Express Sessions News Today

A Costly Hire Permitting public employees to collect a six-figure pension while simultaneously collecting a six-figure salary is one of the reasons why New York is such a high-tax state. Though the Village of Southampton took it a step further: It wa

Terrible Optics Westhampton Beach Village officials and Police Chief Steven McManus need a lesson in optics. The revelation last week that a body camera video recorded during the investigation of an off-duty Village Police officer who rolled his truc

Talk It Through East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen pledges to keep an open mind and to tweak a proposal he unveiled last week to create a 10 p.m. curfew for restaurants in the village’s historic district — which is good, because while the measur

Investing in News The 2025 New York State budget approved on Saturday includes elements of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, providing a payroll tax credit for local news outlets — a lifeline for a vital but struggling industry that benefits e

Positive Path Forward State lawmakers and Governor Kathy Hochul delivered for residents of the South Fork and Stony Brook University in the state budget formulated last week. As part of the massive spending plan, the governor agreed to a measure tha

The Future Is Wet Montauk was closest to mind at last week’s Express Sessions event focusing on beach nourishment: The results of a recent federal effort to bolster the sandy beaches and protect the hamlet’s business district were visible through the

Going Down There are 14 school districts spread along the 40-mile stretch from Montauk to Westhampton Beach. There may have been a time when enrollment data, and the finances of operating a school district, made that number inconsequential, or at lea

Charging Ahead Not ones to rest on their laurels, Westhampton Beach Village officials, still fresh off the very successful Main Street revitalization project and the equally beneficial sewer district project, have their sights set on the next phase o

Charged Up Thomas Falcone announced last week that he would be leaving his post as chief executive officer of the Long Island Power Authority in May. It was “unexpected,” said State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., who has been working hard in Albany

Recognizing Violence It’s a staggering number: According to the Love Is Respect Action Guide, published by the National Domestic Violence Hotline, one in 10 U.S. high school students experienced physical violence from a dating partner in the last yea