westhampton beach Archives » Michelle Trauring

East End Clergy Brace for Restricted Holiday Season

Blog December 2, 2020

For nearly two decades, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Southampton had never once locked its doors, keeping them open for rest, prayer, solace and peace 24 hours a day, seven days a week — with no exceptions.

It was a tradition born from the devastation of September 11, 2001, a time when religious, spiritual and agnostic individuals alike needed guidance, or simply a place to go, following the terrorist attack on New York City that day, just 90 miles away.

Weighed down by uncertainty and fear, parishioners sought a similar degree of comfort when the COVID-19 outbreak reached the East End this past March. Some turned to their houses of worship as beacons of hope — and, in the case of St. John’s, knew the doors would always be open.

Until they weren’t.

Jake Greenbaum, Unofficial Westhampton Beach Mayor, Dies At 30

Blog September 2, 2020

Without fail, Jake Greenbaum woke up every morning with a beaming smile.

It lit up his parents, Clint and Elisa, and their home in Westhampton Beach. It stopped longtime neighbors in their tracks as he whizzed by on his tandem bicycle, waving and clapping enthusiastically down Main Street, perhaps on his way to the ocean to swim in the waves.

It was woven into his selfless, sweet and outgoing nature — his kindness, generosity and optimism undoubtedly casting him as the village’s unofficial mayor. He was a man who lived a life full of fun and adventure, who never let his special needs hold him back, who embodied pure joy and total love.

25 Years Later: A Look Back At the Sunrise Wildfire

Award-Winning Blog August 22, 2020

It came like a great storm.

The skies darkened, smoke filled the air, the noise almost deafening. When he saw the flames, Dean Culver dropped to the pavement, too far from his car to seek proper shelter.

And then, in an unexpected move, the flames jumped.

In an instant, the wall of fire leapt from treetop to treetop, skipping over the 400-foot-wide asphalt span that is Sunrise Highway — its 200-foot-tall flames unable to burn the road, or even lick the army of firefighters flattened up against it.

East End Hospice Turns Bereavement Support Group Toward COVID-19

Award-Winning Blog Health June 3, 2020 2 Comments

In my 10 years of reporting, this is one of the most heartbreaking stories I have ever experienced.

I cried over and over again writing it. My editor cried reading it.

As I’ve learned, the bereavement and trauma coming out of the COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented, but the stories of loss are eerily similar, marked by a sudden illness and a rapid decline — their family and friends left behind in the chaos.

To Maribeth Edmonds, and Lauren and Eileen Weinclawski, the way in which you shared your stories, with such raw honesty and openness, was staggering. You will help others understand the weight of this pandemic, opening their eyes and hearts to a world that is impossible to understand — unless you’ve lived it.