Shinnecock Nation to land helicopters during US Open; removal of "sell-by" dates will reduce food waste; and more East End Long Island news

Charter helicopters will utilize temporary landing pads on Shinnecock Nation Territory during the U.S. Open Golf Championship for patrons wishing to breeze over traffic backups on roads — for rates ranging from several hundred dollars to more than $1,400 per seat.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the aircraft charter booking company Blade and Zip Aviation are working with the U.S. Golf Association and the Shinnecock Tribe to utilize a landing pad that will be set up in an open field, part of the powwow grounds on the 800-acre Shinnecock Neck territory…just west of Southampton Village.The nation’s vice chairman, Lance Gumbs, said that the landing area has room for up to three helicopters to land and disembark passengers who will then be taken by shuttles to the tournament entrance gates.Blade is offering flights to the tournament from helipads in New York City, and from East Hampton Airport, which is only a 10-minute flight away.The Blade booking site — headlined “The longest drive is nothing to brag about” — shows prices for seats aboard the flights from New York City at $1,480 each and private charters as high as $15,000 for up to eight passengers. Seats for the flights from East Hampton Airport are $645 each.A 10 a.m. flight from New York City to the third day of the tournament on Saturday, June 20, is already sold out.During previous U.S. Open events at Shinnecock Hills, seaplanes have delivered passengers to Sebonac Inlet where they were met by concierge services and shuttles to the course, including at the 2018 U.S. Open, when Blade set up a concierge tent at the beach.A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said that temporary heliports that are operated for less than 30 days are not regulated by the FAA and do not have to be approved. But the temporary heliports are supposed to be limited to fewer than 10 operations per day — a total of five round-trip flights.***Democrats in the New York State Legislature passed resolutions last night supporting changes to the state constitution that would grant legislators the ability to redraw congressional districts in the middle of the decade.The state Senate voted 38-22 in favor of the resolution. The state Assembly voted 91-47.Steve Hughes reports in NEWSDAY that the votes are the first of three steps that must happen before Democrats, which control both houses, can redraw the state’s congressional districts in order to maximize their representation in Congress.Republican legislators argued that the proposed changes ignore the will of the voters, who approved the creation of an Independent Redistricting Commission in 2014.Democrats said they were simply responding in kind to Republican efforts to create more favorable district maps across the South, amid a nationwide redistricting fight for competitive advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives.The changes would allow the legislature to redraw New York State's 26 congressional districts in the middle of the decade, rather than once a decade when the U.S. Census Bureau numbers come out, as it typically does.The legislature will need to pass the same changes again next year. Voters would also need to approve the measure in November 2027 before it could go into effect for the 2028 election.The proposal allows state Democrats to approve new maps with a simple majority vote and removes a ban on maps drawn to benefit a political party. It also says that if the maps are successfully challenged in court, they go back to the legislature for changes.Democrats hope the eventual new district lines could help them pick up as many as four seats, including ones on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley. Democrats currently hold 19 of New York's 26 seats.***Thanks to coordinated efforts between students and educators, as well as the Southampton Rotary Club, the Bridgehampton School now has a special way of bringing the “global language of peace” to life right here on the east end.Last Friday, the Bridgehampton School community gathered for a special outdoor ceremony to dedicate and recognize the recently installed “Peace Pole” that was set up on school grounds, next to a memorial bench dedicated to former teacher Nancy Bagshaw, who died at the end of 2023 at age 60.Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Peace Poles are a worldwide Rotary initiative. The tall but slim poles, often white and made of wood or PVC, are internationally recognized symbols meant to represent “the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth,” according to rotary.org. Each Peace Pole bears the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in different languages on each of its four or six sides. There are tens of thousands of Peace Poles in nearly every country. There are currently more than 100 Peace Poles planted across Long Island.It was the Bridgehampton students who chose the placement of the pole near the bench dedicated to Ms. Bagshaw, a beloved teacher who embodied so many of the ideals and values associated with the peace pole. ***The Shinnecock Indian Nation yesterday said its concerns about the creation of a temporary express lane on a section of Sunrise Highway that traverses tribal land in Hampton Bays have been resolved following discussions with operators of the U.S. Open Golf Championship.In a statement, the Shinnecock Nation said it had "worked diligently to ensure that traffic management and transportation planning efforts respected tribal sovereignty, protected the Nation's governmental interests, preserved safe and reliable access for tribal citizens, and maintained critical emergency response capabilities within the territory. The Nation appreciates the collaborative approach taken by its partners in addressing these important considerations."Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that assurances came in the form of a letter from Eric Steimer, the U.S. Golf Association’s senior director of U.S. Open Championships, to Shinnecock leadership, clarifying the use of a newly created, temporary express lane during the June 15-21 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Temporary changes that involved road work would not be done on Shinnecock-owned land, the tribe has been assured. The plan involved "stabilizing" an existing crossover on Sunrise Highway at a point west of the Shinnecock Nation's Westwoods land, which would allow express buses traveling east to the tournament to use as a westbound lane of the highway from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m."Working with [the state Department of Transportation], we have finished stabilizing the existing Sunrise Highway turnaround and shoulder that is located 0.5 miles east of the NY-27/NY-24 interchange," Steimer wrote. "This crossover will be used to allow U.S. Open shuttle buses traveling from Calverton Airfield and other points west to navigate from the existing eastbound [Sunrise Highway] lanes into the westbound lanes during the heavy morning commuter hours."The Shinnecock Indian Nation has been in a protracted legal battle with the state DOT, which in 2019 sued nation leaders over the erection of 61-foot digital billboards. Decisions in that case, most favoring the state, have spilled over into a separate action by Southampton Town, which is suing tribal leaders over a gas station begun on Westwoods land in Hampton Bays.***New Yorkers would no longer see a "sell-by" date on food products they buy at the store under a bill passed by the legislature this week that aims to streamline food labeling and reduce food waste. Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the legislation, which the Assembly passed on Tuesday, would allow "best if used by" and "use-by" dates to remain. It also would require food producers and manufacturers to use scientifically valid methods to estimate those best-by and use-by dates."This bill would standardize food safety and quality date labeling on food products for human consumption," Assemb. Karines Reyes (D-Bronx), the bill’s sponsor said on the Assembly floor. "Currently labels can be confusing, so we’re trying to make it easier for consumers to determine what those labels mean."The bill would help New Yorkers waste less, Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties), the bill’s Senate sponsor said in a released statement. "Confusing date labels lead people to throw away perfectly good food without even realizing it, wasting thousands of dollars per year and increasing emissions."About 40% of food waste ends up in landfills, contributing to about 58% of unintentional methane emissions, according to the bill memo. And food waste as a result of date labeling contributes to 7% of all consumer waste, the bill said.The measure received overwhelming support in both chambers. It was passed by the State Senate in May and will head to Gov. Kathy Hochul. The governor's office said she will review the legislation.The U.S. Department of Agriculture currently provides guidance surrounding food regulation, but it’s not enforceable, according to the bill memo.The proposed legislation would ban the use of the term "sell by" starting July 1, 2028.Environmental advocates and food banks applauded the measure’s passage."In an ideal world, there would be no food waste of any kind," Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank in Melville, said in a news release. "This measure moves New York in the right direction by providing consumers with clearer guidance and the information they need to make smart choices about which foods can be consumed, donated, or discarded."***New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced this week that the Westhampton Beach...