Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. told The Star that he had some optimism that the bill might ultimately be met with her signature, noting that Gov. Kathy Hochul and her staff had been engaged in discussions over the bill with stakeholders that include New York’s powerful real estate lobby, which leans Democratic in its campaign-funding largess and is one of the reasons Governor Hochul prevailed in her race against Lee Zeldin this year.

State Senator Anthony Palumbo has recognized the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton with the Empire State Award, the highest honor that can be given by a New York State legislator, for its service to the community over the last 50 years.

Sag Harbor School District officials have decided not to wait for the Southampton Town Board to formally vote on its offer of community preservation fund money before starting what they have been calling “phase two” of the process. On Dec. 21 the district began gathering public comment to shape the proposal for an athletic field and related facilities on Marsden Street, which has been a hot issue in the village ever since the plan — involving the purchase of land from a private developer — was announced in September.

There are 36 members of the Radio City Rockettes, and 36 members of East Hampton High School’s Camerata choir. Coincidence? Yes, definitely. But both groups took the stage at Radio City Music Hall last Thursday, with the East Hampton singers serving as opening act for the Rockettes in a thrilling six-minute performance that made for quite the harbinger of Christmas spirit.

What’s on the horizon for Montauk in 2023? The December meeting of the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee laid out some markers for what residents of the hamlet might expect in the new year.

Registration is open now for an afternoon of virtual reality activities for kids 10 and up at The Church, the arts center in Sag Harbor. The Jan. 12 program will be offered through a partnership with the Long Island Science Center.

On Christmas morning, there was a head-on collision on Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road near Ingalls Road in Springs, in which a 27-year-old Springs man was charged with driving while intoxicated.

The wild weather that arrived in town late Friday afternoon prompted multiple road hazard calls to police. The blast of artic air, which brought blustery winds that downed numerous trees, was also blamed for one weather-driven accident.

A dog on North Haven was at the heart of the hubbub on Christmas Eve. It had gone into the bay on that frigid morning, the Sag Harbor Village Police chief said, only to find itself in need of an “ice rescue.”

A dog on North Haven was at the heart of the hubbub on Christmas Eve. It had gone into the bay on that frigid morning, the Sag Harbor Village Police chief said, only to find itself in need of an “ice rescue.”

According to East Hampton Town police, a 26-year-old man entered a house at 13 West Drive in East Hampton without permission and refused to leave when asked. After arresting him, police discovered a small ziplock-style plastic bag in his pocket containing a powdery white substance, later determined to be cocaine.

A woman who gave police her address as Brooklyn reported that thieves had stolen items from a Middle Lane mailbox four times between Nov. 2 and Dec. 17. The missing parcels, she said, include a Christmas ornament, artwork, a Luna brand blanket, and clothing. The thief will be charged with larceny if found; the matter was referred to the detective squad.

Written in the 1819 diary of Eliza Packer Gardiner (1788-1863) is a poem by Jerusha Buell (circa 1788-1829) titled “The Grave of the Year,” in which time itself considers what’s been lost.

A portion of the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in August contains hundreds of billions of dollars to move away from fossil fuel.

It is stunning that the Democratic Party would essentially cede the race to George Santos without doing even the most basic background research.

My brother, Dan, used to say that one could survive perfectly well eating nothing other than brown rice and clams.

On Boxing Day . . .

The Ukrainian president cuts through the nonsense.

I read in a recent New York Press Association publication an article suggesting that journalists be more broad-minded when writing about the elderly. Six “tips” were proffered. Here are mine.

A chance encounter with Dick Cavett on an East Hampton beach leads to a long-term friendship. And to Groucho.