The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to start a long-awaited coastal restoration project next year to widen a vulnerable stretch of oceanfront beach and dunes in downtown Montauk.

The $11.2 million federal project — part of a larger Fire Island to Montauk Point initiative — involves dredging 450,000 cubic yards of offshore sand to be placed along the beach that runs parallel to South Emerson Avenue.

The goal is to reduce flooding risks from severe storms and tidal surges that have become more frequent due to climate change, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Joe Werkmeister reports on Newsday.com that the Fire Island to Montauk Point project, which regained traction after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, is a $1.7 billion coastal storm risk management project that covers 83 miles along Long Island’s Atlantic coast and dates back to the late 1950s.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc described the work as an intermediate step to give downtown Montauk “breathing room” for when the ocean bears down on nearby commercial properties.

“It’s like putting a speed bump in front of Mother Nature,” he said.

The project comes eight years after the Army Corps of Engineers completed an emergency stabilization of the Montauk shoreline after Sandy caused severe erosion.

East Hampton officials announced earlier this month that the Army Corps of Engineers had selected a contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, to perform the work.

The Army Corps of Engineers expects work to begin in late winter or early spring. Town officials said they are optimistic it will be completed before next summer.

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With just weeks left in the race for Suffolk County executive, the ad campaigns featuring Republican Ed Romaine and Democrat David Calone are turning sharply negative.

The two are running to replace County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat who is term-limited. The winner of the Nov. 7 election will be the county's first new executive in 12 years. The four-year term comes with a $234,124 annual salary.

Video ads paid for by Calone's campaign and "Advancing Suffolk," an outside political action committee that backs him, call Romaine "Crook-Ed" and say that as Brookhaven Town supervisor, Romaine "ignores corruption and raises our taxes.” Romaine representatives said he has no ties to past scandals and has a record of fiscal responsibility.

Ads paid for by the New York Republican State Committee and Romaine's campaign call Calone a "Hochul Liberal." The ads are part of an effort to tie Calone to Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat criticized for her affordable housing proposal that would have allowed the state to override local zoning. Calone has criticized the housing plan, which failed at the state level this year. Michael Dawidziak, a political consultant who has worked with both Republicans and Democrats in local elections, said the race has gotten “unnecessarily nasty” on both sides.

There are 972,257 registered voters in Suffolk County, according to the NYS Board of Elections. Of those, 355,006 are Democrats and 322,420 are Republicans. There are 294,831 voters not registered with any party.

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The next Correction Officer Test will be given on Jan. 20, 2024, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office has announced.

Registration for this Civil Service test can be completed on line here. The deadline to register is Dec 18. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Suffolk County correction officers staff Suffolk’s two correctional facilities, which are located in Riverhead and Yaphank. Correction Officers also have opportunities in the K9 Unit, Internal Security Unit, Emergency Services Unit, Community Relations Unit, and more. To qualify to be a Suffolk County Correction Officer, you must be a U.S. Citizen, be 21 years of age, have a high school diploma (or equivalency diploma), and pass medical and psychological exams. The starting salary is $49,655 with step increases every six months. After 12 years, the salary is $124,235.

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Ex-New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, who has been checking the country’s political pulse while stumping for the GOP, says four-time indicted Donald Trump has a real shot at the White House. Carl Campanile in THE NY POST reports that policy fumbles by President Biden and a backlash against the partisan prosecutions of Trump have only made the embattled real-estate tycoon more of a contender, according to Zeldin…a Republican from Shirley, Long Island who served as the 1st Congressional District representative from 2015 until the beginning of this year.

Zeldin has been traveling across the country to help push conservative policies and support Republican candidates.

Zeldin said too many voters believe partisan prosecutors have gone overboard in going after the former president and that it seems to be backfiring.

Many people see the prosecutions as political,” Zeldin said.

“Trump has gotten stronger — not weaker,” he claimed.

Zeldin also noted how President Biden’s border policies put in place when he first took office helped trigger the migrant crisis that is hurting his standing even in Democratic states such as New York and Illinois.

“The No. 1 issue I hear about is the need to secure our borders,” Zeldin said.

Zeldin, who is Jewish, added that the pro-Palestinian Democratic Socialists’ support for the Hamas attacks against Israel is disgraceful.

“When we said, `Never Again’ after the Holocaust, we meant it,” said the former U.S. Congressman from Suffolk County.

Zeldin, who runs his own consulting firm and a charity called Zeldin Cares, has been speaking at and will continue to address GOP gatherings across the country, including last weekend in New Hampshire as well as Pennsylvania, Texas, Nevada, Tennessee, Vermont, California, Florida, Ohio, Maryland and New York.

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Southold's new police station and Justice Court will be just a stone's throw away from where the facilities now sit.

After five years of looking for a building, the Town of Southold said last week it is close to finalizing a $1.4 million deal to purchase a 3.79-acre property immediately west of the existing police headquarters on Main Road in Peconic. A closing is expected by the end of the year. Tara Smith reports on Newsday.com that

Officials say the current facilities are outdated and a new complex will enhance public safety, bring the town police department closer to accreditation and, for the first time in decades, provide a dedicated court building.

Police chief Martin Flatley said the department has outgrown the current building, which is more than 50 years old.

He said the improvements will help bring the department closer to a longtime goal of accreditation. The voluntary process, which aims to improve public confidence in law enforcement, includes reviewing police procedures and policies to ensure compliancy with national standards.

“There’s a lot of things that have to be caught up to meet some of the accreditation standards,” said Chief Flatley. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

The five-year construction project, once the sale is finalized, will include site upgrades to improve the traffic flow at the adjoining property, which contains an existing police impound lot, town animal shelter and highway department yard.

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The Fire Island to Montauk Point plan...FIMP...dates back to the 1950s and is intended to manage the risk of coastal storm damage on the Atlantic coast. The latest federal project involves dredging 450,000 cubic yards of offshore sand and placing it along a downtown Montauk beach. The Army Corps of Engineers expects work to begin in late winter or early spring. East Hampton Town officials said they are optimistic it will be completed before next summer. In 2016, the Army Corps of Engineers reinforced the Montauk shoreline with sand-filled geotextile bags, work the agency said held up as intended. That stabilization project was intended to buy time until this larger sand replenishment could be done, according to the Army Corps of Engineers and town officials. Periodic beach replenishment in Montauk will take place every four years for three decades after the initial project is finished, officials said.

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Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside a government building on Long Island yesterday to show support for the rights of Palestinians and plead with Israel not to inflict more harm on innocent civilians. Steve Janoski reports in THE NY POST that the protesters quietly observed the Sunday afternoon call to prayer from the grass outside the Nassau County Executive Building in Mineola before listening to speeches about conditions inside the besieged Gaza Strip. “At this time, hospitals in Gaza have no electricity, no light, no aid,” Dr. Isma Chaudhry, a Long Island doctor and interfaith advocate who spoke at Sunday’s rally, told The NY Post. “Human rights and dignity need to be respected.” Yesterday’s rally in Mineola was organized by the Muslim Community of Nassau County and the Islamic Circle of North America and attracted many whose relatives remain overseas.

Meanwhile, Darwin Yanes reports on Newsday.com that hundreds gathered in Great Neck last night in a display of support for Israel.

"After what happened to our people in Israel a week ago, this is really to show that the U.S. will fight this with Israel side by side," said Nassau County Legis. Mazi Melesa Pilip (R-Great Neck), an Ethiopian Jew who still has family in Israel.

Through songs, prayers and speeches, people came together to express their support for Israel, while others waved Israeli flags in Village Green Park in Great Neck. The fire department at 7 p.m. blew its horn in honor of the lives lost in the Oct. 7 attack and the war.