One year after vetoing similar legislation, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, which will phase out the harvesting of the ancient species for bait.

For the seventh time, a governor of New York State has vetoed a bill that would have provided for reinstatement and acknowledgement of the Montaukett Indian Nation, a recognition lost 115 years ago in a ruling that former Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. has called one of the most racist decisions ever issued by a New York court.

“It’s been a wonderful time,” Ms. Brennan said of her 32 years in the East Hampton Town clerk's office, the last 12 in the top post. “It’s been part of my life, and I enjoyed every minute of it and most of the dealings that I went through.”

A plaque installed outside Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Emergency Medical Technician room last week officially dedicates the space to the late Randy Hoffman of East Hampton, a critical-care E.M.T. who worked with fire and ambulance departments across the South Fork and was credited with saving at least two lives during his long tenure as a first responder.

East Hampton Village is now home to 14 Flock license plate reader surveillance cameras, which amounts to one for every 108 full-time residents, if you go by the 2020 census data. They're heralded by local police for aiding in enforcement and investigations, but they use a technology that has proven controversial nationally with those concerned about civil liberties.

Responding Sunday night to a noise complaint from Wainscott Hollow Road, an officer heard loud music from a house and knocked on the door. The woman who answered said they were having a Christmas party.

An East Hampton man was charged with a felony last week, accused of violating an active order of protection.

Polar plunges at Main Beach in East Hampton and Beach Lane in Wainscott on New Year’s Day accomplish many things: bracing and exhilarating starts to the year, the company of many hundreds of friends and fellow townspeople, and a chance to secure bragging rights that extend well into 2026. But most important, each serves as a critical fund-raiser for food pantries.

Soon after moving to Water Mill with her family in 2015, Marit Molin became aware of a largely unacknowledged population underpinning the complicated Hamptons economy. That led her to create Hamptons Community Outreach, which is dedicated to meeting basic critical needs to help break cycles of poverty.

The East Hampton Fire Department has had “astronomical” success in recruitment in 2025, the Fire and Emergency Medical Services administrator told the East Hampton Village Board last week, with 19 new recruits representing a near-quadrupling of what is seen in a typical year.

Mary Louise Crommett, who opened the independent Sears catalog store in East Hampton, died on Nov. 18 in Bakersfield, Calif.

This etching by Mary Nimmo Moran shows what was likely the view from her home across Town Pond, with the Gardiner Mill in the background, a favorite landscape for her.

The Montauk Point Lions Club honored Lisa Valcich with its Lion of the Year award.

Want to start the new year in the great outdoors? In Montauk there are two chances to do that on New Year’s Day.

Paid Notice: David W. McElroy, a beloved husband, brother, father, and friend, passed away peacefully on October 31, 2025, at the age of 85.

A funeral for Alexander Michael Colonna of East Hampton, who died on Dec. 17, will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Now it’s our readers’ turn.

Christmas parties, caroling, and the time “nine teenaged girls spent a day in a Springs residence partying on liquor, food, and pills.”

Self Provisions, a storefront attached to Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese in Sag Harbor, is “always open,” as is proclaimed by an illuminated sign on the wall at the entrance. Two large, brightly lit vending machines dominate the space, with offerings ranging from sea salt crackers and slabs of French butter to jars of caviar and curated gift boxes — and, of course, cheese.

Real estate moves, from Montauk to Southampton Village.