27Speaks

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Michael Wright, Dan Stark and Cailin Riley to discuss the latest East End news. This week, Wright details an upcoming referendum vote in Hampton Bays, Stark talks about the latest traffic issues in Southampton Town and Riley recounts her interview with a remarkable man being honored at the Hampton Classic.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Michael Wright, Dan Stark and Cailin Riley to discuss the latest East End news. This week, Wright details an upcoming referendum vote in Hampton Bays, Stark talks about the latest traffic issues in Southampton Town and Riley recounts her interview with a remarkable man being honored at the Hampton Classic.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Michael Wright, Dan Stark, Jack Motz and guest Peter Boody to discuss the latest East End news. This week, Motz talks about more workforce housing discussions in East Hampton while Boody recounts a stirring discussing at The Bridge Shul.

Legendary filmmaker John Waters found fame in the 1970s and 1980s with a series of campy and totally outrageous films, including “Pink Flamingos,” “Polyester” and “Hairspray,” among others. Known as the “Pope of Trash,” this Baltimore native is a hero in underground cult cinema circles. Late July brought Waters and his one-man show, “Going to Extremes” to Guild Hall. In advance of that show, Waters, who turned 80 in April, took part in a free-ranging phone conversation with the Express News Group’s Annette Hinkle and Guild Hall’s executive director Andrea Grover, an avid fan of Waters’ work. Fortunately, it was recorded, and in this...

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Dan Stark and Annette Hinkle to discuss the latest East End news. This week, Stark talks about an initiative to reduce litter that's gaining steam in the Hamptons, while Hinkle recounts her interview with the legendary Fran Leibowitz.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Jack Motz, Michael Wright, Cailin Riley and Michelle Trauring to discuss the latest East End news. This week, Wright talks the ongoing traffic issues in the Hamptons, Riley discusses development conflicts in Sag Harbor and more.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Bill Sutton, Drew Budd, Jack Motz and Cailin Riley to discuss the latest East End news. This week, Budd talks about the death of a beloved teacher and coach, Sutton discusses a potential new initiative to protect Westhampton Beach beaches and more.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Brendan O'Reilly, Michelle Trauring, Dan Stark and Jack Motz to discuss the latest East End news. This week, O'Reilly discusses a Sag Harbor boating accident, while Trauring talks about the upcoming Ellen Hermanson Foundation gala.

The Follow-Up: Local stories, deeper context A Bi-Lingual Partnership: WHBPAC and OLA discuss expanding access to the arts on the East End — and what’s next for the WHBPAC Recently, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center and OLA (Organización Latino Americana) of Eastern Long Island teamed up to present a night of comedy. The twist is that the comedian, Colombian-born Pedro Gonzalez, presented back-to-back shows — the first in English, the second in Spanish. It’s just the latest example of how the two non-profits have worked together in recent years to provide entertainment that appeals to all East End audiences...

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Dan Stark, Jack Motz, Hope Hamilton and Michelle Trauring to discuss the week's latest East End news. This week, Stark discusses friction amongst the Southampton Village Board, Hamilton details important new tick disease information and more.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Michael Wright and Desirée Keegan to discuss the week's latest East End news. This week, Wright talks about the economic impact the U.S. Open had on Southampton, Motz recounts the story of a dead whale in East Hampton and more.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Dan Stark and features editor Michelle Trauring to discuss the week's latest East End news. This week, Riley recaps the end of the U.S. Open, Motz and Stark share local election news and Trauring tells a story that will touch any animal lover's heart.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by reporters Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Michael Wright and Dan Stark to discuss the week's latest East End news. With the U.S. Open in full swing, Riley and Wright give an extended report on the goings-on at Shinnecock Hills, while Motz talks park developments in East Hampton and Stark discusses the moving Juneteenth celebration he witnessed.

HamptonsFilm, home of the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF), recently launched a new media partnership with The Express News Group and its digital platform, 27east.com. The collaboration names The Express News Group as an official media partner for HamptonsFilm’s year-round community programming, including the 34th annual Hamptons International Film Festival, which runs October 2 to 12. As part of the new collaboration, The Express News Group will insert the festival’s annual program guide inside its newspapers on September 17. On this episode of “The Follow-Up,” HamptonsFilm Executive Director Bob Feinberg and Chief Creative Officer David Nugent join the Express News Group te...

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by reporters Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Hope Hamilton and Dan Stark to discuss the week's latest East End news.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by reporters Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Hope Hamilton and Dan Stark to discuss the week's latest East End news.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by reporters Michael Wright and Jack Motz, Features Editor Michelle Trauring and Editor-in-Chief Bill Sutton to discuss the week's latest East End news.

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by reporters Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Michael Wright and features editor Michelle Trauring to discuss the week's latest East End news.

Patricia McCormick is an acclaimed author of young adult novels. Her 2006 book, "Sold," tells the story of a 13-year-old Nepalese girl who is sold into sexual slavery by her stepfather. Despite being named a National Book Finalist, in 2025 "Sold" was the most banned book in the country, according to the American Library Association. In this installment of "The Follow Up," McCormick, who lives in Sag Harbor, joins the Express News Group to talk about the current book banning trends as well as the issue of sex trafficking, which was the subject of a recent panel discussion that McCormick moderated at...

In this episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by reporters Cailin Riley, Jack Motz, Michael Wright and features editor Michelle Trauring to discuss the week's latest East End news.

In this first episode of the Express News Group's 27Speaks: Behind the Headlines podcast, host Joe Shaw is joined by reporters Cailin Riley and Jack Motz, as well as editors Drew Budd and Annette Hinkle to discuss the week's latest East End news, from an eye-opening forum on human trafficking to a new girls' flag football team.

In a move that became official at a Section XI meeting a few weeks back, the high school football programs at Hampton Bays and Southampton will merge in 2026 to become one. Hampton Bays, which has recently seen a strong resurgence of the sport after taking two years off to rebuild, will be the host school, welcoming Southampton students who would like to play. Despite the two schools legendary rivalry for the Mayor’s Cup, a tradition on the South Fork going back 40 years, this new combined team program is a sign of the times and represents an effort to save fo...

In March, Sag Harbor Mayor Tom Gardella found himself in hot water after leaving a transphobic comment on a video posted by an Instagram user in Texas with more than 22,000 followers. The post gained traction and became the focus of numerous news stories far beyond the South Fork. Though he apologized for the incident, more reports of concerning social media behavior soon surfaced, including from members of the Sag Harbor community. In response, the Village Board retained labor attorney Vince Toomey to investigate Gardella’s behavior. Presented at a Village Board meeting on April 14, Toomey’s report concluded that Gardella had...

Ice and Accountability: East End Municipalities Weigh OLA Proposal Organizacíon Latino Americana (OLA) of Eastern Long Island recently proposed a law that seeks accountability and transparency regarding federal immigration action. It was first introduced for consideration by OLA and director Minerva Perez in February to East End municipalities that have their own police departments. Written so that towns and villages can adapt it to suit their needs, the proposed law was drafted by former State Assemblyman (and current OLA board member) Fred Thiele. It encourages the establishment of protocols for local law enforcement in their interaction with federal agents a...

Last week, Long Island Rail Road crews began installing new track sidings at the Southampton Village station, which local officials celebrated as a step toward improving limited train service on the South Fork. When completed, the project will accommodate the longer trains that LIRR runs in the summer months. While the MTA has not yet announced any plans for new scheduling, the hope is that additional sidings will allow for more frequent train service, not just for seasonal visitors but also for drivers who are currently stuck in highway traffic on their way to and from work. This week, the...

Mark Parash and Anthony Meras, whose parents owned Sip’n Soda in Southampton and Star Confectionery in Riverhead, respectively, have known each other since they were kids. Recently, Parash and Meras teamed up to revive a family tradition by making chocolate Easter bunnies using the same nearly 100-year-old metal molds that their relatives worked with decades ago. The chocolate bunnies (and baskets) are now being sold at Sip’n Soda for the first time since 1986, just in time for Easter. This week, the editors are joined by Parash and Meras who share insight into the tradition, the trial and error that...

This is the time of year when changes are afoot on the East End as new businesses open, old ones close and still others look to relocate. This year is no different, but already it seems as if more changes than usual are coming to Sag Harbor’s business district in the months ahead. From “Miracle,” a new restaurant expected to open at 29 Main Street in early May, to GeekHampton, the Hamptons only authorized Apple service center, opting to leave its longtime headquarters on Bay Street for a new location in Hamptons Bays, the times, they are indeed a changing. This w...

Animal welfare advocates from across the region came together last week for the latest Express Sessions event, hosted at Union Burger Bar in Southampton Village, to discuss the challenges they face in caring for both wildlife and domestic animals, the issues they’re dealing with currently and the best ways for the community at large to help.

As a teacher, high school coach and athletic director, Kathy Masterson has shepherded a lot of student-athletes through high school sports programs over the years, beginning with her own alma mater, Southampton High School, in the mid-1990s. From there, positions followed at Shelter Island and Westhampton Beach — where she worked as a physical education teacher for several years before being named AD in 2006. In 2022, Masterson became the AD for the East Hampton School District. Earlier this month, Masterson announced that she will retire from her East Hampton position at the end of this school year. This week, Masterson joins ed...

Last year, Crescent Duck Farm on the North Fork was hit by a devastating outbreak of avian influenza and had to cull its entire flock of Pekin ducks. The farm is now rebuilding its stock. But the latest strain of the disease, known as H5N1, is back. It’s now raging through its fourth winter season and is proving deadly to a broad swath of wild birds. This year, it's wild waterfowl — especially Canada geese — that are catching bird flu in large numbers, sparking fears that the disease could decimate bald eagles and other birds of prey that feed on dea...

East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen is currently backing a herculean push to unseat nearly all 38 sitting members of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee and replace them with committee members favorable to him, part of a purported effort to reshape the local party in his image. He’s also launching a Democratic primary challenge against incumbent East Hampton Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, who has already been tapped by the current committee to be the party’s candidate in November’s race. The primary election is set for June 23, and this week, the editors are joined by reporter Jack Motz to talk a...

At a public hearing hosted by the Southampton Village Board on February 12, residents and some board members voiced opposition to a proposal that would extend the terms of office for the mayor and trustees from two to four years. The proposal would be subject to a mandatory referendum. It was recommended by the village’s Planning Commission, which argued that longer terms would save the village money due to less frequent elections while providing elected officials more time to build institutional knowledge and oversee projects from start to finish. But those who spoke out against the proposal largely disagreed. They ex...

On January 26, as residents hunkered down in their warm homes to watch snow from a massive storm pile up outside, Sag Harbor’s Marit Molin and several volunteers from Hamptons Community Outreach headed out into the elements. With temperatures well below freezing, the group trudged through the South Fork’s wooded areas in search of the homeless who ride out winter in rudimentary shelters. The goal of Molin and her team is to encourage these individuals to accept help and a few nights shelter at motels paid for by her nonprofit. Similarly, at Maureen’s Haven, an advocacy group with commun...

​The Hamptons real estate market saw its median home sales price breach $2 million for the first time in 2025, and for the first time in history, 70% of transactions were above $1 million. To make sense of the numbers, ​Jonathan Miller​,​ the president and CEO of real estate appraisal and consulting firm​ Miller Samuel Inc., ​joins the editors for a discussion of what influenced sales in 2025 and his outlook for the market in 2026.

More than 100 community members came together at The Church in Sag Harbor on another frigid winter night to discuss the future of Sag Harbor’s downtown, everything that’s at stake, and how to protect it at an Express Sessions event titled “The Evolution and Preservation of Downtown Sag Harbor.” The panel for the conversation, which was moderated by Express News Group Consulting Editor Joseph Shaw, included Sag Harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella; Sag Harbor Village Trustee Jeanne Kane; former New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, a lifelong Sag Harbor resident and current board member of the Sag Harbor Partnership; communit...

As costs rise, taxes increase and budgets are stretched, small school districts across the region face the daunting task of providing robust programming to their students with fewer resources. Compounding the challenges on the East End are decreases in state aid, overall falling student population numbers and unaffordable housing costs that are driving families from the area. This week, the editors discuss the pros and cons of school consolidation. With more than a dozen school districts on the South Fork, it’s likely only a question of time before consolidation becomes a matter of survival.

On Thursday, January 15, Westhampton Beach residents, business owners, elected officials and others gathered at Fauna in the village for the latest edition of the Express Sessions series “Local Matters,” providing those in attendance with a chance to discuss and debate the most pressing issues facing the community. The afternoon conversation ranged from new regulations that will require beachfront communities like Westhampton Beach to start paying a portion of federal beach replenishment costs, to the continued vacancy of prominent storefronts, and challenges related to the sewer district expansion, parking and more. Several options and ideas were explored, with input not only from...

Last year, Hampton Coffee Company took over a roadside cafe in a quiet corner of Hampton Bays. Over decades, the building, a former farm stand, had been expanded and transformed into a small eatery with bathrooms, a kitchen and walk-in refrigerators. The neighbors love having the cafe nearby. The problem is, all those expansions were done sans permits. So in an effort to bring everything up to date, Hampton Coffee Company’s owners Jason and Theresa Belkin filed a change of tenancy notice with Southampton Town Building Department to officially convert the certificate of occupancy from a farm stand to a...

Southampton Town is weighing using its Community Preservation Fund to purchase a Meadow Lane mansion — and the land it sits on — for nearly $26 million. The town would then raze the mansion and remove the accompanying pool to install a new parking lot where town residents could access a stretch of beach in Southampton Village. The property is located next to a Town Trustees 4x4 access road that is popular with beach drivers. Reporter Michael Wright joins the editors on this week's podcast to discuss the motivations behind the purchase.

In late December, Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would formally recognize the Montaukett Nation. This, despite the fact that there was broad support for the legislation, which passed the State Assembly unanimously and the State Senate in a vote of 59-1. The bill sought to reinstate recognition to the Montaukett Nation by reversing a 1910 court ruling that improperly stripped it away by ignoring an earlier U.S. Supreme Court decision under which the nation would have qualified for recognition. It was the seventh time in recent years that such a bill has died on the New York governor’s...