Community Corner
🌱 Smithtown Daily: Smithtown's Regeneron Scholars + BJ’s Commack
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Smithtown.

Good morning, people of Smithtown! It's me again, Diane Witek, your host of the Smithtown Daily.
First, today's weather:
Cold with plenty of sun. High: 30, low: 17.
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Here are the top stories today in Smithtown:
- Hooray! First snow fall of the season! Suffolk County got its share of snowflakes on Friday. Here are the snow totals for Smithtown and surrounding neighborhoods, according to the National Weather Service. (Smithtown Patch)
- Kudos Smithtown's Regeneron Scholars! Smithtown High School East students Jonathan Chung and Sarah Schubel were recognized among 300 international scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022. The scholars and their schools each will be awarded $2,000. Smithtown High School East was one of only three high schools in Suffolk County with multiple honorees. (smithtownmatters.com)
- We have all received the "Join today for $25" BJ's flyers, but without a date on its opening. Now, BJ’s Wholesale Club's newest club in Commack is set to open on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. The new club is located at 2 Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack. So, get out those flyers as BJ’s is offering a limited time Founding Member offer of $25 for 12 months for local shoppers interested in joining the club. (smithtownmatters.com)
- Ever wonder how to disinfect your N95 mask? A graduate student from Stony Brook University, John Yuen, discovered that a N95 mask can be disinfected via dry heat ovens without compromising the fit. “Our study demonstrated that treatment of N95 face masks using dry heat was sufficient to inactivate COVID-19, while preserving the ability of these masks to filter aerosolized particles for potentially exposed workers,” Dr. Kenneth Shroyer, lead author and pathology professor at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, said in a statement. (Long Island Business News)
Today in Smithtown:
- Toddler Music Makers (Smithtown Library). (9:30 a.m.)
- Creation Station (Smithtown Library-Smithtown Building). (10 a.m.)
- Nursery Rhyme Time (Smithtown Library-Smithtown Building). (10 a.m.)
- Amazing Polar Bears (Smithtown Library). (11 a.m.)
From my notebook:
- Sweetbriar Nature Center: "Betty White’s death and upcoming 100th birthday has inspired donations to many animal groups: ‘Betty always put the animals first.’ Why not donate to Sweetbriar as your favorite not-for-profit!" (Facebook) (Website)
- St James/Smithtown Little League: "The 2022 Winter Softball Clinic is nine-sessions with limited space per age group, and it kicks off this Sunday, Jan. 9. That makes today the final day to register. Registration closes tonight (Friday, Jan. 7) at 11:59 p.m. Register!" (Facebook) (Website)
- Nextdoor Neighbor, Caroline: "Hello! My name is Erick Reuter and I graduated from Smithtown West in 2019 before going on to the University at Albany to play soccer. My friends and I shovel driveways every winter as a way to raise money for paying for textbook and school supplies." (Nextdoor)
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That's it for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!
— Diane Witek
About me: Impassioned Writer, Website Designer, Social Media Marketer and newly proclaimed Baker. Lover of nature and animals of all kinds.
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