County Warns of Stepped-Up DWI Enforcement for Summer, Encourages Drivers To Take Ride Shares When Drinking

Suffolk County Sherriff Erron Toulon and County Executive Ed Romaine warned drivers this week that the county will be rolling out a new anti-DWI campaign that will feature stepped-up enforcement of drinking and driving laws and public outreach to discourage drunk driving. The sheriff’s office said that the county will step up patrols focusing on DWI enforcement and on-road sobriety checkpoints throughout the county, starting this coming weekend and continuing throughout the summer. Toulon said his office’s STOP DWI unit is on pace to break a record number of DWI arrests this year and encouraged young adults to turn to …
by Staff Writer

New Southampton School Board Member Questions Administrator’s Salary

In the wake of Dr. Jaime Bottcher’s recent departure from the Southampton Union Free School District, High School Principal Dr. Brian Zahn has stepped into her role as the new assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. But it didn’t come without a fiery back-and-forth between Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fatima Morrell and School Board newcomer Rodney “Chip” Pierson, who raised concerns over the new administrator’s $223,000 salary during a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night. He noted that Bottcher earned $202,000 in the same role. “Now we’re putting a new person in at this position — how do we …
by Michelle Trauring

Gold Stars and Dunce Caps

GOLD STAR: To the Group for the East End, for continuing efforts to bolster the osprey population on the East End, one of the greatest conservation success stories. The Group has worked for more than 30 years to help the raptor’s recovery and has been assisted by The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Long Island Audubon, North Fork Audubon, and Seatuck Environmental Association, among other groups. Likewise, credit to PSEG Long Island for a proactive effort to protect utility poles while providing nesting opportunities and relocating nests when necessary. The fish hawk was an endangered species in New York State in the …
by Editorial Board