Grind

The newest book club in town is at the East Hampton Starbucks, and its first book selection honors Black History Month with a special emphasis on Jamaican culture. The book is "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon.

Samantha Prince has been named the East Hampton High School class of 2020 valedictorian, and Wells Woolcott has been named the class salutatorian.

The Montauk Friends of Erin’s 17th annual corned beef and cabbage dinner will be held at Shagwong Tavern on March 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton is about to celebrate a milestone, and to help tell its story the center is searching for people who were involved in its very early days.

A spaghetti and meatball dinner at the Montauk Firehouse on Saturday will raise money for Randy Hoffman, a volunteer and paid critical care emergency medical technician who is recovering from spinal surgery complications.

Just in time to help would-be quitters keep their new year's resolutions to stop smoking, Suffolk County's Department of Health Services is offering smoking cessation classes at various locations throughout the county through the end of April.

The village will sell only 3,100 nonresident beach permits, which provide for parking access at Main, Georgica, Egypt, Two Mile Hollow, and Wiborg Beaches.

New York State is gradually phasing in a boating safety rule that will require all powerboat operators to have a certificate by Jan. 1, 2025.

The hows and whys of New York’s new driver’s licenses for all program will be explained at a panel discussion this evening at 6 at the East Hampton Library.

Project Most, the nonprofit that that has partnered with the East Hampton Neighborhood House to expand its after-school activities for children, will have open house hours at the Neighborhood House on Thursday to familiarize parents and kids with its programs. 

The Southampton Town Board has put out a poll in the hope of gauging public opinion on banning the sale, distribution, and release of balloons within the town. 

The Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA, along with Gary Osborne, an art teacher, and Traci Robinson, a parent, will host a talk Thursday at 7 at the school about the Wait Until 8th movement in schools.

PSEG-Long Island launched a new mobile app on Tuesday that enables customers to more easily manage their electric accounts.

The Cancer Services Program of Suffolk County is urging women to get screened for cervical cancer, as January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

Martin Luther King’s Birthday will be celebrated with a special Monday service at Calvary Baptist Church on Spinner Lane in East Hampton at 1 p.m.

Furthering their work to promote cultural understanding and dialogue about race and diversity, the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center and the Hayground School have teamed up to host a screening of the film “Just Mercy” on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Regal Cinema in East Hampton.

Russell Bennett, the front office manager at The East Hampton Star next door, was the 10,000th customer Wednesday. He got a large coffee.

The 2020 Academy Awards nominations were announced on Monday morning. Films with local ties did very well with "The Irishman" tied for second with most nominations at 10.

Starting Monday, riders on the South Fork Commuter Connection will be paying $1 less for bus rides associated with the commute. 

A masquerade ball fund-raiser at Union Cantina on Saturday will help underwrite a Southampton doctor’s mission in the Dominican Republic.

Looking to help people make 2020 the "healthiest and happiest year yet," The Spur and the Wellness Foundation have announced that they are joining up for a wellness market on Saturday in Southampton.

Visitors can sample snacks and skin products, discover new and helpful workout methods, and learn about immune-system health and nutrition. Seventeen vendors, such as East End Row and Hamptons Hot Yoga, will be on hand to offer their products and expertise.

Films with East End connections were well represented among the Golden Globe nominees, and also logged some wins. 

Various programs through Stony Brook Southampton Hospital aim people to feel better and get healthier in 2020. 

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church will host the first free community soup dinner of the new year on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.

The new year begins Friday night with the sixth annual Songwriters Share concert series at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse of the South Fork. Each concert will support a local charity.     

Up for a challenge . . . for a good cause?

The bravest swimmers on the South Fork can answer the polar plunge call to raise money for charity by taking a winter dip on New Year's Day in Montauk, East Hampton, or Wainscott.

The first one of the day is on the beach at Gurney's Montauk Resort at 10:30 a.m. Donations collected during the Gurney's polar plunge will benefit the Retreat, a domestic violence shelter program based in East Hampton.

The East Hampton Trails Preservation Society will host three hikes this week in Montauk.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has signed into law a bill establishing protection and conservation areas for marine mammals and birds that live on the land and waters of Plum Island, Great Gull Island, and Little Gull Island.

To celebrate New Year’s Eve in a safe, alcohol-free environment, the South­ampton Town addiction and recovery committee will throw a New Year’s Eve party at Parrish Hall at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. The 2020 Clear Vision Party, as it’s called, will start at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 and go until about a half-hour after the ball drops. There will be live entertainment and refreshments.

A menorah lighting will take place in Herrick Park in East Hampton Village on Friday at 4:30 p.m., organized by Chabad of the Hamptons with cocoa, chocolate coins, and raffle prizes. The event will be preceded by a parade of lights from the Chabad house on Woods Lane starting at 3:30 and an ice-carving demonstration at Herrick Park once the “menorahcade” arrives.