Town of Brookhaven leaders had a choice.

After a whistleblower alleged that the waste incinerator where he worked had sent hazardous ash to the town landfill — potentially polluting air and water in surrounding communities — town officials could have joined the case and pursued damages on behalf of the community. Or they could have rejected the claims and sided with a vendor that it shared a profitable contract with.

They chose to back the vendor, a Newsday investigation found.

That vendor, Covanta Hempstead, which burns Long Island's garbage for energy, denies wrongdoing, and asserts that its ash never has been proved hazardous.

But internal emails and memos, newly filed in an ongoing lawsuit, show that top Brookhaven officials supported the company over whistleblower Patrick Fahey, despite evidence that employees at its Westbury facility suspected for years that its ash practices were risky, imprecise and contrary to what they represented to their regulators at the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Paul LaRocco reports on Newsday.com that private correspondence further reveals that Covanta Hempstead's on-site DEC monitor left out negative information from inspection reports, declined to issue a confirmed violation and even appeared to tip off the company that it was under state investigation.

The lawsuit allegations center on how the facility, for nearly a decade, handled the two types of ash generated from its incineration process — before the material was delivered to the landfill at a clip of roughly a half-million tons a year.

The lawsuit alleges that the ash the company dumped at the Brookhaven landfill between 2006 and 2014 wasn't mixed like the samples submitted to the DEC, according to records. Rather, pure fly ash was layered into trucks with bottom ash in a way that sometimes worried Covanta engineers and truck drivers.

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Riverhead School Superintendent Augustine Tornatore has taken a leave of absence through Oct. 23, according to a resolution passed by the Board of Education, acting at hastily called special meeting yesterday afternoon. At the same meeting, the Riverhead School Board appointed William Galati, the district’s executive director for secondary education, grants and student outcomes, as interim superintendent. His appointment as interim superintendent is effective today through Oct. 23, according to a second resolution passed by the board at Thursday’s meeting. Prior to these actions, Assistant Superintendent Lori Koerner was reassigned to her home, according to Board of Education President Colin Palmer. Denise Civiletti and Alek Lewis report on Riverheadlocal.com that the reassignment followed an incident involving a dispute between Koerner and another district staff member that reportedly occurred last week on school district property. Palmer declined to say whether Tornatore would be returning to his position in the district. “He already had a vacation scheduled from Oct. 13 through the 23rd,” Palmer said. He will be using paid personal leave from Oct. 6 through Oct. 12, Palmer said. Tornatore was appointed superintendent in April 2021, effective July 1, 2021. He signed a three-year employment contract with the district that will expire at the end of the current school term.

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High school seniors will get a break this fall as SUNY and CUNY schools and, for the first time, over 40 private colleges and universities are waiving fees for college applications this month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced yesterday. Carol Polsky reports on Newsday.com that college applications will be free for two weeks starting Oct. 16 through Oct. 29 at all 64 SUNY system schools. CUNY is waiving application fees across all 25 campuses all month for high school seniors in New York City public schools and for all state residents who apply as a freshman between Oct. 16 and 31.

While some community colleges are waiving fees year-round, those on Long Island will waive them for two weeks starting Oct. 16. Admissions to CUNY community colleges is guaranteed to high school graduates.

The private institutions, which include Adelphi and Molloy universities on Long Island, have varying waiver periods. Adelphi, in Garden City, and Molloy, in Rockville Centre, are waiving fees all month long.

The fee waivers are a highlight of the state's College Application Month, part of a growing national observance that began in 2005.

The NY Higher Education Services Corp., SUNY and CUNY will host in-person and virtual events to inform high school students about college options and financial aid and assist in completing applications. The SUNY events are listed at SUNY.edu/attend/events/.

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For decades, the Federal Aviation Administration required public airports to purchase, store and train with the fire-suppressing foams that are now being blamed for chemical contamination of groundwater supplies across the nation, including in Wainscott because of their use at East Hampton Airport. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that despite the role of the federal agency, the work of addressing the resulting contamination has been slow — though that is largely due to the complicated nature of grasping the full extent of groundwater contamination plumes and how best to address them. The East Hampton Airport site, which has been declared a Superfund site by New York State, is likely still as much as five to 10 years away from any remediation work, the attorney representing the town in the investigation of the contamination at the airport said this week. “Across the country, airports were actually required to purchase this foam and store it on site by the FAA,” the attorney, Nicholas Rigano, told the East Hampton Town Board this past Tuesday. He gave the Board an update on the investigation into contamination at the airport, which has been determined to be mostly emanating from three locations: the fire equipment station at the airport, an East Hampton Fire Department training facility on Industrial Road, and the site of a small plane crash at the end of one of the airport’s runways where the foam was sprayed decades ago. Rigano said after all of the data collection and site investigation work is completed there will be a public hearing and comment period to determine if more information is needed before a remediation action plan is developed.

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The Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association is endorsing Ed Romaine for county executive — marking the first time in 20 years the union has backed a Republican for the position. Craig McCarthy and Patrick Reilly report in THE NY POST that Suffolk County law enforcement officials will be holding a rally and endorsement ceremony for Romaine at PBA headquarters in Brentwood this morning, according to PBA President Noel DiGerolamo. “This is a huge boost to my campaign,” Romaine told The Post yesterday. “I have the endorsement of all law enforcement because of my support for law enforcement and my commitment to keeping the county safe,” he said. Romaine is running for Suffolk County Executive against Democrat David Calone, a former federal prosecutor and businessman who has never held elected office. Romaine, a former teacher, has served as Brookhaven Town Supervisor for the past 11 years. He additionally served as Suffolk County Clerk for 16 years and as a Suffolk County legislator for 11 years. Romaine is the first GOP candidate endorsed by the Suffolk County PBA since 2003, when the union also backed Romaine, who lost the race to Democrat Steve Levy. DiGerolamo told The Post that recent law enforcement reforms introduced by Democrats were the catalyst for the change.

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Sag Harbor Cinema continues its “Projections” series this coming Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. with a free event featuring the Salvadorian-American artist J. Oscar Molina in conversation with Minerva Perez, executive director of OLA of Eastern Long Island; Esperanza León, head of education and community engagement at the LongHouse Reserve; Mago Martinez, Latinx artist, filmmaker, and diversity curator; and Cristina Cuomo, founder of Purist magazine, who will moderate the panel. Before the panel discussion, there will be a screening of “Children of the World” (2023), a 15-minute film that explores Molina’s history and art practice. The short documentary utilizes the artist’s work to illuminate the difficulties, struggles, and fears as well as the dreams, strength, and beauty of immigrants fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries to seek asylum and refuge in the United States. Monday’s program is free to the public, but space is limited. Reserve a spot to attend this community presentation at sagharborcinema.org.

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The MTA is on better financial footing than it has been in years, according to a new state report, but is still facing major obstacles that could reverse its recent progress, including overtime costs that could be $200 million higher than expected this year. Alfonso A. Castillo reports on Newsday.com that NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s annual report on the MTA’s financial outlook identifies several other financial risks, including from a potential recession and a slower-than-expected return of riders following the COVID-19 pandemic.

But, DiNapoli said in a statement, an influx of new funding should help the agency provide a “safe, clean, and on-time transit system that riders want to use.”

The report noted that the MTA’s fiscal outlook, which includes a balanced budget through 2027, is a “remarkable change from the dire state” of the transit authority’s finances earlier this year, when it was facing a $1 billion deficit in 2024.

A state bailout that included an increase in payroll taxes paid by New York City employers generated an extra $1 billion in revenue for the MTA. And a fare and toll increase approved in July — and similar hikes planned in 2025 and 2027 — are also helping shore up the MTA’s finances, according to the report.

Earlier this week, MTA chairman and CEO, Janno Lieber said, “While transit agencies nationwide are struggling with impending financial crises, the MTA has five years of balanced budgets and is adding, rather than cutting, service for New Yorkers,” Lieber said in a statement Tuesday.

But risks remain, including the uncertain future of its congestion pricing toll plan, the report found. The agency is counting on having the new Manhattan tolls in place by mid-2024, but the report noted that potential delays in implementation — including from a pending court challenge by the State of New Jersey — could force the MTA to look elsewhere to pay for infrastructure projects, “reducing funding for operating needs.”