Community Corner
🌱 Shirley-Mastic Daily: 5-Car Crash + Deer Rescued + Test Site
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Shirley-Mastic.

Good morning, neighbors! It's me again, your host of the Shirley-Mastic Daily.
First, today's weather:
Clouds giving way to some sun. High: 51 Low: 42.
Find out what's happening in Shirley-Masticfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here are the top three stories today in Shirley-Mastic:
- Jermaine Brown, from Holtsville, was seriously injured in a five-vehicle crash on Wednesday morning on Veterans Memorial Highway and Lakeland Avenue in Ronkonkoma. A crash caused a chain reaction, and it took emergency personnel 13 minutes to extract him from his vehicle. (Patch)
- The new state COVID-19 testing site at Heckscher State Park closed early on Wednesday after reaching capacity. The site was only open from 8 to 9 a.m. (News 12)
- A team of animal rescuers freed a 250-pound doe that was stuck between two fences at Rocky Point High School's football field. Strong Island Animal Rescue League and Yaeger's Run Rescue helped save the deer on Wednesday. (Patch)
Today's Shirley-Mastic 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 Shirley-Mastic!
Find out what's happening in Shirley-Masticfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Today in Shirley-Mastic:
- Fishes & Wishes New Year's Eve Party, Long Island Aquarium, Riverhead, 6:30 to 11 p.m.
From my notebook:
- Suffolk County Parks will accept Christmas trees for recycling at Smith Point Beach, daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Instagram)
- Make-A-Wish Suffolk County, NY thanks Mrs. Marchitto, a special education teacher at Newfield High School, for her support. Her students wrote letters to Santa. (Instagram)
- The findings of an investigation into the Utah traffic stop involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie could be released between the early to middle part of next week. (Patch)
More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!
Events:
- Ring In the New Year With 15 Percent Off Beautiful Blooms From FTD! (December 31)
- Add your event
Loving the Shirley-Mastic 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 shirley-mastic@patch.com
You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another update!
— Jackie
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.