Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Long Island schools close early due to extreme heat
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Long Island schools close early due to extreme heat
Thank you for listening to The Long Island Daily, from WLIW-FM. Consider making a donation today during our Community Challenge. Click here to donate.
Temperatures on Long Island hit the triple digits yesterday, with a slightly cooler, but still sweltering day, predicted for today.
Long Island MacArthur Airport hit 100 degrees at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday, the first time since July 22, 2011, and only the eighth time in history since records began in 1963. It was the hottest-ever June day in Islip, according to Newsday TV meteorologist Rich Von Ohlen.
Today is the third day of the region's heat wave before relief comes with storms tonight that usher in highs tomorrow barely surpassing 70 degrees.
Heat indexes, heat combined with humidity, will go as high as 97-102 degrees for much of Nassau and Suffolk today, according to the National Weather Service's heat advisory. Some east end coastal locations will have slightly cooler heat indexes, between 95 and 100°F.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a news release last night, said that New Yorkers should set their air conditioning at 76 degrees.
Yesterday, the hottest of this week’s three-day heat wave, saw a recorded temperature of 100.4 degrees at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach as of 2:15 p.m., the weather service said.
According to Newsday's Von Ohlen, some of the other high temperatures Tuesday as of 2 p.m. included: Shirley at 99, Montauk at 97, Farmingdale at 97, and East Hampton at 94.
"This was a perfect, unique setup to get these temperatures," Von Ohlen said. "We did not get the sea breeze that normally cools Long Island ... which is why Montauk saw the upper 90s, which is very rare."
An air quality alert has been issued for Long Island and the metro area from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. today, when excess amounts of ozone are expected due to the hot weather. The air quality for Long Island Tuesday was considered to be unhealthy for sensitive groups due to the ozone.
***
Long Island schools closed early or took other measures to keep students cool yesterday, as temperatures hit triple digits in some areas of Nassau and Suffolk .
The heat wave continues today, with real-feel temperatures around 100 degrees predicted for most parts of Long Island.
Some schools had already scheduled half-days for the rest of the week — the final week of the school term.
Maura McDermott reports in NEWSDAY that many classrooms in schools across Long Island lack air conditioning. A heat wave "definitely impacts the work environment and the learning environment" in those classrooms, said Robert Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. But, he said, "Schools have always had plans for hot days in June and hot days in September," including the use of misting fans and moving classes to cooler parts of the building.
A new law that takes effect Sept. 1 will require public schools to take action when classroom temperatures climb too high.
The law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December, mandates that schools take steps such as using fans and pulling down blinds when interior temperatures hit 82 degrees. When room temperatures reach 88 degrees, schools would need to move students and staff to a cooler space or send students home, under the law.
However, Vecchio said the state law also "presents new challenges," especially in areas that are lower-income or have smaller tax bases.
Adding air conditioning "can be very expensive and very complicated due to the size and age of buildings," he said. Without voter approval for massive investments in cooling systems, he said, in some schools the mandate "can lead to the loss of instructional time."
On Tuesday, Hochul acknowledged that some school districts have not approved funding for air conditioning and are seeking flexibility in enforcing the new policy. She encouraged districts to use budget surplus funds to purchase air conditioning before seeking additional funding from the state.
***
Two weeks after President Donald Trump returned to power, the Republican leaders of Nassau County vowed to help him with his immigration crackdown.
Luis Ferré-Sadurní reports in THE NY TIMES that they were among the first local government leaders in the United States to announce a partnership between their Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to conduct immigration arrests during Mr. Trump’s second term. Across the nation, hundreds of other police agencies forged similar agreements, jump-starting a crucial part of Mr. Trump’s agenda: enlisting local law enforcement to boost deportations.
Yesterday, the New York Civil Liberties Union sued Nassau County and its Police Department, arguing that the partnership was unlawful.
The lawsuit, the first of its kind in New York State, says that the agreement between the county and the federal government violates state law, undermines protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, and promotes racial profiling.
If successful, the suit could threaten similar or future agreements in New York. Two other counties that lean conservative — Broome and Niagara — signed partnerships with ICE this year, joining Rensselaer County, which has had a pact with federal immigration authorities since 2018.
“It’s a recipe for racial and ethnic profiling,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “It’s a devastating attack on fundamental rights for the Police Department in Nassau County to be behaving like ICE.”
Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Bruce Blakeman, the Republican county executive and Trump ally who unveiled the partnership in February, said on Tuesday that Mr. Blakeman “is confident that all measures taken to protect communities in Nassau County are legal and properly authorized.”
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, cast the lawsuit against the partnership — which is known as a 287(g) agreement — as “baseless.”
“Allegations that 287(g) agreements with local law enforcement encourage ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting and categorically FALSE,” she said in a statement. “Our 287(g) partners work with us to enforce federal immigration law without fear, favor, or prejudice, and they should be commended for doing so.”
However, Right Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island disagrees saying, "The 287(g) agreement undermines our ability to serve our communities, especially immigrant families who now live in fear of being detained or disappeared."
The 287(g) Program began during President Bill Clinton’s tenure but gained newfound popularity during Trump’s first term. No new partnerships with ICE were signed during President Joe Biden’s tenure.
Suffolk County has not joined the 287(g) Program.
The suit comes as Long Island, where immigrants account for about one-fifth of the population, has experienced a visible increase in ICE activity in recent weeks. Immigration activists say they have compiled reports of ICE officers detaining people at supermarkets, delis, home improvement stores, parking lots and food pantries.
View all episodes
By WLIW-FMThank you for listening to The Long Island Daily, from WLIW-FM. Consider making a donation today during our Community Challenge. Click here to donate.
Temperatures on Long Island hit the triple digits yesterday, with a slightly cooler, but still sweltering day, predicted for today.
Long Island MacArthur Airport hit 100 degrees at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday, the first time since July 22, 2011, and only the eighth time in history since records began in 1963. It was the hottest-ever June day in Islip, according to Newsday TV meteorologist Rich Von Ohlen.
Today is the third day of the region's heat wave before relief comes with storms tonight that usher in highs tomorrow barely surpassing 70 degrees.
Heat indexes, heat combined with humidity, will go as high as 97-102 degrees for much of Nassau and Suffolk today, according to the National Weather Service's heat advisory. Some east end coastal locations will have slightly cooler heat indexes, between 95 and 100°F.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a news release last night, said that New Yorkers should set their air conditioning at 76 degrees.
Yesterday, the hottest of this week’s three-day heat wave, saw a recorded temperature of 100.4 degrees at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach as of 2:15 p.m., the weather service said.
According to Newsday's Von Ohlen, some of the other high temperatures Tuesday as of 2 p.m. included: Shirley at 99, Montauk at 97, Farmingdale at 97, and East Hampton at 94.
"This was a perfect, unique setup to get these temperatures," Von Ohlen said. "We did not get the sea breeze that normally cools Long Island ... which is why Montauk saw the upper 90s, which is very rare."
An air quality alert has been issued for Long Island and the metro area from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. today, when excess amounts of ozone are expected due to the hot weather. The air quality for Long Island Tuesday was considered to be unhealthy for sensitive groups due to the ozone.
***
Long Island schools closed early or took other measures to keep students cool yesterday, as temperatures hit triple digits in some areas of Nassau and Suffolk .
The heat wave continues today, with real-feel temperatures around 100 degrees predicted for most parts of Long Island.
Some schools had already scheduled half-days for the rest of the week — the final week of the school term.
Maura McDermott reports in NEWSDAY that many classrooms in schools across Long Island lack air conditioning. A heat wave "definitely impacts the work environment and the learning environment" in those classrooms, said Robert Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. But, he said, "Schools have always had plans for hot days in June and hot days in September," including the use of misting fans and moving classes to cooler parts of the building.
A new law that takes effect Sept. 1 will require public schools to take action when classroom temperatures climb too high.
The law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December, mandates that schools take steps such as using fans and pulling down blinds when interior temperatures hit 82 degrees. When room temperatures reach 88 degrees, schools would need to move students and staff to a cooler space or send students home, under the law.
However, Vecchio said the state law also "presents new challenges," especially in areas that are lower-income or have smaller tax bases.
Adding air conditioning "can be very expensive and very complicated due to the size and age of buildings," he said. Without voter approval for massive investments in cooling systems, he said, in some schools the mandate "can lead to the loss of instructional time."
On Tuesday, Hochul acknowledged that some school districts have not approved funding for air conditioning and are seeking flexibility in enforcing the new policy. She encouraged districts to use budget surplus funds to purchase air conditioning before seeking additional funding from the state.
***
Two weeks after President Donald Trump returned to power, the Republican leaders of Nassau County vowed to help him with his immigration crackdown.
Luis Ferré-Sadurní reports in THE NY TIMES that they were among the first local government leaders in the United States to announce a partnership between their Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to conduct immigration arrests during Mr. Trump’s second term. Across the nation, hundreds of other police agencies forged similar agreements, jump-starting a crucial part of Mr. Trump’s agenda: enlisting local law enforcement to boost deportations.
Yesterday, the New York Civil Liberties Union sued Nassau County and its Police Department, arguing that the partnership was unlawful.
The lawsuit, the first of its kind in New York State, says that the agreement between the county and the federal government violates state law, undermines protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, and promotes racial profiling.
If successful, the suit could threaten similar or future agreements in New York. Two other counties that lean conservative — Broome and Niagara — signed partnerships with ICE this year, joining Rensselaer County, which has had a pact with federal immigration authorities since 2018.
“It’s a recipe for racial and ethnic profiling,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “It’s a devastating attack on fundamental rights for the Police Department in Nassau County to be behaving like ICE.”
Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Bruce Blakeman, the Republican county executive and Trump ally who unveiled the partnership in February, said on Tuesday that Mr. Blakeman “is confident that all measures taken to protect communities in Nassau County are legal and properly authorized.”
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, cast the lawsuit against the partnership — which is known as a 287(g) agreement — as “baseless.”
“Allegations that 287(g) agreements with local law enforcement encourage ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting and categorically FALSE,” she said in a statement. “Our 287(g) partners work with us to enforce federal immigration law without fear, favor, or prejudice, and they should be commended for doing so.”
However, Right Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island disagrees saying, "The 287(g) agreement undermines our ability to serve our communities, especially immigrant families who now live in fear of being detained or disappeared."
The 287(g) Program began during President Bill Clinton’s tenure but gained newfound popularity during Trump’s first term. No new partnerships with ICE were signed during President Joe Biden’s tenure.
Suffolk County has not joined the 287(g) Program.
The suit comes as Long Island, where immigrants account for about one-fifth of the population, has experienced a visible increase in ICE activity in recent weeks. Immigration activists say they have compiled reports of ICE officers detaining people at supermarkets, delis, home improvement stores, parking lots and food pantries.