Hurricane Erin turned away from the East Coast this morning but was expected to continue to bring dangerous surf conditions and minor coastal flooding through part of the weekend on Long Island. As reported in NEWSDAY, Erin, now a Category 1 system, is around 400 miles southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the moment, heading northeast at about 22 mph, according to Matthew Tauber, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Upton, New York…right here in Suffolk County.

“It does continue to be dangerous to go into the waters,” Tauber said. “The high risk of rip currents may continue into Sunday as the swells do slowly subside.”

A coastal flood advisory is in effect on Long Island through early Saturday morning as large waves and rip currents continue to batter beaches in Nassau and Suffolk counties. No significant damage was reported by vulnerable South Shore communities but forecasters warned of possible erosion and flooding today as the storm pulls away.

Erin triggered flooding in some low-lying areas in Suffolk, including on Dune Road and in Mastic, Mike Martino, a Suffolk County spokesman, said in an email.

Giant waves and strong winds pummeled the South Shore last night as Hurricane Erin reached out from more than 100 miles away, putting on a show for Long Islanders watching the storm's fury even as no major damage was reported.

The NWS said Erin is likely to cause dune erosion with pockets of minor coastal flooding along the south shore of Long Island. Breaking waves as high as 10 feet were expected to thrash beaches through this morning but should begin subsiding late afternoon.

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“A disease eating away at the fiber of what makes Southampton such a special place.” That’s how Trustee Roy Stevenson described the never-ending traffic problems that have plagued Southampton Village for years and, by all accounts, have been worse than ever this summer, at last week’s Village Board meeting.

Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that it was, once again, the main topic of discussion during the public comment portion of the meeting, with several residents who live in neighborhoods south of Hill Street in the western portion of Southampton Village showing up to express their frustration at the persistent cut-through traffic during the evening commute that turns their otherwise quiet streets into busy and dangerous thoroughfares. The village has been working with the traffic engineering firm VHB to try to come up with various solutions that will discourage motorists from using side streets and instead force them to stay on County Road 39 or Hill Street…including a traffic light at Lee Avenue and 27A. Nearly all at last week’s hearing and then the village board rejected that proposal. Most made the same alternate recommendation instead — reinstituting the no-left-turn restrictions off Lee Avenue and other side streets south of Hill Street during rush hour.

Southampton Village Deputy Mayor Len Zinnanti announced at last week’s meeting that he had scheduled a meeting with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine on September 16 to discuss that issue. He will be joined in that meeting by Southampton Village Police Chief Suzanne Hurteau and Southampton Village Police Captain Chris Wetter, Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle, VHB consultant Ryan Winter, and Southampton Town Councilman Michael Iasilli, as they make the case for a permanent change to the traffic pattern on County Road 39.

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This evening at 7 p.m. in the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church…the Perlman Music Program presents Violinist Oliver Neubauer who will be performing alongside pianist Chaeyoung Park as part of Perlman Music Program's Alumni Recital Series.

Due to PMP's Shelter Island campus reconstruction, this evening's Stires-Stark Alumni Recital is generously hosted by Shelter Island Friends of Music.

Admission is FREE, but please note that seating is limited. Please arrive early to secure your spot!

Donations are appreciated and will be shared by Shelter Island Friends of Music and the Perlman Music Program.

The concert is this evening at 7pm in the

Shelter Island Presbyterian Church

32 North Ferry Rd. (Rte. 114), Shelter Island, N.Y. 11964

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The program had a simple mission: to allow disabled and chronically ill New Yorkers to live at home, instead of in nursing centers, while receiving care.

But in the year since the state pushed to consolidate its operations, with a goal of saving $500 million each year, the program has devolved into a logistical and political nightmare: Caretakers report late and missing pay. Patients worry they will be left alone, without the care they need to manage daily tasks.

The state says everything is working just fine.

It was this clash of narratives that drove an hourslong hearing yesterday that was by turns somber and explosive. Democratic and Republican senators alike seized the opportunity to grill the health commissioner and the program operator about the transition, which has thrown the beloved program into disarray.

Grace Ashford reports in THE NY TIMES that the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, or C.D.P.A.P., was established in 1995 with the goal of providing disabled and chronically ill New Yorkers more autonomy over their lives and care while helping the state avoid the greater expense of institutionalization.

Central to the program’s operation were the many entities that sprang up to handle payroll and program compliance for caregivers. Called fiscal intermediaries, these groups varied greatly across the state — some operating as large nonprofits, others serving small cultural enclaves from Rochester to Flushing, Queens.

These intermediaries operated with few guardrails, and over time their numbers exploded. By last year, the state estimated that there were more than 600 across the state — each with an incentive to enroll as many patients as possible.

In 2017, the program served 12,000 New Yorkers for $1.5 billion. Six years later, it was projected to grow to serve a quarter of a million people at a cost of $11.2 billion, straining the state budget.

Thus, yesterday’s NYS Senate hearing about the current status of C.D.P.A.P.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton, which starts Sunday and runs through Aug. 31. It is sometimes referred to as the "Hollywood horse show” because the competition is also a major end-of-summer celebrity-studded social event.

In the past, these celebrity crowds have included Madonna, Billy Joel, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Lopez, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose daughter, Georgina, has competed, Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen, whose daughter, Jessica, has also ridden in the show.

Lara Murray-Sterzel reports in NEWSDAY that the annual eight-day event features world-class, international and local equestrians negotiating huge obstacles in show jumping classes. But amateur riders showing over smaller fences and children in pony and lead line classes will also be competing. Vendor tents selling a range of high-end products including equestrian gear and clothing are also a major draw, along with celebrity gawking.

The show has grown to become one of the biggest horse shows in the country.

Shanette Cohen, the Hampton Classic executive director, said the show has evolved over the past half century “as far as size goes.” Originally the show was at Dune Alpin Farm in East Hampton before relocating in 1982 to its current location in Bridgehampton, where competitors got more space for classes, warm-up and temporary show stalls for horses coming from elsewhere.

As the years went by, the grass footing in the Grand Prix ring wasn’t holding up, leading to the transition to an all-weather footing which is “another major change in our show that has enabled us to be a five-star because the footing is more predictable and it allows more horses to be competing out there.”

A five-star rating is the highest rating of difficulty for an equestrian event.

The main gates open at 8 a.m. Sunday and daily admission per carload is $25 and credit-card only, paid at entrance or purchased online, with the exception of Monday, when admission is free.

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The Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association hosts a presentation on “What You Need to Know About Irrigation & Conservation” during its monthly meeting at Veterans Beach this coming Monday evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski will discuss the town’s new irrigation law, Chris Williams from Signature Irrigation will discuss new technology that can help conserve water and be compliant with town and Suffolk County Water Authority regulations and Alexandra Getches from Living Lands Garden Design will discuss using native plants in your gardens and pocket meadow lawn alternatives, which help conserve water.

The event is free.

That’s this Monday at 6:30 p.m.

The Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association Forum: What You Need to Know About Irrigation & Conservation at Veterans Beach, 11020 Peconic Bay Boulevard, Mattituck, NY 11952

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Hurricane Erin turned away from the East Coast this morning but was expected to continue to bring dangerous surf conditions and minor coastal flooding through part of the weekend on Long Island. As reported in NEWSDAY, Erin, now a Category 1 system, was around 400 miles southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, earlier today, heading northeast at about 22 mph, according to Matthew Tauber, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Upton.

“It does continue to be dangerous to go into the waters,” Tauber said. “The high risk of rip currents may continue into Sunday as the swells do slowly subside.” A coastal flood advisory is in effect on Long Island through early Saturday morning as large waves and rip currents continue to batter beaches in Nassau and Suffolk counties, per the NWS. No significant damage was reported by vulnerable South Shore communities but forecasters warned of possible erosion and flooding today as the storm pulls away.

Swimming was banned at ocean beaches this week, but Jones Beach, Robert Moses and Hither Hills State Park in Montauk remained open for visitors.

Montauk had suffered the strongest brunt of the storm with some flooding and erosion, said George Gorman, regional director of state parks on Long Island.

"We’ll be evaluating beaches Friday morning and make a determination," about whether to allow swimming, Gorman said. "The high tide we’re most concerned about is Thursday night but we’re also concerned about high tide Friday morning."

Yesterday, around 30 beachgoers flocked to Cooper’s Beach in the Village of Southampton to witness waves that could cause beach erosion.

“You get worried about that because it is costly to be repaired,” Julia Loeffel, of Shinnecock Hills, said, bundled up in a hooded jacket as the breeze blew inland. “The beaches in the Hamptons are so beautiful. We just want them to stay nice.”

Loeffel’s son, John, said the waves appeared “two or three times” higher than usual and extended “30 or 40 feet” more inland. The waves carved out a large pool deep into the shoreline, which neither Loeffel said they have seen in the nearly 10 years they lived on the East End.