🌱 Port Jefferson Daily: Buttercup’s Keeps Mandate For Employees

Good morning, Port Jefferson! Here's everything you need to know to get this Friday started right.

First, today's weather:

A passing morning shower. High: 52, low: 25.

Here are the top 5 stories in Port Jefferson today:

1. Buttercup’s Dairy Store in Port Jefferson is keeping the mask mandate for employees. On Feb. 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul ended the mandate and left business owners to decide its mask rules. Some local businesses are not ready to leave the rule behind just yet and Buttercup's Dairy store announced that customers are not required to wear face-covering, but the employees will continue to do so. (tbrnewsmedia)
   
2. John F. Kennedy Middle School teacher, Dawn Esser, was honored by Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn as an "Educator of Excellence." Esser was honored during the Comsewogue School District Board of Education meeting on Feb. 16, she's been serving the district for 16 years and has been inspiring students with her special classes and tenure. (Press Release Desk)
3. Port Jefferson's Chamber of Commerce announced the date for the Port Jeff Health & Wellness 2022. The spring event will happen on April 23, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Meadow Club, 1147 Rte. 112, Port Jefferson Station. (PJ CofC)
4. Are you looking for an outing this weekend? Stop by at the Port Jefferson Village Center gallery. "Wooden Ghosts of the Past; the emergence of the Port Jefferson shipbuilding industry” is on display for February with historic photos displayed from the Village Archives. (PJVC)
5. A deer entered a classroom at Stony Brook University through a small plexiglass window. On Feb. 8, police and ECOs worked together to escort the deer out of the classroom. The mission was successful, and the animal had no major injuries besides a small cut in the neck caused by broken glass. (smithtownmatters.com)

Today's Port Jefferson Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Port Jefferson!

Today in Port Jefferson:

• Boyle Random Acts of Kindness Week — Comsewogue School District. (All Day)
• Gallery Exhibit — Wooden Ghosts of the Past at PJVC. (9 a.m.)
• Mother Goose on the Loose — Comsewogue Public Library. (10:30 a.m.)
• ONLINE Write This Way (Comsewogue) — Comsewogue Public Library. (2 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Terryville Fire Department - NY: "The Terryville Fire Department responded to an advanced working fire on Charm City Drive." (Facebook)
• Port Jefferson, NY: "Love where you live." (Facebook)
• Port Jefferson, NY: "Save the Date March 9 to March on Hunger! Island Harvest was created in 1992 by one woman with a cooler, a station wagon, and a strong desire to help people in need." (Facebook)
• Port Jefferson Rotary Club: "We couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations on helping to raise $1,500 for our community efforts, which directly benefit your community." (Facebook)
• Joseph from Nextdoor's Community Team, Nextdoor New York: "Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day in the neighborhood this Thursday. Neighbors, did you know performing small, random acts of kindness for neighbors can reduce loneliness? " (Nextdoor)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Top Journey Tribute Band, Valentines Week Celebration Concert at Moose Lodge! (Feb. 19)
• Learn How To Reduce Your Risk For Heart Disease During American Heart Month. (Feb. 28)
• Get A ‘Taste Of Paradise’ During This Exclusive Event At Atlantis. (Feb. 28)
• Add your event

Announcements:

• Behind The Scoreboard — More Than A Cyclist, A Hero! (Details)
• Stressed out caring for a loved one with memory issues? (Details)
• Add your announcement

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

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• Send me a news tip or suggestion at PortJefferson@Patch.com

That's it for today! I'll see you around.

— Debora Whitehead