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The Long Island Daily

The Long Island Daily

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 The Long Island Daily, formerly Long Island Morning Edition, with host Michael Mackey provides regional news stories and special features that speak to the body politic, the pulse of our planet, and the marketplace of life.Copyright 2026 WLIW-FM Politics & Government
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  • Future of EPCAL remains unsettled

    Future of EPCAL remains unsettled
    Mar 13 2026
    President Donald Trump is pushing hard for a bill he says will address concerns about illegal voting, including permitting only U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections. Among the controversial provisions in the bill’s current iteration are requirements for individuals to present proof of citizenship to register to vote. That could create hurdles for New Yorkers who either don't have a passport or whose legal name doesn't match the name on their birth certificate. Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that an estimated 3.8 million New York women have a name that does not match their birth certificate, usually because they changed their name upon marriage, according to numbers provided by Administration Committee Democrats. When a name on a birth certificate doesn’t match the voter’s current name because of marriage, or for other reasons, the applicants for registration would be required submit additional documents that explain the discrepancy.Those requirements alone could impact millions of New Yorkers, numbers provided by the House Committee on Administration’s top Democrat, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-Rochester), show.For instance, roughly 28.9% of New Yorkers do not have passports. At a cost of $130 per passport, the SAVE Act could force New Yorkers to pay over $665 million if they need to use a passport to register to vote.And there is that other problem which mostly hits women voters — they are more likely to change their names upon marriage or divorce and would require additional documents to show proof of that name change.The upshot is an expected marathon of Senate floor debates next week.***The Southampton Town Board this week unanimously approved the purchase of 35 acres of wooded land in Hampton Bays just to the west and north of the town’s Jackson Avenue complex, on which it plans to construct a sewage treatment plant that someday would be connected to a sewer system serving the Hampton Bays business district. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that last month, the board had heard complaints from one immediate neighbor of the property and residents of a neighborhood about 1,000 feet away on the opposite side of Old Riverhead Road that the plans would hurt their property values.But town officials said on Tuesday that the proposal is a critical cog that will bring sweeping benefits to the whole the Hampton Bays community — and will have far fewer impacts on neighbors once completed than feared. “Modern facilities like this are very different than older plants — the tanks are enclosed with odor controls, so there should be no noticeable odors from this at all,” the town’s planning and development administrator, Janice Scherer, said on Tuesday. She added that the buildings also will be soundproof, so the system will emit little to no noise, and much of the system is fully automated, so it will not require regular staffing and traffic from maintenance vehicles.And the plant will provide much greater improvements to water quality than putting homes and businesses on individual modernized septic systems would.The Town of Southampton will pay the land’s owner $3.2 million from the Community Preservation Fund’s dedicated water quality account for about 31 acres of the land, and another $465,000 from the town’s general fund for about 4.8 acres that will ultimately be folded into the Jackson Avenue facilities. The town is in the midst of designing a redevelopment plan to someday accommodate more town offices relocated from the current Town Hall in Southampton Village.The treatment facility will take up about 6 acres of the larger property, at the southern end closest to Old Riverhead Road. The rest of the property will remain as open woodlands, at the edge of the Long Island Pine Barrens.It will take the town at least four to five years to design and build the sewage treatment plant and begin constructing the sewer system for the downtown. When completed, the sewers have been seen as a key component to allowing a redevelopment of the Hampton Bays downtown to incorporate mixed residential-commercial areas in hopes of revitalizing the hamlet’s business district.***St. Patrick’s Day parades throughout the East End begin this weekend, with Westhampton Beach’s annual parade stepping off Saturday at 12 noon from the elementary school on Mill Road, led by Grand Marshal Allyson Barone Scerri, a tireless advocate and fundraiser for those suffering from traumatic brain injury.On the north fork tomorrow, Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the annual Cutchogue St. Patrick’s Day Parade, led by 14 past Grand Marshals from the parade’s 20-year history, steps off from the light on the Main Road at Cox Lane at 2 p.m. Saturday, continuing to downtown Cutchogue.Tomorrow’s weather forecast indicates conditions suitable for enjoying a St. Paddy’s Day parade –Sunny, with a high near 46 and breezy.***The future of Calverton Enterprise Park (EPCAL) remains unsettled, with litigation ...
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    10 mins
  • Sag Harbor Village launches investigation into homophobic comment from Mayor Gardella

    Sag Harbor Village launches investigation into homophobic comment from Mayor Gardella
    Mar 12 2026
    The cost of energy in the NYC metropolitan area, particularly electricity, home heating oil and natural gas, rose in February compared with a year earlier as Long Islanders and others in our region tried to stay warm in the face of unusually cold temperatures. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that energy prices are up substantially more this month as the cost of gasoline climbs in response to the war in Iran, economists said yesterday, adding that pump prices weren’t a factor last month. They were down 4.3% from February 2025.The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported its energy index for the 25-county region, that includes Long Island, increased 5% in February compared with a year earlier. That’s a faster pace than January’s 2.7% but slower than December’s 6.1%. The economists said rising prices can cause consumers to reduce their spending, which in turn can hurt economic growth. Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70% of economic activity on Long Island and nationwide.The energy index, which is released with the consumer price index, tracks the cost of natural gas, electricity, home heating oil, kerosene, firewood and gasoline — but only the latter’s price is broken out, according to bureau economist Georgia Wright.Frigid temperatures and record snowfall are largely to blame for the energy index’s rise last month.The cost of fruits and vegetables also climbed 7.2% in February compared with a year earlier. Nonalcoholic beverages and household furnishings were up 7.1% and 4.8%, respectively, according to the statistics bureau.The increases were partially offset by declines in the cost of gasoline, recreation and used automobiles. Recreation was down 2.6% and used automobiles were down 3.5%.The overall price index for the New York-area rose 3.2% last month compared with February 2025. That was a faster pace than January’s 2.9%. The national index climbed at a slower rate: 2.4% in February and January, year-over-year.***The Village of Sag Harbor has launched an investigation into a comment by Mayor Thomas Gardella on social media that critics described as homophobic and for which he apologized on Tuesday.The comment was made on an Instagram video by Texas resident Rebecca Chavez, which shows her and her wife, Deanah, who has a short haircut, dancing to a song. Gardella posted a comment: “What’s that thing in the background ? A guy A girl? some creature ?” as written, appearing to refer to Deanah.After seeing Gardella’s comment, Chavez searched his name, found his status as mayor and posted a second video identifying him and encouraging people to send him emails. She told Newsday’s Alek Lewis that Gardella’s comment was "homophobic" and "horrific."Deputy Mayor Edward Haye, in a statement during Tuesday’s Sag Harbor Village Board meeting, said Gardella’s comment “disparaged members of the LGBT community."“Sag Harbor has long prided itself being a welcoming and a tolerant village, and those values deeply matter to us both as members of the village board and as residents,” Haye said. “While the comment appears to have been made on a personal social media account, it has understandably caused concern and hurt within our community.”Haye said the village board learned of Gardella’s comment on Monday. It will “be reviewed through the appropriate village processes so we … can address it thoughtfully, fairly and transparently.”After Haye’s statement, Gardella apologized. “I also would like to apologize for my many friends in the LGBT community who feel disappointed in me,” he added.“This administration holds a high standard of conduct and accountability and no one is above reproach, especially the mayor,” Gardella said.Gardella, a former village board member, was elected mayor of Sag Harbor in June 2023.Chavez said she and her wife are glad Gardella apologized and that his comments are being taken seriously by the village board through its investigation.***Join Peconic Baykeeper and Peconic Estuary Partnership for their fourth year of Winter Watershed Walk Series! This year’s series features four new and different locations around the Peconic Estuary. This coming Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. you may join them for free at Mashomack Preserve 79 S Ferry Rd on Shelter Island. The walk will be co-led with The Nature Conservancy.Driving instructions and parking details will be sent out prior to the walk. Please dress for your comfort, warm layers, hats and gloves are encouraged. Plan to meet at the trailhead and begin walks shortly after the given start time. If you are running late or can no longer attend a walk you have signed up for please let the organizers know. We will do our best to wait for all confirmed registrants.For further info and registration visit peconicbaykeeper.org***A Staten Island delivery driver was killed after the van he was driving eastbound on County Road 39 wandered into oncoming traffic last week, striking ...
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    10 mins
  • Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade this Saturday

    Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade this Saturday
    Mar 11 2026
    The owners of Montauk Inlet Seafood said they've seen fewer boats fueling up at the dock they own that juts into the Block Island Sound on the east end of Long Island.The cause: Higher fuel costs spurred by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.With New York’s layered fuel taxes — although commercial fishermen can apply for refunds — it’s often cheaper and easier to fuel up in Rhode Island, said Amanda Jones, director of operations at Inlet Seafood, a fisher co-op that ships from 12 to 18 million pounds of fish per year. “Fuel is our largest operating costs, so we’re already seeing smaller margins,” Jones told NEWSDAY. “What I predict that we’ll soon see is that New York is going to see a steady decline in fish being packed [in the state].” Brianne Ledda and Victor Ocasio report in NEWSDAY that a barrel of crude oil sold for roughly $70 a barrel before the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran at the end of February — but has soared since then. Oil prices again swung sharply this week as markets continued reacting to the war, highlighting how quickly instability in global energy markets can ripple through Long Island’s economy. On Monday, crude oil spiked to nearly $120 per barrel — the highest mark since at least 2022 — before falling back to around $90 a barrel, where it remained yesterday.But the relatively high price and ongoing volatility is still creating uncertainty for fuel-dependent industries here, including fishing, farming, trucking and food distribution, according to Newsday interviews with business owners and industry leaders. Rising oil prices have a direct impact on the production and price of gas, from the regular gas that fills most cars to the diesel fuel that heavy-duty commercial vehicles, boats and farm equipment typically run on.The average price of diesel on Long Island reached $4.83 a gallon yesterday, up 90 cents compared to when the war broke out Feb. 28, according to data from AAA’s online fuel price tracker compiled by Newsday's library. The average price for regular gas on Long Island hit $3.39 yesterday, up 54 cents from $2.86 on Feb. 28. Locally, between Southampton and Bridgehampton prices ranged from $3.09 to $3.49 per gallon for unleaded regular on Tuesday.***With global conflicts, flight disruptions and travel advisories making headlines in recent weeks, some Long Islanders planning trips are taking a closer look at travel insurance.But experts say many travelers misunderstand what policies actually cover, particularly when it comes to major events like geopolitical conflict.Carissa Kellman reports in NEWSDAY that most standard travel insurance policies do not cover cancellations related to acts of war or fear of travel, and flexible upgrades like "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage are generally not available to New York residents.Travel insurance is designed to protect travelers from unexpected costs that can arise before or during a trip. The exact coverage depends on the policy, but most comprehensive plans include several common protections.These can include trip cancellation coverage, which reimburses prepaid, nonrefundable expenses if a traveler cancels for a covered reason such as illness or severe weather. Trip interruption coverage may help pay for the unused portion of a trip and the cost of returning home early if plans change unexpectedly.Policies often include trip delay coverage, which can reimburse travelers for meals, lodging or other expenses if flights are significantly delayed.Many plans also include medical coverage while traveling, payment for doctor visits, hospital stays or other treatment if a traveler becomes sick or injured. Some plans also offer emergency evacuation coverage, which can pay for transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility if needed.Travel insurance may also reimburse travelers for lost, stolen or delayed luggage, including the cost of essential items while waiting for bags to arrive.Because of New York State insurance regulations, Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage is generally not available to New York residents, meaning Long Islanders typically rely on standard travel insurance plans.Those policies can still provide protection for covered situations such as illness, injury, severe weather or certain travel disruptions, but they do not offer the same flexibility as CFAR.***It’s one of the most beloved and time-honored traditions in Westhampton Beach. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Westhampton Beach this coming Saturday, March 14, 2026, will be celebrating its 58th year, stepping off at 12 noon at the corner of Mill Road and Oneck Lane, by the Westhampton Beach Middle School, and proceeding down Mill Road, through the traffic circle near Hampton Coffee Company and the Sunset Theater, and down to the smaller traffic circle near the Westhampton Beach Post Office and Flora, then heading onto Main Street, and down Main Street ...
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    10 mins
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