_________________ FREEPORT _________________
HERALD Also serving Roosevelt
Sparkle holds winter party
Blakeman will run for governor
Rabbi Sokol gives holiday message
Page 4
Page 7
Page 8
Vol. 90 No. 50
DECEMBER 11 - 17, 2025
$1.00
Holiday boat parade lights up the Mile with coffee and chocolate and cookies and pretzels. We made sure Santa arrived with the fire Dozens of decorated boats, a truck. The fire department was towering Christmas tree and involved.” hundreds of spectators brought Comerford added that the holiday spirit to Freeport’s planning effort included “all Nautical Mile during the vil- the different departments in lage’s annual holiday boat the village,” singling out the parade and tree lighting on Sat- Department of Public Works, urday. electric departThe evening ment, and the began along Woodpolice and fire c l e f t Ave n u e a t departments. 6:30p.m. with the She also credited lighting of a 40-foot village leadership Christmas tree at for making the the esplanade, fola n n u a l e ve n t a lowed by the illumihuge success, saynated boat parade ing Freeport Mayor along the Nautical Ro b e r t Ke n n e dy Mile. “was very helpful.” Seasonal music, In addition, the hola n i c e - s c u l p t i n g RoBERT KENNEDy i d ay f e s t iv i t i e s demonstration, free Freeport mayor were extremely rides, and hot chocgratifying to orgao l at e a n d w a r m nize, she said. pretzels added to the festive “It’s rewarding to see so atmosphere. many happy families,” ComerElizabeth Comerford, the vil- ford said. “Just to get the comlage’s recreation supervisor, munity together in a positive said the tree lighting drew a event, show three, four, in such strong community turnout and a positive light, with the beautirelied on coordination across ful Nautical Mile, the beautiful several different village depart- parade.” ments. Mayor Kennedy said the boat “It was a great crowd,” Com- parade has continued to grow erford said. “We got a couple of in size and popularity over the people to donate their time Continued on page 10
By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ
mrafiq@liherald.com
T
Mohammad Rafiq/Herald
demonstrators showed solidarity with teachers union president patricia Langan and affirmed their commitment to their students.
Teachers, students, parents rally after staff transfers By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ mrafiq@liherald.com
Teachers, students and parents rallied outside the Freeport School District administration building last Friday over concerns that a sudden wave of staff transfers is punishing those who speak up about problems in the schools and leaving students without key support. More than 50 people took part. The flash point was the reassignment of Patricia Langan, a social studies teacher at Freeport High School and the president of the Freeport Teachers Association. Langan told the Herald that she was pulled into an
office at the high school the afternoon before Thanksgiving “without any representation, with the superintendent and the assistant superintendent,” and handed a letter saying “that effective Dec. 1 I would be transferred to Dodd Middle School. “So that violates our contract,” Langan added. “It’s union animus. It’s obviously anti-union-president, and it’s also just unethical. I was given absolutely not a day’s notice, nor were my students.” The teachers union contract, she said, requires notice and specific conditions for involuntary transfers. “The contract says Continued on page 9
hat’s what it really is all about, sharing this time with the children and the families.