- The East Hampton Star
- Posts
- Main Newsletter May 23
Main Newsletter May 23
May 23, 2026
Today: Cloudy with a high near 59, winds east at 10 to 15 miles per hour. Tonight: Showers early becoming heavier overnight, low 50. Tomorrow: Rain expected, high 59, winds east at 15 to 25 miles per hour. Sunset tonight: 8:07. Sunrise tomorrow: 5:23.
A mostly cordial debate on May 13 that centered on affordable housing and recent woes at the East Hampton Town Building Department likely gave both Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and her Democratic primary challenger, Mayor Jerry Larsen, an opportunity to claim victory.
By Christopher Gangemi
 | East Hampton voters came out in support of the 2026-27 school budget and three additional bond proposals that will allow the district to make major upgrades at all three of its school buildings and campuses and add an indoor pool and indoor athletic facility at the high school. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | School budgets sailed through this week in Springs, Montauk, Sagaponack, Wainscott, and Sag Harbor, where there were no contested elections and spending plans stayed within the state-imposed cap on tax-levy increases. By Carissa Katz and Leigh Goodstein |
 | New York City residents who plan to spend Memorial Day weekend on the South Fork and commuters who rely on the train to cut through the eastbound morning traffic were breathing easier as of Monday night, when a strike called by a coalition of five Long Island Rail Road unions was settled. By Christopher Walsh |
 | East Hampton Village officials will conduct a survey of stores on Main Street and Newtown Lane regarding the potential extension of the street parking limit from one to two hours, and ending that limit at 5 p.m. rather than the current 7 p.m. By Christopher Walsh |
 | The Town of East Hampton was awarded $7.04 million to build 16 houses at Cantwell Court on May 13, when the New York State Department of Homes and Community Renewal met to authorize the grant. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | The East Hampton Town Marine Museum on Bluff Road in Amagansett will be closed to the public through the summer as the town and the East Hampton Historical Society plan a comprehensive, multiyear renovation after a burst pipe damaged the building over the winter. By Christopher Walsh |
 | In East Hampton Village residents with applications before land-use boards have received electronic communications purporting to be from the village and indicating that fees are due and must be paid. The messages, “however real they may appear, are not coming from the village and are not due or payable to the village,” the zoning board's attorney said. By Christopher Walsh |
 | A beneficiary of the trust that controls 13.5 acres of land in Wainscott accused the East Hampton Town Board Tuesday of misrepresenting how the town would use the land after a proposed purchase. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | Public opinion, policy-makers, and $5-a-gallon gasoline are all lining up against gas-powered leaf blowers. That was the backdrop to an electric-blower demonstration, sponsored by ChangeHampton, held on the Town Hall campus May 16. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | Mayor Jerry Larsen led a village board discussion on extending a ban on gas or diesel-powered leaf blowers last week. “The idea is to be consistent with the other municipalities,” he said. By Christopher Walsh |
 | After an East Hampton Town Board discussion this week on proposed employer-sponsored housing legislation, it was clear that changes would be made and another hearing would be needed on the proposed code changes. By Christopher Gangemi |
 | The implementation of a plan to reduce the flow of stormwater entering the 24-inch pipe that drains into Georgica Pond at the terminus of Cove Hollow Road in East Hampton Village was unveiled last week. By Christopher Walsh |
 | One year to the day after an ivy-covered trellis fell over at Millstone Park, off Main Street in East Hampton Village, a plan to cover the side of the commercial building the trellis had obscured was revealed. By Christopher Walsh |
 | Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker has endorsed the campaign of Chris Gallant, a candidate challenging Republican Representative Nick LaLota in New York’s First Congressional District. By Christopher Walsh |
 | Only 4 percent of Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts, and Calogero Sferrazza, a junior at Pierson High School, is about to become one of them. As a scout, he has earned almost 21 merit badges, and plans to earn his final credentials with a project honoring veterans in his hometown of Sag Harbor. By Leigh Goodstein |
 | Nancy Remkus, a guest minister at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor, was among 19 Suffolk County residents celebrated as a champion of diversity on Sunday, when County Legislator Ann Welker presented her with an award after the nondenominational service. By Leigh Goodstein |
 | The L.V.I.S., which maintains the trees, greens, ponds, and parks that characterize East Hampton Village, has announced a plan to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States by planting 250 trees over the next decade. By Christopher Walsh |
 | In the top of the first inning, things didn’t look good. East Hampton was already trailing Eastport-South Manor 4-0 in their first playoff game of the postseason, with the pitcher Izzy Briand uncharacteristically in a hole. It was not the start the Bonackers were looking for, but it didn’t last long. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | A popular unified athlete played the last basketball game of his high school career this week at East Hampton. Jimmy Esposito is turning 22 and will age out of the program. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | In their last dual meet of the season, the Bonackers proved that the boys track program at East Hampton High School is back. They lost the league title to West Islip on May 14, but finished the season 5-1. It’s an enormous improvement; the team has gone from last to nearly first, putting together the program’s best season in over 20 years. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | On May 16, parents from 25 schools and 38 track and field teams cheered on 707 male and female athletes from across eastern Long Island at the East End Classic here, and the Bonackers put on quite a show for fans, with several standout performances on both the boys and girls teams and some new school records. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | The entire season came down to a single game. Bonac baseball’s 2-0 loss to Westhampton Beach at home on May 12 cost them a playoff berth. Bonac would return the favor, though, winning the final two games of the series and knocking the Hurricanes out of the postseason with a 9-4 victory at home on May 15. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | Small but mighty. That’s how East Hampton’s head coach of flag football, Erin Gillott, described her senior class last week. It’s a pretty accurate description not just of the seniors, but the football program over all — still in its infancy at just four years old. By Alison Morris Roslyn |
 | This image from the Amagansett Historical Association’s collection was published in Harper’s Weekly on Jan. 31, 1885, with an article about the capture of a whale off Southampton. By Kristen Ahearn |
Also in the News
Opinion | Columnists |
From real estate to the environment, from the cultural zeitgeist to changing demographics in our neighborhoods, The Star's core mission is to be the source of information for those who want to understand the South Fork. We invite you to partner with us to ensure that The Star's independent coverage remains strong and available when it matters most — in emergencies, policy debates, land preservation, and community decisions. Everyone should be able to access local news. But producing trustworthy news and information takes great resources and investment in people and in time. Your support will help keep The Star's essential reporting affordable and accessible to all. We hope you will consider a one-time or monthly gift, which will enable us to bring you more of the in-depth news you have come to expect, as well as underwrite our beloved EAST magazine. Donations are tax-deductible. Please share this message! Thank you, David Rattray |  For Donor Advised Funds, gifts of stock, or crypto please visit altnewsfoundation.org/easthampton-star Checks can be made out to Alternative Newsweekly Foundation with East Hampton Star in the memo and sent to: The East Hampton Star |