There has really never been any question about the right thing to do where the Montauk downtown ocean beach is concerned.

The East Hampton Town Board is considering banning gas-powered leaf blowers during the warm-weather months and placing curfews on them during the off-season.

This week, for the first time, The Star has given over its news section to taking note of the people in the area’s hamlets and villages who have gone above and beyond during a time of crisis.

The foot and automobile traffic was considerable when we set out for a ramble at Barcelona Neck just before sunset on Boxing Day.

Here was television at its best: a short documentary in the CBSN “Originals” series following asylum seekers coming up from Colombia into Panama through the Darien Gap. And then they take their chances at the U.S. border.

The week's real estate transactions.

Oh, what a year it was. If you had written a movie pitch for 2020, few people would have bought it. Too far-fetched, they'd say. Not possible. After a sunny New Year's Day when thousands gathered at East Hampton's Main Beach to dive into the ocean or watch others do so at the annual polar plunge, the year took a decidedly different turn.

Andrew M. Cuomo announced updated quarantine guidelines for New York State on Tuesday, aligning them with those of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The lily of the valley I planted after my husband died took me back to a time and place when my mother and her brood were happiest, and in particular back to a Christmastime shopping trip to the city.

Howard Lebwith, who died recently, embodies the Christmas spirit for me inasmuch as he genuinely cared for and celebrated others, acted on their behalf, and always marveled at the beauty of life.

Our readers' comments.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is encouraging New Yorkers to ring in the new year outdoors with a walk or hike at one of many state parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, and public lands.

In the spirit of giving this holiday season, what better way to support your community than make a donation to an organization near and dear to your heart? Many nonprofits are reaching out for end-of-year appeals, to which links can be found here.

Amagansett Historical Association, Amagansett

The East Hampton Town Board concluded its 2020 meeting schedule with public hearings on curbing the use of gas and diesel-powered leaf blowers, opponents of which decry the ubiquitous landscaping equipment's noise and environmental pollution.

Khanh Sports, an athletic gear and equipment rental store that's been a fixture in East Hampton Village for 24 years, will close in February because of a steep rent increase, Khanh Ngo, the owner, said. 

At the Buckskill Tennis and Winter Club on Saturday night, a man told police he'd fallen on the ice close by a young girl, scaring her. Her father then "got in his face," yelling at him for skating too close to his daughter, and "told him to grow up," the report said. The man said the father grabbed him, and while trying to push him away he struck him in the face.

Mary Murphy-Ballreich of East Hampton, 47, was arrested on Dec. 2 at the East Hampton Veterinary Group on a misdemeanor charge of "torturing or injuring animals/failure to provide sustenance."

Gert Murphy, a resident of South Etna Avenue in Montauk, who in her 82 years was a nun, teacher, volunteer, artist, writer, and onetime "hell-raising urchin in her Morningside Heights neighborhood" in Manhattan, died on Dec. 16 at Sky View Rehabilitation and Health Care in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. The cause was Covid-19, though Ms. Murphy had had a debilitating stroke in August.

Mary Schellinger of Sag Harbor, a former French teacher at the Amagansett and Springs Schools, died on Dec. 14 of complications of Parkinson's disease. She was 72. 

Pamela Lee Black, a food service employee for the East Hampton School District for many years, died on Dec. 14 of respiratory failure as a complication of coronavirus infection at the Westhampton Care Center. She was 80 and had been ill with lung cancer.