The Long Island Daily

High school students in New York will still continue to take Regents exams through 2030 to meet federal accountability requirements, even if the tests are phased out as a requirement for graduation next year, state officials said yesterday.Federal law mandates students are tested at least once in English, math and science during their high school years. New York also requires high schoolers to be assessed in social studies.Dandan Zou reports in NEWSDAY that New York State Education Department officials had previously said a new suite of assessments would be developed to replace the Regents exams to satisfy the federal requirement. On Monday, officials announced at a Board of Regents meeting that the first administration of these new assessments would not occur until spring 2030.“It ensures that we can work with our education community [and] develop thoughtful, coherent assessment systems that really will support the vision of New York Inspires and have everything fit together,” Zachary Warner, an assistant commissioner at the state Education Department, said Monday.New York Inspires refers to the state initiative focused on changing how high school students are assessed for graduation. Under its proposed vision, the Class of 2028 won't have to pass Regents exams to graduate, as they have for decades.State education officials have said the requirement hurts students who are not good test-takers and have argued a new educational system is needed that will be more equitable and relevant to what students will need to succeed after high school.Officials said yesterday the new 2030 time frame for assessments will not impact the phasing out of the Regents exams as a requirement for a diploma.Some Regents members acknowledged the uncertainty some have about the initiative.The state has yet to release specific rubrics for what will replace the Regents exams as a graduation requirement. And on Monday, some educators raised concern over the prospect of new state assessments.Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, acknowledged educators still have a lot of questions over the initiative’s rollout but said he believed the proposed changes were necessary.“I think what we are going to do to prove students are ready for the next step is better than what we've been doing in the past,” he said.***NYS Attorney General Letitia James is warning New Yorkers to beware of scams targeting military service members and veterans ahead of Veterans Day tomorrow.Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that in a consumer alert issued yesterday, James said her office released a new online guide dedicated to identifying and avoiding common scams targeting service members and veterans.The military community is a "consistent target" for scammers due to their steady income, the complexity of navigating the Veterans Affairs system, their obligation to relocate often, and the impact a service member’s credit score can have on clearances and promotions, James said."Military service members have made enormous sacrifices to protect New York and our country, and they deserve our support and respect," James said in the statement. "From pension scams to predatory offers for assistance with VA benefits to phishing attacks, frauds targeting members of our military are increasingly common. I urge active service members and veterans to remain vigilant to protect themselves and report any suspected fraudsters to my office," stated the A.G.Common scams geared toward members of the military and veterans include offering "special deals" for low-quality products with already inflated costs.Others may fraudulently charge veterans to "help" prepare their initial claims with the VA, promising faster processing times or increased benefits while charging high fees or luring veterans into forwarding their pension money.Scammers may pretend to be a government agency, create fake dating profiles or ask for donations to fake or predatory charities that claim to help veterans or service members in need.Active military and veterans should never share passwords or answer unexpected emails, texts, phone calls or social media messages.Any benefits-related messages should be verified by checking with official sources. Messages with a sense of urgency should be rejected, the guide said.Anyone who encounters scams targeting service members and veterans should report them to attorney general's office.***The Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events will be hosting a Veterans Day ceremony tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Agawam Park in Southampton. The guest speaker will be Prudence Carabine, whose late brother, husband and son were and are veterans. Prior to the Wednesday morning service, there will be a short parade from the First Presbyterian Church to Agawam Park. All veterans are invited to participate and asked to be at the church parking lot by 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. Cars will be available for those who cannot march. All are invited to Veterans Memorial Hall next to Agawam Park for refreshments after tomorrow morning’s ceremony in Southampton, U.S.A.***New York State legislators are wrestling with how they should regulate automatic license plate readers like those deployed by Flock Safety amid growing concerns around privacy and data collection.Steve Hughes reports in NEWSDAY that legislators on both sides of the aisle made it clear at a hearing yesterday they have concerns about how the technology is being used. But they also are balancing law enforcement’s reliance on the tool.Recent public awareness about the widespread use of automated license plate readers has generated blowback, including vandalism against the cameras nationally and on Long Island. Flock has deployed cameras at more than 700 locations across Nassau and Suffolk counties.The state currently has no minimum standards governing data collection, retention and use for automated license plate readers, known as ALPR, said Assemb. Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows), chair of the committee on consumer affairs and protection.She said she didn’t believe the state should leave the protection of New Yorkers' information entirely to individual law enforcement agencies or private companies. As the state debates how to regulate the technology, some local governments are considering their own measures. Last week, a Southold councilwoman urged the north fork town to end its agreement with Flock Safety."The question before us today is not simply whether ALPR technology works or whether it can improve public safety ... it is whether the safeguards governing its use have kept pace with the technology itself," she said.Automatic license plate readers use cameras and computer software to capture the license plate number of a vehicle, as well as its color, make, model and other physical characteristics. The technology allows law enforcement to use the data to place suspects in the vicinity of crimes, and has been used to locate missing kids and seniors. But critics point to varying rules on how long the data is stored, rules around access to it and the aggregation of data. There have also been instances when law enforcement officers have abused the searches.New York State legislators have already introduced several bills to regulate how agencies that rely on the cameras can use them and store data from the readers.During Monday’s testimony, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said the license plate readers are a valuable tool for law enforcement and urged lawmakers to not ban access to them."Instead of bowing to the media and public scrutiny and framing the issue before us as whether law enforcement should have access to ALPR systems at all, I instead ask you to only consider how this technology can be used responsibly, with appropriate safeguards, accountability, and oversight in place to minimize misuse," he said.Tierney shared the story of how the cameras helped police last year when a teenager stole a running car that had a child strapped in the backseat.He also cautioned lawmakers on placing overly severe restrictions on how long agencies can keep data from the license plate readers. Tierney noted that might jeopardize longer term investigations that could be aided by a license plate reader, such as a murder.Assemb. Ari Brown (R-Cedarhurst) said he supports law enforcement’s efforts but believes the license plate readers raise constitutional questions."I want our police officers catching criminals, not our government creating a permanent record of the movement of innocent citizens," he said.***The Suffolk County Water Authority has received a $1.68 million grant to bring clean drinking water to about 60 homes impacted by PFAS in Mattituck.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the project is expected to cost a total of $2.4 million, 30 percent of which has not yet been funded. This money comes from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, funded through the 2021 Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.The Reeve Avenue Water Main Extension Project, as it is known by the Suffolk County Water Authority, would hook up 60 homes in the heart of Mattituck, bounded on the east by Marratooka Pond and extending as far west as Westphalia Road, including Love Lane and Pike Street and going as far south as the area around Old Jule Lane and as far north as Wickham Avenue (north of Route 48).In 2024, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services found 24 private wells tested in this area of Mattituck had levels of the forever chemicals PFOS and PFOA (known collectively as PFAS) exceeding New York State’s...

Short-term vacation rentals in the Town of Southold could be drastically scaled back under a new proposal that would cap permits at 1% of homes in each hamlet as officials try to balance resident concerns with demand for tourist accommodations.Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that as the short-term rental industry has grown in popularity, complaints from neighbors about loud parties, trash, parking and other issues have also spiked. Seasonal vacation homes have also strained the year-round housing supply, driving up costs amid a regional crisis, officials said.“We are struggling to regulate it,” Southold Town Attorney Ben Johnson told NEWSDAY. Since 2015, Southold has banned rentals of less than 14 days, but enforcement has proved virtually impossible, officials have said. “We understand this is a seasonal economy. … Most of the complaints we get are from people that it’s just a revolving door next to their house,” Johnson said.Under the proposal, short-term rental permits would be capped at 1% to distribute offerings across the town’s nine hamlets and awarded via lottery. Based on the 1% cap, 119 homes could be eligible for short term rental permits, according to a town planning analysis — an 80% decrease from the current rental market.Last year, Southold began using the software Rentalscape to track illegal short-term rentals. Figures from the latest report show there are about 640 short term rental properties in town that earn $27.5 million in host revenue, Johnson said. The average nightly rate is $902, according to the town report.Southold budgeted $120,000 for a new full-time code enforcement director in its 2027 budget in anticipation of the new short-term rental rules. The town board still has to hold a public hearing and approve the legislation. Town officials are aiming to roll out the lottery next year, with the permit system taking effect in 2028.***A new oyster restoration project in the Great South Bay is testing new techniques to improve survival rates of young oysters. Tracy Tullis reports in NEWSDAY that ecologists at Seatuck Environmental Association in West Sayville, which launched the program, are focused especially on helping the young shellfish to better defend themselves against predators, a significant cause of mortality in past restoration efforts. The long-term goal is to establish a functioning reef, which can help clean water, increase biodiversity and soften the impact of waves on eroding shorelines.For the past 40 years, ecologists have been working to re-create some version of the vast oyster reefs that once flourished along the U.S. coastlines, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Maine. In Long Island's bays and estuaries, those efforts stretch back at least 25 years.But those projects often have not succeeded. "A lot of the restoration…isn't working," said Kris Mielenhausen, conservation director at the Seatuck Environmental Association. They aren't reaching "that critical mass" that's required for the shellfish to begin multiplying naturally.So Seatuck set out to try something different for its new restoration project in the Great South Bay. In particular, the organization will be testing several strategies to help the newly released spat to resist predators — often a significant source of mortality."It’s a scientific experiment," Mielenhausen said last month as he leaned against the gunwale of a boat in the bay. "It's about looking at the data, and being honest about the successes and the failures," he said. And when there are failures, the ecologists will be asking, "what we can we do to make it work?"The hatchery is funded by the Knapp-Swezey Foundation, based in Patchogue, and other private donors, and Seatuck has applied for a state grant through the South Shore Estuary Reserve Program to support the predator cue research.One day, Seatuck hopes there will again be thriving, self-sustaining oyster reefs in the Great South Bay — dense colonies of living shellfish and older shells, a nursery for marine life. "We're pretty far away from that at this point," Mielenhausen acknowledged. Eventually, he said, "maybe we can get to a place where we can actually restore populations." In the meantime, there will likely be years of trials, errors and more trials.***The Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation will hold its annual flag ceremony in honor of veterans this coming Wednesday, November 11, at the Montauk Playhouse Community Center, 240 Edgemere Street. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the Suzanne Koch Gosman Flagpole Garden and feature a flag raising and wreath-laying ceremony conducted by Girl Scout Troop 825. Local student and singer Faith Mulally will perform the national anthem; Collin Snovell, station chief of U.S. Coast Guard Station Montauk, will offer remarks. Light refreshments will be served in the cultural center following the ceremony. All are invited.That’s Veterans Day 2026 at 11 a.m. at Montauk Playhouse Community Center.***Two years after a $323 million settlement with hundreds of Catholic clergy sex abuse victims on Long Island that mandated the release of secret church files, the documents still have not been made public.Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that thousands of pages of confidential files dating back decades in the Diocese of Rockville Centre were supposed to be released under a bankruptcy settlement with about 600 victims, according to church officials and lawyers for victims. The papers are believed to contain details on hundreds of cases and how, advocates contend, church leaders covered them up.The diocese told Newsday it has done its part and that nearly two years ago it handed over thousands of pages to a trust set up for the abuse victims. The documents were then supposed to be transferred to a college or university archive and made accessible to the public. That has not happened.Advocates say the documents need to be released now, something the Archdiocese of New York and other dioceses around the country are doing."Transparency delayed with no explanation is transparency denied," said Terry McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, an online database of Catholic clergy sex abuse. "Survivors have already waited years for the bankruptcies to be settled, and some have died in the meantime. Now they're waiting for the files of their perpetrators to be released."Advocates say the documents may provide extensive new information about the sex abuse scandal that shook one of the 10 largest Roman Catholic dioceses in the nation, with 1.2 million baptized Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk combined.Many survivors have been waiting for years or decades for the confidential documents to be released, said Richard Tollner, who says he has waited for his allegations to be verified since he was abused by a priest as a high school student in the 1970s."Now the truth can be seen and heard," he said.The settlement calls for the diocese and the trust to agree on the institution of higher learning at which the papers would be archived. The archive must "be made available upon request in accordance with the protocols of that institution," the settlement states.***Nearly 1 in 5 nursing homes on Long Island will be eligible for a less rigorous and more "streamlined" inspection under the new nationwide "risk-based survey" process, according to data released by the Trump administration.Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the plan, announced in July by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, allows highly rated nursing homes that are deemed "lower risk" to receive a more "focused" inspection that addresses fewer issues, takes roughly half the time to complete and requires a smaller inspection team.Data released in late September by CMS shows that 15 of the 51 nursing homes statewide found eligible for a risk-based survey, almost 30% of the total, are on Long Island, according to a Newsday analysis. Currently, state agencies — in the case of New York, the state Health Department — are required to conduct recertifications of nursing homes at least once every 15 months. Additional inspections are conducted based on complaints from residents, watchdogs or family members.So, almost 20% of nursing homes on Long Island are now eligible for a less rigorous and streamlined inspection under the Trump administration's new nationwide "risk-based survey" process, according to Newsday. To qualify, nursing homes must have a five-star rating; at least a three-star staffing rating; have received a standard survey during the previous 18 months and cannot have received a citation during their most recent inspection for "actual harm," "immediate jeopardy" or "substandard quality of care." Critics contend risk-based surveys will reduce oversight of already understaffed nursing homes, putting residents in jeopardy, while plan supporters say it will free surveyors to respond quicker to complaints and allow them to spend more time in the buildings that need it.***In East Hampton, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 550 is holding a Veterans Day Parade this coming Wednesday starting at 10 a.m. at the old VFW building (now London Jewelers) on Main Street and marching to the Memorial Green, where a short ceremony will take place in East Hampton Village. Afterward, all participants will go to the American Legion Post 419 in Amagansett for its 11 a.m. Veterans Day ceremony.Sag Harbor’s annual Veterans Day observance begins this Wednesday with a short parade starting at the Civil War monument at Main and Madison streets at 10 a.m., and concludes at the American Legion on Bay Street in Sag Harbor. Veterans who would like to...

The parents of a Sag Harbor sixth-grader who drowned during a whitewater rafting trip in the Poconos have filed a lawsuit against the school district and other organizers.Nicholas Grasso reports in NEWSDAY that Cesar Hernan Albarracin Guncay and Delia Leonor Guncay Morales filed the suit Monday in Suffolk County Supreme Court more than five months after the death of their son Cesar Albarracin Guncay. He was 12.Cesar was one of 74 sixth-graders who on May 27 embarked on the third annual Pierson Middle/High School trip to the Lehigh River in East Penn Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania. About 5:30 p.m., the raft carrying Cesar capsized, sending him and four others into the water. The others were rescued.In addition to the Sag Harbor School District, the suit names superintendent Jeff Nichols, Hampton Jitney, which curated the trip and Whitewater Rafting Adventures LLC, the Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania-based company that provided the excursion.Sag Harbor School District "negligently, carelessly, and recklessly permitted defendant Whitewater Rafting to operate the trip despite defendant Hampton Jitney having hired and arranged for only five guides" from the Pennsylvania company to supervise, the suit alleges. It provided "10 district schoolteachers to travel in fourteen separate rafts on a several hourslong whitewater rafting trip."All parties allowed nearly 80 students, aged 11 and 12, to traverse down the river in rafts that had "no professional and certified" guides on board, according to the court filing. The suit adds that all parties failed to "view, observe, or trek the course ahead of time to learn about the existence of any obstacles in the water," the suit alleges.The raft carrying Cesar was one of four rafts "occupied by multiple students and district schoolteachers" that "capsized and overturned" due to a "tree strainer in the water," according to the suit.When his vessel overturned, the suit says he was thrown "into the cold, swirling, rapid waters of the Lehigh River with its dangerous currents caused by the tree strainer which pulled, suctioned, and vacuumed [his] head and body under the water, pinning him beneath its branches, trapping him, preventing him from resurfacing, and causing him to suffer extreme and unimaginable conscious pain and suffering for several minutes.. and wrongful death by way of drowning."Cesar and the four others on his raft were wearing life jackets, but the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said it would review all safety equipment in use as part of its investigation into the death, Newsday previously reported.***The Southampton Town Board has approved adding five additional new employees and more than $750,000 in additional salaries and benefits to Supervisor Maria Moore’s 2027 operating budget — pushing the proposed spending hike over $11 million and the tax levy increase up by more than 10 percent — in the interests of what board members said were quality of life improvements important to their constituents.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the additions will make it 16 new employees proposed to be added to town payrolls for 2027, increasing the total budget to more than $154 million and the tax levy to $105.2 million, a 10.3 percent increase.In addition to the new personnel — which include a park ranger, two more police officers, a fire marshal and an ordinance enforcement officer — the board also approved an additional $125,000 for upgrades to town radio communications, $500,000 in additional borrowing in the capital budget for new ballfields and batting cages at Speonk Park, and $200,000 for improvements to parking lots at local LIRR stations, which will be partially offset by a $100,000 grant from New York State.The Town of Southampton currently employs 603 full-time employees and 224 part-time employees — its highest staffing levels ever.In 2008 the town employed 554 full-time staff, but following the financial crisis of 2009 and a ballooning deficit, the board laid off or incentivized retirement of dozens of employees and imposed a hiring freeze that by 2015 had whittled the town payroll down to about 480 full-time employees. Since 2016, staffing has slowly crept back up.The Southampton Town Board will hold another public hearing on the spending plan on Tuesday, November 10, and must vote to approve the budget by November 20.***Geoff Gehman, author of the memoir “The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons,” will give a talk titled “Jackie Robinson Baptized Me” tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. at Wainscott Chapel, 65 Main Street in Wainscott.The talk explores a 1967 sermon on race and religion delivered by Robinson, the civil rights pioneer and Baseball Hall of Famer. Gehman will examine the sermon’s impact on him as a son, a baseball player, a journalist, a citizen and a spiritual being.Gehman is a former Wainscott resident. He has stated his book is about "building a bridge to my long-lost childhood and creating a castle between covers for my long-lost friends and their kids" from his time on the south fork 1967 to 1972.For more information, visit wainscottchapel.org or call 631-537-1330.***A Southold Town councilwoman is urging her colleagues to end the Town of Southold’s agreement with Flock Safety amid mounting privacy and data collection concerns and a string of vandalism incidents this summer.Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Alexa Suess introduced the idea during a town work session this week, laying out sharp criticism of the company that has deployed more than 700 automated license plate reader cameras on Long Island and come under scrutiny for surveillance and civil liberties concerns.“We should reconsider our relationship with Flock, or at least commit to not renewing a contract,” Suess told fellow board members on Wednesday.The discussion comes as the town board prepares to meet later this month with the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department during a public work session. The department operates eight of the 11 Flock cameras in Southold Town.In January 2025, Southold approved a four-year contract with Flock totaling $37,152 for its three cameras, according to town records.Southold Supervisor Al Krupski urged residents to email the town board with Flock-related questions they would like to see addressed at the Nov. 17 meeting.Southold Town Police Chief Steve Grattan defends the cameras. He told Newsday that they have been a valuable tool for the department and he would advocate for their continued use.“We have a lot of success stories,” he said.Paris Lewbel, a public relations manager for Flock, told NEWSDAY that the company "does not sell data. Customers own 100% of the data from their cameras and control their own sharing settings. All data is stored securely using industry-leading encryption standards, including AES-256, and is automatically deleted after the agency's set retention period."***Long Island voters are increasingly rejecting Democratic and Republican parties, and any political party, as the share of unaffiliated voters this year hit a level not seen in at least 20 years, equaling or outpacing GOP enrollment, Newsday found.Bahar Ostadan reports in NEWSDAY that heading into this year's election, Nassau voters not registered to any party outnumbered Republicans for the first time since at least 2006. The number of so-called "blanks" also made similar gains in Suffolk County, according to numbers released Monday. As the unaffiliated voting bloc grows, Democratic and Republican enrollment is falling or staying flat across Long Island."The increasing number of blanks is a repudiation of both major parties," said Lawrence Levy, executive dean at Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies, who has been covering and studying Long Island politics for nearly 50 years.Jeff Wice, a New York Law School professor and former counsel to the State Legislature, said, "Hard-to-call elections may end up being decided by independent voters."Levy agreed, saying, “[Blanks] have the power to move the dial from a safe race to a competitive one. ... They can really make a difference in ways that we’re only seeing now for the first time." In an analysis of voter registration data going back over 20 years, Newsday found unaffiliated voters in Suffolk County have grown from 25% in 2006 to 31% this year, bringing them exactly on par with Republicans. Democrats make up 33% of active voters in the county."Figuring out who they are beyond the fact that they're not registered with a party is becoming harder and harder," Levy said. "Political parties have to figure out, who among them are natural supporters? Who among them are persuadable? What messages resonate?" Keith Davies, a spokesman for Suffolk’s Democratic Party, said the only way to understand the growing base of blank votes is to talk to them."We knocked on tens of thousands of doors. Blanks were a big target this year," he said. "You have these text message surveys, who’s really answering those? You have to knock on doors and make phone calls and actually talk to these people." ***Ed German is bringing back his one man show at Southampton Cultural Center on Pond Lane in Southampton Village this weekend.Join us on Saturday November 7 at 6:00 pm or Sunday, November 8 at 6:00 pm for “Deep Down in Brooklyn,” a memoir by Mr. German.In 2016 Ed performed to a standing room only crowd at Guild Hall in East Hampton as folks learned about his life in music, growing up in Brooklyn and his service as a marine in Vietnam. Ed is a Purple Heart veteran. So come meet our...

A day after the Democratic "bluenami" came the Republican reckoning as party leaders on Long Island and beyond spoke openly yesterday about how to rebuild after stunning losses in Tuesday’s elections.Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that Republicans, saddled by President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings and voter angst over his economic policies, lost control of both chambers of Congress this election day, lost five governorships in Republican strongholds — and on Long Island, lost five State Senate and Assembly seats and the Hempstead Town supervisor post, among other losses.While local Republican leaders, in interviews with Newsday, boasted that Nassau and Suffolk fared well compared with other swing districts throughout the United States, several said the party needed to find a new message beyond Trump’s firebrand style of politics.“The day of Trump is over,” said former U.S. Rep. Peter King, a Seaford Republican.King — who served as an adviser to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in his unsuccessful bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul — said Trump, who campaigned in New York three times on behalf of Blakeman, failed to “articulate a coherent message” to voters.Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia said despite the ground gained by Democrats, local Republicans “stopped that tsunami from hitting our shores here in Suffolk.”“Listen, did we take a little bit of water in? We did, but we fared better than many localities throughout the state of New York,” Garcia said in a phone interview.Garcia said he did not blame Trump entirely for Tuesday’s outcome, noting that “midterm elections are always difficult for the party that holds the White House,” and said the local party has always believed its strongest strategy is to focus on addressing hyperlocal concerns.King, who was a congressman of significant influence while in office from 1993 to 2021, said local Republicans moving forward should continue speaking to voters’ everyday concerns.“People want their garbage picked up, and the streets to be clean — we attend to that, we keep our eye on both the big picture and the day-to-day picture, and it’s a matter of reminding voters of what we do,” King said of Republicans.***Democratic challenger Chris Gallant conceded to Republican incumbent Nick LaLota on Wednesday afternoon in the race for New York’s 1st Congressional District seat.Brendan J. O'Reilly reports on 27east.com that LaLota currently has 152,546 votes, or 50.01 percent of the ballots counted so far. Gallant is 6,677 votes behind LaLota. Though absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day will continue to roll in, Gallant is apparently not holding out hope that absentees could turn the election in his favor.In a video posted to his social media accounts, Gallant said yesterday he had just called LaLota and congratulated him.“Last night, the voters of the First District made their decision, and I fully respect it,” Gallant said in the video.After thanking people who donated to or volunteered for his campaign and praising his campaign team, Gallant talked of the various people he got to meet while campaigning.“The things you told me about rent, property taxes, your parents’ healthcare, your kids leaving Long Island because they can’t afford to stay — those are the reasons why I ran, and those problems did not go away last night,” he said. “I’m disappointed. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But I am also very, very proud of what we accomplished.” LaLota declared victory late Tuesday night from the stage at Stereo Garden in Patchogue, the venue for the Suffolk County GOP’s election night gathering.***There’s still another spooky, smashing good time to be had in the Town of Riverhead. Bring your jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins to the town’s Youngs Avenue yard waste facility in Baiting Hollow this coming Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Riverhead Town’s Pumpkin Smash — every pumpkin will be composted on site.No candles, paint or plastic parts.Saturday’s event is free and open to all ages - rain or shine!Give them one last smash at this Saturday’s Riverhead Town Pumpkin Smash from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Yard Waste Facility, 532 Youngs Avenue, Baiting Hollow, NY 11933***For months, a 4.2-acre parcel of land at the corner of Peconic Road and Montauk Highway in Shinnecock Hills has sat vacant. Not far from a sign that says “Welcome to Hampton Bays, settled in 1780,” is another large sign. On a white background, in bright red letters, it reads “Development Opportunity: For Sale,” with a simple map of four subdivided lots.Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that until recently, that piece of land, known to some as the Spellman lot, looked like it was going to become yet another tract of open space mowed down to create more houses, likely for people who would not be year-round residents. But thanks to the hard work of the Niamuck Land Trust and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, that parcel now has a much different fate.Late last month, the DEC announced that it was awarding more than $25 million in open space conservation grants to 14 projects across the state that will directly contribute to the state’s open space conservation, climate resiliency and environmental justice goals.The Niamuck Land Trust was awarded $3,093,810, which enabled the nonprofit to purchase the Spellman lot.The Indigenous women-led nonprofit was founded in November 2021 by members of the Shinnecock Nation Graves Protection Warrior Society. Composed permanently and solely of enrolled members of the Shinnecock Nation, the board members of the Niamuck Land Trust are committed to working to “protect, preserve and purchase burial sites, and other culturally significant sites sacred to the Shinnecock Nation and their (our) neighboring Indigenous communities,” according to the organization’s mission statement. The land trust works to raise funds and other resources to facilitate land acquisitions and provide continued stewardship of the sites they acquire for preservation, ceremonial, and educational purposes. Tela Troge, an attorney and enrolled member of the Shinnecock Nation, is one of the land trust’s founding members. She points out that the preservation of the 4.2-acre parcel of land should not been seen solely as a victory for the Shinnecock Nation, but rather for everyone who lives on the East End and cares about the health and preservation of the environment.“This is something that benefits all of us, and it’s all of our responsibility to care for,” she said. “The area is critical for so many different species, marine life, plant life, the air we breathe, the water we drink. The more we can collectively preserve land, and find shared values, the better. Yes, we’re trying to preserve sacred land, where there were burials, but the impact and unintended consequences is that it’s extraordinarily beneficial to the environment and the ecosystem."***Last week, U.S. News and World Report, an independent organization that publishes reports and rankings on a variety of subjects, ranked Quogue School the No. 1 elementary school on Long Island, and No. 25 in New York State.Hope Hamilton reports on 27east.com that Quogue is a small, prekindergarten-to-sixth-grade school of only 117 students; older students in the Quogue School District are tuitioned out to Westhampton Beach School District. It was ranked against other New York elementary schools based on data from state test scores, particularly reading, math and English language arts. With respect to the statewide ranking, the 24 schools that are ranked above Quogue School are based in New York City.Quogue School Superintendent Jeffrey Ryvicker said, “I found the report amazing because while there are something like 650 public school districts in New York State outside of the city, there are many, many more elementary schools.”Ryvicker explained that while the kids aren’t necessarily made aware of their high state-test scores, the ranking is a testament to the families, alongside the faculty and staff, that make up the school district, and Quogue School’s continuous commitment to providing an enriching and “exceptional” education experience.“Our focus is the same at all times with respect to families, faculty and staff, and that’s to continue to build programs that meet the needs of all of our learners,” Ryvicker said. “It’s definitively not just the work of the school, but the work of everyone in our school community. Our families are such a big reason for our success.”Malissa Mangogna, the president of the Quogue School PTA, added that if the kids knew about their test scores, it might create a sense of pressure to do even better next year, and they don’t want to put that pressure on their students.“Without that pressure of saying, ‘Hey, you guys are number one; we have to keep it that way,’ the students just love doing the work,” Mangogna said. “That’s just how they are, and how the school environment is.”Mangogna added that a balance between academics and fun is incredibly important for the kids; support for that balance is what the PTA is all about.***The Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach will host a Kristallnacht commemoration with guest speaker Dr. Jens Jokisch, the consul general of Germany in New York, during Shabbat this Saturday, November 7, at 11 a.m.Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, was a state-sponsored pogrom against Jewish people and their homes, businesses and synagogues throughout Nazi Germany that took place November 9 and 10, 1938.The commemoration is sponsored by Janice...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s overwhelmingly victorious reelection yesterday accented a stunning series of Democratic election victories across the nation, a political shift that saw the party capture control of both the U.S. House and Senate.Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that what was essentially a voter referendum on President Donald Trump personally and his administration’s policies, led to wins by party moderates, as well as Democratic socialists across the country.In New York, Democrats chalked up victories to take a supermajority in the State Senate, including on Long Island, and a larger majority in the NYS Assembly.Long Island's targeted Democratic moderates Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) won their U.S. House races, despite Republican attempts to tie them to the left wing of their party. Republican Reps. Nick LaLota of Amityville and Andrew Garbarino of Bayport in once-safe Suffolk County districts, declared victory in closely contested battles where their opponents have not yet conceded.And progressive victories in New York City, while unsurprising, served to remind of a brewing generational shift, as well.It was the party’s Old Guard, though, personified by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, a New Yorker, that engineered what was only months ago widely believed to be an quixotic if not impossible effort to flip of the U.S. Senate’s GOP majority.Still, Schumer himself acknowledged last night "a generational remake of the Senate map that is going to change America now and on into the future."And Governor Hochul last night, in a speech after winning her second full term as governor by defeating Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, offered, "Together, New York Democrats are leading the way for a country that is hungry for progress and we’re giving people a reason to believe again."***A Democrat will hold the East End’s seat in the New York State Senate for the first time in 112 years. Maria Moore and Southampton Town Trustees win reelection and NYS Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota won new terms in office yesterday. However, as reported on 27east.com, even though 1st Congressional District incumbent LaLota…the Republican from Amityville…declared victory in his reelection bid, the Democratic Party challenger Chris Gallant of Amity Harbor has yet to concede, holding out for the final count of absentee ballots.As of 1:40 this morning, the Suffolk County Board of Elections showed that 6,677 votes separate the candidates. LaLota has 152,546 votes, or 51.09 percent, to Gallant’s 145,869, or 48.85 percent.At the Suffolk County Democrats’ election night gathering in Holtsville, Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chair Rich Schaffer said that Gallant “absolutely” has a chance to win.On the flip side, he indicated it was premature to declare Democrat Chris Murray the victor over incumbent Republican State Senator Anthony Palumbo.Murray’s lead stands at 4,064 votes. He has 62,408 votes, or 51.66 percent, to Palumbo’s 58,344, or 48.3 percent.Thus, three-term New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk appears to have lost his reelection bid to his Democratic challenger, Chris Murray, an attorney from Setauket.Murray would be the first Democrat to represent New York State’s 1st Senatorial District…which covers eastern Suffolk County…in more than a century.Palumbo, who is from the North Fork, has served in the State Senate since 2021, when he succeeded Kenneth P. LaValle, who held the seat for 33 years. A Democrat has not sat in the seat since 1914.***Southampton High School social worker Arlette Flores has been named the recipient of the Ruth Schwartz Award by the New York State School Social Workers’ Association, earning recognition as School Social Worker of the Year. The award recognizes her outstanding service, professionalism and dedication to the students and families of the Southampton School District.Flores has served the district since 2020, helping students and families navigate personal, academic and social challenges. Throughout her six years in the district, she has focused on building meaningful relationships and ensuring students feel heard, understood and supported, noted a press release from the school district.“I truly value the relationships I have built with students, families and colleagues and feel fortunate to be a part of a school community that recognizes the importance of supporting the whole child,” Flores said.***Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin won re-election yesterday, defeating Council Member Ken Rothwell 6,779 to 6,152.Halpin was elected in 2025 to a one-year term, abbreviated by the state’s Even-Year Election Law.An independent running on the Democratic line, he defeated then-incumbent Republican supervisor Tim Hubbard by 37 votes last year.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Halpin said last night he hopes his victory is a reflection of people willing to cross party lines to elect officials who will work together for the good of the town. As Riverhead Town Supervisor, Halpin is a voting member of the Town Board. The other four members are Republicans.Rothwell, a Republican, was re-elected as councilman in 2025 and was tapped to challenge Halpin this year.Meanwhile, Jack Motz reports on 27east.com, that incumbent East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez has coasted by a write-in campaign to win a third term in that office. The write-in campaign was backing East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen, who challenged Burke-Gonzalez during a Democratic primary contest earlier this year during which the incumbent supervisor comfortably prevailed. As of last night, Burke-Gonzalez, who was otherwise unopposed, tallied in at 6,664 votes, or 72 percent. Larsen’s name did not appear on the ballot, but there were 2,541 write-in votes — the vast majority of which were presumably for Larsen, given the campaign that his supporters had mounted. This clocks in at 28 percent.***Election Day 2026 in New York appeared to be as much a referendum on decisions from the White House as it was on policies from the State Capitol in Albany.James Barron reports in THE NY TIMES that Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, was elected to a second full term. She defeated her Republican challenger, Bruce Blakeman, who is the Nassau County executive and a longtime friend of President Trump’s. Hochul turned that friendship to her advantage. One of her television ads featured a puppeteer who said, “We don’t need a Trump puppet as governor.”Blakeman’s campaign focused on blaming Hochul for New York’s affordability crisis and for working with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who endorsed her last winter. Blakeman ran, and defended, campaign ads that were A.I.-generated fabrications — more than 20 since April, including one that appeared to show Hochul and Mamdani walking together in a park.Hochul wasn’t the only Democratic governor in the tri-state region to be re-elected. Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut won a third term. He is only the second Connecticut governor to do that in 200 years.***East End Arts in Riverhead holds a Steamroller Printmaking Festival this coming Saturday, Nov. 7 from 12 Noon to 4 p.m. at its community arts school at 206 Griffing Avenue in Riverhead. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that attendees will experience the excitement of large-scale printmaking outdoors, where artists will create giant woodblocks and then use an actual steamroller to press their designs onto paper. There will also be music, local vendors, and ways you can try printmaking for yourself.Saturday’s event is FREE and open to the public! You’re invited to come by and watch the artists at work, while celebrating creativity and community.Whether you’re an artist, a printmaking enthusiast, or you’ve never seen a steamroller make a piece of art before, there’s something exciting about watching these giant prints come to life.That’s East End Art’s Steamroller Printmaking Festival this coming Saturday from 12 Noon to 4 p.m. at its community arts school, 206 Griffing Avenue in Riverhead.***New York Governor Gov. Kathy Hochul sailed to re-election yesterday — decisively defeating the Republican challenger - Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.Vaughn Golden and Craig McCarthy report in THE NY POST that Governor Hochul is sure to immediately face pressure from the left-wing of the party — including NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his Democratic Socialists of America comrades — to fulfill their “tax the rich” wishes come the new legislative session in January.Mayor Mamdani endorsed Hochul and stumped with her in New York City in the final days of the campaign, appearing to give her a late boost with his base. “She has embraced new ideas,” the socialist mayor told the crowd, as he lauded his odd-couple “partnership” with the moderate Democrat, who cruised to a second, full four-year term. “She is navigating lawlessness for mass federal agents intent on rolling back our rights,” Mamdani railed, “Cruel budget cuts to Medicaid and SNAP by Republicans who only care about making the rich richer, and threats to the free infrastructure that powers our economy.”Hochul thanked Mamdani “for standing with me and bringing a whole new energy to New York City” as she took the stage shortly after 10:30 last night to Kelly Clarkson’s pop anthem “Stronger.”“This is how we take back our country,” she said, as she taunted President Trump.“He told New Yorkers to pretend he was on the ballot. Well, Mr....

Polls are now open across New York State for Election Day, following a stretch of nine days of early voting.To find your poll site, click here.Polls will be open throughout Long Island until 9 p.m., though you can still vote past 9 p.m. if you checked in before closing time and remain standing at a line.Those who feel they’re being stopped from voting can call a hotline by the New York Attorney General’s Office at (866) 390-2992 or click here to file a complaint.Across the East End today, American citizens will be voting for:NYS Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Senate, and Assembly candidates.On the federal level – voters will select a representative for the 1st Congressional District.Also, there are local races for Town Supervisor and various town and Suffolk County offices to be voted upon today.Meanwhile, Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that early voting in Suffolk County increased 82% over the last midterm election in 2022, according to data provided yesterday by the Suffolk County Board of Elections. More than 178,600 Suffolk residents voted early during the nine-day early-voting period that ended Sunday, compared with the 98,226 people who voted early in 2022.The increases come amid greater early-voting participation statewide. More than 1.7 million New Yorkers voted during the early-voting period, according to State Board of Elections data. In 2022, the statewide early in-person total was approximately 1.18 million.***The Suffolk County Water Authority has accepted a final environmental impact statement for its proposed North Fork water main, moving the controversial project through Riverhead closer to completing environmental review while a legal dispute over local zoning authority remains unresolved in court. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the SCWA board accepted the document Oct. 29. The board could adopt a formal findings statement as early as its November meeting, completing the review required under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, according to an Oct. 30 announcement.The project would carry water from SCWA’s existing supply system in Southampton through Riverhead to serve customers in Southold. No customer connections would be made within the Riverhead Water District service area.SCWA’s preferred route follows Cross River Drive from the Flanders Road area, passes beneath the Peconic River and turns east along Main Road toward Laurel. The approximately 7.2-mile, 24-inch transmission main would connect to existing SCWA infrastructure near Franklinville Road. A booster station would be built on authority-owned property near the southeast corner of Main Road and Cross River Drive.The authority announced the shift from Sound Avenue to Main Road in July, following objections from Riverhead officials and residents about traffic, construction disruption and effects on farms and tourism. The revised route is about a mile shorter. SCWA projects completion in 2028, compared with 2030 under its earlier plan.“This project is a requirement for the long-term sustainability of the North Fork,” SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz said in the Oct. 30 release.SCWA operates 60 wells across 18 well fields on the North Fork, serving approximately 9,500 customers. The authority says rising demand and the vulnerability of the area’s shallow aquifer to contamination and saltwater intrusion require a supplemental supply.Water delivered through the new main would come from existing permitted capacity in Southampton, according to SCWA. The authority says importing that water would reduce pressure on North Fork wells and help protect the local aquifer.SCWA’s announcement says the Main Road route would lower costs. However, the FEIS says that route is expected to cost more because of nighttime construction and roadway-restoration requirements, while offering hydraulic, operational, safety and water-quality advantages.***More than 100 high school students from across eastern Long Island are expected to attend the annual East End Youth Leadership Summit this coming Friday, November 6, at Suffolk County Community College’s Riverhead campus.Hosted by East End Partnership for Youth, the summit will run from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. this Friday and will feature interactive workshops and activities focused on mental health awareness, healthy relationships, communication, conflict resolution and creative expression.This year’s summit will also include QPR suicide prevention training.Organizers hope students will share what they learn with their peers, expanding mental health awareness and support in schools and communities across the East End.For more information, call 631-702-2425, or email [email protected].***Since joining Bridgehampton High School in 2010, math teacher Jeff Neubauer has striven to be the kind of educator he always wanted as a student.He has made his classroom “a place kids would want to be,” by playing music, offering food incentives around lessons and even creating an algebra-based video game.“The curriculum that needs to be covered before June can be a little stale so I’ve looked for ways to reach students in fun, creative ways,” Mr. Neubauer said. “When you get to know the kids more, you learn what they really enjoy. They love gaming, they love socializing.”Kevin J. Redding reports in NEWSDAY that last year, through a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, Neubauer began exploring using AI as a creative tool.He used ChatGPT and Gemini to turn Regents questions and common exam topics into a competitive trivia game for a history class he co-teaches.“I’m still a pen and pencil guy in the classroom, but in special education, I’ve found that technology is something they really gravitate to and feel comfortable in,” said Neubauer. “It just needs to be approached the right way.” Neubauer, 49, of East Quogue, also involved students in a shark-tagging event at the Long Island Aquarium, after which they helped analyze data collected from a recording device attached to a tiger shark for 24 hours.“Whether it’s a student, teacher or staff member, Jeff Neubauer is always willing to step up, share his knowledge, and find a way to help,” said John Reilly, a social studies teacher at Bridgehampton H.S. “He creates an environment where students aren’t afraid to make mistakes, ask questions, or take chances. Over time, that builds their confidence — not only in math, but in themselves as learners.”You may nominate the passionate, engaging and innovative educators of Long Island to be featured in NEWSDAY’s Teacher Spotlight series by sending details to [email protected].***The broad outlines of a plan to regulate formula and chain retail stores in downtown Sag Harbor have begun to take shape.Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that at Sag Harbor Village Hall last Thursday, environmental planning consultant Rich Warren of Inter-Science and his colleague Mike Schiano presented recommendations to the Sag Harbor Village Board for regulating such businesses — which many residents believe pose an immediate threat to the character and unique charm of the village center.The formula store workshop drew a standing-room-only crowd of residents and local business stakeholders, several of whom voiced their perspectives during a public comment period at the end of the session.After presenting several options the Village of Sag Harbor could pursue, Warren outlined what he views as the most prudent path forward and the municipal steps required to get there.Warren recommended that the village adopt a concrete definition of a formula business and establish an exclusion overlay district that would prohibit chain retailers on Main Street and Madison Street. Formula businesses seeking to open outside that designated core would be required to obtain a special permit.“If you’re going to regulate formula stores, you have to know what they are,” Warren said. He added that the village would also need to refine its existing code regarding change of tenancy — a task that Sag Harbor Village Attorney Liz Vail and Building Inspector Bruce Schiavoni would undertake together.Warren presented a draft map illustrating the boundaries of the proposed exclusion zone. Notably, the map did not include Long Island Avenue — including the parcels at 22 Long Island Avenue and 2 Main Street, which are in the early stages of a redevelopment proposal — nor did it incorporate Long Wharf or Bay Street. During public comment, multiple attendees urged the board to expand the district to cover those waterfront corridors as well.Next up, Warren will work alongside Vail to draft the precise code language, which is expected to be incorporated as a comprehensive plan amendment.Warren assured residents there will be ample time for public input before any measures are enacted. The Sag Harbor Village Board is scheduled to discuss the topic again at its November 10 work session. While public comment is not accepted during work sessions, formal public hearings will precede any official code revisions.***Heart of the Hamptons has received a $125,000 grant from the State of New York through the New York Providing Local Access to Essential Sustenance program, better known as NY PLATES, to fund the purchase of a mobile food pantry truck.Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the grant is part of $8.3 million...

Educators and nonprofit leaders on Long Island are working hard to ensure students are fed, amid an increased demand due to soaring grocery prices and tightened eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that approximately 53,000 children on Long Island are currently facing food insecurity — a 20% increase from last year, according to Island Harvest Food Bank.Gregory May, Island Harvest's director of government and community relations, said the nonprofit saw about 14,000 new visits to its member agencies, including food pantries and soup kitchens, across Nassau and Suffolk counties in June. The prior month, it saw about 10,000 new visits, while earlier in the year it averaged about 6,000 new visits.One factor is a decline in SNAP participation. Between July 2025 and July 2026, participation in New York dropped by more than 270,000 recipients since eligibility was tightened under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to a New York State comptroller report that cited data from the state's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.The federal changes included restrictions for certain legal immigrants and an expansion of work requirements."So between the increased cost — obviously Islandwide, nationwide — [and] the limiting of access to SNAP, all contribute to the increased need we’re seeing on Long Island," said May.Ensuring that students are fed is crucial for their academic success, said Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry New York, a national organization working to end childhood hunger and poverty."We know that when children have regular access to meals, they do better in school. They have higher attendance rates. They deal with less chronic health issues," she said.With grocery prices so high, families sometimes must choose between paying the bills or buying food, she said."For many families to be able to provide three nutritious meals a day is hard on their budgets, especially now as Long Islanders face an affordability crisis," Sabella said.National SNAP rollbacks are threatening school food programs across the country because funding is tied to the number of kids in SNAP and Medicaid, according to reports.Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is running for reelection, said in a recently issued news release that the state will continue to fund its universal free lunch program despite the federal cuts. State officials secured $395 million in next year’s budget for universal meals.***Early voting is over.Election Day 2026 is Tuesday, Nov. 3…that’s tomorrow!Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.Vote at your assigned polling place tomorrow. (Find your polling place here https://suffolkcountyny.gov/voterinformation.East end voters will be voting for town supervisors, a representative in Congress, state lawmakers, statewide officials and Suffolk County officials tomorrow.Meanwhile, Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the election system in the United States might just prove to be truly resilient after the polls close on Tuesday, two election experts agreed at a recent League of Women Voters forum.In the Sept. 30 virtual forum, “Voting Rights and the 2026 Midterms: Election Challenges, Threats and Integrity,” two prominent election law experts—David Becker and Jerry Goldfeder — both seemed optimistic about the American election process, which is overseen by individual states and run by local boards of election in what they believe will prove to be a resilient system. Mr. Becker is the founder and executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, based in Washington D.C., and Mr. Goldfeder is the director of the Voting Rights and Democracy Project at Fordham Law School.Mr. Becker said his optimism stems from the fact that courts have already blocked nearly all of the 30 cases the administration has filed challenging the election process.Since federal law bans massive changes to the voting process within 90 days of an election, Mr. Goldfeder added, it will be unlikely that any major legal challenge to the election process will emerge in this “quiet period.”Mr. Goldfeder was slightly more cautious.“Our insititutions are strong, and the reason they’re strong is because Americans are resilient,” he said. “The folks in Suffolk County can rest assured they have a Board of Elections that knows what its doing and has done it well for many years. They’re very professional. But nationwide, there will be problems throughout various polling places… If there’s a huge turnout and the margins are comfortable, there’s very little those who want to challenge elections can do. They can go to court, but they will fail.”***The East Hampton Healthcare Foundation will host a free community health fair this coming Friday, November 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 18 James Lane in East Hampton.Services will include flu shots, glucose and blood pressure screenings and applications for colorectal screenings. Appointments for no-cost mammograms and Pap tests will also be available for uninsured women over age 40.Representatives will provide information on health insurance, Sun River Health Care, OLA of Eastern Long Island, SNAP benefits, mental health resources for children and adolescents, Meals on Wheels, East Hampton Town Human Services and nutrition education through Cornell Cooperative Extension.Healthy refreshments will be served, and Friday’s event is open to the entire community.For more information, call 631-329-2425.***Immigrant workers…be they documented or not…are the lifeblood of Long Island restaurants, but the Trump administration’s deportation campaign has meant some have left and others aren’t showing up for work. As reported in NEWSDAY, the prospect of deportation also is chasing away customers at some restaurants that cater to immigrants. The loss of both workers and customers has added to the already burdensome business climate causing some Long Island restaurants to struggle.Since January 2025, ICE has arrested at least 2,980 people on Long Island, part of a mass deportation campaign the Trump administration has said is bringing more jobs and higher wages to American workers.But that has not happened for Long Island's restaurant industry, which relies on immigrants for customers and workers, and which has lost jobs and restaurants since the start of the crackdown.The sweeping immigration crackdown is threatening an industry already battling rising costs, labor shortages and a slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. On Long Island, where immigrant workers are essential to restaurant kitchens and immigrant customers sustain countless neighborhood businesses, the consequences range from staffing disruptions to empty tables. Even restaurants not touched directly by ICE arrests are feeling impacts. Some restaurant workers have left Long Island and the United States.There have been no published accounts of major raids on Long Island restaurants. Nor, owners and a restaurant industry trade group leader tell NEWSDAY, does there appear to have been a surge in federal audits of the employment eligibility forms known as I-9s, as has happened in recent years at restaurants in cities including Washington, D.C.In May, the Restaurant Association announced its support for the Dignity Act of 2025, proposed federal legislation which would, among other things, defer removal of some immigrants without legal immigration status who have lived in the United States since 2020, provided they work or attend school, pay restitution and satisfy other conditions. It would not provide a path to citizenship.Three of Long Island’s congressional representatives — Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre), Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) — are co-sponsors of the bill. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) is not. Garbarino chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees ICE as part of its jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security.***Jobless New Yorkers will be unable to receive or apply for benefits for a nine to 12-day period beginning today, as the state labor department overhauls its 50-year-old unemployment insurance system.Starting at 5 p.m. on Nov. 2…that’s this evening…and continuing for that nine to 12-day period, the New York State Department of Labor will pause unemployment services online and by phone.Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that during the period, people seeking benefits will be unable to file for unemployment, certify their benefits or access their accounts, officials said in September. Additionally, payments to benefit recipients will be late, though they will receive the back money once the upgrade is finished, officials said. Unemployed individuals seeking benefits are still expected to complete at least three job-hunting activities a week.The NYS Department of Labor will alert job seekers and businesses when the modernized system is ready and accessible again.The upgrade will mark a significant disruption in a vital safety net for job seekers, but state officials contend the revamp is needed for a system that "has struggled to meet the needs of the modern customer."The upgrade, the state said, will simplify businesses’ unemployment requirements, allow users to file claims on their smartphones and increase accessibility for people with disabilities.Among the changes to come in the upgraded system will be a prompt requiring job seekers to provide necessary documentation before they put in a claim. Missing information is

Teachers’ union leaders, parents and state lawmakers urged New York education officials to reject Riverhead Charter School’s five-year renewal Wednesday night, filling a Riverhead school board hearing with objections to charter-school funding, governance and the impact on public school district students.The room overflowed with attendees, many wearing bright yellow shirts imprinted with a “Long Island Against Charter Schools” logo.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Riverhead Charter School Superintendent Raymond Ankrum was the only speaker supporting renewal. While no speakers identified themselves as Riverhead Charter School parents, written submissions included parents describing children who were thriving at the school and staff defending its work.The Riverhead Board of Education was required by NYS law to hold the hearing but it has no authority to approve or deny the charter school’s renewal. The Board of Regents, which originally chartered Riverhead Charter School in 2001, will decide whether it can continue operating beyond June 2027.The proposed renewal would run from July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2032, authorizing classes from kindergarten through grade 12 and up to 1,244 students each year of the five-year charter. The state’s public notice lists no proposed charter revisions. The enrollment ceiling is the same one approved during the previous renewal.Yet the district was asked to hold the hearing without receiving the application itself.District Clerk Dawn Bozuhoski said 338 comments or letters had been received by the start of the hearing and would be submitted to the state with the transcript.The Riverhead School Board closed Wednesday’s hearing without substantive comment from trustees or the district superintendent. ***Early voting hours today are from 12 noon to 8 p.m.This Saturday and Sunday polls are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.No early voting on Monday, November 2.Election Day 2026 is next Tuesday; November 3, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. across Long Island.Meanwhile, Suffolk County’s new electronic voting machines, which combine digital touch-screen controls with a paper-ballot record, are getting their first major workout this Election Day season with anticipated high turnout for the first election cycle featuring national, statewide and local offices all on the same ballot.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the new machines were first deployed by the Suffolk County Board of Elections for the spring primaries and have been in use this week at 28 early voting sites.The Suffolk County Board of Elections has touted the new machines as a much more user-friendly format than the previous, awkwardly large ballot sheets that had to be marked in pen by voters and then fed into a scanner, which often led to complications when ballots were marked incorrectly and were threatening to become unwieldy with the large number of races now on the ballots since New York State forced town and county elections into the same cycle as state and federal races.But the new machines maintain a paper ballot that is cast by the voter — though not by hand — which voters have said they trust more than a purely digital tally.The Suffolk County BOE spent nearly $35 million on the new machines, called the ExpressVote XL, made by Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software.The county had been using the hand-marked paper ballots and scanners since 2011 and had been on the hunt for updated systems for several years. Elections boards in the state may only purchase equipment from vendors approved by the NYS Board of Elections, of which there are currently only four, according to county BOE Commissioner John Alberts.“The ES&S XL voting machines offer several significant advantages, including cost savings on preprinted ballots, the ability to accommodate multi-page ballots, and a user-friendly experience for voters,” he said. “These features were important considerations in identifying a modern, efficient, and cost-effective voting solution for Suffolk County.”***The Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons is urging pet owners to keep candy and other potentially toxic treats away from their animals.ARF recommends storing candy and cannabis products securely, keeping trick-or-treat bags out of pets’ reach and disposing of wrappers in secure trash containers. Owners should also be vigilant during walks, particularly in areas where discarded treats may be found.If a pet is suspected of ingesting chocolate, xylitol, raisins, THC or an unknown substance, ARF advises contacting a veterinarian or emergency veterinary hospital immediately, without waiting for symptoms to appear. Pet owners should not attempt to induce vomiting without veterinary guidance.“Halloween should be fun for the whole family, including our pets,” said Kim Nichols, executive director of ARF Hamptons. “A little extra vigilance, both at home and on our walks, can make all the difference.”***A $50 million plan to raze and replace an overpass bridge in Hampton Bays four years from now, with detours into neighborhood streets, has sparked an uproar in the Town of Southampton over fears of worsening already severe traffic conditions.Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that Suffolk County is planning to replace the bridge, which is on Montauk Highway in eastern Hampton Bays and carries the road over Long Island Rail Road tracks. The plan would divert traffic for roughly eight months, beginning in the fall or winter of 2030, with the new bridge scheduled to be finished by the following summer. Suffolk County officials plan to send traffic onto neighborhood roads south of the highway, adding temporary traffic signals along the route.Hampton Bays residents said the plan is likely to worsen an already difficult traffic situation. Montauk Highway is one of two routes across the Shinnecock Canal that drivers use to travel to and from the South Fork, making it a major artery into the Hamptons. The two-lane road is often congested during peak hours, and residents are worried the 1½-mile detour would bring much more spillover traffic onto their streets.A civic group has asked the county to consider alternatives to the detour, including construction of a temporary bridge."If you have two major roadways and you're removing one of them, the obvious answer is put in a temporary roadway," Michael McCullough, vice president of the Hampton Bays Civic Association, told NEWSDAY.County officials have said a temporary bridge is too costly and impractical.Michael Martino, a Suffolk County spokesman, said officials “evaluated a temporary parallel bridge but determined it was not feasible because of limited right-of-way, utilities, nearby homes and the challenges of working over active LIRR tracks.”County officials hope to minimize the detour’s impact by containing it to the Hamptons' traditional offseason. The demolition and detours are planned for after Labor Day 2030. The plan is to complete the work before the summer crush begins again on Memorial Day 2031. Martino said the project is expected to cost roughly $50 million and be funded primarily by the Federal Highway Administration.Charlie Bartha, commissioner of the county's department of public works, said in a statement that the project “is moving forward" and design plans are being drawn, which will go to the state and other entities for approvals."As the design takes shape, we are listening to the community. Feedback from residents, businesses, and commuters will be reviewed and incorporated wherever feasible and to minimize the project's impact on traffic," Bartha said.The overpass, built in 1934 and last rehabilitated in 1988, has the lowest condition rating of any county-maintained bridge, officials from Suffolk's department of public works said during a presentation in July. It does not meet current engineering standards — its bearings are dysfunctional and it’s susceptible to earthquake damage, according to county officials.***Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore agreed this week to discuss a proposed law drafted by Latino advocacy group Organización Latino Americana - OLA of Eastern Long Island guiding how local law enforcement will respond to federal immigration actions.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the OLA law was drafted early in 2026 by former New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Jr. of Sag Harbor in response to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions on the east end during the second Trump administration.The law guides how local law enforcement will respond to keep the peace during I.C.E. deployment; outlines a clear chain of command between town leaders and police; and a framework for a local committee that will discuss best practices for towns to respond to immigration raids.The Town and Village of East Hampton have since both drafted local laws using the OLA law as a template, while the Town of Southold enacted many of the law’s tenets through a resolution in August. The Riverhead Town Board has refused to meet with OLA to discuss the law in a public work session.Several OLA supporters, staff members and a crew of high school students from the Ross School asked the Southampton Town Board to consider the law — which was first presented by OLA to municipal governments across the East End eight months ago — at the board’s Oct. 27 meeting.Supervisor Moore said she hoped to meet with OLA Executive Director Minerva Perez and Southampton Town Council Member Michael Iasilli next week.“It’s not as if we haven’t given it...

AI chatbots will be banned from feigning human emotions in conversations with kids, under a new law signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Wednesday.Vaughn Golden and Kevin Sheehan report in THE NY POST that Governor Hochul approved a series of measures regulating how artificial intelligence chatbots interact with minors and implementing safety requirements on baby monitors that are connected to the internet.“I’m not sure why we have to pass a law against something so obvious, but no longer will minors have access to chatbots that may in any way encourage thoughts of suicide,” Hochul told reporters.The incumbent Democrat touted the measures meant to put safeguards on AI and rein in other “big tech” concerns, in a conspicuous move made less than a week before her election against Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman.The two bills, Hochul said, would prevent “horror stories” like the case of Adam Raine, a California 16-year-old who was allegedly driven to kill himself by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which even offered to help him write a suicide note.The other bill Hochul signed on Wednesday demands manufacturers of internet-enabled baby monitors implement safeguards so creeps can’t use them to spy.Governor Hochul was quickly blasted by Tech:NYC, a group repping Empire State technology companies, for signing what it called a √ bill on the chatbots.“This bill could force companies to restrict minors’ access to tutoring tools, homework help, coding assistants, and, arguably worst of all, career platforms — cutting our youngest New Yorkers off from resources that support their education and prepare them for the workforce,” the group wrote.Hochul has signed several measures meant to rein in how social media companies and tech interests gear their products towards children, such as limiting “addictive” algorithms.***Suffolk County Transit has launched a weekday express bus route between Riverhead and Hicksville, offering riders limited-stop service along the Long Island Expressway for $2.25 per one way trip.The Long Island Express began operating this past Monday, with westbound trips during the morning peak period and eastbound return trips in the afternoon. Buses use the expressway’s HOV lane.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that morning trips begin at the Riverhead Long Island Rail Road station and end at the Hicksville LIRR station. Afternoon trips depart from Hicksville and conclude in Riverhead. The service does not operate on weekends or holidays, according to the announcement by Suffolk County.The route includes stops in Medford, Farmingville, Ronkonkoma, Islandia and Hauppauge, as well as the Route 110 park-and-ride and Broadway Mall, according to Suffolk County Transit’s route information.County Executive Ed Romaine announced the route is intended to help ease traffic congestion and give East End residents another commuting option.“With the Long Island Express, motorists now have another sensible option to commute from the East End to the west in a simple and convenient manner,” Romaine said.The $2.25 fare is Suffolk County Transit’s standard full one way fare. Bus and LIRR fares are paid separately, with no transfer fare arrangement between the two systems. Riders can purchase mobile tickets through Suffolk County Transit’s FastFare app.Schedules and route details are available at sctbus.org/Route-HOV.***Suffolk County Legislator Ann E. Welker presented a proclamation to Southampton Village Police Department K-9 Topper in recognition of his retirement after eight years of service.Topper, a German shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix born in the Czech Republic, completed extensive training with Officer James Moore through the Suffolk County Police Department’s K-9 section.As the only police K-9 serving the East End, Topper and Moore assisted law enforcement agencies from Manorville to Montauk. Their work included apprehending suspects, locating missing people, finding evidence and contributing to significant narcotics discoveries.Beyond his police work, Topper also makes public appearances and interactions with community members.“It is my honor to present Southampton Village Police Department’s K-9 Topper with this proclamation on the occasion of his retirement,” Welker said, recognizing his dedication and positive impact on the community.***Latino voters on Long Island are divided on immigration and deportation tactics, with some supporting Republicans for their strict immigration policies, while others are turning to Democrats due to concerns over aggressive deportation efforts under President Donald Trump. Joe Werkmeister and Bart Jones report in NEWSDAY that with early voting underway ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the fight to secure Latino votes remains central in the gubernatorial race between incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive.In interviews with a dozen people in Long Island's largest Latino neighborhoods, many Democratic-leaning voters cited the deportation tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and immigration as a top issue alongside affordability in the runup to the election, while some residents who previously supported Trump — who made gains with Latino voters when he won the White House in 2024 — say they still do support the president.Hochul has maintained the Trump administration’s illegal immigration enforcement approach is over the top, while Blakeman says federal cooperation — including an agreement he signed last year with ICE that's since been terminated — is needed in areas where immigrants are found to commit crimes. Luis Montes, a Brentwood-based political analyst and a Democrat, said he expects Democrats to make gains among Latino voters, but it may not be as big of a wave as some party leaders hope."I think that [Trump] has lost a lot of the support" of Latinos on Long Island, especially among Central Americans since they have been hit particularly hard by the Trump administration's deportation campaign, Montes said.Walter Mejia, a Patchogue resident who heads New York Republican Latinos, said he thinks support for Trump and Republicans will remain strong among Latinos on Long Island largely because Trump has cracked down on illegal immigration."I think a lot of people feel it is unfair that undocumented migrants come to New York State especially, and the country in general, and our tax dollars go to them," he said.He and his parents came to the United States legally from El Salvador and, like other Latinos who did so, resent people coming here illegally, he said.Early voting hours today and tomorrow are from 12 noon to 8 p.m.This coming Saturday and Sunday polls are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.No early voting on Monday, November 2.Election Day is Tuesday; November 3, 2026 when polls will be open from 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. across Long Island.***The affordable housing development on Northville Turnpike planned by Georgica Green Ventures in partnership with First Baptist Church in Riverhead has been awarded $3.67 million through the state’s Long Island Investment Fund, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced yesterday.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that plans for Northville Commons call for approximately 80 subsidized rental apartments, five owner-occupied condominiums, a community center, and other uses on a 12.5-acre site adjacent to the church.The development, which carries an approximately $56 million price tag, would provide rental housing for households earning between 50% and 80% of the area median income. Twenty apartments would be reserved for individuals with disabilities.The project includes more than $7 million in infrastructure improvements, including sewer and water service, parking and lighting, the announcement said. Georgica Green Ventures {GGV} in July 2025 received a $1 million state infrastructure grant awarded in July 2025. Northville Commons has a change of zone application pending before the Town of Riverhead, seeking application of the Community Benefit Zoning Overlay District to its Northville Turnpike site. The developer filed the application on Oct. 22 and filed the required Environmental Assessment Form Tuesday, Riverhead Town Senior Planner. Greg Bergman said yesterday. The application is under review by the town. The overlay zoning district was adopted in 2016. It specifies eligibility criteria for the overlay. The Riverhead Town Board on Sept. 3, 2025 approved changes to the overlay district requested by the developer in June 2023, after GGV joined the project as developer.The current award to GGV is part of more than $32 million awarded to six housing developments across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Together, the projects would create 899 housing units, including 482 affordable units, and represent more than $529 million in total investment, according to the state.***A local tradition brings residents together in the Springs community for breakfast. The Springs Fire Department’s weekly Sunday morning breakfast is back, offering the tight-knit Springs community a chance to connect and reset before a busy week ahead while also supporting the local fire department’s ongoing needs.Running from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., the Sunday morning breakfasts continue through March, providing locals with a regular gathering place during the colder months. Breakfast is priced at $15 per person. Many regular attendees join week to week, but the Fire Department hopes to...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has asked the Trump administration to approve financial aid for Long Island municipalities slammed by last month's nor’easter, which caused widespread flooding and disrupted travel and utility services in both Nassau and Suffolk counties.Nicholas Grasso reports in NEWSDAY that Governor Hochul requested for President Donald Trump to declare the Sept. 26 and 27 storm a major disaster so local governments and nonprofits can apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal funds “for debris removal, protective measures, and repairs to public buildings and infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water and wastewater treatment facilities, critical infrastructure sites, schools, parks and other facilities,” the governor’s office said in a news release.Working with both counties, FEMA and the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services determined the storm, which coincided with a full moon, wrought enough damages to warrant Hochul to seek federal aid, according to the release.The National Weather Service recorded 3.32 inches of rain on Sept. 26 and 27 at Islip. Isolated areas received more than 6 inches of precipitation, causing “flash flooding in low-lying areas and exacerbated the coastal flooding and wind impacts,” according to Hochul's office.Winds in excess of 50 mph blew through Nassau, while gusts stronger than 65 mph battered Suffolk, Newsday reported at the time. Aggressive waves that delighted surfers carved sand from South Shore beaches. Flooding suspended Long Island Rail Road service. Ordinary streets were more easily passable by kayak than Cadillac. Downed trees and power lines cut off roadways as well as power for more than 124,000 PSEG Long Island customers, according to the utility provider.Hochul, who declared a state of emergency on the eve of the storm, said the fall weekend nor'easter was the “latest in a series of severe weather to impact downstate, and I thank our first responders and emergency management officials for their efforts to keep New Yorkers safe throughout the storm.”Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine told Newsday federal dollars would help repair hard-hit areas like Smith Point County Park in Shirley and Dunne Road in Southampton Town.“This is an important step to help people address any damage that was caused by yet another punishing storm,” Romaine added in a statement shared through spokesperson Mike Martino.***A federal grant worth over half a million dollars that Southampton Village received through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is now in flux after the Village Board identified what board members described as language that was unacceptable to them and in violation of New York State law. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the board previously voted unanimously at its October 8 meeting to accept the $560,000 grant, but reversed course at its October 20 meeting and voted unanimously to reject the grant. Mayor Bill Manger said that this vote was taken ahead of the village’s original deadline of Thursday, October 22.But since last week, the Village of Southampton received an extension from the federal government and now has until December 15 to decide whether it will accept or reject the grant, which was intended to fund the purchase of 56 new tri-band portable radios that will be equipped in the emergency vehicles of the Southampton Fire Department and the Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance.Manger said that there were conditions of accepting the grant that the village did not see until they got the final documentation, upon which Southampton Village Attorney Eileen Powers looked at it and said that there may components of it that are not legal under New York State law.“It had to do with that the police department would have to cooperate on federal matters within the village,” he said in a follow-up call. “And it was Eileen’s understanding that maybe that had been prohibited by New York State law, so that was the main component that there was some concern.”Manger did not specify what state law Powers thought that accepting the grant would violate but in August, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act” into law, which prohibits local law enforcement agencies from entering into arrangements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have local officers perform the duties of federal immigration officers. So, is this the issue causing the Southampton Village Board to hesitate accepting a $560,000 federal grant?7:33am - 7:34amMore than 100 high school students from across eastern Long Island are expected to attend the annual East End Youth Leadership Summit on Friday, November 6, at Suffolk County Community College’s Riverhead campus.Hosted by the East End Partnership for Youth, the summit will run from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m…a week from this Friday…and will feature interactive workshops and activities focused on mental health awareness, healthy relationships, communication, conflict resolution and creative expression.With a grant from Paddlers for Humanity, this year’s summit will also include QPR suicide prevention training. The program teaches participants to recognize warning signs, offer support and connect people who may be struggling, with appropriate resources.Organizers hope students will share what they learn with their peers, expanding mental health awareness and support in schools and communities across the East End.The East End Partnership for Youth is a coalition of organizations focused on positive youth development. Participating groups include Family Service League, i-tri, HUGS Inc., the Town of Southold, Riverhead CAP, Southampton Youth Bureau, Paddlers for Humanity and Our Fabulous Variety Show.For more information, call 631-702-2425, or email [email protected].***An independent political committee is mounting a campaign to write-in Jerry Larsen for East Hampton Town supervisor, months after the East Hampton Village mayor lost a Democratic primary to Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez.Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the write-in bid aims to capture the votes of Larsen-supporting Democrats, as well as Republicans and independents who were unable to vote in the June 23 primary. Burke-Gonzalez, the incumbent, defeated Larsen with 61.7% of the 3,426 votes cast.Burke-Gonzalez is the only candidate on the ballot for East Hampton Town supervisor. Republicans declined to name a candidate.Larsen said he is not actively campaigning and is not coordinating with the committee. He said he would serve if elected."I'm humbled by it," Larsen, 62, told NEWSDAY. "I think it's a very uphill battle to try to do this, but I have to commend the people for trying."Burke-Gonzalez, 65, did not address the write-in campaign in a text to NEWSDAY. She said she is "eager to earn every vote in November as the Democrat and Working Families-endorsed candidate this general election."The campaign has become increasingly visible in recent weeks, with signs urging voters to write in Larsen popping up along roads and ads appearing in local newspapers ahead of this coming Tuesday's general election.Jacki Esposito, a Springs resident and founder of the Write-In Jerry Larsen Committee, said the bid will "give voice to the thousands of residents who have yet to cast a vote in the supervisor race.""We are targeting every voter because the premise here is the current town government is broken, and we believe, that regardless of party affiliation, people recognize that here," Esposito said. ***Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul has increased her lead to 14 points over Republican Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, according to a new poll today, and has improved her standing in key categories, including independents and upstate voters.Yancey Roy reports in NEWSDAY that with a week to go in the campaign for governor, Hochul leads Blakeman, 54% to 40%, the Siena University poll said, an increase from her 9-point margin in the university’s poll a month ago. That margin matches a Quinnipiac poll from last week.Besides the overall number, there were some notable shifts within the trend.Regionally, the poll shows Hochul’s lead has grown in New York City’s five boroughs from 34 points last month to 44 now (67%-23%), while little has changed in the metropolitan suburbs (Hochul leads by 2).But in Republican-rich upstate — which analysts have said Blakeman needs to win by 15 percentage points — Hochul has moved from 3 points down to 1 point up (49%-48%).Also, independent voters would appear to have shifted to Hochul in the final month: From favoring Blakeman by 5 points to favoring Hochul by 11 (51%-40%)."Heading into the final stretch, Hochul has a 14-point lead, with Blakeman quickly running out of time to close a gap that is growing rather than narrowing," Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.Siena surveyed 807 likely voters across the state from Oct. 19-22. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points, meaning the answer to each question could vary that much.In another shift, Hochul received a better than 50% "favorability rating" from New York voters for the first time since she ascended from the lieutenant governor post in 2021 after Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor. The poll said 51% of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of the governor and 45% unfavorable.By 48% to 28%, voters said President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Blakeman has been a negative for the Nassau Republican’s campaign.Democratic incumbents lead the other statewide contests as well, according to...