Gasoline prices on Long Island topped $4 per gallon yesterday for the second day in a row as the war with Iran disrupted oil production and transportation.
The average price of regular unleaded was $4.03 per gallon, up from Sunday’s $4.025. A year ago, the price was $3.09 on average — a 94-cent difference, according to AAA. In Water Mill last night Speedway posted $4.199 per gallon.
James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that pump prices in Nassau and Suffolk counties have risen for the past two weeks since the ceasefire between the United States and Iran collapsed and the Strait of Hormuz is once again closed. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that about 20% of the world’s oil passes through the waterway.
The last time local gas prices were this high was on April 16, based on AAA data.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for the app GasBuddy, predicted Monday another spike in the cost of gasoline due to the Iran war and Ukraine’s attack on oil refineries in Russia.
Oil "markets are likely to see another jolt higher in the coming days, and motorists should brace for a rougher stretch ahead," De Haan said. "While the ongoing U.S.-Iran situation continues to weigh on markets, the story is increasingly less about crude oil and more about global refining capacity."
Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 1.3% on Monday to close at $89.22 a barrel, the highest in more than five weeks. Crude was selling for closer to $70 a barrel before Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran.
Robert Sinclair Jr., a senior manager at AAA Northeast suggested maintaining your vehicle by checking the spark plugs and tire inflation.
"But the No. 1 thing that you can do is slow down," Sinclair told Newsday. "Once you get above 50 miles per hour, the aerodynamic drag on the vehicle starts to grow exponentially, and the engine has to work so much harder in order to propel the vehicle at those speeds."
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Brookhaven National Laboratory yesterday announced what it called a "limited number" of staff cuts, due partly to the closing earlier this year of its signature heavy-ion collider.
Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that about 20 workers, including scientists, technicians, supervisors, engineers and operators, were let go, said Pete Genzer, a spokesman for the Upton lab, which is here in Suffolk County.
The terminations leave about 2,950 workers at the sprawling campus off William Floyd Parkway, Genzer told NEWSDAY.
Brookhaven Lab workers technically are employed by Brookhaven Science Associates, which manages the laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy.
In a statement, Genzer said BNL remains "committed to delivering on vital missions to understand the building blocks of the universe, lead in discovery with light-enabled science, develop next-generation information science and capabilities — including AI and quantum — and advance energy security and essential resources independence," Genzer said.
The Brookhaven staff reduction comes amid budget cuts previously announced by the Energy Department.
More than half of this week's departures were due to the shutdown in February of the lab's $2 billion Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, a 25-year-old atom smasher that in its heyday advanced research into the origins of all matter in the universe.
The collider was closed to make way for a new one, the $2.9 billion Electron Ion Collider, currently under construction.
The new collider is expected to help scientists from around the world study gluons, the mysterious matter believed to bind together key molecular material known as quarks.
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Northwell Health patients with insurance coverage through Fidelis will have to find new doctors, pay out-of-network costs or get new insurance after both sides failed to reach an agreement on a new contract last week.
Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that the change impacts about 200,000 people on Long Island and hundreds of thousands of people across the state, including those on Medicaid, low- and moderate-income people on the Essential Plan and self-employed or small business owners on the Exchange plan.
Fidelis patients can still seek — and receive — emergency care at Northwell hospitals.
Fidelis recently told Newsday that Northwell "continues to seek rates that significantly exceed those paid to comparable providers." It is the leading insurer for Long Islanders who have Affordable Care Act policies, and the second-largest insurer of residents with Medicaid managed care and state Essential Plan coverage.
People with established Managed Medicaid, Essential Plan and Exchange (marketplace) coverage will be allowed to continue treatment with their Northwell providers through Aug. 13.
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A cherished East End tradition spanning over four decades is returning to the historic streets of Sag Harbor. The Eastville Community Historical Society will host its 41st annual Summer Fish Fry this coming Saturday afternoon, July 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. The outdoor fundraising event will take place across the historic grounds of the society’s Heritage House and the adjacent St. David AME Zion Church.
What began in 1985 as a small neighborhood gathering on the church lawn has evolved into a premier summer fixture, bringing together local residents, historians, and summer visitors to celebrate the unique, multicultural tapestry of Sag Harbor’s historic Eastville neighborhood.
As reported in The Sag Harbor Express, this year’s milestone event will place a special spotlight on the society’s founding fathers, community elders, and the dedicated caretakers driving its modern preservation efforts. Among the confirmed honorees are Michael A. Butler, the society’s current preservation director for the historic St. David AME Zion Cemetery, and Martin Butler, the collections coordinator. Both leaders, alongside the community’s esteemed elders, are being recognized for their lifelong dedication to safeguarding the narratives, artifacts, and sacred grounds of Eastville — a working-class neighborhood uniquely composed of African Americans, Native Americans and Irish immigrants.
Beyond the celebration, the annual fish fry serves as the primary fundraiser for the historical society. All ticket proceeds directly fund the ongoing maintenance and preservation of landmark sites like the Heritage House and the church. Built circa 1840, the church is widely recognized as a stop along the Underground Railroad.
That’s this coming Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Historic St. David AME Zion Church at 33 Eastville Avenue and the Heritage House Museum at 139 Hampton Street in Sag Harbor. All are welcome to attend.
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U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand appeared with Southampton Town police at a news conference in Hampton Bays yesterday to promote a bill that would expedite benefit claims for 9/11 first responders, injured officers and the families of those who have died.
John Asbury reports in NEWSDAY that Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) urged a vote on the bill, which she co-sponsored with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in February, that would cut the red tape she said surrounds the Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program. Gillibrand said the program can sometimes take years to respond to claims.
The bill is named after NYPD Chief Michael Ansbro, who died of 9/11-related cancer after working at Ground Zero, and a Santa Fe, Texas, police officer who was critically injured in a 2018 high school shooting.
Senator Gillibrand said the bill would guarantee an answer to claims within nine months, or 270 days, and ensure benefits are paid immediately.
The bill is still awaiting a congressional budget estimate, but the benefit program was funded this year for $236 million, according to Gillibrand’s office. It was heard during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in May. A companion bipartisan House bill also is pending. The program is funded annually through congressional appropriations spending.
Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan said the legislation would help several Southampton officers expedite their claims from responding to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“[Their children] didn't have that choice whether their parent is put in harm's way to provide for them," Kiernan said during Monday's news conference at police department headquarters. "This bill shows fairness. It shows speed ... and it honors the sacrifice of those first responders so that their families can be taken care of in the times of tragedy."
Congress established the Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program in 1976 to provide death benefits for the families of fallen officers. Since then, the benefits have been expanded to include disability pay for injured officers and academic financial aid for officers' families.
The new legislation would create an office to oversee and approve claims, while providing outreach to disabled officers and their families.
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“From Sea to Shining Sea: Whalers of the African Diaspora” is a collaborative exhibition presented at the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum in partnership with the Eastville Community Historical Society and Dr. Georgette Grier-Key. The exhibition opens this coming Saturday, July 25, and will remain on display until September 6.
The purpose of the exhibition is to shed light on local history and show that many members of the diverse Eastville community — which was home to men and women of African American, Indigenous and European descent — played key roles in the whaling industry.
Originally created in 2023 by Dr. Grier-Key, the executive director and chief curator of the Eastville Community Historical Society, in collaboration with the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, the exhibition explores the experiences, contributions and lasting impact of African Americans in the whaling industry.
A free public opening reception will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, at the Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum. During the reception, Dr. Grier-Key will discuss the exhibition and its significance, highlighting the important role African American whalers played in the maritime history of Long Island and beyond.
The Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum is located at 200 Main Street in Sag Harbor. More information is available at sagharborwhalingmuseum.org.
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Long Island’s largest business group — the Long Island Association — met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday to mark the group’s 100th anniversary, while mapping out economic priorities for the region’s future.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that in a roundtable discussion with Long Island’s four U.S. House members — Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), Laura Gillen (D- Rockville Centre), Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) — members of the group discussed the need for policies that promote affordable housing, childcare and lower energy costs in Nassau and Suffolk.
"This is an opportunity for us to reflect on the past 100 years and how we have supported Long Island’s economic development and also discuss pressing issues facing Long Island right now that will impact where we go in the future," Stacey Sikes, acting president and CEO of the association, told Newsday before entering the closed-door session.
Sikes said the association’s top priorities include looking at policies that focus "on strengthening Long Island's economy through investments in infrastructure, housing, workforce development, energy reliability, small business growth and innovation."
Members of the group’s board of directors also met with Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), before being recognized in Senate and House floor speeches from the delegation.
"Their century of work fighting to make Long Island a better place to live, work and do business has accomplished more for the region," Schumer said of the group.
Congressman LaLota touching on the group's history said its "work continues today as Long Island confronts many of the changes that will define our next century."
Billy Haugland, CEO of Haugland Group, a Melville-based construction services company, and a member of the association’s board, told Newsday, "As we move forward toward America's next 250 and the LIA's 100, a greater partnership with the policymakers that are in D.C., as well as that on the state and local level, is going to be paramount in ensuring our successful path forward," Haugland said .
Board member Luis Vasquez, who also serves as president of the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, told NEWSDAY "inclusivity" is a key part of the region’s future business growth, noting the association has sought to boost the participation of minority-owned businesses.
"We are honored to advocate for the policies, partnerships, and investments that will strengthen our economy and uplift the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs," Vasquez said.
