Perth Amboy Dedicates Public Safety Complex

PERTH AMBOY—Mayor Joseph Vas and the Perth Amboy Municipal Council officially dedicated the new 160,000-square-foot Perth Amboy Public Safety-Court-Community Complex, located at 365 New Brunswick Avenue on Saturday. The new complex will be the home for the Perth Amboy Municipal Court, Police Headquarters and Community Center.

The dedication ceremony was for the Municipal Court and Police Department sections of the complex, which are expected to open by late June, which will allow sufficient time for the city to make a physical transfer to the new facilities, and allow time for interconnection and approval for state agency systems. Construction continues on the community center portion of the complex, expected to open later this summer, for which a separate dedication ceremony will be held.

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County Announces Plans For Expanded MusicFest

UNION COUNTY—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, in conjunction with main sponsor Overlook Hospital, will present MusicFest ’08 on two days—Friday, Sept. 5 from 4-10 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 6 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. at Nomahegan Park in Cranford.

Last year, MusicFest drew more than 50,000 attendees and more are expected this year, making the event one of the state’s fastest growing. This year’s two-day event will once again feature expanded opportunities for musical entertainment as an additional stage has been added, family fun with Kids Kingdom in a new larger location, more food and new vendors, plus a walkathon and newly added 5k race for charity. Lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets may be brought to the event.

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ALJ Grad To Pilot Shuttle Mission

Astronaut Kenneth T. Ham will pilot the space shuttle Discovery next month on a mission to bring a Japanese science laboratory unit to the International Space Station. Ham, a 1983 graduate of Arthur L. Johnson High School, will be making his first space flight.

Ham, 43, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987. He has flown combat missions over North Iraq and Bosnia during two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and has been a test pilot. He joined NASA in 1998.

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Brunch With The Mayor

ISELIN—Iselin Chemical Hook & Ladder Co. will host “Brunch with the Mayor” on Sunday, April 27 at 11 a.m. Iselin residents are encouraged to attend to meet Mayor John McCormac, Fourth Ward Councilman Jim Major, and members of the Woodbridge Municipal Council.

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UCC Lady Owls Repeat As Conference Champions

CRANFORD – For the second year in a row, the Union County College Lady Owls Basketball Team, ended their season as the champions of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) and Region XIX.

After many months of extremely competitive play, the Lady Owls took on the Lady Knights of the Community College of Rhode Island in the district championship game on March 11. The Lady Owls came into the game ranked #15 by the NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll and Rhode Island entered as #16 by the NCCAA Division II Coaches Poll.

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A Complaint-Free School?

RAHWAY—There is a lot less complaining going on at Rahway High School. Under the leadership of English teacher Annette Goodman, Rahway High School is encouraging students and staff to participate in the “21-Day Complaint-Free Challenge.” The program is run by the organization A Complaint-Free World, Inc., a non-profit entity which provides purple bracelets and other materials to help people make positive changes in their lives.

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Kewalramani Named April’s Senior Of The Month By Edison Rotary Club

EDISON—On Wednesday, April 16, the Rotary Club of Edison honored Edison resident Kirti Kewalramani as its Senior of the Month for April at The Clarion in Edison during its Rotary Club Breakfast. After delivering a brief speech to the organization, Kewalramani received a certificate noting her accomplishment.

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Linden Students Celebrate Earth Day

Linden Students Celebrate Earth Day—Student Council President Stephanie Gomulka and Vice President Nicholas Martin pack up the grocery bags that students at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy in Linden designed to help celebrate Earth Day 2008. The bags were distributed at the Clark Shoprite on Tuesday to remind shoppers to take care of our planet. Students Samantha Valderrama, Farley Thomas, Gabriela Pawluczuk and Amanda Cunha helped with the finished bags.

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Elizabeth Students Inducted Into National Honor Society

ELIZABETH—Nine Benedictine Academy eleventh grade students were honored on April 10 when they were inducted into the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society.

The evening ceremony was held in the Benedictine Sisters Monastery Church across from the all-female Catholic college prep high school. Andreia daCosta, a 2004 graduate of the Academy, was the guest speaker. DaCosta will graduate from Rutgers University this spring and plans to pursue a career in biotechnology. The ceremony included the recitation of the qualifications for membership in the National Honor Society as well as a candle lighting noting the qualities of Knowledge, Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Character that every member must exhibit.

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FMBA Receives Donation

FMBA Receives Donation—Firefighter Brain Thornton, chairman of the Rahway FMBA Local #33 Fund Drive, thanks Gregory T. Adams V. P. of Commercial Lending of RSI Bank and Thomas Grahill, chairman of the board (not pictured) for their generous donation and support.

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Mayor’s Wellness Campaign Promotes Healthy Lifestyle & Fitness

By Mayor John E. McCormac

The Mayor’s Wellness Campaign is moving “full steam ahead” this spring and summer promoting active lifestyles and community fitness throughout Woodbridge Township. With more than 230 mayors across the state participating in the “Mayor’s Wellness Campaign,” we think it’s a great way to get local residents involved in the many and varied township wellness events and programs.

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NJ’s Parks Are A Vital Resource

By Assemblyman John Wisniewski

With 42 parks, 11 forests and more than 50 historic sites, New Jersey has a rich natural and cultural heritage. But we may soon lose the chance to enjoy some of our state’s most special natural resources.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Environmental Protection released a list of nine state parks and forests slated for closure due to New Jersey’s increasingly precarious fiscal condition: Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Burlington County, Fort Mott State Park in Salem County, High Point State Park in Sussex County, Jenny Jump State Forest in Warren County, Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Monmouth County, Parvin State Park in Salem County, Round Valley Recreation Area in Hunterdon County, and Stephens State Park and Worthington State Forest in Warren County.

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“Smart People” – 3 popcorns

By Michael S. Goldberger, film critic

An ambience of intelligence, even when the characters are pompously unbearable, makes director Noam Murro’s “Smart People” an often disarming delight. Set at Carnegie Mellon University, where Dennis Quaid’s widower-professor Lawrence Wetherhold jadedly holds young minds hostage to his brilliance, we enter a bastion.

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Remembering the Past: Morgan History

by Diane Norek Harrison

SAYREVILLE—In 2007 I received an email from Morgan resident Frances Drake asking me if I had any past information on the Morgan section of Sayreville She was writing a paper for a class at Rutgers University. She has since sent me a copy of her paper with permission to share her research in my column. The paper is 17 pages and includes many photos.

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