As two sides in Washington dig in on a stalemate to reopen the federal government, the ramifications for county governments won’t be drastic initially, county officials said. But an extended federal shutdown, which began last Wednesday after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a funding bill, could begin to impact the local economy and dry up funding used for critical social services initiatives. "We are very concerned about this," Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, a Republican, said Friday at an unrelated news conference. "Government should operate. Government should not shut down. It's unfortunate that it's come to that and everybody has to play chicken." Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that during the first few days of a shutdown, there's little direct impact on county governments. Suffolk Legis. Steven Flotteron (R-Brightwaters), the deputy presiding officer and chairman of the Budget & Finance Committee, said the shutdown is not "directly affecting the operations of Suffolk County that I know of," while acknowledging it can be "hurtful" to some residents.

Flotteron said he doesn’t envision the federal shutdown impacting Suffolk’s 2026 proposed budget, which is under review by legislators this month.

Suffolk County’s 2026 recommended operating budget released in late September includes $274 million in federal aid, which accounts for 5% of total revenue. The county budgeted about $296 million in federal aid in 2025, according to budget records.

"Any federal funding the county receives from grants is on a reimbursement basis," said Michael Martino, Romaine's spokesperson. "The county has sufficient cash reserves to cover expenses until funding resumes."

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Prospective college students in New York can apply for free to nearly 130 higher education institutions statewide this month and in November, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office has announced.

Dandan Zou reports in NEWSDAY that participating universities and colleges in the 3-year-old fee waiver include the State University of New York and City University of New York systems and dozens of private institutions, Hochul’s office said in yesterday’s news release.

An application fee typically ranges from $50 to $90, according to the governor’s office.

"By waiving application fees at SUNY, CUNY and nearly 50 private colleges across the state, we’re saving families money and ensuring that more students can access the opportunities and futures they deserve," Hochul stated.

With the fees waived, students can apply without worrying about that cost and then decide after they evaluate and compare the financial aid packages from the colleges, she said.

For SUNY campuses, each student can have the application fees waived for five SUNY schools from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3.

The SUNY schools on Long Island include Stony Brook University, Farmingdale State College, SUNY Old Westbury, Nassau Community College and Suffolk County Community College.

For families living paycheck to paycheck, educators said, the fee waiver reduces stress for them during an application process that can feel overwhelming.

Students can look up the complete list of participating schools on the New York State application waiver webpage, which also includes the time frames of the waiver period, which differs from school to school.

For the CUNY system, students from New York City schools can apply for free from Oct. 27 through Nov. 21. For those from outside the city schools including Long Island, the waiver period is in effect from Nov. 10 through Nov. 21.

Prospective college students in New York can apply for free to nearly 130 higher education institutions statewide this month and in November, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office has announced.

For further info visit hesc.ny.gov

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The Bridgehampton Civic Association, in association with the Noyac Civic Council, is sponsoring a meet the candidates event tomorrow evening in the Bridgehampton Community/Senior Center on Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike starting at 7 p.m.

Each candidate running for local office will be given time to speak, and a Q&A session will follow.

Candidates expected to attend are Republican Southampton Town Board incumbents Cyndi McNamara and Rick Martel…plus former Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Tom Neely, the Democratic Party town board candidate.

For Suffolk County legislator, incumbent Democrat Ann Welker and her Republican challenger Raheem Soto will appear.

For Southampton Town clerk, incumbent Republican Sundy Schermeyer and her Democratic challenger Mark Bernardo are expected.

That’s Meet The Candidates Night In Bridgehampton Community/Senior Center tomorrow starting at 7 p.m.

Further info available at https://www.bridgecivic.org/

Election Day 2025 is Tuesday, November 4th.

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Despite the community’s effort to rally to delay the end of prescription drug services at the Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy, the pharmacy portion of the business will be closing at the end of business today.

Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the pharmacy, at the hub of the business district in The Heights on Grand Avenue, first opened in the 1920s. It long served as the community’s only source for prescription medications, as well as general health and beauty supplies, non-prescription drugs and a soda fountain and lunch counter.

It was purchased in 2022 by the Soloviev Group, a major New York City-based development and hospitality company that was at that time buying up businesses on Shelter Island and farmland on the North Fork.

The Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy began handing out letters to its customers in late September with instructions on how to transfer their prescriptions to other pharmacies, noting in the letter that prescriptions that are not transferred by the time the pharmacy closes will be automatically transferred to the Southold Pharmacy, to ensure a continuum of care.

The lunch counter and the non-prescription services at the business will remain open.

Despite pleas from members of the Shelter Island Town Board to delay the end of prescription drug services, the pharmacy reaffirmed last week that it will stop filling prescriptions by 6 p.m. today.

Shelter Island Town Councilman Benjamin Dyett said at a recent Town Board work session that he’s been told the “pharmacy probably loses $40,000 to $50,000 a month. That’s a big nut. I’m not sure getting someone to come in and operate a business that has a $50,000 a month deficit is a realistic expectation.”

Nancy Green, co-chair of the town's health and wellness committee, called the Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy’s closure "devastating" and a "very serious crisis," particularly for seniors. "This has left the community really shattered," Green told Newsday this week.

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Brookhaven Calabro Airport in Shirley has been added to the state Superfund list following the discovery of groundwater contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals" at the 600-acre site.

New York State officials, in a letter last month to nearby residents, said the cause of the contamination appears to be firefighting foam commonly used at airports and other locations with large supplies of oil.

Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma was added to the state Superfund list in 2023, also because of groundwater contaminated by firefighting foam.

Calabro, owned by Brookhaven Town, was found to pose a "significant threat to public water" because of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, known as PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, the state Department of Environmental Conservation told residents in a letter mailed last month. Both substances were contained in aqueous film-forming foam used to fight fires, the DEC said.

Forever chemicals like PFOS and PFOA have been linked to cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health website.

The letter added that "additional investigation is needed" to determine the extent of contamination, its potential impact on residents and the "appropriate measures" to prevent or limit exposure.

The state Superfund was established in 1979 to fund cleanup of hazardous waste.

Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico said the town is one of many municipalities across the country suing manufacturers of firefighting foam.

“Virtually everyone in the area is connected to the public water, but anyone on well water is encouraged to contact us so that we may connect them,” Panico told NEWSDAY yesterday.

Residents probably are in little immediate danger if their houses are connected to the Suffolk County Water Authority's public water supply, the DEC letter said.

Calabro, originally a World War II-era support facility for the U.S. Army Air Corps, is a popular airfield for private pilots and flight instruction schools. It sees more than 50,000 takeoffs and landings annually, according to the Brookhaven Town website.

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The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at Stony Brook University will host an Open House and “Writers Speak” reading on Tuesday, October 21, on the Stony Brook Southampton campus. The event, held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Chancellors Hall, offers prospective students and the public an opportunity to learn about the program, meet faculty, and connect with current MFA students. Attendees can explore the curriculum, admissions process, and financial aid options, and gain insight into the creative writing community at Stony Brook. Virtual open houses will also be held on November 11 and December 4. The Tuesday October 21st event is free and open to the public starting at 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Christian McLean at christian.mclean@stonybrook.edu or register for the Open House at stonybrook.edu/mfacwl.

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The Town of Southampton’s restrictions as to where retail cannabis dispensaries may operate have been struck down as NYS cannabis officials blasted the town’s overly stringent rules as illegal and designed to intentionally block legal dispensaries from ever opening. Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that the unanimous decision by the state’s Cannabis Control Board yesterday effectively compromised Southampton’s local permitting system…one that state-licensed cannabis business owners Marquis Hayes and Kim Stetz, of Brown Budda dispensary, sued the town over.

They had accused Southampton Town officials of deliberately weaponizing zoning laws and permit requirements to stall their state-approved business and keep legal cannabis operations out of the south fork town. “The board’s action delivers a resounding rebuke to local officials who once claimed, ‘we live here, the state does not live here,” Christian Killoran, the attorney for Brown Budda, said in a statement.

“The state has now made its position unmistakably clear — Southampton is in New York. You live here. We live here. The decision affirms that state law – not local politics – governs cannabis regulation and that municipalities cannot rewrite the rules to fit their own agendas.”

The ruling found Southampton’s local code to be “unreasonably impracticable” under state law and formally voided multiple sections of its zoning code, including the town’s requirement for special-use permits and distance buffers.

State regulators also struck down the town’s attempts to regulate weed deliveries within its borders — calling any previous effort to do so “completely outside of municipal authority.”

The decision is a significant setback for Southampton Town, which has spent the past three years tightening its cannabis laws despite never opting out of the state’s 2021 legalization framework, which only required a vote of its local government. Most Long Island municipalities did just that and opted out of the legal marijuana business.

The ruling could also have sweeping implications beyond the East End, setting a statewide precedent that towns can’t use local zoning laws to get in the way of state-licensed businesses after missing the opt-out deadline. It also reinforces Albany’s stance that marijuana regulation rests entirely with the state — and affirms local municipalities can’t micromanage who can sell or deliver cannabis within its borders.