Editorials

Hurricane Helene’s path from the Gulf of Mexico to Appalachia is a stunning reminder of how little separates much of the United States from massive weather disasters.

Judging by the relative calm on Main Street at midweek since Labor Day, East Hampton’s population has returned to the seasonal, weekend-versus-midweek, boom-and-bust pattern of pre-Covid-19 days.

We salute the people who make the elections run so well in difficult times.

In honor of the official start of autumn on Sunday, we have a few specific suggestions for making the most of every moment of your favorite month.

The East Hampton Town Board is talking about zoning tweaks that had been proposed in response to a more all-encompassing call for greater building restraints. Just as it had discussed back in May.

Turnout is what ultimately determines tight elections. To a great extent, the idea of swing voters is outdated in these highly polarized times. What matters now is which party can get more of its side off the couch than the other.

It’s been a long, long time since we actually were amped about a candidate for political office, but we are very much amped for John Avlon as a stellar candidate here in the First Congressional District.

The clock is ticking down to Election Day, Nov. 5. Are you ready? Today is a good day to make extra sure there’s no snafu.

A pertinent subject came up at a meeting of Amagansett’s citizens advisory committee Monday, when members heard from a representative of the Devon Yacht Club, which is seeking permits to rebuild its clubhouse. In short, what was the point of the meeting?

Time was, East Hampton was famous as the anti-signage town. Have you noticed an uptick in signs on our streets in the last year or two? We don’t like it.

From the Springs dog park to dogs on the beach, we have been fielding a lot of letters about dog controversies lately.

Make an appointment now. The Centers for Disease Control says you probably need to get a flu shot by Halloween.

The Springs School District is proposing a change to its safety plan regarding lockdown drills, and it’s a smart and necessary change in protocol.

If you’ve never been to the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s annual powwow on Labor Day weekend, here’s your chance.

While the demands made on local services and infrastructure are real, little of the short-term rental income remains in the community.

As far as seasonal pursuits like swimming, sailing, and eating white corn go, we plan to continue to pretend it’s still summer up through October, but otherwise, an early autumn sounds great.

This is the time for all South Forkers to make sure hurricane preparations have been made.

Village officials should be prepared for scrutiny regarding the 18th-century house on Main Street that had until recently been home to the East Hampton Historical Society.

The town board’s discussion of a planned center for senior citizens took an important turn last week when the question arose of whether the $28 million project could also provide badly needed emergency shelter space.

Seven curious, smart, spirited high school students have been taking part in our Star Summer Academy these last two weeks, learning what it takes to become a newspaper reporter.

Our roads are more dangerous now than ever before. There are more cars, and an explosion in popularity of e-bikes and powered scooters demands that local officials act swiftly to reduce the danger.

It seems we must plead with beachgoers to stop leaving giant bags of garbage and other bulky discards in the general vicinity of the trash cans at the beach.

Fifty Augusts ago, you’d have seen a lot more sailboats and power boats, and more water skiers, if you went down to Gardiner’s Bay to do a head count.

After Health and Human Services put a rule in place to safeguard reproductive health information, Senator Vance was among those in Congress who wrote to the department’s secretary stating their opposition. And he didn’t stop there.

What’s a waterlogged parent or host to do to keep the troops entertained? Here are a few destinations to brighten a rainy day.

A recent collapse of a turbine blade at the Vineyard Wind offshore site was spectacular, but what should it mean for the wind-power industry as a whole?

The cancellation of this year’s Fisherman’s Fair, for many decades a banner day in Springs, is blamed on Health Department food prep regulations. It seems the letter of the law has trampled the spirit of the law. 

There was good electoral news out of France, and then England, and now, with Kamala Harris ascending to the top of the ticket, Democrats in this country have something to cheer about.

Two stories about good Samaritans in this week's paper and another heard around the office serve as reminders to heartily thank the lifesavers, first responders, and CPR trainers among us.

Goodbye to a wonderful citizen who, faithfully, week in and week out, wrote hundreds of letters to the editor of his local paper.