North Bergen pool open mic night is July 20
Come and enjoy the open mic event at the North Bergen Pool on Monday July 20 at 5 p.m. Admission is $5, with free admission for pool members and individuals with a North Bergen Library Card. Guttenberg residents can participate in North Bergen’s Public library events. The North Bergen pool is at 2111 91st St.
Source of ‘that maple syrup smell’ to close NB office
Frutarom, a manufacturer of flavors and ingredients for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, is closing its office in North Bergen, according to nj.com. The company will lay off 50 employees by Aug. 31, with a limited number of management positions eligible to transfer to another location. Employees may be offered severance packages based on their years with the company and whether or not they are union members.
Frutarom is an international company with 3,300 employees in more than 150 countries. They are expanding through acquisitions, including eight this year. The North Bergen closure is said to be part of a reorganization and consolidation.
The company made headlines in 2009 when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg identified them as the source of a sweet, maple syrupy odor that occasionally drifted over the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The smell was said to come from fenugreek seeds, an ingredient in some artificial flavorings.
Health Awareness Fair is on July 25
Gospel Tabernacle and Casa Mama Dona invite residents to attend “From Head to Toe,” a free health awareness fair on Saturday, July 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Health screenings available at the event will include cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, glaucoma, vision, and dental. Medical and immigration consultations will also be available and much more.
For kids there will be school supplies (while they last), face painting, balloons, games, and haircuts. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and soda will be available at a barbecue.
The event takes place at Gospel Tabernacle A/G, 5029 Kennedy Blvd. For more information call (201) 863-1000 or (646) 379-4471.
North Bergen purchases new 40-seat senior citizen bus
North Bergen this week unveiled its new senior bus, which will be used for services like trips to local restaurants and food shopping, as well as to entertainment destinations like Jersey Gardens Mall, Monmouth Park Racetrack, and Empire City Casino.
“Seniors are the backbone of our community and we are constantly working to provide both entertainment options and essential services to them,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco. “This new bus and the additional two that we will soon be adding will help accomplish both of these goals and support our mission of taking excellent care of our senior citizens.”
The new, 40-seat bus cost approximately $133,000 and was paid for in the township’s 2015 capital budget. North Bergen will be purchasing another similar bus, as well as a smaller 16-passenger bus in the coming months.
Sacco was joined by Commissioners Hugo Cabrera, Allen Pascual, and Julio Marenco, as well as Freeholder Anthony Vainieri, North Bergen Housing Authority Executive Director Gerald Sanzari, and dozens of senior citizens on July 14 when the new bus was unveiled in front of Lawler Towers.
2015 back-to-school drive underway
The North Bergen Emergency Relief Program is hosting a 2015 back-to-school drive for families in need throughout the township. Items will be collected from July 15 to Aug. 30 and distributed on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at the North Bergen Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave.
Items needed include backpacks, pens, pencils, notebooks, composition books, binders, paper, crayons, colored pencils, markers, highlighters, kid’s scissors, glue, glue sticks, rulers, calculators, folders, book covers, lunchboxes, new or gently used school uniforms, and new children’s underwear/socks/undershirts.
For a list of drop-off locations visit the town website at northbergen.org. Contact Emergency Relief Coordinator Aimee Focaraccio with questions at (201) 392-0229 or afocaraccio@northbergen.org.
Kids ride the ferry free all summer
Children under 12 can ride the NY Waterway ferry for free from July 5 through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Ferries travel to midtown and downtown from Port Imperial and Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken and 14th Street in Hoboken, making NY Waterway the easiest, most family-friendly way to enjoy the sights and sounds of summer in the Big Apple.
“As a family-owned business, we take pride in being family-friendly. We want to make a visit to the greatest city in the world affordable and convenient,” said NY Waterway President and Founder Arthur E. Imperatore. “We are happy to offer free ferry rides for children to make it even easier for families to have a memorable experience in New York City this summer.”
It takes 8 minutes to cross the Hudson River from Port Imperial, Lincoln Harbor, or 14th Street in Hoboken to Midtown West 39th Street in Manhattan, and takes less than 25 minutes to cross from these New Jersey terminals to Lower Manhattan. Service between Port Imperial, Lincoln Harbor or 14th Street in Hoboken and 39th Street operates all day, seven days a week.
At the West 39th Street Midtown Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, free connecting multi-route NY Waterway shuttles are waiting to take passengers on several routes serving midtown and downtown. Shuttles stop at key destinations such as Times Square, the Empire State Building, Macy’s, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Bryant Park, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Families can take advantage of “Kids Ride Free” in tandem with NY Waterway’s Your Key To The City partner program which offers discounts of up to 56 percent on top NYC museums, attractions, and tours. NY Waterway’s expanded Your Key to the City program also offers special discounts on over 40 participating Broadway plays and musicals.
For more information, call 1-800-53-FERRY or click on www.nywaterway.com or www.facebook.com or @ridetheferry.
Lincoln Annex hosts data conference
Approximately 40 school administrators, teachers, union representatives, and more, representing dozens of New Jersey school districts, attended the North Jersey Data Forward Conference at North Bergen’s Lincoln Annex School. Presented by school district technology provider LinkIt, the two-day data retreat exposed attendees to new ways to utilize data in the classroom with a goal of improving student outcomes.
“North Bergen is becoming a leader in adopting data-driven techniques to improve student performance and give our teachers new tools to use in the classroom,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. George Solter. “We were honored to host this conference and our technology team and department heads learned many important skills that we will be putting to use in the upcoming school year.”
Increasing the usage of technology and using data-driven decision making techniques has been a particular focus for the district over the past few years under the leadership of Dr. Solter. The school district has purchased hundreds of ChromeBook laptops to provide students with computers to use in school and has upgraded its network infrastructure. It has also invested in less visible steps to use the power of data to improve instruction, such as teacher training and tools like LinkIt.
The conference was held on July 7 and 8 and was also attended by Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who serves as the district’s director of primary and secondary education, as well as Freeholder Anthony Vainieri, the principals of each North Bergen school, and district department heads.
2015 National Night Out Against Crime is Aug. 4
The 2015 National Night Out Against Crime will take place in North Bergen from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Public Safety Commissioner Allen Pascual have doubled the amount of locations from previous years. For 2015 the event will take place at six locations throughout town: Kennedy School, 1210 11th St.; Applied Housing, 1108 26th St.; Policeman’s Park, 37th and Union Tpk.; Meadowview Village, 58th-61st on Meadowview Ave.; Lawler Senior Citizen Building, 6121-6131 Grand Ave.; and Broadway between 73rd and 76th.
Come join in for a night of free food, beverages, music, and fun for everyone.
NB man arrested for alleged theft at Bayonne apartments
A 39-year-old North Bergen man employed at the Alexan CityView apartments in Bayonne was arrested for an alleged burglary and theft at an apartment at the complex, according to police. The man has been employed as a maintenance engineer at Alexan since November of last year.
There have been 13 burglaries at the complex since Feb. 23, police officials said. Since none of the burglaries showed signs of forced entry, police early on believed that the crimes were an “inside job,” according to a statement issued by Bayonne Police Lt. Janine Foy.
The suspect allegedly had access to master keys and key fobs, which allowed access to the entire complex, including apartments, the police statement said.
The break in the case came on June 30, when Bayonne detectives recovered numerous items taken from the burglaries at a Union City pawn shop. All the jewelry recovered from the pawn shop was allegedly sold to it by the maintenance engineer, according to the police statement.
The man was arrested on July 1, and his bail was set at $50,000 with a 10-percent cash option. He was remanded to the Hudson County Jail. He was charged with the burglary and theft of an apartment reported on June 24, when he allegedly was observed entering and exiting an apartment where a wedding ring was taken, the police statement said. He was also charged with receiving stolen property from a burglary and theft reported on June 23. “Numerous pieces” of jewelry taken from that burglary were recovered from the pawn shop, according to the statement.
On July 8, he was charged with an additional five counts of receiving stolen property.
The value of property stolen was $135,885. The value of property recovered to date is $13,550.
The investigation is continuing, the police statement said.
Inti-Illimani to headline Summer Concerts on the Hudson
Chilean band Inti-Illimani will appear in concert on Wednesday, July 22 at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Harbor Park in Weehawken. Named after the mountain at La Paz, Bolivia, Inti-Illimani means “Sun of the Illimani,” in the Aymara dialect. The founding members of this legendary group explored the indigenous cultures of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Argentina. Some 48 years since its founding, Inti-Illimani continues to tour throughout South and Central America, Europe, Australia, and North America. In November 2014, Inti-Illimani released “Teoría de Cuerdas,” the ensemble’s 36th studio album.
Inti-Illimani’s music has become Latin America’s visceral link between pueblo and people, exemplified by Nueva Canción (new song). Nueva Canción is not only the name of the early Inti-Illimani recording which propelled the group into global recognition and popularity, but is also the name of the socio-political, artistic movement of the 1970s and ‘80s throughout Latin America, which sought to resurrect and celebrate the traditional folk sounds of Latin culture while delivering messages of social change and revolution.
Free parking is available and public transportation, including NJ Transit bus from Port Authority and Light Rail, will bring concertgoers to Lincoln Harbor. The park does not have an address so, if using GPS, use 1600 Harbor Boulevard in Weehawken, the address for the new residential building located directly across the road from the park.
Fulop joins transit union in opposing NJ Transit fare hike
Mayor Steven M. Fulop along with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and a group called New Jersey for Transit issued a statement on July 15 condemning New Jersey Transit’s decision to raise fares by nine percent and eliminate six bus lines and two train lines, which was approved despite viable immediate and long-term solutions presented by the “Fight the Hike Campaign.”
“While I am disappointed in today’s decision by the NJ Transit Board members, I am not surprised as this has been the pattern of leadership at the agency,” said Mayor Fulop. ”NJ Transit should be exploring the expansion of transit and building the strong transit system commuters deserve to create long-term sustainability as we outlined. Working families in Jersey City don’t need an added tax and there are alternative measures to fixing NJ Transit’s budget issues.”
The latest fare hike by New Jersey Transit is the fifth since 2002 and will affect the 47.3 percent of Jersey City residents who rely on mass transit to get to and from work, Fulop said.
Mayor Fulop in partnership with ATU launched in May an aggressive campaign called “Fight the Hike,” a non-profit entity, to raise awareness around NJ Transit’s fare hike and service cut proposal.
The Fight the Hike Campaign presented a three-pronged approach to eliminate the $60 million NJ Transit budget shortfall. The measures outlined included requiring NJ Transit to sell all vacant parcels of land owned by the agency statewide, establishing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in urban areas as well as suburbs, and expanding bus and train capacity as ridership increases.
Fun with a Cop on Aug. 7 at Braddock Park
The North Bergen Public Library invites residents to have Fun with a Cop on Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. at Braddock Park. Learn about police tactics with the North Bergen Community Police. For ages 10-14. Be ready to get wet.
Jason Liebman free acoustic concert on Aug. 11
There will be a free acoustic concert by Jason Liebman on Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. at the North Bergen Pool. Attendance is free with a pool membership or a North Bergen Public Library card. The North Bergen pool is at 2111 91st St.
NBPD backpack drive going on now
Residents can help the North Bergen Police and the New Jersey National Guard collect new or gently used backpacks for the children in the community from now through Wednesday, Aug. 26. The drop off location is the New Jersey National Guard Recruiting Station (trailer) located at 8901 Bergenline Ave. All backpacks collected will be donated to the department of child protection and permanency of Hudson County.
Moths in the Meadowlands presentation on July 20
Learn about moths, the amazing, lesser-known cousins of butterflies, on the Fourth Annual Meadowlands Moth Night, Monday, July 20 from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Representatives of National Moth Week will give a presentation on these spectacular yet misunderstood creatures. Industrial-strength lamps and white sheets will be set up and “sugaring” will be used to attract moths. This family-friendly event is co-sponsored by the Bergen County Audubon Society and National Moth Week. The event is free at Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.
Sixth Annual Butterfly Day is July 26,
The highly-anticipated Butterfly Festival is back. Join a fun-filled day of butterfly walks and identification techniques, plus many free activities for the kids on Sunday, July 26. Children 12 and under can join a butterfly costume contest. Butterfly Day is co-sponsored by the Bergen County Audubon Society and the North American Butterfly Association.
This free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.
Catch a movie in the park this summer
Hudson County’s Movies in the Parks take place on Wednesday and Friday nights this July and August at six different parks in Hudson County.
Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of free movies and popcorn. Screenings start at sundown. July sunsets are at 8:30 p.m. and August sunsets at 8 p.m. All movies are subtitled in Spanish. Events are wheelchair accessible. Visit wpanj.org/movies-in-the-parks-2015 for more information and a full schedule.