All four of Long Island’s Republican congressmen voted for Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson for speaker yesterday as the House GOP elected him after rejecting three others during more than three weeks of intraparty division. Tom Brune reports on Newsday.com that Reps. Andrew Garbarino of Bayport, Anthony D’Esposito of Island Park, Nick LaLota of Amityville and George Santos, Nassau/Queens, joined the standing ovation for Johnson after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville), the Republican Caucus chair, introduced him.

Johnson, 51, will face an early test as House speaker in negotiations with the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) over government funding that expires Nov. 17; $105 billion in supplemental funding for Israel and Ukraine; and 2024 appropriations.

“When I meet with him, I will convey that bipartisanship is the only way we can deliver results for the American people,” Schumer said Wednesday.

Garbarino, D’Esposito and LaLota said they had spoken with Johnson after he won the nomination for speaker in the House Republican conference Tuesday night.

“Mike Johnson understands New York priorities and I look forward to working with him as the next Speaker,” Congressman Garbarino said in a statement, which included a quote from Johnson: “I look forward to working with the Long Island members on the issues that matter most to them.”

Congressman LaLota…who represents the east end…posted a note on social media calling Johnson “a commonsense conservative who can united @HouseGOP and get us back to work for the American people.”

Last week, Garbarino, D’Esposito and LaLota listed their priorities: “SALT cap relief, 9/11 healthcare funding, flood insurance legislation, and assurances that we curb runaway federal spending in a responsible manner that averts any potential government shutdown.”

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As the clock ticked past 10 p.m., a Southampton Board of Education work session drew to a close on Tuesday night after trustees and administrators listened to — and, in some cases, pushed back against — hours of frustrated feedback and fiery accusations hurled by members of the Shinnecock Nation. Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that the special meeting, prompted by public outrage during a Board of Education meeting on March 7, mirrored many of those initial complaints, which pointed to alleged wrongdoings over money allocation, professional conduct, student discipline, and other issues. At its height, close to 70 people crammed into the Southampton Intermediate school’s music room, swelling from its initial 40 or so attendees, and quickly became standing room only. An additional 45 viewers tuned in online. The nearly four-hour-long meeting started with what some Shinnecock community members called a “data dump” by the district — numbers tracking the ethnic and racial breakdown of staff and students, attendance, special education placements, in-school and out-of-school suspension rates, and more — which set the tone for almost an hour until public comments began. More than 20 speakers took to the podium, some returning multiple times, to raise questions over a wide range of issues, including why the nearly $5 million in revenue for Native American tuition provided by New York State is not earmarked specifically to benefit Shinnecock students.

Among the last speakers was Shinnecock member Serena Lee, who works as a security guard for the district. Facing the board members, she told them that she, a graduate of Southampton High School, was hurt by their refusal to acknowledge Shinnecock history. “We are smart, intelligent people, otherwise we still wouldn’t be here. We taught you something,” she said, met with audience applause and cheering. “We taught you how to survive on our land. Give it back by educating us so we can maintain our sovereignty.” Ms. Lee called for education about Shinnecock culture in the district — a point reinforced by Randy King speaking in their native tongue earlier in the meeting.

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After appearing to slow down this spring, Long Island home prices picked up steam during the summer months, reaching new highs in the third quarter, according to new data released today.

The median sale price on Long Island, excluding the East End, rose 3.2% to $640,000 during the quarter compared with the same period in 2022, according to data from real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman and appraisal firm Miller Samuel. Jonathan LaMantia reports on Newsday.com that Long Island set price records across every subcategory the report measures. The median price for Nassau County, Suffolk County, single-family homes and condos all hit new highs in the third quarter. While sellers are receiving top dollar, there are far fewer of them than in years past. The number of sales on Long Island, excluding the East End, fell 17.1% during the third quarter compared with a year ago.

Meanwhile on the East End's South Fork…aka The Hamptons…the median price dropped 11.4% to $1,417,500 in the third quarter, down from a record $1.6 million in the third quarter of 2022. The number of sales in the Hamptons fell 13.2% from a year earlier. Jonathan Miller, CEO of Miller Samuel said he views last year’s record high median price as an outlier and noted the third-quarter median price still represents a 65% increase from the third quarter of 2019.

The North Fork median price rose 2.1% to $999,950 in the third quarter. The North Fork has seen prices soar since the pandemic started. Back in the third quarter of 2019, the median sale on the North Fork went for $629,000.

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Early voting begins this Saturday in New York State, and East End voters can vote at any of the 27 polling places in Suffolk County through Nov. 5. Election Day 2023 is Tuesday; November 7th. Beth Young in EAST END BEACON reports that polls at all Suffolk locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 28 through Oct. 30…from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 31 and Nov.1… Noon to 8 p.m. on Nov. 2 & Nov. 3...and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 4 and 5.

This year there are six locations on the East End, some of which have changed from previous years.

The voting site in Southold Town is now the town’s Recreation Center at 970 Peconic Lane in Peconic — it had previously been in Mattituck. Riverhead’s site is now the American Legion Post 273 at 89 Hubbard Avenue in Riverhead — it had previously been in Aquebogue. An additional site has been added at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 40 Main Street in Westhampton Beach.

The Stony Brook University Southampton Campus Student Activity Center at 39 Tuckahoe Road in Southampton will continue to be an early voting site, along with Windmill Village at 219 Accabonac Road in East Hampton. Early voting on Shelter Island will be at the Shelter Island Youth Recreation Center at 1 Bateman Road, Shelter Island.

On Election Day, Nov. 7, voters can only vote at their regular hometown polling site from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Look up your polling site and make sure you’re registered to vote at vote411.org.

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The median home price on Long Island, excluding the East End, rose 3.2% to $640,000 in the third quarter, according to a Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel report released today. The median sale on southeastern Long Island…The Hamptons…was $1,417,500, 11.4% lower than the same period a year ago. The North Fork median price rose 2.1% to $999,950 in the third quarter. The North Fork has seen prices soar since the pandemic started.

Back in the third quarter of 2019, the median sale on the North Fork went for "only" $629,000.

As reported in Newsday, LI home prices didn't fall even as mortgage rates climbed above 7% over the summer, but higher rates have meant fewer transactions.

There were 4,550 homes on the market on Long Island, excluding the East End, at the end of September. That is about two-thirds fewer homes than were up for sale during the third quarter of 2019, before the pandemic led to a surge in demand.

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The Tuckahoe Common School District is in the early stages of contemplating the construction of a new high school that could be a fresh start for some Shinnecock Nation students following a trend of poor test scores, repeated accusations of racism, and claims of mistreatment at Southampton High School. “We’re right at the very beginning stages of finding out what this would be, and nothing is going to happen without the Tuckahoe community’s approval,” School Superintendent Len Skuggevik said on Tuesday. “So I don’t want anyone thinking that this is going anywhere until it’s something that they want.” Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that the first step is a feasibility study, the administrator explained, and while the district is currently exploring its options, it does not have a plan yet in place. But despite the preliminary nature of discussions, Shinnecock leaders stress that momentum is growing and the Tuckahoe high school could someday be a reality. According to NYS Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., there are a couple of ways to build a high school for Tuckahoe. The first is to merge with another school district, a move that failed at the polls in 2014 when Tuckahoe and Southampton had proposed a merger. The second is to dissolve the current common school district — which only allows for pre-K through eighth grade — and recreate it as a union free school district, which includes high schools, he said. That option would mean a redesignation as a union free school district, requiring authorization from the State Legislature. The assemblyman anticipates that state building aid would help with the capital project itself, “but for the most part, given Tuckahoe’s combined wealth ratio, the majority of it would still have to be financed through a bond and the taxpayers would pay for the majority of it,” he said. Among more than 700 school districts in New York State, only 21 of them are common school districts, said Thiele.