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Maidenbaum is : LI Choice Award W#1 r for Three Consecutivinene Years!
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Also serving Farmingdale, Massapequa, Massapequa Park and Plainedge
MCC introduces new administrator
Native American history studies in MSD Page 15
Page 3 VOL. 71 NO. 5
FEBRUARY 11 - 17, 2026
2025
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Plainedge HS celebrates student excellence Plainedge High School is celebrating the recent accomplishments of two students who earned recognition for excellence in art and scientific research. Sophomore Ashley Chen placed second in the Live Figure Drawing Contest at the Huntington School of Fine Art, a competition open to high school art students from across
Long Island. As part of her award, Chen received a $1,500 scholarship to be used toward future classes at the Huntington studio. Plainedge junior Joanna Nikolis was also honored, winning the 9th Annual New York Institute of Technology Mini Research Grant Award. She received $300 for her research CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Carolyn James/Herald
Workers were also out fixing and securing power lines during and after the recent storms.
Deep freeze triggers cascade of water main breaks in Massapequa By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Snow, ice and frigid temperatures have caused disruptions on roads throughout Massapequa and Massapequa Park, even as water district, village and Town of Oyster Bay crews continue working around the clock to address the damage. “It’s certainly been a challenge,” said Massapequa Park Village Mayor Dan Pearl, who spoke about several water main breaks over the past 10 days. The breaks occurred on Park Boulevard, Lakeshore Drive and Fulton Street, as well as Merrick Road between Biltmore Boulevard and Alhambra Road. “We are working with the water district and the town cooperatively and getting the job done.” Most residents have been cooperative and appear to understand the challenges, Pearl added. Eileen Hegelian, who lives on Park Hill in Massapequa, is one of those residents. She said she left her home one morning and had to wade through water from a water main
break that flooded the area near the Massapequa Preserve. “When I went through there later in the day, it was all cleared up,” she said last Wednesday as she walked along the street with her husband, John. “They seem to be doing a good job of getting the roads fixed as quickly as possible.” Because some roads fall under village jurisdiction while others are maintained by the Town of Oyster Bay, cooperation between the two municipalities is critical, Pearl said. “The town has been very good in responding and has allowed us to get the roads safe and passable as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that workers from both municipalities have been putting in long hours during the day and overnight. In one instance, a water main break occurred on Roosevelt Avenue, a road that had recently been reconstructed by the village. “There was a sewer line issue there and the road had to be dug up again because of a water main break,” Pearl said. “The water CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Courtesy Plainedge school district
Joanna Nikolis holds her award notification letter and copy of her award-winning project.