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Also serving Farmingdale, Massapequa, Massapequa Park and Plainedge
F’dale raceway makes history
A ‘Taste of Farmingdale’ Page 10 VOL. 74 NO. 22
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MAY 21- 27, 2025
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Local completes LI half marathon
Tim Baker/Herald
Paul Gregg of Massapequa who finished the half marathon in The Long Island Marathon.
Paul Gregg of Massapequa who finished the half marathon in The Long Island Marathon held the weekend of May 3 and 4 is shown crossing the finish line. The marathon is an annual race that was first established in 1973. Originally the race consisted of loops around Roosevelt Raceway and Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. It is now held at Eisenhower Park and this year drew thousands of runners, spectators, and fans for a full- and half-marathon, 10K, 5K, kids’ 1K, and food truck festival. For a full list of results go to https://shorturl.at/DmlzZ.
Massapequa SD files amended complaint over mascot ban By MIKE POLANSKY Senior Correspondent
The Massapequa School District filed an amended complaint May 19 in its legal challenge of New York State’s directive
to eliminate Native American names and imagery from public school mascots. The outcome of that legal battle, to preserve the “Chiefs” name and logo, could have implications not only for Massapequa but for
schools throughout the state. Oliver Roberts, a Massapequa native, is representing the district pro bono in its effort. Roberts is co-head of the AI Practice Group at the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak, where he also works in constitutional, tax, political, and commercial law. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Margo K. Brodie dismissed the original lawsuit filed by Massapequa and three other Long Island school districts — Wantagh, Wyandanch and Connetquot -- on March 27, but allowed the plaintiffs 30 days to amend their complaint. That deadline was later extended to May 19. Roberts represents only the Massapequa district, while the
other three continue to be represented by the original law firm, Sokoloff Stern. Both legal teams are coordinating their efforts, according to officials, hoping for a decision that will allow them to preserve their logos and mascots, which they maintain honor Native American history and are an integral part of their communities. In a May 5 letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda Mc-
Mahon, Roberts argued that the New York State Board of Regents’ directive discriminates based on race and national origin and violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. He asked the federal government to intervene, including reallocating federal funds to cover any state-imposed penalties on the district and creating a new federal regulation that would declare blanket bans on IndigCONTINUED ON PAGE 4