The Springs General Store achieved a victory at the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals last week, being granted its request for a natural resources special permit. It was needed because parking, fencing, and decking would be installed within 150 feet of wetlands. Don’t expect them to start churning out coffee and egg sandwiches just yet, however. The store still needs site plan approval from the town’s planning and architectural review boards.
Thar She Blows: White Whale Gets MAGA Graffiti
A floating whale that has been a mainstay of Sag Harbor's Harborfest for many years was the object of political vandalism when someone defaced it with the words "TRUMP MAGA."
September 16, 2024
Police & Courts
An East Hampton man told village police he was looking down at his phone last Friday afternoon when his 2016 Chevrolet pickup truck ran into a 2018 Tesla at the intersection of Pantigo and Accabonac Roads.
Sep 19, 2024
Acting East Hampton Village Chief of Police Jeffrey J. Erickson has passed the Civil Service police chief exam, and will be officially promoted to the rank of chief when the village board meets on Oct. 18. He will become the ninth police chief in the history of the East Hampton Village Police Department.
Sep 19, 2024
Two local women received threatening emails from an unknown sender on the afternoon of Sept. 4, with photos of their homes attached, demanding that $2,000 be sent to a Bitcoin code.
Sep 19, 2024
Star Stories
Bridge Over Troubled Water
The bridge that spans the outflow from Pussy’s Pond in Springs into Accabonac Harbor off Old Stone Highway will soon be repaired, and an eighth-of-an-acre sea of phragmites removed.
Sep 19, 2024
Coming of Age and Casting Their Ballots
Bringing out young voters 18 to 25 had been critical to President Biden’s win in 2020. Since his surprise announcement that he would not run again this year, many young Democratic-leaning voters have, according to pollsters, felt more energized — including those right here on the South Fork.
Sep 19, 2024
Government
After two and a half years in front of the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals, the Huntting Inn’s quest for a pool and other improvements may fail. The reason? The Z.B.A. may not have the authority to grant the approval, even if it saw fit to do so.
Sep 19, 2024
Step into any municipal board meeting on the South Fork, whether it be East Hampton Village, Sag Harbor Village, Sagaponack Village, or East Hampton Town, and residents are requesting speed bumps to slow drivers down.
Sep 12, 2024
After completing a third work session in four months on proposed changes to the East Hampton Town zoning code, the town board agreed Tuesday that the next step was to bring the changes to a public hearing. Many members of the public and others directly involved with the zoning code amendment work group, a mixture of government and industry players who developed the proposals, spoke of the need to quickly move forward.
Sep 12, 2024
Richard Warren had come to Monday night’s meeting of the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee prepared with whiteboard, blueprints, facts and figures, to discuss the modernization of the 108-year-old Devon Yacht Club. What Mr. Warren, president and owner of the environmental planning firm Inter-Science Research Associates, was not prepared for was the dustup that followed his presentation.
Sep 12, 2024
Arts
Flowers, Surfboards, and Punk Rock
With a site-specific installation at Guild Hall, a shout-out from Artnet News for his booth at the Spring/Break NYC art fair, and artworks at Chanel stores worldwide, Peter Dayton is on an extended roll.
Sep 19, 2024
The Hamptons International Film Festival's slate of programs will include films by Steve McQueen, Pedro Almodovar, Mike Leigh, Steven Soderbergh, and star turns by Angelina Jolie, Julianne Moore, Cillian Murphy, and Colman Domingo.
Sep 19, 2024
The Sag Harbor Cinema's Booksmart series will feature three films inspired by or adapted from literature—and one by DC Comics.
Sep 19, 2024
The 21st Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons will screen three feature films with themes of heroism, strength, and resilience at four East End venues.
Sep 19, 2024
Villages
Item of the Week: Whaling Log of the Daniel Webster
This whaling log, kept by Edward Mulford Baker (1810-1856), documents two voyages aboard the ship Daniel Webster. The first took place between 1833 and 1837, departing from Sag Harbor for the Pacific Ocean. Baker was first mate under Capt. Philetus Pierson (1801-1879) and documented the journey only between Aug. 27 and Sept. 19, 1833.
Equipment Failure Limits Boat Traffic Through Shinnecock Canal
The Shinnecock Canal remains open to limited boat traffic despite the failure of a hinge on one of the lock gates overnight on Tuesday. The county is discouraging all non-emergency boat traffic.
Colonial Cemeteries Are Given New Life
While East Hampton Town boasts some large, well-known, historic cemeteries, less visible are the smaller family cemeteries dotted throughout the area. Some have just a single headstone. They’re visited infrequently, the families buried are older, and a handful have fallen into disrepair. Last week, restoration was completed on two of the town’s smaller colonial-era cemeteries.
