Union County Freeholder Candidates Night

CRANFORD—The Union County Council of the League of Women Voters will present its annual candidates’ forum at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in the Cranford Municipal Building, 8 Springfield Avenue.

Three seats on the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders are open this year, all for three-year terms. The candidates are Democrats Angel Estrada of Elizabeth, Rick Proctor of Rahway and Nancy Ward of Linden, and Republicans Michael Yakubov of Roselle Park, John Russitano of Westfield and Joseph Franchino of Berkeley Heights.

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Carteret Requires Background Checks For Youth Organizations

CARTERET— Employees and volunteers of all youth organizations who receive public subsidies or use borough fields will have to undergo mandatory criminal background checks, mandated by a recently-passed ordinance.

The ordinance, which was passed unanimously on Sept. 9, will provide a new precautionary measure to safeguard Carteret’s children. The background checks will be performed by the N.J. State Police. Current volunteers and employees must undergo a background check within one year, and all new volunteers and employees must have background checks prior to their approval.

“Our children are some of the most vulnerable of our community citizens,” Mayor Daniel Reiman said, “particularly when in public areas where they may not be under the direct supervision of their parents. This new ordinance will help safeguard our children from potential danger when involved in organized sports and athletic programs that utilize our public facilities. Although this is primarily a precaution, the Council and I believe in taking every preventative measure within our means when it comes to protecting our younger residents.”

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Mayoral Recognition

 

Mayoral Recognition—On Sept. 22, Edison Mayor Jun H. Choi, a first degree black belt, issued formal proclamations recognizing the achievements of Ricky Azari and Christopher Azari in Taekwondo. Ricky is a third grader and Christopher is a kindergartener at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison. Choi’s proclamation recognized the talented brothers as having demonstrated “outstanding physical fitness” and athletic excellence. Ricky and Christopher are the sons of Cyrus and Elizabeth Azari of Edison.

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Woodbridge Announces Flu Shot Clinics

WOODBRIDGE – The Woodbridge Township Department of Health & Human Services has scheduled flu and pneumonia clinics for Oct. 7 and 22.

Mayor John McCormac said the Health Department’s professional nursing staff will administer the flu and pneumonia vaccine on Tuesday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Evergreen Senior Center, 400 Inman Avenue, Colonia and on Wedneday, Oct. 22 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Woodbridge Health Center, 2 George Frederick Plaza in Woodbridge. 

Flu shots are free to Medicare patients (who must present a valid Medicare card) and $15 for all other patients.  Woodbridge Township residents are encouraged to call the Health Center’s Nursing Division at (732) 855-0600 x5036 or 5012 for more information.  Individuals with a handicap should call (732) 855-0600 x5011 to schedule an individual appointment.

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Edison Preserves Former Superfund Site

 

Mayor Jun Choi

EDISON—Mayor Jun Choi, along with federal, state and local leaders, announced the township’s purchase and preservation of the former Chemical Insecticide Corp.

 

“On this historic day, we take hold of a piece of property that was once contaminated and has now been transformed into open space for recreational purposes. This will be another step forward to improve the quality of life of Edison residents. This happened through a team approach and many people must be thanked – our U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez, Congressman Frank Pallone, our state delegation, the U.S. EPA and our local environmental advocate Bob Spiegel,” Choi said.

The township will preserve the 6-acre site for open space and recreation. The CIC property is a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. The EPA spent $53 million to clean up the site. Digging 30-feet deep into the ground in its cleanup efforts, the EPA removed more than 350,000 tons of contaminated soil. The site is now safe and well-suited for recreation and open space.

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County Holds First-Ever Online Auction

MIDDLESEX COUNTY – For the first time, Middlesex County will hold its annual auction of cars, heavy equipment and office and computer supplies online.

The online auction replaces the traditional in-person auction the county has held in years past.

Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel, chair of the county’s Administration and Finance Committee, the rest of the Freeholders and County Purchaser Jack Garber believe an online auction will attract more potential bidders from a larger geographic area, and therefore generate more revenue.

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Junior Stateswoman

 

 

Junior Stateswoman—Colonia resident Emilie Burke (right), a sophomore at Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth, visited Congressman Michael Ferguson’s office in June while she was enrolled at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. in the “Junior Statesmen of America Summer School Program”. She was one of 1,300 high school students to gather on four campuses to immerse themselves in politics and debate. 

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Corzine Announces Sweeping Ethics Reform Package

TRENTON – Gov. Jon Corzine delivered an ethics reform package Wednesday that he says will promote ethical and fiscal responsibility. The governor originally promised to make a commitment to a more open, honest and accountable government during the 2005 campaign.

Governor Jon Corzine announces sweeping ethics reform package on the statehouse steps in Trenton on Wednesday, Sept. 24. (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)

“We have an absolute responsibility to give our citizens the most we can from their tax dollars,” said Corzine.  “This is about ethics in government, which is fundamental.  But it’s also about fiscal responsibility, which is essential in light of today’s economic and financial crisis.”

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Toss Up: Corzine or Christie?

By Michael M. Shapiro

Gov. Corzine may have an upside down 40%-51% approval rating; however, he is still in a dead heat with current United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Chris Christie, in a hypothetical matchup for the 2009 gubernatorial election. 

This disclosure is not new.  In August, a poll showed that Christie would defeat Gov. Corzine by only 1% in a theoretical race.  Given the governor’s low approval numbers, it should give him comfort that his strongest Republican challenger can only muster a tie despite all of the problems facing the New Jersey and the shockingly low approval ratings of the Democratic legislature.  

Christie, a former freeholder and fundraiser for President Bush’s initial campaign for the White House, has made battling corruption his top priority.  During his tenure, a number of high-profile politicians have been indicted and convicted, including Newark Mayor Sharpe James. 

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Morgan’s Past

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.

“Welcome to Morgan, New Jersey-The Original Gateway to the Shore”

Farming was another big industry with many farms in and around the Central New Jersey area. Farmers could go to Morgan Beach where a pier jutted out into the Raritan Bay. Small boats from New York would head to the pier and buy goods such as apples, blueberries, and fresh produce from the farmers. In the area of what is now Parker Avenue, on top of the cliff overlooking the Raritan Bay, was Henderson’s Egg Farm. The Henderson family merely needed to walk to the pier to sell fresh eggs to the awaiting boats traveling back to New York or other nearby ports. Interestingly, there are several references to this same area being called “40 Horses” at some time, but as of writing this paper I have been unable top determine the origin of the name.

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“Ghost Town” – A Haunting Comedy – 3 popcorns

 

by Michael S. Goldberger, film critic

The effervescent reincarnation of a romantic comedy sub-genre that’s been haunting silver screens ever since “Topper” (1937), David Koepp’s “Ghost Town” does its spectral predecessors proud. You know the deal. A cynic can suddenly see ghosts. He’d rather not. Making it worse, concomitant with said power he’s assigned a soul-saving mission. 

Handling the drill this time, literally and figuratively, is Bertram Pincus, D.D.S., portrayed with perfectly defining lack of joie de vie by Ricky Gervais. The sourpuss, who quizzically left his native London for New York because “it was too crowded there,” is entirely bereft of people skills. Oh, that he could stuff cotton wads in the world’s mouth.

Acquiring his apparitional sense following seven minutes of momentary death during a routine colonoscopy, now the loner has to suffer not only the intrusions of the quick, but the dead as well. Leading the charge of this new contingent hell-bent on precluding his much sought isolation is Greg Kinnear’s Frank Herlihy, former pitchman personified.

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Don’t Fuel The Fire: Fire The Arsonists

By Jeff M. Wilson

Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson along with Federal Reserve Board Chariman Ben Bernanke offered to solve all of the current Wall Street credit problems. Their solution, Congress remits to them a blank check payable for $700 Billion. That’s slightly less than $2,300 from every man, woman and child in the United States. To paraphrase a member of Congress, “it’s like a paying an arsonist to put out the fire.”

Maybe it’s time we fire the arsonists.

Secretary Paulson, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth with a Harvard M.B.A., is brilliant. Having started at Goldman Sachs in 1974, he rose through the ranks to become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs from the firm’s initial public offering in 1999 until his swearing in as Treasury Secretary in July 2006. It is more than ironic that he has amassed much of his personal of fortune of $500 million by creating and selling the very “toxic waste” investments that he is proposing that we, the U.S. taxpayers buy.

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Rahway Paralegal Admits Roll In Mortgage Fraud Scheme

NEWARK – A paralegal for a New Jersey attorney who conducted real estate closings in connection with a fraudulent scheme involving NJ Affordable Homes, Corp. (NJAH), a purported real estate investment company, pleaded guilty Tuesday to falsifying loan documents which were submitted to a mortgage company for a loan insured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

Sydney Raposo, 41, of Rahway, who served as a paralegal for a lawyer identified by the initials A.N., whose law firm was located in Cranford, pleaded guilty to a one-count Information, charging her with making false statements to HUD relating to a federally insured mortgage loan issued by a mortgage lender.

In a hearing before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares, Raposo admitted to preparing materially false and fraudulent HUD-1 Universal Settlement Statements that falsely showed that A.N.’s clients – who were merely “nominee buyers” – had paid money to purchase the properties, and thus had equity in the properties, when she, and A.N., knew they had not.

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Act Now To Protect New Jersey Families

by Arthur Londensky

Unprotected high-rise buildings in New Jersey pose serious risks of loss of life, injury and economic strain for thousands of New Jersey residents and firefighters. Recently, the Department of Community Affairs passed on proposed high-rise fire sprinkler retrofit regulations that would address this significant public safety issue, citing costs to New Jersey families in the current economic climate. While the Department chose not to act on these regulations now, the fire service community strongly urges the state, the Department and Commissioner Doria to keep his promise and address high-rise fire protection as quickly as possible before a tragedy strikes. If our state acts now, it can make proper high-rise fire protection a reality and avoid the risk, the devastation, the loss of life, and the financial hardships on local municipalities and fire services of high-rise fires.

High-rise fires take an unbearable life-safety and economic toll on communities. Firefighters are forced to fight high-rise fires head on, carrying hoses and equipment as they go and endangering their chances to reach the fire at hand and evacuate residents. The cost of a fire sprinkler head present in apartments to help keep a fire suppressed ultimately pales in comparison to the potential loss of resident and firefighter lives in addition to the necessary 100+ firefighters and multiple hours of service involved to contain and suppress a raging high-rise fire. Moreover, throughout New Jersey, many fire departments staff volunteer firefighters, who face greater challenges and available resources to respond to fires of this magnitude. In the end, New Jersey’s communities can’t afford the monetary and manpower resources necessary to face a high-rise fire, and so can’t afford to have unprotected high-rise buildings.

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Elizabeth Memories: Elmora Avenue In The 1950s

 

by Diane Norek Harrison

ELIZABETH-Here are some great memories from Elizabeth resident Barbara Bebert Evers:

 “Dear Diane, Here are a few of my memories of growing up on Elmora Avenue. The avenue has changed a lot since the 1950s. The cars drove much slower and there was no tractor trailer traffic.

“Saturday afternoon was spent at the Elmora movie with a double feature matinee for 25 cents. Little Mary, the candy lady, would lose her patience with the crowd of kids who attacked her counter all at once. Wednesday was “dish night” when the moms saw a movie and got a dish or cup to add to their growing set. At this time the whole neighborhood would be eating off the same set of dishes.

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