Skip to main content
Springs Notebook: The Great Chess Showdown

Most people associate March Madness with basketball, but in the Springs School, the sport of chess, particularly the season’s final tournament, is a big deal in March too.

School Board Races Are Set

Only two school districts, Amagansett and Springs, will see challengers to school board incumbents running for re-election on May 20. Elsewhere, incumbents are running unopposed, and where they are not seeking re-election, new faces are also unopposed.

Van Rolls Over on Pantigo

A serious accident occurred on Pantigo Road on the afternoon of April 15 when a pickup truck collided with a Mercedes van that then rolled over onto its side.

Item of the Week: Wild Times at Jungle Pete’s

A highlight among Springs landmarks, here is a storied eatery and watering hole that served countless of the hamlet’s residents, including the Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock.

Josephine Crasky

Josephine Crasky, an Amagansett resident for most of her life, died on April 11 at the age of 101, three months after a birthday celebration that saw a congratulatory proclamation from East Hampton Town and a lively party at the town’s senior citizens center.

Margaret Capozzola

Margaret Ora-Lee Capozzola of Montauk, a homemaker who spent many sunny days in her vegetable and flower gardens, died on April 15 at San Simeon by the Sound Nursing and Rehabilitation in Greenport. She was 88.

On the Water: A Friend Remembered

Despite keeping fishing notes in my logbook since 1975, I can’t precisely determine the exact date I first met Vincent (Butch) Maher, but I do know it happened at some point in May of 1986, according to my haphazard writings, when I climbed aboard the Lazybones.

Whalers Won as Kyle McGowin Looked On

The Pierson Whalers defeated Elwood-John Glenn 8-6 Saturday before some 250 Mashashimuet Park spectators who had earlier seen Kyle McGowin, a Pierson grad and former Washington Nationals pitcher, presented with a plaque that is to be displayed in the school’s trophy case.

Alyssa Bahel PR’d in Paris Marathon

At her father’s Body Tech fitness studio on Pantigo Road the other day, Alyssa Bahel said she’d run the Paris Marathon in 3 hours, 10 minutes, and 15 seconds — her best time to date.

The Lineup 04.24.25

The week ahead in local high school sports action.

The Way It Was for April 24, 2025

In 1975 Clark Clifford, Lyndon Johnson’s former defense secretary, spoke locally and lowered the boom on Nixon and the Vietnam War. And more from The Star’s past reportage.

Rule of Law

President Trump’s degrading of our system of laws through deportations hurts us all and raises the chilling question of how far this administration will go.

Keep Workers Safe

New York State police and local law enforcement agencies will once again conduct special details to enforce vehicle and traffic laws in work zones.

Children Lay Dying

On the real-world human impact of the Trump administration abruptly halting the United States’ vast aid network to the world’s poor and suffering.

The Mast-Head: Osprey in the Mood

The ospreys are back for the season, and I’ve spent more time than usual watching the show.

The Shipwreck Rose: Funeral Potatoes

We’re having a potluck lunch on Sunday at Ashawagh Hall, following the 11 a.m. memorial gathering there for my mother, Helen S. Rattray.

Gristmill: Into the Wild

Close and not-so-close encounters with bears.

Guestwords: Are Bioplastics ‘Green’?

How well do bioplastics decompose? While they claim to be compostable, many, including the most common, require industrial high-temperature composting and do not degrade in home composters, soil, or water.

Recorded Deeds 04.24.25

A new round of South Fork property transactions.