Week in Review: Greenport Stays Under Tax Cap, Southold Settles Suit

Following the case of a local brother and sister who were  after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation took 90 pounds of their fish last July and , South Fork Assemblyman Fred Thiele is proposing legislation to put a check on DEC searches.

: On Tuesday, the Southold Town Board agreed to replace a boulder removed from a Mattituck property and pay the property owners' $15,000 legal fees to settle a federal lawsuit that was filed against the town and Southold Supervisor Scott Russell in December 2011.

East End commuters will be able to ride the rails to work starting in 2014, as a finalized state budget agreement includes $37.2 million for new light diesel trains on the Montauk and Greenport branches, according to 's office.

: In an effort to reduce energy costs and promote dark skies in the town, the Southold Town Board is entertaining the idea of replacing the town’s street lights with more energy efficient technology. At Tuesday’s work session, the town board listened to a presentation on the potential benefits of replacing its 1,500 lighting fixtures with modern fixtures, which could result in energy savings for the town.

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Southold Town is working with Suffolk County to open an additional 144 acres of jointly-owned land to hunters this fall. Deputy Director of Public Works, Jeff Standish and Laura Klahre, who works with the Deer Management Task Force, discussed the plan with the Southold Town Board at its Tuesday work session.

: After listening to the public’s opposition to passing a law allowing the village to pierce the New York State 2 percent tax cap, the Greenport Village Board rejected a resolution allowing it to pierce the tax cap levy in its 2012-2013 budget.

: will be serving as the interim pastor at the starting this weekend. LaMothe, who serves at pastor to the t, said the added responsbilities do not really phase him. He said the church was going through transition and he ofered to help them out because his church was only three miles away.

: Marie Beninati, owner of Beninati Associates and Belvedere Bed and Breakfast, has found a new source of inspiration in recent years as Chairwoman of the Board at San Simeon by the Sound.

: Michael Gorton just might have the hottest wine tasting group on the East End. Informally dubbed the Secret Society of Unknown, Unnamed, Underground Tasters, the group has gone from a small group of local wine country insiders to attract a trove of new enthusiasts, so much so that the monthly meeting has a waiting list that can be dozens long. And in a region where tasting groups can be common, and wineries and retail stores host their own tasting events on a regular basis, that's saying something.