A Suffolk County judge has cleared the Shinnecock Nation Board of Trustees of contempt of court over the operation of two electronic billboards on Sunrise Highway in Hampton Bays, in defiance of a 2019 restraining order — but instead held two commercial advertising companies that built and operate the billboards in contempt. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the judge also ordered that the billboards be shut down, in accordance with a 2024 ruling from a higher court.

The “defendants shall immediately cease operation of the billboards and advertising displays located within the State of New York’s right-of-way on New York State Route 27,” Supreme Court Justice Maureen Licccione wrote in a ruling handed down on Monday afternoon.

Shinnecock Nation Tribal Trustee Chairwoman Lisa Goree said the tribe has no intention of ordering the billboards turned off. “We’re definitely not turning those signs off,” she said yesterday after reading the ruling.

Justice Liccione ruled that the two commercial defendants, IDON Media and Iconic Digital Display, had violated a restraining order that was in place starting May 2019 barring the construction and operation of the billboards. She ordered the two companies, which are owned by the same person, to pay fines of just $250 each, plus unspecified attorneys’ fees to the State Department of Transportation for the costs of arguing the contempt charge. Chairwoman Goree said that she did not expect the “slap on the wrist” of the $250 fines imposed against Iconic and IDON Media and their principal, Larry Clark, to spur the company to break its contract with the tribe and shut down the billboards.

She reiterated the tribe’s belief that the state claims of authority over the Route 27 right-of-way in Hampton Bays are flawed because the easement was not created through a legal process in dealing with Indigenous nations.

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It’s official. Challenger Jerry Halpin has ousted Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard. Halpin narrowly defeated Hubbard by a margin of 37 votes, according to official results released by the Suffolk County Board of Elections Tuesday afternoon. The final tally came after the completion of a manual recount of all votes cast, which began Monday morning and concluded yesterday. The final tally was 3,958 votes for Halpin to 3,921 votes for Hubbard. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Hubbard, a Republican who served on the Riverhead Town Board for eight years before being elected supervisor in 2023, was seeking re-election to a second term as supervisor. Halpin, a newcomer to electoral politics, is pastor at the North Shore Christian Church in Riverhead. “I look forward to getting to work and putting the taxpayers first,” the supervisor-elect told Riverheadlocal.com. “I’m excited. I want to get to work. I plan on leading well and leading by example— servant leadership with humility,” Halpin said. “We will lead our town together,” he said, referring to the rest of the Town Board. Halpin, who is not registered to any political party, will take his seat as the only member of the Riverhead Town Board who is not a Republican.

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The 49th annual Turkey Trots start at 10 a.m. tomorrow...that's Thanksgiving morning at The Circle in downtown Montauk. Jack Graves reports on 27east.com that there were 1,012 who finished these 3- and 6-mile races around Fort Pond two years ago. And last year, while the weather was said to be the snottiest in the races’ history, 600 or so celebrants of all ages flocked together. Proceeds from this event which began in 1976, go to food pantries in the Town of East Hampton.

Medals are awarded to racers male and female of all ages.

For more information and to sign up, go to events.elitefeats.com/25mtktt.

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Electoral

Long Island’s native nations gathered at a Kew Gardens cemetery Saturday morning to honor the lives and mark the premature deaths of two boys sent to a Pennsylvania boarding school for Indian "assimilation" more than 125 years ago. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that leaders of the Unkechaug and Matinecock nations, and members of the Shinnecock, Setauket and Montaukett tribes, led ceremonies and songs of remembrance and healing over two newly installed headstones for the boys and their four young sisters on ground that lay unmarked for more than a century.

Charles Edward Jones and Harry Jefferson Jones both died in 1900 at the ages of 15 and 11, respectively, after returning home with tuberculosis contracted at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, tribal leaders said. They were the children of Jane Davis Waters, of the Unkechaug nation, and Charles Waters, of the Shinnecock and Montaukett nations, the leaders said.

Harry Wallace, chief of the Unkechaug Indian Nation reservation near Mastic, said the boys’ deaths were "the result of practices of abuse at most of these schools, of horrific conditions, and military-style execution of policy." Their stated goal to "kill the Indian but save the man," he said "not only killed the Indian, they killed the man as well. [Killed] the boy."

Wallace said abuse suffered by indigenous children at the boarding schools has had a lasting impact on native communities across North America.

"The legacy of abuse and genocidal practices has affected every native community in North American," he said. "You have that generational trauma that is ongoing and continuing."

Shane Weeks, who led drum playing and song at the grave site. called the ceremony "a moment of remembering and healing."

Chenae Bullock, a Shinnecock member with shared Montaukett ancestry, said while remembrance for the Jones children was "a long time coming," she also expressed gratitude at "all the humans that are gathered around [today], not just native people but all people" to honor them.

"I think it’s just so beautiful," she said. "It just shows there’s so much more we can do together."

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Cellphones and tablets in FedEx boxes were stolen from home porches in 31 Suffolk County communities by 14 individuals working in concert, according to indictments announced yesterday. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that Ray Tierney, the county’s district attorney, estimated that "hundreds of phones were taken in acts of porch piracy" between October 2023 and February of this year.

The defendants face 50 felony charges; if convicted, they could spend years in prison.

"These indictments demonstrate that we will track down and hold accountable those who commit crimes against Suffolk County residents, regardless of how extensive their operation," Tierney said.

Most of the defendants are Bronx residents; one lives in Valley Stream, according to the indictments.

The defendants allegedly hacked computer systems to find out when phones and other electronic devices would be delivered to the homes of Verizon and AT&T customers. The defendants had the customer’s name, address, device types and FedEx shipment tracking numbers, the indictments state.

He added that some of the thefts involved acts of violence such as throwing a FedEx driver to the ground in Hauppauge and forcibly taking a package from a Suffolk resident.

Suffolk prosecutors discovered the ring more than two years ago when they were looking into why there had been a spike in package thefts from front porches throughout the county.

D.A. Tierney said Monday "the investigation is ongoing" with help from federal and New York City law enforcement. More than 200 stolen phones and other electronic devices, and about $120,000 in cash, have been recovered so far.

Asked how residents can protect themselves from porch...

Pope Leo XIV, the first ever U.S. Pope, addressed a group of 16,000 teens at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis this past Friday. Students from Our Lady of the Hamptons tuned in for the livestream. Pope Leo in Rome, using technology to address the students in Indiana, listed many good things technology does. For example, "it lets us stay connected with people who are far away," he said, and there are "amazing tools for prayer, for reading the Bible, for learning more about what we believe, and it allows us to share the Gospel with people we may never meet in person." "But even with all that, technology can never replace real, in-person relationships; simple things (like) a hug, a handshake, a smile -- all those things are essential to being human and to have those things in a real way, not through a screen," is important.

Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that OLH Seventh-grader Sofia Sisalima said that she found significance in the pope’s insistence that young people can and should play a big role in the Catholic Church’s present moment. Seeing the thousands of young people gathered in the arena to hear the pope speak was moving as well. “It’s amazing how a bunch of kids went to see the pope, and how their faith is very strong,” she said.

Our Lady of the Hamptons Principal Sister Kathryn Schlueter said that she thinks of Pope Leo as a priest, missionary and teacher. “This is a very important time in our church and our world,” she said. “Having an American pope for the first time is a special invitation to listen, to observe and to realize that the church is headquartered in Rome, but is truly a universal family. This generation of young Americans will be needed to step in and step up to make a difference in the world.”

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Unofficial but “certified results” in this year's Riverhead Town supervisor’s race now show Halpin the winner by 37 votes according to Riverhead Town Democratic Committee Chairperson Laura Jens-Smith. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that those numbers show Democratic challenger Jerry Halpin with 3,956 votes to incumbent Supervisor Tim Hubbard’s 3,919 votes, according to a summary provided by Jens-Smith.

Suffolk County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia confirmed Friday that the numbers provided by Jens-Smith are accurate.

However, because the margin of victory is less than 0.5%, state law requires a manual recount. The Suffolk County Board of Elections posted a notice on its website stating that the mandatory manual recount will take place today at 10 a.m.

On election night, November 4, 2025, unofficial results showed Halpin ahead 3,891 to 3,870 (50.23% to 49.77%.) Those results did not count absentee ballots and military ballots that arrived after Election Day or any affidavit (provisional) ballots cast at the polls on Election Day. A total of 113 votes have been added to the Election Day tally, with 65 of them going to Halpin, expanding his lead from 21 to 37 votes.

“I am truly honored that the voters of Riverhead have entrusted me to serve our community. It is with deep humility and gratitude that I step into the role of Riverhead Town Supervisor-Elect,” Halpin said in a written statement.

Hubbard declined comment until today’s recount is completed.

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The annual “Light the Lighthouse” event is set for this coming Saturday, November 29, beginning at dusk, at Montauk Point State Lighthouse, with the switch flipped at dark by former New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. who will be honored for his many years of government service.

“The lighting became an instant tradition the first time we did it, 15 years ago,” said Joe Gaviola, president of the Montauk Historical Society and honorary lighthouse keeper. “Thousands of people join us for the event every year, and tens of thousands more drive out to the Point just to see the...

A large group of teachers walked into the gymnasium on Wednesday night at the Bridgehampton School during a Board of Education meeting, wearing matching black and yellow Bridgehampton Teachers Association shirts, in a show of solidarity, reminding those in the gym that they’ve been working without a new contract since the end of the last school term. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that contract negotiations began last spring, but thus far, the district and the union have not been able to work out a deal. After Wednesday's meeting, Bridgehampton School teachers Joseph Pluta and Caitlin Hansen, representatives for the union, spoke about what led to the situation. “Many of our members have expressed frustration with a toxic working environment,” Mr. Pluta said. When asked to expand on what exactly those frustrations were related to, Ms. Hansen chimed in. “Conversations between administration and staff, and the tone that some of those conversations take,” she said. “Some of our members have concerns about that.”

Bridgehampton School Superintendent Dr. Mary T. Kelly said yesterday that negotiations taking a few months is not an unusual circumstance, pointing out that the previous Bridgehampton Teachers Association contract took more than 14 months to settle. “With regard to this round of bargaining…We were prepared to negotiate beginning in January 2025.” She also pointed out that, under New York law, an expired contract remains fully in effect until a new one is reached, and that when the teachers returned to work this year after the summer break, they received raises under the existing salary schedule.

Dr. Kelly pushed back against the assertion that there's a “toxic” work environment at the school. “Staff are always encouraged to come directly to administration with any concerns or needs, which are addressed promptly,” she said. “In addition, over the past several years, we have made significant progress working collaboratively as a district. We were removed from all state improvement lists and are now in ‘good standing.’” She added that, over the last few years, the district has doubled its AP offerings, launched the College Board Capstone Program, and expanded its CTE (career and technical education) pathways in several areas as well. “While negotiations can be difficult, we are committed to ensuring that this process does not disrupt the educational environment,” Dr. Kelly concluded.

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A Hampton Bays teenager who was seen carrying a toy gun near the Hampton Bays High School as part of a nationally popular game, “Senior Assassin,” sparked a call to police and a search for what was feared to be an armed individual. As reported on 27east.com, police were called at about 7:20 a.m. yesterday regarding a report of a male teen seen getting out of a car with a “long gun” – a common police term for shotgun or rifle – near the high school, then getting back into the car. Hampton Bays High School was placed on lockdown Thursday morning as a precaution, Southampton Town Police said, while officers searched for the vehicle described by the witness. After an extensive search the vehicle and teenager were located and the gun was determined to be a toy prop for the game that simulates “assassination” of a friend using a squirt gun. The school convened an assembly with Southampton Town Police officers to discuss the dangers of brandishing toy guns that could be mistaken for real weapons in public. “We encourage all parents and guardians to have a conversation with your children regarding the potential risks associated with this game,” Southampton Town Police Sergeant Gina LaFerrera stated in a release by the department. “Thank you to the Hampton Bays School District for assisting with this investigation and helping to keep our community safe.”

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The North Fork Action Center, which is working on issues including immigration, education, local government,

The first week of the new traffic patterns on County Road 39 in Southampton…especially between the North Sea Road intersection and Magee Street…brought long backups at times and struggles to keep traffic flowing westward swiftly, as had been hoped when the town and Southampton Village convinced Suffolk County to restripe the roadway. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that Suffolk County Department of Public Works crews repainted the lanes on both County Road 39 and Sandy Hollow Road on Wednesday November 12, cutting two lanes down to one leading into where the two roads come together. Along with the restriping, the Sandy Hollow Road intersection traffic signal was reprogrammed to only turn red for westbound cars on both roads when multiple cars were waiting in the eastbound County Road 39 lane to turn left onto Sandy Hollow, so as to allow the westbound traffic to proceed uninterrupted as much as possible. The changes were intended to keep the evening westbound trade parade coming out of Southampton and North Sea flowing smoothly — as it had done in the spring, when a complex experimental pilot program was conducted by the county and Southampton Town to bypass the County Road 39 traffic lights. But this time around, the traffic lights at Magee Street and Tuckahoe Road are cycling red and green — and during times of heavy commuter volume, traffic quickly backed up again. Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle said that town staff are trying to devise a strategy for broader improvements. McArdle said he’s hopeful that adjusting the timing of the light changes might be able to ease some of the delays they cause. After the lanes were restriped by the county, the new arrangement appeared to create long backups as cars were forced to merge into single lanes, and the westward flow was halted by the red lights at Magee Street and Tuckahoe Road. Southampton Village Police Chief Sue Hurteau said that village back roads traffic had not yet seen improvement and that she’s hoping tweaks to the system by the town might be able to make things go smoother.

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The Riverhead Town Board voted 4–1 Tuesday night to sell the historic Vail-Leavitt Music Hall to The Jazz Loft, a decision that followed more than a year of quiet negotiations and competing proposals. Bob Kern cast the lone dissenting vote, raising concerns that The Jazz Loft did not have the resources or expertise needed to renovate, open and operate the theater in a way that will benefit downtown revitalization. Nonetheless, after further discussion during Tuesday’s board meeting, the resolution determined The Jazz Loft “qualified and eligible” for purposes of the State Urban Renewal Law and authorizes the supervisor to sign the previously negotiated contract of sale and it did pass by a vote of 4–1. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that under that contract, the Town of Riverhead agrees to sell the Vail-Leavitt theater to The Jazz Loft for $150,000 and The Jazz Loft agrees to perform renovations and repairs to the 144 year old building, maintaining its historic character, and to operate the theatre as a performing arts venue.

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Tomorrow evening, East Hampton Arts Council presents Creative Networking Night. The topic is Creative Process.

The following artists will discuss their work and process: Joanne Roberts film, Mariah Ke' Olani painting, Meg Gibson acting and live theater and Carlos Barrios guitar maker and musician. That’s tomorrow at 6 PM in East Hampton Town Hall and the event is free. The East Hampton Arts Council is a local organization founded to advise and assist the Town of East Hampton on issues pertaining to the arts.

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A web of interlocking court cases have temporarily blocked East Hampton Town officials from evicting Long Island Airlines from East Hampton Town Airport in Wainscott. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com...

A cannabis licensee has sued the Town of Southampton over a recent rezoning, arguing the move prevented its dispensary from opening in a former bank building in Hampton Bays, court filings show. That property is on the north side of 27A just east of the Hampton Bays Carvel. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the town board in July rezoned a stretch of East Montauk Highway, where a developer sought to add a new pot shop. Cannabis sales were allowed in that area until the board approved the rezoning, which bans cannabis sales on that stretch of the highway.

Mottz Only Authentic New York Style and its majority owner, Sean Lustberg, said the Town of Southampton “targeted” the rezoning to block the opening of their cannabis dispensary. Lawyers for the licensee said that for months, town officials had “stalled” approvals for the dispensary before approving the zone change.

The lawsuit seeks to overturn the rezoning as well as monetary damages, citing the potential for significant financial losses.

Southampton Town adopted zoning laws in 2023, limiting the siting of non-medical cannabis dispensaries to two of its eight commercial business districts.

The town, according to the lawsuit, relied on an outdated plan and environmental impact study to justify the rezoning.

Southampton Town Attorney James Burke said the lawsuit was “not unexpected.” He noted Mottz had filed a separate lawsuit in September challenging the town’s cannabis zoning law.

“We are confident that the court will recognize that the town board in voting for the zoning amendments acted well within their legislative authority and such action was based on an extensive planning study concerning the Hampton Bays Montauk Highway corridor,” Burke said.

The lawsuit seeks financial damages and projects $18 million annually in losses — including lost revenue, rent payments and other expenses.

Southampton Town has faced a series of legal challenges to its zoning rules from cannabis companies. Last month, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management ruled that Southampton’s cannabis zoning, as well as Riverhead's, were "forbidden" under state law.

The agency had issued advisory opinions calling the towns' limits "unreasonably impractical."

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Even though Southampton Town is poised to turn down $2.93 million in state grant money, Highway Superintendent Charles McArdle told the Noyac Civic Council last week that a proposal to install sidewalks and crosswalks along Noyac Road in the hamlet would proceed as planned and be completed sooner than expected. McArdle, accompanied by Nick Jimenez, the town’s capital projects manager, and Deputy Highway Superintendent Marc Braeger, said Southampton Town’s Highway and Engineering departments had reviewed the state requirements, and “we came up with the theory that we would turn down the grant and do the work ourselves.” The Town Board seems on board with the proposal. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that among other things, McArdle said the state would require 5-foot-wide sidewalks, curbs and drainage that would jack up the price. In addition, the town would have to condemn small amounts of land from 10 property owners under the state plan, which would add to the cost and delay the project. That number has been reduced to four or five people. Along with sidewalks, the project calls for the crosswalks at Trout Pond, Il Cappelletti, Noyack Delicatessen, Cromer’s Market and Long Beach Road. While most of the sidewalks will be on the south side of Noyac Road, they will run along the north side in areas with more right-of-way. Members of the Noyac Civic Council were generally enthusiastic about the update, although some questioned how it would be possible to do the project for so much less than the state budget. The state grant would require the town to contribute about $1.6 million to the project, whereas if the town does the...

Long Island Rail Road foreman John Cerulli arrived at work for a weekend overtime shift wearing a swim shirt, bathing suit and flip-flops, a co-worker told investigators. He swiped his employee ID card at a time clock at the Ronkonkoma facility and allegedly announced: "Don’t bother looking for me. I'll be next to my pool with a margarita."

Using cloned identification badges hidden in refrigerators and lockers, and coordinating with co-workers through group chats, some LIRR workers left work early nearly every day for weeks at a time, according to a three-year investigation by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's inspector general. Others hit the gym, ate meals at home and worked second jobs while on the clock. Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the 65-page report, released last month, lays out the brazenness of the LIRR’s latest employee time-fraud scandal, according to investigators and MTA officials. The probe implicated three dozen LIRR workers — seven of them supervisors — in a scheme to create and distribute counterfeit employee badges sold for $5-$40 and used to cover up absences, like Cerulli’s alleged on-the-clock pool day. The workers exploited COVID-era health precautions that suspended biometric time clocks — which had been implemented after the last timecard scandal, according to the report.

Several LIRR workers admitted their involvement and implicated others to investigators. Others denied any involvement. Some refused to answer investigators' questions.

"It was the ‘culture,’ " at the LIRR's Maintenance of Equipment department to have a cloned card, one employee told investigators.

Most have been disciplined by the LIRR, but have not faced any criminal charges.

Cerulli was forced to pay back $3,196 to the LIRR after he was caught on surveillance skipping out of work on 14 days over three months.

Although most of the implicated employees are facing what the MTA calls "severe" consequences — including lengthy unpaid suspensions and, potentially, termination — others avoided punishment by retiring before the investigators' findings were released. None have faced criminal charges. Several, including those who were consistently among the railroad's highest overtime earners in recent years, remain on the LIRR’s payroll.

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With the end of the federal government shutdown, New York has issued November SNAP benefits providing food assistance to low-income families. But the resumption of the benefit program doesn’t eliminate food insecurity altogether. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the maximum monthly benefit varies by household size, from $298 for a single person to $994 for a family of four. To be eligible for SNAP, gross household incomes cannot exceed $23,484 per year for a single person and $48,228 per year for a family of four (where all members of the household are under age 60.)

With food prices rising higher than overall inflation, more families are struggling to put food on the table, and more people are turning to food pantries to fill the gaps. More people were seeking food assistance at food pantries even before the shutdown and the delay in November SNAP payments.

The uncertainty about whether or when SNAP benefits would be paid increased anxiety and demand at food pantries in November, said Michael Haynes of Long Island Cares-The Harry Chapin Food Bank, which distributes food to 330 food pantries and soup kitchens in Suffolk and Nassau.

But that’s only part of the story.

‘We saw a 20% increase in demand for our services in October of 2025, compared to September of 2025,” Haynes said. “It’s not just due to the shutdown. It’s affordability, it’s everything else.”

All pantries are in need of donations of food and/or monetary contributions to help them buy food.

In Riverhead, St. John Parish Outreach will host a Thanksgiving meal on Saturday, Nov....

Protests over the recent detention of at least a dozen people by federal immigration agents in Hampton Bays and Westhampton continued to ripple across the South Fork last week — with dozens of angry residents flooding into the Southampton Town Board meeting on Wednesday and staging a demonstration in Westhampton on Friday. As reported on 27east.com, more than three dozen residents filled the Town Board meeting room on November 12, one week after ICE agents conducted sweeps in Hampton Bays and Westhampton, arresting 12 people on charges of entering the United States illegally. Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore said she empathized with those angered by the deportation wave and the way ICE conducts its work and sought to assure residents that no town officials — including the Southampton Town Police Department — were notified that the federal agents on their way.

“I understand there is concern and anxiety because of the ICE activities we saw in Hampton Bays and Westhampton last week, and the most difficult part is that there is no clear accurate information coming our way,” she said. The supervisor added, “While immigration enforcement is a federal matter outside the jurisdiction of this town government that does not mean that we are indifferent or powerless.”

Moore said she would send a letter to Senator Chuck Schumer and U.S. Representative Nick LaLota asking that the town be better informed of ICE activity within its borders.

Meanwhile, this past Friday morning, more than 50 protesters lined the streets of Westhampton calling for ICE to stay away from the region.

“I’m very upset at the constant news about the way immigrants are being treated, even though they’re such an integral part of our community on Long Island,” David Saunders said at the protest. “It’s a thrill for me to be able to stand out here and tell my neighbors that I support due process in America.”

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Suffolk County will face a worsening housing crisis unless it can eliminate barriers such as overly restrictive zoning and high costs that slow development and push up prices for houses and rental apartments, affordable housing advocates and builders said on Friday.

Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that about a dozen speakers at a hearing convened by the county's Welfare to Work Commission said efforts to bring down housing costs had been routinely stymied by bureaucratic hurdles and poor infrastructure, as well as community opposition that tied up housing proposals for years, leaving homeownership out of reach for many middle-class Suffolk residents.

"Suffolk County is facing one of the most severe housing crises in its history," Pilar Moya-Mancera, executive director of the Greenlawn nonprofit Housing Help, said at a news conference before the hearing in the county office complex in Hauppauge. "We cannot wait 10 more years for housing solutions."

The Welfare to Work Commission, an advisory board for the Suffolk County Legislature, called the hearing as it prepares a report looking at systemic impediments to developing affordable housing.

Commission chairman Richard Koubek said before the hearing the average Suffolk resident must make about $218,000 to afford a typical single-family home, or $90,000 to pay $2,000 monthly rent.

But many residents make far less, he said, citing licensed practical nurses who earn an average $57,670 annually and supermarket cashiers who make $39,520 a year.

"This has been a struggle for Long Islanders for years and years," Koubek said.

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Local entrepreneurs share their stories at the “The Business of Mattituck,” a presentation organized by the Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association this evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Mattituck Park District headquarters at Veterans Beach. Tonight’s event is free to attend. All are welcome.

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A federal jury has ordered Suffolk County to...