The Connetquot school board voted 3 to 2 last night to approve a proposed settlement with the state which would allow the district to use the nickname T-Birds and related imagery, instead of the current Thunderbirds. Nicholas Grasso and Darwin Yanes report in NEWSDAY that the board members, like residents, were divided at yesterday’s meeting. The NYS Board of Regents in 2023 banned the use of Native American mascots, team names and logos in public schools. The regulation affected 13 districts on Long Island, including The Connetquot Central School District of Islip. Most of the districts have taken steps to comply with the regulation.

The deadline to make the change was the end of June, but Connetquot was granted an extension until March to comply with the regulation.

New York State Sen. Alexis Weik and Suffolk County Legis. Trish Bergin, both Connetquot graduates who represent the district, attended the meeting and called on the board to settle to prevent further spending of taxpayer dollars on litigation.

Connetquot has been fighting a state ban on Native American mascots and other imagery in public schools. The district held a public meeting last week to gather feedback from the community ahead of last night’s vote.

Board members said at last week's meeting that the district had spent nearly $50,000 on litigation against the state to continue using the Thunderbirds name and its mascot — a red, black and white eagle. Continuing the legal battle could cost another $125,000, according to board members.

As part of the agreement, the district would represent that the nickname T-Birds has "never been associated with any Indigenous imagery of any kind," according to meeting documents posted on the district’s website. The current associated images such as "an eagle, thunderbolt and/or lightning bolt," would be permissible under the deal.

School officials have said the district would need to spend about $86,000 to rebrand to the T-Birds. To be in full compliance with the state’s mascot ban, which means a new name, logo and imagery, the district estimates a price tag of about $323,000.

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The state’s court will hear arguments next Monday September 8, in a case that could change the timing and dynamics of local elections — county executive, town board, county board — across New York State. Yancey Roy reports in NEWSDAY that the NYS Court of Appeals will weigh the constitutionality of a law that would move local elections in New York to even-numbered years to align them with state and federal contests.

In short, New Yorkers would no longer have some sort of election every single year. Instead, New Yorkers would vote for town board or county executive in either a gubernatorial or presidential election year. Democrats say the law would lead to better turnouts and less cost to counties. Republicans contend it violates the state constitutional guarantees for "home rule" and would lead to local races being ignored.

The Democratic-dominated State Assembly and Senate passed the legislation in 2023; Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law that December.

The new law applies to every county outside of New York City and would phase in even-year elections over a few years.

According to a recent National Conference of State Legislatures report, 24 states forbid even-year elections for municipalities, seven mandate it and 19 let counties decide. Of those 19, six hold most local elections in even years.

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ReWild Long Island’s Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change wrapped up its most successful season yet on the South Fork, with more than 30 student interns, youth organizers, and local volunteers contributing over 1,000 hours of community and environmental service at more than a dozen sites. Now in its third year, the program has grown significantly from a 2023 pilot with just nine students from East Hampton High School. This summer’s participants represented schools including East Hampton High, the Ross School, Pierson, and New York City, with middle schoolers also joining in to earn community service credits. Participants harvested produce, supported food pantries, maintained pollinator gardens and bioswales, helped launch three new community gardens, collected over 4,000 pounds of food scraps for composting, monitored shellfish, and removed invasive plant species — making a clear impact on local food security and environmental resilience. A commendation ceremony celebrating the students’ achievements will be held on Sunday, September 21, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Matthew’s Garden, East Hampton Historical Farm Museum, 131 North Main Street. Families, volunteers, and community partners are invited to attend. For more information about the program, visit rewildlongisland.org.

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Housing lotteries on Long Island offer a way for renters to land apartments at lower prices than what's available on the open market.

But information about housing opportunities can be hard to find and application periods are typically limited to just a few weeks.

Jonathan LaMantia reports in NEWSDAY that the stakes are high as Long Islanders are more likely than others in New York and the United States to pay more than 30% of their monthly income toward housing expenses. More than half of all Long Island renters, 53.5%, spent that percentage of their incomes on their housing costs in 2023, according to the latest Census data.

“So many people need decent, safe, affordable housing, and there's not enough of it” said Peter Elkowitz, president and CEO of the nonprofit Long Island Housing Partnership in Hauppauge, which administers housing lotteries.

Eligiblity for housing lotteries is based on income and household size. Some affordable housing developers receive state and federal support to offer apartments at rents that are well below what’s available on the open market.

Affordable housing nonprofits, developers and the state's affordable housing agency all advertise lotteries and waitlists for future available units. Some nonprofits including Community Development Long Island and the Long Island Housing Partnership also offer assistance with applications by phone or in person, where paper applications and translation services are available.

Long Islanders can find more information on these organizations' rental opportunities on their websites.

• Community Development Long Island
• Concern Housing
• Conifer Realty
• Georgica Green Ventures
• Long Island Housing Partnership
• New York State Homes and Community Renewal

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A 30-year Suffolk County police veteran and the former chief of detectives was named chief of department — the agency’s highest-ranking sworn officer — at a news conference in Hauppauge yesterday.

William Doherty's Suffolk County Police Department career also includes a stint as deputy chief of patrol. Doherty had also served as commanding officer for Criminal Intelligence and Homeland Security, the Seventh Precinct and the Police Technology Bureau, police officials said.

"It's a humbling experience," Doherty said "All of a sudden you are responsible for 3,000 people and answer directly to the police commissioner. It's a lot of responsibility but a great opportunity."

Michael O'Keeffe reports in NEWSDAY that Doherty replaces former Suffolk Chief of Department Robert Waring, who retired in July.

Doherty's promotion was part of several new promotions announced by county and police officials on Tuesday.

“This is a great day for the Suffolk County Police Department and every resident,” County Executive Ed Romaine told The NY Post about the promotions.

“We have extremely talented, extremely experienced, extremely knowledgeable people, and we try to reward those by promoting from within.”

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The Southold Peconic Civic Association hosts The Peconic Estuary Partnership for a discussion on “Upgrade Your Septic System” this coming Saturday, Sept. 6 at 10 a.m. in the Peconic Community Center.

Learn how you can utilize state, county, and town grants to upgrade your outdated septic system to an innovative / alternative on site wastewater treatment system and help protect east end water quality.

The Southold Peconic Civic Association was founded in 2022 to preserve and enhance the unique hamlets of Southold and Peconic by promoting civic engagement, ensuring residents are given a forum to learn, consider and act upon issues that affect North Fork communities.

So, this coming Saturday, Southold Peconic Civic Association hosts The Peconic Estuary Partnership for a discussion on “Upgrade Your Septic System” at 10 a.m. in the Peconic Community Center, 970 Peconic Ln, Peconic, NY 11958

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Plum Island is an 840-acre island just east of Orient Point which is in the Town of Southold, and it is home to a departing federal laboratory. However, its fate could rest in the hands of Suffolk County. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the federal government, which owns the island, approached the county recently “to explore the possibility of the county taking ownership of Plum Island,” said Mike Martino, a spokesman for County Executive Edward P. Romaine.

He said Romaine “is collaborating closely" with 1st Congressional District Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), "who has been the driving force in Washington to ensure Plum Island’s preservation.”

Plum Island’s future has been in flux for years and a focal point for preservation by a coalition of more than 120 organizations known as the Preserve Plum Island Coalition. Plum Island was once at risk of being sold by the federal government to the highest bidder, sparking fears of development on the ecologically sensitive site.

The Plum Island Animal Disease Center, where scientists have studied highly contagious animal pathogens, opened on the restricted island in 1954. The operations have begun transferring to a new facility in Kansas called the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

Louise Harrison, who has spent more than a decade advocating for Plum Island’s preservation, said, “it’s wonderful to think that the federal government is talking to Suffolk about this.”

Harrison, the Long Island project manager and senior science adviser of the nonprofit Save the Sound, said Plum Island is a "delicate place" with endangered species and "soils that are erodible."

She said the coalition envisions public access to the island in a sustainable way and a management plan to govern its use.

"We don't want Plum Island to be a place where only rich people can go and visit," she said.

Further details on how the county would acquire the property or potential uses were not available. The Suffolk Times, which covers Southold Town where Plum Island is located, first reported the federal government’s outreach. In March 2023, LaLota introduced the Plum Island National Monument Act to designate the island as a national monument. That legislation stalled but could be revived, Harrison said.

“Preserving Plum Island is vital not only to our environmental stewardship but also to the legacy of Suffolk County’s unique natural and cultural heritage,” LaLota said in a statement last November.