Long Island's two food banks, which supply hundreds of pantries and soup kitchens for the region's indigent, are ramping up efforts as a nearly month-long government shutdown is set to cut off a critical federal food assistance program this coming Saturday. Olivia Winslow reports in NEWSDAY that about 78,939 Suffolk County households, or 124,604 individuals, according to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits as of July.

Without SNAP, many of them are expected to turn to Long Island's food pantries. Officials say they will be trying to meet the need.

"If people are hurting they can come to us, or they can come to our network [of food pantries]. We’re happy to help," said Michael Haynes, vice president of government relations, advocacy and social policy at Long Island Cares / The Harry Chapin Food Bank, based in Hauppauge. "We have the food ... We’re here to help and we know what we've got to do." But the need may be too great amid the shutdown.

"For every meal that the food bank provides a community, SNAP can provide nine," Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, Long Island's other major food bank, said. "We can’t compete with that — with food or with dollars. That’s the government's promise to people who are struggling. We’re just asking the government to support that promise."

Island Harvest, based in Melville, is looking to increase its supply to distribute to about 300 member agencies that help vulnerable Long Islanders.

This year, the food bank has distributed "well over" 21.5 million pounds of food across Long Island, said Shubin Dresner.

Long Island Cares supplies 366 member agencies, an assortment of food pantries run by religious groups, veterans service agencies, child care programs and shelters, Haynes said.

It operates six food pantries stretching from Valley Stream to Hampton Bays, and distributes more than 1 million pounds of food each month according to Haynes. He said Feeding America and U.S. Department of Agricultural data indicate an estimated 313,000 Long Islanders are food insecure.

***

Two days before what could be one of the most pivotal days in the history of the WNBA, the league’s most pivotal player was on Long Island yesterday speaking at the bi-annual luncheon of the Long Island Association. Barbara Barker reports in NEWSDAY that Caitlin Clark is the most recent heavy hitter to be featured at the fundraiser for Long Island’s leading business organization. Past speakers have included former presidents and vice presidents of the United States and famous male professional athletes.

Clark, 23, is the youngest guest speaker ever at the event.

Appropriately enough for a big time business gathering since Clark is the first women’s basketball player to figure out how to make superstar money. This was underscored by the fact that she made more for her 30-minute appearance yesterday than her $78,066 she earned playing for the Indiana Fever this season. It has been widely reported that Clark charges $100,000 for a 30-minute zoom appearance and it can be assumed the figure is higher for an in-person event. The WNBA star spoke just two days before the players’ collective bargaining agreement is set to expire. Clark, who made $11 million last year in endorsements, has repeatedly supported her fellow players in their bid for better pay. According to Forbes, the franchise evaluation of the Fever has increased from $90 million before Clark was drafted two years ago to $370 million this season. Clark was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2025. Her exciting style of play has inspired younger athletes around the world, including some local girls who were in attendance Wednesday. Clark told them, “Just enjoy it. It goes so fast...I’m only 23 but I feel I was just in high school. Some of my best memories are from playing sports from when I was in middle school and high school. Just enjoy it.”

***

Early voting continues today at any of 28 locations throughout Suffolk County from 12 noon to 8 p.m. Hours of early voting vary each day through Nov. 2.

No voting next Monday, November 3.

On Election Day, Nov. 4, you can only vote at your assigned polling place, which you can find online at the NYS BOE website: voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/

Early voting for today and tomorrow is 12 noon to 8 p.m.

This coming Saturday and Sunday early voting in Suffolk County is 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

You can vote at any early voting center in Suffolk County. Check the Suffolk County Board of Elections website for a list of early voting locations.

Voting during the early period means you cannot vote again on Election Day, November 4, 2025.

If you have an Early Mail ballot, you cannot vote in person on a machine; you must use an affidavit ballot.

Check your voter registration status and find your polling site on the New York State voter lookup website.

For questions, contact the Suffolk County Board of Elections at (631) 852-4500.

***

There was broad support for the purchase of the Redwood Anchorage marina in Sag Harbor at a hearing before the Southampton Town Board on Tuesday. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that the Town of Southampton will buy the 60-slip marina from longtime owner Gerald Schwenk for $7.5 million from the Community Preservation Fund and turn its operation over to Sag Harbor Village as a public facility for residents of the town and the village.

Sag Harbor Mayor Tom Gardella thanked the board for its support in pursuing the deal. “We have a rare opportunity to do something to preserve the waterfront,” he said. “These properties go on the market. They are sold, they are developed and we are slowly losing our waterfront.”

Mayor Gardella said under the deal, the marina would provide an affordable place for locals to keep their boats. He added that the town and village were exploring allowing the Cornell Cooperative Extension Back to the Bays initiative to use a building on the property as a lab, where children could learn about the need to care for the bays.

Sag Harbor Village Trustee Jeanne Kane said that 85 percent of the people who currently rent slips at Redwood Anchorage live in Sag Harbor Village or Southampton Town, so it won’t be necessary to displace many boat owners next season.

The Southampton Town Board closed Tuesday's hearing but did not vote on whether or not to approve the purchase.

***

In its announcement that it had charged 31 defendants with illegally rigging poker games, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York said that some of the games took place in East Hampton, New York. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that the defendants include Portland Trailblazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups, a former NBA championship player, and members of the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese organized crime families, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

“Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a seven-count indictment was unsealed charging 31 defendants in criminal schemes to rig illegal poker games at various locations in New York City, East Hampton, New York, and throughout the United States,” the office announced last Thursday.

Beginning as early as 2019, the indictment alleges, the defendants engaged in a series of schemes to use wireless cheating technology to rig illegal poker games, mostly Texas hold ’em.

The rigged games used altered shuffling machines armed with a hidden technology that allowed the machines to read all the cards in the deck, the U.S. Attorney’s office alleged.

The U.S. Attorney’s office alleged that this method was used in conjunction with other cheating methods.

In all, victims lost at least $7 million, the indictment alleges.

East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said the local department was not made aware of any gambling investigations taking place in East Hampton.

***

The Town of East Hampton will host two free community events this coming Saturday, November 1, giving residents the opportunity to safely dispose of unused medications and securely shred personal documents.

Both events are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the East Hampton Town Hall parking lot, offering residents convenient ways to protect public health, the environment, and their personal information.

The Drug Take Back event, held in partnership with the East Hampton Town Police Department, allows residents to anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications, including household pet medications. Liquids, needles and professional or business waste will not be accepted.

Residents can also take part in Community Shredding Day, during which sensitive documents such as bank statements, tax records, and medical bills can be safely shredded on site. Shredding services are free and available only to East Hampton Town residents, with a limit of four bankers boxes or bags per household.

Questions about the Drug Take Back event may be directed to the East Hampton Town Police Department at 631-537-7575.

Questions about the shredding event may be directed to the town supervisor’s office at 631-324-4140. Both events are open to East Hampton Town residents and will take place rain or shine.

***

East End birders are still chirping about a recent rare bird sighting in Riverhead. Indeed, hundreds of people have flocked from dozens of states to Vineyards Golf and Country Club in Riverhead since last Thursday, for the chance to see the “common cuckoo,” first detected by Roy William Gardner as he was in a golf cart moving between holes.

Angela Colangelo reports in THE RIVERHEAD NEWS - REVIEW that residents may have seen cars lining farmland along Roanoke Avenue, and golfers may have noticed the parking lot of The Woods at Cherry Creek golf course was fuller than usual this weekend. Super telephoto cameras, spotting scopes and binoculars of all sizes were all searching for the wayward cuckoo, which has never been seen in New York before, and only two other times on the East Coast. Its last official sighting was in 2020 in Rhode Island; the first was in Massachusetts back in 1981. North Fork bird and bug enthusiast Jay Rand was one of the first “on” the bird Thursday evening. He said the common cuckoo is currently in the wrong hemisphere. “I think that’s where the common name came from. Cuckoo is a widespread European and Asian bird, and then they migrate south to Africa for the winter,” he said. “So this particular, likely first-year bird was probably trying to migrate and maybe got blown over by that nor’easter.” In the past week there have been 213 recorded sightings of the cuckoo on the birding site ebird.org.

Due to the extreme rarity of this species to the U.S., birders hopped in cars and on ferries and even airplanes to see it. Mr. Rand said well-known birders David and Tammy McQuade of Florida made the trip north. They often see 600 to 700 species of birds a year. Mr. McQuade reported it to his ebird list Saturday, Oct. 25.

Both the farm and the golf course have been relatively open to the birders using their properties to spot the cuckoo, similar to last year when the rare lazuli bunting was spotted on a home bird feeder. Mr. Rand said the birding community in general is growing ever more inclusive with information on sightings shared on ebird.org and social media. He said the hobby is also growing thanks to the ease of getting involved with apps like Merlin, which will help identify birds through questions, but will also “listen” to your surroundings and tell you which birds it hears.

The last confirmed common cuckoo sighting on ebird was at 9 a.m. on Sunday at The Woods at Cherry Creek.