Affordable housing continues to be a major topic of concern across the East End. New housing initiatives in Southampton and East Hampton will attempt to address it. The panel also outlines how frequent ICE sweeps and the presence of ICE officers is creating an air of great anxiety, especially among the Spanish-speaking community. Plus, the need for improvement to cellular tower and related infrastructure is becoming unavoidable.

This week's panel is:

• Joe Shaw, Consulting Editor at The Express News Group
• Bill Sutton, Editor-in-chief at The Express News Group
• Denise Civiletti, Editor & Publisher of RiverheadLocal
• Alek Lewis, Staff Reporter at Newsday
• Jack Motz, Staff Reporter at The Express News Group

Enjoying this show? Rate and review us, and send this episode to someone who should hear it. Together we can keep community news alive on the East End.

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WLIW-FM is community media for Eastern Long Island. Donate to WLIW-FM here.

Download the WLIW-FM app so you never miss a beat!

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Local journalism and community newspapers are the heartbeat of a place, especially places like Shelter Island. Jake Williams has a deeply personal connection to both Shelter Island and its struggling hometown newspaper The Shelter Island Reporter as someone with many family ties to the island and a former writer for the outlet. He joined the panel to talk about his journey, what drove him to create the show, the impact of collapsing local journalism, and more.

Listen to "Out of Print: The Unmaking of American News" here, and wherever you get podcasts.

This week's panel is:

• Joe Shaw, Executive Editor at The Express News Group
• Bill Sutton, Managing Editor at The Express News Group
• Beth Young, Editor & Publisher of East End Beacon
• Denise Civiletti, Editor & Publisher of RiverheadLocal
• Jake Williams, journalist and podcast producer of "Out of Print"

Enjoying this show? Rate and review us, and send this episode to someone who should hear it. Together we can keep community news alive on the East End.

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WLIW-FM is community media for Eastern Long Island. Donate to WLIW-FM here.

Download the WLIW-FM app so you never miss a beat!

for Apple devices | for Android devices

Please enjoy this Express Sessions while Behind The Headlines is off. This was recorded live on October 23, 2025 and has been edited for time and conciseness. An unedited version can be found here.

The “Local Matters” event focused on Sag Harbor Village and the issues most important to residents, including those living in the village and the surrounding communities of Noyac and North Haven.

The panel included Sag Harbor Village Trustee Ed Haye, Sag Harbor Village Trustee Aidan Corish, Sag Harbor Variety Store owner Lisa Field, North Haven resident and The Church owner April Gornik, Sen and KPasa owner Jesse Matsuoka and Bay Street Theater Executive Director Tracy Mitchell. It was moderated by Executive Editor Joseph P. Shaw.

Fred W. Thiele Jr. is a former state assemblyman, life-long Sag Harbor resident, and now a regular columnist with the Express News Group and member of a number of nonprofit boards. He gives unique perspective on the politics of the East End, talking about the ways that national polarization have reached local elections and how voters react to national trends in small races.

This week's panel is:

• Joe Shaw, Executive Editor at The Express News Group
• Bill Sutton, Managing Editor at The Express News Group
• Beth Young, Editor & Publisher of East End Beacon
• Denise Civiletti, Editor & Publisher of RiverheadLocal
• Fred W. Thiele Jr., East End politician and writer

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WLIW-FM is community media for Eastern Long Island. Donate to WLIW-FM here.

Download the WLIW-FM app so you never miss a beat!

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ICE has been enacting sudden raids throughout the East End of Long Island, causing widespread alarm and confusion, especially within the Latino community. Many families have stopped sending children to school, avoid medical appointments, and other basic parts of life for fear of being detained. Minerva Perez is Executive Director of OLA of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy organization. She joined the panel to give detail and context around these instances as well as her position on what elected officials and leaders could be doing to prevent more violence from occurring.

This week's panel is:

• Joe Shaw, Executive Editor at The Express News Group
• Bill Sutton, Managing Editor at The Express News Group
• Beth Young, Editor & Publisher of East End Beacon
• Denise Civiletti, Editor & Publisher of RiverheadLocal
• Minerva Perez, Executive Director of OLA of Eastern Long Island

Find out how to help OLA further its mission here.

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WLIW-FM is community media for Eastern Long Island. Donate to WLIW-FM here.

Download the WLIW-FM app so you never miss a beat!

for Apple devices | for Android devices

Please enjoy this Express Sessions while Behind The Headlines is off. This was recorded live on October 9th, 2025 and has been edited for time and conciseness. An unedited version can be found here.

The first in a series of five special Express Sessions events titled “Local Matters” focused on Southampton Village and the issues that are important to its residents. Topics included traffic, sewers, workforce housing, Lake Agawam and the business community’s struggles and successes.

The panel included Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger, Southampton Village Trustee Rob Coburn, Southampton Association member Jay Diesing, Southampton Village Police Chief Sue Hurteau, Topiaire Flower Shop owner Erin Meaney, and Government Advisor, Lake Agawam Conservancy Janice Scherer.

In this episode of 'Behind the Headlines,' Joe Shaw and Bill Sutton welcome Denise Civiletti, Beth Young, and Cailin Riley to take a deeper dive into Eastern Long Island news. Denise and Beth explain the controversial Riverhead Town Square development and public opinion on it, the demand for hotel accommodations, and a significant subdivision proposal on the North Fork. Cailin goes into the historical significance of the Amistad and local efforts to preserve its story, and the group talks about ongoing initiatives for affordable housing in Riverside. The conversation wraps with the importance of environmental education for children.

This week's panel is:

• Joe Shaw, Executive Editor at The Express News Group
• Bill Sutton, Managing Editor at The Express News Group
• Cailin Riley, Staff Writer at The Express News Group
• Beth Young, Editor & Publisher of East End Beacon
• Denise Civiletti, Editor & Publisher of RiverheadLocal

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WLIW-FM is community media for Eastern Long Island. Donate to WLIW-FM here.

Download the WLIW-FM app so you never miss a beat!

for Apple devices | for Android devices

On this week's show, the panel has a serious conversation about the role of local journalism in giving formal endorsements of candidates in local and regional political races. Denise Civiletti and Beth Young express why they each hold policies against the practice as very small organizations, and Joe Shaw gives a counterargument from the perspective of a larger operation. They also talk about New York State's new law requiring all elections to be held on even years, the significance of state support for oyster farming, and the development of a community center in East Hampton.

This week's panel is:

• Joe Shaw, Executive Editor at The Express News Group
• Bill Sutton, Managing Editor at The Express News Group
• Jack Motz, Staff Writer at The Express News Group
• Beth Young, Editor & Publisher of East End Beacon
• Denise Civiletti, Editor & Publisher of RiverheadLocal

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WLIW-FM is community media for Eastern Long Island. Donate to WLIW-FM here.

Download the WLIW-FM app so you never miss a beat!

for Apple devices | for Android devices