Police conducting drunk driving crackdown as part of statewide campaign
Law enforcement representatives in North Bergen have been cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the 2013 Labor Day “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” statewide campaign.
In an effort that began Aug. 16 and will run through Sept. 2, local and state law enforcement officials have been conducting sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.
A concentrated national effort, the campaign helps to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools, including mobile video display signs, banners, and posters.
Launched nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel periods of the year.
In 2012, alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 19 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle deaths. As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign.
Guttenberg $700,000-plus repaving project to start soon
Guttenberg will soon begin a $700,000 street paving project that will upgrade thoroughfares on the west side of town, according to municipal officials.
Work will soon begin on the improvements to Jackson, Madison, Polk and Adams between 58th and 71st streets from Bergenline Avenue to Kennedy Boulevard, according to Mayor Gerald Drasheff.
“We want to get this done before the winter hits,” said Town Clerk Alberto Cabrera on Aug. 22. “So sometime in September we’ll be starting.”
Movement on the project was kept going by a special Town Council meeting called on Aug. 12, at which a resolution was passed awarding the $747,260 contract to Reggio Construction Inc. of Fort Lee, according to Drasheff and Cabrera.
“They’ll replace sidewalks as needed,” the mayor said. “It’ll probably be 70 to 75 percent in that area.”
Introduction to ESL, How to Earn a Degree At Home among free classes offered
The North Bergen Concerned Citizens Group is offering a series of free classes in an effort to fulfill its commitment of providing assistance and resources to area residents.
Among the courses are: Introduction to ESL (English as a second language), Sept. 2 to 30, on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturdays, noon to 1:30 p.m.; and “How to Earn A Degree At Home,” Professor Esteban A. Torres Marte, on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m.
For further information, or to register, call Larry Wainstein (201) 766-4108 or email northbergencitizens@gmail.com.
Programs and schedules are subject to change. For updates, please visit the group’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/nbccg and click “like”) or website, www.nbccg.org. Classes are for informational purposes only.
For more information on the group itself, contact: North Bergen Concerned Citizens, 1215 Kennedy Blvd., North Bergen NJ 07047, (201) 766-4108, northbergencitizens@gmail.com, or www.nbccg.org.
Community Blood Services hosting drives in North Bergen and Union City
Community Blood Services is hosting drives at the Jose Marti Academy, 1800 Summit Ave., Union City, on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at the Palisades Medical Center, 7600 River Rd., North Bergen, on Friday, Sept. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All blood types are needed.
Donors will receive a $5 Subway Gift Card for their participation. Donors will also be eligible to win two tickets to the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in February, as well as receive complimentary non-fasting cholesterol and glucose screenings.
The Union City drive also includes a free health fair.
Any healthy individual, ages 17 through 75 (16 with parental permission), and weighing at least 110 pounds, can donate blood. Donors should eat a moderate meal before donating and must bring identification showing signature. No Social Security number is needed.
Blood donors participating will help ensure that the transfusion needs of area patients are met.
To schedule an appointment, call Community Blood Services at (201) 251-3703.
Caretakers of relatives with mental illness offered free training
The Nami of Hudson County Family to Family education program is offering 12-week course for family members and close friends of adults with mental illness on caring for their loved ones.
The course will be held on Mondays from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Sept. 9 through Nov. 25, at the Jersey City Medical Center, 355 Grand Ave. Training is free, but registration is required.
The program is taught by trained volunteer family members who are experienced in caring for a loved one with serious mental illness such as major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.
Family to Family participants will receive information on: family responses to the trauma of mental illness; updates on several serious mental illnesses; and symptoms, medication and side effects.
Attendees will also practice problem solving skills and communication techniques; develop strategies for handling crisis and relapses; review local community resources; and support, and focus on self-care and coping with stress.
To register, call (201) 420-9270 or email namihudson@msn.com.
Hudson Hospice training program begins on Sept. 10
Would you like to make a difference in the lives of the terminally ill and their families? If so, you can register for the volunteer training class beginning Sept. 10 at the Hudson Hospice Office, 93 Clerk St., Jersey City.
The program consists of eight classes on eight consecutive Tuesdays. Participants must attend all eight. They can be taken mornings from 10 to noon or evenings from 7 to 9. The classes end on Oct. 29.
Volunteer roles offered include companionship for the patients, emotional support for patients and families, errands help, and telephone reassurance.
For more information, call Sister Carol Van Billiard at (201) 433-6225.
Health Fair in West New York for north Hudson residents
The Dvine Konektion Community Development Corporation is offering a free Community Fair on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 5516 Jefferson St., West New York.
Residents of West New York, North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, and Guttenberg are welcome to attend.
During the fair, free bags of groceries and baby supplies, such as diapers and wipes, will be distributed.
“There will also be free blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screenings, information about health insurance, and more,” said Jenice Durham, director of Dvine Konektion.
For additional information, call (201) 617-4484 or visit www.dvinek.org.
Roque says Grand Prix is not canceled
West New York Mayor Felix Roque said on Tuesday, Aug. 27, that the proposed Formula One Grand Prix race through the streets of West New York and Weehawken in 2014 has not been canceled.
He said that construction is still ongoing to get the race area ready for next year.
Last Friday, race Chief Executive Officer Bernie Ecclestone said the event’s organizers haven’t raised enough money to run it.
According to a report on CNN, “The final 2014 calendar will be approved by motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, in December, but new races need to have financing in place by now to ensure their plans are on track. It was recently revealed that the Grand Prix of America organizers appointed investment bank UBS in June to raise $100 million, which is required for the race to go ahead. But Ecclestone told CNN that they have run out of time.”
However, Grand Prix of America spokesman Alex Howe told CNN that the race is “on track for 2014.”
The race was originally to take place this summer, but was postponed until next summer.
Big Brothers Big Sisters host second Bowl for Kid’s Sake
On Friday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 15, Eagle Rock Lanes in West Orange will be the site of Bowl for Kids’ Sake, an event to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties.
More than 1,000 community members will enjoy food, music, prizes, and, of course, bowling, to celebrate their achievement in raising much needed funds for this organization that matches children facing life’s challenges with caring, supportive adults for one-to-one mentoring.
Adam Garcia, a Big Brother and member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson and Union Counties Leadership Council, urged all who can to participate or donate. Event participants spend several weeks raising funds online by soliciting donations from family, friends, and co-workers. Then they choose one of the two bowling dates to join the party and celebrate their success.
Thanks to the generosity of the event’s sponsors all funds raised by the teams will go to support the group’s mentoring programs. Those sponsors are: Massey Quick, Bank of New York Mellon/Pershing LLC, Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City Education Association, McRae Capital Management, Genova Burns Giantomasi Webster, Silverman Buildings, the Big Brothers Big Sisters Leadership Council, and Route 22 Nissan.
For more information, or to register a team, visit the group’s website at http://essexhudsonunion.kintera.org/bowl, call Sandra Ehrlich, Bowl for Kids’ Sake coordinator, at (973) 273-6311, or email Sandra.Ehrlich@bigsandkids.org.