Government

Proposals to charge for prime parking spaces in East Hampton and Sag Harbor Village are receiving mixed reactions from the villages’ business owners. Some think it's "dreadful," others foresee minimal impacts.

After several years of discussion, debate, and public comment, the proposed South Fork Wind farm has come closer to reality. Both the East Hampton Town Board and the town trustees have voted to execute agreements with the developers allowing the wind farm's export cable to make landfall in the town and travel below ground, along town roads, to a Long Island Power Authority substation in East Hampton.

Following his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, 22 active and retired lawyers, most of them Representative Lee Zeldin's constituents, filed a complaint with the Attorney Grievance Committee for the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in Albany, charging violation of "the most fundamental ethics rules."

With the Town of East Hampton and the town trustees' votes to execute agreements with the developers of the proposed South Fork Wind farm, and the state Public Service Commission's review of the project nearing conclusion, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has issued a draft environmental impact statement, a requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act.

Both Southampton Town and New York State have taken steps toward enacting new legislation on monitoring sand mines aimed at ensuring the safety of the underlying aquifer from contamination.

For East End residents hoping to book an appointment online for a vaccination at Stony Brook University, the nearest state-run site, the message has been a consistent: "No appointments available." On the websites of urgent care facilities in Riverhead and Huntington run by Northwell Health, which is overseeing vaccine administration on Long Island, the message is even less encouraging.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez both announced their intention to run for third terms this week. 

A contractor hired for an East Hampton Town public works project in 2017 has pleaded guilty to underpaying his employees and falsifying payroll records, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini announced Friday.

After several years of heated debate, the East Hampton Town Board voted on Thursday to execute an easement and host-community agreement with the developers of the proposed South Fork Wind farm. Under the agreement, the developers of the offshore turbines will pay the town almost $29 million over the installation’s 25-year lifetime. 

The Sag Harbor Village Board is getting closer to finalizing a proposal to charge for parking on Main Street and in the Long Wharf parking lot between Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekends.

With a lack of Covid-19 vaccines making it nearly impossible for many of those deemed eligible to receive their first shot, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sought to wrangle control of the state's vaccine supply away from the federal government, and streamline the distribution process this week.

A long-planned project to protect the Montauk Lighthouse and its outbuildings from shoreline erosion moved toward fruition. The estimated two-year project to safeguard the national historic landmark is expected to start this spring.