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- Main Newsletter Jan. 17
Main Newsletter Jan. 17
January 17, 2026
Today: Cloudy with showers later, high 44, winds southwest at 10 to 15 miles per hour. Tonight: Partly cloudy to overcast, low 32. Tomorrow: Cloudy with rain and snow in the morning and light snow in the afternoon, high 37, light winds. Sunset tonight: 4:47. Sunrise tomorrow: 7:09.
East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez will once again be the Democratic candidate for supervisor come November, after placing first in votes at the Democratic Committee nominating convention Wednesday night.
By Christopher Gangemi
 | A new 16-foot-tall Ditch Plain dune now stands impudently, or perhaps daringly, maybe both, before the Atlantic, extending from just east of what’s known as the “dirt lot” parking area to a few hundred feet west of the Seaside Avenue parking lot. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | When the United States bombed Venezuela on Jan. 3 and removed Nicolas Maduro, its president, to stand trial in New York City, Americans might have taken pause. But not because there is any love for Mr. Maduro. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | From Phoenix House, just down Industrial Road, to countries including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya, and Barbados, Hamptons Church in Wainscott is quietly carrying out its mission near and far. By Christopher Walsh |
The Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee emphatically endorsed a plan to mitigate noise from aircraft flying to and from East Hampton Town Airport, noting that “years of litigation and more than $9 million in legal fees” have brought no relief to beleaguered residents in the form of restrictions on aircraft operations.
By Christopher Walsh
 | When contract negotiations for 911 dispatching broke down between East Hampton Town and Village last spring, it became clear that the East Hampton Town Police Department would begin taking the bulk of 911 calls in the township from the village. The turnover was to occur on Jan. 1, but it has now been delayed for at least a month. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | Christopher Gallant, a non-politician from Amity Harbor who announced his bid last summer after John Avlon said he wouldn’t run again in 2026, seems to be emerging as the candidate to face Nick LaLota, and he has Mr. Avlon’s support. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | A majority of the 273 respondents to a survey about personal wireless communication in Sag Harbor Village support replacing two existing towers — that do not host commercial wireless service providers — with towers that can support them. Publicly owned properties and properties with nonresidential land uses are the preferred locations. By Christopher Walsh |
 | The East Hampton Town Trustees voted to re-elect Francis Bock as clerk, or presiding officer, and Jim Grimes and John Aldred as the deputy clerks. They also voted to maintain Christopher Carillo as their attorney. By Christopher Walsh |
Our annual wanderlust guide from here, there, and everywhere. Where will 2026 take you?
 | A rare Ross’s doose has been frequenting the farm field across from the Wolffer Estate Vineyard Wine Stand on Montauk Highway since it was first spotted last week. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | From East Hampton High School to Hofstra University to Puerto Rico, if there is a lacrosse field, Melina Sarlo will find it. The college sophomore spent her winter break playing in the Pan American Lacrosse Association Sixes Cup in Humacao, Puerto Rico, where she represented Argentina and helped her team win a bronze medal. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | She’s been playing middle school softball for only a year, but 12-year-old Ann Peterson is already hitting it out of the park. The Springs School pitcher competed in the All-American Select Games in Panama City Beach, Fla., this month, where she won the All-American Ace Award and was named tournament M.V.P. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | The winningest wrestler in Bonac history went into Eastern States ranked seventh in the 126-pound weight class and qualified for the quarterfinals, where he beat the number-two, Brock Frederick of South Jefferson, in a 4-0 decision. He then lost to third-ranked Vincent Mastrianni of Colonie in the semifinals. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | The Bonac boys basketball team started off the year with a three-game win streak, adding victories against Hauppauge on Jan. 6 and Eastport-South Manor on Jan. 8 to the last win of 2025, a 78-65 triumph over Comsewogue on Dec. 30. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | The Bonacker girls basketball team was undefeated at home through Tuesday, their most recent win by 52-48 over Port Jefferson on Jan. 10. |
 | The first meet after winter break was a wild one for the Bonac boys swim team. The head coach, Craig Brierley, called the adventure on the road “one for the books.” By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | This letter from Capt. Jared Wade to his wife, Harriett Bushnell Wade, written about 172 years ago, shows some of the challenges of life as a whaler. By Andrea Meyer |
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Opinion | Columnists |
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