Four human cases have also been reported this season. #SuffolkNewsNow #WestNile #SuffolkCounty #AuxioTV
Tag: economic_impact
-
Topper’s Record Shows What a K-9 Unit Adds to Public Safety on the East End
By Raheem Soto, Publisher
The recent work of Southampton Village Police K-9 Topper should cause residents to pay close attention to what happens next with the Village’s K-9 program.
On September 15, Southampton Village Police said their license plate reader system alerted officers to a vehicle being operated by a man wanted by the NYPD in connection with a shooting. Officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop and took the man into custody.
Police said a search of the vehicle recovered a loaded Mac-11 9mm pistol. Then Topper went to work.
According to the department, Topper alerted officers to the vehicle’s center console, where police subsequently located a quantity of crack cocaine.
That single incident illustrates something that can sometimes get lost when municipal budgets and equipment decisions are discussed in the abstract: a trained police dog is a working public-safety asset with capabilities that are difficult to duplicate.
Southampton Village Police itself describes its K-9 unit as capable of assisting with burglaries in progress, tracking missing people, detecting drugs and evidence, apprehension, officer protection, deterrence and maintaining order.
And Topper’s record goes well beyond this month’s arrest.
Village records show that in 2019, officials credited Topper with assisting Southampton Town Police in detaining and capturing a suspect.
In 2023, Topper and his handler, Officer James Moore, were recognized by the Village after another incident in which the K-9 team helped locate and safely resolve a situation involving a person in crisis. Trustee Robin Brown publicly described the incident as an example of how a trained Southampton Village Police resource could help bring a potentially dangerous situation to a positive conclusion.
Topper and Moore were recognized again in 2024 as Village employees of the month.
This is why the future of Southampton Village’s K-9 program deserves a transparent public discussion as Topper approaches the later stages of his service career.
There have been community conversations about Topper eventually retiring and questions about what comes after him. I have not found an official Village resolution establishing that the K-9 program will end, nor documentation confirming claims that Village leadership has rejected obtaining another police dog.
More recent information actually indicates continued investment in the capability.
The newly formed Southampton Public Safety Foundation announced in September that it plans to provide specialized equipment for a new K-9 vehicle for the Southampton Village Police Department. The Foundation also said a donor-designated contribution will support the department’s K-9 program.
That is encouraging, but it also makes clarity important.
Residents should know what the long-term plan is. Will Topper retire with another trained team prepared to take over? Will there be a gap in service? What will training, acquisition and ongoing operating costs look like? And how much of that support will come from the Village versus private donations?
Those are reasonable public-safety questions.
The East End presents unusual policing challenges. Our communities include beaches, wooded areas, waterfronts, seasonal population surges, major events and long stretches of territory where officers may need specialized resources quickly. A properly trained K-9 team can assist with far more than narcotics enforcement.
Southampton Village’s own experience demonstrates that.
The discussion about what follows Topper should therefore begin with his actual record — not assumptions about what a police K-9 does.
From suspect apprehension to missing-person searches, crisis response and narcotics detection, Topper has provided Southampton Village Police with a capability that officers have repeatedly used in real-world situations.
Whatever decision ultimately comes next, residents deserve to understand the plan and the public-safety capabilities involved.
Topper has earned at least that much.
-
Carozza Campaign Picks Up Steam With Well-Attended East Quogue Fundraiser
EAST QUOGUE, NY — Richard Carozza’s campaign for Southampton Town Supervisor is picking up activity as Election Day approaches, with a well-attended fundraiser Thursday night at Dockers Waterside Restaurant in East Quogue.
The September 17 event brought together supporters, local residents and familiar Southampton political figures for an evening that also featured recording artist Samantha Cole.
Among those attending were former Southampton Town Trustees Scott Horowitz and Ed Warner Jr., Southampton Town Republican Committee Vice Chairman Raheem Soto, and other members of the community.
The Dockers gathering comes as Carozza moves further into the fall phase of his campaign. His official campaign website lists the East Quogue fundraiser among his campaign events and identifies housing affordability, Town Hall accountability, reducing government red tape, protecting water quality and expanding sewers among his stated priorities.
Carozza is the Southampton Republican Committee’s nominee for Town Supervisor in the November 2026 election and is challenging incumbent Supervisor Maria Moore.
The campaign has increasingly focused on direct voter engagement as the election draws closer, with the Dockers fundraiser providing another opportunity for Carozza to meet residents and build visibility across Southampton Town.
Brett Corvino Chief of Staff for the Carozza Campaign stated “We were very pleased with the turnout at Dockers and the opportunity for Rich to spend time speaking directly with people from across Southampton Town.
As we move into the final weeks of the campaign, we’re focused on continuing that outreach and making sure residents have a chance to hear directly from Rich about the issues that matter to their communities.”
-
Palumbo Targets Senior Scams With New Riverhead Fraud Prevention Seminar
RIVERHEAD — New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo is teaming up with Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office for a senior-focused financial scam prevention seminar in Riverhead.
The event is scheduled for Sept. 15 at the Riverhead Free Library and will focus on helping older residents recognize and avoid common financial scams, identity theft schemes and other forms of fraud targeting seniors.
The program is designed to give residents practical information about how scams work, what warning signs to watch for and where to report suspicious activity.
For Palumbo, the seminar fits into a broader emphasis on public safety and consumer protection, while addressing a problem that can have especially serious consequences for older residents living on fixed incomes.
Protecting Seniors From Financial Fraud
Financial scams targeting seniors have become increasingly sophisticated, often using phone calls, text messages, email, social media and impersonation tactics designed to pressure victims into sending money or sharing personal information.
The Riverhead seminar will give residents an opportunity to hear directly from officials and learn how to recognize some of the most common warning signs.
Palumbo and Giglio are also working with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, bringing a law-enforcement perspective to the event and giving residents information about how suspected fraud can be reported and investigated.
Local Outreach on the East End
Holding the seminar at the Riverhead Free Library also gives East End residents a local opportunity to access fraud-prevention information without having to travel far from their communities.
Palumbo represents New York’s 1st Senate District, which includes much of eastern Suffolk County.
For seniors and their families, the event offers a straightforward public-service benefit: better information about how to protect personal finances before a scam succeeds.
What Residents Can Expect
The seminar is expected to cover issues including:
- common financial scams targeting seniors
- identity theft warning signs
- suspicious phone and online activity
- steps residents can take to protect personal information
- how and where to report suspected fraud
The event is part of a broader effort by state and county officials to raise awareness before residents become victims.
For Palumbo, it is another example of bringing state and county resources directly into the district and focusing on an issue with an immediate impact on local families.
-
Duane “Keffe D” Davis Found Guilty in Tupac Shakur Murder Case
LAS VEGAS — A jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty in connection with the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, bringing the trial phase of the decades-old case to a close.
A Court TV courtroom graphic supplied to AUXIO reported that the jury reached its verdict after deliberating for less than three hours.
Davis was prosecuted in Clark County, Nevada, in the case arising from the fatal shooting of Shakur in Las Vegas nearly 30 years ago.
The verdict represents a conviction, rather than an allegation or pending charge. Any sentencing decision, post-trial motions or appeal will be separate stages of the case and should be reported as those developments become part of the official court record.
The Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County maintains the official records for felony criminal cases. The court says its Clerk of the Court maintains the official case files and that trial and hearing minutes are added to the court’s online records as they become available.
The court also warns that portions of its online case information can lag behind courtroom activity. Court minutes are entered after proceedings, while some filing information can take additional time to appear. The Clerk’s Office remains the controlling source for verification of the official case record.
Shakur’s killing has remained one of the most closely followed cases in music and hip-hop history. The rapper was 25 when he died following a shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996.
Davis’ prosecution brought the case back into a courtroom decades later, generating renewed attention around the circumstances of Shakur’s death and the investigation that followed.
With the jury now returning a guilty verdict, attention turns to the next stage of the criminal case.
-
Jermaine Dupri, Sony Resolve $18 Million Royalty Dispute
The So So Def founder has ended his federal lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment after the two sides told the court they had resolved the matter.
Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def companies have dropped a lawsuit that sought at least $18 million from Sony Music Entertainment over disputed royalty payments.
Dupri, So So Def Recordings and So So Def Productions filed the case July 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint accused Sony of underreporting or withholding royalties connected to recordings involving artists including Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat and Jagged Edge.
On Aug. 28, Dupri’s attorney filed a voluntary dismissal stating that the parties had resolved the matter. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the claims were not decided on their merits and could potentially be brought again. Sony had not filed a response to the allegations before the dismissal.
The filing does not disclose the terms of the resolution, whether Sony made any payment, or whether any royalty-accounting practices changed.
The original complaint said a 2025 audit uncovered alleged royalty discrepancies and sought at least $18 million plus interest and attorneys’ fees. Those claims were allegations and were never adjudicated by the court.
The dispute highlights a longstanding issue in the music business: how artists, producers and labels verify royalty accounting under decades-old recording agreements.
-
CMPD Says Queen City Safe Operation Nets 22 Arrests, 14 Guns in Uptown and South End
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say a large multi-agency enforcement operation in Uptown and South End resulted in 22 arrests, 14 firearms seized and nearly 578 grams of suspected narcotics taken off the street.
The Aug. 21 operation was the eighth Queen City Safe deployment of 2026, according to CMPD. The recurring initiative targets identified crime hot spots with increased officer visibility and coordinated enforcement.
CMPD said the latest operation produced 162 traffic stops, 133 citations, 22 arrests, 14 firearms seized, approximately 578 grams of suspected narcotics seized and $2,956 in U.S. currency seized.
The operation involved CMPD Crime Reduction Units and the Entertainment District Unit, along with Alcohol Law Enforcement, Mecklenburg County ABC, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Police said the objective is not limited to arrests. Queen City Safe is designed to reduce violent crime and address quality-of-life problems in areas where authorities say criminal activity is concentrated.
The latest numbers add to a broader enforcement push across Charlotte.
Since January, CMPD says Queen City Safe operations have resulted in 1,294 traffic stops, 527 citations, 165 arrests and 83 firearms seized. Police also report approximately 5,577 grams of suspected narcotics and $31,481 in currency seized through the initiative so far this year.
The numbers show the scale of enforcement, but they do not by themselves establish how much crime has been prevented.
That distinction matters.
CMPD’s broader crime statistics have shown significant declines in several categories, including robberies and aggravated assaults, while also showing increases in other areas. Earlier this year, the department reported robberies down 26% and aggravated assaults down 18% compared with 2025, while first-quarter homicides were up from 16 to 22.
That makes Queen City Safe an important test of Charlotte’s current public-safety strategy.
The program relies on concentrated enforcement, repeated deployments and cooperation across multiple agencies. The accountability question is whether those operations produce sustained reductions in violent crime and disorder after officers leave the targeted area.
CMPD says the operations will continue across the city.
As with any enforcement action, arrests are not convictions, and the substances reported seized by police are described as suspected narcotics pending further legal proceedings.
-
Southold Adopts New Police Protocol for Federal Immigration Operations
SOUTHOLD, N.Y. — Southold Town has formally adopted new procedures governing how its police department responds when federal immigration agents or other outside law-enforcement agencies conduct operations within the town.
The Town Board unanimously approved the public-safety resolution on Aug. 25 following months of debate over the proper role of local government during federal immigration enforcement actions. Southold has also published accompanying “Outside Agency Procedures” through its Public Safety Task Force.
The policy does not give Southold authority over federal immigration enforcement. Immigration law remains a federal responsibility, and the town previously emphasized that Southold Police would not obstruct federal authorities carrying out federal law.
Instead, the new framework establishes a local response when outside law-enforcement activity is reported in the community.
According to reporting on the adopted policy, Southold officers may be dispatched to the scene of reported federal immigration operations to determine what is occurring and provide a public-safety or de-escalation presence.
That distinction matters.
Local police have no power to veto a lawful federal immigration operation. But Southold officials are asserting a municipal interest in what happens around those operations—particularly when residents, protesters, bystanders or traffic become involved.
The policy grew out of a Public Safety Task Force established by the Town Board in February specifically to examine public-safety concerns connected to federal immigration activity. The town subsequently held multiple public meetings and reviewed proposals from officials, residents and advocacy organizations, including OLA of Eastern Long Island.
The final approach appears narrower than some earlier proposals.
OLA’s proposed local legislation included provisions governing access to nonpublic areas of municipal property, reporting requirements and a community immigration-enforcement task force. Southold ultimately proceeded with its own resolution and police procedures rather than simply adopting that proposal.
The accountability question now shifts from what the town intended to how the policy works in practice.
Southold officials will have to demonstrate that the procedures improve safety without creating confusion over jurisdiction, interfering with lawful federal enforcement or placing local officers unnecessarily between federal agents and political disputes over immigration policy.
The next significant test will come when another federal enforcement operation occurs within town boundaries.
At that point, residents will be able to judge whether Southold’s new framework produces greater order and transparency—or simply adds another layer of government to an already complicated enforcement environment.
-
New York’s $277 Billion Budget Raises a Bigger Question: Where Does the Spending Stop?
Perspective | East End Now | Auxio.tv News
New York’s latest state budget is estimated at $277 billion, up 7 percent from the previous year.
That number alone does not prove waste. Government spends money on schools, Medicaid, childcare, infrastructure and other services people depend on.
But the direction of travel is becoming harder to ignore.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned in July that New York’s financial plan now projects $31.8 billion in cumulative out-year budget gaps and expects spending to exceed receipts in each year of the plan. He also noted that state reserves were not increased despite the growing pressure.
The previous budget had already reached $254 billion, up 5.2 percent in a single year. State Operating Funds spending had grown at an average annual rate of 4.6 percent between 2019-20 and 2024-25, more than twice the pace of the preceding five-year period. Medicaid and school aid were among the biggest drivers.
That raises a legitimate policy question for taxpayers on Long Island:
At what point does continued spending growth become structurally unsustainable?
The issue is not simply partisan.
New York has always been a high-spending state. But Democrats have controlled the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature since 2019, meaning there has been little institutional resistance in Albany when major spending packages move forward.
One-party control does not automatically produce bad government. It does, however, reduce one of the traditional checks in a political system: the need to negotiate with an opposing legislative majority.
That matters when spending is already rising faster than revenues over the long term.
The contrast with Suffolk County is worth noting.
Suffolk has had its own serious fiscal problems over the years. But in 2025, both Fitch and S&P assigned the County AA- ratings, citing stronger reserves, improved liquidity, conservative budgeting and better long-term financial management. Suffolk reported unrestricted general-fund reserves of about $276 million, while rating agencies also pointed to improved budgetary flexibility.
That does not mean Suffolk has solved every fiscal problem.
It does show that governments can improve their financial position by building reserves, reducing reliance on one-time revenues and being more disciplined about long-term obligations.
Albany faces a different challenge.
The state is much larger, administers Medicaid and school aid on a scale counties do not, and remains highly exposed to federal funding decisions. Those differences matter.
But they do not eliminate the underlying arithmetic.
If spending consistently grows faster than recurring revenue, eventually government has only a few options: raise taxes, cut programs, borrow more, or find genuine efficiencies.
For East End residents, that debate is not abstract.
New York’s fiscal policy ultimately affects the tax environment in which families live, businesses operate and housing gets built. State mandates can also limit what counties and municipalities are able to change on their own.
That is why the question is bigger than whether one particular program deserves funding.
The question is whether Albany still has a working definition of enough.
New York can make legitimate choices to spend heavily on public services.
But every dollar government commits today becomes part of tomorrow’s baseline.
And once spending becomes permanent, reducing it becomes politically much harder than increasing it in the first place.
The state’s own Comptroller is now warning about long-term sustainability.
That should be enough to make the issue worth taking seriously.
East End Now — Your East End. Your News.
-
Moore Faces Questions as Southampton Tax Rate Climbs 7.7%
SOUTHAMPTON — Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore is heading into another election season with a record that now includes a noticeable increase in what taxpayers are being asked to pay.
The town’s own 2026 budget message says the tax rate increased 7.7%, translating to roughly $118 more for a home assessed at $1 million. Moore’s administration attributed the increase largely to higher employee health insurance and pension costs and said the town remains financially strong.
But for voters, the explanation may be less important than the direction of the numbers.
The town’s 2026 budget charts show the full-town tax levy rising from about $31.47 million in 2025 to $36.84 million in 2026 — an increase of roughly $5.37 million, or 17%.
That puts Moore in an increasingly difficult position politically: defending higher costs while arguing that Southampton residents are receiving enough in return.
Moore owns the fiscal record
The supervisor is not merely another member of the Town Board.
Under Southampton Town’s own description of the office, the supervisor serves as the town’s chief administrative and fiscal officer, oversees town operations and participates directly in the management of town finances.
That means the 2026 numbers are likely to become part of the debate over Moore’s stewardship of Town Hall.
Her administration can point to legitimate strengths. Southampton received the highest AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor’s in 2024, and Moore’s budget message cited strong reserves, manageable debt and conservative budgeting as evidence of the town’s financial stability.
But a strong bond rating and a rising tax bill are two different measurements.
One tells Wall Street that Southampton can reliably meet its obligations.
The other tells homeowners what government is costing them.
The question shifts from stability to value
Southampton is an expensive town to operate. Labor costs rise. Health insurance rises. Infrastructure requires investment. Few serious candidates can credibly promise that government expenses will simply stop increasing.
The harder question for Moore is whether residents believe the growth in government costs has produced a corresponding improvement in daily life.
Housing affordability remains an enduring concern. Traffic and development continue to dominate discussions across multiple hamlets. Residents routinely confront questions involving infrastructure, code enforcement, public safety and the pace of major town projects.
Those are areas where an incumbent eventually has to defend outcomes, rather than intentions.
Moore’s 2026 departmental assignments underscore how directly many of those issues fall under her responsibility. Her portfolio includes finance, human resources, land management, municipal works, public safety, the town attorney and several major special projects.
That gives her substantial authority.
It also leaves fewer places to shift responsibility when voters ask what has been accomplished.
An incumbent has to defend the record
For a challenger, running for supervisor can be comparatively simple: identify problems and promise a different approach.
An incumbent carries a heavier burden.
Moore has to make the case that Southampton’s higher tax burden, expanding expenditures and ongoing projects represent money well spent.
The town remains financially stable. That deserves acknowledgement.
But financial stability is the minimum residents should expect from one of Long Island’s wealthiest municipalities.
As the supervisor’s race develops, the more consequential question may be whether Southampton residents believe Town Hall has become more effective at the same pace that it has become more expensive.
That is a question Moore, as the town’s chief fiscal officer, will increasingly have to answer.