The ban applies to all public schools, charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) programs and aims to create a distraction-free environment in New York schools. 

Gov. Hochul’s policy, which was approved as part of the 2026 fiscal year budget, prohibits unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on K-12 school grounds for the entire day, including classroom time, lunch and study hall periods. 

“I know our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling — and that’s why New York continues to lead the nation on protecting our kids in the digital age,” Gov. Hochul said in a May 6 press release.

Schools were allowed to develop their own plans for smartphone storage during the day, giving administrators and teachers the ability to decide what is best for their buildings and students. 

The policy requires schools give parents a way to contact their children during the school day when necessary, and states that inequitable discipline should be prevented. Exceptions to the policy include students who need their smartphone to manage a medical condition, for Individualized Education Programs, and for other purposes such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies. 

Riverhead Central School District will prohibit student use of internet-enabled devices during the entire school day, including classes, homeroom, lunch, recess, study halls and passing periods on all school grounds. 

At the elementary level, students are not permitted to bring devices to school. Any devices that are brought to school must be silenced and stored in designated areas under teacher supervision.

Middle and high school students may bring their devices to school but must keep them silenced and stored in lockers or district-provided storage containers throughout the school day.

“The Riverhead Central School District is committed to creating a focused, distraction-free learning environment that supports student academic achievement and mental health,” Riverhead Central School District superintendent Robert Hagan said. “Our Board of Education has adopted a comprehensive policy regarding student use of personal electronic devices, including internet-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.”

In Shoreham-Wading River Central School District, student use of internet-enabled devices will be prohibited during the school day on school grounds. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are prohibited from bringing devices to school. Middle and high school student devices must be silenced and stored in student lockers. 

Parents can request an exception from the policy if their children need access to an internet-enabled device to manage their healthcare, for translation services, or if they are routinely responsible for the care and wellbeing of a family member. Requests must be made to the building principal, and for healthcare exceptions, must include documentation from an appropriate healthcare professional. 

Enforcement of the policy will be overseen by building administrative staff and designated employees throughout the school day. 

Students who use their smartphones without prior administrative approval will have their phone confiscated and held in the school office until the end of the school day. The first time this happens, the student can retrieve the device and their guardian will be notified. For subsequent occurrences, their guardian will have to retrieve the device. If there are any further instances, the student will be prohibited from bringing their device on campus for an extended period of time. 

Under the district’s code of conduct, consequences for violating the policy include detention, in-school suspension and exclusion from extracurricular activities. The district may also give students assignments on the detrimental impact of social media on mental health, smartphones in school or other relevant topics. 

“We have great confidence in our students, who have shown themselves to be responsible and compliant with school expectations,” Shoreham-Wading River Central School District superintendent Gerard Poole said. “We expect they will adapt well to the new state law regarding cell phones.”

The district will publish annual reports beginning Sept. 1, 2026, on its website that detail policy enforcement over the last year. The report will include “non-identifiable demographic information” of students who faced disciplinary action for violating the policy. 

“If a statistically significant disparate enforcement impact is identified, the report will include a plan to mitigate such disparate enforcement,” the policy states.

A more in-depth report of the school district’s policy can be found on the districts home page at swrschools.org.

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“This is a great this is a great improvement and a benefit to the people that we serve, especially since some of the federal benefits are being reduced,” said Erica Steindl, executive director at Southold’s Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction to support underserved community members. We think it also helps to reduce any stigma that’s associated with free and reduced lunches.”

In addition, the budget gives approximately 215,000 Long Island families an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per child under age 4 and up to $500 per child from 4 through 16. This expansion of New York’s child tax credit will benefit approximately 355,000 families on Long Island and is estimated to help reduce child poverty statewide by nearly 8%. 

“The tax credit, for our clients who are working, who qualify for the child tax credit, it’s really helpful as they manage to balance their expenses,” Ms. Steindl said. “So I think it will make a big difference for those who are eligible.”

The budget also includes a plan to cut taxes for more than 80% of filers on Long Island, a savings that will deliver nearly $168 million annually in tax relief to 1.2 million Long Island residents, bringing taxes for the middle class to their lowest level in 70 years, according a press release from the governor’s office.

“These will help low- and mid-income families meet their basic needs by reducing the burden,” Ms. Steindl said.

As inflation drove prices higher, it also created an increase in the amount of sales tax the state collected. This budget includes an Inflation Refund that puts $316.4 million back in the pockets of almost 1.3 million Long Island taxpayers. The amount of the rebate will vary between $150 and $400, depending on filing status and income.

“We’re really grateful to the state for all that they’ve done in this budget that will help the families in our community who are struggling to make ends meet,” said Ms. Steindl.  “It really will help to offset the rising costs of inflation and the affordable housing crisis. So it will go a long way to help financial stability.”

While these items will have a positive impact on bottom lines for many Long Island residents, Ms. Steindl stressed that there is still more work to do in order to stabilize area residents’ financial futures. 

“Anything the state can do in the future to offset cuts in federal programs that are at risk, like bolstering Nourish New York and other programs, that help provide food for pantries like CAST, that could go a long way to reducing food insecurity in our community,” Ms. Steindl said. “Adding support for after school meal programs would also benefit low-income families.”

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“The research is clear: Good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” Governor Hochul said in a press release. “I’m proposing free school meals for every student in New York — giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents’ pockets.”

According to data from the School Nutrition Association, the average price for a school lunch in the US is $2.96. The average cost of a breakfast is $1.77. This means the monthly cost for a family with two school age children to eat both meals at school is around $180.

Under the current system, federal funds cover the cost of meals for students whose families make less than $3,380 a month for a family of four. For districts where the population of students who are receiving free or reduced meals is 25% or more, all students receive free meals through the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP. The governor hopes to fund the difference for the remaining districts. Southold, Greenport and Riverhead school districts are among those whose nutrition programs are funded by the CEP.

Programs like CEP eliminate onerous paper applications. There is also no need to track cafeteria debt. The USDA website states that the CEP “eliminates unpaid meal charges, minimizes stigma, reduces paperwork for school nutrition staff and families, and streamlines meal service operations.”

“When I started in this district 11 years ago, we had roughly $80,000 in unpaid cafeteria debt. We were able to eliminate any students accruing any debt, because the CEP program provides a breakfast and lunch to every child every day at no charge. So there is no way to accrue debt,” said Keith Graham, food services manager at Riverhead school district. “Students are able to purchase a la carte items. They’re able to purchase snack items and second meals, if they wish. But that first breakfast and that first lunch are at no charge.”

The school provides a number of services free of charge to all students, whether or not they make use of them, including transportation and the school nurse. “There’s no reason that every student in New York State shouldn’t have [free school meals]. Students don’t get charged for the bus. They’re not asked, ‘Hey, your household makes this much money, so you’re going to pay for gas money for the bus,’ or ‘You’re going to get a different book than somebody else.’ Your zip code shouldn’t dictate if you get a nutritious meal or not,” said Mr. Graham.

No Kid Hungry reports that on average, students who eat school breakfast have been shown to achieve 17.5% higher scores on standardized math tests and attend 1.5 more days of school per year. The Food Research and Action Center states that districts who have implemented the CEP program have lower rates of out-of-school suspension. They also show that students who participate in school breakfast programs have improved attendance, behavior, and academic outcomes, as well as a reduction in tardiness.

Mr. Graham has seen the effect of universal meals firsthand. “These programs, they get rid of stigma, they make things easier on a household. They make things a heck of a lot easier on a student. And I just think it needs something that should have been done along done a long time ago, that needs to be done now.”

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The executive budget provides $13.5 million to aid in the implementation of this proposal for device storage pouches, cubbies or other necessary infrastructure. 

More than 70% of teachers nationwide say that cellphones pose a “major distraction” for students in the classroom, according to a Pew Research Center study.

“We’re not developing the skills we need because kids are distracted with the cellphones,” Gov. Hochul said at a press conference last Tuesday. During class, she said teachers are competing for students’ attention with “viral dances … messages from their friends, sometimes threats [and] bullying.”

Students, parents, teachers, administrators, advocates and local leaders met with Gov. Hochul to “devise a solution” to the “complicated challenge” posed by smartphones in schools. The policy, to be implemented by the start of the 2025-26 school year, will require students to disconnect from their devices throughout the school day — including class time, at lunch and in the hallways.

Schools will have flexibility in implementing the policy next school year, she explained. Districts will have say over how they store the devices and how they will ensure compliance. 

Students who need devices for medical reasons, students who speak English as a second language and students with learning disabilities will be exceptions to the policy.

In the Riverhead Central School District, teachers and administrators are authorized to confiscate student cellphones that are being used in violation of the code of conduct. Teachers and administrators can request that phones not be permitted in class during the school day.

In a comment sent to Riverhead News-Review, the Riverhead district said it is in the process of revising its code of conduct to incorporate verbiage that will align with the governor’s proposed policy.

Students at Shoreham-Wading River High School must check in their personal devices when they enter each classroom and retrieve them after class. High school students are allowed to access their phones when they are not in an instructional period. 

For students in kindergarten through fifth grade, the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District prohibits personal devices from being brought to school. For grades 6 through 8, any personal devices that are brought to school must be stored in student lockers during school hours. 

The district said its current policy was developed in collaboration with family, students and staff. Shoreham Wading River Superintendent Gerard Poole said the policy “has successfully enhanced student engagement while reducing classroom distractions.”

“As New York State considers device-free legislation, our district hopes that the final policy will preserve local decision-making authority and continue to allow meaningful parent involvement in developing these plans,” Mr. Poole said.

School districts out on the North Fork weighed in on the issue as well.

Mattituck-Cutchogue School District Superintendent Shawn Petretti believes the concept of a cellphone ban by the governor is “well intended” and that detaching students from cellphones during school hours creates a “productive and safe learning environment.” He feels that policy regarding the implementation of such a ban should be discussed at the local level.

“I think local Boards of Education should be the ones designing and implementing policies for their districts,” Mr. Petretti said.

His district implemented its own policy regarding the use of personal devices this year. At the elementary level, students with personal devices should keep them turned off and out of sight. At the junior high, students are not allowed to have their phones out at any point during the school day. High school students can have phones throughout the day, but when they walk into a classroom, they are placed in a designated spot for the duration of the class period.

Mr. Petretti said that the policy has been well received by the school community. “Students do appreciate the ability to disconnect from their phones and focus on their academics during school time,” he said.

While the current policy in the district has received positive feedback, Mr. Petretti said he doesn’t “necessarily agree with a full ban where the secondary students would have to surrender their phones for the full day.” 

Students in the Greenport School District are allowed to have cellphones in school, with use allowed at teachers’ discretion. To minimize distraction, phones are required to be put away during class time unless permitted by the teacher. 

Greenport interim superintendent Ryan Case added that the district recognizes the importance of communication between parents and their children, particularly in emergency situations. 

“If the state issues a directive requiring changes to cellphone policies, we will review the guidance and implement a new policy accordingly while maintaining a focus on our students’ learning environment,” Mr. Case said. 

Southold School District Superintendent Anthony Mauro said the district is still reviewing the first draft of the state budget, including the device-free schools proposal. He said the district will plan to carry out any new initiative once the final version of the state budget is released and requirements are outlined. 

“There is certainly merit to unplugging during the school day, but I also feel there is merit to teaching students how to appropriately utilize technology, since it is such a big part of their lives,” Mr. Mauro noted. “Balance is the key to successfully integrating technology into our lives.”

In Oysterponds Union Free School District, Superintendent Justin Cobis said the Board of Education has not had a policy regarding cellphone bans in its kindergarten through sixth-grade classrooms, as phones have never been an issue there. 

“I always err on the side of local control, and I always would err on the side of local districts deciding what is best for their constituents,” Mr. Cobis said. “That being said, we would always move forward and be in compliance with state issues such as this.”

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The proposed budget offers a $1.7 billion increase from last year, including a $1.5 billion increase in Foundation Aid and a $230 million increase in all other School Aid programs, including expense-based aids, categorical aids and competitive grants. 

Foundation Aid

Foundation Aid has been the state’s main education operating formula since 2007. The formula aims to allocate state funds equitably to all school districts — especially high-need districts — based on student need, community wealth and regional cost differences. 

In 2026, the executive budget “begins the process of reforming the Foundation Aid formula by updating the formula’s two measures of the percentage of low-income students in a school district, consistent with the recommendations of the Rockefeller Institute of Government and the Board of Regents.” 

In efforts to reform the formula, the state will replace outdated 2000 Census poverty rate with the most recent Census Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates data. It also replaces free- and reduced-price lunch data with economically disadvantaged data “to better reflect the current population of low-income students.”

The modified formula will provide additional aid to low-wealth school districts and ensure that each district receives at least a 2% annual increase in aid.

Universal Free School Meals

Under the proposed budget, all public, charter and nonprofit school students in the state will be eligible for free breakfast and lunch meals regardless of family income with Universal Free School Meals. The 2026 fiscal year budget allocates $360 million for school meals — a $160 million year-to-year increase. Under this program, the state will cover the student’s share of costs for all meals served to students who are not already receiving free meals. 

The plan builds on the Community Eligibility Provision subsidy program that was adopted in the 2024 state budget. The existing federal CEP program has serviced 90% of the state’s 2.75 million students through free meals with the assistance of state funding. Riverhead Central School District and Greenport Union Free School District currently offer free meals through the CEP program. 

According to the budget, the state will continue to subsidize the local share of costs for all schools participating in the CEP program and additionally pay any share of student costs for meals served in schools ineligible to participate in the CEP program based on current federal rules. 

Distraction-Free Schools

Ms. Hochul also proposed a policy restricting the use of smartphones and other internet-enabled devices on school grounds during school hours “to ensure a distraction-free leaning environment.” The executive budget provides $13.5 million to aid in the implementation of this proposal. 

More than 70% of teachers throughout the country say that cellphones pose a “major distraction” for students in the classroom, according to a Pew Research Center study.

“We’re not developing the skills we need because kids are distracted with the cellphones,” Ms. Hochul said at a press conference Tuesday. She said teachers are competing with “viral dances … messages from their friends, sometimes threats [and] bullying” for students’ attention during class.

Students, parents, teachers, administrators, advocates and local leaders met with Ms. Hochul to “devise a solution” to the “complicated challenge” that smartphones pose in schools.

“By the start of the next school year, every student will be required to disconnect from their devices during the school hours, bell to bell,” Ms. Hochul said. “That means during class, at lunch [and] in the hallways.”

Schools will have flexibility in implementing the policy next school year, she explained. Districts will have say over how they store the devices and how they will ensure compliance.

Students who need devices for medical reasons, students who speak English as a second language and students with learning disabilities will be exceptions for the policy.

College in High School Opportunity Fund

$64.6 million is allocated in the executive budget for the College in High School Opportunity Fund, which focuses on providing support for economically disadvantaged students to achieve college credits and will come at no cost to participating students in qualified programs. 

The budget allocated $52.4 million for Smart Scholars, Smart Transfer and Pathways in Technology Early College programs. It also provides $12.2 million for new ongoing, per-credit funding for College in High School programs. 

Charter Schools

The executive budget continues state support of charter schools through supplemental tuition and facilities aid reimbursement programs, providing a total of $190 million for supplemental tuition and $145 million for facilities aid.

Nonpublic School Programs

The 2026 budget provides $228.4 million in aid to reimburse nonpublic schools’ costs for state-mandated activities, a $10.3 million increase from last year. Additionally, it provides $85.5 million for science, technology, engineering and math instruction — a $10 million increase from last year. 

It also provides $70 million for health and safety capital projects such as repair and maintenance of school facilities, as well as $5 million for art and music instruction.

More reporting to come on these issues.

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The nixed legislation — which initially received bipartisan support in the state Assembly and Senate — proposed to allow the families of wrongful-death victims to receive compensation for their emotional anguish. New York is one of only two states that has not enacted this law.

When she vetoed the bill in 2023, Ms. Hochul cited concern in her memo about the potential “significant unintended consequences,” such as increased insurance premiums and a financial blow to health care facilities, specifically public hospitals that serve disadvantaged communities. The governor ended 2024 with the same concern for consumers.

“Families who have suffered through the wrongful death of a loved one deserve the ability to be made whole and to hold the wrongdoer responsible for appropriate monetary damages,” said Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk), who co-sponsored the bill. “As the legislation has now passed in both chambers of the state Legislature by wide margins and with bipartisan support for three consecutive years, it is now time to override the governor’s veto, bring our wrongful death statute into the 21st century and make this important legislation law.”

New York’s current wrongful death law is over 175 years old and focuses solely on the economic — not emotional — loss experienced by families, and any damages awarded in a wrongful death lawsuit can be collected only by a child, parent, spouse or personal representative for the estate of the deceased. 

The law excludes recovery by extended family members, such as siblings, cousins and grandparents, unless they were named as a guardian or the victim’s personal representative. Under the Grieving Families Act, these “surviving family members” would also have become eligible to receive compensation for their emotional anguish.

Lawmakers stated in the justification portion of the bill that the current law “impacts most harshly on children, seniors, women and people of color; people who often have no income or significantly less income, or have been traditionally undervalued in our society.”

The 2023 version recognized that many different types of families live in New York, such as step-families, unmarried couples, foster children and so on, and entitled them to damage recovery as well. 

Legislators further narrowed the definition and limited “surviving close family members” in 2024, which includes “distributees” such as spouses, domestic partners, parents and legal guardians of minors. Deciding which close family members are or are not entitled to damages would be based on specific circumstances of the person’s relationship with the decedent. They also proposed to change the statute of limitations to three years from the date of the decedent’s death, from the current two years. 

This version of the bill shortened the proposed retroactive effect of legislation by three years. It now only applies to causes of action that accrue on or after Jan. 1, 2021. Prior versions had a lookback window to July 1, 2018. 

Nancy DiMonte, the mother of Joelle DiMonte, who survived the fatal 2015 limo crashin Cutchogue that killed four young women, said this third veto shows that those who would benefit from this legislation are being “ignored” and “disrespected.” 

“Once again, the veto of the Grieving Families Act leaves New York as a state that is seriously lagging and stagnant in legislation,” said Ms. DiMonte. “The state claims that progressiveness is to be withheld, yet clearly the veto of this highly sought out legislation that would help so many was overshadowed by irresponsible spending and wasted legislation — without this bill, victims and families are sorely ignored and lack closure.” 

In September 2018, Alisa and John McMorris of Wading River lost their 12-year-old son Andrew, who was killed by a drunk driver while hiking with his Boy Scout troop. After learning of the second veto in December 2023, the McMorrises had one question for the governor and state legislators: “What is your child worth?”

The parents have been advocating for the passage of the Grieving Families Act for six years and Ms. McMorris said they were “dramatically disappointed” to hear of Ms. Hochul’s third veto. 

“Andrew’s life mattered, and it is horrific that his life, in the eyes of New York State, holds no value,” Ms. McMorris said. “We came to [Gov. Hochul] as loved ones left behind to mourn and suffer in silence as the state has determined the lives of our children, grandchildren, partners and parents are worthless in the eyes of the law — it’s a pain no dollar amount could ever truly subside, yet for many of us, it is the only way for us to achieve any kind of justice for the death of a loved one.”

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“Infrastructure is the foundation for everything that drives the Long Island economy – from the East End to the New York City border,” Gov. Hochul said in a press release. “These investments will make for smoother, safer rides for residents and visitors on the go, and build our legacy of ensuring Long Island’s roadways remain safe for all.”

The project will also create 350 jobs during construction. It will also cover other East End intersections that are “known local chokepoints.”

Preliminary work such as surveying and tree clearing has begun, the press release stated. Major construction is expected to start this summer and be completed this fall. The reconstruction of these intersections will total $10.9 million.

In Southold, the intersection of State Route 25 and County Route 48 will be reconstructed. The existing “T” intersection will become a roundabout, “which will help traffic continuously move in a smooth pattern and reduce congestion to and from the historic Village of Greenport and the Cross Sound Ferry at Orient Point,” according to the governor’s office.

There will also be pedestrian accommodations including sidewalk ramps and reflective advisory signs for motorists, all compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Department of Transportation has been transparent with their plans and even shared preliminary drawings, according to Southold Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin.

“They have kept us involved in where they’re at with their design process, pretty much the same way that they’ve kept the public involved along the way,” he said.

In Riverhead, new left turning lanes in each direction are planned for the intersection of State Route 25 and Edwards Avenue.

While Riverhead Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski is glad the DOT “are doing the necessary repairs to State Route 25 and Edwards [Ave],” he said there is still more work to be done.

“I would like them to pave state road 25, the entirety of it, not just work at the intersection of Edwards and [Route] 25,” Mr. Zaleski said. “I’ve been advocating for the state to hopefully pave from Splish Splash to 25A on State Road 25. I think that road needs improvements.”

Local officials including State Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk), Assembly member Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor), and Assembly member Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) all commended Gov. Hochul and the Department of Transportation for this initiative.

“I applaud the Governor for her attention to these critical investments in our district and this is good news for local residents who, during the busy tourist season, face gridlocked roads throughout the East End,” Sen. Palumbo said.

“Roads are the physical foundation of Long Island’s economy, and this investment in our roads will provide safer, better transportation for us all. While many of our roads are in disrepair, the DOT’s efforts in prioritizing those with the greatest need is commendable, and a good beginning to what I know will be continued efforts towards rebuilding or replacing our aging infrastructure,” Ms. Giglio said.

These are “critical infrastructure projects on the East End,” Mr. Thiele said. “The construction of a roundabout at the intersection of NY25 and CR48 is a creative solution to reduce traffic congestion at a critical intersection in Greenport,” he said. “My thanks to Governor Hochul and the DOT for their efforts to expedite these projects.” 

Mr. Goodwin said it’s encouraging to see tax dollars coming back towards highway related investments in the area.

“I’m just hoping that some of our representatives up in Albany help us out with following this lead and help to get us some additional funding for even our road paving programs and some safety improvements on some of our local roads also,” he said. “The vast portion of our resurfacing budget actually comes in the form of state aid so it’s encouraging to see some of that state money flowing back into our local towns.”

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The rejected bill — which initially received bipartisan support in the state Assembly and Senate — proposed to allow the families of wrongful-death victims to receive compensation for their emotional anguish.

In her veto memo to the Assembly, Ms. Hochul cited concern about potential “significant unintended consequences,” such as increased insurance premiums and financial blows to health care facilities, specifically public hospitals that serve disadvantaged communities. 

In September 2018, Alisa and John McMorris of Wading River lost their 12-year-old son Andrew, who was killed by a drunk driver while hiking with his Boy Scout troop. 

After learning of the veto on Dec. 29, the McMorrises had one question for the governor and state legislators: “What is your child worth?” 

“Most of the people discussing these laws and amendments have never experienced [the] senseless killing or maiming of a loved one personally,” Ms. McMorris told the News-Review. “They have never sat next to a grieving parent on the bed of their child as they sobbed into a pillow that their child once used.” 

The couple said they were discouraged to learn about the veto right before a holiday weekend because there was no opportunity for further discussion or debate. 

“It felt dismissed by the governor,” Mr. McMorris said. “It’s certainly a bipartisan bill — and it seems like common sense legislation.” 

New York’s current wrongful death law focuses solely on the economic — not emotional — loss experienced by families, and any damages awarded in a wrongful death lawsuit can be collected only by a child, parent, spouse or personal representative for the estate of the deceased. 

The law excludes recovery by extended family members, such as siblings, cousins and grandparents, unless they were named as a guardian or the victim’s ’s personal representative. Under the Grieving Families Act, these “surviving family members” would also have become eligible to receive compensation for their emotional anguish. The updated version recognizes that many different types of families live in New York, such as step-families, unmarried couples, foster children and so on, and entitles them to damage recovery as well. 

If passed, the bill would also have extended the time limit to file a wrongful death lawsuit from two years to roughly three years. 

According to the bill, 47 states compensate family members for emotional loss. New York’s wrongful death law has not been updated since its original passage in 1847. 

“We need to make sure that we are not stuck in 1847, pre-Civil War,” Ms. McMorris said. “Men were leaving their homes, they were building railroads or working in the coal mines — women and children were left at home and if those men died, they were left homeless, so this law protected them in a time period that potentially made sense. It no longer makes sense.” 

The justification section of the latest version of the Grieving Families Act, where legislators avow why the bill must be passed, states that children, seniors, women, people of color and those who have little to no income are impacted “harshly” because of the pecuniary-loss-only rule for compensation. 

Nancy DiMonte, the mother of Joelle DiMonte, who survived the fatal 2015 limo crash in Cutchogue that killed four young women, called the current wrongful death statute “discriminatory” toward those in a lower socioeconomic class. 

To Ms. DiMonte, the Grieving Families Act is meant to give all families the compensation and attention they deserve. 

“There’s something very broken about how this is being approached,” Ms. DiMonte said in an interview. “The bill is not going to increase lawsuits per se, but it’s going to rearrange them so everybody who is hit by a wrongful death is treated equally because the playing field right now is completely unlevel and favors high earners who typically come from higher socioeconomic classes.” 

The Grieving Families Act received roughly 90% legislative approval, Ms. McMorris said, including from co-sponsor Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk), who expressed his disappointment in the governor’s veto. In his public statement, he recommended the state Legislature enact a veto override. 

“The Grieving Families Act would help bring New York State’s wrongful death statute into the modern era and on par with the rest of the nation and in line with our values,” Mr. Palumbo said in a Dec. 31 statement on Facebook. “I believe that the state Legislature should come together and override the governor on this critically important issue for New York families.”

Although it is unclear if a veto override is possible since the bill was introduced in the 2023 legislative session, the next step would be to start the process over again, allowing for further amendments to address the governor’s concerns. 

“Although I have a surviving child, the bottom line is four of her friends died in that crash and did not see what this law would have provided for them,” Ms. DiMonte said. “It’s going to be a long time, but it’ll be back and forth. It won’t die — not with all these advocates, it won’t die.” 

Going forward, the McMorrises said they will continue to champion passage of the Grieving Families Act and other bills, such as the Deadly Driving Bill, for which they showed their support at a rally in Albany earlier this week. 

Through action, they feel they can honor their son’s legacy while working to prevent other families from experiencing such tragedy, the couple said. “The sad part about all of this is that in order to enact change at a personal level, it has to touch you personally — and that’s a really sobering thought,” Ms. McMorris said. “I don’t want what John and I have experienced — having our heart ripped out — to happen to anyone else. But yet, it feels like our legislators and the people making these decisions have to almost experience this heartbreaking loss before they take on the plight to make a change.” 

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“Calverton needs clean drinking water,” said Adrienne Esposito of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment at a press conference Wednesday. 

Residents said they are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to help them after a failed attempt to secure state grant funding.

A number of civic leaders from organizations throughout the town joined the residents as a show of solidarity. A total of 64 homes in the area rely on private wells for water and would be connected to public water under the proposed project that officials are seeking funding for.

Residents say those wells have a high probability of being contaminated with toxic chemicals from the Navy/Grumman toxic plume.

Community members have been advocating for the past three years for funding. The latest state grants were announced Nov. 4, totaling about $50 million, and money sought by Riverhead Town and the Suffolk County Water Authority for the water connection was not included.

Residents say the connection is needed.

Of the 62 homes tested in this year, 22 of them had carcinogens, residents said. 

“We know that PFAS chemicals are associated with kidney, testicular cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, immune system damage,” and other forms of cancer, Ms. Esposito said. 

She said two local representatives at the federal level have been helpful in the residents’ quest for public water: U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-Brooklyn) and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley). Mr. Zeldin’s term will end this year after he lost his run for governor.

“I don’t want to have to visit anymore of my neighbors in a hospital or nursing home, or worse, in a funeral home,” said Ron Martz, who has lived in Manorville for more than 20 years. “We can’t wait any longer. We have to get this done now.” 

Cort Ruddy, a spokesman for the State Department of Health, issued the following response: “While this project’s application was deemed incomplete because it did not meet strict requirements for funding applications, the state is committed to helping the town and authority find a solution that will provide safe drinking water for these impacted households in Calverton. We fully recognize the complexities of this situation and are resolved to work with these applicants to help them successfully secure funding for this critical project.”

The DOH says it is now working with both the town and SCWA to seek financing for the project.

Officials say the financing requested by the Town, and the grant requested by the SCWA, required them to do a full coordinated review under the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act, but neither was completed. Without the completed SEQR, neither application could be processed.

Manorville resident Toni Pawson said her family uses bottled water for everything. 

“Cooking, my dogs, ice cubes … everything, except showering, the dishwasher and the washing machine,” she said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation provided her with 11 cases of bottled water once, “and that was it,” she said. 

She said they have to make bottled water ice cubes.

“Who does that?” she said. 

“We didn’t put the chemicals in the ground, we shouldn’t have to live with it,” she added. 

Riverhead Town in September reached an agreement to formally collaborate with the SCWA, just a few days before the deadline to apply for the state grants. Last year Riverhead received $3.5 million in federal funding that would go toward the nearly $9.5 million project to hook up the affected Manorville properties.

The post After Riverhead, SCWA miss out on state grant funding, residents rally once more for clean water appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Ms. Hochul’s popularity on the predominantly blue South Fork gave her a slight advantage when votes totals from all five East End towns were tabulated.

Unofficial results show Ms. Hochul received 31,264 votes compared to 30,834 for Mr. Zeldin.

The congressman had the advantage in East Hampton, Shelter Island and Southampton, although the extremely tight margin in Southampton could still change.

Of the five East End towns, Riverhead favored Mr. Zeldin by the widest margin.. He won by 23 percentage points, tallying 8,479 out of the 13,777 votes cast.

In Southold, which has seen a shift to the left in recent years, totals were nearly even for both candidates. Mr. Zeldin reportedly tallied 5,854 votes while Ms. Hochul received 5,757. Gail Lolis, deputy commissioner for the Suffolk BOE, noted that a re-canvass was still ongoing and results do not yet reflect all valid ballots cast.

Mr. Zeldin secured 11 of the 19 election districts in Southold Town. He won nearly every election district in Riverhead, losing only Election District 6 — and by only five votes. That district covers an eastern portion of downtown Riverhead.

Mr. Zeldin had his strongest showing in areas of Wading River, Jamesport and Northville.

In Southold Town, Ms. Hochul did best in areas of Greenport and Orient. Mr. Zeldin’s highest totals came in areas of Mattituck, Cutchogue and Southold.

Mr. Zeldin had the sizable advantage in the larger western towns of Brookhaven, Islip and Smithtown. He nearly doubled Ms. Hochul’s vote total in Smithtown, which helped him easily win the overall county.

The race for the reshaped 1st Congressional District was slightly tighter. Republican Nick LaLota defeated Democrat Bridget Fleming to win the seat vacated by Mr. Zeldin. Ms. Fleming was making her second run for Congress after previously losing in a primary in 2020.

Ms. Fleming, a county legislator representing the South Fork, narrowly won Southold Town with 5,834 votes compared to 5,665 for Mr. LaLota. Riverhead Town still voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate, giving Mr. LaLota 8,022 votes compared to 5,452 for Ms. Fleming.

Across all five East End towns, however, Ms. Fleming received 32,305 votes compared to 28,990 for Mr. LaLota.

In the state Senate race, incumbent Republican Anthony Palumbo won the vote in every town except East Hampton, where Democrat Skyler Johnson had the advantage. Mr. Palumbo won his hometown in Southold with 6,500 votes compared to 4,960 for Mr. Johnson. He easily prevailed in Riverhead with 8,760 votes compared to 4,704 for Mr. Johnson. Mr. Palumbo was elected to his second term in the state Senate.

Voters in Southold for the first time voted in the 1st Assembly District in a race featuring longtime incumbent Fred Thiele, a Democrat. Mr. Thiele narrowly won the vote in Southold, with 5,738 votes compared to 5,668 for Republican challenger Peter Ganley. Mr. Thiele had the advantage in East Hampton, Shelter Island and Southampton as well. A total of six Brookhaven districts also voted in the 1st Assembly District, with all six voting for Mr. Ganley.

Southold voters had previously been part of the 2nd Assembly District, where incumbent Republican Jodi Giglio cruised to victory, winning by a wide margin in the district that includes Riverhead and a portion of Brookhaven Town. She received 8,656 votes in Riverhead compared to 4,767 for Democratic challenger Wendy Hamberger.

The next batch of results to be released by the Suffolk County BOE are expected to be the final official results.

The post Breaking down the East End votes in the 2022 election appeared first on Riverhead News Review.