🌱 New 363 Area Code + High Winds Cause Power Outages

Hey, Five Towns! Let's get you all caught up to start this Saturday, Feb. 19 off on an informed note. Here's what's going on in town today.

First, today's weather:

A snow shower in the p.m. High: 42 Low: 22.

Here are the top three stories today in Five Towns:

1. Nassau County's new 363 area code will begin being assigned to phone numbers starting Jan. 20, 2023. The area code won't affect existing 516 phone numbers. (Patch)
2. High winds got up to 68 miles per hour in Orient and 53 miles per hour in Merrick on Friday morning. By 11 a.m., PSEG Long Island recorded 325 outages affecting 4,918 customers. (Subscription: Newsday)
3. UBS Arena has updated its protocol based on guidance from New York's Department of Health making wearing masks optional. (Patch)

Today in Five Towns:

• Pre Purim Fun at Jewish Children's Museum, Jewish Children's Museum, 792 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Nassau County Police Department welcomes 158 new Nassau County Police Officers! They graduated from the Academy this week. (Facebook)
• Four Hewlett High School senior athletes signed letters of intent to play a sport in college this week: Mark Winkler, lacrosse at DeSales University; Rami Ben Yossef, lacrosse at Hartwick College; Evan Greenberg, football at Utica University and Shira Gamson track & field at Muhlenberg College. (Facebook)
• Nextdoor Neighbor, Hewlett/Woodmere: "Where can I donate clothes in a bin nearby, not Salvation Army? Are there bins nearby somewhere?" (Nextdoor)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• BEACH HOUSE GALLERY & STUDIO has New Art Works to See Each Month! (February 20)
• Learn How To Reduce Your Risk For Heart Disease During American Heart Month (February 28)
• Get A ‘Taste Of Paradise’ During This Exclusive Event At Atlantis (February 28)
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Announcements:

• Behind The Scoreboard — More Than A Cyclist, A Hero! (Details)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with your next update.

— Jackie