Southampton Village 4th of July Parade Will Be One of Largest on LI

Long Island Morning Edition

Long Island congressmen and most other members of the New York delegation have taken advantage of the taxpayer-funded reimbursements for lodging and meals under a new policy that does not require receipts to verify costs, a Newsday analysis found. Tom Brune reports on NEWSDAY.com that the policy for the first time allows House members, who are paid $174,000 a year, to get reimbursed for housing and food expenses when the House is in session and during committee work in an attempt to ease the costs of maintaining their homes in their districts and in Washington.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) whose district covers the east end, was reimbursed $29,595, the seventh most among New Yorkers, and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) here in Suffolk County received $20,482, the eighth most, an analysis of the five quarterly House disbursement reports from Jan. 3, 2023, to March 31, 2024, shows.

At the top of the list of New Yorkers is Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville), chair of the House Republican Conference, with $38,221 in reimbursed expenses.

Government watchdog groups have not criticized the House’s decision to allow members to obtain expense reimbursements, but some warned that failing to require receipts could open the door to abuse of the system.

The House Administration Committee “strongly encourages” lawmakers to keep receipts of their expenses, even if they don’t have to file them, according to officials. Press aides to LaLota and Garbarino said their offices keep copies of their receipts and records of expenses.

The policy does not raise the amount of taxpayer funds that House members get for their offices and official duties, but it allows them to reimburse themselves with money from their office accounts for official travel and staff salaries.

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New York Republicans called the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision yesterday to uphold presidential immunity for official acts a victory for Donald Trump and the rule of law, but Democrats warned that it sets a dangerous precedent and weakens democracy. Tom Brune reports in NEWSDAY that Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) said, "America needs less politics in the courtroom and more focus on policy in presidential campaigns." "Today's ruling helps that dichotomy and is a defeat for politically motivated prosecutors...," said the 1st Congressional District representative.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said, “This is a sad day for America and a sad day for our democracy. The very basis of our judicial system is that no one is above the law. Treason or incitement of an insurrection should not be considered a core constitutional power afforded to a president.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a social media post on X quoted Justice Sonia Sotomayor's opinion in the case: "The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law ... With fear for our democracy, I dissent."

Gillibrand added, "Justice Sotomayor's dissent should be a warning to every single American."

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The Southampton Village Independence Day Parade this coming Thursday will be one of the largest 4th of July Parades on Long Island. The parade begins at 10am in Railroad Plaza…where you can see a special Heart of the East End live broadcast on air and on the street with Gianna Volpe and Michael Mackey speaking with local folks celebrating America…then from the train station the parade marches south on North Main Street, to Main Street, makes a right onto Jobs Lane, and concludes at the review stand by Monument Square at Agawam Park.

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The East Hampton Town Board has set July 18 as the date of a public hearing on a draft renewable energy road map plan. It would be an action plan to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to a changing climate, and recover from the conditions and events that climate scientists agree will increasingly alter the environment. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that the road map was crafted by consultants hired in 2022 with input from the town’s Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee, the Natural Resources and Planning departments, and the previous Town Board, which agreed to its recommendations as presented in December 2023. The intention is to adopt the road map into the Town of East Hampton's comprehensive plan.

The move to adopt the road map comes amid a second year of record temperatures, flooding, wildfires and other manifestations around the world of a changing climate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a very high likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes, and four to seven major hurricanes. Record-warm sea surface temperatures in the region of the tropical Atlantic, where most tropical storms form, are “a major factor” in this year’s hurricane season outlook, according to NOAA.

In 2014, the Town of East Hampton became the first municipality in New York State to commit to achieving 100 percent of its energy consumption with renewable sources by 2030. The following year, it adopted a Climate Action Plan, and in 2016 was recognized with “bronze” status by the state’s Climate Smart Communities program; it is now working toward silver certification.

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The week of July Fourth will be the busiest ever, according to auto club AAA. Lanning Taliaferro reports on Patch.com that if you’re among the 70.9 million Americans expected to travel 50 or more miles from home for an extra-long holiday weekend, AAA offered advance notice on when to get out of New York including Long Island and, especially, when to avoid the heaviest-traveled road over the holiday in the metro region — the Garden State Parkway.

For its travel forecast, AAA looked at the entire July 4th week, plus the Saturday before and the Sunday after the holiday, for the first time. It found: This year’s projected number of travelers for that time period is a 5 percent increase compared to 2023 and an 8 percent increase over 2019.

"With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day," states the AAA Travel forecast.

The best times to travel by car are in the morning or evening after 6 p.m., AAA said.

Here is more analysis from AAA:

• The worst traffic delays will be on Wednesday and Sunday
• The best travel times Tuesday through Sunday will be in the early morning.
• Afternoons Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be among the worst travel times.
• Traffic will be bad Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday
• Travelers returning on Monday, July 8th should avoid rush hour traffic. The best travel time will be after 8 p.m.

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Reminders of Long Island's uneasy relationship with consumer fireworks were on display yesterday ahead of the nation's 248th birthday.

On Monday, Suffolk County officials detonated a load of the fireworks, which are illegal in New York State, inside an SUV at the county fire academy in Yaphank, a demonstration intended to warn the public of the dangers of untrained use. On Saturday, a Brentwood man was severely injured when a firework blew up in his hand.

On June 17, Suffolk police seized more than1,500 illegal fireworks with a street value of $5,000 from a shipping facility in Bay Shore in what authorities said was part of an ongoing investigation. Nicolas Villamil and Nicholas Spangler report in NEWSDAY that across much of the nation, the consumer fireworks industry is booming and beloved. Last year, Americans bought $2.2 billion worth of consumer fireworks, according to a trade group, American Pyrotechnics Association.

On Long Island, professional — legal — fireworks shows are common at Jones Beach and other places, but police, elected officials and the medical establishment take a dim view of consumer use.

“If people followed the law, my job wouldn't exist,” said Dr. Steven Sandoval, medical director of the Stony Brook University Hospital Burn Center, in an interview at the demonstration.

It is a misdemeanor in New York State to sell most fireworks. Repeat offenders can be convicted of a felony. Using or even possessing them is a violation. State law prohibits firecrackers, bottle rockets, roman candles, spinners and aerial devices. A 2018 change in state law permitted sale and use of sparklers and similar devices across much of the state, though not in Nassau, Suffolk, New York City and a few other counties.

In 2023, Sandoval said, Stony Brook University Hospital had 10 firework-related emergency room consults and 15 patients were referred to its burn center from other hospitals.

Sandoval warned against sparklers, a pyrotechnic he said typically causes accidents because parents perceive them as harmless to their children.

Rudy Sunderman, deputy commissioner of Suffolk Fire Rescue, said sparklers burn at over 1,000 degrees — hotter than matches.

“You wouldn't give a child a burning match,” Sunderman said. “Why would you give them a sparkler?”