New York State Executive Law provides local chief executives “extraordinary authority during the course of a disaster," and since a state of emergency declaration in March, East Hampton Town Hall has been operating under a new command structure. Here's how that works.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has outlined a regional, phased plan to reopen parts of New York State “at the appropriate time.”

“Even though everybody is optimistic that the number is going to go down. . . . The big question is when are we going to see a full decline,” said Robert Chaloner, the hospital's chief administrative officer.

New testing sites are opening across the state and the county, however much of the information remains ambiguous. Antibody tests are not widely available yet here, and diagnostic tests are still hard to come by and largely limited to those who are already showing symptoms of Covid-19 or who are essential workers in critical fields.

The East Hampton Town Trustees have an important role in balancing the summer popularity of the beaches under their jurisdiction with the protection of those most at risk of Covid-19 infection, a public health expert said.

Meteorological wishes notwithstanding, it has not been a surprise to see our local water temperatures drop. On a jaunt to my lobster traps last weekend, I saw 47-degree water at Cedar Point to the entrance of Gardiner’s Bay, a 3-degree drop from a week earlier.

Barbara Borsack, who is seeking to become the village’s first female mayor in the June 16 election, and her Elms Party running mates, Mayor Richard Lawler and Ray Harden, discussed their policy priorities and plans to help the village emerge from the Covid-19 shutdown. 

The East Hampton Historical Society is using social media not only to engage homebound community members with programs but also to encourage people to share their at-home experiences.

East Hampton Village

A young seal was spotted at Georgica Beach on April 20 with a fishing line tightly wrapped around its neck and right flipper. The seal was stable, but in need of assistance. After receiving a photograph, the Marine Rescue Center in Riverhead sent out a team as fast as possible. 

In Sag Harbor on Friday, village police clocked a blue 2007 Honda Civic headed south down Main Street at 39 miles per hour, almost twice the posted 20-mile-an-hour limit.

After more than 50 years of teaching, researching, lecturing, and publishing, John A. Strong has written the book we have all been waiting for, a chronicle of the clash of Indian and English cultures and whaling interests on Long Island in the years following settlement.

Two at the Drawing Room, about Anne Porter at the Parrish, and virtual chamber performances from the Perlman program.

A 2011 Chevrolet drove off Crystal Drive near Morrell Street and struck a brick barrier and tree, causing the car to overturn and hit a mailbox. The tree fell across the road, damaging a parked car on the opposite shoulder. 

Local school boards are still waiting to hear from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo about when school budget votes and the election of board members can take place.

While traditional food aid organizations have ramped up their efforts during Covid-19, OLA has found some homebound communities are still in urgent crisis and in need of rapid food help.

The point of the stay-home directive from state, local, and national leaders is to reduce the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Yet it seems widely misunderstood, both here and across the country.

Conceding that nothing is going to keep people inside as the weather warms and that many here will take to bicycles to enjoy the fresh air, an urgent plea for universal helmet use has become necessary.

Given my insistence that time has come to sign off on “Connections” — at least as a weekly obligation — various family members have started sending suggestions for special, quirky, or interesting columns.

Leafing through old issues of The Star from the time of the so-called Spanish influenza, its effects here could be told from the number of dead and ill.

Talk of a return of baseball this summer, sans fans, sends our faithful correspondent tripping down memory lane and stumbling into the N.F.L. draft, quarantine-style.