Carissa Katz

Editor at Freelance

Managing editor of The East Hampton Star

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easthamptonstar.com

Articles

It’s Purple Inside and Out, and It’s Here

1 week ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

When Donald Horowitz heard about a cherry tomato that was purple through and through, he was instantly intrigued. “I’m always looking for something that is either new or different to present to the customer,” said the co-owner of Wittendale’s, a florist and garden center that squeezes a remarkable array of plants onto just over an acre on East Hampton’s Newtown Lane.
Two School Records at State Qualifier

2 weeks ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

East Hampton High School's girls track team finished its spring season at the state qualifier meet at Comsewogue High School last week with much to be proud of, including two school records and a number of P.R.s"We had the largest participation at this level since I've been coaching," Yani Cuesta, the team's coach, said in an email on Sunday.
Big Events for Kids, for Free

1 month ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

Two South Fork institutions — the Children’s Museum of the East End and the Watermill Center — have big events planned for families on Saturday, and both are free. For those with younger children between ages 2 and 8, CMEE in Bridgehampton will be the place to be from 10 a.m. to noon for a Block Party that is both literal — with real blocks and building activities — and figurative in the community-building sense.
East End Girls Lacrosse Goes Undefeated

1 month ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

The fifth-and-sixth-grade girls on the East End Lacrosse team went undefeated this spring, finishing 9-0 after wrapping up the season at the Suffolk County Girls Lacrosse Jamboree at Bellport High School over the May 17 and 18 weekend. The players, who attend schools from Montauk to Southampton, had Neil Falkenhan — a runner and triathlete who is often at the front of the pack in races here — as their head coach. Assisting him were Kristin MacPherson and Jessica Zay.
Fowkes Qualifies for USA Track and Field Nationals

1 month ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

Ryan Fowkes, a 24-year-old East Hampton native, has qualified for the U.S.A. Track and Field Nationals in Eugene, Ore., an Olympic-level competition in July that is a qualifier for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Fowkes ran the 1,500-meter race at the Hill City Twilight Meet in Lynchburg, Va., on Friday in a jaw-dropping 3:38.07, a personal best. In doing so, he "shaved 5 seconds off" his previous best time, "which is huge," his mother, Jenn Fowkes, said.
Helen S. Rattray Made Her Mark

2 months ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

Helen S. Rattray may have stood only 5-foot-1 in her prime, but she was a towering figure in the newsroom and in the town her paper served. A consummate journalist, exacting editor, and dedicated champion of the free press, Ms. Rattray served as publisher of The East Hampton Star until her death on April 16 and was its editor in chief from 1980 until 2003, when her eldest son, David E. Rattray, took over that role.
Mrs. Hoagland’s Unexpected Legacy

2 months ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

The Monogram Shop in East Hampton has always been a family affair. Valerie Smith opened the store with her daughter, Hadley, 27 years ago. And when her late mother, Constance Hoagland, was well into her 90s, she would be there, too, presiding over the desk and getting to know the customers. “She loved coming into the shop,” Ms. Smith said. “She was a great asset in the store and I think lots and lots of people remember her being there.”And while Mrs.
Days of Crime and Mystery

2 months ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

Hamptons Whodunit, a mystery and true-crime festival now in its third year in East Hampton Village, kicks off with a cocktail party at the Maidstone Club next Thursday evening and continues with three days of discussions, tours, book signings, and interactive events. This will be the first year that the festival has become its own nonprofit, led by one of its founders, Carrie Doyle.
Town Police Officer Is Terminated

2 months ago | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

The East Hampton Town Board approved a resolution Tuesday to fire Police Officer Andrea Kess, a move her attorney said was payback for her own complaints against the Police Department. “They’re basically disciplining her for exposing their lies and recording them,” her attorney, Eric Sanders, said on Monday. While he was not yet aware when first reached by phone that Ms. Kess’s employment was to be terminated on Tuesday, he said he was not surprised.
Amagansett Principal Is Reinstated

Mar 27, 2025 | easthamptonstar.com | Carissa Katz

Thirteen and a half months after being placed on paid leave following accusations that she stole a $25 gift card meant for another staffer, the Amagansett School principal, Maria Dorr, returned to work Monday, cleared of all charges and “as passionate as ever about creating a school culture where respect, growth, and achievement flourish,” she said in a statement.