A potential Long Island Rail Road worker strike that could have begun as soon as 12:01 a.m. this coming Thursday will be delayed at least for months after LIRR union leaders requested the Trump administration intervene in contract negotiations yesterday. Peter Gill and Alfonso A. Castillo report in NEWSDAY that the announcement comes after five unions, representing about half of all LIRR workers, rejected a three-year contract that several other unions accepted. At a news conference in Manhattan on Monday morning, the leaders of the holdout unions announced they have asked or will ask President Donald Trump to appoint a panel to mediate the dispute, which could delay any potential strike until the spring.

"This action does not mean a strike won't happen, but it does mean it won't happen now," said Gil Lang, general chairman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen. President Trump is expected to appoint a Presidential Emergency Board of mediators to consider both sides’ arguments and issue nonbinding recommendations to resolve the dispute.

Union officials said the process would delay a potential strike until mid-January, at the earliest. Additional public hearings, federally mandated "cooling off" periods, and the possibility of a second Presidential Emergency Board could push that date until mid-May, according to the unions.

If there's no agreement and a strike happens, it’s impossible to say for sure how long it would last.

The last LIRR strike, in 1994, lasted three days until the railroad agreed to certain union demands. Before that, an LIRR strike in January 1987 lasted for 11 days, until Congress passed emergency legislation and mediated the dispute.

In 2014, the LIRR came within three days of a strike, but it was called off after an eleventh-hour settlement between union leaders and then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Is the president required to intervene now that a request has been made?

The Railway Labor Act states that upon request from either party in a commuter railway labor dispute, or from a governor, "the President shall create an emergency board to investigate and report on the dispute."

Samuel Estreicher, a professor of labor law at NYU Law School, said the law is not optional — it obligates the president to move forward with creating an emergency board.

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Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico says town officials are nearing a decision about the future of the town-owned zoo in Holtsville that some animal welfare activists want to see closed.

Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that Panico said town officials were weighing “whether or not the town should be in the animal sanctuary space” and hinted a resolution could come by the end of the month.

He did not say what options he was considering but said the resolution could be tied to Brookhaven Town's 2026 budget.

“The seminal question is, number one, whether or not [the zoo] is germane to the operation of town government and, number two, … is Holtsville the best place for these animals?" Panico told NEWSDAY on Friday.

Calls from animal welfare activists to close the facility escalated last November when an American black bear named Honey was euthanized at the site. Critics said Honey had been mistreated. Town officials denied the allegations.

A Newsday investigation last year found some animals were kept in filthy enclosures, medical problems were ignored for weeks or months, and surgical procedures were performed without anesthetic by staff who lacked formal veterinary training or licenses, according to seven former employees who spoke to the paper.

The zoo, which houses more than 100 animals, including foxes, a bison, a bobcat, birds of prey, cows and chickens, is part of the town's Holtsville Ecology Site, which also includes swimming pools, hiking trails and picnic areas. The property, a former landfill, is run by

Shuttle buses linking to Queens subway stops will run out of just three Long Island Rail Road stations if railroad workers go on strike next Thursday morning, and only during rush hours, MTA officials said yesterday. Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that a week removed from a potential shutdown of the nation’s largest commuter rail system, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials offered new details of their plan for dealing with nearly 300,000 displaced riders — the majority of whom, they hope, can work from home. "We couldn’t possibly replace the full service that the LIRR runs everyday," Shanifah Rieara, chief customer officer for the MTA said at a Penn Station news conference Thursday afternoon. "But we are trying our best to accommodate those essential workers in an effort not to leave anyone stranded."

In the event of a strike, which could commence by 12:01 a.m. Thursday, the LIRR would operate buses every 10 minutes during the weekday rush hours between three railroad stations — Bellmore to Howard Beach, JFK Airport A train station, and Hicksville and Ronkonkoma stations to the 7 train station at Mets-Willets Point. MTA officials also encouraged commuters to consider Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) Bus routes linking to Flushing and Jamaica, where they can connect to subway lines.

The threat of the first LIRR work stoppage since 1994 follows an impasse in contract negotiations between the MTA and five labor organizations representing just under half all LIRR union workers. The MTA wants the unions to accept the same three-year deal with 9.5% in raises already accepted by most LIRR workers. The unions say those raises don't keep up with inflation or with what other railroads throughout the United States are paying their workers.

In a statement yesterday, Kevin Sexton, vice president for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said the unions’ demands are "exceedingly reasonable, essentially the status quo when it comes to the cost of living."

Federal mediators last month declared that a voluntary settlement was out of reach, opening the door for a legal strike next week unless the White House intervenes by forcing both sides back into mediation. So far, neither the unions, the MTA nor New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have requested such intervention from the Trump administration.

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Riverhead Town officials called for the return of national unity during a prayer service commemorating the 24th anniversary of the al-Qaeda Islamic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the Americans who bravely responded. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Riverhead Town Clerk Jim Wooten led yesterday’s morning service with roughly 40 people gathered at World Trade Center Memorial Park in Calverton. Wooten reflected on how the attacks united the nation in grief. Nearly 3,000 people were killed…497 from Long Island…and more than 6,000 others were injured in the 9/11 attacks. “In the days that followed was shock, anger, disbelief, hysteria and the solidarity of the American people rarely seen in a lifetime,” Wooten said. “There was a common pride in mobilization of support groups and charity fundraising to do what we could to relieve the pain and the loss of our fellow Americans.” Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard echoed Wooten’s theme of unity. “In the days following 9/11, our great country came...

Bells will toll in memoriam. Crowds will gather at ceremonies. Names of the dead will be recited one by one.

Nearly a quarter century after almost 3,000 people died when al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group hijacked jetliners that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania…a region, a nation and the world will mark another anniversary of what happened 24 years ago today…on Sept. 11, 2001.

Matthew Chayes reports in NEWSDAY that even as memories fade and the date itself recedes into the past, more and more first responders and others who lived, worked or studied near the rubble in the months after are getting sick and dying from the airborne toxins unleashed by the explosions.

Approximately 497 Long Islanders have died as a result of the 9/11 attacks.

Nearly three dozen ceremonies have been scheduled for today through Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Here's a list of some commemorations across the east end:

• The Town of Riverhead will host a prayer ceremony to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at 10 a.m. at the Riverhead World Trade Center Memorial Park at the corner of Riley and Edwards Avenues in Calverton.
• This evening, the Sound Park Heights Civic Association will host its annual Candlelight Walk and Remembrance. A procession will begin at 6:00 p.m. from Marine Street in Reeves Park and proceed to the 9/11 Memorial Park on Sound Avenue.
• The Flanders Fire Department also holds an annual memorial service at the Flanders Memorial Park on Flanders Road and Fanning Road at 6:30 p.m.
• The Southold Town Fire Chiefs’ Council’s Southold Town Firefighters’ Memorial and Remembrance Ceremony will be held today at Jean Cochran Park on Peconic Lane in Peconic. Attendees will gather beginning at 5 p.m., with the official ceremonies starting at 6 p.m.
• The Southold 9/11 Memorial Committee and members of the community place 2,977 American flags throughout the park prior to the ceremony in honor of the people who were killed in the terrorist attacks.

During the ceremony, members of the Mattituck, Cutchogue, Southold, Greenport, East Marion, Orient, Plum Island, Fishers Island, and Shelter Island Fire Departments will pay their respects and lay wreaths honoring the fallen.

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This coming Saturday, September 13, the Long Island Divers Association plans to dive down and explore the wreck of HMS Culloden, a British ship that ran aground near Montauk in 1781 while pursuing French blockade runners.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that all are welcome to attend Saturday’s event, but only certified divers — or those accompanied by a diving instructor — can take part in the dive. Divers will meet at 12:30 p.m. and enter the water during high tide at 2 p.m. this Saturday.

On January 23, 1781, HMS Culloden encountered severe weather conditions while trying to intercept the French ships, which were bound for Newport, Rhode Island. The ship ran aground at what is now known as Culloden Point. The crew made it off, but they were unable to save the ship.

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A Riverhead gun shop will be in violation of New York State law if it holds a rifle raffle next week to raise money for a high school volleyball team, a state Gaming Commission official said yesterday. Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that state law says only "religious, charitable and nonprofit organizations" are allowed to hold games and raffles to raise funds for charitable endeavors, according to gaming commission spokesman Brad Maione.

JJ Armory in Riverhead is raffling off a semiautomatic weapon to raise money for the Riverhead High School volleyball team. The drawing is to be held Sept. 20.

"This entity is not authorized," Maione said. "Any operation of a raffle [by an unauthorized company] is considered unlawful — even if well-intentioned."

The Riverhead...

The Target store taking over a Bridgehampton space Kmart vacated in October is set to open in 2026.

The Bridgehampton Kmart, which was the last full-size Kmart in the mainland United States, closed last year after 25 years in operation, ending an era for a once-dominant discount retailer.

Tory N. Parrish reports in NEWSDAY that the Bridgehampton Target, which will include a CVS drugstore and Starbucks, likely will open in fall 2026 in Bridgehampton, said attorney Brian W. Kennedy, a partner with law firm Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP in Uniondale that is representing Target in the building-approval process with the Town of Southampton.

The timeline allows for an overhaul of the former Kmart space in the Bridgehampton Commons shopping center, he said.

“It’s a significant upgrade to the interior and exterior of the site,” said kennedy.

“We’re excited to bring an easy, affordable and convenient shopping experience to new guests in the Bridgehampton community with this new Target store," Target spokeswoman Loni Monroe told NEWSDAY.

Target will occupy a 91,035-square-foot space at 2044 Montauk Hwy. in Bridgehampton.

Interior work already has started, said Jennifer Maisch, a spokeswoman for Kimco Realty, the Jericho-based real estate investment trust that owns Bridgehampton Commons. Exterior work has not yet begun.

Target's planned upgrades at the Bridgehampton location include reconstructing the loading dock and modifying the front façade, according to plans submitted to the town. The retailer also received a variance from the zoning board of appeals in June to reduce the number of parking spaces in the shopping center to 1,247, from the required 1,253 parking spaces, in order to add more shopping cart corrals at the property.

Target has nearly 2,000 stores, including 20 on Long Island.

Last year, the retailer said it would open 300 stores over 10 years.

It’s unclear if that timeline is still intact, given the company’s financial challenges this year.

Target has had three consecutive quarters of declining sales.

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Stop & Shop will close its grocery delivery storeroom in Riverhead at the end of October but will continue making deliveries to the East End from other locations. After some union drivers were notified that the Riverhead “wareroom,” which is attached to the Stop & Shop store on Old Country Road in Riverhead would be closing at the end of October the company confirmed the closure but said it will not affect delivery services on the East End. “Stop & Shop has made the difficult decision to close the Riverhead wareroom this fall ... [but] will continue to offer online pickup and delivery to all local customers after the facility closes,” stated Stop & Shop spokesperson Daniel Wolk. MICHAEL WRIGHT reports on 27east.com that the company will close another wareroom in East Northport and announced last month that it is closing several other distribution centers around the Northeast. Deliveries of groceries on the East End will continue to be handled by the company’s current drivers and not through partner delivery services like Instacart – as has been reported will be the case in other regions. Delivery drivers at the closing warerooms will remain employed by the company, according to the union representing the drivers. “Deliveries across Long Island will continue to be fulfilled from our distribution centers in the area and will remain handled directly by Stop & Shop,” Wolk said. “We remain fully committed to providing home delivery across Long Island.”

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Greater Westhampton Suffolk Alliance of Pollinators (SAP) is offering a complimentary Pollinator Garden Tour (self-guided) in the Quogue/Westhampton Area this coming Saturday., September 13th from 9am to 12 noon. Visit local private gardens to see beautiful pollinator gardens. Check in is at the...

Eastbound traffic on 27A eastbound this morning from Shinnecock into Southampton Village is considerably more congested than last week or even the previous several months. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the Southampton Village Board unanimously approved a two-week pilot program for September — which began yesterday afternoon - that bans left hand turns onto and off both Lee Avenue and Captains Neck Lane at their intersections with Hill Street. The plan included the installation yesterday afternoon of a temporary traffic light at the intersection of Halsey Neck Lane and Hill Street. Consequently, eastbound traffic approaching that new light is noticeably heavier during the trade parade this morning than since the spring.

The pilot program resolution included the caveat that the program or aspects of it can be halted at anytime if the village deems it is creating a safety issue. It is certainly creating a new off-season traffic issue this morning. The pilot program is scheduled to conclude Friday night, September 19.

An important feature of the temporary program is that the no-left-turn restrictions on Lee Avenue and Captains Neck Lane will be in effect around the clock, instead of only during rush hour. That was a recommendation made by the VHB engineers for the purpose of avoiding any kind of confusion for motorists, and making it less cumbersome and difficult to enforce for Southampton Village Police.

Traffic engineer Ryan Winter said his firm would be collecting data on the traffic patterns on those streets during the two-week program to analyze the effects.

Southampton Village Police Chief Suzanne Hurteau said the two week pilot project would cost in terms of extra labor from the police force during that time, an estimated total of anywhere from $35,000 to $38,000.

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East End school board members, PTA leaders, parents, residents, and high school students who are newly serving this school year as ex-officio school board trustees are all invited to the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and North Fork’s free forum titled “School Boards, the Training Wheels of Democracy: What You Should Know and How to Get Involved.”

Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that this in person-live event is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m., at East Hampton Town’s LTV Studios, 75 Industrial Rd. in Wainscott. The panel discussion will be moderated by the League’s Government Committee Chair Andrea Gabor, the Bloomberg Chair of Business Journalism at Baruch College/CUNY.

Panelists include Robert Vecchio, the executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association overseeing the school boards on Long Island; Germain Smith, a current Southampton School Board trustee and member of the Shinnecock Nation; and Kate Rossi-Snook, a recent six-year Shelter Island School Board Trustee.

A Q&A session will follow the forum.

LTV is asking all to register for this free program on their website at www.ltveh.org. For those not able to attend in person, the forum will also be up for viewing within five business days afterward on LTV’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/LTVEastHampton

Information on the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island & North Fork is available on its website at: lwvhsinf.org

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The 37,000-square-foot commercial development on Route 25A in Wading River known as Venezia Square received preliminary site plan approval last Thursday from the Riverhead Town Planning Board. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the site plan proposes a campus-style shopping center, which would include:

• Two 1,500-square-foot, 16-seat take out restaurants
• One 3,000-square-foot, 76-seat restaurant.
• One 4,000-square-foot bank...

The Southampton Town attorney met privately with lawyers for the Shinnecock Indian Nation last weekend to discuss "potential areas of settlement" of the escalating legal dispute over the tribe’s plans for a travel plaza-gasoline station in Hampton Bays. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the meeting was preliminary and informal, and there is no guarantee talks will end in a settlement, representatives for both sides said.

"While we did not agree on any particular specifics, we did agree to keep on communicating to see if we could utilize examples of other agreements that have taken place throughout the country between the respective nations, state and federal governments and the local governments, to see if we could reach some common ground on the issues involved," said Southampton Town Attorney Jim Burke, who toured the Shinnecock Powwow on Sunday.

A Shinnecock official said the town sent a letter earlier this month indicating an openness to start talks to potentially settle the case, which the town filed in state court in December, and which has led to a shutdown of construction for the gas station on the nation’s Westwoods property in Hampton Bays. Shinnecock Indian Nation chairwoman Lisa Goree, in a statement, said the tribe had declined to agree to a meeting until it had received an outline in writing about the proposed scope of the meeting, which she said it has yet to receive. She acknowledged the tribe's attorneys met with Burke last week "as a courtesy," but she stressed they did "did not discuss any settlement proposal."

"During the meeting the Town attorney did not address the parameters of a meeting with the nation, but instead inquired about applicable Indian law. The nation’s lawyers directed his attention to relevant materials already filed in ongoing litigation and resources available through the federal government. Until the nation’s trustees authorize a meeting to discuss settlement, no such meeting can take place," Goree said.

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Opponents of a proposed settlement in the Connetquot school district's litigation over the state's Native American mascot ban said this week that they are considering taking legal action to push back against the deal. Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that the Connetquot school board voted 3-2 on Tuesday to move forward with the settlement, which would allow the district to use the nickname "T-Birds" instead of its current name, the Thunderbirds. Current images of "an eagle, thunderbolt and/or lightning bolt" would be allowed and rebranding changes would have to be made by March 1, according to the agreement.

An attorney for former board trustee Jaclyn Napolitano-Furno, who has been a vocal opponent of the deal, called the agreement "fraudulent."

“Everything is on the table right now,” Oliver Roberts said of his client's potential next steps.

A member of the Native American Guardians Association, a North Dakota-based group that has criticized the state's mascot ban, said his organization is also considering legal action.

"We believe this decision violates federal civil rights protections by sidelining Native heritage, and we’re prepared to explore legal options, including Title VI claims, to challenge it," he said.

But John Kane, a Mohawk activist and member of the New York State Indigenous Mascot Advisory Council still finds the term T-BIRD offensive. He called the agreement a “cop out" noting that under the proposed settlement, the district would represent that "T-Birds" has "never" been associated with any Indigenous imagery.

“The stipulation in the agreement that suggests that the use of 'T-Birds'...has never had a Native reference is just false," he said.

J.P. O'Hare, the NYS education department's communications director, said in a statement that the ban tasked school boards with determining if their mascots are derived from, or have connections to, Indigenous...

A headline in THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS today exclaims, “Pot Shop Says It Will Open Next to School Without Permits From Southampton Town.”

Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the cannabis dispensary licensees who were told by Southampton Town last month that their planned location is not a legal location for a dispensary, because it neighbors the Tuckahoe School…immediately adjacent to the Tuckahoe School playground…plan to open for business next week regardless — without applying for any permits from the Town of Southampton. A roadside sign and new custom awnings — as well as a customized Moke electric car — emblazoned with the branding for Charlie Fox, went up just before Labor Day weekend at the building on the north side of County Road 39 which used to be home to the Hampton Car Club. It’s the name of a boutique dispensary that previously operated in Manhattan’s Times Square and was fined $50,000 by New York State for violating cannabis sales regulations. The company announced through a public relations company last week that it would be opening for business as a state-licensed cannabis dispensary on September 14 — touting itself as the first such dispensary to open in the Hamptons — despite not having been granted, or even formally applied for, any of the approvals required by Southampton Town for a dispensary, or any other commercial enterprise, to open for business. At a discussion last month, Southampton Town planning staff pointed out that the former car club property shares a property line with the Tuckahoe Common School…for students from kindergarten through 8th grade…which violates the town’s guidelines for cannabis dispensaries and appears, town staff pointed out, to violate a recently updated clarification of State OCM requirements that said cannabis dispensaries may not be operated within 500 feet of any school’s property line.

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The 2,400 acres of commercial waterfront property spanning Suffolk County could now be eligible for preservation under a new waterfront protection program. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a bill yesterday to create the program, which mirrors a farmland preservation program enacted in 1974. The goal is to preserve the waterfront access critical for the commercial fisheries, aquaculture, recreational fishing and boating businesses to survive.

The bill’s passage "will begin to turn the tide and preserve and protect the character and history of farming and fishing that Suffolk County is steeped in," said Legis. Ann Welker (D-Southampton), the bill's co-sponsor.

The county funded $2.5 million for the program in 2026 through the capital budget and $9.5 million total over the first three years.

"Our industries are facing development pressure across Suffolk County and we need to protect them," said Legis. Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead), who also co-sponsored the bill.

The next step — once signed into law by County Executive Edward P. Romaine, who supports the program — is to create a 17-member committee that will review applications submitted by landowners seeking to participate in the program. Each of the county’s 10 towns will get to designate one member.

Stark said the committee will be balanced with representatives of different waterfront industries.

The volunteer incentive program allows property owners to sell future development rights to the county through a conservation easement. The land in turn remains privately owned but cannot be developed beyond its current use. The value of the easement is determined through an Environmental Trust Review Board. The acquisition process is set by county code and is the same as farmland acquisition.

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Southampton High School will not have a varsity football team this season because it does not have the required number of players to field a team, according to Section XI...

The Connetquot school board voted 3 to 2 last night to approve a proposed settlement with the state which would allow the district to use the nickname T-Birds and related imagery, instead of the current Thunderbirds. Nicholas Grasso and Darwin Yanes report in NEWSDAY that the board members, like residents, were divided at yesterday’s meeting. The NYS Board of Regents in 2023 banned the use of Native American mascots, team names and logos in public schools. The regulation affected 13 districts on Long Island, including The Connetquot Central School District of Islip. Most of the districts have taken steps to comply with the regulation.

The deadline to make the change was the end of June, but Connetquot was granted an extension until March to comply with the regulation.

New York State Sen. Alexis Weik and Suffolk County Legis. Trish Bergin, both Connetquot graduates who represent the district, attended the meeting and called on the board to settle to prevent further spending of taxpayer dollars on litigation.

Connetquot has been fighting a state ban on Native American mascots and other imagery in public schools. The district held a public meeting last week to gather feedback from the community ahead of last night’s vote.

Board members said at last week's meeting that the district had spent nearly $50,000 on litigation against the state to continue using the Thunderbirds name and its mascot — a red, black and white eagle. Continuing the legal battle could cost another $125,000, according to board members.

As part of the agreement, the district would represent that the nickname T-Birds has "never been associated with any Indigenous imagery of any kind," according to meeting documents posted on the district’s website. The current associated images such as "an eagle, thunderbolt and/or lightning bolt," would be permissible under the deal.

School officials have said the district would need to spend about $86,000 to rebrand to the T-Birds. To be in full compliance with the state’s mascot ban, which means a new name, logo and imagery, the district estimates a price tag of about $323,000.

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The state’s court will hear arguments next Monday September 8, in a case that could change the timing and dynamics of local elections — county executive, town board, county board — across New York State. Yancey Roy reports in NEWSDAY that the NYS Court of Appeals will weigh the constitutionality of a law that would move local elections in New York to even-numbered years to align them with state and federal contests.

In short, New Yorkers would no longer have some sort of election every single year. Instead, New Yorkers would vote for town board or county executive in either a gubernatorial or presidential election year. Democrats say the law would lead to better turnouts and less cost to counties. Republicans contend it violates the state constitutional guarantees for "home rule" and would lead to local races being ignored.

The Democratic-dominated State Assembly and Senate passed the legislation in 2023; Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law that December.

The new law applies to every county outside of New York City and would phase in even-year elections over a few years.

According to a recent National Conference of State Legislatures report, 24 states forbid even-year elections for municipalities, seven mandate it and 19 let counties decide. Of those 19, six hold most local elections in even years.

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ReWild Long Island’s Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change wrapped up its most successful season yet on the South Fork, with more than 30 student interns, youth organizers, and local volunteers contributing over 1,000 hours of community and environmental service at more than a dozen sites. Now in its third year, the program has grown significantly from a 2023 pilot with just nine students from East...