Scandal Shocks Perth Amboy

Vas Collaborators

One Admits Guilt…

PERTH AMBOY — Jeffrey D. Gumbs, who was a top city administrator under former Mayor Joseph Vas, pleaded guilty Monday to theft, tampering with public records and the misapplication of the city’s property between April 2004 and November 2005.

Gumbs, who was the city’s director of human resources and supervisor of recreation for many years, pleaded guilty to stealing about $2,500 from taxpayers in the New Brunswick courtroom of Judge Frederick DeVesa.

Under the plea bargain, the state will recommend that Gumbs be sentenced on June 26 to probation, he must pay restitution to the city and he will be permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey.

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Heeding Criticism, Corzine Restores Property Tax Deduction

 

STATE – Gov. Jon Corzine’s draconian budget proposal has drawn a lot of criticism, but the most controversial component was the plan to eliminate the property tax deduction on the state income tax for most New Jersey residents.

Realizing that his budget had little chance of passing with that proposal intact, last week the Governor announced that he’d restore the tax deduction for residents earning less than $150,000 per year. 

“Given the circumstances, allowing people to maintain their property-tax deduction is the right thing to do and will help ease the pain for those being squeezed the most,” Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) said.

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Religious, Social Service Organizations Join Forces to Fight Hunger

MIDDLESEX COUNTY—A coalition of faith-based and social service agencies kicked off this afternoon a massive food drive to meet escalating demands for emergency food in Middlesex County.

The Middlesex County Coalition to Combat Poverty and Hunger is appealing to residents – especially through houses of worship – to donate non-perishable food and personal items. The event is timed to coincide with the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter holidays.

The idea was the brainchild of a handful of groups looking for ways to help those in need, especially since the economic downturn began to grip the nation and the area. The group also hopes to help families in need enjoy a Passover Seder or Easter dinner.

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Learn How To Green Your Lifestyle At Temple’s Environmental Fair

CLARK—Want to learn how you and your family can go “green?”  Temple Beth O’r / Beth Torah, in conjunction with Temple Beth Israel in Scotch Plains and United Synagogue Youth, are bringing together community organizations, local merchants, university professors and other experts for a free to the public environmental fair on Sunday, March 29, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 111 Valley Road in Clark.

“Green Footsteps to the Future” will feature:

• ShopRite of Clark, New Jersey American Water Co., and Parker’s Greenhouse of Scotch Plains, each of which will present ways to “green” your lifestyle through environmental home cleaning, non-toxic gardening, and energy conservation.

• Barnes & Noble of Clark, which will host an environmental arts and crafts and environmental story hour.

• Webelos II Dean Cub Pack #98 in Scotch Plains, which will lead a neighborhood clean-up project.

• Professor Hazem Tawfik, director of the Institute for Research and Technology Transfer at State University of New York at Farmingdale, who will exhibit a battery and bio-diesel-powered go-kart and motorcycle designed at the school.

• Transatlantic Electric Conversions, which will display hybrid automobile technology.

• Sierra Club, Audubon Society, and Great Swamp Watershed Association, each of which will present information on their respective environmental initiatives.

• Rabbi Akiva Lubow of Temple Beth El-Mekor Chayim of Cranford and Cantor Steven Stern of Temple Beth O’r / Beth Torah, who will lead a discussion on the religious sources of environmental ethics.

For more information, call 732-381-8403.

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College And Arts Center Host Literary Festival

EDISON—A literary festival celebrating the work of contemporary immigration writing will be held at Middlesex County College on Saturday, March 28. Admission is free and it is open to the public.

“My New Life, My New Poem: A Festival of Contemporary Immigration Writing” features a veritable United Nations of writers specializing in poetry, fiction and essays. Twenty-two award-winning authors will be gathering for public readings, workshops, panel discussions, book signings and open mic events.

The festival will include creative writing workshops and panel discussions on immigration, American literature and the humanities; a book fair; an open mic program for writers from the community to read and perform, and readings by guest authors.

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Union County College To Host Job Fairs

CRANFORD – On Thursday, April 2, Union County College’s Division of Counseling Services will be hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on its Plainfield Campus in the cafeteria at 232 East Second Street. As well, there will be a transfer fair, where current students can learn about transferring from UCC to four-year colleges and universities.

On Wednesday, April 8, the college will be hosting a job fair at its Cranford campus located at 1033 Springfield Avenue. The event will be held in the Victor M. Richel Student Commons from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This fair is open to all those currently seeking employment, including students and members of the public. Anyone planning on attending should come dressed in the proper business attire and have a resume available that is complete and ready to hand out.

In addition, tables are still available to area business owners who may be interested in attending the job fair to recruit new employees. The table fee is $50. For more information, contact May Kortbaoui at (908) 709-9495 or email kortbaoui@ucc.edu.

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What The Government’s Stimulus Bill Means To You

By Jason Alderman

The 2009 economic stimulus bill President Barack Obama signed into law on Feb. 17, is a whopper, not only in cost ($787 billion) and length (1,070 pages), but also in terms of the vast number of spending and tax-relief programs it touches – everything from multi-billion dollar infrastructure investments to business tax cuts to small increases in unemployment benefits.

Some provisions will take years to trickle down; others take effect almost immediately. Here are highlights of a few programs that could impact you directly:

Payroll tax credit. Workers will receive $400 tax credits for both 2009 and 2010 ($800 for married couples, filing jointly). Unlike last year’s tax rebates that were distributed in lump sums, these credits will probably appear as reduced tax withholding on paychecks, starting around June.

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Regular Screening Important For Detecting Colon Cancer

As the nation marks National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, the American Cancer Society is encouraging Americans to get lifesaving screening tests that have been proven to reduce the risk of the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women.

According to the recent Annual Report to the Nation on cancer, progress continues to be made in the fight against colorectal cancer (commonly referred to as colon cancer), with incidence and mortality rates continuing to experience a steady decline due in part to an increase in screening. 

From 1998 to 2005, colon cancer incidence dropped by 2.8 percent per year in men and 2.2 percent per year in women.  Deaths rates have fallen by 4.3 percent in both men and women from 2002 to 2005. In New Jersey in 2008, 4,600 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 1,590 people will die of the disease.

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Finding Health Care Without Insurance

By Douglas H. Kirkpatrick, MD

For many Americans, health insurance provides affordable access to healthcare that allows them to prevent or lower disease risk, manage current medical conditions, and maintain overall health. But for the 47 million people in the US who are living without health insurance, attaining even the most basic care can be impossible. Every 24 minutes, someone in America dies because they are uninsured and cannot get the care they need.  

In 2006, women represented more than 45% of all uninsured people in the US. Thirteen percent of all pregnant women are uninsured, and older women between ages 55 and 65 are 20% more likely to be uninsured than men. Women are more likely to be dependents, making them susceptible to losing health insurance due to divorce, becoming widowed, or because their spouse’s company increases premiums or drops family coverage entirely.   

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Free Job Training Course

CRANFORD – During the month of April, Union County College offer a free job training course to all Union County residents. All residents over the age of 18 are eligible to participate in this program. The career training course will be available to those who need to support a family, are a recent high school graduate looking for work, or a retiree who wants to earn a small income.

The course “Customer Service and Sales” will be offered from April 6 to May 4 at the Plainfield Family Success Center at Plainfield High School. The course will run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This course will prepare attendees for jobs in sales and customer service related positions. As well, the course will help attendees identify their personal skills, improve their resume, and set career goals. Union County College certificates will be distributed at the completion of the course.

To learn more about these free courses or to register, contact Vanessa Torres-Holmes or Joe Oliver at (908) 355-4444. The Plainfield Family Success Center at Plainfield High School is located at 925 Arlington Avenue.

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Carteret Wrestling Standout

Carteret Wrestling Standout—Carteret resident Michael Pysniak Jr., who attends Bishop George Ahr High School in Edison qualified for the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships earlier this month. He won his first match 17-5, but lost to the eventual state champ, Mike Morales, in his second match. A 9-7 overtime loss in his third match ended his tournament run. Pysniak finished second in Region V with a 31-9 record. While attending Carteret Middle School, Pysniak had a 44-0 record and was a three-time Middlesex County champion. (Photo by Patrick Morgan / www.pdmphotos.com)

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Volunteers Needed For Annual Multiple Sclerosis Walk

STATE – The newly formed New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is looking for people to join this year’s Walk MS to help create a world free of multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system that affects more than 13,000 people in New Jersey and more than 400,000 people nationwide.

The 21st annual Walk MS kicks off Sunday, April 19, at 10 a.m. at a variety of walk sites throughout New Jersey and is one of New Jersey’s largest and most widespread organized walks. All funds raised from the event will support critical MS research programs and fund local programs and services for all those who are impacted by the disease.

People of all ages are now welcome to register online at http://walknjm.nationalmssociety.org or at 9 a.m. on the day of the event. Participants will register to begin their walk at one of the following 15 walk sites: Belmar, Cranford, Edison, Flemington, Freehold, Hamilton, Hewitt, Jersey City, Ridgewood, Roseland, Roxbury, Sandy Hook, Seaside Park, North Brunswick and Somerville. Courses range from three to nine miles.

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There Is A Right Way To Hit Potholes, Says AAA

SPRINGFIELD—Spring is here but winter definitely left its mark on our roadways.  Driving while dodging potholes can often resemble a ski slalom.  It’s impossible to avoid all potholes, but swerving around them can do more damage if you’re involved in a crash.  AAA New Jersey offers the following advice on how to properly hit a pothole and minimize damage.

Always have the proper pressure in your tires – it can make all the difference when you hit a pothole.  With an under-inflated tire, you risk bending a wheel or damaging a steering or suspension component.  With an over-inflated tire, you might damage the tire itself.  AAA recommends checking the tire pressure every two weeks during the spring.

“The wide variation in spring temperatures – warm days and chilly nights – not only contributes to the creation of potholes, but can affect your tire pressure too,” explains Mike Coppola, an ASE-certified master mechanic and general manager of the AAA Car Care Center in Springfield.

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“Race to Witch Mountain” – Good Start…Weak Finish – 2 & ½ popcorns

By Michael S. Goldberger, film critic

Just out of the blocks this latest permutation of author Alexander Key’s sci-fi fantasy sparkles with newfound energy. “How novel,” we opine. However, once director Andy Fickman’s “Race to Witch Mountain” has unfurled all its 21st century refurbishments, the script assumes the repetitious ordinariness common to a game of Chutes and Ladders.

Still, valiantly staving off the film’s same ole, same ole nature longer than Matt Lopez and Mark Bomback’s script deserves is a bright-eyed cast, its keenest orbs peering out from Dwayne Johnson’s signature scowl. Oft on the receiving end of his faux ire, AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig complete the thespic complement.

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March Is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

By Ronald G. Rios

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month, and I encourage all residents to educate themselves and their families about colorectal cancer – the third most common cancer in men and women.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that in 2005, 72,007 men and 69,398 women were diagnosed with colorectal cancer; and 26,781 men and 27,259 women died.

Men and women of all racial and ethnic groups are affected by this disease, which almost always develops from precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon or rectum.

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