🌱 Patchogue Daily: Mask Mandate Is Back + Teens Reported Missing

Good morning, people of Patchogue! It's me again, Debora Whitehead, your host of the Patchogue Daily.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 49, low: 36.

Here are the top 5 stories in Patchogue today:

1. Restaurants across Long Island looked a little different on Monday when Gov. Kathy Hochul's temporary mask or vaccine mandate goes into effect. Hochul says public places that opt for the mask requirement, rather than proof of full vaccination, must ensure that all patrons age 2 and older wear a mask at all times while indoors. The mask or vax mandate will be in effect until Jan. 15, at which point the state will reevaluate the status of cases, hospitalizations and vaccinations. (News12)
2. Suffolk police are asking for the public's help to find two teens who have been missing since last Thursday. Vincent Abolafia and his girlfriend Kaileigh Catalano, both of Manorville and both 15, were last seen at the Ronkonkoma LIRR station with the intention of boarding the 3:11 p.m. train to Manhattan on Thursday. The teens were each reported missing that same evening. The two may have been seen together in Times Square, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Seventh Squad detectives at 631-852-8752. (Patch)
3. On Dec. 6, Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilman Neil Foley visited the “North Pole” at the Town of Brookhaven’s INTERFACE Program headquarters in Patchogue to accept gift donations from NY State Senator Alexis Weik. The Senator collected dozens of toys in her district to help needy families have a happy holiday season. Donations can be dropped off now through Dec. 17., at Brookhaven Town Vehicle Control, 550 North Ocean Ave. in Patchogue (TBRNews)
4. Midnight on Main didn’t happen last year in the physical sense, but this year the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce officials are promising its Main Street return this New Year’s Eve, Friday, Dec. 31. Last year, the chamber hosted a virtual Midnight on Main Street New Year’s Eve Celebration. The year prior, in 2019, the ball rose for the first time at the intersection of West Main Street and Clare Rose Boulevard/West Avenue. (LIAdvance)
5. The Cross-Island Marathon was a former Port Jefferson to Patchogue road race. Attracting a record 1,175 runners in 1979, the annual event originated a decade earlier with a field of only 18 competitors. In 1969, the Patchogue Jaycees and the Cavalier Athletic Club co-sponsored a “Marathon Run” from Broadway Avenue in Holbrook to the ferry dock at the Patchogue Sandspit. Not a true marathon of 26 miles and 385 yards, the June 21 race was to cover slightly over seven miles but was shortened to a 5.5-mile event to avoid major thoroughfares. The co-sponsors extended the 1970 “Marathon Run” to 14 miles, starting the June 20 race at Nesconset Highway (Route 347) in Port Jefferson Station and finishing at the Rider Avenue entrance to Shorefront Park in Patchogue. (TBRNews)

Today's Patchogue Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Patchogue!

Today in Patchogue:

• TRE - Holiday Fair - Patchogue-Medford High School. (All Day)
• Strategic Planning Advisory Committee Meeting. (5:30 p.m.)
• Middle School Grade 6 Chorus Concert at Saxton. (6 p.m.)
• HS - Orchestra Concert - Patchogue-Medford High School. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• When you're looking for a new place, hunting down every new listing in the area can be a laborious job. That's why we here at Patch have stepped in and done the initial work for you.
  Here's a sampling of the latest batch of new houses to go up for sale in the Patchogue area. Click on the link. (Patchogue Patch)
• Marcello Molinari, 43, of Centereach, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Melissa Molinari. (Newsday)
• Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville hosts a blood drive on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 9-3 p.m., in the 2nd floor auditorium. Appointments preferred by calling 1-800-933-2566 or by visiting www.nybc.org. All donors will be entered into a Home for the Holidays sweepstakes and receive a McDonald’s voucher. For more information, call 631-451-9100. (tbrnewsmedia.com)
• Patchogue-Medford Youth & Community Services: "Congratulations to our board president Katherine Fallon." (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Big Apple Circus is NOW OPEN in New York City! (Dec. 17)
• Saxton Band and Orchestra Concert at Saxton. (Dec. 15)
• MED - Holiday Gift Fair - Patchogue-Medford High School. (Dec. 16)
• Alzheimer's Association Spanish virtual conference. (Dec. 16)
• Add your event

Announcements:

• Behind The Scoreboard – Ed Sullivan’s Huge Lesson For The World (Details)
• Add your announcement

Job listings:

• Hairdresser Wanted (Details)
• Add your job listing

Loving the Patchogue Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at Patchogue@Patch.com

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Tuesday. I'll see you around!

— Debora Whitehead

About me: Debora Whitehead is a dedicated wife and homeschooling mom from Coram, NY. She has a bachelor's degree in Education and loves to teach and write. Her passion for the community reflects on her volunteering work at the "Mariposa Ministry, " a nonprofit family assistance program. One of her strongest believes is Jesus Christ and when she is not parenting, teaching or reading, she is writing. One of her favorites quotes is: " The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."- Eleanor Roosevelt.