Tonight across East End, 9 vigils to be held for civilians killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis

New York and a dozen other Democrat-led states are part of a federal funding review ordered by the White House’s budget office, as President Donald Trump vows to block the flow of funds to states as early as Sunday that do not fully cooperate with his immigration crackdown.Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that the Office of Management and Budget, in a memo sent to federal departments last week, ordered agency leaders to provide a detailed listing of all federal grants and funds given to 14 Democratic states and Washington, D.C.“This information will be used to better understand the scope of funding in certain states and localities in order to facilitate efforts to reduce the improper and fraudulent use of those funds through administrative means or legislative proposals to Congress,” reads the Jan. 20 memo obtained by Newsday, first reported by Real Clear Politics.Only the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs were exempt from the request, according to the three-page memo.The sweeping review comes after President Trump in a Jan. 13 speech to the Detroit Economic Club said his administration planned to stop “making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities” starting Feb. 1.Trump has already moved to freeze funding for other New York projects and programs, including $3.4 billion for child care and social services programs and the $16 billion Gateway Tunnel Project, which project leaders have warned will stop construction of the massive Hudson River rail tunnel starting Feb. 6 if funds are not released.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said the state will sue the Trump administration if it blocks additional funding over New York's immigration policies.The administration has taken aim at the state’s 2019 Green Light Law, which allows individuals to apply for a driver’s license regardless of citizenship status. The law also requires the state Department of Motor Vehicles to notify the license holder "when immigration enforcement agencies request" their information.“This is just a threat to intimidate states like New York into bowing into submission, and that is something we'll never do," Hochul told reporters in Albany on Jan. 15. "So I say this: You touch any more money from the State of New York, we'll see you in court."***On the East Hampton Town Police Department’s wish list this year are automatic translators that would be used during traffic stops to facilitate communication with Spanish-speaking drivers and passengers.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that first presented at the Town Board work session on January 20, the translator devices would cost $115,000 in the capital budget and would come from a company called Axon, which has a contract with Town Police for the currently used body cameras. Axon first rolled out the new technology about two years ago, but it wasn’t available to East Hampton Town Police until now.Currently, when translation is needed during a traffic stop, the responding officer calls in a Spanish-speaking officer to assist or uses a department cellphone, donated by Organización Latino Americana, to call a “language line” service, which provides translation for Spanish and a host of other languages.The Axon translators are “push to talk,” meaning the officer would hold down a button and the machine, which attaches to a body camera, would provide real-time translation between the officer and the person who had been stopped.“This will allow immediate real-time translation services in any situation that our officers encounter, without having to bring down another officer to translate, without having to sit down with the language line,” said East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo. “Tremendous new technology... a really positive thing for the community and for our officers.” East Hampton Town Police have been working with Axon on piggybacking on the body camera contract to allow for installation. Once the funding from the capital budget becomes available, the translators could be implemented and flipped on.***For this evening, nine vigils have been scheduled across the East End from 6 to 7 p.m. in remembrance of the two civilians killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis this month. The vigils will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Hook Mill in East Hampton, the Sag Harbor windmill on Long Wharf, the Macy’s parking lot in Hampton Bays, the Gazebo in Westhampton Beach, at Riverhead Town Hall, at the Cutchogue Village Green, at Greenport’s Mitchell Park and at Shelter Island Town Hall. Organizers are asking attendees to bring a flashlight or a candle.Those east end vigils begin at 6 o’clock tonight at the aforementioned locations. ***Integrating artificial intelligence into the classroom could potentially bring "unprecedented innovation” from helping neurodivergent kids navigate social situations to assisting dyslexic students with reading — but at the moment, the benefits "pale in comparison" to the risks, according to a recently released report from the Brookings Institution. The 219-page report, released this month, is the result of a yearlong study by the Center for Universal Education at Brookings. In the report, the authors said AI can save teachers time when it comes to lesson planning, grading and assessing students. It can also personalize lessons for students and provide additional support to those who need it. But, the report found, AI can also threaten students' safety, undermine their cognitive and emotional development and degrade trust in education. Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that with AI still a relatively new technology, the authors say there is still time to develop tools that will benefit students. They recommend developing regulations to protect student data and emotional well-being, improving AI literacy among teachers and families to help identify misinformation and bias, and ensuring oversight over AI learning. On Long Island, educators had mixed reactions to the use of AI in the classroom. Some argued educators have a duty to prepare students for a future where AI will likely be commonplace, while others raised concerns about how AI will impact students' ability to think for themselves.Kings Park schools Superintendent Timothy Eagen, who is also president of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, said educators need to teach kids how to "use and interpret AI effectively and safely."He argues educators do students a disservice if they fail to expose students to this new and emerging technology.“That quantum shift in technology has happened," he said. "It’s our duty in public education to make sure that our students are prepared and ready to go out in the environment.”***Drivers lose nearly $4,000 annually on New York City, Long Island and New Jersey roads due to congested and deteriorated roads, according to a transportation nonprofit’s report released yesterday. John Asbury reports in NEWSDAY that the national transportation research nonprofit group known as TRIP said drivers in the metro area, which includes Long Island and parts of New Jersey, spent about $3,755 per vehicle due to higher costs, traffic crashes and congestion delays. Statewide, those expenses total $40.3 billion, according to the group’s report."A lack of adequate investment in transportation and increasing inflation in construction costs could hamper New York’s ability to make needed improvements to its transportation network," the report stated.Those figures are up from about $3,500 per vehicle in last year's report.Nearly half of major highways and local roads statewide, the report noted, are listed "in poor or mediocre condition," which costs drivers an additional $718 in gas and maintenance expenses. In the NYC metro area, about 35% of roads are considered in good condition while 31% of roads are in poor condition, according to the report.The report also found that 435 bridges, or 7% of the region's bridges, were in poor condition and in need of immediate repair. Another 68%, or 4,562 bridges, were in fair condition.Officials said the cost of highway repairs had increased, while state transportation spending had dropped. Highway construction costs nationally have increased by more than 70% since 2020, according to the Federal Highway Administration.New York City and Long Island drivers also are losing time and money commuting, according to the report. The nonprofit estimates the average driver loses 99 hours each year in delays. Commuting costs average drivers about $2,662 in lost time and fuel.The average driver wastes about 31 gallons of fuel due to congestion, costing drivers $20 billion annually. Analysts said New York City area traffic had returned to pre-pandemic levels and the state DOT estimates traffic will increase 23% by 2040, the report notes.***An ICE OUT NOW event is scheduled for tomorrow along Route 58 in Riverhead. Organizers said they are inviting residents from across the East End to gather from 10 a.m. to 12 noon outside Staples Plaza. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that their press release reads as follows: “Our call to action is to engage community members to join action groups, to demand accountability for ICE agents who are acting outside of the law, and to get our community leaders and all government officials to step up in meaningful ways to protect public safety.” Tomorrow’s gathering is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. by the Staples on Route 58 in Riverhead.***New York City has scads of very large buildings, but not many are as big as the glass-and-steel structure nearing completion on the south side of John F. Kennedy International...