The East Hampton Star news section March 19, 2020

NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1885

VOL. CXXXIV NO. 36

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020

COURTS

COVID-19 Tightens Grip On South Fork

Tennant’s Trial Nears The End It’s he said, she said in attempted murder case

BY TAYLOR K. VECSEY Courthouses throughout Suffolk County are closed amid the spread of COVID-19, but the trial of Patchita Tennant, a longtime manager at the East Hampton CVS pharmacy who is charged with attempted murder, continues.

The jury has heard from both Ms. Tennant, 43, and her former boyfriend, Andrew Mitchell, 47, who, after living together for nearly 20 years, presented two very different accounts of what happened in their Flanders house on the evening of Sept. 5, 2019. It seems likely that the outcome of the case will hinge upon which of their stories the jury believes.

Mr. Mitchell took the stand on Friday morning, acknowledging that he was often unfaithful and went about his own life while Ms. Tennant cared for their young daughter and worked long hours at what is said to be the busiest CVS on Long Island, in the top 10 in the country among 7,000 stores.

The prosecutor, Eric Aboulafia, an assistant county district attorney, anticipated the questions that Mr. Mitchell’s past would raise. He questioned Mr.

Global pandemic has ‘changed life as we know it’

With restaurants ordered to close their dining rooms and transition to takeout and delivery only on Monday as the fight against COVID-19 ramps up, Paul Novack, a bartender at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, locked the door after the last customer departed.

Doug Kuntz

Continued on A7

At Precipice of Peril Fight against virus brings economy to sudden halt

BY JAMIE BUFALINO Businesses of all sorts in New York State ground to a screeching halt this week, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced a near-total shutdown of commercial activity and ordinary life.

As the federal government struggles to catch up to the fast-evolving pandemic — President Trump declared on Monday that the crisis could last into July, August, or beyond — the 2020 tourist season, the most critical weeks for so many South Fork residents’ financial well-being, is suddenly uncertain.

Restaurants, which were still doing a brisk business over the weekend with an influx of second-home owners fleeing the increasingly locked down New York City area, were ordered on Monday to offer takeout and delivery only. The state also ordered theaters, gyms, fitness studios, and other businesses deemed non-essential to close. Grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, medical facilities, and media outlets may remain open.

The economic impacts of the closures and curtailing of regular operations will be massive by all estimations.

To assess the extent of the damage the pandemic has had on business, Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone announced on Tuesday that the county’s Labor Department will begin collecting data to “find out what is happening on the ground and what is happening with

the workforce.”

The Labor Department will then use that information to advocate for funding and other support from the state and federal governments. “What we’ve seen over the last week has been stunning in terms of how quickly this has impacted the economy,” said Mr. Bellone.

The county has already formed a business resource center that can be reached by calling 311, Suffolk Legislator Bridget Fleming said in a video posted on her Facebook page on Tuesday.

“It’s important that we hear from businesses, not-for-profits, and art institutions so we can advocate for you at the state and federal level and help you get those funds.” Earlier that day, she said, she had proposed legislation that would allow the county to waive certain fees and taxes for small businesses.

East Hampton Village Mayor Richard Lawler wrote to State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle on Tuesday to request assistance for the village’s small businesses to offset the “detrimental financial effects” of the coronavirus pandemic.

The voluntary order for people to remain at home and for restaurants to shut their dining rooms, have turned the village into “pretty much a ghost town,” Mr. Lawler said yesterday. “We’ve had 100 percent compliance from restauContinued on A4

VILLAGE HALL

Tiger Roars Into Race Graham to challenge Borsack, Larsen for mayor

BY JAMIE BUFALINO Arthur Graham, an East Hampton Village trustee since 2017, declared his candidacy for mayor in June’s election on Monday. He joins Barbara Borsack, the deputy mayor, and Jerry Larsen, a former East Hampton Village police chief, in the village’s first contested mayoral election since 1992.

Mr. Graham, who is known as Tiger, was first elected to the village board to serve out the final year of the late Elbert Edwards?s term. In 2018, he was reelected to a four-year term after campaigning as “an activist who wants to take on new stuff,” and arguing for a sewage treatment plant in the village.

Last fall, the village board hired Nelson and Pope, an engineering firm, to develop a plan for a sewage treatment plant. “I brought that idea to the board,” Mr. Graham said in an interview. “If we can get sewage treatment, we can increase density, which means we can use second-floor apartments [for work-force housing]. And, to revitalize the village core, one of the things we need is more restaurants, because nobody comes to the village on Saturday to go to a real estate office.”

He has proposed that a sewer district

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run along Montauk Highway from Egypt Lane to the Hedges Inn, and on Newtown Lane from Main Street to the Middle School. A portion of East Hampton Town would be included, he said, to provide sewage treatment for high-density developments such as the Windmill Village housing complex. To help pay for the system, he said, residents of the district would be taxed for its use, and “everyone else in the village will pay a smaller tax, because they’ll be getting the benefit of the improved downtown.”

“The consultants may come back and have a different vision,” Mr. Graham said.

“We’ll find out in a couple of weeks.”

In the 2018 trustee election, he and Rose Brown, the highest vote-getter that year, were running mates. They had pledged, among other things, to restore vitality to the commercial district, improve Herrick Park and parking, and update the village’s comprehensive plan.

“I think people realize that Rose and I are pretty much a team, and we are forward-looking,” Mr. Graham said Monday. “When Rose and I ran, we put out a series of new initiatives. We’ve taken them on, and we’ve gotten some traction on them.”

Continued on A3

Dialing For Dinner Eateries aplenty transition to takeout

BY BESS RATTRAY Restaurants were ordered to shut down their dining rooms, effective Monday evening, though many had already transitioned to takeout and delivery services in order to comply with social distancing recommendations. Here are some late-breaking announcements. The list will be updated online as information becomes available.

Almond The Bridgehampton bistro at 1 Ocean Road is offering delivery to Sag Harbor, Bridgehampton, Sagaponack, and Wainscott. The regular menu is still available, either for delivery or for curbside pickup (“no need to leave your car,” the owners said.) They will give you a pickup time when you call. 631-537-5665.

Next door, Almond’s partner food shop, L&W Market, has extended its hours. At last check, the market was reported full of specialty groceries, pastries, prepared foods, sandwiches, meats, cheeses, and pickles. The owners are working on deliveries -- stay tuned.

Babette’s Always a destination for healthful meals, Babette’s, at 66 Newtown Lane in East Hampton, is taking orders for curbside pickup from Thursdays through Sundays.

In addition to a juice-and-smoothie bar, with creative combinations for $12.95 a cup, breakfast and lunch offerings include vegan and glutenfree soups, goat cheese dumplings, salads, tofu-and-tempeh-centered items, and omelettes. Dinners are available Friday and Saturday nights only. Full menus are online at babettesrestaurant.com. 631329-5733.

The Bell and Anchor Management announced reduced prices for “some of our best dishes at reduced prices” on Monday. The Bell’s new takeout service, including bottled beer and wine, is pickup only, Tuesdays to Sundays.

Orders can be placed with a credit card by phone from 3:30 to 7 p.m.; pickup at 3253 Noyac Road in Noyac is from 5 to 7:30. To order earlier, email info@bellandanchor.com, inContinued on A4

BY CHRISTOPHER WALSH The South Fork is caught up in a rapidly accelerating public health emergency as the COVID-19 pandemic moved from dire warnings two weeks ago to declarations of states of emergency in all of the towns and villages on the North and South Forks this week.

As of yesterday, New York State was reporting that nearly 2,400 had tested positive for the virus, a jump of more than 1,000 from the day before. Two cases had been reported in East Hampton Town (one of them in East Hampton Village), three had been reported in Southampton, 33 in Southold, and none on Shelter Island. At the current trajectory, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said yesterday, the state could have 110,000 cases within 45 days, outpacing its current hospital bed count of 53,000 regular beds and 3,000 intensive care beds.

Government offices, schools, museums, and many businesses have been ordered to close.

East Hampton Town declared a state of emergency on Friday, authorizing Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, in conjunction with Bruce Bates, the town’s emergency preparedness coordinator, and Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo to “take whatever actions are deemed nec-

essary to protect public health and safety,” according to a statement issued by the town on Friday afternoon.

Most of East Hampton government meetings have been canceled until further notice. Essential departments like police, highway, buildings and grounds, and sanitation continue to operate. A separate story on police and other emergency responders appears elsewhere in today’s paper.

At the town board’s abbreviated work session on Tuesday, Mr. Van Scoyoc announced a 50-percent reduction of personnel in many government departments starting yesterday, with some employees working from home if possible.

The board’s meeting scheduled for this evening was canceled. Groups wishing to arrange meetings by teleconference have been asked to contact the supervisor’s office.

Any town government meetings that do take place will be broadcast live on LTV’s channel 22 and archived at ltveh.org.

With the exception of the Police Department and the recycling centers in East Hampton and Montauk, town-operated facilities were closed to the public as of Monday, and all programs were Continued on A8

Crash Course in Distance Learning Routines upended, schools and parents find solutions amid mandatory closure

BY CHRISTINE SAMPSON Alexandra McCourt of East Hampton is keeping her 8-year-old son, Stefano McCourt-Rodas, busy with reading and math activities while school’s out. Gym class looks like walking the dog, hiking, and doing pushups. They wake up at the usual time each day and eat breakfast together.

But she admits to being concerned about her kids — though not Stefano.

Ms. McCourt happens to be a teacher, so she’s not worried about her own son keeping up with his studies. She’s more focused on her students at the East Hampton Middle School, where she teaches English as a new language.

“I have students who have checked in online, but then I have kids who haven’t, and I can’t be there to force them to do that,” Ms. McCourt said by phone yesterday morning. “I think those that put the time in will be okay, but if people are not there helping their children and ensuring they are doing the work, those kids are going to fall behind.”

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo this week ordered schools statewide to close through March 31 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some districts here had already announced plans to close for two weeks, but the governor made it official.

Many administrators believe the closure will be extended.

While remote learning hasn’t officially started yet in East Hampton or Bridgehampton, among others — this week is technically being taken as unused snow days, and spring break has been moved up to next week in most cases — teachers across the region have already begun

Meals for all children 18 and under are available on a grab-and-go basis at the East Hampton School District office on Long Lane, next to the East Hampton High School.

Doug Kuntz engaging with their students in some fashion. On Tuesday, Ms. McCourt suggested that her kids send silly photos of themselves wearing green for St. Patrick’s Day. And at Sag Harbor Elementary School, there’s an all-hands-on-deck approach to pulling off morning program, the popular daily tradition in which students gather in the school gym to start the day with songs, presentations, announcements, birthday celebrations,

and other activities. Matt Malone, the school’s principal, and his faculty are putting together online versions of the program, which starts out with the Pledge of Allegiance.

“We’ve had a great year, and now we face a challenge,” Mr. Malone said during Monday’s video. “Our learning journey looks a little different now. Things are going to be okay because Sag Harbor sticks together.”

Continued on A6

911

On Front Lines in Uncertain Times While others shelter in place, East End’s first responders face virus head on

BY TAYLOR K. VECSEY While most people have been told to stay home to stop the spread of COVID19, first responders who are on the front lines do not have the luxury of closing up shop.

“Our main focus is to maintain services while offering limited close contacts with the public, and reducing the need for foot traffic at our public facilities,” said East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo. “We need to keep our officers healthy so they can continue to perform the essential duties of emergency response and criminal investigations.”

At the Montauk precinct as of Monday, officers will use the building, but it will no longer be open to the public.

Walk-in complaints at headquarters in Wainscott are screened through a glass partition. Emergencies should be phoned in to 911; non-emergencies should be called in to 631-537-7575.

On Facebook over the weekend, Chief Sarlo posted a request that the public use the department website and

certain emails for reporting lost or found property and requesting copies of reports, rather than doing so in person with an officer.

“Basically, we need support from the public to prioritize their needs, and understand that certain things they may want to take care of right now can and should wait, and thus should be pushed off until we have a better handle on the community spread concerns with this virus.”

“I think we are doing well locally, as best as can be expected,” East Hampton Village Police Chief Michael Tracey said, adding that all fire, emergency medical service, police, and dispatchers are “really stepping up to the plate.”

Chief Tracey, who oversees the village’s Emergency Communications Center, which dispatches for fire and E.M.S. agencies throughout East Hampton Town, including Sag Harbor, said that there had been four calls in which patients reported fever and/or coughs since the COVID-19 outbreak. There was one reported in Bridgehampton.

Any time police, E.M.S., and firefighters are sent out, dispatchers are screening callers for potential symptoms. Addresses known to have people who have tested positive or who are in quarantine are flagged for notification to the responding officers.

Emergency medical service agencies all over the South Fork held emergency training to review how volunteers and paid staff could protect themselves from the virus while still answering calls for help. With the N95 protective masks used by first responders and gowns flying off the shelves nationwide, Suffolk County E.M.S. issued bulletins and held conference calls late last week in an attempt to address concerns over a lack of supplies. On Tuesday, the county notified agencies that it would be supplying surgical masks for patients this week.

In Sag Harbor Village, Police Chief Austin McGuire asked that those who do not have true emergencies and those who can wait for a response call 631-725-0058.

Continued on A7

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The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

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The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

DAVID E. RATTRAY 631-324-7827

Services Streamed In response to the COVID-19 crisis, East Hampton’s religious organizations have suspended in-person services, as well as Sunday school and all other gatherings and classes.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church has moved to a call-in system for a 10 a.m. prayer service led by the Rev. Leandra T. Lambert on Sunday and may continue offering this going forward.

In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre announced that all nonessential activities would be suspended at least through April 14. Funerals and weddings will be allowed only if necessary and limited to immediate family with a cap of 50 people. Churches were allowed to provide for private prayer at the pastors’ discretion. Most Holy Trinity remained open for prayer during daytime hours.

Sunday’s service at the Presbyterian Church was streamed and recorded and can be seen on fpceh.org, as will worship on Sunday. Frank Dalene ran the soundboard and Grier Magnusson the camera as the Rev. Scot McCachren preached to an echoing, empty sanctuary.

Friday night and Saturday morning services at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons will be streamed at jcoh.org/live. The center’s adult learning classes have also gone online, at

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jcoh.org/adultlearning, and require installing Zoom meeting software.

The Methodist Church was also working on getting Zoom set up in time for Sunday’s 10 a.m. service. Updates will be posted at facebook.com/easthamptonpastor.

— Food Pantry News The East Hampton Food Pantry has adjusted its distribution procedure in light of the coronavirus situation. Only one client at a time will be allowed to enter the Pantigo Road building.

Senior citizens have been asked to arrive at 1 p.m. for pickups. Delivery can be requested for those who cannot leave the house at 631-324-2300. All others will be welcomed after the older clients have been served. The pantry has gone to a twice-monthly schedule; after Tuesday, the next pickup day will be April 7, then April 21, both from 1 to 6 p.m.

The Amagansett pantry at 486 Montauk Highway will suspend operation after Tuesday, and its clients will have to go to the East Hampton location. Vicki Littman, the East Hampton Food Pantry chairwoman, said she anticipated an escalating need and that additional financial contributions were urgently needed.

— Programs Online The East Hampton Library remained closed this week. Holders of overdue materials will not be fined.

There will be an online program for students beginning to think about applying to college and their parents tomorrow at 6 p.m., sponsored by the library. Julie Raynor Gross, the founder of Collegiate Gateway, will discuss finding “best-fit” schools, making the most of college visits and developing a list of which to see, understanding the concept of “reach” and “realistic” options, and how to decide where to enroll once accepted. Registration is at easthamptonlibrary.org/calendar.

All other library programs and classes have been canceled. The library website is a gateway to a number of online services for borrowing books and music and streaming television programs and movies. There are several tabs on the library homepage that link to the services, including “Free eBooks, Music & Movies,” “Live-brary,” “Kanopy,” and “Flipster.” There is a webcam pointed in the direction of the Buell Lane intersection on about a 30-second delay, if one is feeling cooped up and in need of a look at the outside world.

— Calling Sharp Eyes The Plain Sight Project, which is creating a database of East End slavery, is seeking sharp-eyed volunteers. Help is needed reading archival documents and scanned town records for the names and identities of the region’s enslaved people. Even a half-hour a week’s assistance would be valuable. More about the project and sign-up details are at plainsightproject.org.

The project is a joint effort among staff at The East Hampton Star, the East Hampton Library, and Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island. Its researchers have identified about 500 enslaved people, spanning about 175 years, who lived on the East End.

The Story of the Dominy House

BY MAYRA SCANLON

Item of the Week From the East Hampton Library Long Island Collection The house shown here was home to several generations of the Dominy family of East Hampton. It was a lean-to type of house built in 1715 on the west side of Main Street.

The first Dominy recognized for the carpentry and clockwork that the family is celebrated for was Nathaniel Dominy IV (1737-1812), the son of Nathaniel Dominy III (1714-1778) and the former Elizabeth Eyres (1717-1781). Nathaniel IV served as sealer of weights and measures and as a town trustee.

His son, Nathaniel V (1770-1852), followed his father as a craftsman. A grandson soon followed, named Felix Dominy (1800-1868).

These three generations lived together in the house and worked in a shop that was added to the right side of the house in 1791. Later, in 1798, a clock shop was built on the other side. These workshops housed pieces of machinery and tools used to make the clocks and furniture that made the family well known beyond East Hampton.

The last member of the Dominy family to live in the house was Charles Dominy (1873-1955), who followed his son to Massachusetts in the 1930s. The Historic American Buildings Survey visited the Dominy house to photograph and measure it in 1940. Images of the interior and exterior can be viewed digitally by way of the Library of Congress.

The house remained vacant until 1941, when the Dominys sold it to Oscar Brill. Before it was be torn down in February 1946, Dudley Roberts Jr. bought the two shops and moved them to his property on Further Lane, where he converted them into a guesthouse. Staff at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware famously recreated the Dominy shop interiors, but the original accessory buildings themselves remained in East Hampton.

In the last few years a restoration project has been underway to reconstruct the Dominy house and restore the shops in their original locations. They will serve as a museum and show the importance of rural craftsmen during the late 18th and 19th centuries.

— Mayra Scanlon is a librarian and archivist with the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.

Arthur Graham

David E. Rattray

Tiger Roars Into Mayoral Race Continued from A1

He is particularly proud of their work on Herrick Park. In December, the LaGuardia Design Group, a landscape architecture firm hired by the village, unveiled a new vision for the park featuring well-defined entrances, reconfigured ball fields, and new pathways and children’s play areas. “I think we have a gorgeous plan,” he said. “Now we have to get the money for it.”

Mr. Graham said his leadership would differ from that of former Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., who resigned in December after holding the office for more than 27 years. “Paul ruled the village with an iron fist, and I think we need to be more open,” he said. “The mayor is not the king, he’s just one vote of five on the board.”

One disagreement he had with Mr. Rickenbach, he said, was over a proposal to allow the village’s historic inns to offer spa services and other amenities, and to hold outdoor events. “Mayor Rickenbach had said, ‘Dead on arrival,’ and dismissed the whole thing,” said Mr. Graham. “I agreed with letting them have

retail spaces, letting them have yoga classes on the lawn, and to offer spa services. We have to remember that we are a resort community, and we need to supply resort amenities to our visitors and residents, because if you don’t then they go someplace else.?

“It’s the same thing with music in restaurants,? he said. ?I’m not against it, but it has to be inaudible outside if the restaurant is in a residential district.”

Speaking of Colleen Moeller, the owner of the Petit Blue children?s store, who was recently found guilty of violating the village?s sign code by placing a chalkboard reading ?Welcome to Petit Blue? outside the store, Mr. Graham called the situation “ridiculous” and said he would favor changing some of the code?s more outdated and restrictive proscriptions.

“Instead of the ?Village of No,? we’re going to be the village of ?We hear you,? ? he said. “I firmly believe that reasonable people can come to a reasonable conclusion on any problem.”

That, he said, includes finding a resolution to the impasse involving the res-

idents of McGuirk Street and Cooper Lane. The former are seeking to have PSEG Long Island, the utility company, bury transmission lines and lower the poles on their street, and the latter are fighting PSEG’s proposal to install a ?monster pole? on Cooper Lane that would allow the lines to be buried.

Although he initially supported Ms. Borsack’s bid for mayor, Mr. Graham said he?d begun to have second thoughts. “I was waiting for her to campaign,” he said. “Around Thanksgiving, I was saying, Barbara, when are you going to put something out? And she said, don’t worry, we have a plan, wait until the first of the year. Then the first of the year comes and goes, and all we get are emails saying how much she loves the village. That’s not what causes people to vote for somebody for mayor.”

“She’s a wonderful person, but she’s not out there telling everybody what her plans are. If she were doing that, she could probably beat Jerry, but she’s not.

He’s gotten traction, and she has not.”

Ms. Borsack, who has been a trustee since 2000, said on Tuesday that she was “very surprised and disappointed” by Mr. Graham’s decision to join the race.

As for his critique of her campaign, she said, “The campaign is just kicking off, and it’s the last three months that matter most. People have elected me five times, and I have a fairly good reputation and track record in the village. I don’t think either of the men in the race can compare with my record.”

Through most of Monday?s interview, Mr. Graham referred to Mr. Larsen as “he who shall not be named.” He did that, he said, “because I don’t want to give him any free publicity.” He said Mr. Larsen would be the wrong choice for the village, but did not elaborate. “I’m not going to say anything against Barbara, she’s a wonderful person, and I’m not going to say anything against Jerry, except that he doesn’t live in the village and doesn’t pay taxes here.”

The fact that Mr. Larsen rents an apartment on Newtown Lane is a “sham,” Mr. Graham said. “I’m sure he spends three or four nights a week there, but then he goes back to his house in the town.”

“Now that our kids are grown, my wife and I have been living in the village since October of 2018, almost a year before I announced my run for office,” Mr. Larsen said Tuesday. “We use our house in town as an office, and we love living within walking distance of all the places we love in the village.”

Mr. Graham acknowledged that his entry into the race could be a boon to Mr. Larsen, if village residents split their vote between two sitting members of the current board. “It is a concern,” he said. “I’m just going to have to work harder and get more votes. I will certainly work harder than Barbara has to date.”

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The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

South Fork Restaurants Embrace Takeout and Delivery Continued from A1

cluding a mobile phone number for confirmation and payment. Staff will bring everything to your car. 631-725-3400.

Amagansett CHRISTOPHER WALSH cwalsh@ehstar.com The East Hampton Historical Society has canceled events through March 31, including a presentation by Shane Weeks that was to have happened tomorrow evening at the East Hampton Town Marine Museum on Bluff Road.

— A Quiet Hamlet The spread of the coronavirus and consequent state of emergency declaration has brought activity to a near halt in the hamlet. The Am O’Gansett Parade, which had been scheduled for Saturday, did not take place.

On Friday, the Stephen Talkhouse announced that the bar and live music venue would be closed for two weeks. “We are in uncharted waters and we will be monitoring the spread, and hopefully the containment, of the virus,� an announcement posted to the Talkhouse’s Facebook page said. “This is a tough decision for us as we know we provide an outlet for people to have a good time.

We feel that everyone’s safety and health is what we should focus on until

At Precipice of Peril Continued from A1

rants,� he said. “But you can imagine the economic impact of that.�

There have been numerous reports of empty shelves at supermarkets and other stores as year-round and part-time residents stock up for an indefinite period of isolation. Stores have begun rationing many food and household staples, to ensure there is enough to go around, and shifting how they do business.

At Cirillo’s Market, a.k.a. the Amagansett I.G.A., over the weekend, for instance, customers were limited to no more than eight rolls of toilet paper per person.

Provisions, a natural foods store and cafe in Sag Harbor, has shifted how it does business for the sake of customers and staff. Only eight people are allowed in the store at any one time. “We also have spacing for where they are supposed to be on line, and we’re only running two registers, the two farthest from

we have a better grasp of the situation.�

The announcement also said hand sanitizers are being installed throughout the building and sanitizing protocols will be instituted upon its reopening. As of this week, a March 28 reopening is planned.

— The Mandala Book Club’s discussion that was scheduled for this evening has been postponed until further notice.

— The Shuttered Library An initial plan to limit the Amagansett Library’s hours to 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday was quickly updated, and the library will now be closed and all programs canceled through March.

The closure is not in response to confirmed cases of COVID-19 in East Hampton or anyone displaying symptoms, according to an email sent on Saturday.

Residents have been asked to call the library for any service needs. Lauren Nichols, the library’s director, can also be emailed at director@amagansettlibrary.org. Updated information will be posted on the library’s website. each other,� said Chris Gangemi, a manager. He is working on a web-based system that would allow people to order online for curbside pickup, “essentially turning the store into a warehouse.� “There’s not necessarily a shortage, the suppliers are just taking a little longer to deliver the merchandise,� Lisa Field, the owner of the Sag Harbor Variety Store and the president of the village’s Chamber of Commerce, said of her shop, which has been doing a brisk business due to the increase in New York residents who have decamped to their summer or weekend houses earlier than usual. Many stores in the village remained open as of midweek. “The bills and the employees still need to get paid, so they need to stay open,� Ms. Field said. “It would be nice to say, ‘Okay, let’s just stay home for two weeks,’ but you can’t.�

WITH REPORTING BY CARISSA KATZ, CHRISTINE SAMPSON, AND CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Bel Mare Ristorante Bel Mare, which offers Italian comfort food near Maidstone Park in Springs (28 Maidstone Park Road), offers dinner for takeout or delivery from Thursdays through Sundays, from 5 p.m. Orders can be placed online, at belmareristorante.com. Besides such classics as chicken piccata, spaghetti a la carbonara, and linguine with meatballs, Bel Mare is attentive to those with food allergies and gluten sensitivities. 631-658-9500.

The Blend This Springs restaurant, at 367 Three Mile Harbor Road, is “open and ready to accept your to-go orders,� as of Monday. Baked local clams are a feature, as are slow-roasted baby-back ribs, spicy Thai soups, fish and chips. Full menus are online at theblendatthreemileharbor.com. 631-527-7753.

Carissa’s the Bakery This popular lunch spot and bakery is offering a robust menu for takeaway, including its signature all-day sourdough and honey-oat loaves, pastries, sandwiches, and meringue pies. There are also complete dinners to go. Orders can be placed for the all-day menu by phone. Dinners can be pre-ordered on the website, carissasthebakery.com, by 2

p.m. for pickup at 221 Pantigo Road between 4 and 6 p.m. Customers are asked to call or text before they arrive. Delivery is available within a four-mile radius for an additional $20. 631-604-5911.

Cittanuova Pasta is a good stress reliever, and there’s pasta aplenty available for pickup from this perennial hot spot at 29 Newtown Lane in East Hampton. Citta is maintaining extensive menus for both lunch and dinner, including nightly specials from Monday through Thursday.

Patrons are asked to phone ahead so everything is ready when they arrive.

631-324-6300.

Coche Comedor Fresh and innovative Mexican dishes from an Amagansett cantina (74A Montauk Highway) are available for takeout and curbside pickup from 4 to 9 p.m. daily. Payment by credit card or gift card only. Menus at cochecomedor.com. 631267-5709.

Fierro’s Pizza Hankering for a good old-fashioned slice? The good crew at this East Hampton Village family hangout (104 Park Place, by the Reutershan parking lot) has the ovens fired up and the pizza ready to go. 631-324-5751.

Harvest on the Pond You won’t be able to settle onto the deck to enjoy the fabulous sunsets over

Fort Pond, but family-style Tuscan cuisine featuring Montauk seafood and local produce is still on offer for takeout, beginning at 4 p.m., along with a limited selection of beer and wine by the bottle.

Harvest, at 11 South Emery Street in Montauk, is closed on Tuesdays. Customers are asked to call ahead before setting out. 631- 668-5574.

Highway Restaurant Word comes over the transom that, Thursdays through Mondays, Highway (at 290 Montauk Highway as you leave East Hampton Village and enter Wainscott) is now offering its full dinner menu for takeaway. This is classic modern-American fare, elevated to a higher degree. 631-527-5372.

Nick and Toni’s The longtime favorite Italian spot at 136 North Main Street in East Hampton is offering takeout and curbside pickup starting today, from 4 to 9 p.m. daily. Patrons are asked to phone ahead; payment by credit card or gift card only.

Menus will be posted at nickandtonis.com. 631-324-3550.

One-Stop Market One-Stop (299 Springs-Fireplace Road, East Hampton) is now providing its old-fashioned Bonac bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, fried chicken, groceries, butcher’s meats and more via curbside service as well as delivery. 631324-6055.

Pepperoni’s, Ryder’s Wings & Things, Rancheros Best Mexican Pepperoni’s, Ryder’s, and Rancheros of East Hampton (281-283 Springs-Fireplace Road) announced Tuesday that ? strictly on a first-come-first-served basis and only if you ask when you call in your order ? they will give you, while supplies last, a free roll of toilet paper with any delivery order over $50. They also have a takeout window in operation. For pizza, 631-324-1800. For wings or Mexican, 631-329-2500.

Rowdy Hall Burgers will surely be the new takeout menu at Rowdy (10 Main Street in East Hampton), with curbside pickup from 4 to 9 p.m. Details will be available online shortly: rowdyhall.com. Customers have been asked to phone ahead and pay by card. 631-324-8555.

Sag Pizza in Sag Harbor was among many restaurants that were quick to switch to takeout only when the governor’s order to close dining rooms came down on Monday.

Durell Godfrey

The 1770 House Restaurant & Inn A brand-new takeout menu features good old comforts (Tavern Burgers, Tav-

ern Meatloaf), as well as a few specials (braised Berkshire pork cheeks, for one).

Wines, with 25 percent off all bottles, are available to go, beers too. The menu, which will change periodically, can be viewed at 1770house.com. Pickup is at 143 Main Street, East Hampton. 631324-1770.

Springs General Store From soup to nuts, with every conceivable sandwich in between, this historical community gathering place is offering curbside pickup for takeout orders, and as of Monday was exploring the possibility of making home deliveries in the neighborhood. Those interested in the latter have been asked to call the market for more information. 631329-5065.

The Springs Tavern “Our very own leprechaun� will make home deliveries to addresses in Springs, the friendly neighborhood restaurant announced on Facebook over the weekend. Think little-neck clam chowder, fish and chips, calamari fritti, and a range of sandwiches. Orders can be placed online at the springstavern.com, or by phone with a credit-card prepayment.

631-527-7800.

Tapovana Ashtanga Healing Center No, this isn’t a restaurant, but plenty of people are devoted to the vegetarian Indian lunches from Tapovana, a sanctuary for yoga and meditation at 977 Bridgehampton?Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton. Available six days from noon to 1:30 p.m., the lunches are offered in exchange for a donation of $16 to $20, with homemade chai available for $5. 631-678-3905.

WÜlffer Kitchen As of Monday, the WÎlffer Kitchen restaurants in Amagansett (631-2672764) and Sag Harbor (631-725-0101) were offering their full menu for takeout and curbside pickup. Bottles of WÎlffer Estate wines can be picked up curbside at the estate’s boutique and tasting room, 139 Sagg Road, Sagaponack. New York strip steak with merlot bordelaise and Netflix, anyone?

Find details and news from more restaurants making the transition to takeout only, including John Papas Cafe, 18 Park Place in the Reutershan parking lot, East Hampton, 631-324-5400, Muse at the End: 41 South Euclid Avenue, Montauk, 631-238-5937, and the Shagwong Tavern, 774 Montauk Highway, Montauk; 631-668-3050.

WITH REPORTING BY JAMIE BUFALINO

Cable Route Survey to Start Surveying for a proposed underground route for a South Fork Wind Farm transmission cable in Wainscott is to begin on Monday, an Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind spokeswoman said this week.

Orsted and Eversource Energy, partners in the 15-turbine installation to be constructed in the ocean approximately 35 miles east of Montauk, have identified a path from the beach at the end of Beach Lane in Wainscott to a Long Island Power Authority substation on Cove Hollow Road in East Hampton as its preferred route.

The East Hampton Town Board approved an agreement with the developers to conduct the work on March 5. The companies are monitoring the COVID19 pandemic, however, and will make adjustments as needed, said the spokeswoman, Meaghan Wims.

Surveys within publicly owned rights of way, including portions of Beach

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Lane, Wainscott Main Street, Sayre’s Path, Wainscott Stone Road, and Wainscott Northwest Road are planned to begin on Monday. Additionally, areas near the intersections of Daniels Hole Road, Stephen Hand’s Path, and Buckskill Road, as well as on Long Island Rail Road property are to be surveyed.

The work will be seven soil borings and one percolation test. It is to happen on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and be completed by April 30.

Archaeological surveys are to begin on March 30 with hand-dug test pits along the unpaved shoulder of Beach Lane, Wainscott Main Street, Sayre’s Path, Wainscott Stone Road, Wainscott Northwest Road, Daniel’s Hole Road, Stephen Hand’s Path, and Buckskill Road. The pits, approximately 18 inches across, up to four feet deep, will be at approximately 100-foot intervals and will help determine if archaeological materials are present along the proposed cable route.

The pits are to be filled afterward.

The work should be completed within 14 days, an Orsted spokesman said in January.

The New York State Public Service Commission is reviewing the proposed wind farm pursuant to Article VII of the Public Service Law, as is the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The town’s license agreement includes a $50,000 fee assessed to Orsted and Eversource.

C.W.

Above: Nowhere to go, nothing to see. By order of the governor, the East Hampton Cinema was closed this week along with clubs, gyms, and movie theaters like the East Hampton Cinema were closed this week in an effort to help stem the spread of COVID-19.

Above Right: Shoppers had cleared out the bread aisle at King Kullen in Bridgehampton on Friday.

Right: Noel Roberts of Amagansett was among many on the South Fork to find the shelves at East Hampton’s Stop and Shop stripped of food staples and household essentials on Friday.

Doug Kuntz and Durell Godfrey Photos

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The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

A5

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Althea Jean Senese was born at Stony Brook University Hospital. Altheaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maternal grandparents are Michael and Cary Angiulo of Amagansett, and her paternal grandparents are Steven and Roseann Senese of San Marcos, Calif.

Her paternal great-grandfather is William Driver, formerly of Montauk and now residing in San Marcos. Her maternal great-grandmother, Jeanne Angiulo, formerly of Montauk, died on March 8; Altheaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s middle name, Jean, is in honor of her great-grandmother.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Stephanie Krusa, the secretary of the Montauk Historical Society Board of Directors and committee member for the Montauk Lighthouse, will be awarded the Individual Achievement for a Museum Trustee 2020 Award of Merit from the Museum Association of New York on March 30 at the Hilton Albany. She recently secured two grants from the Empire State Development Program of New York, totaling $438,500, to help stabilize the Montauk Point Lighthouse tower.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The East Hampton Trails Preservation Society will lead a three-mile ocean view hike through Elishaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Valley on Saturday at 10 a.m. The route will start on the Ocean View Trail, which provides a glimpse of the ocean from high ground, then on to Fresh Pond and through Elishaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Valley. The meeting place is the Hither Hills west overlook parking area on Montauk Highway, and the leader is Eva Moore, who can be reached at 631681-4774.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Corey and Kristin Senese became parents for the first time on Jan. 20, when

On Saturday and Sunday at noon, a Montauk Point State Park naturalist will lead a three-mile hike from the lower Montauk Point parking lot to see shorebirds and seals. Hikers have been advised to dress warmly and take binoculars. The cost is $4 per person; there is no charge for children under 3. Space is limited, and reservations are required at 631-668-5500.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; No Parade This Year The Montauk Friends of Erin were forced to cancel all St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day events for the first time in its 58-year history.

After speaking with local health and political officials it was determined on Friday, before more sweeping restrictions on large gatherings were in place, that it was in the best interest of the community to cancel the grand marshal lunch, the cocktail party, and the parade, which had been scheduled for Sunday.

The Friends will post information as to how to obtain refunds for the lunch and cocktail party on their website, montaukfriendsoferin.org. The $10,000 Pot Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Gold raffle will be drawn on Sunday at a time and place that was not announced.

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There are many practical measures that you can take immediately to protect the health and safety of you and your family:

631-324-7827 John Jermain Online The John Jermain Memorial Library remains closed, but it is offering programming on its Facebook page, and audio and e-books, movies, music, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, and reference guides are available on its website to those who have a library card.

TED Talks are shown and discussed daily at 6 p.m. on Facebook, and on Monday a virtual book club will start meeting weekly at 4 p.m., also on Facebook, to discuss â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Silmarillionâ&#x20AC;? by J.R.R. Tolkien. Episodes of the podcast â&#x20AC;&#x153;Talking Tolkienâ&#x20AC;? will be posted at the same time.

The library will offer prompts for writers on Thursdays at 4 p.m. on Facebook, and a trivia game will be held on Facebook on Fridays at 8 p.m.

Do not touch your nose, mouth and eyes unless you have washed your hands.

Maintain a safe social distance (6 feet) from others.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your sneeze or cough with a tissue or by coughing and sneezing into the crook of your arm. Immediately dispose of tissues in trash receptacles and then wash your hands.

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A6

The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

Schools, Parents Find Solutions Continued from A1

Virus Coverage Paywall-Free n the interests of keeping our readers and community informed about health-related matters as we all grapple with the COVID-19 outbreak, The East Hampton Star has removed its website paywall for all of its virus coverage, meaning that you can read these stories for free, whether you are a subscriber or not.

Our small staff has been reporting daily on the impacts of the virus ? school closures and community cancellations, and other pertinent information, including ? on a lighter note ? things to do while maintaining a safe social distance, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

We are all navigating strange new waters, but our journalists are determined to continue providing you with updated, relevant, and important news. You can read online and also opt in to free email news alerts or our regular weekly newsletter.

Take care of yourselves. And please consider subscribing or making a donation to support the efforts of the hard-working team at your hometown paper.

I

SAVE THE DATE! The East Hampton High School classes of 1980 and 1981 are planning a 40th year reunion on September 26, 2020.

Contact: Ehhsreunion8081@gmail.com for more information and/or questions.

Evites to follow...

Hope to see you there!

Jordana Sobey, the Sag Harbor School Board president and a parent of two elementary students, said having morning program “made several moms and dads tear up. I don’t know if [from] joy or not. Somewhat joy.

Somewhat emotional, I think. Happy to have some normalcy return.”

Erica Huberty of North Haven, whose children attend the Bridgehampton School and the Hayground School, is also trying to maintain normalcy in the face of homeschooling for the first time. “In an ideal homeschooling situation perhaps we would have a bigger group of kids,” Ms. Huberty, a writer and artist, said.

“Maybe I’d be teaching everyone’s kids Jane Austen and someone else could teach the kids math, but we can’t do that because we have to do social distancing and quarantining. We’re super isolated.”

But then electronic devices have “saved the day,” she said. That’s how kids are connecting with one another and learning right now. “It’s actually been really helpful to have . . . even though most of us are usually like, ‘Get off your phone.’ “ But not everyone has access to computers, tablets, or smartphones. It’s a reality that Richard Burns, the East Hampton School District superintendent, is trying to address. “We’re going to do outreach to see if students have connectivity, number one, and also a device,” he said. “We’re pretty lucky in that most students in grades 5 to 12 have devices already. At this point we’re determining if kids have computers at home, and if they don’t, we will supply them.”

Mr. Burns said Altice, the regional provider of cable and internet access, has offered 60 days of free Wi-Fi to all students regionally who would not otherwise have internet access — an arrangement that he said Chuck Westergard, who manages the district’s information

systems, helped secure. Those who need the service can call Altice at 866200-9522.

The East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and Sag Harbor School Districts are also providing food service while schools are closed. In East Hampton and Bridgehampton, all students can now access those meals, including both breakfast and lunch. Sag Harbor’s food program is limited to those who were already in the free and reduced-price federal lunch program.

But this week, Bridgehampton administrators scrambled to come up with a plan, and on Monday, they went to McDonald’s and bought hundreds of meals for students. Starting Tuesday, families could pick up breakfast and lunch at the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton, or request a delivery by school bus. Bridgehampton’s bus provider, McCoy, is helping out in that regard.

“It’s unbelievable — a nice partnership,” Robert Hauser, Bridgehampton’s superintendent, said of the relationships with the bus company and the church, where a number of staff, school board members, and students are regular congregants.

In East Hampton, meals are available to all students on a grab-and-go basis at the bus loop in front of the district office on Long Lane next to the high school.

Initially it was just for students on the free and reduced-price lunch program, but Mr. Burns said it is now for all students in the area.

East Hampton has scheduled food pickup between 9 and 10 a.m. for families whose last name begins with A through M, and between 10 and 11 for those whose last name begins with N through Z. “Hopefully we have enough,” he said. “We’re servicing all children 18 and under — they don’t have to be students. . . . We have buses to maybe do some deliveries. We’ll determine the need and then move in

that direction. Every day you just go forward.”

Schools also have to make arrangements for special education students to receive their individual services, such as speech or occupational therapy, and many will be connecting teachers of English as a new language to their students for one-on-one video conferencing sessions.

Mr. Burns called it a “fluid but dif-

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ficult” situation. “I don’t think it has hit the kids yet, to be quite honest.

It’s only been three days,” he said by phone yesterday. “But those structured days are gone. I’m sure it’s going to hit them. Social workers and guidance counselors are reaching out to families — they’ll be okay, but it has to take its toll. Just like us. Adults are having a hard time coping, too.”

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ANNOUNCEMENT

ANUNCIO

Pre-K Program Registration 2020– 2021 School Year

Inscriptión para el Programa de Pre-K 2020-2021 año escolar

A child that resides in the East Hampton School District has to be 4 yrs old by Dec 1, 2020, in order to qualify for Pre-Kindergarten during the 2020 – 2021 school year.

Please call 631-329-4145, or come to District Office prior to April 1st, to schedule an appointment.

Registration packets will be distributed to East Hampton School District residents only.

Registration will be by appointment only.

Registration will take place from May 1, 2020 to May 15, 2020.

Please refer to our school district website at www.ehufsd.org for acceptable documentation and other related information.

May 1, 2020 to May 15, 2020 Monday – Friday (By Appointment Only)

Central Offices 4 Long Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937 Contact Person: Amanda Hayes (631) 329-4145

Los Niños residentes en el Distrito Escolar de East Hampton, deben tener 4 años de edad cumplidos antes del primero de Diciembre (Diciembre 1) del 2020, para calificar para Pre-Kindergarden durante el año escolar 2020-2021.

Por favor llame al 631-329-4145, o venga antes del 1 de Abril, al Distrito Escolar para hacer una cita.

En este momento, las aplicaciones serán distribuidas para los residentes del Distrito Escolar de East Hampton solamente.

La Registración o Inscripción será con cita solamente.

La Registración o Inscripción Final tendrá lugar entre el 1 de Mayo, hasta el 15 de Mayo del 2020.

Por favor visite nuestro webside www.ehufsd.org para más información y la documentación aceptable para la Registración.

Mayo 1, 2020 hasta Mayo 15, 2020 Lunes-Viernes (Con Cita Solamente) Oficina Central 4 Long Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937 Persona de Contacto: Amanda Hayes (631) 329-4145

POLICE & COURTS

The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

A7

Attempted Murder Trial Nears End Continued from A1

Mitchell about his other relationships, including a four-year marriage to a woman in Indiana while he was living with Ms. Tennant, and, more recently, an affair with a woman he brought to the United States, who lives in a Riverhead cottage he rents for her. He also asked Mr. Mitchell about a prior misdemeanor conviction related to his construction business.

Mr. Mitchell, who owns his own construction company, Mitchell Design Builder in Water Mill, said he had two meetings in East Hampton on the day he was shot. He stopped by the Riverhead cottage, but the woman, identified only as LaToya, was not there. He got to the house he shared with Ms. Tennant, on Pleasure Drive in Flanders, a little after 7 p.m. She was not there.

He was in the bathroom, shaving, when he heard a knock at the door, which was locked. It was Ms. Tennant, who said she needed a head scarf. He unlocked the door and handed it to her, he said, then locked it again and continued shaving, but he could hear the doorknob turning; Ms. Tennant was trying to get in.

She became angry when he wouldn’t open the door, banged on it, and then broke the door jamb, he testified. He said he began to ask if she was going to pay to have it repaired, “not realizing that was the least of my worries.”

Ms. Tennant was standing in the doorway with two hands on a revolver, pointing it at him, he said, adding that he thought it was a toy. He said he knew nothing about guns.

“She was serious,” he said. He testified that she said, “You think I’m joking?” before firing a first shot.

He felt a burning sensation in his chest. “Now I know it’s a real gun.” He said he yelled, “Are you crazy? You’re going to kill me!”

She said, “Yes, I’m going to kill you and then kill myself,” he told the jury.

(He later told police that she said she?d kill him because he would not marry her.

The prosecutor brought that out as well.)

Ms. Tennant jumped on top of the bed, Mr. Mitchell said, and then fired a second shot toward the bathroom. He felt more burning in his chest. “I’ve got to get that gun from her, otherwise she’s going to finish me off,” he recalled thinking.

Mr. Mitchell said that during a struggle, he got control of the gun ? Ms. Tennant confirmed that when she took the stand on Tuesday ? and pulled the trigger in an attempt to empty the barrel.

He was shot three times in total, but five bullets were fired.

“I didn’t want her to get shot, and I didn’t want to get shot anymore,” he said.

He said he heard “click, click, click” and knew there were no bullets left.

Asked by Ms. Tennant’s lawyer

Matthew Tuohy why he knew how to discharge bullets, especially in the middle of a struggle, he said, “I’m 47. I’ve watched many movies.”

Mr. Mitchell denied the gun was his, though he eventually admitted he had used a gun once, with a friend at a Calverton shooting range.

On Tuesday, Ms. Tennant denied ever standing on the bed. She is 5-foot10, she told the jury, and could not have stood on the bed without hitting the ceiling fan above it.

It was Mr. Mitchell, she said, who was the aggressor, angry after being told that their daughter would be sleeping in Riverhead that night. Ms. Tennant said she had gone to Flanders only to pack an overnight bag and get diapers for the child.

“Floria [their babysitter] is more of a mother to Vanessa than you,” he said. “I don’t know why you don’t get the fuck out,” he allegedly told her, and shoved her in the face, yelling, “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” She fell backward onto the bed. She cursed back at him. He went into the bathroom and locked the door, she said. She denied he?d opened it for her to get her scarf. ?Get the fuck out,? he allegedly told her. ?I? ll send you a check for what you gave to this house.” (They bought the house together in 2015; she put in $66,000 toward the $90,000 down payment. But, she said, he always considered it his, calling it “my castle.”

She kicked the door, breaking the jamb. That was when he unlocked it, she said, and told her, “I’m going to fucking straighten you out.”

While she grabbed her scarf, she testified, he went to his closet, and came out with a gun in his hand. When she tried to knock it away, she said, they struggled. “Then I heard ‘bang,’ like the gun went off,” she said.

Asked what was going through her mind, she said, “I’m thinking about my life. I’m thinking about Vanessa. I’m thinking about my son,” who was in the Army at the time, stationed in Germany.

“I just need to defend myself. . . . “For me, when you pull a gun on someone you’re going to use it.”

She said she pushed Mr. Mitchell and he toppled over a chair. The gun fell to the floor and she grabbed it. She admitted to standing over him and pulling the trigger.

“I’m bleeding,” he told her, before grabbing her. They fought for possession of the gun, and this time, he got hold of it. She “scooted” across the bed and fled, she said, leaving her keys and cellphone behind. He followed, gun in hand, as she ran down the stairs.

“He kept click, click, clicking and I kept running,” she said.

Mr. Mitchell called 911 and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospi-

On Front Lines in Uncertain Times Continued from A1

“One of the on-duty police officers will return your call in a timely manner and assess the situation,” he said. “This is only for nonemergency situations. If you have a true emergency and require the police, ambulance, or fire department, call 911.”

He suspended all nonessential police functions, such as releasing impounded vehicles, report requests, and noncriminal fingerprinting.

“This is not how I like us to serve our community, however, in an attempt to limit person-to-person contact, I feel this is the safest way to police at this time.”

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, who is in charge of the correctional facilities in Riverside and Yaphank, suspended visits starting on Tuesday in order to limit the spread of the virus, though there had, at that point, been no cases reported in those jails. Attorneys, however, can still make arrangements to see their clients.

Sheriff Toulon said newly arriving inmates are being screened for COVID19 and segregated from the rest of the inmates in a separate housing area for 14 days. The facilities are being disinfected three times a day and “a heavy cleaning” is done each evening, he said.

The pistol licensing bureau, located in part of the jail facility in Riverside, is also closed.

Courthouses throughout Suffolk County, including East Hampton Town and Sag Harbor Village Justice Courts, were shuttered after Monday. All cases have been adjourned.

Arraignments and other applications that need to be immediately addressed, such as those involving orders of protection, will be dealt with in Central Islip, even for those charged on the South Fork. Justice Lisa R. Rana said, however, that cases requiring after-hours or weekend arraignments will still be heard in East Hampton and Sag Harbor.

Also as of Monday, all eviction proceedings and pending eviction orders have been suspended. Family Court will

hear only essential matters, such as issues related to child protection proceedings, juvenile delinquency, and support orders.

East Hampton Fire Department Chief Gerard Turza Jr. said his department is continually monitoring the situation and is in constant contact with both county and local emergency management partners and that it had implemented several minor procedural changes to help ensure safety.

“It’s important for the public to assist responders by being responsible and proactive as well,” he said. “If they are self-quarantining, then they shouldn’t be out roaming the countryside, visiting the beaches, taking walks and certainly not going to public places, such as stores and other places where they may come into contact with others.”

Chief Sarlo also said he was concerned earlier this week that the public was not taking the warnings and recommendation of the health professionals seriously.

“If we hunker down and isolate, keep six-foot distance from people when we have to go out for essential errands, we will make tremendous strides in ‘flattening the curve’ on this pandemic,” he said.

As testing becomes more readily available, he said everyone needed to be ready for the spike in positive results in our community. “It is inevitable. So, we can’t panic, and we need to continue to be prepared. This will pass, as all viral outbreaks do, but the more we cooperate and take precautions, the sooner that will happen.”

Also on the Logs East Hampton Irene Foster and her tenant, Joseph Q. Ward, filed a police report after a woman entered Mr. Ward’s room in Ms. Foster’s Hand’s Creek Road house last Thursday and left with items she said belonged to her. A trespassing affidavit was filled out, but the matter is now considered closed.

Two electrically operated arms that opened and closed a gate at a property on Settlement Court were removed, along with a sensor that runs under the driveway 20 feet south of the gate. John O’Brien, the property’s caretaker, filed a police report on Feb. 3.

East Hampton Village

Patchita Tennant left the courtroom with her family members and supporters for a lunch break after testifying in Central Islip on Tuesday. Taylor K. Vecsey tal, where he underwent a three-hour surgery for a collapsed lung. A portion of his lung was removed. He was in the intensive care unit for eight days. “At that point, I was just hoping I would live for Vanessa,” he testified.

Dr. Marc Shapiro, chief of general surgery, trauma, critical care, and burns at Stony Brook, who was on call that night and operated on Mr. Mitchell, testified that based on their trajectory, the shots were fired from an upward direction.

Hours later, police found a bullet, wrapped in tissue paper, in a small Gucci bag by the bedroom dresser. Although Ms. Tennant?s fingerprints were not found on it, the fact of its existence was a big problem for the defense attorneys, who suggested that Mr. Mitchell, despite his life-threatening injuries, had planted the bag there after the shooting.

Ms. Tennant claimed the bag had been in her closet, and said she?d carried a different bag that day. Police also found her car keys in the bag, although she said she had left them on the dresser, next to her cellphone.

Ms. Tennant also had an answer for her purchases earlier in the day at the East Hampton CVS ? four bottles of bleach, a bottle of Resolve carpet cleaner, and a Tide pen stick, which the prosecution said indicated premeditated murder. She said she needed the bleach to clean the deck, the carpet cleaner to clean a stain caused the night before when a bottle of cherry liquid Tylenol spilled, and the pen stick to get rid of stubborn stains on her daughter’s church dresses.

She did say she was planning to leave Mr. Mitchell, and to fight him for custody of their daughter. He was abusive both physically and verbally, she testi-

fied, saying that in recent years he criticized her parenting and monitored her movements through a Nest indoor camera. A month before the shooting, she said, she cut the wires on the camera.

She blamed Mr. Mitchell for a miscarriage in 2013 after he “slammed me up against the refrigerator.” She recounted, in graphic detail, miscarrying hours later in the bathroom at CVS. Her niece Kamishka O’Connor, who was working there at the time and had been by her side, became overwhelmed with emotion as her aunt spoke, and ran out of the courtroom.

By the time Ms. Tennant left the stand around Tuesday afternoon, she was visibly unsteady on her feet. Outside the courtroom, surrounded by family members, she wept uncontrollably.

The prosecution was to cross-examine her yesterday, with closing arguments expected to follow. Jury deliberation will likely begin today.

More coverage of this trial can be found at easthamptonstar.com. To receive an alert when the jury renders a verdict, sign up for breaking news email alerts at easthamptonstar.com/alerts.

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A Georgica Road homeowner called police on Friday to report that a neighbor’s tree, from a house on Darby Lane, had fallen onto her property.

An officer spoke to the neighbor, who said he would have the tree removed as soon as possible.

On Friday night, an intoxicated man refused to leave the East Hampton Grill on North Main Street, even after paying his bill and asking for a cab.

The 58-year-old, an East Hampton resident, created a scene and tried to grab a woman behind the bar, according to the police report. Several employees stepped in and escorted him to the waiting taxi outside. On Saturday, police advised the man that he was no longer welcome at the restaurant. He said he understood.

Police received a complaint on Saturday morning after a business began selling merchandise on the sidewalk in front of 61 the Circle. The officer spoke to the shop owner, who said he would stop.

Montauk On the afternoon of March 8, an older man nearly walked out of Shagwong Tavern with a photo of Mick Jagger that had been hanging on the wall. He was stopped before he could leave. Asked what he was doing, he replied, “It’s Mick Jagger.” The employee who stopped him took the photograph back and the man left. Shagwong wanted the incident on record and said the man was no longer welcome at the bar.

A woman’s bicycle was stolen from a Duval Place driveway on March 6. Danielle Sierkierski said the purple bike had been leaning against a tree when she left around 9 a.m., and when she got back at about 9 that night it was gone. She said she hoped the person who took it will return the bike, worth $150, and did not want to press charges.

Springs An unknown person was seen peering into a Nissan Titan pickup truck parked in a driveway on Fort Pond Boulevard on March 8 around 4:30 a.m. Mauricio Ocampo told police his motion-sensor lights and his yelling at the man scared him off. Officers searched the area but could not find anyone.

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Malodorous at Manor House

BY CHRISTOPHER WALSH East Hampton residents hoping to move into the 12 manor house condominium apartments constructed on Accabonac Road in East Hampton as part of the town’s affordable housing initiative were disappointed a second time last week with news of further delay.

Once again, air quality in the units’ basements is behind the postponement of their purchase and move-in dates.

A second round of basement air quality tests this month followed a fall appraisal of one unit in which the appraiser noticed an odor in some of the basements. People’s United Bank, which had hired the appraiser, required that the air be tested prior to the closing.

Eleven of the 12 units’ basements were tested ? one canister used to collect samples malfunctioned ? revealing levels of ethyl acetate above the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s residential regional screening levels, as well as elevated levels of other solvents, in some of the basements. That result was relayed to buyers in a Jan. 23 email.

Ethyl acetate is a solvent used in products including paint and nail varnish removers. It is naturally present in many organisms, but overexposure can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and at very high concentrations it can have severe health impacts.

At a Jan. 29 meeting, officials from the town’s Office of Housing and Community Development told the buyers that it would take measures to mitigate the suspected culprit, off-gassing from the spray foam insulation or the intumes-

cent ? fire-retardant ? paint that covers it, and then conduct a second test. Offgassing happens when new manufactured products release volatile organic compounds and other chemicals, and is common with furniture and cabinetry, mattresses, carpeting, flooring, paint, and insulation, among other products.

The basements were heated, in some cases to 85 degrees, in an effort to “cook off” the V.O.C.s and chemicals, and then ventilated as weather allowed, a process that lasted more than a month.

Buyers, awaiting results of the second test, were dismayed by a March 11 email from the housing office: “We are sorry to report that the closings are delayed once again. All units continue to exceed the E.P.A. recommended guidelines for ethyl acetate. Some units have improved while others have gotten worse.”

The email added, “We are unsure what the next step is going to be and are investigating multiple options.”

Three units also tested above the E.P.A.’s recommended limit for isopropyl alcohol, which is used in industrial and household chemicals such as antiseptics, disinfectants, and detergents.

Tom Ruhle, the housing office’s director, said on Monday that the foam insulation, or the paint that coats it, is still the suspected cause of the compromised air quality, but “the paint company swears there’s no ethyl acetate in the surface coating,” he said. “The lab for the paint company has offered to test the paint.”

A meeting with the contractor who installed the foam was planned to take place at the condominiums this week,

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he said. “We may independently test both the paint and the foam to determine which, if any, of those items is offgassing. If it is one of those two items, there are ways to remediate. We would explore what the next step is, and other issues related to that.”

Speaking generally, “if the foam is not properly installed, it will not cure, in which case there are off-gassing problems that don’t go away,” he said. “I don’t know that that’s the case here.”

The foam insulation is key to maintaining the apartments’ energy rating, according to the Jan. 23 mailing from the housing office announcing the initial delay. “It would have to be removed and replaced with some form of insulation to meet the energy rating,” Mr. Ruhle said. “You can’t just take out the foam, it would have to be replaced with something like, for example, rigid foam insulation, covered with Sheetrock or other things.”

One remediation method, he suggested, would be to remove the insulation and then test the air. “If it’s clean, then you can insulate it and Sheetrock it and meet current code.” Another method would be to seal the foam with drywall and test the air. “If that was a good test, do all the units that way,” he said. “And there may be other ways to encapsulate the foam.”

Mr. Ruhle did not suspect an external environmental condition. “There’s no known issues in the area,” he said. The site previously had a tennis court, and before that was undeveloped. “There was nothing that would have raised an alarm when the foundations were dug and when the property was graded,” he said. The plume emanating from the capped landfill on Springs-Fireplace Road is traveling northward, he said, away from the manor house buildings.

The manor house development comprises three buildings, each with a single one-bedroom condominium apartment, two two-bedroom apartments, and one three-bedroom apartment. Sale contracts are underway for each of the units, prices for which range from $126,835 to $267,850.

Editor’s note: Christopher Walsh is one of the prospective buyers for a unit at the condominium complex.

Legal notice

South Fork Wind Farm Field survey summary

Ørsted and Eversource are conducting surveys within publicly-owned road rights-of-way (ROW) in the Town of East Hampton for the South Fork Wind Farm project.

Where: • Areas include portions of Beach Lane, Wainscott Main Street, Sayre’s Path, Wainscott Stone Road, and Wainscott Northwest Rd. Additionally, areas near the intersections of the following roads with the Long Island Rail Road corridor: Daniels Hole Rd, Stephen Hands Path, Buckskill Rd. • No fieldwork will be conducted on private properties.

What & when: The following surveys are planned to be completed by April 30, 2020. Work is scheduled to occur on weekdays between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. as follows: • Geotechnical surveys in Town ROW beginning March 23: A total of seven soil borings and one percolation test • Archaeology surveys in Town ROW beginning March 30: Hand dug test pits along the unpaved shoulder For more information: Email: JEGAR@orsted.com Phone: 631-267-5777 southforkwindfarm.com A complete scope of work is available here: https://southforkwindfarm.com/faq/

Legal notice

The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

Tented areas were set up yesterday outside of the East Hampton Healthcare Foundation. Pre-screeners will work from them in poor weather, as people are checked first before entering the building in an effort to minimize virus spread.

Doug Kuntz

COVID-19 Tightens Grip on South Fork Continued from A1

suspended. The town has prohibited people from gathering for group social or athletic activities at all of its parks and playing fields.

Town staff will report to work for essential tasks only and can continue to process applications for permits and the like, according to a statement on Friday, but residents have been asked to submit documents electronically. Residents with critical or time-sensitive business have been asked to call Town Hall at 631-324-4141 to make arrangements.

Councilwoman Sylvia Overby said on Tuesday that JoAnne Pahwul, the planning director, is contacting applicants to ensure they understand that their hearings are postponed until further notice.

Any expired permits are automatically extended, Mr. Van Scoyoc said on Tuesday. Owners of rental properties have been asked to notify the town as to rental registry updates by mail. “If you have critical business that you need to do with the town, contact the appropriate department,” he said. “If it’s deemed to be in fact critical, we’ll make arrangements to effectuate that business.”

The town’s senior citizens center closed on March 11, but individualized services are available to senior citizens.

On Tuesday, Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said that residents 60 and over can call the town’s Human Services Department at 631-329-6939 if they need help. “We’re picking up and dropping off medicine, food shopping for people in need, picking up bags of food from the food pantry and dropping off,” she said.

The town is also referring senior citizens to Meals on Wheels and the R.S.V.P. service, the latter a volunteerled initiative to socialize with and inquire as to senior citizens’ well-being via telephone. Both services are fully staffed, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said.

The first case of COVID-19 infection in the town, according to a statement issued last Thursday, was a woman in her late 70s. She is under mandatory quarantine and being monitored by the Suffolk County Health Department. According to the town, she “has not had contact with town senior center, programs, or transportation services, and lives in private residence.”

East Hampton Village Mayor Richard Lawler announced a second confirmed case within the town on Monday, a 70year-old village resident. He is under quarantine.

East Hampton Village offices and buildings, except the Police Department, are closed to the public. Village board meetings will take place as planned, but tomorrow’s will be closed to the public; it can be seen live via LTV or its website. Meetings of all appointed boards will be canceled for the remainder of the month.

Sag Harbor Village, which did not have a reported case of COVID-19 as of yesterday, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. All meetings other than village board meetings have been postponed until further notice, Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy said, and the village’s departments are not accepting paperwork.

Applications and other forms can be put in a drop box in the lobby of the municipal building but will be quarantined for four days before being handled.

In a message posted to the village’s Facebook page on Tuesday night, Police Chief Austin McGuire wrote that the Police Department would continue to operate around the clock.

Most Southampton Town buildings, administrative offices, and community centers were closed to the public as of Tuesday. Town employees there continue to work within the buildings on a limited basis, with some working from home. Board meetings, except for those of the town board, are canceled and public hearings postponed until further notice. Youth recreation and senior citi-

zens activities are canceled. Food delivery continues for senior citizens participating in the town’s nutrition program.

Under New York State law, the chief executive of a county, city, town, or village may proclaim a local state of emergency that can remain in effect for up to 30 days. It can be extended for additional periods not to exceed 30 days. A state of emergency declaration allows a chief executive to request that the governor provide assistance, provided the chief executive determines that the disaster is beyond the capacity of the local government and that state assistance is necessary.

A state of emergency declaration gives the chief executive broad power to enact curfews, prohibit and control pedestrian and vehicle traffic and the presence of people on public streets and places, regulate and close places of amusement and assembly, and establish or designate emergency shelters, medical shelters, and community-based care centers.

With the closing of movie theaters and gyms, and with restaurants and bars restricted to takeout and delivery service, as jointly announced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his counterparts in New Jersey and Connecticut on Monday, the South Fork has largely ground to a halt. On Tuesday, Mr. Van Scoyoc urged that only essential services and businesses remain open to the public, including grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, and medical facilities.

Grocery stores have been operating on reduced hours and offering special designated shopping times for senior citizens, who are among the most vulnerable to the virus.

“We have enough food and supplies to get us through this growing crisis,”

After East Hampton Town declared a state of emergency on Friday, Town Hall and most other town buildings were closed to the public as officials moved to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Doug Kuntz

Political Briefs Zeldin Calls for Extended Tax Deadline Representative Lee Zeldin has called on the Internal Revenue Service to change this year’s tax filing deadline from April 15 to July 15 and to waive interest and fees for those paying late in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Zeldin, who is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the call via Twitter on Monday.

Gershon Halts Petitions and Public Events Perry Gershon, who is seeking a Democratic Party primary win to challenge Representative Lee Zeldin in New York’s First Congressional District, has announced the suspension of his petition gathering and public events.

“As we see a growing number of cases of the coronavirus increase on Long Island, and public health experts encourage taking serious precautions, I have decided to suspend all in-person campaign events, including petition operations, as of today,” Mr. Gershon, who lives in East Hampton, wrote on Twitter on Friday. “It is in the best interest of our volunteers, supporters, and staff to take all measures to keep themselves healthy.”

“However, we still have a campaign to win and to that end we are holding all upcoming campaign events online,” including a town hall event that was to have taken place yesterday, house parties, and other public events, Mr. Gershon said.

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Mr. Van Scoyoc said on Tuesday, “but we need to think not only of ourselves.

It is time to think of other families, friends, and neighbors who might need supplies.” He encouraged people to purchase only what is needed. “Also, consider those . . . who will need extra assistance, those who live paycheck to paycheck but may now find themselves out of work.”

He repeated the protocols that experts say offer the best hope of “flattening the curve” ? a longer, slower progression of infections, rather than a sharp spike that would overwhelm hospitals and health care providers. They include frequent hand washing with soap and water, use of hand sanitizer, not touching one’s face, disinfecting frequently used surfaces like doorknobs and railings, covering one’s mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and immediately throwing it away, and maintaining a distance from others of at least six feet. “If we institute all these simple protocols, we will have an effect on the spread of this disease.”

“We’ve faced many storms in East Hampton over our history: blizzards, northeasters, hurricanes,” the supervisor said. “No storm has been as insidious as coronavirus, COVID-19. It is a serious disease, which threatens both young and old adults, wealthy and poor. This is a worldwide pandemic and has changed life as we know it. But unlike a hurricane, this storm surge can be flattened, its effects can be blunted. Again, I ask that everyone work together, be patient, be calm. We’ll get through this just fine if we follow these simple steps.”

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OBITUARIES

The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020

Michael Loos Jr. Michael Loos Jr. of Sag Harbor, who had been a goat farmer prior to working in construction on the East End, died on March 1 of respiratory complications from acute myeloid leukemia at Stony Brook University Hospital. He was 54 and had been ill for several years.

Mr. Loos, who grew up in Oakdale, Southampton, Noyac, East Hampton, and, ultimately, Sag Harbor, where he graduated from Pierson High School before attending Stony Brook University and Boston University, lived an eclectic life, his family said. He had been a landscaper on Long Island, a chef in Boston, and a bagel maker in Santa Cruz, Calif. It was in Burnsville, N.C., that he raised goats, and, while living in Eastpoint, Fla., he created unique driveway pavers. When he returned to Sag Harbor, he joined his brothers’ construction company.

He married the former Serena Creamer, and the couple brought up a son. The marriage ended in divorce.

Mr. Loos was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in July 2017 and had been expected to live just 10 days, according to his family. He received a bone marrow transplant using stem cells donated by his sister, Amanda Loos Logan of Chicago, who survives him, and after a year of treatment was pronounced cancer free. His immune system, however, was severely compromised, and he spent much of the past few years hospitalized.

In accordance with his wishes, a biopsy of his lung was done after his death.

Born in Brooklyn on June 5, 1965, to Michael Loos and the former Eileen Annie Schrottke, he loved animals, nature, music, books, coffee, and video games, and his family considered him an epic storyteller.

In addition to his sister, he is survived by a son, Samuel Loos of Eastpoint, a stepdaughter, Samantha Creamer of Apalachicola, Fla., and two brothers, Daniel Loos of East Hampton and Timothy Loos of Mastic. His mother, Eileen Annie Ball, a stepfather, Tom Ball, both of Eastpoint, a stepbrother, Jon Ball of Long Island, two stepsisters, Bonny Ball of Carrabelle, Fla., and Connie Ball of Southold, and three grandchildren also survive, as do several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A memorial service was held on March 7 at South Bay Bible Church in East Moriches.

Lorraine L. Bittner Lorraine L. Bittner of Oakview Highway in East Hampton died on March 10 at her daughter’s house in Wake Forest, N.C., where she had been receiving hospice care. She was 83.

Born on Oct. 16, 1936, to Claude Ballance and the former Mildred Scott Parker, she grew up in a house on Abram’s Landing Road in Amagansett and graduated from East Hampton High School.

When she was young, the family lived for a time in Connecticut, where her father, a Coast Guardsman, was stationed.

When she was 14, she was on the cover of the October 1950 edition of American Girl magazine. She had caught the

eye of an artist here, Ray Prohaska, who painted and submitted her portrait to the magazine.

Mrs. Bittner was a lifelong member of the Amagansett Presbyterian Church and served on many committees and groups there. She was a stay-at-home mom who also provided in-home child care for others over the years. Many might remember her as Momma Lorraine.

When her own children were older, she turned her love of cooking and baking into a 20-year career preparing food in the deli sections of East Hampton I.G.A. stores.

She is survived by her two daughters, Susan Schenck of Wake Forest and Lori Schall of Sag Harbor, as well as four grandchildren, Jordan Schenck, Lindsey Rogness, Brandon Schenck, and Emily Schall of Sag Harbor, and seven greatgrandchildren.

A son, James Monroe Warren III, died on Dec. 27, 2006.

The family will announce a memorial service in East Hampton at a later date.

Donations have been suggested to the Amagansett Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 764, Amagansett 11930.

After her children started school, Ms. King went back to work. She was a legal secretary at Van Nostrand and Martin, an executive assistant at Overmeyer Distributors, and an executive assistant at Crane Company. Her most recent position, from which she retired in 1994, was executive secretary to John Fox at Fox Wells Textile Company in New York City.

After services at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton on Feb. 21, Ms. King was buried with a graveside service at St. Charles Resurrection Cemetery in Farmingdale on Feb. 22. Her family has suggested memorial donations to the organizations that cared for her in her final years: East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton 11978 and Catholic Home Care, 110 Bi-County Road, Suite 114, Farmingdale 11735.

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Patricia M. King of East Hampton, a retired executive assistant and loving mother, grandmother, and aunt, died at home on Feb. 16 at the age of 92.

Later in her life, in East Hampton, she was known to take daily walks, care for her beloved Yorkies, and knit and attend occasional lunches with friends. She also volunteered at R.S.V.P. in Amagansett.

She was born Patricia M. Walsh on June 9, 1928. She attended Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn, graduating in 1946, and then took secretarial training at the Berkeley School, which led to a long and fruitful career. She first worked for Edward Duggan at Continental Bank and Trust, which merged with Chemical Bank in 1948.

In December 1949, Miss Walsh married James F. King Jr., and put her career on hold to raise her family. Her sons are Donald G. King of Amagansett and James Garrett King of Lincroft, N.J. They survive, as do her grandchildren, James Patrick King and Brian C. King.

She also leaves many nieces, nephews, and extended family. Mr. King died in 2004.

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Photo: Will Yennie

EAST HAMPTON, NY

LILE Lile is a handsome, two-year-old Shepherd mix who likes everyone he meets! He gets along well with other dogs and would do best in a home with another canine companion. This active, playful pup knows basic commands and is eager to learn more once he finds his forever family.

631 324 7707

www.georgicaservices.com

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( WHILE YOU WAIT )

139 Springs Fireplace Road

631 324 7707

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BATTERY REPLACEMENT

Additional Entry at Riverhead, N.Y. 11901 Postal Service

Patricia M. King, 92

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www.arfhamptons.org

631-537-0400 x203 adoptions@arfhamptons.org

NYS Registered Shelter/Rescue #RR035

LONDONJEWELERS.COM *SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY, SEE STORE FOR DETAILS

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The East Hampton Star, March 19, 2020