Upcoming primary election
Several county, town, and congressional candidates will vie for their future elected seats in the June 8 primary election.
Incumbent Sheriff Juan Perez has the endorsement of the Hudson County Republican Party in Tuesday’s Republican primary, while Republican Christian Araujo is opposing him for that nomination. And in November, one of them will face Undersheriff Frank Schillari, who is backed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization and is running unopposed for the Democratic nod on the same date. Perez was originally a Democrat, but switched parties after Schillari got the backing of the HCDO.
In Guttenberg, council members Alfonso Caso and Donna Florio will run for the Democratic nomination for their seats. They are running unopposed.
In North Bergen, Congressman Steven Rothman, who represents parts of Hudson and Bergen Counties, will be running for reelection in the 9th Congressional District, endorsed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization. He faces no opposition for the nomination. There are three Republicans hoping to get the nod to oppose him: Michael Agosta of the Hudson County Republican Party, John Aslanian, of the Tea Party Conservative Republicans for America, and Sergey Shevchuk, also a Republican.
Incumbent Congressman Albio Sires is seeking reelection in the 13th Congressional District, which also covers parts of North Bergen. Facing him for the Democratic nomination is Guttenberg resident Jeff Boss. Hudson County Republican Party member Henrietta Dwyer is running for the nomination to face either Sires or Boss in November for that seat.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cuban Day parade will march down Bergenline
The 11th Annual Cuban Day Parade of New Jersey is scheduled to be held on Sunday, June 6, beginning at 5 p.m. at 79th Street and Bergenline Avenue in North Bergen.
It will travel down Bergenline Avenue and end at 43rd Street and Bergenline Avenue in Union City.
Homeless shelter hosts delicious fundraiser
Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation (PERC) will host its annual Tastes of Summer Celebration on June 9 at Antonia’s by the Park in North Bergen from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. County Executive Tom DeGise will be this year’s honoree during an evening includes an open bar and appetizers.
Tickets are $50 and all proceeds will benefit PERC and its vital community outreach, including a soup kitchen and after-school program.
PERC is a nonprofit homeless shelter and social service agency based in Union City. It is dedicated to defeating the cycle of poverty. For more information, contact (201) 348-8150 or brian@percshelter.org.
New bilingual website from local low-cost health care agency
North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC), one of the region’s largest non-profit organizations and the largest operator of federally qualified health centers in New Jersey, has launched a new web site (www.nhcac.org), powered by Google, which offers information and services in both English and Spanish.
Among its many new features, the web site will display employment opportunities at the agency and allow users to subscribe to its new e-mail service.
NHCAC serves a tri-county population (Hudson, Bergen and Passaic) of more than two million residents and last year its nine health centers handled more than 220,000 patient visits.
Performing arts camp
The Park School for the Performing Arts will be running a five-week musical theatre camp from July 6 through Aug. 12.
The cost of the camp is $475 for five weeks and is intended for fourth through eighth graders. They will perform Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Registration will be held on Saturdays in June from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Park School for the Performing Arts on the third floor.
For more information call 201-865-6980 or visit www.parkpac.org.
20th Annual Palisades Classic raises $270K
A new fundraising record was reached at the Palisades Medical Center Foundation’s 20th Annual Palisades Classic Golf and Tennis Tournament on May 24.
More than 200 local residents and business leaders gathered at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus for the event, which raised $270,000, the largest amount since its inception.
The funds will go toward upgrading the facilities, expanding services and establishing greater contact with the community at PMC and the Harborage.
Sodexo, Inc. was the presenting sponsor, while the masters and ace sponsors for the event included Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Qualcare Inc., and Verizon.
“We are extremely grateful to all of the individuals and organizations that helped make this year’s Palisades Classic an overwhelming success,” said Bruce J. Markowitz, President and CEO of Palisades Medical Center. “Their generous philanthropic support during these challenging economic times shows that Palisades has truly made a strong connection to the people and communities we serve.”
Volunteers needed for local blood donations
NJ Blood Services, which supplies blood products and services to 60 hospitals throughout the state, is in need of volunteers to work blood drives. The blood service volunteer is an integral member of the collection team whose task it is assist donors with registration, escorting and canteen duties, and to watch for post donation reactions. Volunteers should have the ability to relate to the public, be able to perform different jobs as needed and have the willingness to follow the rules.
For additional information contact R. Jan Zepka, Manager of Community Relations, at (732) 616-8741 orrzepka@nybloodcenter.org.