North Bergen High School finds threat to ‘shoot up the school’
According to a message attached to a bulletin board at North Bergen High School, a note was found written on a desk threatening to “shoot up the school on 6/6/14.”
School officials took the threat seriously. The bulletin board message, which is addressed to all parents and guardians and appears to be the text of a phone message from Principal Paschal Tennaro, outlines numerous actions that the school and police would take to secure the students’ safety, including increasing police presence at the school on Friday.
Students were being instructed to clear out all lockers by Thursday afternoon and not to bring any book bags to school on Friday. Teachers were advised to inspect all closets and desks at the end of the day on Thursday and lock them. Police planned to conduct a canine inspection of the school prior to opening on Friday and students would be scanned by metal detectors upon entering the building.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact the police or school officials. All tips will remain confidential.
‘Universal Class’ database provides 500 online courses for free
The North Bergen Library has announced the addition of the new “Universal Class” online database. Located on the home page of the library website, the database provides access to over 500 online non-college credit courses including continuing education courses. All courses are open and free to North Bergen Library card holders.
An account with a North Bergen Library Card and a valid e-mail address are required to sign up for courses. Participants can enroll in up to five courses at a time and have up to six months to finish each course. Access to courses is available 24/7 via the Internet so you can attend class and complete assignments on your schedule. Each course has an instructor who is available to contact via e-mail.
Visit www.nbpl.org or call (201) 869-4715 for more information or to check out the full course catalog.
Hudson County Patriotic Home Contest is now on
The 3rd annual Hudson County Patriotic Home Contest invites you to run the grand old flag up the pole, dust off the Statue of Liberty, get George and Abe on the porch, put some stars in your windows, and place the Liberty Bell on the lawn. It’s time to show off your pride in America.
Tweet three photos of your decorated home and address to JCHudsonmedia or e-mail them to jctalking2000@yahoo.com. Three grand prize winners will each receive $500 cash.
All photos must be received by June 27. Be creative. Last year more than 50 homes were entered in the contest.
Skin cancer lecture on June 11
A lecture on the topic of skin cancer will be held on Wednesday, June 11 at 7 p.m. Board certified dermatologist Adolfo Fernandez-Obregon MD will discuss risk factors, detection and prevention of skin cancer. This event is made possible by the Hispanic Outreach Program and Holy Name Medical Center for Wellness Wednesdays. It will be held at the North Bergen Free Public Library at 8411 Bergenline Ave. For more information contact the library at (201) 869-4715 or visit www.nbpl.org.
Palisades Medical Center offers community health screenings
Throughout the year, Palisades Medical Center’s staff partners with North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Christ Hospital School of Nursing, and Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern NJ to provide free health screenings and education programs. Palisades Medical Center’s community outreach and education programs are generously funded in part by TD Charitable Foundation.
Free screenings and information will be provided on blood pressure, heart rate, percentage of oxygen in the blood, hearing tests, mammography, and valuations for charity care.
Free health screenings will be held at the following locations in West New York:
June 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm at Nazareth Baptist Church, 5800 Palisades Ave.
June 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Trinity Reformed Church, corner of Palisades Ave. and 60th St.
For more information, contact Joanne Riggs at (201) 854-5793.
Noted actors present “Selected Shorts” at the library
The hit public radio series and podcast, “Selected Shorts,” presents extraordinary performances of classic and new short stories. On Tuesday, June 24, the program crosses the Hudson with moving and unexpected tales of friendship, falling in love and complicated families, performed by an all-star cast: Keir Dullea, Patricia Kalember, and Kaneza Schaal.
The three featured speakers will be reading different short selections to the audience. The event will take place at the North Bergen Free Public Library located at 8411 Bergenline Ave. on June 24 at 7:30 p.m. Registration is required. For more information contact the library at (201) 869-4715 or visit www.nbpl.org.
Governor names Hoboken labor leader to PA board of commissioners
Gov. Chris Christie has named George Laufenberg of Hoboken, administrative manager of New Jersey Benefits for the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, to fill a vacancy on the Port Authority board of commissioners left by the resignation of Anthony Sartor in April, according to a report on NJ.com.
Christie has also formally named John J. Degnan, a former New Jersey attorney general, to head the bi-state agency’s 12-seat board of commissioners in the wake of the resignation of David Samson amid investigations by state and federal prosecutors into possible conflicts of interest involving his law firm, Wolff and Samson. The firm represented clients with Port Authority-related business. Those investigations grew out of the broadening probe into politically motivated lane closings on the George Washington Bridge in September.
Workshop on securing procurement business is on June 25
Have you ever considered how to grow your business by successfully winning procurement contracts? It may be easier than you’ve imagined. Join the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce for a workshop on how to develop your company’s access to public and private-sector procurement opportunities.
Featured speakers will be Rebecca Moll Freed, Esq. and Michael Winter. Freed, from Genova Burns Giantomasi Webster, helps companies assess and evaluate their current and prospective procurement opportunities, and assist with the preparation of responsive RFPs and RFQs. She will speak about the preparation of RFPs and RFQs on the state and local levels.
Winter is the chief administrative officer of Choose New Jersey, a nonprofit that works to drive economic growth for New Jersey. Winter will provide a hands-on overview of RFP Watch 2.0, an online database that offers access to more than 7,000 contract leads posted each month, and more than $2 billion in contracts awarded each week. Learn how RFP Watch can help take your business to the next level and how to customize this search engine for your specific needs.
The workshop will take place from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25 at the Culinary Conference Center at Hudson County Community College, 161 Newkirk St., Jersey City. The event is free to Hudson County Chamber of Commerce members and $35 to nonmembers. Continental breakfast will be served.
State bar foundation sponsoring free seminar on wills and estate planning
As a public service, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation presents a free public seminar on wills and estate planning on Thursday, June 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the New Jersey Law Center, One Constitution Square off Ryders Lane in New Brunswick.
Topics of discussion examine estate-planning basics, including wills, elder law planning, Medicaid eligibility and guardianships. A question-and-answer period follows the presentations.
Guest speakers are Crystal West Edwards, Esq., and Farah N. Ansari, Esq., attorneys with the Florham Park law firm of Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP.
The seminar is free and open to the public; however, advance registration is required. To register, visit the Foundation online at www.njsbf.org or call (800) FREE-LAW. The Foundation’s seminar series is made possible by funding from the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey.
Palisades Medical Center honored with quality achievement award for stroke care
Palisades Medical Center (PMC) received the “Get with the Guidelines–Stroke” Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for the treatment of stroke patients.
Get with the Guidelines–Stroke helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Palisades Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.
Get with the Guidelines–Stroke also helps PMC staff implement prevention measures, which include educating stroke patients to manage their risk factors and to be aware of warning signs for stroke, and ensuring they take their medications properly.