Massive changes are coming to the federal student loan system starting today, with fewer repayment options for many borrowers and new loan limits for parents, graduate students, part-time students and others.
Maura McDermott reports in NEWSDAY that the new rules are part of President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending legislation, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, approved last year by Congress. They’re expected to have a broad impact on Long Island and across the country, with nearly 43 million Americans holding $1.7 trillion in federal student debt.
Federal education officials have said the changes are intended to simplify the student loan system, protect borrowers from excessive debt and reduce the cost of higher education. In congressional testimony in May, Department of Education secretary Linda McMahon called college costs “exorbitant” and said they must be reduced.
In many cases, though, student debt experts said borrowers will face higher monthly payments, and the new loan limits could prompt some to take out higher-cost private loans.
One of the biggest changes is the replacement of older programs such as the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan, which linked monthly payments to income, with the lowest-earning borrowers having their payments reduced to zero.
More than 7 million borrowers in the SAVE plan will be notified that they have 90 days to choose one of two new plans, said Michele Zampini, associate vice president for federal policy and advocacy at The Institute for College Access & Success. The new options are the standard plan, which does not take income into consideration, or the income-linked Repayment Assistance Plan, she said. RAP requires payments of up to 10% of a borrower’s adjusted gross income for 30 years.
SAVE borrowers who do not apply for RAP will be placed in the standard plan.
Even in the RAP plan, a family of four earning the national median income of about $80,000 could see monthly payments spike from $36 under SAVE to $440 under RAP, Zampini said.
Two other plans, the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) plans, are also being phased out but not until 2028.
Other changes that take effect today include a new $20,000 per year and $65,000 lifetime limit on Parent PLUS loans. Previously, parents could borrow up to the full cost of tuition.
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The East Hampton Historical Society has spent the past six months restoring the Mulford Farmhouse on James Lane to how the structure looked in 1776, during the American Revolution.
Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that in celebration of the semi-quincentennial, the historic structure — part of one of the most significant and intact colonial farmsteads in the nation — will reopen to the public this coming Saturday - the 4th of July.
East Hampton Historical Society Executive Director Steve Long said the project was the first comprehensive interior restoration of the historic building since the Historical Society first acquired the structure in 1948.
The restoration project was comprehensive and entailed major plaster repair, carpentry and painting. A paint analysis was done about 10 years ago, which first identified the finishes in the various rooms, allowing the Historical Society to recreate the paint from 250 years ago.
Mulford Farm, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was originally built in 1680. The farmhouse has been left largely unchanged since the end of the 18th century, with much of the framing and wood beams in the house being left undisturbed.
“By modern standards, it’s a tiny little house, but by 18th century standards, it was really one of the most outstanding houses here in East Hampton,” Long said.
Those who want to see the new house can take a self-guided tour or a tour with historical society staff. On the tours, they will learn about the eight members of the Mulford family who lived there, according to the 1776 Suffolk County census, and they will learn about the eight enslaved people who lived on the farm.
The guided tour will begin on July 4 at 3 p.m. and those interested are asked to meet at Home Sweet Home Museum. Throughout the summer, the Mulford Farmhouse will be open Thursday to Monday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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The Arts Center at Duck Creek in Springs has announced the return of its Family Night Series, a summer of free arts, music and community programming.
Beginning this coming Monday, July 6, and continuing weekly through August 10, Family Night will transform Duck Creek’s East Hampton campus into a lively community gathering space where residents and visitors can enjoy performances, hands-on activities, food and entertainment. Programs take place on Mondays from 5 to 7 p.m. and are free and open to all ages.
The series opens July 6 with Goat on a Boat Puppet Theater, a longtime East End favorite known for inspiring creativity through puppetry and interactive workshops. Founder and puppeteer Liz Joyce will serve as host for all six Family Night programs throughout the season.
In addition to performances and activities, Family Night attendees will enjoy food provided by local donors including Almond Restaurant, Amber Waves, Balsam Farms, East Hampton Kitchen, Rita Cantina, Harbor Market & Kitchen, Maidstone Market & Deli, Shelly’s Kitchen, Springs Pizza, and Springs Tavern & Grill. Heras Fuel Oil Corp. is sponsoring the beverage station for all six events.
The Arts Center at Duck Creek is on 127 Squaw Road, Springs, East Hampton, N.Y.
For more information, go to duckcreekarts.org.
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A group of Long Island Catholics, frustrated at what they say has been inaction by the Diocese of Rockville Centre amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, kicked off an effort yesterday to persuade local parishes to defend the rights of immigrants.
Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the group, called Catholics Welcome Immigrants, includes several priests, some of whom attended a news conference Tuesday in Huntington Station where organizers provided details about the effort and decried Trump's deportation campaign, including the arrest of at least 3,000 Long Islanders. They also accused the federal government of violating Catholic teachings to welcome the stranger and assist the weak.
"These inhumane and immoral policies fly in the face not only of American values but also what we believe as Roman Catholics," Richard Koubek, one of the leaders of the group, said at St. Hugh of Lincoln Roman Catholic Church in Huntington Station.
The group hopes to start training lay Catholic leaders in August on how to plan prayer services focused on immigrants…be they documented or otherwise…and on how to publish bulletin inserts on the topic, how to reach out to new immigrants and advocate for "just" government policies. They aim to begin implementing their program in parishes in September.
Catholics Welcome Immigrants even hopes to have pastors preach about the deportation campaign from the altar and publicize letters by bishops in the United States denouncing the ongoing effort.
Koubek said that initially, he anticipates meeting "indifference" from many of the diocese’s 132 parishes, but if 10 participate at the outset, that will be a good start.
Bishop John Barres, who heads the Diocese of Rockville Centre has previously called for comprehensive immigration reform.
In response to NEWSDAY, the diocese also noted Catholic Charities' extensive lengths to help immigrants with food, housing, job training and legal services.
Bishop Barres helped draft a statement by the New York State Catholic Conference that said immigration enforcement should be done in "a humane manner that does not target the hard-working and law-abiding; that does not permit the wanton and unnecessary separation of families; and that does not rely on campaigns of fear that cripple whole communities."
There are approximately 1.2 to 1.47 baptized Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk combined, accounting for nearly half of Long Island's total population.
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President Donald Trump's job performance is viewed unfavorably by a majority of Long Island voters — with nearly six in 10 reporting they disapprove of his work a year and a half into his second term, according to a new Newsday/Siena Research Institute poll.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that President Trump’s handling of the economy, and worries about the country’s role in overseas conflicts, are dragging down his approval rating, according to the poll, which shows 58% of Long Island respondents disapprove of his job performance, compared with 38% who approve. Three percent declined to offer an opinion.
Siena pollster Don Levy said Long Islanders surveyed for the poll ranked the cost of living as their top issue, with more than half – 56% – saying they disapproved of Trump’s job making prices more affordable for average Americans.
“This is a clarion call,” Levy told Newsday in a phone interview. “At present, the president of the United States is not succeeding in impressing Long Island voters in his ability to make prices more affordable. They don't see it. They don't feel it. They certainly don't feel it at the grocery store, and they don't feel it in the utility prices.”
Among Republicans interviewed by Newsday, most agreed with the president’s policies, arguing that his second-term efforts needed time to bear fruit, while Democrats countered that Trump’s economic policies were adding up to real financial pressure on their every day lives.
More than half of Long Island respondents — 53% — said they approved of Trump’s ability to secure the U.S. border with Mexico, compared with 37% who said they disapproved. Among Republicans, the issue was his top performer, with 84% saying they approved of his immigration efforts.
Despite support for Trump’s immigration crackdown — half of respondents said they believe the mass deportation campaign is hurting Long Island’s economy, while 33% said they believe it is helping. A combined 17% were either split on whether there was an impact or undecided on the issue.
The Newsday poll was done in conjunction with the Siena Research Institute between June 17 and 23 among 412 registered voters on Long Island.
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The hustle and bustle of the summer season has arrived, but for residents of North Haven Village, fears about traffic and pedestrian safety will be eased, at least somewhat, by the arrival of two new speed humps on an important roadway in the small and quiet village.
North Haven Village officials oversaw the installation of the new speed humps on Tyndall Road, with one at the east end of the street and another at the west end.
Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the speed humps — which have a lower and more gradual profile than traditional speed bumps — were installed on June 22, in an effort to discourage speeding on the quiet residential street.
They join five speed humps that were put in place two years ago — three on Sunset Beach Road and two on Fresh Pond Road.
“Everybody loves the humps,” proclaims Mayor Chris Fiore, adding that he’s heard positive feedback from pedestrians, joggers and bike riders that use North Haven Village streets.
The cost of installation, which the mayor said was about $6,000 for each speed hump, is reimbursed by New York State highway funding for localities.
Mayor Fiore said that residents on Tyndall had been asking for speed humps, and that residents of other longer connecting streets have also asked for speed humps in their neighborhoods as well, meaning more could be on the horizon.
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For years — many longtime residents might say decades — traffic and parking have been among the most challenging and hotly debated issues in Sag Harbor Village. Solutions have never been easy to come by, but the severity of the problem, and the increased demand to address it, since they both seem to get worse every year, mean local officials must continually try to come up with creative solutions to ease the burden on residents, visitors and employees.
That’s the reason why the Sag Harbor Village Board came together last Thursday for a public workshop on a village transportation plan.
Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that several representatives from the engineering firm LKMA were on hand to discuss and analyze traffic and parking studies conducted by the firm in the village last summer.
The LKMA representatives were presenting what they called a phase one study, with a phase two set for the near future. It’s part of an overall, long-term multiphase effort by the Village of Sag Harbor to study traffic patterns and parking issues and come up with solutions, some of which can be easily implemented sooner rather than later, and others that will require more study and in-depth analysis.
The project presented last week focused primarily on the north side of Main Street, and the Route 114 corridor in the village, particularly the areas that connect Sag Harbor to East Hampton via 114.
Several audience members, as well as Mayor Tom Gardella, expressed frustration that the presentation did not include an analysis of the area around Jermain Avenue, which has been a point of concern and problems, but officials from LKMA said they would focus on possible solutions and mitigation efforts for that area in the next phase of their presentation.
The LKMA representatives presented four main conceptual plans related to easing traffic issues, labeled A, B, C and D, focusing on certain areas.
Introducing stop signs at various intersections, as well as turning lanes, was on the table.
Overall, the Sag Harbor Village Board had mixed reactions to the plans but reminded audience members and those listening to the meeting online that the board welcomes written comments from residents and wants feedback on the plans, which should be emailed to Mayor Tom Gardella and trustees.
The phase one analysis and parking study plan prepared by LKMA is available for viewing online at the Sag Harbor Village website.
