U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was on the east end yesterday to harshly criticize the proposed $8 million in funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget for the National Estuary Program, which supports clean water initiatives, including those on Long Island.

Deborah S. Morris reports in NEWSDAY that Senator Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) announced she helped write a bipartisan letter to her colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee in May, seeking $50 million — $10 million more than the 2025 operating plan — for the program, including $1 million for each National Estuary Program site and $4 million for a competitive grant program. Gillibrand said the letter offers detailed information on the program and potential negative impact of a funding cut.

“A lot of the spending cuts by this administration up until now have been almost blind spending cuts, just cutting everything in half,” she said. “There’s no analytical rigor to any of their decisions.”

The National Estuary Program is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to protect and promote 28 nationally significant estuaries in the United States. The Peconic Estuary and Long Island Sound are included in the program, organizers said.

A 736-page document released by the EPA last month, titled "Justification of Appropriation Estimates for the Committee on Appropriations" and provided to Newsday by Gillibrand's office, shows Trump cutting the program's funding to $32 million for 2026.

The program is a vital resource for its participants to maintain clean water and protect it from environmental threats such as “excess nitrogen pollution, pathogens, and harmful algal blooms,” Gillibrand said.

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A key public hearing for the town square project will take place this evening at 6 p.m. in Riverhead Town Hall, where the Riverhead Town Board will hear testimony to determine whether the town square designated master developer is a “qualified and eligible sponsor” to fulfill the requirements of state law. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that a company owned by Joe Petrocelli, who has successfully restored and/or developed various downtown properties, including the Long Island Aquarium, Hyatt Place East End, the East Lawn building, the Preston House and Howell House, was designated by the Town Board as the master developer for the Riverhead Town Square in April 2022.

Since then, the Town of Riverhead has worked on additional designs and plans for the town square project and has negotiated a master development agreement with Petrocelli and is now ready to move forward with the sale of town-owned property, including the building at 127 East Main Street to Petrocelli for redevelopment, and with the buildout of other features of the town square project that are to be undertaken or managed by Petrocelli.

The agreement contemplates Petrocelli’s construction of a five-story mixed-use hotel/condominium building with up to 76 hotel rooms, 12 condominium units, ground-floor retail and restaurant space and 12 underground parking stalls.

The town also plans to enter into a consulting agreement with Petrocelli’s company to perform the services of construction manager for other Riverhead Town Square features, including an amphitheater, a playground, a public gathering space, walkways etc. for a fee of 7% of the total project cost for construction.

That public hearing is this evening at 6 p.m. in Riverhead Town Hall.

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Six recent graduates from four local high schools have been selected for an intensive training program through the Construction Career Charitable Fund (CCCF) — an East End initiative that supports students pursuing careers in the skilled trades over traditional college pathways.

The 2025 CCCF cohort includes Brandon Morales, Matthew Criollo, Edwin Ochoa Castro, Jorge Esteves, Davon Palmore, and Kalea Robinson. These young professionals are opting for hands-on careers in fields such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, masonry, and custom home building.

CCCF provides financial support, mentorship, and direct job placements, offering students a head start in high-end construction. The selected participants are already immersed in advanced training on multi-million-dollar residential projects across the Hamptons, working alongside some of the region’s top tradespeople.

Through this program, students gain real-world experience while developing essential skills such as craftsmanship, collaborative problem-solving, and project management.

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Restaurateurs and food suppliers on Long Island are expecting higher prices in the fall for fresh tomatoes from Mexico because of a trade dispute. The Trump Administration on July 14 slapped a 17.09% import duty on Mexican tomatoes after withdrawing from a U.S.-Mexico agreement that was nearly 30 years old. The U.S. accused Mexican farmers of dumping tomatoes at artificially low prices. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that the White House yesterday released statements from eight domestic producers, none from New York State, citing an increase in sales since the duty was imposed on Mexican tomatoes.

Field grown tomatoes, regardless of their origin, cost $1.74 per pound nationwide last month, on average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The cost of tomatoes isn't top of mind now at the restaurants, catering halls and supermarkets that Michael Imbriano sells food to — but it will be once the temperature drops.

“Tomatoes will probably become a topic of conversation towards the fall,” said Imbriano, a sales territory manager for US Foods, one of the country's largest food-service distributors. “We bring in lots of tomatoes from Mexico and Florida in the fall and winter.”

He said his customers have been focused on beef prices, which are soaring because the number of cattle and calves in the United States is at its lowest level since 1951.

Herd sizes have fallen in the face of droughts, the high cost of buying livestock for breeding and the presence of a flesh-eating parasite in Mexico that ended all imports from that country last year.

The average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $6.12 in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago. The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8% to $11.49 per pound, according to the statistics bureau.

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United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) spoke out against a proposed funding cut to the National Estuary Program yesterday at the Peconic Crossing building in Riverhead. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the National Estuary Program is run by the Environmental Protection Agency with the goal of preserving and protecting estuaries across the country and that it is slated to lose $8 million in President Donald Trump’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The NEP oversees 28 nationally recognized estuaries, each with its own local branch. Among these programs are the Peconic Estuary Program and the Long Island Sound Study, which opponents of the cut say would be greatly impacted by the reduction in funding.

In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the NEP received $132 million to delegate to the 28 estuary programs from 2022 to 2026.

Senator Gillibrand declared her intent to stop the cut and pledged to “continue to make sure that federal dollars continue to protect environmental treasures like these ones.” She said that she is pushing for $50 million in federal funding for the program.

Gillibrand discussed the Estuaries Act, a bipartisan house bill that would extend federal funding for the NEP through 2031. If passed, this would take effect in 2026 after the $132 million in funding the NEP received from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires the same year.

The bill currently has bipartisan support in the U.S. House, which includes Suffolk Republican Representatives Nick LaLota from New York’s 1st Congressional District and Andrew Garbarino from New York’s 2nd District. The bill is also supported by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer…the senior Democrat from New York…and Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker of New Jersey, both Democrats.

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The Kalmar Nyckel, also known as The Tall Ship of Delaware, arrives today at Greenport’s Railroad Dock, where it will be hosting 2.5 hour sails and free deck tours through Aug. 3.

Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the ship, at nearly 100 feet long, is a full-scale replica of the 1638 Swedish merchant ship that brought settlers to Delaware. Detailed and ornate carvings grace its hull, and it has a crew of 200 trained volunteers who help maintain, sail, and teach its programs.

“Sailing from Greenport Village and into Gardiners Bay is a thrill for both our passengers and our crew,” says Captain Lauren Morgens, noting that the ship has professional officers and a highly-trained volunteer crew.

Free deck tours will be offered on Saturday July 26 and Saturday August 2 from 3 to 7 p.m.

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As the Massapequa school district in Nassau County, Long Island, continues its tussle to retain its Chiefs moniker and logo, the community is asking its biggest backer — President Donald Trump — to sign an executive order to safeguard Native American names and images across the US. “It’s about not erasing, but instead educating about Native Americans and keeping them on the forefront,” Massapequa school board president Kerry Wachter told The NY Post.

“It’s the battleground here in Massapequa, but this keeps popping up all across the nation, of state educational departments banning Native American mascots and team identities.” The proposal would “protect the voluntary and respectful use of Native American names, imagery, and symbols,” language in the draft reads.

The executive order pitch would also put a halt to how “radical state and local bureaucrats are attempting to erase this heritage, tear down this history, and silence this legacy,” according to Wachter and her attorney, Oliver Roberts, who called such bans unconstitutional and an attack on freedom of speech.

Alex Mitchell reports in THE NY POST that President Trump has been sympathetic to the situation, intervening last April during the Massapequa School District’s contentious legal battle over the New York State Board of Regents’ 2023 ordinance requiring the removal of all Native American team connections in public schools. Schools were threatened with funding cuts and school board members faced removal if they didn’t comply.

“[Trump] stood up for us,” said Wachter, who claimed “the overwhelming majority” of Massapequa is behind the push to keep the Chiefs name — and that phasing in a new one would waste about $1 million in school funds and taxpayer dollars.

Massapequa’s nationwide executive order would “work with tribes, not against them,” while also giving Native American organizations protected privilege for “requesting changes to imagery or names that it finds inappropriate.”

Relentless support from the Trump administration has brought new life to the fight on Long Island — mere months after NYS courts dismissed the Massapequa lawsuit.

“We’re still pushing ahead with our federal litigation, which we fully expect to prevail on,” said the attorney representing the Massapequa School District’s indigenous logo legal battle.