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Low gas prices signal weak economy
King Kullen, Long Island's largest family-owned grocery chain, is closing another supermarket, this time a 34-year-old store in Middle Island. The store is located at 1235 Middle Country Rd. in the Strathmore Commons Shopping Center. The supermarket occupies about 45,000 square feet, said Robert Monahan, property manager for Island Associates Real Estate Inc., the Smithtown-based company that manages the center. Monahan confirmed that the store will be closing but said he did not know when or the reason for the impending shutdown. Tory N. Parrish reports in NEWSDAY that the King Kullen in Middle Island opened in January 1991, according to a grand-opening advertisement in Newsday's archives. Headquartered in Hauppauge, King Kullen Grocery Co. did not respond to Newsday's inquiries yesterday about the reason for the store's closing, the timeline for the closing and the number of affected employees. Most of the grocery company's store employees are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. UFCW Local 1500 in Westbury represents 41 part-time and nine full-time employees working in the front-end, grocery, produce, dairy, frozen food, deli, bakery and receiving areas of King Kullen's Middle Island store, said Aly Y. Waddy, secretary-treasurer for the local union. "Local 1500 is working to maintain as many jobs as possible. [There is] no indication of any layoffs yet," she said yesterday. Founded in Queens in 1930, King Kullen Grocery Co. operates 30 stores on Long Island, including 26 King Kullen supermarkets. The other four are Wild by Nature natural food stores. Across eastern Suffolk there are King Kullen Grocery Stores in Bridgehampton, Cutchogue, Eastport, Hampton Bays, Manorville, Center Moriches, Shirley, and for the moment – Middle Island.
***
A divided Riverhead Town Board this week took the first step toward selling the historic and blighted Vail-Leavitt Music Hall to The Jazz Loft. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the Riverhead Town Board passed a resolution 3-2 authorizing the town attorney “to take all such actions as may be necessary and appropriate to consummate such sale” of the building to The Jazz Loft. The nonprofit organization previously restored a historic building in Stony Brook built in the 1770s and turned it into a performance venue and music museum.
Council members Bob Kern and Ken Rothwell dissented. They tried unsuccessfully to table the resolution, arguing that the town should open the process to other potential buyers. They voiced support for the other pitch to purchase the building made by Ray Castronovo, principal of the Riverhead-based Zenith Group.
In 2023, Suffolk County granted $250,000 for the restoration of the Vail-Leavitt, which Riverhead Town officials say will be transferable to The Jazz Loft when it takes possession of the building. The Vail-Leavitt is in need of extensive repairs, according to officials.
Supervisor Tim Hubbard and council members Joann Waski and Denise Merrifield backed The Jazz Loft, citing its year-long collaboration with the town and commitment to restoring the Vail-Leavitt.
The Jazz Loft could start renovations on the Vail-Leavitt…built in 1881 as an upstairs opera house…at the beginning of this summer and be open by November, depending upon how quickly the transaction occurs according to Jazz Loft President and Founder Thomas Manuel.
***
The Southampton Village Police Benevolent Association will hold its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, April 18…that’s tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in Agawam Park in Southampton Village. All kids age 10 and younger are invited to participate but should bring a receptacle to pick up eggs. The Easter Bunny will be on hand for photo opportunities. There will be a great prize egg among the thousands scattered on the field at Agawam Park in Southampton tomorrow at 10 am.
***
Prices at the pump nationally and locally have been trending downward in recent weeks, but industry experts said the reasons behind lower gas prices may well be temporary and signal broader economic concerns. The average price of regular gas on Long Island hit $2.993 per gallon yesterday, down from $3.035 per gallon a week ago, and notably lower than the $3.431 per gallon price point last year, according to data from AAA. Victor Ocasio reports in NEWSDAY that nationally, the price per gallon of unleaded regular gas was $3.169 on average Wednesday, down from $3.235 a week ago. Gas prices on Long Island and around the country traditionally hit their peak in mid-April when refiners in places like Louisiana and Texas slow production for maintenance before ramping it up ahead of the summer months, said experts with online gas price tracker GasBuddy. But amid global fears of a recession, overproduction of crude oil overseas and a projected decline in consumer travel due to low consumer confidence this year, low gas prices may be around for a while, according to industry experts.
“In the last week or so we’ve seen increases revert to decreases,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, an online tracker of gasoline prices.
“There are some warning signal signs with the broader economy,” De Haan said. “It’s generally rare to have low prices amid a strong economy.”
Experts said given broad uncertainty in the global economy, it isn't clear when prices will go up again, and there is reason to believe prices will remain low throughout the summer.
Robert Sinclair Jr., senior manager of public affairs for AAA Northeast in Garden City tells NEWSDAY, “Things are still bad as far as inflation goes. People are still struggling ... and demand is significantly lower.”
***
Southampton Town is considering revising its 10-year-old plan to redevelop the blighted hamlet of Riverside, dramatically scaling back the potential development of this area just across the river from downtown Riverhead. The initial plan, approved in 2015, allowed for the building of up to 2,300 residences in the area, but that plan was based on an assumption that there would be far greater access to sewage treatment. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that a new proposal, presented to the Southampton Town Board at its April 3 work session by consultants from the planning firm Historical Concepts, would allow just 967 housing units to be built, along with 72,000 square feet of commercial space.
Riverhead Town sued Southampton Town in August of 2024 over Southampton’s plan to build a sewage treatment plant and create a sewer district, a $35 million project in the works for over a decade that is in the final planning stages.
Riverhead’s suit alleges there will be “potentially significant adverse environmental impacts on the Town of Riverhead and the Riverhead Central School District arising from the future development of up to 2,300 residential units within the Riverside area” as a result of the sewer district.
Parents and teachers at the Phillips Avenue Elementary School, adjacent to the site of the proposed sewage treatment plant, have also objected to its location.
Southampton has recently revised the sewage treatment plant plan to allow it to serve the school, which town planners say will also help the school’s potential expansion efforts.
Janice Scherer, Southampton Town’s Planning and Development Administrator, pointed out at the work session that the earlier plan relied on an estimate that the sewage treatment plant could handle up to 800,000 gallons of septic flow, but that plan, which relied on filtering the effluent through a constructed wetlands adjacent to the Peconic River, proved to not be feasible.
The plant as currently proposed would instead treat up to 290,000 gallons of effluent, returning it to the groundwater after it is treated.
***
Join Slow Food East End for a special Earth Day Celebration with Slow Food East End and wonderful sponsors and vendors, this coming Saturday, April 19th from 1pm-4pm at Golden Acres Organic Farm, 652 Peconic Bay Blvd, Jamesport, NY 11947.
All are welcome and free to attend! There will be live music, local food tastings, fresh Long Island oysters, local art and craft vendors, activist groups, educators, farmers, wine from Long Island producers and so much more! Learn sustainable practices in honor of Earth Day, by planting a seedling to take home and connecting with local growers and experts for tips on gardening, composting and seed starting. Meet local artists, shop for great books, treats and sweets. Slow Food East End will have kids crafts, an eco–friendly egg hunt, face painting and live demos will round out the afternoon.
That’s this Saturday from 1pm – 4pm at Golden Acres Organic Farm in Jamesport. All are welcome and it is free to attend!
***
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered an immediate halt yesterday to work on a planned offshore wind project near the coast of Long Beach in Nassau County, Long Island…arguing the Biden administration rushed the approval process. A memo by Burgum directed Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to direct Norwegian energy developer Equinor to "cease all construction activities on the Empire Wind project" until a review is completed to address "serious deficiencies." Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the company plans to erect 54 1,000-foot wind turbines, starting around 15 miles from the shore. The turbines are scheduled to be pile-driven into the seabed in coming months after Equinor obtained the necessary federal and state approvals.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the work stoppage.
"This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the president’s executive orders," Hochul wrote. "It’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on. As governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand."
Burgum's memo came hours after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called on the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department to launch investigations into whether Equinor used shortcuts to obtain permits and approvals for Empire Wind.
In a statement, Blakeman declared that the residents of his county were “extremely grateful” to President Trump, Mr. Burgum and Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, “for halting further work on offshore wind turbines which have created serious concerns for our firefighters, health officials and residents.”
Jason Grumet, chief executive of the American Clean Power Association, a renewable energy trade group, said in a statement, “Doubling back to reconsider permits after projects are under construction sends a chilling signal to all energy investment."
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By WLIW-FMKing Kullen, Long Island's largest family-owned grocery chain, is closing another supermarket, this time a 34-year-old store in Middle Island. The store is located at 1235 Middle Country Rd. in the Strathmore Commons Shopping Center. The supermarket occupies about 45,000 square feet, said Robert Monahan, property manager for Island Associates Real Estate Inc., the Smithtown-based company that manages the center. Monahan confirmed that the store will be closing but said he did not know when or the reason for the impending shutdown. Tory N. Parrish reports in NEWSDAY that the King Kullen in Middle Island opened in January 1991, according to a grand-opening advertisement in Newsday's archives. Headquartered in Hauppauge, King Kullen Grocery Co. did not respond to Newsday's inquiries yesterday about the reason for the store's closing, the timeline for the closing and the number of affected employees. Most of the grocery company's store employees are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. UFCW Local 1500 in Westbury represents 41 part-time and nine full-time employees working in the front-end, grocery, produce, dairy, frozen food, deli, bakery and receiving areas of King Kullen's Middle Island store, said Aly Y. Waddy, secretary-treasurer for the local union. "Local 1500 is working to maintain as many jobs as possible. [There is] no indication of any layoffs yet," she said yesterday. Founded in Queens in 1930, King Kullen Grocery Co. operates 30 stores on Long Island, including 26 King Kullen supermarkets. The other four are Wild by Nature natural food stores. Across eastern Suffolk there are King Kullen Grocery Stores in Bridgehampton, Cutchogue, Eastport, Hampton Bays, Manorville, Center Moriches, Shirley, and for the moment – Middle Island.
***
A divided Riverhead Town Board this week took the first step toward selling the historic and blighted Vail-Leavitt Music Hall to The Jazz Loft. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the Riverhead Town Board passed a resolution 3-2 authorizing the town attorney “to take all such actions as may be necessary and appropriate to consummate such sale” of the building to The Jazz Loft. The nonprofit organization previously restored a historic building in Stony Brook built in the 1770s and turned it into a performance venue and music museum.
Council members Bob Kern and Ken Rothwell dissented. They tried unsuccessfully to table the resolution, arguing that the town should open the process to other potential buyers. They voiced support for the other pitch to purchase the building made by Ray Castronovo, principal of the Riverhead-based Zenith Group.
In 2023, Suffolk County granted $250,000 for the restoration of the Vail-Leavitt, which Riverhead Town officials say will be transferable to The Jazz Loft when it takes possession of the building. The Vail-Leavitt is in need of extensive repairs, according to officials.
Supervisor Tim Hubbard and council members Joann Waski and Denise Merrifield backed The Jazz Loft, citing its year-long collaboration with the town and commitment to restoring the Vail-Leavitt.
The Jazz Loft could start renovations on the Vail-Leavitt…built in 1881 as an upstairs opera house…at the beginning of this summer and be open by November, depending upon how quickly the transaction occurs according to Jazz Loft President and Founder Thomas Manuel.
***
The Southampton Village Police Benevolent Association will hold its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, April 18…that’s tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in Agawam Park in Southampton Village. All kids age 10 and younger are invited to participate but should bring a receptacle to pick up eggs. The Easter Bunny will be on hand for photo opportunities. There will be a great prize egg among the thousands scattered on the field at Agawam Park in Southampton tomorrow at 10 am.
***
Prices at the pump nationally and locally have been trending downward in recent weeks, but industry experts said the reasons behind lower gas prices may well be temporary and signal broader economic concerns. The average price of regular gas on Long Island hit $2.993 per gallon yesterday, down from $3.035 per gallon a week ago, and notably lower than the $3.431 per gallon price point last year, according to data from AAA. Victor Ocasio reports in NEWSDAY that nationally, the price per gallon of unleaded regular gas was $3.169 on average Wednesday, down from $3.235 a week ago. Gas prices on Long Island and around the country traditionally hit their peak in mid-April when refiners in places like Louisiana and Texas slow production for maintenance before ramping it up ahead of the summer months, said experts with online gas price tracker GasBuddy. But amid global fears of a recession, overproduction of crude oil overseas and a projected decline in consumer travel due to low consumer confidence this year, low gas prices may be around for a while, according to industry experts.
“In the last week or so we’ve seen increases revert to decreases,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, an online tracker of gasoline prices.
“There are some warning signal signs with the broader economy,” De Haan said. “It’s generally rare to have low prices amid a strong economy.”
Experts said given broad uncertainty in the global economy, it isn't clear when prices will go up again, and there is reason to believe prices will remain low throughout the summer.
Robert Sinclair Jr., senior manager of public affairs for AAA Northeast in Garden City tells NEWSDAY, “Things are still bad as far as inflation goes. People are still struggling ... and demand is significantly lower.”
***
Southampton Town is considering revising its 10-year-old plan to redevelop the blighted hamlet of Riverside, dramatically scaling back the potential development of this area just across the river from downtown Riverhead. The initial plan, approved in 2015, allowed for the building of up to 2,300 residences in the area, but that plan was based on an assumption that there would be far greater access to sewage treatment. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that a new proposal, presented to the Southampton Town Board at its April 3 work session by consultants from the planning firm Historical Concepts, would allow just 967 housing units to be built, along with 72,000 square feet of commercial space.
Riverhead Town sued Southampton Town in August of 2024 over Southampton’s plan to build a sewage treatment plant and create a sewer district, a $35 million project in the works for over a decade that is in the final planning stages.
Riverhead’s suit alleges there will be “potentially significant adverse environmental impacts on the Town of Riverhead and the Riverhead Central School District arising from the future development of up to 2,300 residential units within the Riverside area” as a result of the sewer district.
Parents and teachers at the Phillips Avenue Elementary School, adjacent to the site of the proposed sewage treatment plant, have also objected to its location.
Southampton has recently revised the sewage treatment plant plan to allow it to serve the school, which town planners say will also help the school’s potential expansion efforts.
Janice Scherer, Southampton Town’s Planning and Development Administrator, pointed out at the work session that the earlier plan relied on an estimate that the sewage treatment plant could handle up to 800,000 gallons of septic flow, but that plan, which relied on filtering the effluent through a constructed wetlands adjacent to the Peconic River, proved to not be feasible.
The plant as currently proposed would instead treat up to 290,000 gallons of effluent, returning it to the groundwater after it is treated.
***
Join Slow Food East End for a special Earth Day Celebration with Slow Food East End and wonderful sponsors and vendors, this coming Saturday, April 19th from 1pm-4pm at Golden Acres Organic Farm, 652 Peconic Bay Blvd, Jamesport, NY 11947.
All are welcome and free to attend! There will be live music, local food tastings, fresh Long Island oysters, local art and craft vendors, activist groups, educators, farmers, wine from Long Island producers and so much more! Learn sustainable practices in honor of Earth Day, by planting a seedling to take home and connecting with local growers and experts for tips on gardening, composting and seed starting. Meet local artists, shop for great books, treats and sweets. Slow Food East End will have kids crafts, an eco–friendly egg hunt, face painting and live demos will round out the afternoon.
That’s this Saturday from 1pm – 4pm at Golden Acres Organic Farm in Jamesport. All are welcome and it is free to attend!
***
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered an immediate halt yesterday to work on a planned offshore wind project near the coast of Long Beach in Nassau County, Long Island…arguing the Biden administration rushed the approval process. A memo by Burgum directed Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to direct Norwegian energy developer Equinor to "cease all construction activities on the Empire Wind project" until a review is completed to address "serious deficiencies." Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the company plans to erect 54 1,000-foot wind turbines, starting around 15 miles from the shore. The turbines are scheduled to be pile-driven into the seabed in coming months after Equinor obtained the necessary federal and state approvals.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the work stoppage.
"This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the president’s executive orders," Hochul wrote. "It’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on. As governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand."
Burgum's memo came hours after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called on the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department to launch investigations into whether Equinor used shortcuts to obtain permits and approvals for Empire Wind.
In a statement, Blakeman declared that the residents of his county were “extremely grateful” to President Trump, Mr. Burgum and Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, “for halting further work on offshore wind turbines which have created serious concerns for our firefighters, health officials and residents.”
Jason Grumet, chief executive of the American Clean Power Association, a renewable energy trade group, said in a statement, “Doubling back to reconsider permits after projects are under construction sends a chilling signal to all energy investment."