With gas prices skyrocketing and inflation impacting bottom lines almost everywhere, the East Hampton and Springs School Districts are feeling the crunch as they put together their spending plans for the 2022-23 school year.

Coming together for a vigil at Hook Mill in East Hampton last Thursday, local clergy spoke about the need to support the people of Ukraine, two million of whom have fled the country since Russia began bombing it last week. “What affects one, affects us all as human beings, which demands that we stand in support of the freedom and rights of every nation,” said the Rev. Walter Thompson Jr. of Calvary Baptist Church.

The playing field at the Pierson Middle High School in Sag Harbor is indeed a quagmire. Or an ice rink, or a sandbox, depending on the time of year. Now, six years after Sag Harbor voters opted for real grass over synthetic turf, the issue is back on the school board's agenda.