Every American should have the experience of complete, untethered freedom, if only for a while.

My mom’s ability to reach out, give you the spotlight, kill at cocktail hour, and, by God, hold up a conversation, is a source of endless luxury for my dad, sister, and me.

In recent years, while I migrated to South America, a multinational Latin American community has established roots here, and as I drive around town, I find myself becoming reacquainted with a new East Hampton.

These prices have been calculated from the county transfer tax. Unless otherwise noted, the parcels contain structures.

The vast majority of businesses adhered to Covid protocols, but there were also "large gatherings and flagrant flaunting of the safety protocols we've all been trying to live by," Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said. Town police fielded "call after call after call."

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East Hampton Town's Junior and Nipper Lifeguard programs for kids will begin this week with reduced capacity and new safety protocols in place.

There were no deaths during the previous 24 hours, but 69 people tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the infection rate up to 1.7 percent as Long Island entered phase four of its economic recovery.

"Dumb," "a slap in the face," and "unacceptable" are how Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone characterized reports of revelers flouting public health protocols over the Fourth of July weekend. Despite this, statistics on Covid-19 in the Suffolk are "great," he said.

The owners of two Montauk nightspots and the manager of another were arrested over the July Fourth weekend on low-level charges having to do with alcohol storage and signs — allegations that may lead to more serious consequences.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and the national chairwoman of the Trump Victory Finance Committee, was spotted with the younger Mr. Trump at a cocktail party in Bridgehampton. She tested positive for the virus Friday night while in South Dakota for the president's appearance for Fourth of July festivities at Mount Rushmore.

The number of positive cases in the county rose by 47, and hospitalizations increased by two. On a brighter note, the number of patients in intensive care units decreased by seven to 19.

A reader reached out to The Star on Thursday with photos of what he said might just be another Montauk Monster, the famously gruesome creature found in Montauk in 2008 that became a viral internet sensation.

The Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund reported $45.43 million in revenues through May of this year, the highest five-month total in the fund's 22-year history. The money comes from a 2-percent transfer tax on real estate sales and provides money for land preservation, water quality improvement, and the protection of maritime heritage.

As this very different Fourth of July weekend begins, East Hampton Town has issued a reminder about regulations still in effect to stop the spread of Covid-19, particularly at its beaches.

Upcoming events and news in Montauk.

A musical project that came to life last summer will make its broadcast debut this morning, days after coming to the attention of the song’s composer, who happens to have been in the Beatles.

"The Father of Baseball," Henry Chadwick, whose retirement house in Noyac, not far west of Trout Pond, still stands, is to be among those inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 1.   

Sam O'Hara, a 15-year-old who lives in Rye, N.Y., and East Hampton, and who plays golf at the Maidstone Club, and Mia Sessa, a 16-year-old who plays at the East Hampton Golf Club, won the Long Island Boys and Girls Championship at the Smithtown Landing Golf Club on June 24.   

A new law regulating the use of gas and electric leaf blowers was adopted by the Sag Harbor Village Board at a meeting on June 24.