An uncomfortable evening of entertainment dramatizing life in the old South from 1898, and more from East Hampton’s yesteryear.

Praise, kvetches, arguments — it’s the week in Star letters.

Just as a lot of bad news about water was coming out, the Suffolk County Legislature failed to authorize putting the Water Quality Protection Act on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Major new reports say that smartphone use could be directly linked to poor educational performance while harming children’s emotional stability.