Behind The Headlines

The panelists, including East Hampton Star Editor David Rattray, are joined  by Shinnecock Nation Council of Trustees Chairman Bryan Polite for an  in-depth discussion of recent headlines that the Shinnecock Nation plans  to build a 76,000-square-foot casino on the Shinnecock Territory just  west of Southampton Village, as an economic driver to help the people of  the Nation.

Joseph P. Shaw, Executive Editor, The Express News Group

Bill Sutton, Managing Editor, The Express News Group

David Rattray, Editor, The East Hampton Star

Bryan Polite, Chairman, Shinnecock Nation Council of Trustees

The panelists discuss the state of COVID-19 in local schools, including developments in districts returning to high risk sports; pending legislation that would help local governments better control sand minds, including often targeted mines in Noyac and Calverton; and legislation proposed by Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. that would impose fines on agency and government officials who violate the state’s Freedom of Information and Open Meetings laws.

Joseph P. Shaw, Executive Editor, The Express News Group

Bill Sutton, Managing Editor, The Express News Group

Denise Civiletti, Publisher at Riverhead Local

Beth Young, Editor/Publisher at East End Beacon

Chrissy Sampson, Deputy Managing Editor at East Hampton Star

The panelists discuss the recent court decision regarding “Truck Beach” in Amagansett, in which the judges ruled that the popular beach is privately owned and that the East Hampton Town Trustees cannot allow vehicles to park on the sand; the continued saga over COVID-19 vaccine distribution on the East End; and a dispute between the Riverhead Water District and the Suffolk County Water Authority over which agency should provide service in Manorville and Calverton.

Joseph P. Shaw, Executive Editor, The Express News Group

Bill Sutton, Managing Editor, The Express News Group

Joe Werkmeister, Editor, The Suffolk Times/Riverhead News-Review

Jamie Bufalino, Reporter, The East Hampton Star

Brian Cosgrove, Host, The Afternoon Ramble, WLIW-FM

The panelists discuss New York State and Suffolk County agreeing to allow high-risk high school sports beginning in February, and one school’s decision not to participate; ongoing civil case in Riverhead resulting from a fatal DWI crash in 2014; and discussions about a proposed paid parking app in East Hampton Village.

Joseph P. Shaw, Executive Editor, The Express News Group

Bill Sutton, Managing Editor, The Express News Group

David Rattray, Editor, The East Hampton Star

Grant Parpan, Content Director, Times-Review Media Group

Cailin Riley, Contributing Writer, The Express News Group

The panelists discuss continued issues with the coronavirus vaccine rollout on the East End of Long Island; solar farms in Riverhead and the proposed South Fork Wind Farm in East Hamptons, and the signing of an easement agreement for the project by East Hampton Town officials this week; and the continued efforts by local police departments to comply with the state’s requirements to address systemic racism in their ranks.

Joseph P. Shaw, Executive Editor, The Express News Group

Bill Sutton, Managing Editor, The Express News Group

Denise Civiletti, Publisher, Riverhead Local

Beth Young, Editor/Publisher at East End Beacon

Vera Chinese, Reporter, Newsday

The panelists discuss the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6, and the response of 1stDistrict U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin, as well as the current state of the coronavirus vaccine rollout on the East End of Long Island.

Hosts:

Joseph P. Shaw, Executive Editor, The Express News Group

Bill Sutton, Managing Editor, The Express News Group

David Rattray, Editor, The East Hampton Star

Joe Werkmeister, Editor, The Suffolk Times

Ginana Volpe, The Heart of The East End Morning Show Host/On-Air Journalist

The WNET Group, parent company of Long Island’s only NPR Station WLIW-FM, and The Express News Group announced the launch of Behind the Headlines, a new one-hour, weekly public radio program featuring conversations about the local and regional news of the week. Behind the Headlines premieres on Saturday, January 16, at 10 a.m. on 88.3 WLIW-FM and wliw.org/radio. The program will encore on Sundays at 10 a.m. Episodes will also be available to stream on-demand at wliw.org/radio. Check the schedule for encore broadcasts.

Providing analysis of the latest local and regional and cultural issues, Behind the Headlines is  hosted by Express News Group editors Bill Sutton and Joseph P. Shaw. To  bring listeners a diversity of perspectives, voices and views, each  week Sutton and Shaw will host a rotating panel of esteemed guest  journalists and colleagues, from a robust collection of East End, Long  Island, and regional news and public affairs outlets. Confirmed  participating organizations include The Times-Review News Group, The  East End Beacon, Newsday, The East Hampton Star and Riverhead Local.  Other reporters from the Express News Group and WLIW-FM will also  participate in the roundtable rotation.

“We have actively been seeking ways to expand our local news coverage  and are pleased to partner with The Express News Group to make that  vision a reality,” said Long Island native and resident Diane Masciale,  Vice President & General Manager of WLIW21 and 88.3 WLIW-FM and  Executive Producer of local productions at WLIW. “We have a shared  mission to educate, inform and empower our local community through  quality media content.  With Behind the Headlines,  listeners can expect more coverage of the issues and topics that are  important to the diverse East End community of Long Island.”

“We’re excited to partner with WLIW and reach an entirely different  audience with our news reporting, and even our lifestyle coverage from  time to time,” Express News Group Co-Publisher Gavin Menu said. “The  East End of Long Island is blessed with some of the best community news  outlets in the entire country, and bringing reporters and editors from  across the region together to discuss important and timely issues will  be of great value to the listeners of WLIW and beyond as the program is  shared across different platforms.”

“We’ve always enjoyed the panel conversations on the radio station  with our colleagues, and we’re excited to keep it going forward in a  new, more formal presentation,” said Joseph Shaw, Executive Editor of  the Express News Group. “The camaraderie among South Fork journalists is  remarkable — even as we compete against each other, we really do  support and respect one another. It will be an honor to bring so many  perspectives together on a weekly basis.”