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Vol. 29 No. 3
JANUARY 15 - 21, 2026
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On Tour presents its first sensory performance night. When his wife mysteriously disappears, he leaves his post for the first time to find her, For the first time in its more sending the world into darkness Crichton said planning for than 50-year history, Sanford H. Calhoun High School’s On Tour the sensory-friendly perforCompany will present a sensory- m a n c e b e g a n m o n t h s i n friendly theater performance, advance and required extensive expanding access to live theater behind-the-scenes coordination. for audience members with sen“We’ve been working very sory sensitivities. closely to make sure The sensorythe production feels f r i e n d l y p e r f o raccessible to all,” he mance of The Old said. “This is our Man and the Old first time doing Moon will take place this, so we’re really Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. in trying to anticipate the Sal Salerno Liteverything and tle Theater. The promake sure we’re duction is part of prepared.” the On Tour CompaAccommodany’s 2025–26 season tions for the perforand was developed mance includes senthrough a student- NATTIE MARTIN sory kits with items driven initiative led Senior, 2025 Merrick such as fidget toys by senior and 2025 Person of the Year and noise-canceling Merrick Herald Perheadphones, modison of the Year Natfied lighting to tie Martin, in collaboration with avoid complete darkness, clearly director James Crichton and the designated quiet areas, and ushschool’s Special Education ers trained to assist audience Department. members as needed. Directed and musically Because the play features directed by Crichton, The Old moments of thunder, lightning Man and the Old Moon is a play and shadow puppetry, Crichton with music by PigPen Theatre said the creative team had to Co. that follows a caretaker rethink traditional technical eletasked with refilling the leaking Continued on page 2 moon with liquid light each
By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ
hgaldamez@liherald.com
I
Courtesy Town of Hempstead
Mulchfest turns Christmas trees into compost Hempstead officials helped a local resident turn his tree into mulch at the town’s sixth Annual Mulchfest. Story, additional photos, Page 3.
MTA slaps commuters with fare hikes Bellmore, Merrick subway, bus, LIRR riders see higher costs By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Bellmore and Merrick residents who rely on public transportation are paying more to get to work and commute around the region after a Metropolitan Transportation Authority fare increase took effect on Jan. 4. The base fare to board New York City’s subways and buses rose from $2.90 to $3, the first increase in more than two years. While the 10-cent hike amounts to less than a 4 percent increase, fares also went up on the Long Island Rail Road, which many South Shore commuters depend on for daily travel into Manhattan. On the LIRR, monthly, weekly and one-way
peak fares jumped an average of 4.5 percent, with some one-way fares rising by as much as 8 percent. The MTA said monthly ticket prices would not exceed $500, noting that current monthly fares are roughly equivalent to 2019 prices when adjusted for inflation, following a suspended increase in 2021 and a temporary discount in 2022. The MTA board approved the fare increases in September, but implementation was delayed until the beginning of 2026 as the agency completed the transition from the MetroCard to the OMNY contactless payment system. In addition to higher fares, several policy changes regarding tickets are now in effect for Continued on page 15
hope audiences feel that this is an accessible experience for everyone.