Sacco’s ‘Caylee’s Law’ signed
A bill that will make the failure to report the disappearance of a child a felony was signed into law Monday, Jan. 9. Sponsored by State Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, along with Linda R. Greenstein, “Caylee’s Law” makes the failure to report the disappearance of a child or a death within 24 hours punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
The legislation, which was also introduced in at least 15 other states, is named after 2-year-old Caylee Anthony of Orlando, who was found dead in a wooded area on Dec. 11, 2008, nearly five months after she was finally reported missing. Her mother, Casey Anthony, was accused of her death, but ultimately was convicted on a lesser charge.
North Bergen Public Library will host winter programming
Registration has begun for winter programs at the North Bergen Free Public Library. Programs begin Monday, Jan. 23 and are open to North Bergen and Guttenberg residents from ages 2.5 to adult.
Interested parties can register at the library at 8411 Bergenline Ave. A copy of a birth certificate and proof of residency are required for enrollment. For more information and a list of programs, call (201) 869-4715 ext. 5, or visit the library website at www.nbpl.org.
National competitions for deaf and hard-of-hearing students
The Rochester Institute of Technology is holding two creative competitions for cash prices for deaf and hard-of-hearing High School students.
The first contest, the RIT Digital Arts, Film, and Animation Competition, encourages students in ninth through 12th grades to submit up to two entries (one per category). The categories are web design, graphic media, film, 3-D animation, interactive media, and photo illustration. To qualify, students must submit the following by postal mail: an entry form, a 150 to 300-word descriptive essay about their work, and the artwork itself on CD or DVD.
Winners will receive cash prizes at an awards ceremony in the spring and have their winning work featured in the Dyer Arts Center on the RIT campus. For more information, visit www.rit.edu/NTID/ArtsNR. The deadline to register is today, Jan. 15.
The second competition is RIT’s SpiRIT Writing Contest for deaf or hard-of-hearing students in 10th, 11th, or 12th grades. Students can win their choice of a scholarship and travel expenses to the Explore Your Future program at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, or a $500 cash prize.
Explore Your Future is a six-day summer career exploration program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students that gives them the opportunity to sample different careers as well as college life. Complete contest guidelines and entry information are available at www.rit.edu/NTID/WritingContestNR. The deadline to enter is March 15, 2012.
For more information about either competition, call (585) 475-7695 (voice/TTY) or (585) 286-4555 (videophone).