The owner of Long Island’s last remaining duck farm is pressing federal regulators to allow currently available vaccines to help protect U.S. poultry farms in the wake a devastating bird flu outbreak on his farm last month that led to the euthanization of his entire flock.

"We need a vaccine!" Doug Corwin, owner of Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue, wrote in a letter to newly named EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday.

Current federal policies for dealing with the disease — killing large numbers of birds — at the farm level have been ineffective, Corwin wrote, necessitating consideration of vaccines.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture "policy of euthanizing flocks is not working," Corwin wrote to Zeldin. "Vaccines are available and being used in Europe for Avian Flu. We must start allowing farmers this protection." The letter also will go out to other federal, state and local officials, Corwin said. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that Corwin said resistance to vaccines has come chiefly from large-scale "corporate agriculture" concerns, which are "hugely worried about losing exports. This has led to the prolonging and spreading of this outbreak."

Corwin last month was forced to lay off 48 workers, some of whom had been with the farm for decades, and euthanize his entire flock of 99,000 birds after tests confirmed a bird flu outbreak there. The farm was able to save upward of 10,000 sanitized eggs that will be hatched off the farm in the hopes of reviving the operation, which has been in business since 1908.

Ducks euthanized at Crescent Farm are being composted on site, Corwin said this week, with temperatures high enough to eradicate the disease. It’s all under the supervision of the USDA.

Corwin told Zeldin that Crescent Duck Farm, with community and other support and successful hatchings of salvaged duck eggs, could be back producing ducks for the marketplace by 2026.

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On the eve of a court hearing on whether the Southampton History Museum can evict the Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery from the corner of a dirt parking lot that the hatchery has leased for the past decade, the Southampton Town historian revealed that she has found century-old deeds and documents that would seem to indicate the museum may not, in fact, own the land the hatchery sits on.

Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the land that has since the late 1980s been considered to be one single parcel, owned by the museum, appears in deeds that Town Historian Julie Greene uncovered recently to have historically been two separate parcels — one owned by the Southampton Colonial Society, and the other by the Town of Southampton. The land where the Southampton Town Trustees’ boat ramp and the hatchery shed are today is one parcel. The second, immediately to the north, comprises the spit of land known as Conscience Point, where a trail through marshlands leads to the rock dedicated by the Southampton Colonial Society in 1910, memorializing the nearby arrival of English settlers on Long Island in 1640. In January, the museum filed a petition to the court to eject the hatchery from the property. The first hearing in court this Wednesday was expected to be adjourned considering the recent revelations.

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HarborFrost, Sag Harbor’s annual celebration of winter, returns to the village this Saturday with a packed schedule of events culminating with a Grucci fireworks display off Long Wharf on Saturday night. “Like most chamber events, HarborFrost was conceived and is organized annually to support businesses in Sag Harbor and attract foot traffic during the offseason months,” said Ellen Dioguardi, the president of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce. “This year, there’s something for everyone: live music, ice carving, fire dancers, children’s activities inside several shops, and world-famous fireworks by Grucci off Long Wharf at...

Southampton Town Police are beginning a major push to rein in speeding and improve safety along County Road 39 that will employ new strategies and technologies, like car-tracking drones, teams of police officers stalking speeders and the use of “pace cars” to train motorists to drive slower. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that as complaints have mounted from residents of neighborhoods that spur off County Road 39 about the daily fears for their safety while running basic errands, Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan said that he has been searching for strategies on how to make the road safer. Speeding in the hours between the morning and evening “trade parade” is at the top of the list, since it drives much of the dangers of turning into and off the roadway for residents and the employees and patrons of hundreds of businesses. County Road 39 is the highway that runs through Southampton between Hampton Bays and Water Mill. “That road, when you get beyond the rush-hour times, it is a wide road, and drivers can see far ahead of them, so it gives them the sense that they can go fast. But people need to take into consideration that people have to be able to get out of businesses and side streets, and when everyone is going fast, it makes that very dangerous,” Kiernan said this week.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday issued a public notice describing a new plan for "emergency maintenance dredging" at Montauk Inlet this winter, but Montauk fishing interests are concerned that a start date for the work still wasn’t clear as of yesterday. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the Monday notice said the Army Corps has "received the needed emergency declaration" to start the work after finding there were "no adverse impacts" to any relevant endangered species in the channel. Up to 10,500 cubic yards of sand expected to be dredged from the inlet will be placed just west of the inlet, the project plan states.

"The dredging and placement west of the west jetty is currently anticipated to occur during the winter of 2025, subject to the availability of funds," the notice states, while also discussing public comment periods and a possible public hearing before work can begin.

Newsday has reported that at least five commercial fishing boats that are based in Montauk have had to offload fish and station in Rhode Island because of the dangers of shoaling at Montauk Inlet.

Montauk fishermen and their advocates say the work is already months late, as ships loaded with fish and ice have been hitting shoals and clogging the inlet as they pass to and from, particularly at low tide.

"What are you waiting for, gang?" Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, said Tuesday, adding the state’s largest fishing port has already lost around $100,000 in revenue because of the problem.

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Sound Aircraft Services at East Hampton Airport is hosting a program for young people to learn about becoming a pilot. The “Guide for Aspiring Aviators and Their Families” is scheduled for tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the airport, 173 Daniels Hole Road in Wainscott. As reported on 27east.com, the program will touch on local training options, and a panel of experts, including East Hampton Town Airport director and former United Airlines Captain James Brundige, and ex-FAA regulator turned flight instructor Lou Cusimano will answer questions. Those who wish to attend should email fbo@soundaircraftservices.com. East Hampton Town Airport is in Wainscott with over 7 acres of ramp, new pilots lounge, and separate passenger waiting area.

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Democratic legislators are suing Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman claiming that the Long Island Republican illegally created a tax-payer-funded militia — allegations his office quickly slammed as bogus. Shane Galvin reports in THE NY...

With multiple news outlets reporting that the Trump administration is drafting an executive measure to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, local educational advocates and experts had a message for Long Islanders.

"Don’t panic, but we’re going to pay attention," said Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. "Know that organizations like mine and school board members from across Long Island and New York State and the nation will be advocating to make sure that whatever changes come about will not negatively impact the children and their public education." Darwin Yanes and Laura Figueroa Hernandez report in NEWSDAY that the executive order would reportedly halt all functions of the department that aren’t enshrined in law or transfer powers to other agencies.

Vecchio noted that two federal laws would remain in place, even if the department was dismantled: The Every Student Succeeds Act, which governs public education and sets academic standards for K-12 students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees "free and appropriate" public education for children with disabilities. Vecchio also pointed out that federal funding is usually a small portion of a school district’s funding, but he said people should be paying attention to any decrease.

Lars Clemensen, Hampton Bays Schools superintendent and president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, said the state's constitution protects the right to a free and appropriate education.

"We’re not at a point of panic," he said. "Schools districts will continue to deliver and be creative and respond to challenges sent our way."

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More than half of New York State’s first responders, including those in law enforcement, fire services and emergency medical services, experience high levels of stress, burnout and anxiety, according to a state-funded report being released today.

Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the approximately $14,000 state-funded survey and subsequent report aim to identify the unique mental health challenges faced by first responders.

Chronic stress from exposure to traumatic events and everyday strain can significantly impact the mental health and wellness of first responders, according to the report, conducted by the State University of New York at New Paltz’s Institute for Disaster Mental Health and the Benjamin Center.

The report found that 68% of those surveyed experienced stress, 59% felt burned out, and 52% faced anxiety.

The report was commissioned by the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and conducted in 2024. More than 6,000 first responders from across the state took part in the voluntary survey, including those in law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, emergency communications and emergency management. Five follow-up focus groups were also held with emergency responders with varying lengths of service, including both those who volunteer and those for whom this is a career.

Governor Kathy Hochul, in her January executive budget proposal, announced the creation of a first responder counseling scholarship program through SUNY to encourage first responders to pursue counseling degrees and micro-credentials in areas such as trauma-informed care and peer support leadership. The scholarship aims to create a pipeline of mental health professionals who are equipped to support the emergency responder community.

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Riverhead Town’s first committee focusing on the needs of the town’s Hispanic and Latino communities was formed by the Town Board yesterday. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the Hispanic Development, Empowerment and Education Committee is expected to “develop and recommend strategies to abate and address the issues related to and necessary to improve quality of life of Hispanic