NORTHPORT, NY — Meet Dottie and Mighty Man, an adorable sibling duo born around Aug. 15, 2025, after being discovered in a window well alongside their mother and littermates. Now healthy, playful, and thriving, the bonded pair has been named this week’s Northport Cat Rescue Association Kittens of the Week.

Dottie, a spirited calico with a big personality, is known for her love of playtime. She gravitates toward toy mice, string toys, and is especially fascinated by running water. Her brother, Mighty Man, is described by volunteers as a sweet and affectionate orange tabby who “lives for cuddles and kisses,” often curling up close while still keeping things fun and playful.

Their connection is unmistakable, rescue officials said, noting the two spend their days playing, wrestling, and snuggling side by side. Because of that strong bond, they must be adopted together. The siblings were previously fostered in a home with children, other cats, and dogs, and adapted well to all.

Prospective adopters can meet Dottie and Mighty Man at Petco in Commack, where they are currently visiting. Northport Cat Rescue Association will also host a special Valentine’s Day adoption event this Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the store, located at 30 Veterans Memorial Highway. According to the rescue, Valentine’s Day adoption discounts will be available for cats only and will apply exclusively to applications submitted during the event.

Dottie and Mighty Man are spayed and neutered, fully vaccinated, litter-box trained, microchipped, and have tested negative for both FeLV and FIV.

Those interested in meeting the pair — or any of the rescue’s available cats and kittens — can complete an adoption application through the Northport Cat Rescue website, call 631-606-2631 or email info@northportcatrescue.org

Mimi gave birth to her one and only kitten in foster care, and now she and her son are hoping to find a forever home together.

NORTHPORT, NY — Mimi and her one-and-only child, her son Stormy, are this week’s featured pets from the Northport Cat Rescue Association.

Mimi is estimated to have been born in March 2024. Stormy was born nearly a year later, on March 27, 2025.

Mimi was found wandering the streets of Queens, bravely approaching people and crying out for food — and for help. A young woman noticed her and brought her to safety, reaching out to the Northport Cat Rescue Association when it became clear Mimi needed assistance. Once in rescue, it was discovered that Mimi was pregnant.

She was placed into a warm, loving foster home, where she gave birth to her one and only kitten, Stormy — an adorable, long-haired baby boy. Cats rarely have just a single kitten, making Stormy especially unique. Throughout it all, Mimi proved to be a devoted and protective mother, while still allowing her foster family to lovingly help care for both her and her baby.

As time has gone on, their bond has only grown stronger.

Stormy has blossomed into a sweet, affectionate kitten who enjoys being held, petted, and showered with attention by everyone he meets. Mimi is also affectionate, though more selective, and prefers a calm environment. She would do best as the only cat in the home, alongside her beloved son.

Both Mimi and Stormy get along well with dogs, and Stormy is often found happily playing with the foster family’s dog.

The rescue hopes Mimi and Stormy can find their forever home directly from foster care — and ideally, together. Mimi enjoys being near her people and often watches over Stormy from a distance, while Stormy actively seeks out cuddles, companionship, and constant affection.

Mimi and Stormy are spayed and neutered, fully vaccinated, litter-box trained, microchipped, and have tested negative for FIV and FeLV.

Those interested in meeting Mimi and Stormy, or any of the Northport Cat Rescue Association’s adoptable cats and kittens, can visit the rescue’s website to complete an adoption application, call 631-606-2631, or email info@northportcatrescue.org.

District invites residents to weigh in on possible changes to middle school schedules and advanced course offerings during Feb. 3 workshop.

NORTHPORT, NY — As public school districts nationwide contend with declining enrollment and tightening resources, the Northport–East Northport Union Free School District is inviting community members to help shape the future of its academic programs.

With enrollment and revenue continuing to trend downward, district officials said public feedback will play a key role in informing Board of Education decisions about academic offerings in the years ahead.

The next COMPASS: Charting Our Future Together community workshop will be held Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. at Northport High School. The session will focus on several significant academic questions, including whether to expand the middle school day from eight to nine periods and whether the district should continue offering both Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.

“These are the kinds of decisions that shape students’ day-to-day experiences and the long-term direction of the district,” said Lynn Cromeyn, a COMPASS community chair. “Before any decisions are made, it’s important for the Board to understand what the community values and where there may be shared priorities or concerns.”

District leaders said declining enrollment requires a careful review of programs, staffing and student supports to ensure resources are used responsibly while maintaining strong educational opportunities.

“COMPASS is not about making decisions in a vacuum,” said Molly Feeney Wood, another community chair. “It’s about learning the facts, asking hard questions and giving the Board meaningful input that reflects the experiences of families, staff and community members.”

The Feb. 3 workshop will begin with a presentation reviewing district data, followed by small-group discussions. Participants will be asked to provide written feedback, which will be summarized and presented to the Board of Education as part of the district’s long-range planning process.

“Our community’s perspective matters,” said Ron Gaudreault, a COMPASS community chair. “This process ensures the Board hears directly from the people who care deeply about these schools before moving forward.”

COMPASS is a community-led engagement initiative designed to gather input before decisions are made about the district’s future. Feedback collected throughout the workshops will help inform a long-range plan and future recommendations to the Board of Education.

The workshop is open to all residents, including parents, staff, alumni, and community members without children currently enrolled in the district. Complimentary childcare will be available for children ages 5 and older. More information about COMPASS and the Feb. 3 workshop is available at northport.k12.ny.us/COMPASS.

Iris Zaverdas De Vita's monthlong show at the Northport-East Northport Library Art Gallery features scenes from her trip to Greece.

EAST NORTHPORT, NY — Northport resident Iris Zaverdas De Vita is stepping into the spotlight this month, inviting the community to experience Greece through her own lens in “A Summer in Greece,” a photo exhibit on display Jan. 2 through Jan. 31 at the Northport-East Northport Library Art Gallery.

The exhibit is paired with a Meet the Artist reception on Friday, Jan. 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the library. De Vita said the images stir memory for those who’ve been there and spark curiosity for those who haven’t.

“This is more exposure for me, and I want to show the beauty of Greece,” De Vita said in an interview with Patch. “Anybody who hasn’t been there, I feel like this is a great way to show how stunning the country really is.”

De Vita has lived on Long Island for decades, including time in Huntington and Greenlawn, before settling in Northport two years ago. Her career story spans major media, local arts, and a pandemic-era pivot into entrepreneurship. She described entering the industry right out of college, beginning in public relations at ABC Television.

Her experience eventually expanded into news and entertainment, including a stint on the long-running soap opera “All My Children,” where she worked from 1993 to 1996 as a writer’s assistant — a job she remembers as formative in shaping her early creative ambitions.

“I always wanted to get into TV or film as a writer, producer — anything along those lines,” she said.

Her résumé includes additional work in Miami at WPLG-TV/10 in community service coordination and public relations, followed by a return to New York and roles that blended production and communications. De Vita has also worked with Saturday Night Live, American Movie Classics, and E2W Collective, experiences that she said helped shape her identity as a storyteller, publicist, and photographer.

At one point, she made the personal decision to prioritize raising her children.

De Vita is the mother of two adult daughters — Caitlin, 26, and Julia, 24. Caitlin works in education as a special education math teacher in the Half Hollow Hills and Dix Hills school districts, while Julia works in photography and social media content creation at The Paramount in Huntington and is also a performer with experience in acting and singing.

When her daughters were older, De Vita’s path reconnected with the arts world through a place familiar to many Long Islanders: the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington.

“I walked into Cinema Arts Centre, and I said, ‘Do you need help? Because I love film,’” she recalled. “They hired me… I ended up staying there for 10 years as a part-time employee, doing publicity promotions for them.”

When the pandemic hit, the organization downsized, and De Vita found herself facing what many arts and communications professionals encountered at the time: uncertainty, a shifting job market, and the push to reinvent.

“It was really difficult, but I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to start my own business,’” she recalled.

That business became Golden Iris, LLC, which De Vita said will mark its second anniversary this February. She built it to hold two creative identities at once — public relations and photography — because in practice, they often overlap.

“I do two things,” she said. “I’m a photographer too… I’m going to combine both. I’ll do photography and public relations — people who I’m doing PR for need pictures, so I offer my services.”

De Vita is also a member of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce and NYWIFT — New York Women in Film & Television. She is 100 percent Greek, with both parents from Greece, and said her last trip there was in the summer of 2015. She traveled with family — eight people in total — and brought her Nikon camera along.

The itinerary included Athens, Santorini and Mykonos, along with smaller villages that a family connection helped them explore.

“A lot of my pictures are from Santorini,” she said. “It’s very picturesque — whitewashed buildings — the beaches and the sunsets.”

The concept for the show, she explained, began taking shape a few years after that trip, when she decided to curate her favorite images and present them in a gallery-ready format.

“Two summers ago, in June, I said, ‘You know what? I think I’m going to pick my favorite pictures, make them into canvas — 16-by-20-inch canvas prints — and I’ll try to get it out there with local galleries and libraries and whatnot.’”

De Vita said audiences have been responding to the exhibit in two distinct ways. Some have been to Greece and see the photos as a time capsule; others are seeing the country through these scenes for the first time.

The show isn’t only about scenery — it’s about memory, longing, and imagination, something De Vita said she hears directly from visitors.

“It brings me back to my experience, my memories,” she recalled people telling her. “It inspires people to go.”

While the East Northport Library show runs throughout January, De Vita said the exhibit is also part of a larger effort to place her work in local community spaces, especially galleries and libraries. She has already held multiple shows in the area — including at Harborfields Library, the Northport Library, the Huntington Art Center, and Daniel Gale Real Estate in Northport — and said she plans to continue seeking opportunities to share her work.

Looking ahead, De Vita said she is also planning a future photo project centered on people and their pets, capturing the bond they share — particularly with cats, which she said have always been her favorite.

For now, De Vita is focused on welcoming visitors to the library gallery and sharing a slice of Greece with the community she now calls home.

“I’m from Northport, I live here, and what inspired me was sharing the beauty of Greece with other people in my own neighborhood,” she said.

For more information about De Vita and her work, visit www.GoldenIrisPR.com

Adeline and Charlotte are volunteer favorites at Petco Commack, but have yet to receive a single adoption application.

NORTHPORT, NY — Adeline and Charlotte have been together since the very beginning — and the bonded sisters are hoping to stay that way as they search for a forever home.

Born April 1, 2025, the kittens were found abandoned with their mother, Paris, and siblings after family troubles left them without shelter. According to Northport Cat Rescue Association volunteer Lora Wild, the cats were discovered near garbage cans at the edge of the only property they had known, relying on their devoted mom for protection.

Northport Cat Rescue Association stepped in to rescue the family, bringing them to safety and placing the kittens into foster care. While all of their siblings — and even their mother — have since been adopted, Adeline and Charlotte remain without a single adoption application.

Despite their difficult start, the sisters have grown into affectionate, playful, and social kittens. They are currently staying at Petco Commack, where volunteers say they are quick to purr, eager to greet visitors, and favorites among those who care for them.

The kittens were raised in a foster home with children, introduced to dogs, and have handled new environments with ease, according to the rescue.

Their story is especially meaningful to Krista, whose family fostered Adeline and Charlotte. Krista is known among volunteers as the “kitty whisperer” and has formed a strong bond with the sisters.

Volunteers say she often asks when it will finally be their turn to go home, holding onto hope while reminding herself that cats who wait the longest often find the most loving homes.

Adeline and Charlotte are inseparable and must be adopted together. Both kittens are spayed, up to date on vaccinations, litter box-trained, microchipped, and have tested negative for FELV and FIV.

Those interested in meeting Adeline and Charlotte can visit the Northport Cat Rescue Association website to complete an adoption application, call 631-606-2631, or email info@northportcatrescue.org.