LIRR Montauk Branch To Be Out Of Service Overnight May 7 Through May 10

Long Island Morning Edition

The NYS Board of Regents yesterday proposed revised, gender-neutral rules to determine when a female or male student can play on a school sports team of the opposite sex, potentially opening the door to more coed teams.

While supporters of the proposed change said it would bring greater equity to school sports, some critics lamented that it could compromise girls sports by allowing in boys who could dominate. Craig Schneider and Gregg Sarra report on Newsday.com that board trustees, who discussed the changes at their meeting Monday, said the new rules would apply when a school does not offer separate male and female teams for a particular sport. The rules would apply, for example, when a female student wants to play on a football or wrestling team, or a male student wants to play on a field hockey or girls volleyball team, they said.

Board members said they hoped to eliminate extra, burdensome requirements placed on students who wish to play a sport that traditionally caters to members of the opposite sex. “I think this is long overdue,” said Roger Tilles, Long Island's longtime member of the Board of Regents. “It's not just in fairness to girls who want to play on the football team, but it is going to open field hockey for boys.”

Tom Combs, the executive director of Section XI, which governs Suffolk sports, said the plan needs more scrutiny.,“I’m not in favor of anything that adversely affects the girls,” Combs said. “This was a proposal to examine and look at the mixed competition policy as written. There is nothing ratified at this time. It’s a proposal to be looked at in the fall.” Combs added, “We really have to think about the girls. We’ve come a long way in girls sports and the opportunities they’ve earned. I’d hate to see that change.”

The board will submit the proposed changes to a 60-day public comment period, before voting on it in September. It would become effective that month.

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Two years after affiliating with Long Island Community Hospital, NYU Langone filed an application to fully merge assets with the Patchogue institution. Sarina Trangle reports on Newsday.com that the Manhattan-based health system received permission in February 2022 to become the “active parent” of Long Island Community Hospital and detailed longer-term plans for a full merger.

When the partnership was announced, NYU Langone said it would invest $100 million to improve the hospital, including its electronic records system, emergency rooms and operating rooms. Executives said more physicians and staff would be hired.

NYU Langone didn't specify how much of the $100 million investment had been made and by how much it had increased various types of clinicians in its merger application, which is dated April 26. The document notes the health systems are ready to fully merge assets, with Long Island Community Hospital at NYU Langone becoming a division of the NYU Langone health system.

NYU Langone spokesman Steven Ritea said in a statement yesterday. “A full merger is expected in about a year.”

The 306-bed Long Island Community Hospital reported more than $253.96 million in revenue on its 2021 tax return, but had roughly $2.14 million more in expenses, according to the most recent filing available through the state attorney general's charities database.

The hospital had about 43,500 emergency room visits and performed more than 4,700 surgeries that year, the form noted.

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The Long Island Rail Road is going to be performing Sperry rail testing and track maintenance on the Montauk Branch from Babylon to Montauk each night…starting tonight…from Tuesday, May 7, until Friday, May 10, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. each night. As a result, train service on the Montauk branch will be out of service each overnight between Babylon and Montauk, with buses running in their place. The railroad said the testing is part of its annual track maintenance program, which ensures its infrastructure is in a state of good repair. As reported on 27east.com, all train service will be replaced by buses in both directions between Babylon and Montauk. Passengers can expect approximately an additional hour and 15 minutes of travel time in either direction. Part of Sperry testing involves catching defects in the rail, and when possible, crews will address these on site. As such, while the Sperry train itself does not cause much noise, any potential remedial work that is undertaken will, so there could be extra noise in the vicinity of the outage.

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Nearly a third of Suffolk convenience stores and gas stations targeted in a recent undercover operation by county law enforcement illegally sold nicotine vaping cartridges to minors, often in e-cigarette flavors banned by the state, officials announced yesterday in Yaphank. Robert Brodsky reports on Newsday.com that in total, 17 of 53 businesses targeted since mid-March by the Suffolk County Police Department, or 32%, were issued citations that come with a $1,000 fine for a first offense — and $2,000 thereafter. The investigation also led to the arrest of 18 store employees. Those employees were charged with second-degree unlawfully dealing with a child, a misdemeanor, and issued desk appearance tickets. The businesses remained open.

Meanwhile, 3,000 illegal vaping products were seized on April 25 from a gas station in Shirley — the second largest seizure of its kind in Suffolk County history, officials said. The seized products, police said, will be incinerated. “The majority of businesses are following the law,” said acting police Commissioner Robert Waring on Monday as he stood before the seized products. “But approximately 30% of the stores checked sold to underage people. And that is simply too much. Young people often do not understand the health risks of nicotine use. We rely on the store selling these products to check IDs and to only sell to those legally permitted.”

The police crackdown, known as Operation Smoke Out, used minors to try to purchase vaping products, officials said. The recent raids, which targeted shops in Mastic, Shirley and South Huntington that were identified by community complaints, will expand to other areas.

“Do not sell them to people under 21,” Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said of the vaping products. “It is not legal in the state and we will enforce it.”

Retailers statewide cannot sell vaping products to people under 21, nor can they sell flavors other than tobacco, mint or menthol. Flavored vaping products, however, are widely available online and across the country.

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The U.S. Navy’s Restoration Advisory Board for the the Enterprise Park at Calverton...the EPCAL site in Calverton...will meet this evening at 6 p.m. in the Riverhead Senior Center on Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue. Beth Young in EAST END BEACON reports that an Open House is scheduled before the meeting, at 5:30 p.m., which will include informational displays along with representatives from the Navy and partnering agencies.

Per the U.S. Navy, NAVAL WEAPONS INDUSTRIAL RESERVE PLANT CALVERTON, New York was a Government-Owned Contractor-Operated facility located in Suffolk County on Long Island, approximately 70 miles east of New York City. Established in 1954 for the development, assembly, testing, refitting, and retrofitting of Naval combat aircraft; Northrop Grumman Corporation was the sole operator of the facility from its construction in the early 1950s until it closed in February 1996.

In 1996, the land was returned to Navy control. In September 1998, the majority of the land within the developed section of the facility was conveyed to the Town of Riverhead for economic redevelopment.

There are currently no operational activities being conducted on the Navy’s 209 acres. Current Navy actions are limited to environmental investigations and cleanup.

Once again, the U.S. Navy’s Restoration Advisory Board for the EPCAL site in Calverton will meet this evening at 6 p.m. at the Riverhead Senior Center on Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue. An Open House is scheduled before the meeting, at 5:30 p.m., which will include informational displays along with representatives from the Navy and partnering agencies.

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A community meeting has been planned to discuss improvements to Three Mile Harbor Road, or County Road 40, in East Hampton. Lisa Finn reports on Patch.com that the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m. in East Hampton Town Hall, 159 Pantigo Road in East Hampton.

The Suffolk County Department of Public Works, and the East Hampton town board and town staff, along with Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker are holding the meeting to discuss ongoing plans for improvements to Three Mile Harbor Road. Public comments will be received during the meeting, after the presentation.

The project aims to achieve the following goals to improve various aspects within the corridor, organizers said:

• Roadway resurfacing and pavement rehabilitation
• Construct new curb and sidewalk on both sides of the roadway, providing continuous pedestrian facilities throughout the corridor.
• Upgrade existing pedestrian facilities to conform with the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Install bike lanes on both sides of the roadway between Springs Fireplace Road and Copeces Lane
• Repair and upgrade existing drainage system
• Traffic signal improvements at Cedar Street and Collins Avenue
• Replacement of traffic signage and pavement markings

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The Faculty Senate at Stony Brook University voted overwhelmingly yesterday to demand that the school drop charges against 29 students and faculty arrested in connection with a pro-Palestinian demonstration last week. Bart Jones reports on Newsday.com that in a heated meeting that was also attended by university president Maurie McInnis, the senate also voted to investigate a new campus police operation McInnis has created. Speakers noted that the campus police seized the cellphones of some of the protesters and refused to return them, in what some professors characterized as an action more typical of an authoritarian police state.

The SBU Faculty Senate tabled for a week a third resolution declaring “no confidence in President McInnis’s capacity to perform the ongoing duties of her office in a wise and humane manner.” The resolution to demand charges be dropped is largely symbolic as the group has no direct power over the administration's actions in connection with the protest.

McInnis during the nearly two-hour meeting vehemently defended her handling of last week’s protest, saying university officials were put in an extremely difficult position and did their best to defuse a volatile situation.

“We did not want to arrest anyone,” she said. “We wanted to de-escalate the situation.” She noted that protests at other colleges around the country have ended far worse. Columbia University has canceled its main graduation after nearly 300 people were arrested there, along with City College of New York.

University officials said Monday that 20 students have received “interim suspensions,” up from the three they reported last week. They said the students can appeal, and that some have already successfully done so.

The campus has been in turmoil since campus police, Suffolk County police and New York State Troopers last week broke up an encampment the protesters set up and made the arrests.

Stony Brook officials have said the protesters were arrested after being repeatedly warned they had to move off the grassy area known as the Staller Steps after nearly two days of occupying it, in part because another group was scheduled to use the area the next day.