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Tulum Tacos opens in Baldwin Page 3 Vol. 32 No. 27
JUlY 3 - 9, 2025
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Students raise $3K to help build a school intendent shared her 2023 experience building a school in Guatemala through the organizaBaldwin Middle School stu- tion Hug It Forward.” The three advisors said dents and staff joined local families in raising $3,000 this Erica Taylor, the school’s prinyear to help build a school in cipal, introduced the idea of Guatemala through Hug It For- partnering with Hug It Forward, a nonprofit that con- ward after being inspired by s t r u c t s e nv i r o n the superintenmentally sustaindent’s experience. able classrooms Founded in 2009, using recycled plasHug It Forward protic bottles. motes awareness of Orchestrating environmental susthe fundraising tainability and eduef for t were the cation equity in s ch o o l ’s S t u d e n t Latin America. The Interest Organizagroup builds “bottion, advised by tle schools” using Cour tney Nelson ERiCA TAYloR eco-bricks — plasand Ashley Fir m- Baldwin Middle tic bottles filled b a c h , a n d t h e School principal with inorganic N a t i o n a l Ju n i o r waste — as a lowHonor Society, led cost and communiby Laurie Tricamo. ty-driven alter naThe school hosted a movie tive to traditional construction. night and car nival to raise “This project has been a funds, while families contribut- meaningful way to bring Balded an additional $1,200. win 2035 to life, especially “After committing to being a through the lens of civic school rooted in service and engagement, global citizenship, successfully completing our and real-world relevance,” the first global service project sup- advisors said. “We encouraged porting students in Africa in students to think critically 2024, we were eager to expand about their role as change-makour impact,” the advisors wrote ers and they also had the opporin a joint statement. “In align- tunity to reflect on the imporment with this goal, our Super-
By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ
hgaldamez@liherald.com
o
Courtesy Baldwin School District
Congratulations Class of 2025 Baldwin High School graduates lift their caps in celebration during commencement on June 27 at the school’s football field. Story, additional photos, Page 10.
Massive, three-story apartment fire displaces over 140 Baldwin residents By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
A three-story apartment building in the heart of Baldwin was severely damaged in a fire on June 26, displacing more than 140 residents and prompting a swift emergency response from over a dozen neighboring fire departments and local volunteers. The fire began shortly before 11:30 a.m. at the large residential complex just west of St. Christopher’s Church on Merrick Road. Police and fire officials said flames tore through the upper floor and roof before crews could contain the blaze. “This was a tough fire,” Jerry Brown, a Bald-
win volunteer firefighter, said. “It’s a three-story walk-up with no elevator and about 200 occupants, so getting everyone out safely was our top concern. We had to rotate manpower constantly — these guys are in 80 pounds of gear, and the heat was intense.” The fire spread rapidly into the building’s cockloft — the space between the ceiling and roof — and took about an hour to bring under control, Brown said. More than 150 firefighters from Baldwin and nearby departments, including Oceanside and Long Beach, worked at the scene. One firefighter was treated for heat exhausContinued on page 19
ur students didn’t just raise money - they raised hope.
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