Every year students in third through eighth grade sit down for New York State assessments. While the tests can be challenging for students, they also provide an opportunity for school districts to do some assessing of their own curriculums.

Seen here is a still image from “Creating the Lost at Sea Memorial,” a video produced in 1997 by LTV, about how the striking Montauk monument came to be.

A man tried to return a toilet seat to Amagansett Hardware last Thursday afternoon, but employees turned down the request after noticing that the package had already been opened. The man became irate and police were called.

Len Rodriguez of Sag Harbor, a skilled carpenter who started his own construction company, died on Dec. 27 after a long illness. He was 87.

Alfred E. Devendorf, an attorney known for his strong commitment to charitable causes, died at home in East Hampton on Dec. 29. He was 89.

Paul Giardina of East Hampton, a nuclear engineer who had a long career with the Environmental Protection Agency, died on Dec. 21 at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. He was 75.

Rosemary Reynolds Nichols, a dean of performing arts at the Ross School in East Hampton in the late 1990s and early 2000s, died on Dec. 21 in Austin, Tex. The cause was ovarian cancer.

Once again, our readers will have their say.

More real estate moves hereabouts.

How was the economy here in 1975? “This thing is frightening,” one businessman said. “It’s a mess,” according to another. And much more of relevance and curiosity from our past coverage.

What could possibly go wrong when the world’s biggest media company eradicates the fact-checkers?

Donald Trump has said he might pardon the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants on day one of his new administration, which would be yet another bad day for the rule of law in the United States.

Last week, this column described a railroad line that once connected Bridgehampton to Sag Harbor. Part of what I left out was an explanation of why the road that now is the most direct route between the two is to this day called a turnpike.

I wonder if any climate scientists today are tabulating an increase in the number of citizens slipping and falling in the snow and ice and cracking their skulls open now that we so seldom have snow and ice.

How can I give up on my 17-year-old workhorse of a car with 287,000 miles on it? It’s like a member of the family, gamely limping on to its final reward.

Pigeons are among the least-valued birds. But the more you know about them, the more you value them.

Anthony Daunt, Groundworks Landscaping’s 32-year-old project manager, added to his lengthening list of ultra challenges a recent 127-mile, 46-hour Times Square-to-Montauk Lighthouse Skyline to Shoreline run that he did to raise money for children who have cancer.

It was almost balmy on New Year’s Day when around 500 intrepid people plunged into the ocean at East Hampton Village’s Main Beach, with at least twice as many fellow citizens cheering them on.

A thousand point scorer on the Bonacker hoops team, more Killer Bees glory, and the magic of iceboating.

All the local sports action for the week ahead.