A 38-foot adult female humpback whale washed up on the shore at Napeague State Park in Amagansett on Dec. 17, but according to Joanne Biegert, a representative of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, because of the whale's advanced state of decomposition the organization cannot determine a cause of death. 

Now that Christmas is in the rear-view mirror of 2024, what can be done with all those fir trees that are no longer needed to hold up the tinsel and lights in the living room? The Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack announced this week that it is accepting Christmas trees to chip down into compost that will sustain its gardens throughout the coming year.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has again vetoed a bill that would have reinstated the Montaukett Indian Nation's official state recognition, of which the tribe was stripped some 115 years ago by a court ruling that's widely regarded today as a grossly racist land grab.

With the beginning of Hanukkah on Wednesday night, local houses of worship have public menorah lightings planned over the course of the next several days.

Officials from East Hampton Town, Georgica Green Ventures, and the East Hampton Housing Authority celebrated the official opening of the Green at Gardiner’s Point, a new affordable housing project here, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 18.

The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation will host a free workshop for nonprofit organizations interested in learning about its grantmaking process on Jan. 14 at the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport.

In October, Craig Berkoski and Andrew Drake ran a legendary Grand Canyon route known as a "rite of passage" for ultra runners. The so-called Rim to Rim to Rim trail involves descending 4,500 feet down the South Rim, crossing the canyon floor and the Colorado River, and then running up the nearly 8,000-foot North Rim, and back. 

Multiple swastikas were found spray-painted on signs Wednesday morning at Shadmoor State Park in Montauk by a New York State Parks employee doing routine maintenance.

Multiple swastikas were found spray-painted on signs Wednesday morning at Shadmoor State Park in Montauk by a New York State Parks employee doing routine maintenance.

Paid Notice: Geoff Jenkins of East Hampton, N.Y., died at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue, NY, on December 5, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. 

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s freestanding emergency department on Pantigo Road in East Hampton is almost ready to open its doors to the South Fork’s easternmost residents in need of immediate care.

Cold, still, quiet, and clear conditions marked the morning of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Montauk on Dec. 14. The cold proved challenging, if not for the groups of birders in search of birds, then certainly for the birds.

“I only know that I have been advised that I’m not serving next year as chair,” said Samuel Kramer, who has served as chairman of the East Hampton Town Planning Board since January 2019. The decision, which requires a vote of the entire town board, won’t become official until a resolution to that effect is passed at the reorganizational meeting on Jan. 2.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation has found itself on the defensive once again over its electronic billboards on Sunrise Highway, which have been operating since 2019 and continued to do so this week despite a court ruling demanding they go dark.

For Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. of Sag Harbor, the last several weeks have been filled with proclamations, plaques, parties, and praise for the work he accomplished over the course of a nearly 40-year career as an elected official, including 29 in his current post in Albany. Like all lively dinner parties, popular television series, and the Mets’ playoff run this season, good things must at some point come to an end: Mr. Thiele, 71, is officially retiring from government.

In its second discussion about adjusting maximum house size based on lot area, the East Hampton Town Board seemed swayed by public opinion, calling the original numbers too restrictive, especially for small lots. Comments from the public, nearly 20 of them, were divided between those saying the work group’s original recommendation was the only thing that could save the character of East Hampton, and those saying that that recommendation would surely ruin the town.

The East Hampton Town Board passed a somewhat rushed resolution Tuesday, allowing the town to spend just over $500,000 to acquire five pieces of land, including one 7.7-acre tract, from Suffolk County. Four of the five parcels would be used for affordable housing and one unbuildable lot in Montauk would go to open space. Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez explained that the county had set tomorrow as a deadline to authorize the expenditure.

For Serge Pierro of Shelter Island, a teacher of guitar lessons and designer of original tabletop games, his latest project speaks to his appreciation for his home of 19 years and counting. Called Shelter Island Experience, it’s a card game that showcases the “nuances of what makes life on Shelter Island so special and unique.”

The water was 24 degrees at Clearwater Beach in Springs at 8 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 13, when around a dozen people gathered to jump into Gardiner’s Bay for their weekly cold-water swim. The group is called the Clearwater Coldwater Club, and it began meeting in September, after Suzanne Sandbank, who moved to Springs three years ago, got everybody together.

“It’s an issue that we continually have to manage and rethink,” Sag Harbor Village Mayor Thomas Gardella said at a parking workshop on Dec. 16. “We also have to consider the overall character of our village as we move forward with this.”