Long Island Rail Road crews began installing new track sidings at the Southampton Village station on Monday that local officials celebrated as a concrete — well, steel — step toward improving train service along the whole of the South Fork. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the work in Southampton will extend the existing second set of tracks so that they can accommodate the longer trains the LIRR runs in the summertime.
While the MTA has not announced any plans for new scheduling yet, officials said they are encouraged that the substantive work is underway on the sidings system, which has always been a major impediment to increasing the frequency of service along the South Fork.
“This is something we’ve been working with them on for years,” Southampton Town Councilman Tom Neely, who was previously the town’s transportation director, said. “It will improve scheduling and I hope it’s going to improve frequency.”
In the immediate future, Neely said, the improved siding in Southampton should help the South Fork Commuter Connection scheduling because the small shuttle trains hopefully won’t have to wait as long when a regular Montauk line train is scheduled to pass through.
The MTA has a $262 million project plan for improvements to the South Fork’s rail system in its five-year capital plan, much of which is for extending or adding new sidings and incorporating existing sidings into the remote signaling and control system.
The LIRR has already begun construction of siding extensions and a second platform at the Hampton Bays station that it says will help the SFCC service by allowing two trains to embark and disembark passengers at the same time at that station — something New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and Councilman Neely have said will be a major improvement for the SFCC.
Also on the MTA’s schedule for this year is the repainting of the two LIRR trestles in Southampton Village and the replacement of three aging bridges over the LIRR tracks — in Eastport, Sagaponack and Amagansett.
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Biosolids found in some fertilizers have been linked to a class of toxic chemicals commonly known as forever chemicals called PFAS and PFOS. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that some of those chemicals recently turned up in a study of Long Island farm stand vegetables. While the exact source remains a mystery, the study has heightened concerns as farmers and gardeners embark on the 2026 growing season. New York State is working on regulations that would require testing of biosolid products, but it's not just biosolids that are cause for concern. Experts say ubiquitous forever chemicals have so many pathways into garden and farm products that they may be impossible to avoid.
Nearly all the compost and garden soils Newsday surveyed at garden centers across the East End did not list biosolids on their ingredients lists or disclaimers.
"Not all biosolids [are] bad," said Long Island Farm Bureau executive director Bill Zalakar, who emphasized that Long Island farms do not apply biosolids to their fields. "That’s where maybe if they did conduct testing of biosolids before they were applied, and they tested OK, then they would be a great source of fertilizer material."
And while scientists say much research remains to be done, some studies already have identified pathways.
"These PFAS compounds are just spreading farther and farther and concentrating more and more and just because they ban them doesn’t mean the problem has gone away," said Walter Hang, president of Environmental Health Research Group, Inc., an advocacy organization.
"We have just not solved this problem in any fashion," he said. "It’s everywhere and it's bioconcentrating in humans, in foodstuffs and cattle, you name it; it’s just a problem of unprecedented proportions because of the toxicity and the incredible persistence and the volume of these compounds that are produced to this very day."
The state regulations under consideration would require the testing of "class A biosolid" products, including certain composts, heat-dried pellets and related products for the presence of PFAS. "The policy is being finalized, and it will cover all biosolids-derived products," the state Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement to Newsday.
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Sagaponack Village and the Bridgehampton Museum have entered into a new stewardship agreement to restore one of the oldest cemeteries in the village. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that Bridgehampton Museum will serve as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit sponsor to Poxabogue/Evergreen Cemetery, located on the corner of Sagg Main Street and Montauk Highway, to help to maintain the site and preserve it for future generations.
Sagaponack Village Trustee Mark Landis and museum Executive Director Connor Flanagan were the main forces behind the agreement. The museum currently has a stewardship agreement for the Nathaniel Rogers House in Bridgehampton.
In Sagaponack, since the Poxabogue/Evergreen Cemetery is still active it doesn’t fall under the purview of Southampton Town, leaving it to the cemetery board to be responsible for maintenance.
Currently, the museum and cemetery are working with $10,000 that was given to them by the Village of Sagaponack. Landis said that they are looking for $40,000 to begin their improvements.
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Republicans’ hopes of flipping the New York governor’s seat were dealt a blow yesterday when their candidate, Bruce Blakeman, was denied up to $7 million in matching funds because of an oversight in his filings. Grace Ashford reports in THE NY TIMES that the decision rests on a somewhat convoluted web of new paperwork deadlines and requirements. Last year, the New York State Legislature changed election law to require candidates for governor and lieutenant governor to run together on a single ticket. As a result, the Public Campaign Finance Board altered its process to require the lieutenant governor and the governor to jointly apply for matching funds.
But when Mr. Blakeman, who is currently the Nassau County Executive, filed his application for matching funds in December, he did so without listing a lieutenant governor — a seemingly understandable omission since he had not chosen one. When he did select his running mate, the Madison County sheriff, Todd Hood, Mr. Blakeman did not update his paperwork.
Both oversights were cited by the Democrat-controlled board, which voted 4 to 3 along party lines to withhold matching funds from Mr. Blakeman.
The absence of matching funds may be a daunting obstacle for Mr. Blakeman, who faces an uphill battle in his quest to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul. The governor has a $20 million war chest, and her party maintains a commanding registration advantage over Republicans across the state.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Blakeman, Madison Spanodemos, said in a statement that the decision “reeks of corruption.” Referring to the Democratic chair of the board, who Ms. Hochul had appointed, she added: “With the race tightening and her poll numbers sagging, it’s no surprise Kathy Hochul’s handpicked appointee would vote to take away funds from Bruce Blakeman’s campaign.”
A spokesman for Ms. Hochul’s campaign, Ryan Radulovacki, defended the decision. “The onus is on each campaign to ensure they meet its requirements,” he said. “‘100% MAGA’ Bruce Blakeman doesn’t need any help from us to run an incompetent, losing campaign.”
Republican commissioners on the Public Financing Campaign Board saw more than a hint of conspiracy in the decision. They complained that board staff members did not flag the issue, despite communicating about other issues and application deficiencies. There does not appear to be any process for Mr. Blakeman, or any other candidate affected, to challenge the decision outside a lawsuit.
Democrats insisted that the rules were clear and that candidates were responsible for following them.
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A former Westhampton Beach music and choir teacher has filed suit against the district, saying she was wrongfully fired after posting a TikTok video about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Lorena Mongelli reports in NEWSDAY that Laura Mara posted the 14-second video on Sept. 11, the day after Kirk was assassinated, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in Suffolk County Supreme Court. In the video, Mara said in part, "We are not celebrating his death. We are responding to his death the way he responded to" school shootings.
She added, "And that response is thoughts and prayers. I guess that’s the price you pay to freely bear arms in the United States of America," the suit states.
Mara’s video was about “gun safety,” according to the suit. Her views are protected under the First Amendment and her comments were made after work hours, the complaint states. But after a parent reposted the video to Facebook, the suit says people complained about Mara at a school board meeting. She was placed on leave and in the weeks that followed, Mara — identified in the suit as a "homosexual" woman — alleges she was accused of making inappropriate comments in class based on stereotypes and tropes of LGBTQ+ behavior.
Mara was fired in December, the suit states.
Mara said the district’s actions have caused her "significant emotional distress, humiliation, mental anguish [and] damage to professional reputation.” She is seeking at least $5 million in compensation.
“Laura Mara’s most fundamental constitutional rights were violated by the Westhampton [Beach] Union Free School District in a situation made worse by the discrimination based on sexual orientation," her Smithtown-based attorney, Austin Smith, said in a statement.
Mara was hired by the Westhampton Beach district in August 2024. She received “excellent” performance reviews during her first year with the district, according to the complaint.
After she posted her video about Kirk, the suit alleges people who attended a school board meeting on Sept. 15 lodged complaints against the teacher, including that she had a "feminist” ideology and had made political statements in the classroom.
Less than 24 hours later, she was placed on leave and ordered to stay away from school property, allegedly without an investigation, the suit says.
Mara was fired on Dec. 17, according to school board documents included in the lawsuit.
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Police Departments across New York will participate in a statewide enforcement campaign targeting distracted driving from April 9 through April 13, police said in a press release issued yesterday.
The initiative, announced by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee in recognition of April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month, is known as “Put the Phone Away or Pay.” During the campaign, law enforcement agencies across New York will increase patrols and conduct checkpoints aimed at drivers using electronic devices while behind the wheel, police said.
Distracted driving is the leading contributing factor in crashes across New York, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Police urged drivers to adopt phone-free habits, including pulling over to a safe location before using a phone, asking a passenger to handle calls and messages, avoiding social media and messaging while driving, using “Do Not Disturb” mode, and placing a phone in the trunk, glove box or back seat to break the habit of distracted driving.
For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.
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Long Island gas prices remained slightly below the national average yesterday, as gas prices around the country surged past $4 per gallon for the first time since 2022. Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that on Long Island, the average price for a gallon of gas on Tuesday hit $3.89, more than a dollar higher than a month ago, according to AAA's online fuel tracker. Despite the hike, fuel costs in the region remain below the national average, which, fueled by the Iran war, hit $4.02 yesterday. Last night at the Speedway in Water Mill the price for regular unleaded was posted as $3.9999.
Prices vary state by state and, even within states, region by region. The average cost for a gallon of gas across New York State is around $3.95, according to AAA.
Gas costs less at the pump on Long Island because much of the region's gasoline is produced domestically and delivered via pipelines and barges, which are cheaper than tanker trucks, Newsday has reported. The more than 2 million passenger cars and trucks on Long Island roads also means distributors can buy gasoline in bulk.
Since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Feb. 28 the cost of crude oil, a key ingredient to making gasoline, has been skyrocketing as the conflict disrupts supply chains from oil producers in the Middle East. Brent crude, considered the international standard, and U.S. crude have vaulted to prices over $100 per barrel from $70 before hostilities escalated.
Chris Daniello, executive director at the Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association, said domestic production has likely prevented gas prices from surging even higher. He anticipates that, should supply chains in the Middle East return to normal, prices could drop closer to what they were in February.
"This is a major conflict and we're not even hitting what we were four years ago," he said. In 2022, gas prices on Long Island hit a record $5.04 per gallon after the U.S. sanctioned Russian oil exports following the invasion of Ukraine.
It takes longer for prices to come back down, but the "production and supply is there," Daniello added.
He pointed out, though, that another price pressure on gasoline will soon appear as Long Island and the rest of the Northeast switch from winter to summer blends of gasoline, which are costlier to process.
The price per gallon has somewhat plateaued on Long Island recently, but that's likely to be temporary, said Robert Sinclair Jr., senior manager of public affairs at AAA Northeast.
The cost of crude oil has continued to rise, he said. "As long as that keeps going up, gasoline will keep going up."
