Free sunscreen dispensers available at Town of Southampton parks & beaches

Long Island Morning Edition

Long Islanders, from elected leaders to everyday citizens, spent Sunday like millions of others nationwide: feeling outraged by an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, and condemning political violence and polarizing rhetoric.

As new information about Saturday's shooting continued to emerge our east end U.S. representative spoke with Newsday.

“[I hope] that we can go up from here, that we can understand each other better, and that we can focus more on policy disagreements, rather than people and personalities,” Republican 1st Congressional District Rep. Nick LaLota told Newsday yesterday. LaLota, of Amityville, said he was at dinner with family Saturday night when he received word of the assassination attempt, describing it as “troubling news to digest.”

He initially took to social media with sharp criticism of the “mainstream media” over its recent coverage of President Joe Biden's comment that it was time “to put Trump in the bull's-eye.”

Congressman LaLota on Sunday said it was time for something else: a “change in the rhetoric.”

"[It's] difficult news to deliver to young kids, that this is a part of American politics,” he said. “This is not normal. This should not be accepted. Every American, regardless of the party, Republican, Democrat, independent, should reject not only Saturday's events, but what got us here.”

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Several Long Island and South Fork elected officials and candidates reacted swiftly to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday evening. John Avlon, the Democratic Party’s nominee to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota, issued a statement on X. “Political violence is what we all must stand up against,” he posted on Saturday evening. “It has no place in our country.” Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, a Republican, also issued a statement. “Hatred and acts of violence toward an elected official or candidate for office regardless of political affiliation have no place in this country,” he said. “As Americans, we stand united on the principles that make our country strong. While there are no reported threats in Suffolk County at this time, my office will continue to monitor the situation.”

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Free sunscreen dispensers are available at beaches and parks in the Town of Southampton this summer.

Officials announced the plan at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Ponquogue Beach last Wednesday. Dan Stark on 27east.com reports that dispensers with SPF 30 sunscreen have been placed in 13 parks and beaches operated by the Southampton Town Parks and Recreation Department.

The dispensers will be available until Labor Day.

The dispensers are a collaboration between the town and Creative Advertising Concepts, an agency which first brought the idea to the town in 2019. For the past few years, the dispensers were sponsored by Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

This year, the dispensers are being sponsored by UnionDerm, a dermatology clinic based in New York City that has an office in Water Mill, as a way to connect with the local community.

At the ribbon-cutting, Tatyana Petukhova, a dermatologist at UnionDerm, spoke of the importance of using sunscreen and taking other precautions like wearing hats and shirts with long sleeves to prevent skin cancer.

“SPF 30 is a broad spectrum [sunscreen] and you want to reapply it frequently at least every two hours,” said Petukhova. “So, hopefully, everybody will have a fun, sunburn-free summer, and we’re happy to service the Town of Southampton.”

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The assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump on Saturday came amid harsh political rhetoric from the campaigns and supporters of both Trump and President Joe Biden, especially in social media posts, lawmakers and political strategists said yesterday.

The lawmakers and strategists who spoke to Newsday this weekend also warned that lowering the temperature of political discourse could be difficult because of the extreme and divisive language on social media posted by some individuals, politicians and advocacy groups.

“I think that all parties need to analyze their rhetoric on how they approach their own politics and focus more on policy, not on personalities,” U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville)…who represents the east end…told Newsday in a phone interview. But that will not stop the divisive posts on social media, he said. “Facebook and Twitter are both sewers of people spewing their vitriol,” LaLota said. “They've made comparisons of Trump to Hitler. They had called him a fascist, because they essentially say the world will end if he has a second term. I think that sort of rhetoric and hyperbole has gotten us to where we are today.” Tom Brune reports on Newsday.com that Michael Dawidziak, a Long Island political consultant who mostly works with Republicans, said the Trump campaign already had begun to pull back on harsh rhetoric, for a very practical reason.

“The Republican base is already energized," Dawidziak said. “The smart play is to be a kinder, gentler Republican Party and start attracting those moderate swing voters who are going to make the difference."

Dawidziak also called the “echo chamber” of social media, television and radio catering to the left and right a “huge problem” that will be hard to address. “We have built a society where you can insulate yourself from the truth if you want to. You can live in your own echo chambers,” he said.

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In the wake of the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump and with this year’s Republican National Convention beginning today, Tom Brune reports on Newsday.com that Steve Israel, a former Long Island Democratic congressman who serves on the Democrats’ platform committee for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign told Newsday, “Trump has fully consolidated. He's at his ceiling. Biden has not consolidated, which means that for Biden to win he's got to get those moderate independent persuadables, who are still making their judgments.”

“Trump can't do any more to fire up his base. He needs to lower the temperature to appeal to the moderates,” he said.

Asked what the shooting means to a Biden campaign that had focused on Trump, Israel said, "Welcome to the dozens of phone calls and texts I have received today asking that question."

The ex-congressman also said he expected a tightening of security.

“The plain fact is that all the security in the world cannot guarantee a candidate safety unless a candidate decides not to leave his or her home. And that makes democracy a casualty, right?” said Israel. “So, the best thing we can do is increase security, but also decrease the anger.”

The Democratic National Convention will begin in Chicago on Monday, August 19, 2024 and conclude on Thursday, August 22, 2024.

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The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation is providing an opportunity for Long Island museums and historical societies to offer employment and receive assistance from students through the 2024 Gardiner Young Scholars Program. The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation created the Gardiner Young Scholars Program to bring youthful energy, skills and interest to local historic sites. The program enables applying historic organizations to engage students between the ages of 15 and 22 to assist them with daily operations. The program requires a selected Young Scholar to complete 100 hours of service and provides a stipend of $1,600 to be paid to the student. To apply for the program, organizations must submit a letter of request to: Gardiner Young Scholars, Terry Tirado, 30 West Main Street, Suite 309, Riverhead, N.Y. 11901. Letters of request must be received by July 31.

For more info visit the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation website at www.rdlgfoundation.org

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The assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump on Saturday came amid harsh political rhetoric from the campaigns and supporters of both Trump and President Joe Biden, especially in social media posts, lawmakers and political strategists said yesterday.

The lawmakers and strategists who spoke to Newsday this weekend also warned that lowering the temperature of political discourse could be difficult because of the extreme and divisive language on social media posted by some individuals, politicians and advocacy groups.

Shortly after the shooting, Representative Nick LaLota, a Republican from Amityville who in January endorsed President Trump in his 2024 re-election bid, and his opponent in the First Congressional District race, John Avlon, a Democrat, released statements.

"Prayers for President Trump and for the safety of everyone at today's Pennsylvania rally," said Congressman LaLota Saturday night. Avlon of Sag Harbor stated, "Political violence is what we all must stand up against. It has no place in our country."

Tom Brune reports on Newsday.com that Michael Dawidziak, a Long Island political consultant who mostly works with Republicans, said the Trump campaign already had begun to pull back on harsh rhetoric, for a very practical reason.

“The Republican base is already energized," Dawidziak said. “The smart play is to be a kinder, gentler Republican Party and start attracting those moderate swing voters who are going to make the difference."

Dawidziak also called the “echo chamber” of social media, television and radio catering to the left and right a “huge problem” that will be hard to address. “We have built a society where you can insulate yourself from the truth if you want to. You can live in your own echo chambers,” he said.