Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Rising sea surface temperatures mean sharks linger in northern waters
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Rising sea surface temperatures mean sharks linger in northern waters
New York is among 24 states and the District of Columbia — all led by Democrats — suing the Trump administration for "illegally" freezing nearly $7 billion in education funds affecting after-school care and summer programs for children, teaching English to children who are non-native speakers, and programs to recruit and train teachers in low-income areas, among others.
"This illegal and unjustified funding freeze will be devastating for students and families nationwide, especially for those who rely on these programs for childcare and to learn English," New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement yesterday announcing the lawsuit regarding the freeze imposed by the U.S. Department of Education.
"Congress allocated these funds, and the law requires that they be delivered," James said. "We will not allow this administration to rewrite the rules to punish the communities it doesn't like."
Olivia Winslow reports in NEWSDAY that James said the coalition of attorneys general and governors argues that the funding freeze violates the Constitution and federal law, adding that "the administration offered no reasoned explanation for a drastic policy reversal and failed to consider states' reliance on long-established funding processes."
The money was supposed to be distributed July 1, but then the department announced the freeze.
According to a notice The Associated Press obtained earlier this month, the administration's Education Department said the money would not be released while a review was underway of the programs. “The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities," the AP reported the notice said.
James said more than $463 million in funding for the 2025-2026 school year has been frozen in New York, which she said was 13% of the state's total K-12 education funding.
***
A major coalition of labor unions has called for the release and end of deportation proceedings against a Suffolk County Community College honors student who was arrested by immigration agents as part of an escalating nationwide crackdown.
Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the heads of the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, an umbrella group of unions that represents about 300,000 workers, said yesterday that Sara Lopez Garcia should be released from an immigration jail in Louisiana and returned to Long Island to continue her studies.
"What we know is that Sara Lopez Garcia is a promise. She is a promise of what this country can be when we lift up hardworking students who contribute to our communities and try to make a better life for themselves, in this case through higher education," John Durso and Ryan Stanton, president and executive director of the group, said in a statement.
They noted that Lopez Garcia, 20, a native of Colombia, had protected legal status in the United States through a special immigrant juvenile status visa. The visa is granted to young people who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent.
Lopez Garcia and her mother were arrested on May 21 when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to their house in Mastic, long Island. Her 17-year-old brother was allowed to stay because he is a minor.
In a telephone interview with NEWSDAY on Saturday from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, where she has spent the last month, Lopez Garcia said she is grateful for the outpouring of support she has received from the college community and others. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) said he is bringing her case to the attention of the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
"I think that that's really important to show people that we are not criminals and I am not a criminal," she said. "They can see my record."
In the Louisiana facility, Lopez Garcia said, she is being held in a large room with a total of 72 people. They share bunk beds.
She said she has tried to help other detainees who don’t speak English by translating for them.
***
The annual meeting of the Suffolk County Gabreski Community Advisory and Review Board is this evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Riverhead County Center, Maxine S. Postal Auditorium, 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901.
In accordance with the recommendations outlined in the Gabreski Community Advisory Board Final Report (July 2022) and pursuant to Resolution 224-2023, the Suffolk County Legislature formed an official review board composed of 18 members representing regional stakeholders and municipalities. The Gabreski Community Advisory and Review Board meets annually to ensure accountability, transparency, and continued public engagement regarding operations at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.
The Review Board is charged with monitoring the implementation of the Final Report’s recommendations and ensuring meaningful community input into the airport’s future. This evening’s meeting will include updates on airport operations, noise complaints, airport construction, and changes to airport approach procedures. Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker; Gabreski Airport Manager Joshua Smith; Southampton Town Councilmember Michael Iasilli, and other stakeholders are expected to attend this evening’s meeting at 6pm in the Riverhead County Center.
***
Traffic on Noyac Road is clearly the most pressing issue affecting the residents of Noyac, at least judging from those who attended the Noyac Civic Council meeting last Wednesday. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle and Councilman Michael Iasilli appeared at a packed Noyac Schoolhouse to discuss efforts to make Noyac Road safer for motorists and pedestrians alike.
Judging by the volume of traffic using the road, that will not be an easy task.
McArdle said traffic monitors had recorded 509,000 vehicles using Noyac Road since May 1, a figure, he said, “that blew my mind, and I’ve been here for years.”
The average speed was 36 mph, he said, which is not much higher than the posted speed limit of 30 mph.
But audience members had concerns about speeding, pedestrian safety, the number of trucks using the road, and the general difficulty of making left-hand turns out of driveways along any number of places along Noyac Road.
During his four-year term as highway superintendent, McArdle said he had corrected the intersection of Deerfield and Noyac roads to make it safer; added blinking lights to the crosswalk at the Hampton Christian Fellowship church; installed a digital stop sign at Cromer’s Market; reworked the intersection of Noyac and Stony Hill roads at the Serene Green farmstand; and completed the first phase of a three-year repaving project from North Sea Road to Deerfield Road.
Peggy Gallagher, the civic council president, said Noyac residents are patient and realize the road is one of two major east-west corridors to the East End, the other being Route 27. But, she stressed the town owns a 50-foot right-of-way, which provides it with plenty of space for sidewalks and other improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Noyac resident and motorist John Kirrane said, “Noyac Road was engineered for 1950. It needs to be redesigned for the present.”
***
As sea surface temperature rises, some shark species could linger in northern waters nearly a month longer than usual, disturbing the ecosystem and interrupting conservation efforts, a Stony Brook University study found. Mercedes Hamilton reports in NEWSDAY that over five years, a team of Stony Brook scientists tagged 155 sharks along the East Coast and tracked their movements using underwater sound signals. The six highly migratory shark species studied annually migrate from the Northeast and Canada to waters ranging from the Carolinas to Florida during the early fall.
Lead author Maria Manz, a doctoral student, used the data to develop mathematical models that helped predict how each shark species travel and what environmental factors play the biggest role. "It's really important that we monitor and research both the negative and positive responses specific species have to climate change because it will impact how we manage them moving forward," Manz said.
Delays in sharks migration south could disrupt predator-prey relationships and interfere with ongoing conservation efforts, the study found.
Craig O’Connell, co-founder of a Montauk nonprofit called the O'Seas Conservation Foundation, said this could have drastic implications.
"Whenever you change something in the environment, there’s always some sort of repercussion ... We can’t exactly say what’s gonna happen, but most of the time it’s not good," O’Connell said.
Jon Dodd, executive director of the Atlantic Shark Institute, said: "Shark health is ocean health ... We want people to understand the importance of sharks in this ecosystem and that an ocean without sharks is not healthy."
***
The following announcement is for those who might want to attend this coming Thursday afternoon’s event and those who may wish to avoid it.
A rally organized by a group who calls itself “Indivisible” has organized a demonstration for Thursday; JULY 17th from 4pm to 5pm in the MACY’S HAMPTON BAYS PARKING LOT.
“We will unite in honor of John Lewis and the democracy he fought for. This rally will have a visibility of 360 degrees at the intersection of Route 24 and Route 27A in Hampton Bays. Hope you can join us in fighting for liberty, freedom, and justice.
A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”
The GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON rally is this coming Thursday from 4pm to 5pm in the parking lot outside Macy’s in Hampton Bays.
***
Gov. Kathy Hochul grew her massive campaign war chest in the first half of the year, as Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a potential challenger, boasted a massive fundraising haul of her own. Vaughn Golden reports in THE NY POST that the Democratic governor raised around $4 million for her re-election bid in the first half of 2025, leaving it with around $17.5 million in the bank, according to her campaign.
“In the last six months, Governor Kathy Hochul has seen grassroots support pour in from every single county in the state as she fights back against Donald Trump and delivers real progress toward a safer, more affordable New York,” Hochul’s campaign manager, Preston Elliott, wrote in a statement yesterday.
But while Governor Hochul’s early fundraising advantage is clear, her likely challengers in next year’s race are already posting impressive totals of their own. Stefanik — who has yet to officially pull the trigger on running for the GOP nomination — raised $4 million between her campaign and various committees over the last quarter, her spokesperson said. The congresswoman’s camp claimed it was the most ever raised by a New York Republican in a single quarter during an off-cycle year. “I am humbled by the record early support from generous grassroots donors and supporters in New York and across the country,” Stefanik wrote in a statement. “I will continue to work tirelessly to enact President Trump’s historic mandate in Congress, ensure Republican victories up and down the ballot in New York, and then we will fire Kathy Hochul once and for all next year,” she said. Congresswoman Stefanik’s campaign raised $138,000 in the first quarter of 2025. She holds around $11 million cash-on-hand across all her accounts, her campaign said.
Those funds could ultimately be repurposed to help the North Country Republican’s gubernatorial campaign if she officially jumps in the race.
Fellow potential GOP challenger Rep. Mike Lawler reported raising $1.4 million in the second quarter of 2025.
That’s on top of $1.5 million raised by his congressional campaign in the first quarter of the year, leaving him with around $2.2 million cash-on-hand.
The Republicans aren’t the only ones cranking the cash machine.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is running against his estranged boss Hochul for the Democratic nomination, hauled in almost $1.5 million between his various accounts, his campaign said.
View all episodes
By WLIW-FMNew York is among 24 states and the District of Columbia — all led by Democrats — suing the Trump administration for "illegally" freezing nearly $7 billion in education funds affecting after-school care and summer programs for children, teaching English to children who are non-native speakers, and programs to recruit and train teachers in low-income areas, among others.
"This illegal and unjustified funding freeze will be devastating for students and families nationwide, especially for those who rely on these programs for childcare and to learn English," New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement yesterday announcing the lawsuit regarding the freeze imposed by the U.S. Department of Education.
"Congress allocated these funds, and the law requires that they be delivered," James said. "We will not allow this administration to rewrite the rules to punish the communities it doesn't like."
Olivia Winslow reports in NEWSDAY that James said the coalition of attorneys general and governors argues that the funding freeze violates the Constitution and federal law, adding that "the administration offered no reasoned explanation for a drastic policy reversal and failed to consider states' reliance on long-established funding processes."
The money was supposed to be distributed July 1, but then the department announced the freeze.
According to a notice The Associated Press obtained earlier this month, the administration's Education Department said the money would not be released while a review was underway of the programs. “The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities," the AP reported the notice said.
James said more than $463 million in funding for the 2025-2026 school year has been frozen in New York, which she said was 13% of the state's total K-12 education funding.
***
A major coalition of labor unions has called for the release and end of deportation proceedings against a Suffolk County Community College honors student who was arrested by immigration agents as part of an escalating nationwide crackdown.
Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the heads of the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, an umbrella group of unions that represents about 300,000 workers, said yesterday that Sara Lopez Garcia should be released from an immigration jail in Louisiana and returned to Long Island to continue her studies.
"What we know is that Sara Lopez Garcia is a promise. She is a promise of what this country can be when we lift up hardworking students who contribute to our communities and try to make a better life for themselves, in this case through higher education," John Durso and Ryan Stanton, president and executive director of the group, said in a statement.
They noted that Lopez Garcia, 20, a native of Colombia, had protected legal status in the United States through a special immigrant juvenile status visa. The visa is granted to young people who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent.
Lopez Garcia and her mother were arrested on May 21 when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to their house in Mastic, long Island. Her 17-year-old brother was allowed to stay because he is a minor.
In a telephone interview with NEWSDAY on Saturday from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, where she has spent the last month, Lopez Garcia said she is grateful for the outpouring of support she has received from the college community and others. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) said he is bringing her case to the attention of the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
"I think that that's really important to show people that we are not criminals and I am not a criminal," she said. "They can see my record."
In the Louisiana facility, Lopez Garcia said, she is being held in a large room with a total of 72 people. They share bunk beds.
She said she has tried to help other detainees who don’t speak English by translating for them.
***
The annual meeting of the Suffolk County Gabreski Community Advisory and Review Board is this evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Riverhead County Center, Maxine S. Postal Auditorium, 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901.
In accordance with the recommendations outlined in the Gabreski Community Advisory Board Final Report (July 2022) and pursuant to Resolution 224-2023, the Suffolk County Legislature formed an official review board composed of 18 members representing regional stakeholders and municipalities. The Gabreski Community Advisory and Review Board meets annually to ensure accountability, transparency, and continued public engagement regarding operations at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.
The Review Board is charged with monitoring the implementation of the Final Report’s recommendations and ensuring meaningful community input into the airport’s future. This evening’s meeting will include updates on airport operations, noise complaints, airport construction, and changes to airport approach procedures. Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker; Gabreski Airport Manager Joshua Smith; Southampton Town Councilmember Michael Iasilli, and other stakeholders are expected to attend this evening’s meeting at 6pm in the Riverhead County Center.
***
Traffic on Noyac Road is clearly the most pressing issue affecting the residents of Noyac, at least judging from those who attended the Noyac Civic Council meeting last Wednesday. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle and Councilman Michael Iasilli appeared at a packed Noyac Schoolhouse to discuss efforts to make Noyac Road safer for motorists and pedestrians alike.
Judging by the volume of traffic using the road, that will not be an easy task.
McArdle said traffic monitors had recorded 509,000 vehicles using Noyac Road since May 1, a figure, he said, “that blew my mind, and I’ve been here for years.”
The average speed was 36 mph, he said, which is not much higher than the posted speed limit of 30 mph.
But audience members had concerns about speeding, pedestrian safety, the number of trucks using the road, and the general difficulty of making left-hand turns out of driveways along any number of places along Noyac Road.
During his four-year term as highway superintendent, McArdle said he had corrected the intersection of Deerfield and Noyac roads to make it safer; added blinking lights to the crosswalk at the Hampton Christian Fellowship church; installed a digital stop sign at Cromer’s Market; reworked the intersection of Noyac and Stony Hill roads at the Serene Green farmstand; and completed the first phase of a three-year repaving project from North Sea Road to Deerfield Road.
Peggy Gallagher, the civic council president, said Noyac residents are patient and realize the road is one of two major east-west corridors to the East End, the other being Route 27. But, she stressed the town owns a 50-foot right-of-way, which provides it with plenty of space for sidewalks and other improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Noyac resident and motorist John Kirrane said, “Noyac Road was engineered for 1950. It needs to be redesigned for the present.”
***
As sea surface temperature rises, some shark species could linger in northern waters nearly a month longer than usual, disturbing the ecosystem and interrupting conservation efforts, a Stony Brook University study found. Mercedes Hamilton reports in NEWSDAY that over five years, a team of Stony Brook scientists tagged 155 sharks along the East Coast and tracked their movements using underwater sound signals. The six highly migratory shark species studied annually migrate from the Northeast and Canada to waters ranging from the Carolinas to Florida during the early fall.
Lead author Maria Manz, a doctoral student, used the data to develop mathematical models that helped predict how each shark species travel and what environmental factors play the biggest role. "It's really important that we monitor and research both the negative and positive responses specific species have to climate change because it will impact how we manage them moving forward," Manz said.
Delays in sharks migration south could disrupt predator-prey relationships and interfere with ongoing conservation efforts, the study found.
Craig O’Connell, co-founder of a Montauk nonprofit called the O'Seas Conservation Foundation, said this could have drastic implications.
"Whenever you change something in the environment, there’s always some sort of repercussion ... We can’t exactly say what’s gonna happen, but most of the time it’s not good," O’Connell said.
Jon Dodd, executive director of the Atlantic Shark Institute, said: "Shark health is ocean health ... We want people to understand the importance of sharks in this ecosystem and that an ocean without sharks is not healthy."
***
The following announcement is for those who might want to attend this coming Thursday afternoon’s event and those who may wish to avoid it.
A rally organized by a group who calls itself “Indivisible” has organized a demonstration for Thursday; JULY 17th from 4pm to 5pm in the MACY’S HAMPTON BAYS PARKING LOT.
“We will unite in honor of John Lewis and the democracy he fought for. This rally will have a visibility of 360 degrees at the intersection of Route 24 and Route 27A in Hampton Bays. Hope you can join us in fighting for liberty, freedom, and justice.
A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”
The GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON rally is this coming Thursday from 4pm to 5pm in the parking lot outside Macy’s in Hampton Bays.
***
Gov. Kathy Hochul grew her massive campaign war chest in the first half of the year, as Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a potential challenger, boasted a massive fundraising haul of her own. Vaughn Golden reports in THE NY POST that the Democratic governor raised around $4 million for her re-election bid in the first half of 2025, leaving it with around $17.5 million in the bank, according to her campaign.
“In the last six months, Governor Kathy Hochul has seen grassroots support pour in from every single county in the state as she fights back against Donald Trump and delivers real progress toward a safer, more affordable New York,” Hochul’s campaign manager, Preston Elliott, wrote in a statement yesterday.
But while Governor Hochul’s early fundraising advantage is clear, her likely challengers in next year’s race are already posting impressive totals of their own. Stefanik — who has yet to officially pull the trigger on running for the GOP nomination — raised $4 million between her campaign and various committees over the last quarter, her spokesperson said. The congresswoman’s camp claimed it was the most ever raised by a New York Republican in a single quarter during an off-cycle year. “I am humbled by the record early support from generous grassroots donors and supporters in New York and across the country,” Stefanik wrote in a statement. “I will continue to work tirelessly to enact President Trump’s historic mandate in Congress, ensure Republican victories up and down the ballot in New York, and then we will fire Kathy Hochul once and for all next year,” she said. Congresswoman Stefanik’s campaign raised $138,000 in the first quarter of 2025. She holds around $11 million cash-on-hand across all her accounts, her campaign said.
Those funds could ultimately be repurposed to help the North Country Republican’s gubernatorial campaign if she officially jumps in the race.
Fellow potential GOP challenger Rep. Mike Lawler reported raising $1.4 million in the second quarter of 2025.
That’s on top of $1.5 million raised by his congressional campaign in the first quarter of the year, leaving him with around $2.2 million cash-on-hand.
The Republicans aren’t the only ones cranking the cash machine.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is running against his estranged boss Hochul for the Democratic nomination, hauled in almost $1.5 million between his various accounts, his campaign said.