27Speaks

The bird flu epidemic has reached the East End. H5N1 bird flu avian influenza has been detected at Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue. The last remaining duck farm on Long Island was forced to shut down and euthanize its entire flock of roughly 99,000 birds. Whether it will be able to reopen in time is still up in the air. RiverheadLOCAL Co-Publisher Denise Civiletti joins the editors to discuss her...

South Fork school districts are reporting increased levels of anxiety among students and their families, and schools are planning how to support students while also doing everything they can to prepare for any number of different scenarios and crisis-level situations that could play out as a result of the immigration crackdown. Reporter Cailin Riley joins the editors to share what school administr...

Southampton High School varsity basketball head coach Herm Lamison joins the editors to discuss his coaching career on the heels of reaching a milestone that few coaches do: 500 career wins.

A new half percent tax on real estate purchases in Southampton and East Hampton towns went into effect on April 1, 2023, to raise revenue for affordable housing initiatives. Since then, each town has accumulated millions of dollars to combat the region’s housing crisis. At this Express Sessions discussion, a panel of elected officials and housing advocates assessed how successful the Community Hou...

Minerva Perez, the executive director of latino advocacy organization OLA of Eastern Long Island, joins the editors to discuss the challenges the East End's immigrant population faces and how they are bracing for a new presidential administration promising mass deportation.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a debutante? Recently, our reporter Cailin Riley found out for herself when she attended the 70th anniversary International Debutante Ball which was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on December 28. Among the several young ladies “coming out” that evening was Southampton summer resident Kelli Ford, daughter of Gerald and Kelli Ford.

The editors look back on the ten biggest stories of the last year.

The Southampton Village Ethics Board last month found that Southampton Village Trustee Robin Brown violated the village's ethics code on two occasions, each time by attending a fundraiser while not paying her own way. Brown has strongly pushed back on the Ethics Board's dispositions and says the complaints against her were politically motivated. On this week's 27Speaks podcast, the editors discuss...

Lance Gumbs, the vice chairman of the Shinnecock Nation Council of Trustees, recently spoke to Express News Group Executive Editor Joseph Shaw about the Shinnecock Nation's gas station and travel plaza, which is currently under construction on the Shinnecock's Westwoods property just west of the Shinnecock Canal. While the Shinnecock say Westwoods is aboriginal land and may be developed as they wi...

A juvenile bald eagle that found itself in a precarious situation experienced a happy ending, thanks to the work of the staff at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays. Executive Director Kathleen Mulcahy and animal care assistant Rose Lynch join the editors on the podcast to recount the rescue, rehabilitation and release of the bird of prey and also discuss the East End's eag...

While the commercial harvest of bay scallops from local waters has been all but ended by six years of massive die-offs, the clam population is booming, and local baymen are enjoying a bountiful windfall. The rebound of clams in Shinnecock Bay has been so robust that baymen have asked the Southampton Town Trustees to impose new limits on their harvest to protect the resurgent clams from being overe...

As the holiday season approaches, there is an opportunity to take a moment to appreciate — and to support, financially — the many nonprofit organizations that enrich the cultural life of the South Fork, and provide a "Helping Hand" to so many families in need. This special Express Sessions event had multiple purposes: to shine a spotlight on the often underappreciated work of so many local chariti...

The East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton football team made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. For a program that more or less didn't exist just seven years ago, it was a huge accomplishment. Gavin Menu, co-publisher of The Express News Group, and sports editor Drew Budd join the editors on the podcast this week to discuss the future of high school football and what surrounding distri...

Southampton Town Councilman and State Assemblyman-elect Tommy John Schiavoni joins the editors to discuss the state and local challenges that he will confront — including affordable housing and transportation — when he heads to Albany in January to assume the Assembly seat held for three decades by Fred W. Thiele Jr.

After a woman was found dead last week at a high-end spa and wellness resort in Water Mill — an apparent "victim of violence," according to police — the suspect fled to Pennsylvania and took his own life. On this week's 27Speaks, reporter Michael Wright joins the editors to discuss how the police investigation unfolded, how it was reported by journalists and the sensitive nature of reporting on ho...

Since the recreational use of marijuana was legalized in March 2021, the rollout of the new industry has been erratic. Today, the state is still struggling with creating a legal network of private shops — though Native American tribes, including the Shinnecock, have successfully operated on their own. The Town of Riverhead is expecting a pair of cannabis shops to open in the months ahead, and plan...

After months of rumor and speculation, Gosman’s Dock has been sold. What began as a modest chowder house on Montauk Harbor more than 80 years ago has since grown to become a celebrated family-run enterprise with a complex of restaurants, shops and a wholesale and retail seafood business. The sale of the company, Bob Gosman Co. Inc., is expected to be finalized by year’s end. This week, the editors...

As we face ever more severe weather, Long Island is a frontline region in navigating climate change. Flood insurance, agriculture, and more are all at stake. What can Congress do to help Suffolk County move forward sustainably in this new world? Hear 1st District Republican Congressman Nick LaLota and Democratic congressional candidate John Avlon share their views on the issue in their own words,...

The Kmart in the Bridgehampton Commons, the last full-size Kmart store in the continental United States, closed its doors for good on Sunday. But as the South Fork says goodbye to blue light specials, it appears that another big box store, Target, is preparing to take over the 90,000-square-foot retail space. On this week's podcast, the editors discuss the fate of the Bridgehampton Kmart, the reas...

Is the health care system on Long Island broken? What can the federal government do to make sure that Suffolk County residents have health care infrastructure that will keep them safe and healthy? What does having a “public option” really mean? Hear 1st District Republican Congressman Nick LaLota and Democratic congressional candidate John Avlon share their views on the issue in their own words, r...

There are numerous passionate residents offering input, though the conversations are splintered and many voices are competing. A major proposal by the Shinnecock Nation for a gas station off Sunrise Highway — and, in the longer term, development on the bluff at Westwoods — has sparked concern among Hampton Bays residents. But there are other pressures: a developer has amassed parcels and has a vis...

For nearly a decade, the Spanish Embassy’s Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports has recognized each of Southampton’s public schools as an International Spanish Academy, which implements a Spanish-English dual language immersion curriculum with the support of the ministry. The dual language program has helped students from Spanish-speaking households become proficient in English, and vice vers...

Women’s rights are under scrutiny in a way they have not been in a generation. What is the federal government’s role in protecting women’s rights? Where do most Americans actually stand on the right to abortion? Hear 1st District Republican Congressman Nick LaLota and Democratic congressional candidate John Avlon share their views on the issue in their own words, recorded in two separate panel int...

The feature-length mockumentary “The Premiere,” which was shot on the East End, will have its world premiere at Guild Hall this Thursday, October 10, as part of the Hamptons International Film Festival. Hamptons residents will see many familiar faces on screen, as this film uses true locals in its cast of characters. The premise of the film is a documentary about the debut production of "Scream: T...

Is the 1st District safer now than it was a year ago? How can the federal government address such a localized issue as criminal justice? How does the Second Amendment come into play in conversations around public safety? Hear 1st District Republican Congressman Nick LaLota and Democratic congressional candidate John Avlon share their views on the issue in their own words, recorded in two separate...