27Speaks

On Thursday, January 15, Westhampton Beach residents, business owners, elected officials and others gathered at Fauna in the village for the latest edition of the Express Sessions series “Local Matters,” providing those in attendance with a chance to discuss and debate the most pressing issues facing the community. The afternoon conversation ranged from new regulations that will require beachfront communities like Westhampton Beach to start paying a portion of federal beach replenishment costs, to the continued vacancy of prominent storefronts, and challenges related to the sewer district expansion, parking and more. Several options and ideas were explored, with input not only from those living and working in the immediate village area, but also from stakeholders in surrounding villages like Quogue and West Hampton Dunes. The panel included Westhampton Beach Village Mayor Ralph Urban and Deputy Mayor Kimberly Monsour; West Hampton Dunes Village Mayor Irwin Krasnow; Quogue Village Mayor Robert Treuhold; Jennifer Sperber, owner of Mixology and a member of the Westhampton Beach Chamber of Commerce; Larry Jones, a preservation consultant and trustee of the Westhampton Beach History Museum; and Aram Terchunian, a coastal geologist and president of First Coastal Consulting.

Last year, Hampton Coffee Company took over a roadside cafe in a quiet corner of Hampton Bays. Over decades, the building, a former farm stand, had been expanded and transformed into a small eatery with bathrooms, a kitchen and walk-in refrigerators. The neighbors love having the cafe nearby. The problem is, all those expansions were done sans permits. So in an effort to bring everything up to date, Hampton Coffee Company’s owners Jason and Theresa Belkin filed a change of tenancy notice with Southampton Town Building Department to officially convert the certificate of occupancy from a farm stand to a take-out restaurant. Now the town is telling the Belkins they must go to the Planning Board for a proper assessment of what the building has become. This week, the editors discuss the conundrum the town faces as it considers legalizing a beloved business in a residential zone while also pondering what sort of precedents it might set down the road in other similar situations.

Southampton Town is weighing using its Community Preservation Fund to purchase a Meadow Lane mansion — and the land it sits on — for nearly $26 million. The town would then raze the mansion and remove the accompanying pool to install a new parking lot where town residents could access a stretch of beach in Southampton Village. The property is located next to a Town Trustees 4x4 access road that is popular with beach drivers. Reporter Michael Wright joins the editors on this week's podcast to discuss the motivations behind the purchase.

In late December, Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would formally recognize the Montaukett Nation. This, despite the fact that there was broad support for the legislation, which passed the State Assembly unanimously and the State Senate in a vote of 59-1. The bill sought to reinstate recognition to the Montaukett Nation by reversing a 1910 court ruling that improperly stripped it away by ignoring an earlier U.S. Supreme Court decision under which the nation would have qualified for recognition. It was the seventh time in recent years that such a bill has died on the New York governor’s desk. This week, the editors are joined by reporters Michael Wright and Jack Motz as well as Montaukett Executive Director and Government Affairs Officer Sandi Brewster-walker, who has worked extensively over the past decade to gain state recognition, and State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni, the bill’s co-sponsor, to talk about why this has been such an uphill battle for the Montauketts.

Two of The Express News Group’s most enduring newsroom fixtures decided that 2025 would be the year they finally stepped away from journalism. At the end of December, photo editor Dana Shaw and reporter Stephen J. Kotz officially filed their last stories. For more than three decades, Shaw was a constant presence at the region’s most important moments — from protests and public meetings to wildfires and parades. And for over 30 years on the East End, Kotz — who also had stints as a news editor — chronicled the villages, towns, people and personalities of the South Fork with relentless curiosity and determination. This week, the editors sit down with Shaw and Kotz for a candid “exit interview,” filled with unforgettable anecdotes, hard-earned wisdom, and reflections on a lifetime spent chasing the story.

The editors share the South Fork's top 10 stories of 2025.

What happens when kids put down their phones and step into the wild? Jen Skilbred knows firsthand. She’s the assistant director for environmental education at Group for the East End, where her job often means leading students off the pavement and into forests, fields and shorelines to discover the region’s plants and wildlife. Last year alone, Group for the East End reached more than 2,270 students across the East End. So earlier this year when Governor Kathy Hochul announced a statewide ban on student cellphone use during the school day, Skilbred saw an opportunity to extend that phone-free time beyond the classroom by getting kids outside and reconnecting them with nature. This week, the editors are joined by Skilbred to talk about what happens when young people discover the magic of the natural world. “Let’s make real life more interesting than screens,” Skilbred says. “We live on the East End, and there are so many beautiful outdoor spaces.” CHRISTOPHER SCOTT PHOTO

The Express News Group is launching a brand-new 27east.com this month, a major step forward for local news coverage on the South Fork. The upgrade comes during the same month that longtime Executive Editor Joseph P. Shaw steps back to a consulting editor role while Bill Sutton steps up to become the ninth editor-in-chief in the history of both The Sag Harbor Express and The Southampton Press. In addition, Brendan J. O’Reilly assumes the newly created digital editor role. In this week's podcast, the editors and co-publishers discuss these and other changes as well as the better reader experience that the new website will provide.

Hamptons Doc Fest is back, and from December 4 to 11 will screen 33 feature-length and short documentaries at Bay Street Theater, Sag Harbor Cinema and, new this year, Southampton Playhouse, which hosts the closing night film, “Lost Wolves of Yellowstone.” This week, the editors talk to Jacqui Lofaro, founder and executive director of the Hamptons Doc Fest, about the festival’s 18th season and some of the highlights that are not to be missed.

The staff and volunteers at Heart of the Hamptons Food Pantry work hard year-round to feed hungry Southampton residents. But 2025 has been a particularly difficult year for those facing food insecurity. Reductions in federal funding for pantries and the added pressure of suspended SNAP benefits means the pantry is feeding more families than ever. This week, the editors are joined by Molly Bishop, executive director of Heart of the Hamptons Food Pantry, to talk about how she and her crew are meeting the need as they settle into their new location at 44 Meeting House Lane in Southampton Village.

The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center was recently awarded $4 million from Southampton Town’s Community Preservation Fund. The money will be used for capital projects and enhancements at the historic 1932 theater. While the CPF, a 2 percent property transfer tax, was originally used for open space purchases, in recent years its use has expanded to include preservation of important structures owned and operated by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. In addition to the preservation of the theater’s iconic façade, the CPF agreement stipulates that WHBPAC will continue to operate as a space for diverse cultural programs, serving as a community anchor for generations to come. This week, the editors are joined by WHBPAC Executive Director Julienne Penza-Boone and Marketing Director Heather Draskin, who talk about the history of the theater, the process that led to the CPF award and how the theater will use the funds in the future.

On Wednesday, November 5, ICE agents swept into Hampton Bays and Westhampton, setting upon immigrant laborer gathering spots and businesses that employ or are frequented by immigrants. The officers made several arrests as part of the largest local federal immigration sweep since the start of the second Donald Trump administration. This week, the editors talk about the operation with senior reporter Michael Wright, New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and, from OLA of Eastern Long Island, Executive Director Minerva Perez and legal advocate Erika Padilla.

This Saturday, November 8, three generations of local veterans — Angelique Williams (Navy 1997-2014), Ed German (USMC 1967-1970) and Martin Sylvester (Army 1943-1945) — will be honored at Southampton Arts Center with a screening of a trio of short films about their military service created by USA Warrior Stories, which was founded in 2017. Ahead of the screening, USA Warrior Stories founders Matt Hindra and Nick Kraus joined the editors and reporter Cailin Riley to share what they’ve learned from recording hundreds of first-hand accounts of military life.

Every Tuesday, an 8-year-old poodle/golden retriever mix clocks in for his shift at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. Known to staff and patients as “Dogtor” Cooper, he even has business cards made up by his owner and handler, hospital volunteer Eric Weston. Cooper is part of a robust therapy dog program at the hospital and one of seven dogs certified to visit patients on a regular basis. This week, the editors are joined by reporter Cailin Riley along with Weston and Robin Page, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s director of Patient Experience/Volunteer Services, to talk about the therapy dog program and the joy it brings. Also joining in is Cooper, but honestly, he stays pretty quiet because he’s a good boy.

The Hampton Theatre Company has launched a new initiative to open each of its next three seasons with a female-led production. Called the Jane Stanton Celebrating Women in Theatre Project, the initiative is funded by a recent anonymous grant from a private charitable foundation and the goal is to spotlight plays written and directed by women. This week, the editors are joined by HTC president Rosemary Cline, vice president George Loizides and general manager Terry Brennan who discuss the details of the project as well as the first play to be produced by it — Larissa FastHorse’s “The Thanksgiving Play” which runs through November 2 at the Quogue Community Hall.

The first in a new series titled "Local Matters" focused on Southampton Village with an Express Sessions event at Union Burger Bar on October 9. Top of mind for area residents and panelists in attendance were traffic, affordable housing and the continued push to develop a sewer district in Southampton Village.

In a few weeks, the Suffolk County Department of Public Works will institute changes in traffic patterns on County Road 39 between North Sea Road and Magee Street in Southampton to test a pared-down version of an experiment run by the county and Southampton Town last spring. Local officials said the plan, as envisioned by Charles McArdle, Southampton Town superintendent of highways, brought marked improvement in travel times for afternoon commuters and eased bypass traffic on residential back roads. This week, the editors are joined by senior reporter Michael Wright and McArdle to talk about how the new plan will work and some of the Southampton road challenges that remain.

Every summer morning, a dedicated group of open-water swimmers — each over the age of 60 — gathers at West Landing in Hampton Bays to swim the calm waters of Peconic Bay. But this ritual is about much more than fitness. Over the years, these daily swims have become a source of deep friendship, connection and joy. This week on the podcast, the editors are joined by filmmaker Doug Gallo and his mother Chris, one of the swimmers featured in his short documentary “West Landing,” which is screening at this year’s Hamptons International Film Festival. Together, Doug and Chris share how the film came to life — and reflect on the tight-knit community that’s formed in the bay, one swim at a time.

The annual Hamptons International Film Festival returns this week for its 33rd iteration, and from October 3 to 13, will present screenings at theaters in East Hampton, Sag Harbor and Southampton. This week, the editors are joined by David Nugent, Chief Creative Officer of HamptonsFilm, HIFF’s parent organization, who shares some insight into the business of putting on a film festival. He also offers a sneak peak at a few of the 146 films that will be screened in the days ahead.

This week, the editors are joined by Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger who addresses some of the most pressing concerns in the village. Traffic, of course, is at the top of the list, but also on the table is workforce housing, a potential sewer system and rehabilitation of the arboretum grounds at Southampton Arts Center as well as the World War I monument in Agawam Park. Also discussed was some fun stuff coming up, including Southampton Fest and the Hamptons International Film Festival, which in October will offer screenings at the newly renovated Southampton Playhouse.