Federal officials are giving the MTA until March 21 to end its congestion pricing program in Manhattan, but Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York will continue to mount an "orderly resistance" to the Trump administration’s attempts to kill the tolling plan.Speaking at the monthly board meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Hochul addressed the uncertain future of congestion pricing after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, in a letter to her last week, said he was rescinding federal approval for the program and requesting an "orderly cessation" of the tolls."I will propose something in the alternative: orderly resistance," Hochul said. "The fight’s not over."Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that Federal Highway Administration executive director Gloria Shepherd followed up Duffy's letter with another telling state, city and MTA officials they "must cease the collection of tolls" by March 21. MTA CEO and Chairman Janno Lieber yesterday confirmed federal officials have told the transit authority to "wind it up" in just over three weeks, but made it clear the MTA has no intention of complying unless ordered by a judge.Launched Jan. 5 following years of planning, debate and legal challenges, the MTA’s Central Business District Tolling Program charges most vehicles $9 for driving on 60th Street and below in Manhattan during peak hours. The plan aims to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and generate funding for mass transit including the LIRR.***The Southampton Town Board this past Tuesday closed a public hearing on a proposal to phase out all sand mines on residentially zoned property in town. The board did not indicate when it would vote on the proposal, which has the support of its Democratic majority.Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that after reading comments from the Town Planning Board, which also supported the measure, Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore said at the February 25 meeting that the board would still have to review the proposed law to make sure it meets the standards of the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Opponents of the measure, who packed an initial public hearing, were nowhere to be found both Tuesday and last month when the board also solicited public comment. The Planning Board also recommended that the Southampton Town Board use money from the Community Preservation Fund to purchase former sand mines, a measure it said would speed up the amortization process. The amortization proposal, which was unveiled last October, would require mines that have extracted all of the sand allowed by their mining permits to close within a year. Those that still have sand left to mine would be allowed to petition the Zoning Board of Appeals for an extension of up to seven years to exhaust their allotments. They would also be allowed to argue before the ZBA that they should be given additional time.***A British-style boarding school complete with uniforms and boater hats is preparing to open in Oakdale in September, after receiving a provisional charter for a 6-12 school from the NYS Board of Regents.Harrow International School New York is scheduled to be the first American affiliate of the 450-year-old Harrow School in London, whose alumni include Winston Churchill and Benedict Cumberbatch. The Oakdale campus is undergoing a $100 million-plus renovation, officials said.Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that Harrow officials led an open house at the 170-acre campus of the former LaSalle Military Academy and St. John’s University in Oakdale on Tuesday.The school expects to open for up to 80 students this year, with plans to eventually accommodate about 400, a school official said.***With the infestation of the southern pine beetle on Long Island entering its 12th year, a separate insect and a fungus — along with...

Hochul to resist Trump administration attempts to kill congestion pricing