NYCLU questions Eastport-South Manor school district decision to remove noteworthy books

Long Island churches and nonprofits are holding "emergency planning" workshops explaining how immigrants living here illegally — and who fear arrest or deportation — can sign papers for "standby guardianship" of their children. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that some immigrants are refraining from activities like food shopping in part because of their biggest fear of all: getting detained and deported while their children stay here, advocates said. A temporary custody transfer can be done by signing a form provided by the New York State Office of Child and Family Services, said Theo Liebmann, a professor at Hofstra Law School. "It's horrifying. It's the most devastating thing I've ever experienced," said Minerva Perez, whose East End Latino advocacy group, OLA of Eastern Long Island, has held workshops explaining the process to immigrants. "You're in a room with people who are silent as you speak to them about the possibility of them being separated from their children. And there's not a heavier feeling in the world," said Perez. Usually the standby guardianship is used in cases when the parent has little standing to remain in the country legally but the child does, such as through a special immigrant juvenile status visa given to children abandoned, abused or neglected by at least one parent, Liebmann said. Or there could be a case where the parent entered the country without authorization, but the child was born here, making him or her a U.S. citizen. The designated caregiver can decide issues such as education, housing and medical care. It is good for 12 months but can be extended.

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Long Island now has one of the fastest, most efficient and reliable mail services in the country thanks to a high-tech Postal Service upgrade covering both its counties, officials say. Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that a US Postal Service state-of-the-art sorting and delivery center opened in Huntington Station in Suffolk County last week as part of a $40 billion nationwide modernization effort aimed at dragging the country’s aging mail system into the 21st century. The move comes after the October opening of Nassau County’s revamped hub in Hicksville — making Long Island one of the only regions in the country where both counties are fully modernized. “With these upgrades, Long Island now has one of the most efficient mail systems in the country,” USPS spokeswoman Amy Gibbs told The Post. Officials said results are already being delivered to residents throughout both counties. “Customers are definitely getting their packages faster,” said Robert Kasten, who oversees vehicle operations for the Atlantic 4 territory, which includes Long Island. USPS has already deployed 16 of their new electric Ram ProMaster trucks across Suffolk, with plans to eventually replace the county’s entire decades-old 1,400-vehicle fleet. The EV vehicles can run for days without needing a charge and are designed with better visibility, easier dismounting and improved ergonomics to help carriers move quicker and safer. The hubs in Nassau and Suffolk are just two of roughly 111 newly modernized sorting and delivery centers opening across the nation. The upgrades are thanks to the United States Postal Service investing $40 billion over 10 years to revamp its processing, mail and package systems, having already poured more than $18.9 billion into renovations nationwide, according to Gibbs.

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The Hampton Bays Civic Association will hold its next monthly meeting tomorrow in the Hampton Bays Community Center on Ponquogue Avenue. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments, with the meeting beginning promptly at 7 p.m. this Tuesday.

Tomorrow evening’s featured guest speaker is Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore, who will provide an update on key issues impacting both Hampton Bays and the Town of Southampton. Also joining the meeting will be Southampton Town...