Red-breasted mergansers rely on the open waters of our winter bays and harbors from November until April. They’ll be there if you walk anywhere along the bay side of the South Fork, between Southampton and Montauk. While they prefer salt water, they also frequent Hook Pond, Sagaponack Pond, and Georgica Pond.

The East Hampton Town Board is looking to adopt new language in the town code to guide the scope and construction of accessory dwelling units, as part of its push to encourage creation of more affordable housing.

Amid a flurry of resolutions on Tuesday that saw the East Hampton Town Board approve the services of myriad lawyers and law firms, there was one that will increase last year’s cap for legal services paid to Cooley L.L.P., one of its outside airport legal advisers, by about half a million dollars.

On Feb. 1, a pricey wine refrigerator was reported stolen from a house under construction at 65 Milton Avenue in Sag Harbor, where, police noted, there had been many workers lately on a job site that was not properly secured.

East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana has dismissed charges against five of the people who faced disorderly conduct violations stemming from the “tax the rich” protests in East Hampton Village and at the East Hampton Airport last summer.

Big winds, accompanied by a brutal blast of cold weather, brought reports last weekend of numerous downed tree limbs across the area, blowing garbage from an overstuffed Dumpster, frozen pipes that burst in the cold, and one wind-damaged car.

East Hampton Town police reported just one drunken-driving arrest last week.

This photo shows a group gathered in front of the East Hampton Steam Laundry, which experienced several fires, a variety of owners, and a number of iterations.

Now is the time to listen to the readers.

The shape of catastrophes to come? In 1998 the Kellehers of Sagaponack saw their beachfront house collapse into the sea. And more from past pages of The Star.

Alexander Russell, a chef who began working in restaurants as a teenager in East Hampton and went on to work in kitchens from Japan to Florida to New Orleans to Zurich as well as on two yachts, died on New Year’s Day in Sag Harbor.

Joan A. Ehren, a former president of the Ladies Village Improvement Society of East Hampton and of the Friends of Guild Hall, died on Jan. 18 at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital after having been ill for several weeks.

Maryanne Bennett of Sag Harbor, a nurse for more than 40 years, died of pulmonary fibrosis on Jan. 11 at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, having been ill for a year.

Linda Suzanne Deeb Metcalf, who owned the Lume candle store in Amagansett for 12 years and lived in that hamlet for more than 20, died of dementia on Dec. 28 at the Bellhaven Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care in Brookhaven.

A day before the public descended on LTV Studios for a long-awaited hearing on the Wainscott Commercial Center subdivision, the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals had a hearing of its own Tuesday to consider whether the proposal would need a special permit as a planned industrial park.

Remembering Pedro Moreno, soccer player, house painter, and friend to many.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital has gone to the dogs again — and that's great news. The hospital announced Wednesday that following updates to Covid visitation policies, its pet therapy teams are back on the job.

Friday was the East Hampton High School boys basketball team’s Senior Night, and before it, in addition to citing his five seniors — Luke Reese, Jack Dickinson, Finn Byrnes, Nick Cordone, and Jesse Cohen — Dan White, Bonac’s coach, paid tribute to Howard Wood, Joe McKee, Chris Coleman, Don Reese, and Nick Jarboe, whom he credited with having molded the team that was that night to win the Division IV championship.

While only two of the East Hampton wrestling team’s starters advancd to the county tournament at Stony Brook University, the season, during which the young and relatively inexperienced team won 11 matches vis-á-vis 11 losses, was a great one.

The East Hampton High School boys swimming team placed fourth in the League II meet at Ward Melville High School last Thursday and will be well represented at the county meet on Saturday at Stony Brook University.