Three people were killed in separate crashes across Suffolk County this weekend, continuing what has been a deadly month on Long Island roads.

At least 21 individuals have died in crashes in Suffolk and Nassau counties in the first 20 days of August, local police departments have reported. Grant Parpan reports on Newsday.com that on Saturday night, Olivia Montgomery, 20, of Farmingville, was entering westbound Sunrise Highway in East Moriches at 10:50 p.m. when she lost control of her 2016 Dodge Ram, left the roadway and was ejected from the overturned vehicle, Suffolk police said.

Montgomery was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant with the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to police.

Seventh Squad detectives are asking anyone with information about the crash to call 631-852-8752.

The fatal crash was the second on a Suffolk roadway Saturday after a Bay Shore man was killed when his motorcycle collided head on with an SUV on Spur Drive North in Brentwood.

A driver also died in a single-vehicle crash overnight in Port Jefferson Station, Suffolk police said. Christopher W. McGuckin, 54, of Shoreham, was driving a 2012 Hyundai Genesis southbound on Route 112 near Washington Avenue about 12:45 a.m. Sunday when the vehicle struck a telephone pole and a fire hydrant before crashing into a tree, police said.

From 2020 through 2022, Long Island has averaged 18.2 roadway fatalities per month, according to the most recent data available from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research. The total number of fatalities on Long Island roads increased each year from 2019 to 2022, the agency reported.

There has been more than one auto-related fatality reported in Nassau and Suffolk counties on at least three days this month.

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The Town of Riverhead is considering increasing fees on new residential developments in an effort to generate revenue for parks and recreation projects. Tara Smith reports on Newsday.com that the Riverhead Town Board is planning to raise the fee to $5,000 from $3,000 for each new housing unit, encompassing both single-family residences and large apartment complexes. Members of the town’s recreation advisory committee said the increase is necessary to spruce up outdated and dilapidated conditions at parks, picnic areas and beaches across town.

Riverhead has more than two dozen park facilities that include sport courts, trails, dog parks, beaches and marinas. Officials have tapped into the fund to install new amenities at existing parks or create mini "pocket" parks that often include picnic areas.

A provision in state law requires towns to consider anticipated needs for parks and recreation facilities that may arise due to development and population growth. If a park or playground can’t be located on a project site, towns can levy the fee. Monies must be used for capital improvements, not just general maintenance, according to Deputy Town Attorney Annemarie Prudenti.

Parks and Recreation Superintendent Raymond Coyne said last week the fund has dwindled to about $56,000 and hasn’t gone above $200,000 in the past decade.

Priority projects, he said, include facility upgrades at each of the town’s four bathing beaches, new bathrooms at Veterans Memorial Park in Calverton, and new multipurpose turf fields and pickleball, volleyball and basketball courts at various other parks.

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After hearing again from a plethora of Hampton Bays residents opposed to a 100-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) not far from the Shinnecock Canal earlier this month, the Southampton Town Board is slated to vote tomorrow on a six-month moratorium regarding proposals for BESS systems in the town. Beth Young in EAST END BEACON reports that Southampton Town’s move comes in the wake of several fires at BESS energy storage sites in New York State. Renewable energy advocates say BESS installations are key to storing renewable energy in a future in which the grid no longer relies on fossil fuels.

As local governments work to understand the issues driving public sentiment against BESS, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, whose office was quick to note that BESS fires “are exceedingly rare,” convened a task force in late July to look into safety issues in the wake of recent fires at BESS facilities in the state including one in East Hampton, Long Island.

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The LIRR’s 200,000 daily passengers are now paying more for their train ticket effective yesterday. Alfonso A. Castillo reports on Newsday.com that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s latest fare increase, which was approved last month, raises rates on the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North, subways, and New York City buses.

Although the MTA aims to increase fare revenue by 4%, the actual size of the increase varies depending on the mode of transportation and by ticket type. The cost of a bus or subway ride in N.Y.C. has gone to $2.90, from the current $2.75 — the first hike of the “base fare” in eight years.

On the LIRR, one-way, off-peak tickets have risen by 4.6%. Weekly and monthly tickets rise, on average, by 4.3%. The new monthly ticket rates take effect in September.

Toll hikes on the MTA's bridges and tunnels took effect earlier this month, raising the cost almost 6% for E-ZPass customers and 10% for other drivers.

MTA officials have said the increases, which will generate an extra $305 million in annual revenue, are modest, and necessary to keep up with growing costs at the transit agency. But elimination of its 20-Trip Ticket means users of the fare discount program will pay about 30% more for 20 peak trips.

MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber last week defended the decision to nix the fare discount program, noting that, because of a 10% price reduction last year, monthly LIRR tickets will be cheaper than they were in 2019.

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The Polish Festival hosted by Riverhead Polish Hall took the first steps on a course to expand its celebration beyond the Polish Hall property on Saturday, with vendors along a stretch of Pulaski Street and a re-enactement of a traditional Polish wedding at St. Isidore’s Church. The Polish festival this year also included Polish dance performances and the crowning of a Polish Hall queen — and king. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the street vendors, wedding re-enactment, dance performances and Polish Town royalty were mainstays of the Polish Town Street Fair and Festival presented every August in Polish Town by the Polish Town Civic Association, beginning in 1975. The fair was canceled by COVID-19 in 2020 and has not returned.

In the years prior to the 2020 cancellation, Polish Hall had been hosting a celebration of Polish heritage, with refreshments, food and music, on the weekend of the civic association’s two-day event. When the civic announced it would not produce its event in 202, Polish Hall announced it would hold a Polish festival of its own that summer. With the civic association canceling the fair in 2022 and again this year, Polish Hall has grown its event.

“We do hope to keep expanding on it every year with vendors of handmade and homemade crafts and goodies,” Keri Najdzion announced on behalf of Riverhead Polish Hall this weekend.

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The Shelter Island Public Library and affiliated East End libraries will host a Friday Night Dialogue program this coming Friday, August 25 at 7 p.m., featuring psychologist Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., author of “Digital Madness: How Social Media is Driving Our Mental Health Crisis - and How to Restore Our Sanity.” As reported on 27east.com, Dr. Kardaras will share his analysis of the damage caused by overdependence on digital devices and suggest steps toward a happier, healthier future for people of all ages. WLIW-FM radio’s Gianna Volpe will facilitate the discussion. The program will be offered both in person at the Shelter Island Library and on Zoom, but all must register in advance for the program, co-sponsored by the Shelter Island Health and Wellness Alliance and the Shelter Island Public School. To register go to the events calendar at silibrary.org.

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New York Republicans believe they have a powerful new weapon that might be even more successful against Democrats in upcoming elections than the state’s anti-bail-reform outrage in 2022: the migrant crisis. Carl Campanile reports in THE NY POST that GOP strategists said the potency of the migrant issue is analogous to how local Republicans bludgeoned Dems for approving New York’s controversial cashless bail law — enabling Republicans to win key House seats in last fall’s elections and nearly scoring the governorship while spurring a red wave in in the suburbs.

Even some Democrats agree the crisis is a red flag for their party’s candidates.

“There is clear political trouble for Democrats if the state remains in operational disarray on this migrant issue,” said former Rep. Max Rose, a Democrat who represented Staten Island and southern Brooklyn before being ousted last fall at least partly over criminal-justice issues. “There is significant danger that Democrats will be unable to reclaim the congressional seats that should be Democratic seats,” Rose told THE NY POST.

Last year, GOP candidate for governor Lee Zeldin came within 5 points of toppling Democrat Kathy Hochul in the heavily blue state by hammering her over the cashless bail law and fear of crime.

His strong performance at the top of the ticket in the battleground suburbs on Long Island and the Hudson Valley helped flip a handful of congressional seats from Democrat to Republican, almost single handedly enabling the GOP to reclaim control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Zeldin, the former Suffolk County congressman, says, “The Democrats have created a headache for themselves by refusing to address the migrant crisis head on. I expect Republicans will be much more energized and motivated to talk about the migrant crisis and how to solve it,” including by promoting a stricter border enforcement policy, Lee Zeldin tells THE NY POST.