Editorial

Firefighters who rescued two women from a burning building in January do not deserve to be the victims of the whisper campaign that seems to have taken root, recklessly spread by the town supervisor no less, which disparages their integrity, their honesty and the dedication with which they serve our community.

The resilience and perseverance that allowed the Class of 2023 to overcome the challenges of the pandemic remain with them as they leave Riverhead High School and begin to write the next chapter in the book of life.

A cringeworthy reefer madness tale: Riverhead's move to 'opt-out' of having retail marijuana establishments in the town failed when put to a vote in 2021. But you'd never know it by the code the town adopted. When local business owners tried to discuss it with the board, the result was cringeworthy. Editorial.

Washington's brand of poison politics has found a home at Riverhead Town Hall, heralding in a new era of ugly divisiveness that should not exist in town government.

Riverhead's state of emergency, issued last Tuesday night, is based on rumors, half-truths and lies. That's no way to govern. The order should be rescinded.

Whatever name they give Triple Five’s plan — a hub, a cog, a piece in the logistics and distribution puzzle — it’s still a place with runways where planes carrying cargo — typically 747s which, when fully loaded, weigh 89,000 pounds — would be landing. And it would generate truck traffic here the likes of which we’ve never seen.

With no penalties for violations and no enforcement except by lawsuits in State Supreme Court brought by private citizens, it's no wonder officials often act like complying with these laws are optional. There is a better way, if N.Y. state lawmakers were serious about transparency.

Editorial: A lot of big projects are heading to the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency for "benefits," collectively millions of dollars in tax exemptions. It's important for residents to understand what the IDA does and why. The agency, which lacks transparency, must do a much better job to provide public information to the public, or it does not deserve the public's support.

A lot’s happened since Riverhead adopted its ethics code in 2005. Big developers with money to spend to get what they want have arrived. An ethics code must protect the public against undue influences. Riverhead’s code comes up short. 

People around Riverhead are always telling us they don’t know what they’d do without us here to keep them informed. We appreciate that so much. Unfortunately, too many communities across NY have no local news source reporting on local issues. And the numbers keep shrinking.