Last full-size Kmart in US officially permanently closed

Long Island Morning Edition

Of 92 professional educators statewide earning $300,000 or more, 58 worked on Long Island, including a longtime assistant school superintendent who retired with a final-year compensation package totaling nearly $600,000, the state's latest payroll records show. John Hildebrand and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that another 1,662 professionals earned $200,000 and up, including 976 in this region, Newsday found in its payroll analysis.

Moreover, the numbers are growing. For example, the number of educators in the $300,000-plus bracket has risen 56% statewide over the past three years, and 41% on Long Island.

Newsday’s annual compensation review is drawn from data obtained from the New York State Teachers' Retirement system, using the state’s Freedom of Information Law. The survey covers 261,600 educators statewide, with total compensation of more than $19 billion. For school districts in Nassau and Suffolk, the survey includes about 60,428 educators with earnings of nearly $6.3 billion.

The great majority of listings are superintendents, teachers, counselors and other public-school professionals. Also included in the upper-income brackets are 43 administrators, professors and others in the State University of New York system. Data does not include New York City school employees, who have their own retirement system.

All listings are for the 2023-24 school year, which is the latest available and was released earlier this month.

Five of the state’s 10 top-paid educators hail from Long Island.

***

The last full-size Kmart store in the United States, located in Bridgehampton, closed its doors and shut the lights for the final time yesterday. Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that a sign on the front door of the Montauk Highway store on Sunday read, “Thank you to the Bridgehampton community for years of patronage and support. All good things…”

Newsday reported last month that the store, part of the once-retail giant, was set to close on Oct. 20 after about 25 years at the location. The closure now leaves one small Kmart store in the United States in Miami. There are also a handful of locations in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A lack of big-box store competition on the south fork and strong summer sales contributed to the store’s longevity, at a time when other Kmart locations around the country were closing. At its peak, there were more than 2,000 Kmart locations in the United States. It was one of the nation’s largest discount retail chains in the early 1990s.

Kimco Realty Corp., a real estate investment trust in Jericho, owns the Bridgehampton Commons shopping center, where the store was located.

Kmart and sister chain Sears are owned by Transformco.

The Bridgehampton Kmart opened its doors in 1999, occupying the nearly 90,000-square-foot store, which was the largest tenant space in the shopping center. It took over the retail space left vacant by Caldor, a now-defunct discount retailer that filed for bankruptcy protection in 1995. Prior to that the store space was a Woolco.

The Sayville Kmart closure in 2020 left Bridgehampton as the final store on Long Island.

***

Natural gas prices could soar 11% this winter compared to last year, while electricity prices could fall about 2%, the NYS Public Service Commission estimated. Customers using 700 therms of natural gas will likely pay $202 monthly during the November-March heating season, for an 11% dump over the same period in 2023-24, according to a commission estimate released last week. Rich Calder reports in THE NY POST that New York electric customers using 600 kilowatt hours-per-month will pay $58 per month, a 2% decline. “We are closely monitoring the utilities serving New York State to make sure they have adequate sources and supplies of electricity and natural gas to meet expected customer demands this winter,” PSC Commissioner Rory Christian said in a prepared statement to The Times Union. So, on Long Island, National Grid bills will be larger and PSEG-LI bills slightly less.

***

Republican U.S. Rep. Nicholas LaLota and Democratic challenger John Avlon made their case to voters on Friday in a televised debate which can now be seen on NewsdayTV. They wrangled over issues that included affordability, immigration, foreign policy and reproductive rights. Vera Chinese reports in NEWSDAY that LaLota and Avlon are vying to represent New York’s 1st Congressional District, which spans from Montauk to Huntington. The two-year term comes with a $174,000 annual salary.

LaLota, 46, of Amityville is seeking his second term in Congress. Avlon, 51, is a journalist and author who left his job at CNN in February to run for office and has a home in Sag Harbor.

The hourlong debate was moderated by Newsday Associate Editor and columnist Joye Brown, with pre-recorded questions from residents. The topic of in-person town halls was raised during the debate, an issue that spoke to LaLota's availability with constituents. LaLota during the debate said he held 10 in-person town hall meetings during his tenure, while Avlon said he held zero.

The events LaLota refers to were organized by third party organizations. Following the debate LaLota told Newsday those events were open to the public and did not require an entry fee. He did not commit to hosting an in-person town hall if elected to a second term.

A video of the debate can be viewed at newsday.com/tv.

You can also hear the 1st Congressional District candidates speak right here.

***

Early voting in New York State will be held this year from this coming Saturday, Oct. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 3. Beth Young in EAST END BEACON reports that voters registered in Suffolk County can vote at any one of the 28 early voting sites in the county, but if they vote on Election Day, Tuesday: Nov. 5 (between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.), they can only vote at their designated polling place (you can find your regular polling place at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov)

Hours of early voting are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 26 through Oct. 28, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 29 & 30, Noon to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 & Nov. 1 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 2 and Nov. 3.

Polling places on the East End include St. Marks Episcopal Church at 40 Main Street in Westhampton Beach, Riverhead Town Hall at 4 West Second Street, The Gym at Stony Brook Southampton College at 70 Tuckahoe Road in Southampton, the Southold Town Recreation Center at 970 Peconic Lane in Peconic, the Shelter Island Youth Recreation Center at 1 Bateman Road on Shelter Island and Windmill Village at 219 Accabonac Road in East Hampton.

A full list of early voting sites, details about voting via absentee ballot, and voter registration information (the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election is Oct. 26) is available at www.suffolkvotes.com.

***

More than 1,000 professional educators on Long Island reported pay packages of $200,000 or more in the latest compilations, with 58 earning $300,000 and up, and numbers are growing, state data shows. High compensation is driven largely by contractual payouts for unused sick and vacation days — a system that's controversial but ingrained in statewide benefits for teachers, police and other public employees. Defenders of Long Island's compensation levels contend these are necessary to recruit high-quality teachers and administrators to a region with high living costs.

John Hildebrand and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that five of New York State’s 10 top-paid educators hail from Long Island.

The great majority of listings are superintendents, teachers, counselors and other public-school professionals. Also included in the upper-income brackets are 43 administrators, professors and others in the State University of New York system. Data does not include New York City school employees, who have their own retirement system.

All listings are for the 2023-24 school year, which is the latest available and was released earlier this month.

***

Seven current or former Long Island Rail Road employees who say they were assaulted by train passengers are suing the LIRR, alleging the railroad’s "negligence, carelessness and recklessness" led to them being attacked.

The federal lawsuits, filed by six train conductors and one station cleaner, each seek damages ranging from $2 million to $20 million, and stem from six separate incidents between 2021 and 2023.

Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that most of the incidents grew out of disputes over collecting fares, according to Philip Dinhofer, the Rockville Centre attorney representing the five men and two women suing the railroad.

Of the seven workers, five remain employed by the LIRR, one resigned and one retired, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR’s parent organization.

Asked about the lawsuits, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said the transit authority “will never compromise on employee safety."

Dinhofer said his clients suffered injuries from the attacks, including brain trauma, nerve damage, hearing loss and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Newsday reported in June that the LIRR’s crime rate in 2023 reached its highest point in at least 18 years, including an increase in assaults. Of the 45 assaults last year, 19 were against MTA employees, the transit authority has said.

Through August of this year, there were 38 assaults on the LIRR, up from 28 during the same period last year, according to MTA police statistics.

Mentioned in this episode:

Long Island Morning Edition is part of Your Election 2024, a special collection of programs, series, and resources from The WNET Group to illuminate election issues on-air, online, and on YouTube leading into the November 5th elections. Find more at wliw.org/yourelection2024.