_________________ FREEPORT _________________
HERALD
Also serving Roosevelt
Easter greeting from the Bishop
Students star in Peter Pan Jr.
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Vol. 91 No. 14
APRIl 2 - 8, 2026
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County under scrutiny for preserve issues been neglected and mismanaged for years, according to the conservation society. During a press conference The Nassau County Parks Department and County Execu- held at the preserve on Monday, tive Bruce Blakeman have Erica DeVargas, the society’s president, spoke come under intense highly of the work scrutiny from resialready done by her dents and Demoorganization to try cratic legislators, to protect and who claimed they re s t o re t h e p re have failed to props e r ve a f t e r t h e erly maintain the accumulation of rapidly deterioratlitter and infraing Brookside Prestructure damage. serve, a countyThe Brookside owned nature prePreserve was previserve in Freeport ously managed by and Baldwin. the South Shore Additionally, the Audubon Society county has ignored until the organizarequests from the tion folded after South Shore Con- DEBRA Mulé 2020 due to declinservation Society, a Nassau County ing participation, Freeport-based Legislature’s alternate thus ending the fornonprofit, which, deputy minority leader mal par tnership the group said, has b e t we e n N a s s a u offered to help lead the restoration efforts for free, County and local constituents. but still await the go-ahead The Conservation Society has been active since 2024 and has from Nassau officials. The 21-acre freshwater wet- expressed a fervent desire to land and woodland nature pre- protect the preserve. “We want to help maintain serve, like several parks and protected areas across the and beautify Brookside Precounty, is supposed to be man- serve, so that it becomes a safe aged and kept up by the parks and inviting environment for department, but the area has Continued on page 10
By ANDREW FRANCIS
afrancis@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Freeport Public Schools
J.W. dodd principal Christopher porciello took part in the charity shaving for the second straight year.
J.W. Dodd goes bald for St. Baldrick’s cancer drive By ANDREW FRANCIS afrancis@liherald.com
The John W. Dodd Middle School held its second annual fundraiser for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation last week, at which students and staff members volunteered to go bald, or close to it, to raise money for childhood cancer research. As of Monday, the Dodd community had raised $11,300, and will welcome further online donations for the next few weeks on the St. Baldrick’s website. Most of the money was raised last month, in a variety of ways. Students and staff members led coin-collection drives, a thrift
shop, bracelet and bake sales and raffles before and during the haircuts of 21 people on March 26. Of the volunteers, 17 had their heads shaved, including Dodd Principal Christopher Porciello, four teachers, four students and one of those student’s parents. Four had their hair trimmed. Another fundraising initiative was the duct-taping of Porciello to a school hallway wall. Students purchased pieces of tape to contribute to the effort, which ultimately consumed 20 roles of tape. Last year the school raised just over $9,000, and Porciello said that this year’s Continued on page 3
hile Bruce Blakeman and the parks department continue to stall, this place got worse.