27Speaks

The East End's food pantries are a lifeline for people in need, and with the rising costs of food, fuel and other essentials, need is rising. At the same time that inflation is causing greater demand at food pantries, the food pantries themselves are combating rising costs for the goods that they buy for distribution. The ongoing pandemic has also exacerbated need while causing supply chain problems. Reporter Cailin Riley joins the editors on the podcast this week to discuss the struggles food pantries are facing.

Rob Wiesenthal, the CEO and founder of aviation company Blade Urban Air Mobility, which operates shared helicopter and seaplane flights to the East End, joins the editors and reporter Michael Wright to discuss his company’s origin, how the service works and the plans that Blade has in store for the future on the East End and elsewhere, including electric, emission-free aircraft that are much quieter than the helicopters that are a point of contention in many East East communities that are under flight paths or near airports.

Hampton Bays School Superintendent Lars Clemensen, a member of the New York State Council of School Superintendents Executive Committee and an author of the 2018 Blueprint for School Safety, joined the editors this week to discuss what school districts and the state are doing to address safety in light of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 and other school shootings. Clemensen was present for Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent signing of Alyssa’s Law, which requires school districts to consider the use of silent panic alarm systems in their safety plans. The law is named for Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old who was one of 17 killed in the Parkland, Florida, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

The Express News Group recently published a series of articles commemorating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation, passed in June of 1972, that ensured equal access and opportunity for women in education. While the law applies to all areas of education, one of its biggest legacies has been how it changed for landscape for female athletes, in the high school, college and even professional ranks.

Reporter Cailin Riley, who put together the series, spoke with several local coaches and administrators as well as current female high school athletes to discuss the way things were before the law, the progress that has been made in the 50 years since and the work that still needs to be done.

Adam Potter, the face of Friends of Bay Street Theater, has been buying up properties on Bridge and Rose streets in Sag Harbor Village for some time, and this month, he revealed why: He is proposing a mixed-use development with 79 units of affordable housing and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. Senior reporter Stephen Kotz joins the editors this week to discuss the plans, the obstacles and the process ahead.

The inaugural Hamptons Pride Parade was held in East Hampton Village on June 4 in celebration of Pride Month. Co-grand marshals Robert S. Chaloner, chief administrative officer of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, and Kathryn Szoka, co-owner of Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor, join the conversation this week to talk about their experiences as long-time members of the East End’s LGBTQ community, how attitudes have evolved and changed, and where improvement is still needed in terms of support and acceptance.

Joining the editors on the podcast this week are former News 12 Long Island anchor and reporter Drew Scott and Sag Harbor Express publisher emeritus Bryan Boyhan, who were inducted into the Press Club of Long Island's Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame this month. Scott and Boyhan discuss their careers, how the journalism industry has changed over the years and the public's perspective of the media.

A coalition of airport users is attempting to use the courts to stop East Hampton Town's plan to briefly shut down East Hampton Airport and then reopen it as a private-use facility with more restrictions on aircraft and flights. Meanwhile, the shared flight booking service Blade has suspended its regularly scheduled seaplane trips to Sag Harbor after running afoul of the village. Reporters Michael Wright and Stephen Kotz join the editors this week to discuss where both issues stand.

Many East End towns and villages have adopted more stringent restrictions on gasoline-powered leaf blowers in recent years and in some cases outright bans seasonally or year round. Noise pollution, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are among the concerns that advocates for the bans raise, while members of the landscaping industry say battery-powered blowers are inadequate replacements and more time is needed for a transition. Joining our editors to discuss the merits of the arguments over leaf blowers are Ivan Roman, the owner and founder of landscape design, install and maintenance company Heirloom Gardens, and Andrew Messinger, the writer of the Hampton Gardener column for more than four decades.

With Roe v. Wade under serious threat at the federal level and already all but dead in many states across the country, many women in the U.S. face the real possibility of seeing their reproductive rights evaporate all together. Fears of a return to the days of illegal, unsafe abortion is looming large. This week, our editors are joined by some of our female reporters who look at the issue and discuss the ramifications that may lie ahead for American women if abortion rights erode and the clock is turned back 50 years.