Springs School District officials reported disappointing scores this week from standardized math and English tests given last spring to students in grades three through eight. “We can improve,” said Erik Kelt, the new school principal, in announcing strategies for boosting students' proficiency in these subjects.

When the word “suffered” ends up in a year-end real estate home-sales report, you know it can’t be good. And while Judi Desiderio, the C.E.O. and president of Town and Country Real Estate, said “the worst is yet to come,” the rental market is showing strength, and the stock market is hitting new highs.

With a sense of urgency, the East Hampton Town Board discussed the hiring of a surveyor to assess current beach profile conditions at Ditch Plain in Montauk and to determine the necessary volume and source of sand, its placement, and the cost to restore it to a healthy level.  

In the East Hampton School District, the prekindergarten classes may be shrinking in size but the kids are coming in with more educational needs than ever, administrators said last week. Now, the district is getting ready to explore adding a program for 3-year-olds.