Week in Review: A Community, Together

From Fighting Hunger to Storm Recovery to Voting for Our Neighbors

Author

Beth Young
November 02, 2025

On the East End

Local Governments Begin Emergency Measures as Food Assistance is in Question

As the federal government was set to freeze the SNAP food assistance program relied on by 42 million Americans as of Nov. 1, local governments here began taking emergency actions this week to shore up support for food pantries on the East End.

A federal judge on Friday ordered the administration to continue paying for the program, which provides the services once known as ‘food stamps,’ and President Donald Trump said on Truth Social Friday evening that administration lawyers are working to clarify how the program can be funded, and in the meantime, SNAP benefits will be delayed.

Locally, governments and nonprofits that provide a social safety net are shoring up the network of care in East End communities.

After Erosion Due to Heavy Rain, Westbound Traffic on Sunrise Highway Limited at Shinnecock Canal Bridge

Flooding due to Thursday night’s rain has eroded the area around the footings to the Sunrise Highway Bridge over the Shinnecock Canal, and Southampton Town reported just after 10 a.m. that westbound traffic on the bridge will be limited to one lane.

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Massive Farmland Subdivision Proposed in Cutchogue

Four years after proposing an 11 building lot conservation subdivision on 66 acres adjacent to Bridge Lane in Cutchogue, a division of the Soloviev Group is now proposing a much bigger conservation subdivision, of 372 acres, which would include 47 new housing lots.

The application has been filed with the Southold Town Planning Board by Crossroads Atlantic LLC, a division of the Soloviev Group’s agricultural holdings on the East Coast, which has purchased a great deal of farmland throughout the North Fork in recent years.

The proposed project is on land that stretches from Route 48 (the North Road) straight through to the Long Island Sound on the east side of Bridge Lane in Cutchogue. It would include 47 building lots, 18 of them fronting on the Long Island Sound, to the north side of the 372 acre property, and 267 acres are slated to be preserved through the sale of development rights to Southold Town and Suffolk County.

Election Guide

Voting on the East End

We don’t need to tell you that Election Day is this Tuesday, Nov. 4. Plenty of your neighbors are on the ballot in town and Suffolk County races. Down here near Beacon Headquarters in New Suffolk, Voting Plush is all the rage (see photo above). Buster, Biscuit and Claudia are on the ballot. We've been told Plush is Biscuit’s party affiliation. Claudia is an independent but she was drafted onto the Plush ticket after the other candidates threw her a bone.

If you'd like to vote for humans, our full election coverage is at the link below. Stay tuned Election Night (likely quite late…) for the results.

Editorial

Civil Elections. How About That.

From the crowds we’ve seen at this fall’s debates for town and county offices, it’s clear to us that our community is super-engaged and excited to be participating in local civic life. That is truly heartening, at a time when the national conversation has devolved into a shouting match. And it says great things about the future resilience of our region.

Water

This Week on the East End

East Hampton Signs Contract to Protect Montauk’s Beaches

East Hampton Town has begun its long-term and costly commitment to protect the future of downtown Montauk, after signing the Project Partnership Agreement for its Montauk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project on Friday, Oct. 24.

Some More Clarity on Orient’s Water Woes

What’s going on right now with Orient’s water supply? Quite a lot. Researchers are getting to the root of PFAS contamination in the area surrounding Village Lane. The community is debating whether a Suffolk County Water Authority pipeline should be extended to provide clean drinking water to the contaminated area. And the expected increase in saltwater intrusion into the hamlet’s aquifer is also keeping residents here up at night.

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Community

Seaport Museum Pauses Running Maritime Festival in 2026 as it Refocuses its Mission

The East End Seaport Museum announced Thursday that its annual Maritime Festival has been paused for 2026, as the museum works to reaffirm its core mission, “to preserve and promote the maritime heritage, culture, and history of the East End of Long Island — and to ignite curiosity about the past, present, and future of our marine environment.”

Dave’s Desk@Ditch

A Perpetual Sense of Incompletion

by Dave Davis

Recently, while scrolling through some interesting lectures online, I came across a talk that truly resonated with me. It was given by Alan Watts, one of the most influential philosopher/scholars of our time, in which he stated: “We are often taught from the earliest moments of our lives that something is missing. That we must strive, reach, chase, and become. That we must acquire a title, a possession, a relationship, a spiritual awakening; something just beyond the horizon of now. But this illusion of a destination only creates a perpetual sense of incompletion.”

ON THE AIR

Behind the Headlines

At this week’s Behind the Headlines on 88.3 WLIW-FM, Beacon editor Beth Young joins a panel discussing Riverhead Town’s plan to imminently demolish a building for its Town Square Development, hotels and a large new farmland subdivision proposed on the North Fork, the Amistad’s role on the East End and the redevelopment of Riverside.

Letters

Some History on Strong’s Yacht Storage

To the Editor:

We were surprised and pleased to see that the proposal by Strong’s Marina to dig out the bluff over the Mattituck Inlet to provide yacht storage has become an issue in the Southold Town elections.

As members of the community group Save Mattituck Inlet and two of the hundreds of community members who have opposed the project, we’d like to clarify a few points.

On Supporting Southold Republicans

To the Editor:

For more than thirty years, I have worked in and around Southold Town Hall. I have seen what it takes to move a good idea from a meeting agenda to a result you can see on your street. The truth is simple. Progress depends on capable partners who know how local government works and who are willing to roll up their sleeves. That is why I am urging Southold voters to elect Nick Planamento and Chris Talbot to the Town Council and Stephanie Hall as Fishers Island Justice.

On Voting for Change in Riverhead

To the Editor:

I’m Mark Woolley, your hometown candidate for Riverhead Town Board.

My name is located on Row E, Taxpayers First, and on Row A, Democrat Party. This allows registered voters of all political affiliations to cast their vote for an Independent voice who, like you, believes our community deserves better than what my opponents have served up over the past four years.

On Becoming a Pro-Housing Community

To the Editor:

First, I would like to commend our local elected officials for their ongoing work on the Community Housing Plan and their efforts to address the affordability challenges facing our town. The plan represents a meaningful step forward, and I am optimistic about the progress that our newly appointed Housing Plan Supervisor will help us achieve.

On Newsstands!

November Issue is Out!

The Beacon’s November print edition is now on newsstands throughout the East End. Pick up a copy today, or subscribe here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sunday, Nov. 2

North Fork Poetry Society Reading at Poquatuck Hall

Friday, Nov. 7

Horseshoe Crab Talk with Group for the East End at Mashomack Preserve

Saturday, Nov. 8

Native Seed & Plant Swap at Downs Farm Preserve

Keep Independent News on the East End

The Beacon is able to provide all of our content online free of charge thanks to support from our readers. Be a vital part of keeping our community informed!

Words

“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” — Thomas Jefferson

See you next Sunday,

Beth

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