Author Information

David E. Rattray
Editor

631-324-0002
editor@ehstar.com

Instagram

Articles by this author:

  • The Mast-Head: The Missing Press
    Not that I want to talk politics (we’ve all heard enough), but November’s election surprise did give me pause. Polls aside, why most of the national media missed the scale of Donald Trump’s strength among voters might be explained by the long and ongoing decline of regional and small-city newspapers, which in their heyday might have noticed.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • The Mast-Head: One Cold Morning
    The heat went out at home on Sunday night, though I did not mention it before bedtime. Instead, I put a space heater in the coldest bedroom of the house and hoped the rest of the rooms would not get too cold before a repairman arrived in the morning.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • The Mast-Head: The Roots of Hate
    Laura Ingraham, the right-wing radio and television personality, is on a shortlist of people being considered as Donald Trump’s press secretary, at least that is what the news media said Monday.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • The Mast-Head: A Clamming Truth
    One of the puzzles about clamming is how slowly it goes at the start. It happens almost every time: No matter when or where I go, after I step into the water and drop my rake I find nothing for several long minutes. Then, there is a familiar clunk as the tines of the rake strike the first clam, and then another, and it is on. This may reflect some kind of truth about nature and humankind, but I’m not sure what that may be.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • Latinos Respond To Trump Victory
    In his victory speech on election night, Donald Trump called on America to “bind the wounds of division” and “come together as one united people,” but with his anti-immigrant rhetoric on the campaign trail still resonating, his election has struck a note of fear and uncertainty for many.
    By:
  • The Mast-Head: Wrong by Half
    Leo the pig has put on quite a few pounds since the last time I wrote about him. As pigs do, he grew fat this spring and summer, grazing on the lawn, then munched with pleasure on the black cherries, acorns, and beach plums that reached the ground in the fall.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • The Mast-Head: Hook Pond and the Club
    News that the Maidstone Club, having just gotten a new irrigation system in place for its golf course, now wants to build a new bridge over an upper reach of Hook Pond reminded me of my childhood in East Hampton Village. In those days, the mid-1970s, we could roam a lot more freely than kids can today.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • The Mast-Head: Morning Prognosis
    “Enjoy the good part of global warming!” some­one in the morning crew at the coffee shop said this week.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • The Mast-Head: Message for Surfers
    For those who surf, like me, there should be a moment when we realize that waves like those generated by distant hurricanes which are so pleasurable to us meant death and property loss to others. The paradox should come with a sense of obligation.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • The Mast-Head: On Everyone’s Mind
    A funny thing happened on the way to the Concerned Citizens of Montauk forum. I had been invited to take part by its president, Jeremy Samuelson, and had expected the subject for Saturday’s discussion might include summertime crowds, water quality, and short-term rentals. But as it turned out, the nearly two-hour meeting centered on only one thing: the United States Army Corps of Engineers sandbag seawall.
    By: David E. Rattray

Blogs by this author:

  • Man Struck and Killed on County Road 39 (News)
    County Road 39 in Southampton was closed on Thursday morning after a Pennsylvania man was struck and killed at approximately 2:30 a.m.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • Deepwater Forum Saturday (Archive)
    Panelists at the East Hampton Library will include representatives of the Deepwater Wind company that hopes to build the wind farm, environmental groups, and the commercial fishing industry.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • Saturday March for School Safety (News)
    Inspired by similar events called for in cities and towns around the country, a gathering to protest gun violence in schools will be held at the windmill at Long Wharf in Sag Harbor on Saturday at 11 a.m.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • Snow Remains in Overnight Forecast (Archive)
    The weather service said that snow could be heavy at times, ending around 5 a.m. on Thursday, with 6 to 10 inches possible.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • Snow and Freezing Rain Predicted Tuesday Night (Archive)
    Yet another wintery storm, this one on the first day of spring, will hit the East End of Long Island on Tuesday night.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • Snowy Forecast Shuts Schools, Town Hall (Archive)

    East Hampton Town Hall and all nonessential government services will be closed on Tuesday, as a late-winter storm that could bring about half a foot of snow hits the East End. Scheduled meetings were canceled, according to a message posted on the town website,

    Southampton Town government has taken the day off. Schools on the South Fork are closed as well. East Hampton Village Hall will be closed.

    Tuesday's South Fork forecast is for heavy snow at times with wind gusting to 45 miles per hour. Conditions are expected to improve by about 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

    By: David E. Rattray
  • Democratic Primary Debate Rescheduled (Archive)

    The six declared candidates for the Democratic nomination to challenge Representative Lee Zeldin in November are to appear in a forum on Friday at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church on Montauk Highway in Amagansett.

    The forum is being organized by the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee and will begin at 6:30 p.m. It had been originally scheduled for March 2 but was canceled at the last minute due to a coastal storm with winds that reached 60 miles per hour.

    Kate Browning, Perry Gershon, Vivian Viloria-Fisher, Bruce Miller, David Pechefsky, Brendon Henry, and Elaine DiMasi are expected to attend.

    By: David E. Rattray
  • Route 114 to Get Limited Repairs (News)

    It has been at least 15 years since the pothole-studded main road between East Hampton Village and Sag Harbor was resurfaced, and a winter that went from frigid to wet only did more damage. New York State authorities announced on Monday that the worst portions of Route 114 would be repaired before summer.

    By: David E. Rattray
  • Seed Swap Saturday in Riverhead (Garden, News)
    An all-day program of presentations, panel discussions, and a seed swap will take place on Saturday at the Riverhead campus of Suffolk Community College.
    By: David E. Rattray
  • Full Moon and an Open Field (News, Outdoors)
    The Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt will take to the open fields of Bridgehampton this evening at 6:30 for a leisurely hike under the full moon, the second of the month, known as a blue moon.
    By: David E. Rattray