Policy changes often take years to show results. Even then, you may have to squint to see them.

And then there is congestion pricing in New York.

As reported in THE NY TIMES, almost immediately after the tolls went into effect Jan. 5 — charging most vehicles $9 to enter Manhattan from 60th Street south to the Battery — they began to alter traffic patterns, commuter behavior, transit service, even the sound of gridlock and the on-time arrival of school buses.

Evidence has mounted that the program so far is achieving its two main goals — reducing congestion and raising revenue for transit improvements — even as the federal government has ramped up pressure to halt it. In March, the tolls raised $45 million in net revenue, putting the program on track to generate roughly $500 million in its first year.

Congestion pricing was designed to finance more than $15 billion in critical transit upgrades…including the L.I.R.R. Those investments will take years. But the parallel changes at street level are already apparent.

Per the NY TIMES here’s a sampling:

• Fewer cars are entering the congestion zone than before.
• Traffic is moving faster.
• With fewer cars on the road, speeds are up.
• The greatest speed gains are coming at peak commute times.
• Local buses are also moving faster.
• Traffic has not slowed just outside the congestion zone.
• Traffic has not surged in the South Bronx, as some predicted.
• Signs are also positive for New Jersey commuters.
• Residents of lower-income neighborhoods have seen faster travel, too.
• Ridership is up across all modes of public transit.

A new behavioral health center for children and adolescents — the first of its kind on the East End — is set to open in Riverhead next month.

Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that South Oaks Hospital, part of the Northwell Health system, celebrated the opening of the new facility at 877 East Main Street in Riverhead during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week. The behavioral health center will offer individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy and medication management among its services, according to a Northwell Health press release.

The facility will begin to accept patients June 1, Northwell officials said.

“The need for child and adolescent behavioral health services in eastern Suffolk County is urgent,” South Oaks Hospital President Michael Scarpelli stated. “Families in Riverhead and nearby communities have faced significant barriers in accessing care.”

According to Suffolk County, the closest partial hospitalization and day treatment programs for children are in Amityville and Dix Hills; the nearest for adolescents ages 12 to 17 is in Port Jefferson.

The $5 million facility includes five group rooms and 21 offices, with space for further expansion.

Inpatient programs are designed for children (ages 5 to 11) and adolescents (ages 12 to 17) who are experiencing symptoms of serious behavioral and/or emotional illness, according to the South Oaks Hospital website. According to Northwell, the center has clinicians specializing in dialectical behavior therapy; cognitive behavioral therapy; trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy; parent and child interactive therapy; play therapy; acceptance and commitment therapy; and behavior modification.

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The Riverhead Fire District is asking voters to approve $4.5 million in bonds to fund the purchase of a new ladder truck and upgrades to its communications equipment during a special election tomorrow.

Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the proposal includes two separate ballot measures: one for $3 million to purchase the new ladder truck, and another for $1.5 million to replace and upgrade the district’s radio communications system. Voting is tomorrow from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Riverhead Fire Department headquarters on Roanoke Avenue in Riverhead.

The bonds would last 15 years and paid off as debt service in the fire district’s budget starting in 2028, according to John Tradeski, chairman of the board of Riverhead fire commissioners.

The Riverhead Fire District contracts with the Riverhead Fire Department to provide emergency fire response services in roughly half of the geography of Riverhead Town, including the hamlets of Riverhead, Aquebogue, Baiting Hollow and parts of Calverton. It also provides services to the hamlet of Riverside and part of Northampton in Southampton Town, and parts of Calverton in Brookhaven Town.

For a home with an assessed value of $45,000, the anticipated tax increase in Riverhead Town is $30, in Southampton Town is $16 and in Brookhaven Town is $27, according to Tradeski.

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Of dozens of large markets across the country, Long Island has experienced the fourth largest year-over-year percentage increase in median home sales price, according to the National Association of Realtors. The median sales price of an existing single-family home on Long Island was $779,300 in the first quarter of 2025, according to an NAR data release. This number represents a 12% increase year over year, and is nearly double the national median of $402,300, the data shows. Eighty-three percent of 228 metro markets saw an increase in home prices in the first quarter of 2025, according to the data. NAR defines a large market as one of "the 150 most populous areas, with a minimum population of 370,770."

Arielle Dollinger reports in NEWSDAY that the median sales price in Nassau and Suffolk counties combined, excluding the Hamptons and North Fork, was $705,000 from January to March, based on data from real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman and appraisal firm Miller Samuel. The elevated median home price NAR has reported for Long Island includes sales on the East End, according to Nadia Evangelou, NAR senior economist and director of real estate research. On Long Island, the housing market has been setting price records for the past four quarters. For the first quarter of 2025, which ended in March, Jonathan Miller, of Miller Samuel, recorded Long Island housing inventory numbers at their second lowest point in the nearly 22 years the firm has tracked the data.

Evangelou described the Long Island buyer base as "still very active," amid supply challenges. Homeowners with comparatively low interest rates are reluctant to leave, she added, creating a "lock-in effect."

"The Suffolk market is running I will say a classic supply and demand script," Evangelou said. "Not enough homes, too many buyers, and rising prices as a result."

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Suffolk County animal abusers will now face jail time or steep fines if they continue to have pets, according to a new law signed last week — after a local cat house of horrors was uncovered. Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that the Suffolk County Legislature voted to make pet-owning by convicted animal abusers a Class A misdemeanor, a crime that carries penalties of up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.

“This bill will protect animals, and that’s why I’m signing it,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine told reporters at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge last week.

“We have an obligation to care for our pets and our animals,” Romaine said. Suffolk already required convicted animal abusers to add their name and contact information to a registry. It became the first county in the country to do so in 2010. The Suffolk County Police Department and district attorney’s office are in charge of maintaining the registry, which currently lists 30 people, according to the county’s website.

Offenders remain on the registry for 10 years unless they’re convicted of another animal-related crime, in which case the clock resets. Having your name on the list already meant you could no longer own a pet — but until now, there was no real punishment for breaking that rule, said Suffolk Legislator Stephanie Bontempi of Huntington, who sponsored the legislation. “We’ve closed the loophole,” Bontempi said. “It’s something that shouldn’t even be an issue, but I’m glad we were able to get this legislation on the books.”

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The Cutchogue Civic Association will discuss “The Challenges and Joys of Running a Small Business: Insights from Cutchogue Businesses” this coming Thursday, May 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library, on Main Road, Cutchogue, with Vincent Alibrandi of Barth’s Pharmacy, Fernando Rodriguez of the Cutchogue Diner, Dorothy Raynor of Dottie’s Pilates, Denise Schlachter of Making Waves Hair Studio and John Fab of Twin Fork Landscaping/Oregon Road Organics.

The event is free.

That’s “The Challenges and Joys of Running a Small Business: Insights from Cutchogue Businesses” this coming Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library, on Main Road in Cutchogue.

For more details, visit cutchoguecivicassociation.com

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The Town of Riverhead has launched a forensic audit into the group that runs its downtown Business Improvement District, prompting a shake-up in its leadership and in the planning of several popular community events. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that tensions between the town and business district have escalated in recent months. The town has yet to approve the management association’s $176,700 annual budget for 2025 over concerns about missing audits and spending.

The Business Improvement District is funded through a special taxing district that encompasses downtown business owners and is typically supplemented with town funds. The district is responsible for organizing downtown beautification and events such as the Alive on 25 summer street fairs, cardboard boat race, Halloween festival and holiday bonfire. It is also responsible for advocating on behalf of small business owners.

Citing budget constraints, the Riverhead Business Improvement District’s board of directors announced in a news release that it would "downsize" and "release" the group's executive director, Kristy Verity. In a statement, board members said the decision "was not made lightly and reflects our commitment to preserving the financial health and long-term viability of the organization" and that Verity "has always and continues to reflect integrity, credibility, compassion and professionalism."

The Riverhead Town board voted unanimously on April 15 to approve the forensic audit and hired PKF O’Connor Davies, a Hauppauge accounting firm, to conduct it. The audit will cover 2023 and 2024, according to the resolution.

Town officials said in a news release that they ordered the forensic audit “after reviewing certain financial records” provided by the organization.

The town hired a separate entity to plan and market two Alive on 25 events in July and August and the Halloween Festival in October, which features trick-or-treating, coffin races and a costume parade.

The Main Street Agency, headed by Diane Tucci, will be paid $15,000 for the events, according to the agreement. Tucci had organized the events in their early years and currently holds a part-time job with the Town of Riverhead as town board coordinator.

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