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Body of missing Riverside man found in East Hampton
The Shinnecock Indian Nation has asked a state appellate court to suspend and reconsider a ruling that could shut down the tribe’s Sunrise Highway billboards in Hampton Bays, citing recent federal confirmation that the Shinnecock property known as Westwoods is restricted aboriginal territory. The 80-foot billboards remain in operation on the 80-acre Westwoods parcel, where the nation has also begun construction of a travel plaza-gas station on adjacent land and envisions a resort-conference center on a parcel overlooking Peconic Bay near the Shinnecock Canal. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that in their filing Friday, lawyers for the nation requested the Appellate Division to suspend its December order that found a lower court should have granted a preliminary injunction to the NYS Department of Transportation to stop construction and operation of the billboards. Since 2019 the state has fought for the injunction on safety grounds, asserting the property is subject to state and local zoning laws. The tribe has long contested that assertion, and noted the signs have resulted in no safety concerns.
In its order to show cause filed Jan. 3, the Shinnecock pointed to a letter issued last week by the U.S. Department of the Interior that affirmed the 80-acre Westwoods parcel in Hampton Bays is "within the [Shinnecock] Nation’s aboriginal territory."
The letter noted that the Shinnecock Nation has "resided within its aboriginal territory since time immemorial and has never removed therefrom, and that Westwoods is within the purview of the Nonintercourse Act and is therefore restricted against alienation absent consent of the United States."
The nation is asking the court to allow it to "renew and reargue" its case in light of that determination, or to allow it to appeal to the state Court of Appeals.
Glenn Blain, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, told Newsday, "We are reviewing the recent determination from the U.S. Department of the Interior and will have no further comment as this matter remains the subject of ongoing litigation."
***
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul yesterday proposed increasing the state’s child tax credit, giving families up to $1,000 per child under the age of 4 and $500 per child from ages 4 to 16. The expansion, which is part of Hochul’s 2025 budget proposal, would be phased in over two years and cover more than 2.75 million children, including an estimated 215,000 households on Long Island. Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the proposed expansion aims to decrease stress on families and lift more children out of poverty, according to the governor. "More money back in people’s pockets, that’s what we’re going to do in a lot of different ways," Hochul said announcing the proposal in Manhattan on Monday.
"From groceries to strollers to kids’ clothes, the cost of living and raising a family is still too damn high — and that’s why we’re proposing a massive increase in New York’s child tax credit to put up to $1,000 per kid back in the pockets of hardworking families," Hochul said.
The effort comes as Hochul and state lawmakers look to make New York more affordable, an issue that was key in the congressional and presidential elections last November.
The current tax credit, known as the Empire State Child Credit, is based on income level and provides up to $330 per child.
The credit is refundable, meaning it can either offset taxes or be paid out directly to taxpayers as a refund.
Additional details on the expanded credit are expected to be included in the governor’s budget proposal coming later this month.
***
The body of a Riverside man reported missing in November last year was found in a wooded area off Route 114 in East Hampton yesterday. According to Southampton Town Police, a hunter in the woods located the body, and East Hampton Town Police and detectives as well as Suffolk County homicide detectives responded. The Suffolk County medical examiner’s office was contacted and removed the body for further investigation. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that the deceased was identified as Luis Vargas-Arias, 56. He had been reported missing to Southampton Town Police. According to the department’s November 3, 2024, bulletin, Vargas-Arias was last seen on October 11, 2024, in New York City. According to police, no criminality is suspected at this time.
***
National Grid was alerted to allegations of "inappropriate relationships" between employees and outside vendors up to six years before charges were filed that led to federal bribery and kickback convictions of five former employees in 2022, but it failed to act to head them off, according to a company report.
The report filed with the Public Service Commission last month as part of a $42 million settlement with National Grid and unnamed contractors related to the case. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that in the report, London-based National Grid acknowledged that its U.S. ethics team was contacted "on several occasions" between 2015 and 2020 about allegations of "inappropriate relationships between [its] facilities employees and vendors" in the downstate region, but a more thorough review of the claims "did not happen."
Newsday first reported in 2021 that the former employees, including four from Long Island, were charged with soliciting and accepting bribes and kickbacks, including cash, college tuition payments, international travel, home renovations and an RV, for handing out millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to outside vendors. The men "made corrupt demands for bribes and kickbacks to line their own pockets and upgrade their lifestyles, while putting the contractors at risk of losing business if they did not comply," former acting U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko said at the time.
All of the men have since pleaded guilty and two, Patrick McCrann of Selden and Richard Zavada of Hicksville, received sentences of a year and a day in prison, while forfeiting nearly a million dollars of their ill-gotten gains.
In the settlement with the state, the PSC said the companies’ shareholders "will be responsible for $42 million associated with the case," including $20 million that will be returned to customers through a rate adjustment clause, and an agreement not to seek to recover then more than $22 million spent on internal investigations and reforms.
***
This coming Saturday, Jan. 11, the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association begins 2025 with two events at the Riverhead Free Library. At 10:30 a.m., they’ll hold their first civic meeting of the year, taking a look ahead and talking about what deserves the civic’s attention this year. From 1 to 2:30 p.m., they’ll host their third Annual Volunteer Expo in honor and advance of the Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service, with info on volunteer programs involving gardening, helping at the animal shelter, at art and music events, or lending a needed hand in neighbors’ lives. All are welcome to both events this coming Saturday at Riverhead Free Library, 330 Court Street in Riverhead, New York.
***
The NYS legislature could change how prosecutors share evidence with defense lawyers in criminal cases, after district attorneys griped that so-called reforms passed in 2019 are leading to more dismissals. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Micah Lasher (D-Manhattan) are introducing bills that would give prosecutors the ability to access some law-enforcement systems to directly obtain such information as police reports in the discovery process. Vaughn Golden reports in THE NY POST that this would mean they wouldn’t have to jump through as many hoops as they currently do, thus cutting down on the lengthy and sometime labor-intensive handing-over of evidence — a process that can jeopardize a case if it takes too long. “The discovery reforms we passed in 2019 were meant to improve defendants’ access to evidence and other materials that could be used against them,” said Myrie, a candidate for New York City mayor, in a statement. With the proposed tweaks in the law, “I believe we can achieve that goal while ensuring prosecutors are able to try cases on the merits, rather than seeing charges dismissed on procedural grounds,” said State Senator Myrie. “Our legislation aims to reduce the administrative burdens on law enforcement while continuing to protect defendants’ due process rights.” The revised discovery process was passed alongside the state’s hotly controversial bail-law changes in 2019. Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney said he’d love to see the 2019 change scrapped entirely “In a perfect world, that’s what I would like. Absent that I would like a few common-sense changes to the law,” Tierney told The Post. He said some tweaks, like possibly excluding the discovery provisions from similar rules around speedy trials, could take some unnecessary burdens off prosecutors.
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By WLIW-FMThe Shinnecock Indian Nation has asked a state appellate court to suspend and reconsider a ruling that could shut down the tribe’s Sunrise Highway billboards in Hampton Bays, citing recent federal confirmation that the Shinnecock property known as Westwoods is restricted aboriginal territory. The 80-foot billboards remain in operation on the 80-acre Westwoods parcel, where the nation has also begun construction of a travel plaza-gas station on adjacent land and envisions a resort-conference center on a parcel overlooking Peconic Bay near the Shinnecock Canal. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that in their filing Friday, lawyers for the nation requested the Appellate Division to suspend its December order that found a lower court should have granted a preliminary injunction to the NYS Department of Transportation to stop construction and operation of the billboards. Since 2019 the state has fought for the injunction on safety grounds, asserting the property is subject to state and local zoning laws. The tribe has long contested that assertion, and noted the signs have resulted in no safety concerns.
In its order to show cause filed Jan. 3, the Shinnecock pointed to a letter issued last week by the U.S. Department of the Interior that affirmed the 80-acre Westwoods parcel in Hampton Bays is "within the [Shinnecock] Nation’s aboriginal territory."
The letter noted that the Shinnecock Nation has "resided within its aboriginal territory since time immemorial and has never removed therefrom, and that Westwoods is within the purview of the Nonintercourse Act and is therefore restricted against alienation absent consent of the United States."
The nation is asking the court to allow it to "renew and reargue" its case in light of that determination, or to allow it to appeal to the state Court of Appeals.
Glenn Blain, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, told Newsday, "We are reviewing the recent determination from the U.S. Department of the Interior and will have no further comment as this matter remains the subject of ongoing litigation."
***
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul yesterday proposed increasing the state’s child tax credit, giving families up to $1,000 per child under the age of 4 and $500 per child from ages 4 to 16. The expansion, which is part of Hochul’s 2025 budget proposal, would be phased in over two years and cover more than 2.75 million children, including an estimated 215,000 households on Long Island. Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the proposed expansion aims to decrease stress on families and lift more children out of poverty, according to the governor. "More money back in people’s pockets, that’s what we’re going to do in a lot of different ways," Hochul said announcing the proposal in Manhattan on Monday.
"From groceries to strollers to kids’ clothes, the cost of living and raising a family is still too damn high — and that’s why we’re proposing a massive increase in New York’s child tax credit to put up to $1,000 per kid back in the pockets of hardworking families," Hochul said.
The effort comes as Hochul and state lawmakers look to make New York more affordable, an issue that was key in the congressional and presidential elections last November.
The current tax credit, known as the Empire State Child Credit, is based on income level and provides up to $330 per child.
The credit is refundable, meaning it can either offset taxes or be paid out directly to taxpayers as a refund.
Additional details on the expanded credit are expected to be included in the governor’s budget proposal coming later this month.
***
The body of a Riverside man reported missing in November last year was found in a wooded area off Route 114 in East Hampton yesterday. According to Southampton Town Police, a hunter in the woods located the body, and East Hampton Town Police and detectives as well as Suffolk County homicide detectives responded. The Suffolk County medical examiner’s office was contacted and removed the body for further investigation. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that the deceased was identified as Luis Vargas-Arias, 56. He had been reported missing to Southampton Town Police. According to the department’s November 3, 2024, bulletin, Vargas-Arias was last seen on October 11, 2024, in New York City. According to police, no criminality is suspected at this time.
***
National Grid was alerted to allegations of "inappropriate relationships" between employees and outside vendors up to six years before charges were filed that led to federal bribery and kickback convictions of five former employees in 2022, but it failed to act to head them off, according to a company report.
The report filed with the Public Service Commission last month as part of a $42 million settlement with National Grid and unnamed contractors related to the case. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that in the report, London-based National Grid acknowledged that its U.S. ethics team was contacted "on several occasions" between 2015 and 2020 about allegations of "inappropriate relationships between [its] facilities employees and vendors" in the downstate region, but a more thorough review of the claims "did not happen."
Newsday first reported in 2021 that the former employees, including four from Long Island, were charged with soliciting and accepting bribes and kickbacks, including cash, college tuition payments, international travel, home renovations and an RV, for handing out millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to outside vendors. The men "made corrupt demands for bribes and kickbacks to line their own pockets and upgrade their lifestyles, while putting the contractors at risk of losing business if they did not comply," former acting U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko said at the time.
All of the men have since pleaded guilty and two, Patrick McCrann of Selden and Richard Zavada of Hicksville, received sentences of a year and a day in prison, while forfeiting nearly a million dollars of their ill-gotten gains.
In the settlement with the state, the PSC said the companies’ shareholders "will be responsible for $42 million associated with the case," including $20 million that will be returned to customers through a rate adjustment clause, and an agreement not to seek to recover then more than $22 million spent on internal investigations and reforms.
***
This coming Saturday, Jan. 11, the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association begins 2025 with two events at the Riverhead Free Library. At 10:30 a.m., they’ll hold their first civic meeting of the year, taking a look ahead and talking about what deserves the civic’s attention this year. From 1 to 2:30 p.m., they’ll host their third Annual Volunteer Expo in honor and advance of the Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service, with info on volunteer programs involving gardening, helping at the animal shelter, at art and music events, or lending a needed hand in neighbors’ lives. All are welcome to both events this coming Saturday at Riverhead Free Library, 330 Court Street in Riverhead, New York.
***
The NYS legislature could change how prosecutors share evidence with defense lawyers in criminal cases, after district attorneys griped that so-called reforms passed in 2019 are leading to more dismissals. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Micah Lasher (D-Manhattan) are introducing bills that would give prosecutors the ability to access some law-enforcement systems to directly obtain such information as police reports in the discovery process. Vaughn Golden reports in THE NY POST that this would mean they wouldn’t have to jump through as many hoops as they currently do, thus cutting down on the lengthy and sometime labor-intensive handing-over of evidence — a process that can jeopardize a case if it takes too long. “The discovery reforms we passed in 2019 were meant to improve defendants’ access to evidence and other materials that could be used against them,” said Myrie, a candidate for New York City mayor, in a statement. With the proposed tweaks in the law, “I believe we can achieve that goal while ensuring prosecutors are able to try cases on the merits, rather than seeing charges dismissed on procedural grounds,” said State Senator Myrie. “Our legislation aims to reduce the administrative burdens on law enforcement while continuing to protect defendants’ due process rights.” The revised discovery process was passed alongside the state’s hotly controversial bail-law changes in 2019. Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney said he’d love to see the 2019 change scrapped entirely “In a perfect world, that’s what I would like. Absent that I would like a few common-sense changes to the law,” Tierney told The Post. He said some tweaks, like possibly excluding the discovery provisions from similar rules around speedy trials, could take some unnecessary burdens off prosecutors.