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VOL. 87 NO. 34
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AUGUST 18 - 24, 2022
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Freeport’s brightest excel academically His landscaper father, Victor, and accountant mother, Maria, operate two businesses in the village: Michael Valenzuela is just Valenzuela Travel Inc., on Main one of the students from the Vil- Street, and Victor Valenzuela lage of Freeport who have accu- Landscaping. mulated an impressive list of Michael’s many college activicollege awards, honties included memors and degrees this b e r s h i p i n Ta u year. He is one of Kappa Epsilon. “It’s three Freeporters a social fraternity,” who made the Presihe said, “to help studential Honor List at dents study, gain the New York Insticonfidence in themtute of Technology, selves, and prepare from which he gradfor the real world. It uated in June. Carodevelops conneclina Flores-Iglesias tions with other and Zachary Singh NYIT students and also made the list, by alumni, especially in maintaining grade your field.” point averages of New York Tech, 3.75 or higher. Valenzuela said, preMICHAEL Valenzuela’s bapared him for work chelor’s in computer VALENZUELA and life beyond colscience includes a Freeport native lege. But the confifocus on informadence instilled by and NYIT graduate tion security. He is his parents and his now a web and app college also got a developer at Peraton, a large boost from someone who was security firm based in Northern part of his childhood. Virginia. “A big impact from Freeport But he grew up in Freeport. was that my Little League coach “I lived literally down the gave me the mindset to believe I block from the police station on can do whatever I want,” ValenOcean Avenue,” Valenzuela said. zuela said. “By high school, I “I’m the youngest of four sib- was already studying and worklings, all grown and working.“ CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
By REINE BETHANY
Special to the Freeport Herald
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Courtesy Cincinnati Reds
CINCINNATI REDS PITCHER Justin Dunn, who grew up in Freeport, returned from an absence of over a year to face the Mets at Citi Field.
Now pitching for the Reds, Dunn returns to face the Mets By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com
Freeport native Justin Dunn couldn’t have dreamed of a better week to return to Major League Baseball. Out of MLB action for over a year due to a right shoulder strain, the 26-year-old pitcher, a first-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 2016, finally made his debut on the Citi Field mound on Aug. 8. Following six rehab starts at the Triple-A level, Dunn was recalled to the big leagues and made his Cincinnati Reds debut that same
night against some of his closest friends, including Pete Alonso, who was drafted by the Mets in the second round in 2016. “God is good,” said Dunn, who gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings but held Alonso, the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year, hitless in three at-bats and struck him out once. Dunn threw 70 pitches and allowed five hits, walked two and struck out two in the Reds’ 5-1 loss. “It was a pretty special moment,” he said. “It was a long road back.” Playing for the Louisville Bats, the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, since July 1, Dunn learned CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
just want to help make the world a more automated, easier place to live in.