A holiday decorating contest and a visit from Santa are coming up in Montauk.

Long Island is typically second only to Hawaii in the cost of electricity, but only 5 percent of that electricity is derived from renewable sources, Suffolk Legislator Bridget Fleming, who chairs the county's community choice aggregation task force, told the Legislature's Public Works, Transportation, and Energy Committee on Monday.

The Suffolk County Legislature will hold a public hearing on revisions to the county's Shellfish Aquaculture Lease Program on Tuesday at 2 p.m. The hearing follows the Dec. 1 introduction of a proposed resolution amending the county code pertaining to the program, under which parcels in Peconic and Gardiner's Bays have been leased for private commercial shellfish farming since 2010.

The New York State Liquor Authority voted unanimously on Tuesday to deny a liquor license application from the Marram Montauk resort, a victory for the Town of East Hampton and neighbors of the former Atlantic Terrace motel, located in a residential area of the easternmost hamlet.

Even with much that characterizes the holidays curtailed, the shopping season has been suprisingly strong on the South Fork, according to several shopkeepers. "People are making a conscious effort to shop locally," said Gwen Waddington, an owner of the Wharf Shop in Sag Harbor.

The developer of a proposed Amazon distribution facility at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, a depot that will enable the online retail giant to more quickly deliver packages to East End residents, won $2.3 million in tax breaks from the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency last month.

The East Hampton Town Board has hired Harris Miller Miller and Hanson, an environmental and transportation consultant, to review operations at East Hampton Airport and aircraft noise complaints from July 27 through Sept. 30 of this year.

With Hmptns, a new line of CBD products including Accabonac Harbor lotion, Two Mile Hollow extract, and Butter Lane tincture, two South Fork residents are seeking to add cachet to the burgeoning market for therapeutic treatments made from cannabinoids, chemical compounds derived from hemp.

Statistics are showing that schools with Covid-19 protocols in place are among the safest places for children to be, but remaining open for in-person classes may depend on staffing. "If we close, that will be the reason we have to close -- that we don't have enough staff to cover classes," the East Hampton School District superintendent said.

Hospitals here and across the state are preparing for a second surge of Covid-19 patients as case numbers continue to climb, and also awaiting the first round of vaccines, which will go to front-line health workers. Governor Cuomo has mandated hospitals increase bed capacity by at least 25 percent, and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital has said it is prepared to double capacity as needed.

“Inside Story” is utterly saturated with death. Paradoxically, it is also one of the liveliest and most entertaining books from Martin Amis since his 2000 memoir, “Experience.”

New from local authors: Former ad man Lyle Greenfield brings art world psychological suspense, 1980s-style, and Kay Tobler Liss takes on Montauk in the off-season, where a Native American woman fends off a land grab.

The Covid-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over the holiday season for many families. The good news is that Toys for Tots, now in its 35th year, is stepping in to fill gaps and provide gifts for children whose families need help.

The Amagansett School District has opted into a Suffolk County program intended to boost safety for students riding buses to and from school.

At the Springs School, the PTA is hosting a Sunday, Dec. 20, fund-raiser in which families and businesses are being asked to set up holiday decorations in the parking lot.

A new sod athletic field is about to be installed at the Springs School as part of the school's ongoing construction and renovation project, but the district has a message for its families and community: please stay off the sod.

Elizabeth Whelan Kotz, who on Tuesday became the first woman to be elected a commissioner in the Bridgehampton Fire District, said she hopes she is "the first of many to come."

Police are blaming shotgun rounds for broken back windows at a Shore Road residence on Friday afternoon. The homeowner noted increased hunting and clay pigeon shooting in the area. Damage was estimated at $4,500.

Two drivers in East Hampton and one in Sag Harbor were charged last week with aggravated unlicensed driving after police stopped them for alleged traffic infractions.

A single motorist was charged with drunken driving in East Hampton Town last week.