Toy giveaway for local kids; tickets required
The National Association of Cuban-American Women, Inc., New Jersey Chapter is celevrating its annual Toys Giving Day on Sunday, Jan. 11 on Three Kings’ Day by providing a toy to each child in the community who attends the festivity. The event will take place at Theater Park, 630 32nd St., Union City, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Only one adult per family may attend, and a ticket is required for each child in order to enter the theater. To get tickets, please call 201-864-4879 or 201-271-9308.
Online petition calls for roadway to be renamed after hit-and-run victim
A petition was posted online on Dec. 16 calling for a stretch of Kennedy Boulevard to be renamed after Michael Viruet, 20, of Union City, who died 19 days after being struck down by a hit-and-run driver. Viruet’s leg was amputated in Jersey City Medical Center before he succumbed to his injuries. His younger brother Adrian, 11, was also hit by the car and suffered traumatic injuries from being flung through the air and impaled on a fence.
The petition on change.org seeks to change the name of the stretch of roadway where the accident occurred to “Hero’s Way The Michael J. Viruet Jr. Blvd.” As of Dec. 30 the petition had accumulated more than 700 signatures toward a goal of 1,000 signatures.
The two brothers, along with their sister Mileen, 15, had just left a movie and were walking home along Kennedy Boulevard on Friday, Nov. 14 when a red Nissan Rogue jumped the curb and hit them, then sped away, barely missing the sister. According to the petition, Michael “put himself between the car and Adrian which in our book makes Mikie a hero.”
The car was allegedly driven by Rogelio Chavix-Tacen, 38, a native of Guatemala. After finding the vehicle under a tarp in West New York, police mounted an extensive search for Chavix-Tacen, locating him hiding under a bed in a relative’s home in Annapolis, Md. He was arrested the same night Michael Viruet died.
Chavix-Tacen is currently being held in the Hudson County jail on $700,000 bail.
First-Sunday-of-the Month nature Walk on Jan. 4
Join a free two-hour guided walk in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst and nearby Disposal Road, featuring raptors and waterfowl. The walk is sponsored by the N. J. Meadowlands Commission (NHMC) and the Bergen County Audubon Society (BCAS). Meet outside the Meadowlands Environment Center at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 4 (directions are on meadowblog.net in the left-hand column). Participants will have to sign a standard liability release that is good for NJMC/BCAS events throughout the year. To RSVP contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983. Registration is recommended and appreciated.