The fate of the late Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck's Sag Harbor home hangs in the balance as it sits on the open market. However, an informal coalition of individuals and groups that want to preserve the home as a historic site and writers' retreat is endeavoring to raise the funds to purchase the waterfront property where Steinbeck wrote his final novel, “The Winter of Our Discontent," before a private buyer does. Nada Barry, the proprietor of The Wharf Shop, joins the editors on the podcast this week to share memories from her friendship with Steinbeck and to highlight the significance of his former home.

The massive 185-foot steeple of the First Presbyterian (Old Whalers’) Church in Sag Harbor was the tallest structure on Long Island when built in 1844. But the steeple came down in the Hurricane of 1938 — the victim of a well-intentioned but ill-fated attempt in the early 1900s to shore it up. Now, there’s a vision to rebuild the steeple, this time, with cell towers within that would help pay for its reconstruction and improve communication networks for miles around. Architect Randy Croxton, a member of the church’s Session, joins editors and reporter Stephen J. Kotz to talk about the church’s history, the need for improved cellular service on the East End and the vision for rebuilding the iconic steeple.

In this week's 27Speaks podcast, Express News Group mothers compare notes on the first few weeks of school, the transition from summer fun to fall homework, the many challenges of school day lunches, and the general ups and downs of parenting in the digital age.

After a months of opinion gathering, Southampton Village is close to adopting its first village-wide comprehensive master plan update in more than 20 years. Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren joins the podcast this week to discuss the scope of the plan and its purpose, plus SouthamptonFest coordinator Nancy Kane and the mayor share what to expect during the festival weekend kicking off Friday, September 30.

New York State's Freedom of Information Law is designed to protect the public's right to know and to enable journalists and members of the public to obtain records from municipalities, police departments and other government agencies. However, the law is often vague and lacks teeth, which makes it easy for agencies to turn down, ignore or slow walk valid FOIL requests while rarely facing consequences. Journalist Charles Lane of the Institute for Access to Public Information joins the editors this week to discuss his recent FOIL lawsuit against Southampton Village, why FOIL is important to government transparency and accountability, and how the law could be improved to make it more effective and difficult to circumvent.

With Labor Day now in the rear-view mirror and cooler, shorter days on the horizon, this week our editors discuss the season that was and take a look ahead to the fall festivals that will soon give us all reason to celebrate.

With Labor Day now in the rear-view mirror and cooler, shorter days on the horizon, this week our editors discuss the season that was and take a look ahead to the fall festivals that will soon give us all reason to celebrate.

For the fourth year in a row, researchers who monitor the bay scallop population in the Peconic Estuary say there are clear signs of a massive die-off of the valuable shellfish unfolding on local bay bottoms. Biologists from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program say that they have seen almost 100 percent mortality of adult bay scallops at monitoring sites in Northwest Harbor and Orient Harbor. A parasite is likely contributing to the scallops' demise, but record-high water temperatures in the bays caused by climate change are also adding to the stresses the dwindling population faces. Senior reporter Michael Wright joins the editors on the podcast this week to discuss the plight of Peconic bay scallops and what's being done in an effort to reverse the trend.

Real estate appraiser and market analyst Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel Inc. joins the podcast this week to share his insights on the state of the Hamptons real estate market, how it has behaved throughout the pandemic and what he's looking out for to get a sense of where it is headed next.

The editors discuss the "Summer of the Shark." Shark sightings and bites have caused beach closures on Long Island this summer, and two deceased juvenile white sharks washed up on South Fork beaches. The increased presence of sharks nearshore is the result of conservation efforts and a sign of a healthy marine ecosystem.