UC International Film Festival to be held this weekend
The first annual Union City International Film Festival will be held Dec. 3 and 4 at the Union City Performing Arts Center, 2500 Kennedy Blvd., Union City.
The acclaimed short film “X,” written and directed by actor/director Josh Brolin (“No Country For Old Men,” “American Gangster,”) will premiere as the official opening short film during the opening night celebration.
UCIFF opening night will also feature a lineup of several additional highly acclaimed short film projects from around the world, Q&A and discussion panels, and a star-studded reception.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online or at the box office. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the Union City Museum of Art at the William V. Musto Cultural Center.
For more information or to buy tickets, go online at www.7tenfilmfestival.com.
CASA welcomes donations for holiday toy drive
Hudson County CASA will be celebrating the holiday season by holding a toy drive for abused and neglected children in Hudson County.
CASA is an independent non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interest of children in foster care. Volunteers get involved in advocating for the county’s hundreds of foster children.
Visit the Hudson County CASA website at www.hudsoncountycasa.org to purchase a gift through the Toys R Us gift registry.
State lawmakers approve anti-bullying legislation
By an overwhelming majority, New Jersey lawmakers in the General Assembly and Senate on Monday approved beefed up anti-bullying legislation that advocates call the toughest of its kind in the nation.
The legislation will give schools and alleged victims of bullying new legal tools to report harassment and new steps to prosecute those allegedly responsible.
Among some of the key components included in the proposed law: teachers, administrators, and school board members would be required to complete anti-bullying training; harassment, intimidation, and bullying could be considered “good cause” for suspension or expulsion, even if it’s a first offense; colleges and universities would be required to adopt an anti-bullying policy that would include harassment and intimidation in the code of conduct given to all students, and schools superintendents would be required to appoint an anti-bullying coordinator.
It would require school districts to form school safety teams to review complaints of alleged harassment. In addition, districts would be graded on their efforts to address bullying.
The bills now await the signature of Gov. Christopher Christie.
The Gov. has not stated whether he will sign the bills into law and has said he has concerns over their constitutionality.
HBCSF still accepting applications for scholarship
The Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ, Inc. (HBCSF) is still accepting applications for its annual scholarship and book stipend awards for current college and college-bound Hispanic students for the 2011-2012 school term.
Open to all N.J. residents of Hispanic heritage, the application can be accessed through www.hbcsf.org. Applications and all required information must be postmarked by Monday, Feb. 28, 2011. Scholarships of up to $4,000 each will be disbursed directly to the college or university of the student’s choice during the 2011-2012 school term. HBCSF also awards $1,000 book stipends.
Interviews and the final award selection will be completed by the end of March and the scholarships will be presented at the Foundation’s 20th Annual Scholarship Gala on Thursday, May 12, 2011.
Information about the 2010 scholarship recipients, previous scholarship recipients and the organization’s gala can be accessed at www.hbcsf.org or requested by e-mail to info@hbcsf.org.