Editorials

There have been numerous Black Lives Matter protests held in Suffolk County in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis in May. Here in the five towns of the East End, there have been nearly a dozen, and they’ve all been well-attended and peaceful.

There is no sugar-coating it: The Class of 2020 got ripped off. There was no prom, no senior skip day, none of the anticipation and celebration of a traditional graduation ceremony.

Over the course of the last week, families with children in prekindergarten, kindergarten, fifth, eighth and 12th grades all celebrated graduation, and students began preparing to embark on new journeys that remain largely out of focus, as most colleges and local school districts are not yet confirming how — or if — they will reopen physically to students this fall.

For U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin, it had to be a big night: President Donald Trump invited him to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the first big political rally of his reelection campaign to be held after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The fluid nature of the state’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic and, in particular, to school districts being allowed to host graduation ceremonies for departing seniors has left many district officials reeling this week, as they try to determine whether they can change course quickly to plan some kind of event for later in the month.

Our health and economy are both a mess, with only shaky steps forward out of the darkness. The nation’s spirit was already volatile, and it needed only a tiny spark to set it off. Instead, there was an inferno.

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen,” said celebrated author John Steinbeck — and it appears that the committee advising Sag Harbor Village on the future of its newest waterfront park have more than a few ideas in mind regarding the name of that space. 

The Reverend Karen Campbell of Christ Episcopal Church in Sag Harbor is the latest East End resident to return from the southern border with eyewitness testimony of what’s happening there, despite the politically charged rhetoric that has made conversations about immigration so difficult. But they are necessary conversations — and perhaps they are most effective when led by ministers, who can remind everyone of the moral imperatives that often get overshadowed. 

As Black History Month comes to a close, February delivered a devastating blow with the death of B. Smith, whose pioneering role as an African American entrepreneur cannot be overstated. 

Race remains a third rail topic in America, and Black History Month in February presents an opportunity to stride forward purposefully, or to misstep. Sometimes...

Last week’s Press Sessions discussion focusing on the East Hampton Airport and its future was a start of a conversation that needs to dig much, much deeper. The fact that the debate wasn’t altogether acrimonious was a good start. The fact that it was a rare face-to-face exchange of information from two deeply entrenched sides is, frankly, troubling, since that’s the only way a real solution will be found.

It was a quick shift — the moment when smartphones went from a device most commonly found in the hands of working adults, to one that some children expect to receive while still in elementary school.

There has been much clamoring recently about changes enacted last month to the state’s criminal justice system, most notably the elimination of cash bail for many defendants changed with nonviolent offenses.

It would be almost farcical if it was not so serious, but the latest news out of the saga that has become the reconstruction of the former Stella Maris Regional School building into the Sag Harbor Learning Center proves once more that it is incumbent on the Sag Harbor School Board of Education to take a role of greater oversight on a project that is not only millions of dollars over budget, but one where when issues arise, it is weeks, if not several months before board members — or taxpayers — are informed.

As Sag Harbor Village continues to be a regional epicenter for redevelopment, perhaps now, more than ever, understanding the history of the village —...