Monday, October 5, 2026
Thousands of water suppliers across the United States, including the Suffolk County Water Authority, have filed lawsuits against companies involved with PFAS. Last year the 3M Company agreed to a settlement of $10.3 billion. SCWA expects to receive $170 million of that. It got an initial payment of $34 million last year.
The problem, however, is that data centers are a legitimate challenge to elected officials who aren’t always capable of understanding what the centers do and how the public may react. It’s a balancing act that isn’t working well, and the public has now become fired up, because people are afraid of rising electricity rates and don’t want their water supply depleted.
As vacations wind down, backyard pool parties continue and families make the last couple of trips to the beach before school begins, it’s easy to become comfortable. That comfort can become complacency — and complacency around the water can be deadly.
We are accustomed to thinking of our lives as local, and with good reason. This newspaper exists because the things that shape a day here — the school calendar, the traffic on Sunrise Highway, whether the field will be playable Saturday morning — are decided close to home by people you might run into at the deli. That proximity is the texture of life in a place like ours. The distance between a thing and its cause is usually short enough to walk.
Every day, hospitals across Long Island and around the country rely on a steady supply of donated blood to care for trauma victims, cancer patients, premature infants, people undergoing surgery and those living with chronic blood disorders. When blood is needed, there is no time to wait for donors to come forward. The blood must already be on the shelves.
As the effects of PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals,” become the focus of discussions across the United States — on Long Island because of their impacts on the underground water table, our sole source of potable water — New York state’s attorney general is suing corporations involved with PFAS for allegedly violating a number of state laws.
I share this with you because we’re approaching Banned Books Week, which will be observed Oct. 4-10. This year’s theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” The annual event seeks to bring attention to the issue of censorship, uniting librarians, educators, authors and readers against organized attempts to restrict access to information.
Those financial pressures were foremost in our minds in our analysis of the 2026 budget. We were faced with tough choices on how to protect taxpayers while ensuring fairness and respect for Nassau’s dedicated workforce.
Donnie never felt sorry for himself. In his last days on earth he was reaching out to friends who had heartache, relationship woes, business setbacks or medical problems. He preached a gospel of positivity, insisting on finding threads of hope. He left a legacy of goodness and generosity, changing the lives of so many people along the way.
You might imagine that becoming a despot requires tanks, secret police and a balcony from which to wave at enormous, inflamed crowds. You might believe you need a special degree or a fake Nobel Prize. But the road to becoming a despot is surprisingly well-traveled.
Recently I’ve come to believe that the strongest influence on developing human beings is the times in which they live. Try as I might, summoning all the empathy I possess, I simply can’t know what it was like to endure the London Blitz during World War II. Or the Dust Bowl in America, or the Holocaust, all of which changed the way people lived and thought.
National Newspaper Week, Oct. 4–10, is an opportunity to focus attention on something Long Islanders experience every day but can easily take for granted: the value of having journalists paying attention to your own community.
With ticks and tick-borne diseases now a national plague in the United States, SciLine, an educational program based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, recently organized an online “Media Briefing: Summer 2026 Tick Update.”
The Canadians have been our best friends for as long as I can remember. They were there for us during World War II, when they lost over 40,000 men in battle. They have contributed soldiers to many of our wars, and have stood up for us at the United Nations and around the world. One of the reasons behind the latest insanity is the president’s statement that he is mad at Canada because of the smoke that has drifted south to the United States.
Student debt makes the American dream unattainable, or, at best, greatly deferred. Gallup reports that 71 percent of student borrowers delay major life milestones — homeownership, parenthood, starting a business, retirement — because of their debt. On Long Island, those delays have a geographic consequence: 22 percent of residents between ages 25 and 34 have left the region over the past eight years. Student debt and housing costs are inseparable drivers of that exodus.
Preparedness is particularly important for Long Island residents. We know that severe weather can bring flooding, dangerous winds and extended power outages. A house fire or medical emergency can happen without warning. And while we can’t always be ready for anything, having a plan, and the right supplies, can make a significant difference.
Although much of the concern focuses on young riders, this isn’t just a young-person issue. There are adults operating e-bikes and scooters carelessly, riding against traffic or on sidewalks, and ignoring traffic controls. Everyone operating one of these vehicles must follow the rules of the road and respect those around them.
For two decades I have worked with children, parents and families. Whether in my office, giving a speech, leading a workshop or discussing parenting on social media, I hear remarkably consistent hopes. Parents want their children to become happy, successful and independent adults. I would argue that happiness and success depend, at least in part, on independence. And one quality runs through all three — resilience.
The Promise to America isn’t a complicated pledge. It’s a common-sense commitment to a fair economy, lower costs, secure borders, safe communities, fiscal responsibility, effective government, free speech, patriotism, and respect for people who may see things differently. It’s a declaration of values from common-sense Democrats.
Long Island has no alternative water supply. We rely entirely on a vast but finite underground aquifer system that must meet all residential, commercial and public needs. That makes water conservation not just a seasonal suggestion, but a long-term necessity.
Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I remember a year-long excitement that captured the imagination of the entire country. The commercials on TV, the products in the stores, sports teams — even our local grocer was in on the action. And it wasn’t just the tall ships in the harbor or the red, white and blue decorations that adorned every inch of our neighborhoods. There was genuine excitement about our country and its story.
Michele Kutner noticed a strange mark on her face shortly before her 50th reunion at Glen Cove High School. She decided to wait until after the reunion to have it checked. Then she got a call telling …
Koorosh Leibowitz has seen the end of Eastland Drive flood enough times to know what happens when a storm arrives at high tide. So when the nor’easter brought water onto the East Island street over …
Kiwanis Sea Cliff Mini Mart is returning for its 54th year, bringing vendors, live music and food to the village. Thousands typically show up to the annual fall event, from Sea Cliff and beyond.
