Week in Review: Hunkering Down

The World Stops for Fern

Author

Beth Young
January 25, 2026

On the Forks

The East End Braces for Winter Storm Fern

An early Saturday briefing from the National Weather Service forecast “Most Likely Snowfall” of 10.7 inches of snow for Montauk, 11.1 inches for Westhampton and the potential for more than a foot of snow on portions of the North Fork, particularly along the morainal headlands abutting the Long Island Sound.

Across the East End

Cancellations & Postponements

The North Fork Polar Bear Plunge has been rescheduled to next Sunday, Feb. 1.

With a Winter Storm Watch in effect 3 a.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Sunday, and the chance for more than a foot of snowfall in that timeframe, cancellations have been rolling in across the East End.

The Mission is Possible: Southold Celebrates Martin Luther King

In the darkest of times, it’s people of faith who often lead the way, and this truth was on the minds of Southolders who braved the snow and ice Sunday evening to pay tribute to the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and to pledge to continue the Civil Rights leader’s work.

The crowd was heartened by words from preachers from both near and far, spurred into the spirit by the music of Just B’Cuz, and reminded that there is still much work to be done to realize Dr. King’s dream at this annual celebration, organized by the Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force at the town’s Peconic Lane Recreation Center.

“This is the beloved community — all these clergy that are helping us in troubled times — this has made me a more prayerful person, a more meditative person,” said Southold Town Councilman Brian Mealy at the start of the festivities. “The things that we are going through in our national government, on a state and local level — it’s made me more meditative. If you’re going through a tough time, just stop for a second, whatever you believe in, and say ‘Lord help me.'”

Environment

Giving Bald Eagles Some Privacy

Southold Science Teacher and Environment Club advisor Stephanie Berberich took this photo, demonstrating a safe way to photograph eagles through a telescope with a phone camera attached to it.

Sightings of bald eagles are no longer rare on the East End, but that doesn’t mean they want us sharing their every move on social media.

Turtleback Conservation Center Executive Director Jennifer Murray is cautioning North Forkers to not publicly share the location of bald eagles, wary that a nesting pair in a prominent spot in Southold Town may be scared off by the newfound attention.

On the Air

We Had a Busy Week on the Radio!

Behind the Headlines with Southampton Police Chief James Kiernan

The team at Behind the Headlines on 88.3 WLIW-FM had a chance to talk with Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan this week about the preponderance of new automatic license plate readers cameras throughout the East End, and what this means for public safety, civil liberties and the ability of law enforcement to better do their jobs.

Beacon Editor Talks to North Fork Works

We had an opportunity to sit down again with Hazel Kahan of North Fork Works earlier this month to talk about The Beacon’s work over the past year, and our plans for the years ahead.

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Government

Greenporters to Vote the Old Fashioned Way Next Year: With a Ballot Box

Village Clerk Candace Hall (center) with poll inspectors counting write-in and absentee ballots in the March 2025 village election. |. Beacon file photo

Greenport Village is planning to go back to paper ballots and ballot boxes in its 2027 elections, after the Suffolk County Board of Elections announced it will no longer rent vote tabulation machines (pictured above at the village’s contentious 2023 election) to villages for their elections.

This traditional form of voting does check one box that makes it the village’s top choice, says Village Clerk Candace Hall: “operational simplicity….. This is not uncharted territory. Villages all across the island hand count ballots.”

Peconic Dish

The Beans of Umbria

by Alison Boyd Savage

I like to ease gently into the New Year. There is nothing worse than facing the darkest depths of winter with a set of self-imposed restrictions that are guaranteed to pile on the misery. 

I am in favor of things that will add more joy to my existence. Getting out in nature, making plans with friends and preparing tasty foods that are easy on the wallet and good for my health. Beans, of all kinds, definitely top the list. What’s not to like about a food group that contains zero cholesterol and fat and is a major source of fiber: something seriously lacking in the average American diet. There is certainly nothing boring about a dish of delicious borlotti beans, pasta and greens. 

Letters

Thoughts on Ackerly Chicken Farm

Some History on Southold and Chickens

To the Editor:

I read with interest your article on the proposed sustainable chicken farm on Ackerley Pond Lane (Southold Chicken Farm Plan Pits Right to Farm Against Suburban Neighborhood, Jan. 13, 2026). certainly nothing boring about a dish of delicious borlotti beans, pasta and greens. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, Jan. 31

Greenport FD Marine Squad Red Sauce Night

The Greenport Fire Department is serving up spaghetti and meatballs, mozzarella sticks, salad, garlic bread, dessert, wine, beer and soda to raise money for its Marine Squad Saturday evening.

Saturday, Jan. 31

Phantastic Journey: Music for Strings & Winds at North Fork Arts Center

Join North Fork Arts Center for a musical voyage through 20th century Europe as six acclaimed chamber musicians come together to perform distinctive 20th-century masterworks by Britten, Dohnányi, and Prokofiev.

Sunday, Feb. 1

North Fork Polar Bear Plunge

No, you really didn’t miss it! You still have time to jump into the icy waters of the Peconic Bathtub!

Today’s North Fork Polar Bear Plunge has been rescheduled to next Sunday.

Our February print edition will be on newsstands throughout the East End later this week…

All words in and on The Beacon are always generated by human beings. Guaranteed.

Words

“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”

— Mary Oliver

See you next Sunday,

Beth