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Thursday, August 27, 2026 ~ Volume 71 ~ Issue Number 45 ~ $1.00
State GOP Ticket Stumps in Suffolk By Matt Meduri With just about two months to go until Election Day, all bets are off in the tumultuous national environment and the crucial 2026 midterms. But in New York, a different battle is afoot - one against Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg), who is seeking a second full term, two other statewide officials, and the Democratic majority in the State Legislature. Democrats gained a trifecta in New York after the 2018 elections, when the Party of Jackson flipped 8 seats to take control of the chamber that had otherwise been institutionally Republican for decades. (Left to right) Comptroller candidate Joe Hernandez, Nassau Co. Exec. Bruce Blakeman, A.G. candidate Saritha Komatireddy in St. James on Thursday (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Continued on page 5
Town Passes Data Center Moratorium By Matt Meduri The national hot-button argument on data centers and AI at-large have come to Suffolk. The Town of Brookhaven held a contentious meeting last month that resulted in a unanimous 18-month moratorium on all data centers while the Town Board works to study and classify them within Town Code. A full ban is not off the table. The Town of Islip now joins Brookhaven in having passed their own 18-month moratorium. New York State, by executive order of Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg), passed a one-year moratorium on data centers, but only those above 50 megawatts (MW) in usage - “hyperscale” data centers. The Islip Town Board unanimously approved the moratorium earlier this month. It is in place until February 28, 2028. Like Brookhaven’s measure, and unlike New York’s ban, the Islip moratorium does not exclude facilities under a certain size threshold. Continued on page 10
Islip Town Hall (Credit - Matt Meduri)
FULL STORIES ON:
State Reps. Push Bail Reform Page 4
Community Spotlight: Oconee Diner Page 13
Hauppauge Rebrands Industrial Park Page 15