Government

With more than a fair share of snow this winter, the question on the minds of members of the Sag Harbor Village Board is how to keep the sidewalks in the village free of it.

A snowy owl found dead near Louse Point on Jan. 17 died of bird flu, the State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed. There have been reports of it in clusters of Canada geese and cormorants this year as well.

The East Hampton Village Board abandoned a proposal that would have extended the prohibition of animals and trucks on its beaches from the current date of Sept. 15 to Columbus Day.

It was a day for goodbyes to long-serving staffers when the East Hampton Village Board met on Friday, as the retirements of Ralph Gibson, medical director, and Jeff Verity, of the Department of Public Works, were reluctantly accepted.

The Trump administration’s move this month to allow commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, 130 miles off Cape Cod, was welcomed by commercial fishing interests last week.

The Jerry Larsen for Supervisor campaign committee gave back an undisclosed sum of money to donors this week, after the Suffolk County Democratic Committee accused the campaign on Feb. 4 of accepting donations in excess of what is allowed by law.

East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen, who is running a Democratic primary campaign against Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the incumbent, has backed a full slate of 38 challengers to the current Democratic Committee, with hopes to unseat as many members as possible.

One of the worst snowstorms to ever hit Long Island, dropping the most snow since 1963, blasted the East End, leading to power outages and overwhelming East Hampton Town’s fleet of snowplows.

Suffolk County has issued a travel ban on top of its blizzard warning for Sunday night through at least midday Monday, with snow totals of 15 to 20 inches possible and high winds expected. East Hampton Town declared a state of emergency and has extended its travel ban through 9 p.m. Monday.

A proposal to place a full-service car wash at 238 Springs-Fireplace Road was in front of the East Hampton Town Planning Board last week for the first time in six years, needing site plan approval and a special permit.

Terminally ill patients now have the option to receive medical aid in dying, or euthanasia, in New York State, after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law early this month. But some see complications.

As the Trump administration’s assault on the offshore wind industry continues, developers of the 12-turbine South Fork Wind farm are pointing out that it generated electricity on 99 percent of all days in 2025.

The proposed Springs Brewery traded a big problem — being labeled a bar — for a relatively smaller problem involving total lot coverage, after its owners met with the East Hampton Town Planning Board last week.

Hamptons Pride is inching closer to the realization of its founding project — a historical marker that would bolster and preserve the legacy of the Swamp, “the last and longest-running gay club in the Hamptons.”

A homeowner’s application for multiple variances and a wetlands permit drew extensive questioning from the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals, including concerns about the potential impacts on a nearby residence and on the neighborhood character.

The Poxabogue Golf Center, which also includes the Fairway restaurant, a popular breakfast spot with locals, is in the midst of renovations, as evidenced by a high chain-link fence surrounding the Sagaponack facility.

In what is being described by some Sag Harbor residents as a great loss, the Southampton Town Board voted on Tuesday to eliminate a special parking accommodation that’s been on the books for over 40 years.

Thus far, one big advantage Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez has received from becoming the chosen candidate of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee at its Jan. 14 nominating convention is that it and the Suffolk County Democratic Committee have since been attacking her primary opponent, Village Mayor Jerry Larsen.

Circuit, a ride share service born in East Hampton that has expanded to 50 cities in seven states, may be coming to Sag Harbor by Memorial Day weekend.

At the inaugural meeting of East Hampton Town’s newly reconstituted Latino advisory committee, much of the discussion centered around the local police force and its potential role should federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement action accelerate on the East End.

A house on stilts at the end of Mulford Lane on Napeague has now completely succumbed to the icy waters of Gardiner’s Bay.

As they look to move closer to reopening the east channel of Napeague Harbor, the East Hampton Town Trustees voted on Monday to hire George Walbridge Surveyors to provide updated baseline mapping and conduct upland topographic and other surveys.

In discussing the devastation wrought by the invasive southern pine beetle on pine trees in Hither Hills and Napeague State Parks, state officials sent a message of resilience and the promise that “we are going to make a new forest, and it’s going to be great.” That effort starts Friday with a controlled burn.

With dangerous cold and high winds expected Saturday, East Hampton Town and Village will have a number of warming centers open, from libraries to the Emergency Services Building.

The town’s Building Department will be moving to a new suite at 300 Pantigo Place. “This will allow for scalability if more staffing is potentially requested,” Councilman David Lys said. This comes as the department works to solve ongoing staffing issues and process a backlog of hundreds of permit applications that is frustrating building professionals.

Some Sag Harbor residents could find themselves having to purchase nonresident beach parking passes if a proposed amendment to the Southampton Town code passes. The passes would cost $500.

A United States District Court has granted a preliminary injunction allowing construction of the 924-megawatt Sunrise Wind farm in federal waters east of Montauk Point to continue. It will generate electricity sufficient to power nearly 600,000 residences.

How the public will use the town’s $56 million C.P.F. purchase at 66 Main Street in Wainscott came into slightly clearer focus as Scott Wilson, the land acquisition director, presented final edits on a draft management plan for the property, which will be the topic of a public hearing on March 19.

Jerry Larsen’s campaign touted $132,000 raised between Sept. 9 and Dec. 16 last year, calling it “the largest fund-raising total ever recorded” in a race for the East Hampton Town supervisor seat. Some donors gave as much as $5,000, which the Suffolk County Democratic Committee alleges violated state election law. 

A much-photographed house on stilts that was surrounded by water since around 2004 fell into Gardiner’s Bay last weekend when the pilings holding the abandoned house, perched off the end of Mulford Lane on Napeague, snapped. On Friday, it slipped further into the frozen water.