2025 – a year for the books, no doubt.
It’s safe to say that many people are wearing an “I wish I wasn’t living through a major historical event” button on their lapels at all times. The last several years have certainly broken precedent: tumultuous elections and political upheavals, chaos in the streets and division on principle, a worldwide pandemic, and a globe that is ostensibly inching toward World War III.
Tension has never been more palpable, but we look at it this way: times, just like politics and economies, are cyclical. We’re looking forward to making it out of the woods, however long that might take, to a more peaceful and less eventful world. If anything, we’re living through a period to which an entire history textbook will be dedicated and one that the future generations’ schoolchildren will be pressed to study.
But 2025 marked the first quarter of the Twenty-First Century – not such a smooth one to date – and its events have certainly broken the mold.
Here in the U.S.A.
The start of the year marked the triumphant return of Donald Trump (R-FL) to the White House, making him the first Republican in history and the second president, after Grover Cleveland (D-NY), to serve two non-consecutive terms. Most of what Trump has done, for better or for worse, has rewritten the political playbook, in terms of foreign, domestic, and economic policies. We’ve seen two wars possibly ended – Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas – although the dust is far from settled, with the implications possibly more serious than the wars themselves.
New York City elected its first socialist mayor in Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria). The entire country, but certainly the Tri-State Area, waits with bated breath to see how this remarkable political development shakes out.
The states are at “war” with each other too. We’ve spared no expense in covering the nationwide redistricting “arms race” that is currently displaying how a cooperatively federalist republic can devolve into tribal corners and paint even redder – or bluer – lines in the sand. Policies, lawsuits, referenda, and fiscal soft power is the name of the game to get one’s way; it’s a place we hoped to have not seen our country at this point in time.
The Wild West of a Cold War
The U.S. has no doubt been in a Cold War with China since the early-to-mid 2010s – at least in earnest. Even if the historians aren’t calling it that yet, that’s what it is. It’s what governed almost all of the conflicts, wars, and economic policy across the globe for the better part of the last decade. Those who don’t remember the Cold War with the USSR now get a taste of what it was like based on the U.S. and world relations with China.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reached leaps and bounds since last year. While AI got decently impressive last year, in just a year, it’s turned downright frightening. Video/Audio deepfakes, false arrests, mis/disinformation are all off the charts, all while AI has only improved exponentially since last year and the once-questionable is now practically unmistakable – until it is.
And with little to no regulation governing it, we’re now in the middle of the free-for-all it would inevitably become. The Wild West of AI is upon us and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. We’ll likely continue to be in an every-man-for-himself environment with this earth-shattering technology, as developments occur faster than lawmakers can ascertain regulations.
While AI does certainly have its strong suits, its true potential has yet to be unlocked. The question there is, will its creators and puppeteers use these powers for good or for evil? Hint: two things can be true at the same time.
AI and high-tech are tantamount to this Cold War with China. The race to be the first in this new age has spoils and power farther than the eye can see. With that, will the absolute pinnacle of AI’s capabilities be treated as the deterrent that nuclear weapons have been since World War II?
The future doesn’t depend on AI. It belongs to it.
Culture, Culture, Culture
Arguably one of the largest developments of 2025’s culture corner has been the finale season to Netflix’s smash hit Stranger Things. The 1980s-centric series masterfully dovetails the genres of coming-of-age, conspiracy-mystery, and downright horror in each episode, all while the show – even down to the very scene – is shot with The Goonies, Star Wars, and Stand By Me – and more – in mind. The first four episodes were released before Thanksgiving, with the second batch of episodes releasing on Christmas, and the series finale set for New Year’s Eve.
2025 also saw the passing of some notable celebrities, including, but not limited to, Diane Keaton, Val Kilmer, Hulk Hogan, David Lynch, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, and, of course, the great Ozzy Osbourne. We’re also devastated to hear of the passing of Rob Reiner and his wife at their home in Los Angeles. The investigation is still ongoing, but American film culture lost a titan of the industry that directed well-known titles The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally, among others.
On the bright side, the legendary Dick Van Dyke became a centenarian on December 13 – a worthy honor for perhaps one of American culture’s most recognizable faces and valuable contributors.
At Home in Suffolk
Suffolk’s 2025 also brought some history as well. Brutal primaries in Smithtown and Huntington this summer were unlike what many seasoned political observers had ever seen, while the key word this year was “development” – or in some cases, “overdevelopment.”
If 2025 taught Suffolk anything, it’s that balance is key.
Former Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) was sworn in to lead President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) was elected to lead the House Homeland Security Committee – two massive developments that put Suffolk in the national spotlight and speak volumes to its microcosmic nature of the country overall.
In March, Suffolk had a brush with some brush fires out east, a rare development on the Island in general. Thanks to our top-notch Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services (FRES), and thanks to God for having the winds blow east, the Tri-Hamlet Area did not look like Los Angeles within just one weekend of the burn.
Suffolk and Nassau jointly opposed Albany’s even-year election law. We hope New York State is more receptive to local control and Suffolk’s needs this coming session. With that, we also hope that our previously published “New York Christmas List” is heeded. Reform the criminal justice “reforms”, treat adults like adults, and most importantly, stop antagonizing crime victims.
Speaking of New York State, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) announced her campaign for governor next year. The North Country Republican seems keen to give Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) a run for her money in what we expect to be the marquee race of the crucial 2026 midterms.
District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) and Sheriff Errol Toulon (D) were soundly re-elected without opposition – a great litmus test in balance: two parties, two positions, but working lockstep to make Suffolk safer. Gilgo Beach got closer to coming to trial and becomes the first criminal case in the state to have mitochondrial DNA evidence at the forefront of its prosecution.
Vehicular traffic, BESS facilities, “going purple”, a “plan” for New York’s energy crisis and not a “ban”, a government shutdown, the Smith Point Bridge, a “keeper” for Lake Ronkonkoma, growth at MacArthur Airport, the State’s first “Seafood Trail”, ADA playgrounds, the Kings Park rail yard, sewers in Oakdale, the Patchogue Hotel, illegal housing, the EpCAL property in Calverton, the Mill Pond and Stump Pond dams, and the Holtsville Ecology Site are just some of the biggest stories that we covered this year that all have defined Suffolk’s history in one way or another. Even an innocuous mark in history is still a mark.
This accompanies all of our favorite stories: the ribbon-cuttings, the respected Veterans, the students who excel, parades, play reviews, local authors, and public interest stories. This is the bread and butter of Suffolk and the soul of any community. We’ve appreciated your input to hold up our responsibility as a publication to cover those events with justice.
Here’s to an equally historic, yet ideally mundane, 2026 – with even better and broader coverage brought to you by your team at The Messenger.
And who knows? With the snow we just had, we might just see Suffolk’s first “official” White Christmas since 2009.
