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Gov. Hochul and NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation announce statewide burn ban
A NYS Supreme Court justice ordered a marijuana dispensary in Southampton to temporarily shut down Friday for operating without town approvals. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the Town of Southampton sought an injunction to halt Charlie Fox cannabis dispensary from operating on the north side of County Road 39 adjacent to the Tuckahoe School playground. The dispensary, which has a state license to sell marijuana, opened Sept. 16 despite a lack of town permits and approvals.
Town code enforcement issued a cease-and-desist order once the business opened, according to court records.
"Since [Charlie Fox] continued to open, we felt that we had to bring the application for the restraining order to have him close until he gets his approvals," Southampton Town Attorney James Burke told Newsday this weekend. "We had to treat them like any other business. Forget about the cannabis issue — any kind of retail business, you can't just open without any town approvals," he said.
Court records show the business was cited for not having site plan approval, no building permit for interior alterations, no updated certificate of occupancy and other violations. The property was previously used as a car service and repair business.
Justice Paul Hensley signed the temporary restraining order on Oct. 3 barring Charlie Fox from "the use and occupancy" of the site until at least Oct. 15, when both parties are due back in court.
Charlie Fox co-founder James Mallios confirmed Saturday that the dispensary is closed.
"That's sort of the temporary legal timeout that we have while the court adjudicates this," he told Newsday.
The court-ordered shutdown is the latest in the dispensary's legal saga Mallios described as "unbelievably frustrating."
***
When Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger donned a bathing suit and jumped into the waters of Shinnecock Bay last week to play the “victim” in a simulated rescue drill, he helped bring attention to a unit of the Southampton Fire Department that flies under the radar.
Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the Water Rescue Squad is made up of fire department members who put in the time and energy to undergo the extra training required to assist in water-based search and rescue efforts. The water rescue team, made up of members of all the department companies, assists agencies like the United States Coast Guard and Southampton Town Bay Constables. The water rescue squad has two vital pieces of equipment at its disposal: a 23-foot center-console boat and a quick-deploy 10-foot inflatable boat. The squad also has 14 members who are certified rescue swimmers, and many of them are cross-trained as EMTs with various local agencies, meaning they can provide immediate medical assistance, if necessary, out on the water. The squad’s training also includes ice rescue procedures, and the swimmers are equipped with special gear that allows them to enter icy water for rescues, if necessary. Alfie Callahan is the squad leader, and is assisted by Christopher Gaynor.
The Southampton Fire Department Water Rescue team responds to calls in the general vicinity of the Southampton Fire District, and is funded by taxpayers in the district.
***
Governor Kathy Hochul, with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, this past Thursday announced a statewide burn ban in effect due to increased fire risk and continued dry conditions. The ban will be in effect for 14 days from Oct. 2 to Oct. 15 and will be revaluated prior to expiration. New Yorkers can help prevent fires in communities and in the backcountry by complying with the prohibition on most outdoor fires and protect water supplies by continuing to conserve water whenever possible. The statewide burn ban now in effect prohibits the starting of outdoor fires for purposes of brush and debris disposal, as well as all uncontained fires, including campfires, and open fires used for cooking. Backyard fire pits and contained campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width or diameter are allowed, as are small, contained cooking fires. Burning garbage or leaves is already prohibited year-round in New York State and several municipalities have burn bans currently in effect. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “We fully support Governor Hochul’s decision to ban outdoor fires until conditions return to safer levels and continue to encourage New Yorkers to help conserve water so that we have an abundant supply for firefighting and other essential uses.”
***
Immigrant-run delis across Long Island have seen major drops in business because customers are afraid of being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Some owners worry about surviving. Deli owners said they don’t object to ICE arresting immigrants who are violent criminals. But they say many Long Island immigrants who they believe lack criminal records, including their customers, are being detained. David Olson reports in NEWSDAY that data backs up those beliefs. Despite a Trump administration vow to focus on deporting the "worst of the worst," more than 70% of people in ICE custody do not have criminal records, and 4 in 5 with convictions had committed nonviolent offenses.
Owners and employees at delis across Long Island that cater largely to immigrants from Mexico and Central America tell stories of fear of ICE and loss of business.
Newsday visited 22 such delis and bakeries in New Cassel, Westbury, Hempstead, Brentwood, Central Islip and Riverhead. All the delis reported sales drops — some as high as 50% — since President Trump in January vowed to fight what he called an "invasion" of "illegal aliens." Some owners worry their businesses won't survive the downturn.
Traditionally, the delis are community gathering spots, havens where customers can chat in their native language and find food and an atmosphere that remind them of home. The decline in deli customers reflects the aura of fear permeating Long Island’s immigrant communities.
Some deli owners did not want themselves or their businesses identified because they believed it might make them a target for ICE.
In 2022, there were nearly 112,000 immigrants on Long Island living in the country illegally, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the Center for Migration Studies. More than 1 in 5 Long Islanders were born abroad, census data shows.
***
The Suffolk County Water Authority will be holding three hearings this week on whether the agency can deem itself exempt from local land use board review in the construction of the proposed North Fork Pipeline. Hearings are scheduled to be held Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Suffolk County Water Authority’s Westhampton Building at 624 Old Riverhead Road in Westhampton Beach, on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Southold Town Recreation Center at 970 Peconic Lane in Peconic, and on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. at the Riverhead Public Library at 330 Court Street in Riverhead.
Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the 8.5-mile stretch of water transmission pipeline is proposed to run from an interconnection site in Flanders, up Route 105 to Northville Turnpike, and then east on Sound Avenue to the Southold Town line. Both Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue are Riverhead Town roads.
The proposed transmission line is needed to bring drinking water to SCWA customers in the Town of Southold, the water authority says.
***
The East Hampton Library will present the next event in its 2025 Tom Twomey Series this coming Thursday, October 9, at 12 noon. Julie Sakellariadis will deliver a lecture titled “Trailblazing Women: The Legacy Behind East Hampton’s Nature Trail.” The East Hampton Nature Trail has long been shaped by women botanists and horticulturists dating back to the late 19th century. Sakellariadis will explore the contributions of figures such as Anna Murray Vail, a botanist and the first librarian of the New York Botanical Garden, and the two Mrs. Woodhouses, both presidents of the Garden Club of America. Sakellariadis joined the Garden Club of East Hampton in 2010 and served as president from 2018 to 2021. A longtime member of the Board of Trustees of the New York Botanical Garden, she and her husband live in Amagansett, where she gardens year-round.
Admission is free. Advanced reservations are encouraged but not required. For details and to reserve a seat, visit TomTwomeySeries.org.
***
Small businesses on Long Island that need their applications for government-guaranteed loans processed while Washington is shut down should work with their lender to identify alternative sources of money, experts said. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that the U.S. Small Business Administration stopped taking applications for its signature 7(a) loan program last week when Congress repeatedly failed to adopt a spending resolution to keep SBA and other federal agencies open.
SBA also isn’t providing the necessary loan guarantee for 7(a) borrowers to close on their loan application with a bank or other private lender.
The 7(a) program is designed for borrowers who don't qualify for traditional financing. With the program's suspension, borrowers may be forced to postpone the projects that they needed the money for, such as introducing new products, buying a competing business or hiring additional employees.
On Long Island, about 90% of the region's businesses are small, with 20 or fewer employees, according to Census data.
“If people are looking for capital, they can try to borrow using a non-SBA product, such as a loan that isn’t guaranteed” by the federal government, said Ree Wackett, a senior business adviser and small business educator at the Small Business Development Center at Stony Brook University.
“But if the loan is large, if the industry is deemed risky or the borrower is just starting out, it’s going to be tough to move forward without the SBA guarantee…the [shutdown] is going to make it hard for some borrowers,” she said.
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By WLIW-FMA NYS Supreme Court justice ordered a marijuana dispensary in Southampton to temporarily shut down Friday for operating without town approvals. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the Town of Southampton sought an injunction to halt Charlie Fox cannabis dispensary from operating on the north side of County Road 39 adjacent to the Tuckahoe School playground. The dispensary, which has a state license to sell marijuana, opened Sept. 16 despite a lack of town permits and approvals.
Town code enforcement issued a cease-and-desist order once the business opened, according to court records.
"Since [Charlie Fox] continued to open, we felt that we had to bring the application for the restraining order to have him close until he gets his approvals," Southampton Town Attorney James Burke told Newsday this weekend. "We had to treat them like any other business. Forget about the cannabis issue — any kind of retail business, you can't just open without any town approvals," he said.
Court records show the business was cited for not having site plan approval, no building permit for interior alterations, no updated certificate of occupancy and other violations. The property was previously used as a car service and repair business.
Justice Paul Hensley signed the temporary restraining order on Oct. 3 barring Charlie Fox from "the use and occupancy" of the site until at least Oct. 15, when both parties are due back in court.
Charlie Fox co-founder James Mallios confirmed Saturday that the dispensary is closed.
"That's sort of the temporary legal timeout that we have while the court adjudicates this," he told Newsday.
The court-ordered shutdown is the latest in the dispensary's legal saga Mallios described as "unbelievably frustrating."
***
When Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger donned a bathing suit and jumped into the waters of Shinnecock Bay last week to play the “victim” in a simulated rescue drill, he helped bring attention to a unit of the Southampton Fire Department that flies under the radar.
Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the Water Rescue Squad is made up of fire department members who put in the time and energy to undergo the extra training required to assist in water-based search and rescue efforts. The water rescue team, made up of members of all the department companies, assists agencies like the United States Coast Guard and Southampton Town Bay Constables. The water rescue squad has two vital pieces of equipment at its disposal: a 23-foot center-console boat and a quick-deploy 10-foot inflatable boat. The squad also has 14 members who are certified rescue swimmers, and many of them are cross-trained as EMTs with various local agencies, meaning they can provide immediate medical assistance, if necessary, out on the water. The squad’s training also includes ice rescue procedures, and the swimmers are equipped with special gear that allows them to enter icy water for rescues, if necessary. Alfie Callahan is the squad leader, and is assisted by Christopher Gaynor.
The Southampton Fire Department Water Rescue team responds to calls in the general vicinity of the Southampton Fire District, and is funded by taxpayers in the district.
***
Governor Kathy Hochul, with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, this past Thursday announced a statewide burn ban in effect due to increased fire risk and continued dry conditions. The ban will be in effect for 14 days from Oct. 2 to Oct. 15 and will be revaluated prior to expiration. New Yorkers can help prevent fires in communities and in the backcountry by complying with the prohibition on most outdoor fires and protect water supplies by continuing to conserve water whenever possible. The statewide burn ban now in effect prohibits the starting of outdoor fires for purposes of brush and debris disposal, as well as all uncontained fires, including campfires, and open fires used for cooking. Backyard fire pits and contained campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width or diameter are allowed, as are small, contained cooking fires. Burning garbage or leaves is already prohibited year-round in New York State and several municipalities have burn bans currently in effect. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “We fully support Governor Hochul’s decision to ban outdoor fires until conditions return to safer levels and continue to encourage New Yorkers to help conserve water so that we have an abundant supply for firefighting and other essential uses.”
***
Immigrant-run delis across Long Island have seen major drops in business because customers are afraid of being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Some owners worry about surviving. Deli owners said they don’t object to ICE arresting immigrants who are violent criminals. But they say many Long Island immigrants who they believe lack criminal records, including their customers, are being detained. David Olson reports in NEWSDAY that data backs up those beliefs. Despite a Trump administration vow to focus on deporting the "worst of the worst," more than 70% of people in ICE custody do not have criminal records, and 4 in 5 with convictions had committed nonviolent offenses.
Owners and employees at delis across Long Island that cater largely to immigrants from Mexico and Central America tell stories of fear of ICE and loss of business.
Newsday visited 22 such delis and bakeries in New Cassel, Westbury, Hempstead, Brentwood, Central Islip and Riverhead. All the delis reported sales drops — some as high as 50% — since President Trump in January vowed to fight what he called an "invasion" of "illegal aliens." Some owners worry their businesses won't survive the downturn.
Traditionally, the delis are community gathering spots, havens where customers can chat in their native language and find food and an atmosphere that remind them of home. The decline in deli customers reflects the aura of fear permeating Long Island’s immigrant communities.
Some deli owners did not want themselves or their businesses identified because they believed it might make them a target for ICE.
In 2022, there were nearly 112,000 immigrants on Long Island living in the country illegally, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the Center for Migration Studies. More than 1 in 5 Long Islanders were born abroad, census data shows.
***
The Suffolk County Water Authority will be holding three hearings this week on whether the agency can deem itself exempt from local land use board review in the construction of the proposed North Fork Pipeline. Hearings are scheduled to be held Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Suffolk County Water Authority’s Westhampton Building at 624 Old Riverhead Road in Westhampton Beach, on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Southold Town Recreation Center at 970 Peconic Lane in Peconic, and on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. at the Riverhead Public Library at 330 Court Street in Riverhead.
Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the 8.5-mile stretch of water transmission pipeline is proposed to run from an interconnection site in Flanders, up Route 105 to Northville Turnpike, and then east on Sound Avenue to the Southold Town line. Both Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue are Riverhead Town roads.
The proposed transmission line is needed to bring drinking water to SCWA customers in the Town of Southold, the water authority says.
***
The East Hampton Library will present the next event in its 2025 Tom Twomey Series this coming Thursday, October 9, at 12 noon. Julie Sakellariadis will deliver a lecture titled “Trailblazing Women: The Legacy Behind East Hampton’s Nature Trail.” The East Hampton Nature Trail has long been shaped by women botanists and horticulturists dating back to the late 19th century. Sakellariadis will explore the contributions of figures such as Anna Murray Vail, a botanist and the first librarian of the New York Botanical Garden, and the two Mrs. Woodhouses, both presidents of the Garden Club of America. Sakellariadis joined the Garden Club of East Hampton in 2010 and served as president from 2018 to 2021. A longtime member of the Board of Trustees of the New York Botanical Garden, she and her husband live in Amagansett, where she gardens year-round.
Admission is free. Advanced reservations are encouraged but not required. For details and to reserve a seat, visit TomTwomeySeries.org.
***
Small businesses on Long Island that need their applications for government-guaranteed loans processed while Washington is shut down should work with their lender to identify alternative sources of money, experts said. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that the U.S. Small Business Administration stopped taking applications for its signature 7(a) loan program last week when Congress repeatedly failed to adopt a spending resolution to keep SBA and other federal agencies open.
SBA also isn’t providing the necessary loan guarantee for 7(a) borrowers to close on their loan application with a bank or other private lender.
The 7(a) program is designed for borrowers who don't qualify for traditional financing. With the program's suspension, borrowers may be forced to postpone the projects that they needed the money for, such as introducing new products, buying a competing business or hiring additional employees.
On Long Island, about 90% of the region's businesses are small, with 20 or fewer employees, according to Census data.
“If people are looking for capital, they can try to borrow using a non-SBA product, such as a loan that isn’t guaranteed” by the federal government, said Ree Wackett, a senior business adviser and small business educator at the Small Business Development Center at Stony Brook University.
“But if the loan is large, if the industry is deemed risky or the borrower is just starting out, it’s going to be tough to move forward without the SBA guarantee…the [shutdown] is going to make it hard for some borrowers,” she said.