With the onset of warmer weather, once again comes news of rental scams on the South Fork. One was reported in Montauk this week.

Town police reported the arrest of a man in East Hampton on the morning on April 27 on a misdemeanor charge of driving a vehicle not equipped with an interlock device, which is needed to turn over the engine of a car driven by someone previously convicted for driving while intoxicated.

Two men were ticketed for allegedly driving while intoxicated in East Hampton Town this week.

Three seats are up for grabs on the Bridgehampton School Board this year, with five candidates in the running to serve starting in July 2021 for three-year terms. The candidates are Ron White, Dwight E. Singleton, Jo Ann Comfort, Angela Chmielewski, and Michael Gomberg. Lillian Tyree-Johnson and Doug DeGroot, two longtime board members, are not seeking re-election.

Voters must be U.S. citizens ages 18 or older and must be residents of their respective school districts for at least 30 days before the election.

Top-level shuffles continued this week in the East Hampton School District.

Students at the John M. Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton are raising money for wellness initiatives and the school's Hometown Heroes program through a dance-a-thon. Children are collecting pledges from family members, friends, neighbors, and businesses in exchange for a promise to dance their hearts out on Tuesday, when all gym classes will be dedicated to the fund-raiser.

The Amagansett School District will officially add a new bus stop at the Gansett Meadow housing complex starting in September after at least 25 local residents signed a petition that led the district to analyze student safety in that area.

Officials at Sagaponack's little red schoolhouse are asking district voters to greenlight a proposed budget of $1.73 million, which despite having a year-over-year spending increase of just $27,572 is above the New York State cap on tax-levy increases.

The news on Monday of a "major reopening" of New York State came not a moment too soon for the South Fork's caterers and restaurateurs, for whom the pandemic represented an unprecedented disruption of business but who now must move swiftly to book and prepare for summer events while keeping an eye on state guidance that remains fluid.

The announcement on Tuesday of East Hampton High School's valedictorian and salutatorian also signaled that the school district is in the thick of plans for end-of-year commencement ceremonies.

Art for Kids and Teens

The next installment of the children's story-and-art collaboration between Guild Hall and the East Hampton Library is Monday at 3:30 p.m. The free program is ideal for kids ages 3 and up. Monday's story is "Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature" by Joyce Sidman, followed by watercolor painting.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital has announced new inpatient visitation guidelines, allowing the admission of visitors “at the discretion of hospital staff,” according to an announcement posted on its website.

One visitor, 18 years or older, is allowed per patient during either of two windows of time, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or 4 to 6 p.m.

Pat Lillis of East Hampton died at home on April 23. She was 70. An obituary will appear in a future issue.

Alec Petroulias, an electrical engineer who worked on the Apollo space program in the 1960s, died of heart failure and cancer on April 10 at home in East Hampton. He was 91, and had been briefly ill. 

Joyce Hayes Whitman was proud to be a part of the Montauk community, which she demonstrated in her extensive volunteer work with the Montauk Library. She read stories to children for nearly 20 years -- before there was a children's librarian there -- and held nearly every board position at one time or another with the Friends of the Montauk Library.

Before taking early retirement a few years ago, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel extensively in my job. When time allowed, especially on weekends, I often tried to visit any nearby tackle shops or fish markets to better understand and appreciate the wares and tastes of the locals.

An East Hampton Town advisory committee convened last year to address beach matters has recommended a cautious approach to the looming summer season and the continuation of protocols established last year, affecting entrance, egress, and activity on beaches, as well as parking and comfort stations.

Allen O'Reilly spent more than four decades as an actor and education director before taking on the position of director of education and community outreach at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor.

We can only hope that the more than 1,200 people who signed a petition demanding fast action for the eroded Montauk ocean beaches now begin to understand the folly in waiting for the federal government to save the day.