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Thursday, February 12, 2026 ~ Volume 71 ~ Issue Number 11 ~ $1.00
Blakeman Launches NY Governor
Campaign By Matt Meduri
The New York State Republican Party kicked off its convention this week with a Monday evening rally to introduce the slate of officials vying for statewide office this year. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-Atlantic Beach) is the party’s nominee for governor in the November election. In 2021, Blakeman upset then-Nassau County Executive Laura Curran (D-Baldwin) in a red wave that flipped control of many offices in both Suffolk and Nassau. Blakeman was re-elected by a hefty eleven-point margin in 2025, carrying Republicans across the finish line in countywide offices and the Nassau County Legislature. While the 2025 elections saw Democrats win across the country, Nassau shone as a bright red beacon on Long Island. Blakeman announced his candidacy late last year, and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) dropped out of the race despite being the ostensible frontrunner. Continued on page 4
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-Atlantic Beach) launches his bid for governor in Garden City on Monday (Credit - Matt Meduri)
LaLota Secures Funds for Harbor Road By Matt Meduri
The remnants of Harbor Road at the empty Mill Pond in Stony Brook (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Stony Brook’s beloved Mill Pond was drained in August 2024 following torrential downpours that swept away the dam and with it, Harbor Road. Not only was a generational, cultural touchstone lost, but the connection between the towns of Brookhaven and Smithtown was severed with the loss of Harbor Road. The Village of Head of the Harbor is now relegated to alternative routes to access Stony Brook. Ownership disputes have harangued progress on construction, with the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) insisting they are not the owners of the land on which the road rested. The technicality led Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven to exhaustive records searches, which found that the WMHO is the rightful owner of the property. Time is also of the essence, as FEMA dollars remain on the table, but not forever. But Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) has secured $5 million for the Harbor Road repaving project, as well as townwide repaving projects. Continued on page 10
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Starbucks Comes Miller Place Opens MMS Library Features to Shirley Kindergarten Enrollment Local Artists Page 10
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