New York City’s $9 congestion tolling is working so well in reducing traffic and generating revenue that there may be no need to raise it in a couple years as originally planned, Gov. Kathy Hochul said yesterday as she celebrated the anniversary of the program.

Joined by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Metropolitan Transportation Authority leaders and dozens of other plan supporters at a Manhattan rally, Hochul touted the success of the first-in-the-nation congestion tolling program, which came online January 5, 2025.

Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that one year in, Hochul said the program has already resulted in an 11% reduction in the number of vehicles in Manhattan’s congestion zone, a 22% reduction in air pollution, and significantly faster travel times at bridges and tunnels connecting to Manhattan and for buses in the city.

The tolls have also generated $550 million in revenue dedicated to MTA infrastructure projects, with about 10% committed to the Long Island Rail Road.

The MTA’s original plan would have charged vehicles $15 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan, but Hochul instead opted for a plan to start the program with a $9 toll, then gradually ramp it up, with an increase to $12 scheduled in 2028 and to the full $15 in 2031.

But, Hochul on Monday said she’d like to “keep the price point” where it is.

Hochul said while there were initially "a lot of people who really thought this was going to result in their lives being affected negatively out on Long Island," opposition to the new tolls has significantly subsided over the last 12 months.

"It’s calmed down because people like getting across the bridges faster," Hochul said. "They’re happy not to sit in traffic."

But Jack Nierenberg, vice president of Passengers United, a transportation advocacy group, said Hochul should not mistake congestion tolling opponents’ resignation for support, as some Long Islanders have given up on coming into Manhattan altogether.

"A lot of the opposition ... you just don’t hear it, but it’s still there," Nierenberg said. "It’s coming in the form of people struggling to continue to come into the city, because they don’t have any other options available to them."

***

A former Catholic church in Cutchogue is getting a fresh start as the permanent home of Peconic Community School. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the nonprofit school purchased the $2.85 million Sacred Heart church property on Dec. 16, according to Patricia Nicklaus, an associate broker at Howard Hanna Coach Real Estate in Port Jefferson, who represented the seller in the deal. The school had been in contract to buy the 10.2-acre Main Road site since 2022.

In addition to the 19th-century church, the deal includes the former Our Lady of Mercy Regional School, rectory, carriage house and five acres of vacant land.

“It’s going to keep its historic value, but now it’s going to have a new life in education,” Nicklaus said. “There’ll be children singing in it again.”

Peconic Community School cofounder and executive director Liz Casey said having a permanent home is a “game changer” for the independent school.

“We can put down the roots, we can grow from what we started and hope to be here for 100 years,” she told NEWSDAY.

The private school began renting the Cutchogue site in 2023 under a lease-to-own agreement while it secured financing and the church obtained regulatory approvals, Casey said.

Casey founded the independent school in 2012 with her sister, Kathryn Casey Quigley, and previously leased at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Aquebogue. It currently enrolls 89 students from early childhood through eighth grade, Casey said.

Our Lady of Mercy Regional School closed in 2018 as part of a decision by the Diocese of Rockville Centre to merge it with St. Isidore School in Riverhead.

Rev. Eric Fasano, a spokesman for...

WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you're enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, when every donation is being matched by our Board of Trustees.

Can't afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.

***

Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to sign legislation today aimed at encouraging law enforcement officers to use peer support groups. Steve Hughes reports in NEWSDAY that the Lieutenant Joseph Banish Mental Health Act establishes confidentiality requirements for communications made by law enforcement during peer-to-peer counseling sessions.

Officers who respond to crises deserve services that are tailored to their unique experiences, Governor Hochul said in a statement.

"By strengthening protections for law enforcement peer support programs, we are ensuring safe settings for honest conversations to improve the mental health and well-being of our first responders," she said.

The legislation is modeled after the 2021 federal COPS Counseling Act, a federal law that established confidentiality protections for peer counseling programs in federal law enforcement agencies.

The confidentiality is limited to those officers trained and designated as peer counselors.

Proponents of the bill have argued police officers often experience trauma and grief as emergency first responders and the bill would make it easier for them to seek help privately from trained peer specialists.

Law enforcement members were 54% more likely to die of suicide than the general public, a 2020 study in the journal Policing found. In 2024, there were 13 law enforcement suicides in the state, including two Suffolk County police officers as reported by NEWSDAY.

***

A new would-be cannabis dispensary owner has proposed putting a shop on the north side of County Road 39 in a small Tuckahoe shopping mall where a Suffolk OTB once operated and currently Goldberg’s Bagels, Melrose Pizza, Birdie’s Ale House and a barber shop do business. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the company, MRM Ventures, does not yet have approval from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management for a Southampton location but has begun the application process to the Southampton Town Planning Board.

At a pre-submission hearing last week, members of the Planning Board had few initial concerns about the MRM proposal, which would pose few logistical challenges in moving into a vacant unit in the 14-unit shopping center.

But the dispensary’s biggest hurdle may be that another dispensary has aspirations of opening just across the highway from them – which would preempt MRM from making a bid for a location in their desired site under the state’s retail cannabis sales rules if the other dispensary were to open first.

An attorney for MRM Ventures, Joseph Buzzell, said the owner of MRM Ventures already had a state OCM-issued retail cannabis license that he has asked the OCM to allow him to transfer to the County Road 39 site.

However, the MRM Ventures proposed cannabis dispensary is almost directly across County Road 39 from Club Ultra where the landlord has proposed evicting Ultra and replacing it with a cannabis dispensary named Southampton Deep Blue Sea.

State cannabis regulations prohibit two dispensaries from operating within 1,000 feet of each other.

One of Deep Blue Sea’s principals, Danielle Durant, told the Planning Board that property owners had filed an eviction request with the Suffolk County Sheriff's office earlier this fall and is planning to proceed with...

WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you're enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, when every donation is being matched by our Board of Trustees.

Can't afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.

***

The Village of Greenport approved new laws allowing short-term rentals with no minimum stays. Residency rules are designed to deter investor-run vacation rentals. Rental properties must be owner-occupied for part of the year. Property owners are only entitled to one short-term rental permit under the new law. Critics say the rules favor part-time residents and don’t address the need for year-round housing.

So Greenport Village is going against the grain when it comes to regulating short-term rentals on the East End.

Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that as other municipalities clamp down, village trustees have approved new rental laws that contain no minimum lengths of stay. The law, which takes effect in January, imposes residency rules designed to discourage investor-driven real estate purchases.

The current law bans rentals for less than 14 days in single-family homes unless they are owner-occupied. The new provisions will allow entire single-family homes to be rented as long as an owner lives there part of the year.

Short-term rentals, popularized by sites like Airbnb and Vrbo, have set off debates in seasonal vacation communities over property rights, housing affordability and availability. In Greenport, tensions have flared: At one end of the debate are some residents who say short-term rentals bring too much noise, traffic and trash to their streets. But others argue that short-term rentals are crucial to the region's economy, including neighbors who say they depend on additional income, as well as businesses eager for tourist spending.

Mayor Kevin Stuessi voted against the legislation, which was approved 4-1 on Dec. 4. He said he supported a two-week rental minimum.

“All of the laws elsewhere on the East End … are much more restrictive than what we just passed,” Stuessi said in an interview.

In August, the Village of Southampton enacted a two-week minimum stay. The Town of Riverhead doesn’t allow rentals of less than a month, while Southold Town has a 14-day minimum requirement. Southampton Town is planning to lift a two-week minimum during the U.S. Open golf championship next year, Newsday reported.

***

New York State Attorney General Letitia James yesterday filed a lawsuit against UPS, alleging the company stole millions in wages from thousands of seasonal delivery workers for years. Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that an investigation opened in 2023 found the logistics company failed to accurately track hours worked, required off-the-clock labor from its workers and manipulated timekeeping systems to reduce paid hours, the attorney general’s office said.

These actions saved UPS millions while robbing seasonal workers trying to support their families, A.G. James stated at a news conference in Manhattan on Monday.

"They earned every dollar of their wages, and UPS had no right to take those dollars away," she said.

The state is seeking restitution for current and former seasonal workers and an injunction that requires UPS to adopt reforms to prevent these issues from happening again, James said.

UPS acknowledged the state's suit in an email, and said while the company takes "all accusations of wrongdoing seriously," it denies "the unfounded allegation of intentionally underpaying UPS...

Millions of Americans, including Long Islanders, are contending with higher health premiums taking effect in the new year as prices rise across coverage types. Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that the surge adds another pressure point to increasingly strained household budgets. Some policy holders might even drop coverage altogether, especially younger people with fewer pressing health needs, experts said.

Higher premiums "will result in cutbacks in overall spending,” especially among middle- and low-income families relying on tax credits to cover plans through the Affordable Care Act, said Martin Melkonian, an economist at Hofstra University in Hempstead. “I think there are many folks living on the edge at this moment," Melkonian said. Without action from the federal government, enhanced premium tax credits under the ACA are set to expire at the end of 2025, further increasing out-of-pocket costs for many consumers…with some paying hundreds more per month.

Most Long Islanders have some form of health insurance — 95.3% in Suffolk County, according to census data. The 28,000 Long Islanders who use federal tax credits to help cover costs for ACA plans stand to take the largest hit, with an average 32% price increase in 2026, in addition to the loss of income-based enhanced tax subsidies.

Premiums are also rising for other plans, including Medicare and employer-sponsored insurance, fueled by hospital consolidation, an aging population and increased expenses for medical services, among other things.

***

Long Island's first snowstorm of the season dumped at least 8 inches of snow in several towns across Nassau and Suffolk, spurred lengthy flight delays at area airports and warnings to stay home and off the roads. But by late Sunday afternoon, the bulk of the storm had moved east, with just a few isolated snow showers lingering and a sunny, cold start to our Monday forecast.

Most schools across the east end have announced a two hour delayed start to classes this morning.

As reported in NEWSDAY, a hazardous weather outlook posted late yesterday warned motorists to use caution and be on the lookout through this morning for black ice when driving and walking.

The snow began across Long Island at about 10 p.m. Saturday and was the result of a quick-moving low-pressure system crossing the region from west to east, forecasters said.

In Suffolk County, Commack reported 8.5 inches by Sunday afternoon, with Dix Hills next at 8.3 inches and reports of 8.2 inches in Center Moriches and East Northport. The highest East End total reported was 8 inches in Remsenburg-Speonk, followed by 5.8 inches in Sag Harbor, 5.1 inches in East Quogue, 4.8 inches in Riverhead and Jamesport, 4 inches in Orient and 3.3 inches in Mattituck.

Roads across Long Island were wet and slippery, and authorities warned that travel could be hazardous.

Snow and freezing fog was reported at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale and Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip.

Meanwhile, the Long Island Rail Road reported most its service was on or close to schedule Sunday. The Nassau and Suffolk police departments had no reports of weather-related crashes on roadways by Sunday afternoon.

***

Peconic Bay Medical Center’s radiologic technology school has again turned out a class of graduates with a perfect record on their board exams – and on landing jobs. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that all 27 members of the Class of 2025 passed the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists certification exam in radiography, and all have already secured full-time, part-time or per-diem jobs, most of them within the Northwell Health system, according to PBMC and Northwell’s Center for Learning and Innovation.

The program, based at the Riverhead hospital and sponsored by Peconic Bay Medical Center, is Suffolk County’s only...

Enjoying this show? Leave a rating and review so more of our Long Island neighbors will find it!

***

Particle pollution in New York City decreased significantly since congestion pricing tolls went into effect in January and had a "spillover" benefit to Long Island, researchers at Cornell University found — a result that proponents cited as a significant success for the program. The effects were found not just within the congestion zone below 60th Street in Manhattan, but in all five boroughs and, to a lesser extent, the surrounding metropolitan region. Timothy Fraser, the lead author of the study, told Newsday that particle pollution on Long Island declined by nearly 10% as drivers changed their routes or took public transportation. That improvement in air quality was almost exactly the same as in the outer boroughs.

Tracy Tullis reports in NEWSDAY that New York City was the first in the United States to introduce tolls to reduce gridlock and air pollution and raise funds for its public transportation agency, a strategy that has been implemented in London, Milan, Stockholm and Singapore. The rules went into effect in January after decades of study and in spite of vigorous opposition from officials in suburban New Jersey and Long Island. Opponents have argued that the toll — $9 for most vehicles driving in the zone during peak hours — would add an additional expense for a region struggling with its high cost of living. Contrary to expectations, the tolls have not diverted car and truck traffic, and their emissions, to the outer boroughs.

Congestion pricing has faced opposition from the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation which rescinded federal approval for it earlier this year. But a federal judge in June imposed a preliminary injunction keeping the program alive.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a press event yesterday that the program has been "wildly successful." Since the program began, 20 million fewer cars have entered the zone, Hochul said. For those who do drive, she added, "coming from Long Island and the Hudson Valley, your ride is faster."

***

A New York State Supreme Court Justice has sided with a Greenport hotel that had been denied an application for a 14-room expansion by the Southold Town Zoning Board of Appeals. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that North Road Hotel LLC, the owners of the property doing business as the Hotel Moraine on Route 48 in Greenport, filed an Article 78 proceeding on May 20, 2025 against the Town of Southold’s Zoning Board of Appeals, stating the April 2025 denial of their application for a lot area variance and special exception permit for the additional rooms was “illegal, arbitrary and capricious.” The hotel had been planning to build a new building, which would contain ten of the units, and expand an existing building by four units. This project was exempt from a townwide moratorium on new hotel development in effect through June of 2026. In his Nov. 17 decision, Justice James F. Matthews agreed that the ZBA’s determinations “were arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion due to the lack of evidentiary basis to support its findings, which are internally inconsistent in numerous respects.” The town appealed the decision on Nov. 19, and on Dec. 2, the Southold Town Board approved the hiring of the firm Devitt, Spellman, Barrett, LLP to act as Special Counsel in its appeal.

***

The North Fork Community Theatre Holiday Concerts are this weekend on Saturday at 6:30 pm and Sunday at 2:30 pm with free admission to these performances. The North Fork Community Theatre is on Old Sound Avenue in Mattituck.

The public is welcome to join NFCT for a free holiday concert and open house tomorrow and Sunday.

Following the open house and family activities, Dina Mondello will lead a talented group of musicians to bring you seasonal and...

Three years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended New York join most of the rest of the country by closing a gap in state law that advocates say permits drugged drivers to walk free. At a Manhattan symposium yesterday, prosecutors and state lawmakers said 2026 could be the year.

Nicholas Spangler reports in NEWSDAY that New York is one of just four states — the others are Alaska, Florida and Massachusetts — to require law enforcement to name the drug and for it to be on a statutorily established list of controlled substances before they can charge someone with driving under the influence.

While alcohol remains the leading cause of impaired driving, drugged driving is a growing threat, according to the NTSB. State data showed about a quarter of Long Island’s fatal crashes had a “drug-involved driver” in 2023. Authorities in Nassau and Suffolk and across New York have called the state’s current approach unwieldy as law enforcement officers encounter drivers under the influence of synthetic drugs like bromazolam, xylazine and propofol, along with hundreds of more obscure varieties that are created every year.

“We now have synthetic drugs, created in labs, continually being changed and peddled on our streets,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told those gathered for Wednesday’s symposium including families of people killed in crashes with drugged drivers. A bill now in the NYS Legislature, introduced last March but amended this week, would expand the legal basis of intoxication from alcohol to other drugs, including those not on the state list or those not able to be identified.

Hundreds of new drugs are created every year, Tierney said. “There is no list that could hope to keep up.”

The proposed legislation would update state law on field testing for drugged driving to include the use of tests that screen for multiple types of drugs and make refusal to take a test a traffic infraction.

Earlier versions of the bill failed to pass in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 legislative sessions.

Tierney said the current version, sponsored by state Sen. Christopher Ryan, a Democrat, who represents a district outside Syracuse, includes “safeguards” that could ease passage this time. They include an exception to the bill for drivers having a medical emergency or allergic reaction and a provision requiring collection of data on the number of stops, arrests and convictions made under the bill, along with demographic data, which Tierney said would be analyzed to determine whether minority motorists are subject to an inordinate number of traffic stops.

The bill also includes a five-year sunset clause, which Tierney said would give lawmakers an opportunity to review its effectiveness.

***

The Pierson High School doors were opened to parents and residents on Tuesday night for a community forum meant to inform them about an upcoming vote on a bond referendum, scheduled for January 22, 2026, that would fund a large-scale $40 million facilities improvement project. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that if approved, the bond will allow the district to greatly enhance multiple learning environments at the school and create new ones for students, while also presenting new opportunities for the community at large.

The projected average monthly cost to Sag Harbor homeowners is $7.37 over the life of the 30-year bond. The project would allow for the building of a new high school gymnasium, to replace the current gym, which has not been upgraded since it was built in 1967; a new and improved space for the school’s Robotics Club, which is currently housed in a windowless basement room that was formerly a closet; a brand new marine science lab, a facility that has been present for years at nearby schools like Southampton and Westhampton Beach; additional classroom space for musical instruction, which is currently lacking; an...

In a second try vote yesterday Montauk School District residents voted to approve renovations to Montauk School by passing a pair of referendums – one for a $34.8 million bond, the other for a $2.9 million savings expenditure. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that the former passed in a vote of 508-262, and voters approved the latter in a vote of 546-160, both of which mean turnout was about 100 voters higher than in the spring, when the community sunk a $38 million bond in a vote of 361-318 and the same $2.9 million savings expenditure in a vote of 342-334. When that measure failed earlier this year, school district officials regrouped and ironed out the more modest $34.8 million plan, which they said was a better overall plan, even outside the cost reduction. Now passed, district officials have the green light to pursue a string of renovations, which will entail a new gymnasium, HVAC upgrades and the removal of a set of portable classrooms – essentially double-wide trailers – that date back to the 1970s and are at least 20 years past their expected lifespan. Next will be the planning phases, and Montauk School District Superintendent Josh Odom said the community will continue to be involved in that conversation, which will see officials work out the nuts and bolts of the renovations before they send plans up to the state for approval. Then the project will go to bid, and during a series of workshops in the weeks leading up to the vote, Odom said he hopes to see construction begin in advance of the school’s 100th anniversary in 2027, with completion ideally coming in 2028.

***

Heavy tree-clearing equipment rolled onto the roughly 4.13-acre lot on Marsden Street in Sag Harbor last week to prepare the site for the construction of four houses proposed by developer Matthew Pantofel and approved by the Sag Harbor Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review earlier this year.

Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that Pantofel bought the property right across the street from Pierson High School, which had already been subdivided into four lots, from its owner, Pat Trunzo, after voters turned down a proposal to purchase the land for the Sag Harbor School District in May 2023. He and his representatives appeared before the board several times over several months, tweaking the designs of the four large houses he wanted to build on the site. In the end, despite the objection of several neighbors, the board approved all four houses, as well as a landscaping plan for the entire site that allowed Pantofel to remove virtually every tree on the property in exchange for replanting with trees and shrubs. Sag harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella said he “was horrified about what happened” when he drove past the site last week. He added that his daughter had seen a large number of squirrels running around the property “in a panic” after numerous trees were knocked down. But he added that the development of the property was largely a done deal after Southampton Town backed away from a plan to spend $6 million from the Community Preservation Fund to purchase the property with the school district, and voters rejected a referendum that the school district put up on its own. “What was the alternative?” he asked. “What did they think was going to happen?”

***

The Peconic Baykeeper and the Peconic Estuary Partnership host their monthly Watershed Walk at the Seal Haul Out Trail at Montauk Point this coming Friday at 10 a.m. You’re invited to join Peconic Baykeeper and Peconic Estuary Partnership for their fourth year of the Winter Watershed Walk Series! Friday’s walk features four new and different locations around the Peconic Estuary. This is a great chance to learn more about the coastal habitats in the watershed. Walks are open to all ages, please register ahead of time so we may contact you in the event of a cancellation or rescheduling. This event is...

U.S. tariffs on imports of artificial Christmas trees have led to higher retail prices and more consumers reusing the artificial trees they already have at home or buying real trees, which generally are cheaper than artificial trees, retailers said. The retail costs of artificial trees and other holiday décor have increased by 10% to 15% this year, according to Jami Warner, executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association. There is a 30% tariff on imports of artificial Christmas trees from China, which accounts for 87% of the artificial trees sold in the United States, she said.

The price of a small, basic artificial tree will range from about $60 to $100 this year, while a standard artificial tree, at 6½ or 7 feet tall, will be $150 to $250.

A pre-lit artificial tree with realistic foliage, fullness or extra features will run from $250 to $500, Warner said.

Tory N. Parrish reports in NEWSDAY that most of the Christmas trees Americans purchase — 83% — are artificial.

Most real Christmas trees sold in the United States are grown here, with Oregon being the top-producing state, said Marsha Gray, executive director of the Real Christmas Tree Board, a Michigan-based promotional group funded by Christmas tree growers in North America.

It’s too soon to know whether there will be a huge surge in sales of real trees due to the tariffs on artificial trees, she said.

"I think a lot of my industry is hopeful that they see that ... but until the numbers are really crunched, it’s hard to know. But I think our industry is prepared for a strong season," she said.

But wholesale tree growers have indicated that they don’t intend to raise prices this year.

A survey of 43 wholesale growers, representing at least half the U.S. real Christmas tree market, found that 84% do not plan to raise wholesale prices for the upcoming season, according to the Real Christmas Tree Board's annual survey released in September.

***

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is set to announce his bid for New York governor today — facing off against Rep. Elise Stefanik for the GOP nomination. Craig McCarthy and Vaughn Golden report in THE NY POST that Blakeman is expected to formally declare his candidacy this morning, following weeks of speculation over whether the Long Island pol, a longtime friend of President Trump, would take the fight to Stefanik, a prominent White House ally.

“Bruce will focus on making Empire State more affordable and safer while putting New York first,” a source told THE POST.

Speculation has been swirling over whether Trump will weigh in on the race and endorse a Republican nominee in next year’s primary to face off against Democrat incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Asked if he’d support either one of his allies, Stefanik or Blakeman, yesterday, Trump stayed neutral.

“She’s great. He’s also great,” he said.

“Well, I’ll think about it,” Trump added when asked whether he would endorse either gubernatorial hopeful.

“He’s great and she’s great. They’re both great people. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party,” Trump said. Congresswoman Stefanik has been scrambling to consolidate support amongst party bigwigs since Blakeman first publicly revealed he was seriously considering throwing his hat in the ring after he handily won reelection as Nassau County executive last month.

Early polling shows that Stefanik is a clear early favorite over Blakeman in a GOP primary. Stefanik’s team immediately went on the offensive last night, accusing the Nassau exec of working with Democrats and running to stroke his ego. “Bruce has no shot and is putting his raging ego first and New Yorkers last as he blows up the best opportunity in a generation to Save New York,” Stefanik campaign spokesperson Bernadette Breslin wrote in a statement.

***

Students, civic groups,...