 254 properties — mostly commercial businesses, a smattering of residential homes and Southampton Town Hall. The sewage treatment plant, which the village plans to construct on Windmill Lane at the current site of Lola Prentice Memorial Park, is being designed to accommodate future growth. The sewer system is expected to spur further downtown development, including new restaurants and apartments above storefronts. The total cost of the project is currently estimated at $64 million. In a pitch last week to the Southampton Town Board, which reviews water quality improvement grant requests, village officials emphasized that the sewer is critical to restoring local water quality — particularly in Lake Agawam — while helping downtown businesses modernize and expand. This request marks the third time the village has applied to the CPF since initiating its push for the long-discussed sewer system in 2023. The project previously received $1.74

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  The Long Island Daily

  Potential new strategy could alleviate major congestion in Penn Station during rush hour

  Sep 8, 202610 min

  Frustration is shared by thousands of Long Island Rail Road commuters who regularly endure the chaos at Penn Station when tracks are announced close to departure times. Now, momentum is building for a long-debated strategy to alleviate the mad dash to track level by no longer treating Penn as a dead end. Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that despite being considered the busiest train terminal in North America, Penn Station really isn’t a train terminal at all, as most of its tracks continue beyond the facility, across the Hudson River, and into New Jersey. But, because trains typically begin or end their runs at Penn, they tend to dwell at platforms for several minutes at a time — blocking other trains from using those tracks until they pull out. Under a through-running operation, as it’s known in the transit industry, trains that today end their runs at Penn Station — and wait on tracks to be cleared of passengers and serviced by crews before moving to a rail yard or heading back on a round trip — would instead quickly move on from Penn, bound for the next station on the other side of the Hudson or East rivers. Westbound LIRR trains would continue to stations in New Jersey, and NJ Transit trains would continue to LIRR stations in Queens and Long Island. Proponents say such an operation — especially when combined with other infrastructure improvements — could boost train capacity and efficiency at Penn, making for a more orderly flow of trains and fewer last-minute stampedes to track level. But plentiful skepticism remains over the potential for through-running to make much of a difference at Penn and whether there is sufficient demand for one-seat rides from Seaford to Secaucus, New Jersey, or from Newark to New Hyde Park to make the operational overhaul worthwhile. Through-running boosters are seizing on the opportunity presented by the ongoing transformation of Manhattan’s rail system, including the construction of the new Gateway tunnel that will double train capacity across the Hudson River and the Trump administration’s $8 billion effort to reconstruct Penn Station. *** Some of our local governments are getting back to business today. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the East Hampton Town Board will discuss protections for street trees and bamboo regulations at its 11 a.m. work session this morning at East Hampton Town Hall. The Southampton Town Board holds several public hearings at its 1 o’clock meeting this afternoon. They’ll be discussing the acquisition of enhanced development rights at a property at 141 Deerfield Road, on increasing the maximum loan amount under the Town of Southampton’s First-Time Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance Program and establishing a forgiveness program for volunteer first responders, on funding for the Hampton Bays Water District and engineering for a Hampton Bays sewer system, and on tax exemptions for surviving spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty. The Southold Town Board has moved its biweekly work session/meeting date to tomorrow...that's Wednesday, September 9 at 9 a.m. *** The Rites of Spring Music Festival will host a weekend-long series of performances on the north fork celebrating Latin American song and dance, from this Friday Sept. 11 through Sunday Sept. 13. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that it’s “three days of community gatherings where participants can share arts, music, fashion, traditional dishes, economy and social practices,” according to Rites of Spring founder Paolo Bartolani. Weekend festivities begin Friday at 5 p.m. with a free concert at the North Fork Flower Farm in Southold. After the concert, attendees can enjoy a tour of the Flower Farm and refreshments. On Saturday, Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the festival collaborates with the Greenport Farmers Market in Mitchell Park for El Mercado de la Creatividad, a market where farmers, craft makers and nature product vendors will sell their goods, including crafts, food, and art. The musical program continues with the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet on stage with tango dancers at the North Fork Arts Center on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 13, the Afro-Brazilian Percussion group Batalá New York and the Afro-Latin music and dance ensemble Sanctuario join together for an afternoon program in Greenport’s Mitchell Park, starting with a family percussion workshop from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by a performance at 5 p.m. All of Sunday’s events are free. *** Fire departments across the South Fork are holding ceremonies this coming Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda Islamic terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a jet airliner crashed as passengers and crew members fought back against the hijackers. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com as to where “9/11” local ceremonies are occurring: In East Hampton, the East Hampton Town Fire Chiefs Association is holding a memorial ceremony at the Hook Mill in East Hampton Village on Friday at 6 p.m. The East Hampton Fire Department is also hosting a memorial ceremony at the American Legion Post 419, at 15 Montauk Highway in Amagansett, on Friday at 6 p.m. In East Quogue, the East Quogue Fire Department is holding a memorial ceremony outside the department’s headquarters, at 465 Montauk Highway on Friday at 6:30 p.m. In Southampton, the Southampton Fire Department is holding a memorial ceremony at the Hampton Road Firehouse, on 470 Hampton Road in Southampton Village, on Friday morning at 8:15 a.m. Commemorating when the north and south towers of the World Trade Center were struck and collapsed, when the Pentagon was struck, and when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed, there will be a 20-second commemorative siren activation at each moment of reflection. Remarks will be made at 8:15 a.m. and 10:28 a.m. by Chief Polis Walker. Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger will speak at 9:03 a.m., when the south tower was struck. In Westhampton Beach, the Westhampton Beach Fire Department is holding a memorial ceremony at the Sunset Avenue Firehouse, at 92 Sunset Avenue in Westhampton Beach, on Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. *** Just days from the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda attacks, poll results released today found that two-thirds of regional residents said their lives were permanently changed by the aftermath — a sentiment even stronger among Long Islanders. Matthew Chayes reports in NEWSDAY that about 66% of respondents to the poll, conducted by the Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital, said the attacks changed their daily lives either somewhat or a great deal: 65% among New York City residents and 67% among Long Islanders. The poll also found a quarter of respondents report mental problems or trauma connected to 9/11 — 26% in New York City and 22% on Long Island. The poll of 600 adults ages 30 and older in New York City and on Long Island, was done from Aug. 5 to Aug. 10. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, in lower Manhattan, at the Pentagon and in western Pennsylvania. A total of 2,753 people were killed in the World Trade Center attacks. Of those, close to 500 were Long Islanders. One question asked, "Should the federal government continue to fund no-cost, periodic medical monitoring/treatment to those with certified 9/11 health conditions?" Eighty-seven percent of respondents overall said yes, mirroring New York City, but it was 86% among Long Islanders. It’s the 30th poll by Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital, which has conducted the survey series since 2017. Other topics have included alcohol use, social media, vaccines and mental health. *** ReWild Long Island’s North Fork Chapter and Group for the East End are inviting locals to explore the native plants growing right here on northeastern Long Island during “Where the Wild Things Grow: A Native Plant Discovery Walk,” this coming Saturday morning Sept. 12 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Skipper Horton Park in Greenport. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the relaxed, one-hour walk will offer participants an opportunity to slow down, enjoy the natural landscape, and discover the native plants that make up Long Island’s living ecosystem. Saturday morning's event is free, but registration is required. Participants are asked to dress appropriately, as we may encounter pesky insects and foliage while walking through nature. It’s recommended to wear light-colored clothing, long sleeves, pants tucked into socks, hair under a hat, and spray clothing with bug spray. That's this Saturday at 10 a.m...at Skipper Horton Park, 72250 Main Road in Greenport. Registration is required as space is limited. Register on the ReWild website . *** The Southampton Public Safety Foundation has announced its first community-supported initiatives, including new safety cameras at Lake Agawam and Agawam Park and specialized equipment for the Southampton Village Police Department’s new K-9 vehicle. As posted on 27east.com, the foundation will support the installation of four public safety cameras at Lake Agawam and Agawam Park, as well as the equipment and infrastructure needed to operate them. It also plans to work with the police department to assess Southampton Village’s broader camera network and identify areas where upgrades or additional technology may be needed. The foundation will also help equip the police...

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