Nearly a month into the school year, the Tuckahoe Common School District sits at a three-way intersection as administrators contemplate the road ahead. Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that the first option is the status quo: to remain a prekindergarten-through-eighth grade school and send students on to Southampton or Westhampton Beach high schools. The second would be to merge with the Southampton School District — a move that failed in 2014 public vote . And the third option is to dissolve the current common school district and recreate it as a union free school district — which would allow Tuckahoe to partner with the Shinnecock Nation to build a high school. This past Monday, at a Tuckahoe School Board meeting, Superintendent Len Skuggevik presented a vision of what a future Tuckahoe High School could look like — its offerings and location on the Stony Brook Southampton campus — and a condensed pathway to get there, should a feasibility study prove that it makes financial and educational sense for the community. “I need everybody to know that what we are presenting tonight is a draft, and just a draft,” he said.
By the end of December, Governor Kathy Hochul will consider a bill that would allow Tuckahoe Common School District to hold a referendum to reorganize as a union free school district. Co-sponsored by Republican State Senator Anthony Palumbo and Democratic Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., the bill — if signed into law by the governor — would order a feasibility study to be completed before a public vote, which would include current and projected student enrollments and staffing; a plan for educational programs, curriculum and transportation; and the fiscal implications of the reorganization, such as changes in state aid, expenditures and local taxes.
“I can tell you, the nation is on board with this,” Lance Gumbs, vice chairman of the Shinnecock Nation Council of Trustees, said. “If it’s the move forward the community here in Tuckahoe really wants…we can provide a lot of resources and a lot of assets to bring this to fruition.”
After a four-year court battle, the Diocese of Rockville Centre has reached an agreement with hundreds of survivors of clergy sexual abuse that calls for the church to pay a total of just over $323 million, officials said in federal bankruptcy court yesterday. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that while some steps remain to finalize the deal, the lead attorney for the diocese indicated that an agreement had been reached. "After nearly four years ... we do have a global resolution," Corrine Ball told U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan.
The agreement would benefit more than 500 people who have filed lawsuits against the diocese contending they were sexually abused by clergy when they were children. The Rockville Centre diocese is home to 1.2 million Catholics, and is the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the nation to declare bankruptcy.
The diocese in a statement Thursday said it was "grateful that preliminary terms have been agreed upon for the settlement of our bankruptcy case. For the sake of survivors and the Church's mission on Long Island, we pray that the plan is approved and completed as quickly as possible."
Richard Tollner, who heads the committee of survivors in the bankruptcy proceedings, said he generally supported the agreement after years of hard work to make it happen.
The long court battle "has been harsh on victims and their families," he said. "We look forward to full cooperation by the Diocese and all its representatives in reaching the finish line."
The diocese said the total payout would be just over $323 million. The diocese, parishes and other related entities will contribute $234.8 million, with some of the money raised from sales of diocesan property. Insurance companies will contribute just over $85 million. Counsel for the Creditor's Committee, a legal firm that represents the interests of the survivors, will contribute $3 million.
"All participated in order to help offer equitable compensation to survivors and move this difficult ordeal towards a conclusion," the statement said.
Hamptons Doc Fest invites middle and high school students on the East End of Long Island to participate in an exciting new documentary short film competition, honoring the “Hometown Heroes” who have made a significant impact in their lives and communities.
As reported on 27east.com, students are asked to create a documentary short (5 to 10 minute) film that showcases a “Hometown Hero,” anyone from nurses and doctors to teachers, family members, athletes, or artists who have inspired the student. All films must be original and created solely by the student applicant.
Applications will close on Friday, October 11. Entries will be judged by members of the Hamptons Doc Fest board and staff, professional filmmakers, and previous Hamptons Doc Fest alumni. Prizes include: for first place, a screening at Hamptons Doc Fest in December, a $500 scholarship, and a festival access pass; for second place, a $300 scholarship and festival pass; for third place, a $150 scholarship and festival pass.
To learn more about the competition and submission guidelines, go to hamptonsdocfest.com/young-voices or contact Stefanie Anarumo at stefanie@hamptonsdocfest.com.
PSEG Long Island is again lagging in performance standards that tie its annual bonus payment to "meaningful results for ratepayers," reporting it is "behind target" or "at risk" of missing 44% of the metrics, including those tied to customer satisfaction, outages and call-center answer times.
Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that PSEG for the past two years has fully met 70% of the performance metrics, cutting its annual bonus compensation by millions of dollars even as LIPA has reduced the number of metrics. Former LIPA chief Tom Falcone rated PSEG’s performance a "D-plus" during a public hearing last year.
The latest findings were disclosed in a midyear report by grid-owner LIPA at its monthly trustees meeting this week. Compared with past meetings' fiery exchanges over metrics, LIPA's board on Wednesday offered little criticism of the report's conclusions.
Asked why he didn’t challenge the results during the presentation, LIPA’s acting chief executive John Rhodes told Newsday after the meeting, "I don’t pose those questions in these board meetings."
As of midyear 2024, PSEG was "at risk" of missing performance metrics for the average length of customer outages, the frequency of outages, the number of momentary outages and a plan to reduce "sustained multiple outages," according to the report.
Jessica Bretana, LIPA’s senior manager of enterprise risk management, said weather played a role in many of the shortfalls, some of which are expected to improve by year's end.
PSEG also was "behind target" for the serious injury rate for employees, and at risk of missing the metric for improving reliability through tree removal. PSEG has since stepped up the tree-removal program.
The State of New York has begun taking applications from startup businesses for $10 million in loans, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that the Main Street Capital Program offers loans of up to $100,000 per applicant with a fixed interest rate of 9.9%. The loan term is up to six years. The program targets the smallest businesses, particularly those owned by women and members of minority groups, the governor said.
Under the guidelines, borrowers in the first year can make payments less than the interest owed.
The loan program will be run by Albany-based Pursuit and Empire State Development, the state’s primary business-aid agency.
To apply for a loan, applicants must first complete a pre-application questionnaire to determine eligibility.
On Long Island, there are development centers at Farmingdale State College and Stony Brook University and assistance centers at Hofstra University and Suffolk County Community College.
More information may be found at esd.ny.gov/main-street-capital-loan-fund.
Kevin Law, chairman of the ESD board and a partner in the Ronkonkoma-based real estate firm Tritec, called the loan program "a game-changer for entrepreneurs across New York, especially on Long Island, where targeted investments will keep our region competitive and prosperous for years to come ... By empowering Long Island’s entrepreneurs, we are fostering economic growth, creating jobs and revitalizing communities from the ground up."
Temple Adas Israel, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of the East End, invites families of all backgrounds to a special celebration of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, at “Rosh HaShanah: Happy Birthday, World!” The celebration will take place this coming Sunday morning, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Children’s Museum of the East End, 376 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton. The hour of fun will include songs, learning about the shofar and the opportunity to try to blow it. Plus, crafts, apples, honey, music and stories of the Jewish New Year Tradition! “We are so excited to partner with the Children’s Museum of the East End to bring this celebration to our community,” says LuAnne Geffen, Director of Community Engagement at Temple Adas Israel. “Rosh HaShanah is a time of renewal and joy, and we look forward to celebrating with families in a fun and engaging way.” Admission is free. To RSVP, visit the Children’s Museum of the East End website: cmee.org/en/whats-on/calendar/apples-honey-and-the-new-year. Or call (631-537-8250).
Three months after Gov. Kathy Hochul indefinitely paused the congestion pricing tolling program, its supporters are heading to a New York court today to try to revive it. Ana Ley and Winnie Hu report in THE NY TIMES that these supporters — including the City Club of New York, Riders Alliance and Sierra Club — have filed a pair of lawsuits against Governor Hochul and state transportation officials, arguing that the governor did not have the authority to stop congestion pricing and that the pause undermined the state’s environmental goals.
“We believe that the governor has overstepped her boundaries,” said Layla Law-Gisiko, president of the City Club, an influential civic organization.
The congestion pricing program — the first of its kind in the nation — was to have begun charging fees to most vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street on June 30. Passenger vehicles entering the zone would have been charged up to $15 once a day, with some exceptions.
Congestion pricing was expected to ease some of the worst traffic in the nation and improve air quality. The tolls were projected to raise about $1 billion annually, which would have been used to secure $15 billion in financing for crucial repairs to New York City’s sprawling transit system including the LIRR.
At today’s hearing, oral arguments in the two lawsuits supporting congestion pricing are scheduled to be heard before Justice Arthur F. Engoron in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. Before the hearing, congestion pricing supporters are planning to rally outside the courthouse.
Congestion pricing has also faced widespread opposition.
A Siena College survey in April found that 63 percent of New York State residents opposed congestion pricing. Many critics see the tolls as an unfair burden on commuters from the boroughs and suburbs outside Manhattan and have also raised concerns about the environmental impact on neighborhoods that could see an increase in traffic as drivers try to avoid the tolls.
Congestion pricing supporters have assailed the governor’s decision, saying that it has left critical transit services and improvements in limbo.