Bells will toll in memoriam. Crowds will gather at ceremonies. Names of the dead will be recited one by one.

Nearly a quarter century after almost 3,000 people died when al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group hijacked jetliners that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania…a region, a nation and the world will mark another anniversary of what happened 24 years ago today…on Sept. 11, 2001.

Matthew Chayes reports in NEWSDAY that even as memories fade and the date itself recedes into the past, more and more first responders and others who lived, worked or studied near the rubble in the months after are getting sick and dying from the airborne toxins unleashed by the explosions.

Approximately 497 Long Islanders have died as a result of the 9/11 attacks.

Nearly three dozen ceremonies have been scheduled for today through Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Here's a list of some commemorations across the east end:

• The Town of Riverhead will host a prayer ceremony to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at 10 a.m. at the Riverhead World Trade Center Memorial Park at the corner of Riley and Edwards Avenues in Calverton.
• This evening, the Sound Park Heights Civic Association will host its annual Candlelight Walk and Remembrance. A procession will begin at 6:00 p.m. from Marine Street in Reeves Park and proceed to the 9/11 Memorial Park on Sound Avenue.
• The Flanders Fire Department also holds an annual memorial service at the Flanders Memorial Park on Flanders Road and Fanning Road at 6:30 p.m.
• The Southold Town Fire Chiefs’ Council’s Southold Town Firefighters’ Memorial and Remembrance Ceremony will be held today at Jean Cochran Park on Peconic Lane in Peconic. Attendees will gather beginning at 5 p.m., with the official ceremonies starting at 6 p.m.
• The Southold 9/11 Memorial Committee and members of the community place 2,977 American flags throughout the park prior to the ceremony in honor of the people who were killed in the terrorist attacks.

During the ceremony, members of the Mattituck, Cutchogue, Southold, Greenport, East Marion, Orient, Plum Island, Fishers Island, and Shelter Island Fire Departments will pay their respects and lay wreaths honoring the fallen.

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This coming Saturday, September 13, the Long Island Divers Association plans to dive down and explore the wreck of HMS Culloden, a British ship that ran aground near Montauk in 1781 while pursuing French blockade runners.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that all are welcome to attend Saturday’s event, but only certified divers — or those accompanied by a diving instructor — can take part in the dive. Divers will meet at 12:30 p.m. and enter the water during high tide at 2 p.m. this Saturday.

On January 23, 1781, HMS Culloden encountered severe weather conditions while trying to intercept the French ships, which were bound for Newport, Rhode Island. The ship ran aground at what is now known as Culloden Point. The crew made it off, but they were unable to save the ship.

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A Riverhead gun shop will be in violation of New York State law if it holds a rifle raffle next week to raise money for a high school volleyball team, a state Gaming Commission official said yesterday. Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that state law says only "religious, charitable and nonprofit organizations" are allowed to hold games and raffles to raise funds for charitable endeavors, according to gaming commission spokesman Brad Maione.

JJ Armory in Riverhead is raffling off a semiautomatic weapon to raise money for the Riverhead High School volleyball team. The drawing is to be held Sept. 20.

"This entity is not authorized," Maione said. "Any operation of a raffle [by an unauthorized company] is considered unlawful — even if well-intentioned."

The Riverhead Central School district said Tuesday it would refuse any money raised by the raffle.

On Wednesday, JJ Armory owner Joe Oliver said he was not aware of the state law. He said he planned to contact the gaming commission for further clarification.

“The group I'm donating to is a nonprofit," Oliver said…adding reaction from the community to news of the raffle was “really good. A lot of support. I’m really happy.”

Maione said enforcement of the state prohibition would have to come from a local law enforcement authority.

At least one Riverhead civic leader said she was outraged by the raffle.

Cindy Clifford, of the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association, said the raffle is “insane” and added she planned to contact school officials.

She said the civic group had a preplanned meeting scheduled for Saturday morning with Riverhead schools Superintendent Robert M. Hagan.

“I think there are some things that are so inherently wrong with this," Clifford told NEWSDAY. "You just wonder who’s making these decisions.”

Riverhead school officials said this week they did not authorize the raffle.

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With the Lake Montauk Inlet dredging project hanging in the balance, the East Hampton Town Board allocated $1.1 million this week from a South Fork Wind fund to ensure the operation moves forward. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that in February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed a dredge to complete an emergency operation to deepen the channel to 12 feet. Prior to that, fishermen frequently got stuck at sea — often for hours at a time — waiting for the tides to allow them to enter the channel to dock. As time went on following the emergency dredging, those conditions returned: Shoaling continued, and fishing boats were running close to the bottom of the inlet, often too close for comfort. That emergency dredge was a prelude to a larger, previously planned operation, which the Army Corps slated for fall 2025, during the typical dredge window, October 1 to January 15. The intent of the fall dredge was to offer a more long-term solution to the shoaling problem. To ensure the fall dredge took place, the East Hampton Town Board had previously earmarked $1.5 million, while the federal government committed $9.5 million. In the days leading up to Tuesday’s funding announcement, a chain of events quickly unfolded. Only one bid came back — and it was higher than expected. The Army Corps told the town that it needed an additional $1.1 million. The Army Corps, which declined to provide additional funding, set a September 10 deadline for the town to secure the funding. The Town of East Hampton maintains a Host Community Agreement with South Fork Wind, which requires the latter to make payments to a fund that will ultimately total $29 million over 25 years. With just over $1 million in the fund, the town had just the amount necessary to cover the difference.

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The Sag Harbor Partnership announced a fundraising campaign this week to restore the Sag Harbor Firemen’s Museum on Church Street, a Sag Harbor Fire Department building which in the 1970s had been converted to a museum showcasing the history of the oldest fire department in New York State. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that The Partnership says it is working directly with the Village of Sag Harbor on the project, with the blessing of Mayor Tom Gardella, a longtime village firefighter and ex-chief who has long been advocating for restoring the museum. New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni, also a former Sag Harbor firefighter, is working with them on an application for a state grant as well.

The museum, which had been run by members of the volunteer fire department, is located in its former Montauk Hose Company Headquarters on the corner of Church and Sage Streets. The building, which dates back to 1833, had also served as a lecture hall, a church and village hall.

The museum closed in 2020 after the death of Thomas Horn, Sr., a senior member of the department who had been dedicated to its upkeep and could often be seen manning a table outside the department’s Main Street substation fundraising for the department.

A plaque will be installed in the museum honoring donations of $2,500 and above.

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Black and Latino residents feel gloomier about reaching certain livability standards on Long Island than white residents, according to a Newsday/Siena Research Institute survey, and those stark differences reflect disparities experienced by many residents of color, according to some who advocate for people of color in Nassau and Suffolk.

"We find despite optimism and faith in the educational system, Black and Latino residents face more challenges and in some cases, discrimination compared with their white neighbors," said pollster Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute.

For example, 66% of Black and 68% of Latino respondents agree that minorities in their communities are likely to experience racial or ethnic discrimination. Meanwhile only 40% of white respondents believe those communities experience discrimination. A majority of Black and Latino respondents also feel government is not responsive to their needs.

Lorena Mongelli reports in NEWSDAY that Elaine Gross, founder and president of the Syosset-based civil rights group ERASE Racism, said the Trump administration is engaged in "an aggressive action to wipe out even people saying that there is something called structural racism," which she said is "embedded into our society."

She said one doesn’t need to look too deep to find evidence of unjust government policies that were once the norm, such as government housing policies from the 1930s that kept Black people from getting mortgages and loans, blocked them from buying in certain neighborhoods, and kept investments away from neighborhoods with predominantly Black residents.

At the time, the federal government also recommended racist covenants, according to the Federal Reserve History. In 1947, for example, developer William Levitt implemented a white-only doctrine in Levittown that barred people of color from occupying properties.

According to a 2023 report by the nonprofit ERASE Racism, Long Island is among the nation’s Top 10 most racially segregated regions.