27Speaks

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on May 1 instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS. Then in June, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a rescission package that revokes $1.1 billion that had been budgeted for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on that package as soon as this week. And on July 3, the Senate approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which zeros out Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding going forward. Bob Feinberg, the chief legal officer for The WNET Group — which includes WL...

The tenants of Quail Ridge — the two dozen studio and one-bedroom apartments spread over two buildings of a former motel along County Road 39 in Shinnecock Hills — typically pay less than $1,500 a month in rent, some considerably less. The apartments are not luxurious, and as former summer resort “efficiencies” they are not large. But they are fine, residents say, and they are affordable for employees of swimming pool and landscaping companies, delivery truck drivers or those living on a fixed Social Security income. That is about to change. Reporter Michael Wright joins the editors on the podcast to discuss the fate of Quail...

Back in the 1970s, things weren’t looking great for osprey populations. There were just 75 known pairs living on Long Island at the time. The widespread use of the insecticide DDT had taken its toll on the birds, who ingested it through the fish they ate, resulting in thinning eggshells that were often crushed during the incubation period. But after the banning of DDT and changes in environmental regulations, the birds’ numbers began to rebound. The Group for the East End had a major hand in helping the ospreys make a comeback through the installation of nesting platforms across the regi...

Lifeguarding was once a male-dominated summer job on the East End, but those days are over. Ann Naughton, the chief lifeguard for Southampton Town beaches, and reporter Cailin Riley join the editors to discuss how lifeguarding has changed since Naughton began lifeguarding in the 1980s.

For the first time since before the pandemic, Guild Hall, which underwent a major renovation in recent years, is fully up and running this season. That includes on the stage where Anthony Madonna is now the theater director and curator of performing arts at Guild Hall.

Roundabouts, traffic lights, stop signs, road work, service upgrades and turn lanes. Spring is the time of year for instituting changes in traffic patterns on the East End. It’s also the time when we most often see the installation of upgraded power cables and other services. The year 2025 has been no exception. This week, the editors talk about what’s been happening (and often been disrupting) on local roadways. So listen in and hear about what’s new on your route to where you need to go.

Nada Barry, owner of The Wharf Shop, is a Sag Harbor fixture. A native of England and a permanent resident of Sag Harbor since 1962, for decades she has been a regular at village meetings, has played a major role in the business community and has advocated for the East End’s youth. Now 94, Barry recently wowed an audience at The Church in Sag Harbor with a talk recounting the many milestones in her life. This week, Barry joins the editors and Bryan Boyhan, former publisher of The Sag Harbor Express, to share memories of her years in Sag Harbor, including he...

With renewable energy sources like solar farms and windmills gaining traction on the East End, building facilities to store all that energy becomes vital. But battery energy storage systems (or BESS as they are called) are not without critics — especially given that some facilities around the country have experienced fires in the past. The Southampton Town Board recently introduced the fourth version of its BESS code and board members say it will be one of the most restrictive in the state. This week, the editors are joined by senior reporter Michael Wright to discuss the issues surrounding BESS and the de...

Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, the executive director of the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill and, until recently, a member of the Institute of Museum and Library Services board, joins the editors to discuss the federal cuts that downsized IMLS. Due to the gutting of the IMLS budget, the Parrish has lost over $140,000 in federal funding that supported its education and Access Parrish programs, an initiative that creates artistic learning experiences for individuals with special needs, including those with Parkinson’s disease.

The latest in the Express Sessions panel discussion series,“ The South Fork’s Bounty, on Land and at Sea,” was held on May 8 at Inlet Seafood in Montauk. Suffolk County has the fourth-largest agricultural sales in New York State, and it is first in aquaculture. In both cases, the farms and waters of the South Fork play an important role in providing food for the region, state and nation. In March, county officials said they are preparing to seek bids on a new government-supported seafood processing facility — and Inlet Seafood in Montauk is one potential location. The discussion brought together key play...

In the spring of 2008, Amanda Merrow and Katie Baldwin met for the first time as apprentices at the Peconic Land Trust’s Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett. Under the guidance of mentor Scott Chaskey, during their yearlong apprenticeship, they learned all the ins and outs of farming. A year later, Merrow and Baldwin leased a nearby plot of land from East Hampton Town and created their own farm — Amber Waves. Today, Amber Waves has a total of 35 tillable acres and in addition to growing crops, offers CSA membership and educational programming and operates a brick-and-mortar market. Amber Waves also employs 30 peop...

East Hampton Town recently found itself in a bidding war with East Hampton Village over an employee — and lost. The incident was indicative of the town's staffing problems, ranging from entry-level positions to leadership. Reporter Jack Motz joins the editors on the podcast this week to discuss the staffing hurdles that the town is struggling to overcome.

In February, The Sag Harbor Express talked to Main Street business owners in the village and made a startling discovery. While the summer of 2024, post-COVID, was generally considered the busiest in Sag Harbor’s history, with crowds of people flocking to the business district daily — the businesses did not experience a similar boost. Sales were largely flat, or even slightly down from historical levels. Even some restaurants are struggling. Foot traffic used to be gold for businesses in a village like Sag Harbor. Why are people not shopping like they used to? It’s a symptom of a larger trend: More a...

On Saturday, April 26, the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) and its Young Environmentalist Society will host a screening at Sag Harbor Cinema of “Ivohiboro: The Lost Forest.” The documentary follows Stony Brook University primatologist, anthropologist and biologist Dr. Patricia Wright as she leads a team of scientists to a previously unknown rainforest in southeastern Madagascar where they document all the flora and fauna they can find — including some new species This week, SOFO’s executive director Frank Quevedo joins the editors to talk about the film, the science and the importance of preserving species for a healthy environment, whether that’s i...

Starting April 21, traffic signals on County Road 39 west of North Sea Road will be switched from a red-green cycle to either steady green or blinking yellow between 4 and 7 p.m. on weekdays. The two-week pilot program is designed to alleviate traffic during the afternoon westbound commute and to assess whether it could be a practicable solution to summer traffic. Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle joined the editors on the podcast this week to explain how the program will work and to discuss Southampton's traffic challenges.

When a series of wildfires swept across the region between Manorville and Westhampton on March 8, among the areas that burned was the Dwarf Pine Plains, a 5,000-acre portion of the Pine Barrens core marked by the prevalence of much smaller pine trees than in the rest of the Pine Barrens. This week the editors are joined by reporters Michael Wright and Jack Motz, and Polly Weigand, the Northeast fire programs manager for the nonprofit Forest Stewards Guild, who talks about this ecologically unique area and sustainable forestry management practices.

At the recent New York Press Association newspaper conference in Saratoga Springs, where the Express News Group won multiple awards, Publisher Gavin Menu, Executive Editor Joe Shaw, Deputy Managing Editor Brendan O'Reilly and Arts and Living Editor Annette Hinkle took time out to discuss the current state of print media.

On March 8, a series of small brush fires hopscotched their way from Manorville east, culminating in an explosive wildfire near Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton. A massive response led by some 600 volunteers from 80 Long Island fire departments, augmented by another 10 ambulance companies, held the fire at bay, limiting damage to about 420 acres to the west and north of the airport. This week, Rudy Sunderman, the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, joins the staff of The Express News Group to talk about the firefighting efforts that kept the wildfires from being far worse.

Registered nurse Melody Butler, the director of infection prevention and control at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and founder of Nurses Who Vaccinate, joins the editors to discuss what people can do to protect themselves and their families from various communicable diseases that are of growing concern.

Journalist Steve Wick recently published his debut novel, "The Ruins," a gripping tale of murder, espionage and Nazis on Long Island inspired by a trial he covered in 1980 as a young reporter at Newsday. Wick joins the editors on the podcast this week to discuss the true crime story and the process of creational a fictional work.

Cracking Down on County Road 39 Speeders by The Express News Group

After the Southampton History Museum notified the nonprofit Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery that it has to vacate its home at the Conscience Point Historic Site in North Sea, there was an outcry from supporters of the hatchery, and a number of museum board resignations. The museum defended the move, asserting that the hatchery was conducting commercial sales and subletting boat slips, which could jeopardize the museum's nonprofit status. However, now the Town of Southampton historian has found documents that question whether the museum actually owns the parcel where the hatchery sits. It could be that hatchery is on town-owned land...

Sag Harbor's Joe Lauro, whose interests tend toward jazz, blues, jug and country, is a keen collector of music that was marketed by record companies from the 1920s to early 1940s to an emerging Black audience as “race records.” Recently, he acquired an important piece for his collection: a copy of the Reverend W.M. Mosley singing “Oh Death Spare Me Over Till Another Year.” The shellac record was one of more than 800 race records issued by Columbia Records from 1923 to 1932. And for years it was the only one of the Columbia releases that Lauro — or just about anyone else for that m...

Jonathan Miller, the president and CEO of real estate appraisal and consulting firm Miller Samuel Inc., joins the editors to discuss the state of the Hamptons market and offers his outlook for 2025.

The bird flu epidemic has reached the East End. H5N1 bird flu avian influenza has been detected at Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue. The last remaining duck farm on Long Island was forced to shut down and euthanize its entire flock of roughly 99,000 birds. Whether it will be able to reopen in time is still up in the air. RiverheadLOCAL Co-Publisher Denise Civiletti joins the editors to discuss her coverage of the sudden closure.

South Fork school districts are reporting increased levels of anxiety among students and their families, and schools are planning how to support students while also doing everything they can to prepare for any number of different scenarios and crisis-level situations that could play out as a result of the immigration crackdown. Reporter Cailin Riley joins the editors to share what school administrators are doing to prepare and to assuage student's worries

Southampton High School varsity basketball head coach Herm Lamison joins the editors to discuss his coaching career on the heels of reaching a milestone that few coaches do: 500 career wins.

A new half percent tax on real estate purchases in Southampton and East Hampton towns went into effect on April 1, 2023, to raise revenue for affordable housing initiatives. Since then, each town has accumulated millions of dollars to combat the region’s housing crisis. At this Express Sessions discussion, a panel of elected officials and housing advocates assessed how successful the Community Housing Fund has been at tackling a seemingly insurmountable task and discuss the promise the fund holds for the future. In this Sessions Report podcast, Express New Group Publisher Gavin Menu, Executive Editor Joseph Shaw and Managing Editor Bill Su...

Minerva Perez, the executive director of latino advocacy organization OLA of Eastern Long Island, joins the editors to discuss the challenges the East End's immigrant population faces and how they are bracing for a new presidential administration promising mass deportation.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a debutante? Recently, our reporter Cailin Riley found out for herself when she attended the 70th anniversary International Debutante Ball which was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on December 28. Among the several young ladies “coming out” that evening was Southampton summer resident Kelli Ford, daughter of Gerald and Kelli Ford.

The editors look back on the ten biggest stories of the last year.

The Southampton Village Ethics Board last month found that Southampton Village Trustee Robin Brown violated the village's ethics code on two occasions, each time by attending a fundraiser while not paying her own way. Brown has strongly pushed back on the Ethics Board's dispositions and says the complaints against her were politically motivated. On this week's 27Speaks podcast, the editors discuss ethics in government and journalism, and what constitutes a violation.

Lance Gumbs, the vice chairman of the Shinnecock Nation Council of Trustees, recently spoke to Express News Group Executive Editor Joseph Shaw about the Shinnecock Nation's gas station and travel plaza, which is currently under construction on the Shinnecock's Westwoods property just west of the Shinnecock Canal. While the Shinnecock say Westwoods is aboriginal land and may be developed as they wish, some Hamptons Bays residents say that is not the case and town zoning should apply. In this week's podcast, Shaw shares highlights from the interview and adds context.

A juvenile bald eagle that found itself in a precarious situation experienced a happy ending, thanks to the work of the staff at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays. Executive Director Kathleen Mulcahy and animal care assistant Rose Lynch join the editors on the podcast to recount the rescue, rehabilitation and release of the bird of prey and also discuss the East End's eagle population and the rescue center's important work.

While the commercial harvest of bay scallops from local waters has been all but ended by six years of massive die-offs, the clam population is booming, and local baymen are enjoying a bountiful windfall. The rebound of clams in Shinnecock Bay has been so robust that baymen have asked the Southampton Town Trustees to impose new limits on their harvest to protect the resurgent clams from being overexploited by opportunistic harvesters, and even some rule-breakers. Reporter Michael Wright joins the editors on the podcast to explain how clam restoration efforts have been successful.

As the holiday season approaches, there is an opportunity to take a moment to appreciate — and to support, financially — the many nonprofit organizations that enrich the cultural life of the South Fork, and provide a "Helping Hand" to so many families in need. This special Express Sessions event had multiple purposes: to shine a spotlight on the often underappreciated work of so many local charities and volunteers, to talk about the challenges they face in a difficult economy and a post-COVID world, and to provide an ongoing resource at 27east.com that catalogs the many organizations and shares information about how...

The East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton football team made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. For a program that more or less didn't exist just seven years ago, it was a huge accomplishment. Gavin Menu, co-publisher of The Express News Group, and sports editor Drew Budd join the editors on the podcast this week to discuss the future of high school football and what surrounding districts struggling in the sport can do to revive their football programs similarly to the Bonackers.

Southampton Town Councilman and State Assemblyman-elect Tommy John Schiavoni joins the editors to discuss the state and local challenges that he will confront — including affordable housing and transportation — when he heads to Albany in January to assume the Assembly seat held for three decades by Fred W. Thiele Jr.

After a woman was found dead last week at a high-end spa and wellness resort in Water Mill — an apparent "victim of violence," according to police — the suspect fled to Pennsylvania and took his own life. On this week's 27Speaks, reporter Michael Wright joins the editors to discuss how the police investigation unfolded, how it was reported by journalists and the sensitive nature of reporting on homicides.

Since the recreational use of marijuana was legalized in March 2021, the rollout of the new industry has been erratic. Today, the state is still struggling with creating a legal network of private shops — though Native American tribes, including the Shinnecock, have successfully operated on their own. The Town of Riverhead is expecting a pair of cannabis shops to open in the months ahead, and plans for multiple locations in Southampton Town are underway. What will the final structure of a legal system of cannabis cultivation and sale in New York State look like? And, in particular, how will all of th...