ERASE Racism To Hold Anti-Racist Training In Riverhead

Long Island Morning Edition

The MTA could fall $25 billion short in its next capital spending plan — expected to cost more than $55 billion — and look to fare hikes and service cuts to help make up the difference, if the transit authority doesn’t get the revenue it is counting on from its embattled congestion pricing program, a new state report found. Alfonso A. Castillo reports on Newsday.com that NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s annual report on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s debt also raised concerns about declining investments in infrastructure and about the potential for funding shortfalls to lead to excessive borrowing.

The report focused on the MTA’s next five-year capital program, which is expected to be released later this year and include infrastructure investments through 2029. The current capital plan, which cost a record $54.8 billion, set aside nearly $6 billion in investments at the Long Island Rail Road, including funding for maintaining existing infrastructure and for megaprojects like Grand Central Madison and the Third Track between Floral Park and Hicksville.

MTA officials have signaled their next capital program will be even larger, and include money for accessibility upgrades at LIRR stations, new train cars and for renewing aging infrastructure, like tracks and bridges. But the MTA is relying heavily on its forthcoming Central Business District Tolling Program to pay for much of the capital plan. The first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan, scheduled to take effect June 30, will charge most vehicles $15 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan during peak hours.

The MTA expects to raise about $1 billion annually in tolls, which would be used to finance $15 billion in bonds that would fund the capital investments.

But DiNapoli’s report noted congestion pricing “still faces some implementation uncertainty,” including several lawsuits challenging its legality — the most recent of which was filed by the Town of Hempstead last week.

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New York is one of the safest states to drive in, according to two studies. In fact, it's far safer than the most dangerous states. Lanning Taliaferro, reports on Patch.com that in "Safest and Riskiest States for Driving by Car Accident Fatality Rates, 2024" researchers for law firm Bader Scott analyzed 50 states' car accident fatality rates per 100,000 residents with data from the National Health Council.

In 2023, SafeWise ranked New York No. 3. SafeWise’s methodology for the "Safest and Most Dangerous States for Driving" was based on data from the Insurance Institution for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute on driving fatalities in each state and also looked at causes, including speed limits, driver age, drunken-driving and distracted-driving laws.

"Your security on the road depends on many factors. Seat belts, road conditions, and, perhaps most alarmingly, other drivers," researchers said. "Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for people under fifty in America, and over 37,000 people die yearly in motor vehicle incidents. When it comes to driver safety, however, there may be another important factor to consider: where you live." Bader Scott researchers reported that New York is by far the safest state, reporting 5 deaths per 100,000 people.

"With a substantial population of over 19.5 million, New York stands as the safest state with a low fatality rate of 5 deaths per 100k people, totaling 1,055.92 deaths, which demonstrates their effective road safety policies in an extremely high-density region," the report said.

SafeWise's conclusions from the year before were similar. New York's fatality rate was the same, at .052 per 1,000 drivers, and that was very slightly above Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The most dangerous states — Wyoming and Mississippi — are far more dangerous, the Bader Scott researchers reported, with 27 deaths per 100,000 compared to five for New York.

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You are invited to attend Southampton Public School’s Class of 2024 Wall of Distinction Induction Ceremony and Reception this evening at 6:00 PM in the Southampton High School Auditorium.

The celebration is free and open to the public.

The Wall of Distinction recognizes the rich heritage and tradition of successful academic and athletic programs of the Southampton School District, honoring Alumni, Coaches, Teachers, Administrators and Teams.

The 2024 Induction Class features Carol Gulija, Charles “Chuck” Henke, Vincent Mangano, Kristen Stephens and Dr. Merritt Burke White

The Induction Ceremony is this evening at 6:00 PM in the Southampton High School Auditorium with a reception to follow.

The event is free and all are welcome.

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A group of Jewish Columbia University students has written an emotional and forceful public letter that takes on one of the most divisive issues on college campuses: whether opposition to Israel should be equated with antisemitism. Sharon Otterman reports in THE NY TIMES that in the letter, the students argue that “Judaism cannot be separated from Israel.” They also charge that anti-Zionist Jews who deny Israel’s right to exist and stand with pro-Palestinian protesters “tokenize themselves” and try to delegitimize the experiences of Zionist Jews on campus.

Some of the students who signed the letter, which had 540 signatories as of yesterday morning, have already spoken publicly against Columbia for the antisemitism they say they have faced there. One student testified before Congress about the issue; others have been counterprotesters at pro-Palestinian rallies. Others have not spoken out before.

In all, by Thursday the letter was signed by just over 10 percent of the estimated 5,000 Jewish undergraduates and graduate students at Columbia and its affiliated colleges. All signatories gave their names, college affiliation and year of graduation, unlike some public letters, that allow for anonymous signatures.

Titled “In Our Name: A Message from Jewish Students at Columbia University,” the letter represents the views of students who state that they love Israel, even though they do not always agree with the actions of the Israeli government.

The letter did not specifically critique any Israeli actions, stating that “our visions for Israel differ dramatically from one another.” Yet, it continued, “we all come from a place of love and an aspiration for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

The letter comes as Columbia copes with a deeply divided campus reeling from two recent police interventions against pro-Palestinian activism on campus, including the takeover of a campus building that resulted in more than 200 arrests. On Monday, Nemat Shafik, Columbia’s president, canceled the main graduation ceremony...ceremonies were scheduled to begin today...citing security concerns, and the main campus remains in a state of partial lockdown.

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ERASE Racism is holding anti-racist trainings in Riverhead in the hopes of teaching community members about racism and how to have conversations surrounding race and diversity. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the trainings will be held at the Holiday Inn Express on Route 58 in Riverhead, with the first part being held next Wednesday, May 15, and the second part scheduled for Thursday, June 13, both from 5:30pm to 8:30 p.m.. The nonprofit, whose mission is to “expose and address the devastating impact of historic and ongoing structural racism on Long Island, in New York, and nationally,” is hosting the event in partnership with the Long Island Hate and Bias Prevention Unit of the state’s Division of Human Rights.

Part one of the training…next Wednesday…titled “Understanding and Unraveling Racism,” will give people a shared understanding of what racism is “and how oppression plays out” on Long Island, said Laura Harding, president of ERASE Racism. Part two on June 13th is titled “Navigating Difficult Conversations” and will focus on responding to conflict and helping people have uncomfortable conversations.

Anybody interested in attending may email [e-mail] to check availability.

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New York State’s embattled ethics commission was created unconstitutionally and has no power to force former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to forfeit the $5.1 million he received from his COVID-19 pandemic book, a midlevel court ruled yesterday.

Keshia Clukey reports on Newsday.com that the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court ruled 5-0 the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government is unconstitutional because its structure for appointing and removing members violates separation of powers guarantees in the New York constitution. “We find that by enacting the foregoing scheme for the enforcement of the applicable ethics laws, the Legislature, though well intentioned in its actions, violated the bedrock principles of separation of powers,” Justice Mark L. Powers wrote for the court. The ruling could be appealed to New York's highest court. On Thursday, aides to Gov. Kathy Hochul and State Attorney General Letitia James — both Democrats, like Cuomo — said they were reviewing the decision.

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Riverhead Charter School’s application to place three portable buildings at the charter high school site on Sound Avenue will be scheduled for a public hearing, members of the Riverhead Town Board agreed yesterday during a work session meeting with charter school representatives. But the decision came only after board members grilled Riverhead Charter School Superintendent Raymond Ankrum, the school’s attorney Kimberly Judd and engineer Alek Kociski about the placement and use of the portables, and how long the structures would be used as classrooms on the site. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Riverhead Charter School, which leases the current high school, is working to find an alternative site on which to build a new, larger high school, Judd said. The current high school building — originally the Northville School — is not large enough for the number of high school students Riverhead Charter School needs to accommodate, Judd said. As town officials already know, Judd said, the school is in talks with the owners of “two promising properties” and hopes to reach an agreement with one of them soon. “We’re very close,” she said. Meanwhile the charter school needs the portables to provide classroom space for its high school enrollment, she said. The school previously sought to build a new high school on vacant land adjacent to the current high school, but withdrew that plan in response to major backlash from area residents. Ankrum said the charter school no longer has any intention of maintaining its high school on Sound Avenue after the reaction of the community to the now-withdrawn plan. “We’re not welcome there,” the school superintendent said. The school would much prefer to locate its high school closer to its main campus, he added. The Riverhead Town Board at its May 22 meeting is expected to schedule a public hearing on the special permit application.