Southampton Town Declares April Dark Skies Month

Long Island Morning Edition

A year after voters rejected nearly doubling the Wainscott School tax levy — a vote that many suggested was tainted with selfishness, insensitivity and bigotry — and forcing deep cuts in services for its students, a district official says the school this year will restore all of the lost programs. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the proposed budget would create a new teaching position and add an in-house prekindergarten program at the school — all while staying below the state’s cap on increases in the property tax levy.

Music and art instruction, field trips and specialty instruction that were saved last year only by private donations from benefactors will return to the school budget for the 2024-25 school year. Also returning is a pre-K class, which the district will host at the school itself for the first time.

“This year we will present a budget that will be about a 0.06 percent year-over-year spending increase. The tax increase will be about 2.58 percent,” David Eagan, the president of the Wainscott School Board, said on Saturday at a meeting of the Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee. “That is going to allow us to reinstate everything that was cut last year, so we’ll be back to normal. Eagan said the school will keep the fourth grade at the Wainscott School again this year, rather than sending pupils to other school districts, as the school had done before the fiscal crisis. By keeping the fourth-graders at the school, the district saves $250,000 it would have to pay in tuition for the seven students who will move up from third grade after this school year.

The Wainscott School Board expects to finalize the budget this week and will hold its public budget hearing on May 8, ahead of the May 21 budget vote.

With the lowest school taxes in East Hampton Town — less than one-quarter of what nearby Springs School District residents pay — Eagan said that Wainscott taxpayers are getting a bargain that he hopes will garner support from the public with the “politics” of the enrollment surge dampened.

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In ancient China, they were seen as signs that a celestial dragon was devouring the sun. Some Mayan cultures thought they heralded destruction. Babylonians kept records of them on clay tablets and learned how to predict when they would occur.

Eclipses have captivated people for thousands of years. Professional and amateur astronomers are making plans to get the best view of the celestial event today — the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044.

Some will travel to upstate New York for the spectacle, but Long Islanders can still witness the stellar wonder from home. On the east end, the 90 percent partial eclipse should begin around 2:13 p.m. and is expected to end around 4:37 p.m. with maximum coverage of the sun expected to occur at approximately 3:27 p.m. today. Michael Shara, curator of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History said, “Everyone within 50 miles of Manhattan is going to see basically the same thing,” he said. “The path of totality, just by fluke, runs almost parallel to Long Island. The only way to see more is to go north and west up to Niagara Falls.”

The path of totality includes Jamestown, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, Old Forge, Lake Placid and Plattsburgh.

People hoping for a total solar eclipse on Long Island will have to wait until 2079, said Dave Bush, director of the Vanderbilt Reichert Planetarium.

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April has been declared Dark Skies Month in the Town of Southampton. Southampton Town’s Dark Skies Committee urges everyone to go out and observe the wonders above us at night. In order to see these constellations and planets we need to minimize light pollution – turning off outdoor lighting by 10:00 PM (it’s the law!) and shielding light fixtures.

Southampton Town’s Dark Skies Committee invites you to their Celebrate the Night Sky event this coming Friday at 7:00 PM in the Southampton High School Planetarium. Astronomy teacher John Walsh will lead an exploration of night sky wonders in the S.H.S. planetarium and step outside to observe the “real” sky…weather permitting.

Perfect for the whole family! Free admission.

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Newsday’s Lisa L. Colangelo helps us answer some key safety questions regarding this afternoon’s 90 percent solar eclipse across Long Island.

Why is it dangerous to look at the eclipse without special glasses?

Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse without special eye protection, said Dr. Matthew Gorski, an ophthalmologist with Northwell Health Physician Partners in Great Neck. People who do so can get a rare but serious injury called solar retinopathy.

“Solar retinopathy occurs when the UV light rays enter the eye and damage the delicate tissues of the retina,” Gorski said. “This damage can occur in a moment of looking at the sun.”

He said the symptoms — blurry vision, blind spots, distortion, light sensitivity — can develop hours to days and sometimes even weeks after the exposure.

“In some cases, symptoms go away and get better, but in other cases the visual disturbances can be permanent,” Gorski said.

How can I safely look at the eclipse?

“If you want to look at the eclipse, you need special glasses that carry the designation ISO 12312-2,” Gorski said. “These are the only types of glasses you should wear to look at the sun. Never try to make your own eclipse glasses. These are thousands of times darker than the regular sunglasses.”

Gorski said people should get these glasses from a reputable vendor and check them for damage such as scratches or holes before using them. And turn away from the sun when you take them off.

Can children safely watch the eclipse?

Gorski said parents need to be extra cautious with children. “You have to know your child and if they are going to be responsible enough to put on the glasses and use them properly,” he said. Also, make sure the glasses fit them correctly.

NYS Attorney General Letitia James says eclipse viewers should make certain their viewing glasses are approved by the International Organization for Standardization — and have an ISO rating of 12312-2, which will appear on the frame.

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While the east end isn’t in the path of totality for this afternoon’s Great American Eclipse, the fervor over this rare phenomenon is being felt across the twin forks, too. Beth Young of EAST END BEACON reports that our eclipse experience begins at 2:13 p.m. this afternoon on Long Island, with maximum coverage (around 88 percent) at about 3:27 p.m., ending at about 4:37 p.m. today.

It is not safe to view a partial eclipse with your naked eye.

Eclipse viewers should make certain their viewing glasses are approved by the International Organization for Standardization — and have an ISO rating of 12312-2, which will appear on the frame.

If you are coming up short on a desperate hunt for eclipse glasses, NASA has some tips for building an eclipse projector using a cardboard box and a white sheet of paper. Really!

The East Hampton Library hosts an eclipse viewing experience from 2 to 4 p.m., with lawn games, refreshments and crafts for kids — eclipse glasses will be available free of charge. The Westhampton Free Library also hosts a viewing session, with glasses available free of charge, from 3 to 3:30 p.m. Libraries throughout the Suffolk County Library system have been giving out free eclipse glasses, but may have run out by the time you read this post.

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Turtles are coming out of hibernation and, as they’ve done for millions of years, will begin their search for mates. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that this puts the reptiles, which are already in decline in New York, at risk of injury or death, especially as they cross local roadways, oblivious to vehicles — just as drivers are often oblivious to them.

Wildlife advocate Karen Testa, founder of Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons in Jamesport, is hoping bright new diamond-shaped signs going up on east end roads will raise motorists’ awareness and get them to slow down in areas where turtles are often in the roadway.

The yellow and black signs urge drivers to be aware that turtles may be trying to cross the road.

Turtles are usually active in areas where there are ponds or wetlands on both sides of the road.

For information on what to do to help a turtle that’s trying to cross the road, visit https://www.turtlerescueofthehamptons.org/

Anyone who finds a distressed or injured turtle on the East End is urged to call Turtle Rescue at 631-779-3737.

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Montauk’s only pharmacy, White’s Drug & Department Store, will close at the end of October, potentially leaving residents of the hamlet without easy access to prescriptions — and the lone pharmacist worries that could lead to health crises for some who may go without crucial medicines because of the inconvenience or inability of trekking to pharmacies to the west.

Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that Frank Calvo, the pharmacist at White’s for the past 13 years, said that he is searching for a new location for a pharmacy, but that spaces of suitable size, and affordable rent, are proving difficult to find.

“I’ve scoured all of downtown Montauk looking for a feasible space for a pharmacy and, sadly, there is no other space anywhere,” he told members of the East Hampton Town Board this past Thursday.

He said he needs about 1,500 square feet to host a pharmacy, which must also have running water, and all he has been able to find in Montauk are spaces of less than 1,000 square feet — or places with rents of $100,000 a year or more.

The White’s space is about 4,000 square feet. Calvo said the new owner has other plans for the building.

The building was sold late last year by its previous owners, Dan Rattiner and Nancy Premisler, for $3.7 million. The buyer was a Kentucky-based limited liability company registered to Leon Kircik. Kircik, appears to own a home in Montauk.

Calvo said that he fills about 150 prescriptions per day in the offseason and more than 300 a day in summertime.

And more than 60 percent of the prescriptions he fills go to people over the age of 65, the pharmacist said, many of whom do not drive.