Southampton Village police dispatcher charged after accidentally firing gun in car

Long Island Morning Edition

Two powerful hurricanes rampaged through the southeastern U.S. in the past month, leaving behind catastrophic flooding, washed out roads, downed power lines and more than 200 deaths across six states, from Florida through the southern Appalachians. Tracy Tullis reports in NEWSDAY that according to climate scientists, fierce, quickly accelerating storms such as Helene and Milton are developing more often as the planet heats up. Along the East Coast and northern parts of the North Atlantic, temperatures are running close to 9 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1971-2000 average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This year’s hurricane season has been a ferocious one. Hurricane Beryl, which tore through the Caribbean, the Yucatán Peninsula and the U.S. Gulf Coast in Late June and early July was "the earliest category-5 Atlantic hurricane on record," NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad announced in August. Milton was the fifth-largest ever in the Atlantic Basin.

So far, Long Island has been spared, and the peak hurricane season is winding down. Matt Rosencrans, NOAA's lead hurricane forecaster, said yesterday that there's about a 30% chance of any tropical storm forming in the next few weeks, and a lower chance that such a storm could reach the Northeast. Officially, hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin continues through the end of November.

Hurricanes form over tropical oceans, drawing their power from warm, damp air and warm ocean water.

Some of these big storms form in the Caribbean, "then curve up the coast," said Brian Colle, professor of atmospheric science at Stony Brook University, who studies climate and coastal meteorology. "Those are the ones that affect Long Island."

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A Southampton Village police dispatcher was charged almost a month after he accidentally fired his handgun while in a moving car in Water Mill, wounding his hand and striking a passenger, whose wallet stopped the bullet, authorities said yesterday.

Arrested and charged Wednesday with reckless endangerment was Alfred Callahan III, 37, of Southampton, according to a news release issued by the Southampton Town Police Department. He was released and is due in court at a later date.

Matthew Chayes reports in NEWSDAY that the release said the shooting happened Sept. 14 before 10 a.m., as Callahan tried to unload the weapon, which he legally possessed, in order to secure it.

"The weapon discharged a bullet which struck Mr. Callahan in his hand, traveled through his hand and lodged in the wallet located in the pocket of a passenger in the vehicle," the release said.

The passenger sustained a bruise, according to Det. Sgt. Gina Laferrera of the Southampton Town police force, which found out about the shooting after the hospital called the police. She said the wallet has a strong underside that stopped the bullet.

Callahan has been on leave since the shooting, according to Suzanne Hurteau, chief of the Village police, who said he has been on the job for about four years. She said the department is conducting its own investigation to decide if he’ll be disciplined.

The passenger's identity was not released.

Callahan is a former fire chief, according to Ryan Murphy, the town emergency management administrator.

Laferrera said Callahan is recovering and the case took about a month to investigate while witnesses were interviewed.

"I believe he is on the mend," she said.

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Sag Harbor Cinema continues its “Projections” series this coming Sunday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., with South Fork Bakery. This event is free and open to the public and will feature a panel discussion titled “Educate, Employ, Empower, and Beyond: Meaningful Employment and Opportunities for Adults With Disabilities.” The panel discussion will be anchored in the work of South Fork Bakery and supported by East End organizations that align with its mission. There will also be a presentation of local filmmaker Sam Hamilton’s most recent Sag Harbor Story about South Fork Bakery.

Robby Stein, Sag Harbor Cinema Advisory board member and South Fork Bakery board chairman, will moderate Sunday’s discussion and the Q&A that follows.

Sag Harbor Cinema founded the “Projections” series in 2021 with the goal to amplify the work and the mission of other East End nonprofit organizations by providing a space to have conversations and to build audiences using the cinema’s facility, network, and digital presence.

This Sunday's event begins at 3:30pm in the Sag Harbor Cinema.

Reserve at sagharborcinema.org.

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With the Kmart in Bridgehampton Commons shopping center set to close its doors this Sunday speculation is rife that Target, which already has a store in Riverhead, has set its sights on taking over the lease for the nearly 90,000-square-foot space which has been a Kmart since it took over the store from Caldor in 1999. So far, though, Kimco Realty, which owns Bridgehampton Commons, has not had much to say about who will occupy the space. “We are unable to share more at this time, but we hope to be able to in the coming month,” said Jennifer Maisch, the vice president for marketing and corporate communications at Kimco, in a recent email to Stephen J. Kotz of 27east.com. If Kimco has at least hinted at a date, Target has been mum. “We are continually evaluating potential store locations to serve new guests,” a Target spokeswoman said, “but I don’t have any new store news to share at this time.”However, in a story published on October 11, The Long Island Business News, citing “real estate industry sources,” reported that Target already has the lease, having purchased it “a few years ago” from Transformco, Kmart’s owner since 2019, in anticipation of moving in after Kmart closed. The Business News also reported that the new Target is not expected to open until late 2025 or early 2026, because it still has to go through the Southampton Town permitting process. The Bridgehampton Kmart is the last full-sized Kmart store in the United States, although there is a smaller Kmart in Miami. The company also continues to operate a handful of stores on Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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The Butterfly Effect Project, founded in 2014, has grown from 8 girls to more than 600 girls and boys. A historic complex at 1146 Main Rd. in Jamesport was recently gifted to the organization for its headquarters. Butterfly chapters meet every other week and work on building healthy relationships, gaining confidence, critical thinking and giving back to the community.

Perched on a hill on Main Road in Jamesport, the nonprofit which empowers young girls has found a new home in an old farmhouse — and is now ready to spread its wings.

Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that a pair of local philanthropists donated the 1.4-acre complex at 1146 Main Rd. to The Butterfly Effect Project, which enrolls more than 600 children across 28 chapters in eastern Suffolk County, according to founder and director Tijuana Fulford.

For most of its 10-year history, the organization used space in the basement of the First Baptist Church of Riverhead. Fulford, 41, said she had been searching for a building to buy and instead got a campus, giving the group room to grow with a permanent home.

Craig and Ina Hasday, of Laurel, bought the property for $950,000 last month and endowed it to the organization, which will be responsible for about $15,000 a year in property taxes and insurance, Fulford said. “That they want to change the trajectory of the program is such an inspiration,” Fulford said during a recent tour of the site. “This will change the organization forever.”

With its own home, Fulford hopes to grow the nonprofit and offer more activities for kids. Butterflies in the program can participate in everything from gardening and theater to college tours and vocational training. Enrollment is typically $25 and there are scholarships available to offer the programs at no cost.

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The Village of Southampton has scheduled a "Clean Water Project" community forum to discuss efforts to create a sewer district in downtown Southampton Village.

The event is tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 12 noon in the Southampton Village Hall board room; Village Hall is at 23 Main Street in Southampton.

Members of the Southampton Village board, the Clean Water Project Committee, and Dr. Christopher Gobler are expected to attend Saturday’s presentation and discussion.

Along with a presentation, the discussion will touch on topics including why a sewer district is needed; what the sewage treatment plant would look like; how it would work; and more, with an aim of dispelling "any myths or misconceptions," officials said.

Community members are encouraged to attend, ask questions and engage in the session.

The goal is "to engage residents on the project, provide transparency, and solicit feedback," per Southampton Village officials. "A sewer district is desperately needed to address the persistent pollution of Lake Agawam and other Southampton Village water bodies. A sewer system would strengthen the business district and allow for more restaurants and additional affordable housing options."

ALL ARE WELCOME to tomorrow's forum starting at 10 am in Southampton Village Hall at 23 Main Street in Southampton.

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When the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey embarked on $19 billion transformation of Kennedy Airport in 2022, part of its promise was a more modern, convenient and safe experience for travelers.

At an unassuming office park in Bohemia, Long Island, engineers and technicians are testing a variety of technologies they say will be the "brains" behind the transformed airport that will include two new terminals, updates to others and a simplified road network. Some additions — including a new Terminal 1 for international flights — are expected to open in June 2026, while others will take until 2030.

At the JFK Terminal 1 Pre-Production Center, contractors are tinkering with automated check-in and boarding kiosks that use facial recognition, potentially allowing travelers to glide through checkpoints without presenting identification. They are also testing self-service baggage drop stations and dozens of other technologies that travelers don’t typically see, like lighting and laser systems to guide pilots from the runway to the gate.

"The technology that's being tested out at this site, from check-in to baggage handling and everything that comes as part of the airport experience, will be state of the art," said Hersh Parekh, deputy chief of intergovernmental affairs for the Port Authority during a tour for reporters yesterday…including Peter Gill of NEWSDAY. The testing is beginning about two years ahead of rollout to ensure the new technologies work together, said Ricardo Pinillos, a project executive with Spain-based Ferrovial Construction, a partner on the project.

The $19 billion construction project at Kennedy Airport — of which the new technology is just one part — is funded through a partnership between the Port Authority and New Terminal One, a private consortium of companies led by Ferrovial.

The ongoing construction work at JFK is expected to create over 10,000 jobs, including 6,000 union construction jobs, according to the Port Authority.

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