Hudson Reporter Archive

NORTH BERGEN BRIEFS

Guttenberg holds 9/11 ceremony and candlelight vigil

Residents of the Town of Guttenberg joined with the mayor, Town Council, and public safety department for a 9/11 remembrance ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11. The town paid tribute to all who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The ceremony included a flag raising and candlelight vigil to honor the brave men and women of all uniformed services, as well as the civilians who lost their lives.

HCCDFC will take back unwanted prescription drugs on Sept. 26

On Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Hudson County Coalition for a Drug-Free Community (HCCDFC) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will partner to launch the 10th Take Back Day event.
Take Back Day is an opportunity for the public to dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, further preventing pill abuse and theft.
Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Bring your pills for disposal at the following locations:
– Secaucus Police Department, 1203 Paterson Plank Rd.
– Hoboken Police Department, 400 1st St., Hoboken
– Hoboken Police Department, 106 Hudson St., Hoboken
– Hoboken Police Department, 221 Jackson St., Hoboken
– Hoboken Police Department, 311 13th St., Hoboken
– Kearny Police Department, 237 Laurel Ave., Kearny
– Bayonne Police Department, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne
The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
“Preventing prescription drug abuse is a high priority for Hudson County,” said Robin F. James, Administrator of Behavioral Health and Addiction Services at the Hudson County Department of Health & Human Services. “The Hudson County Department of Health and Human Services encourages residents to help us prevent the abuse or misuse of prescription drugs by properly disposing of your unused or expired prescriptions on Sept. 26. Taking the time to drop off unused or expired prescriptions could potentially save a life and ensure the health of the community.”
Last September, Americans turned in 309 tons of prescription drugs at nearly 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds of pills.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control site or visit hudsoncountycoalition.org.

Dance registration on Sept. 21

Dance Registration will be held on Monday, Sept. 21 at the North Bergen Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave., from 5:30 to 8 p.m. There will be a $35 non-refundable registration fee; cash or money order only.
Ballet/jazz is available for children up to 11 years old, and pre-ballet is available for 5-year-olds only. Dance wear can be purchased at registration. Class sizes are extremely limited. Bring birth certificate and proof of residency at the time of registration.

Audition this week for the 2015 Winter Holiday Show

The North Bergen Players are holding auditions for boys and girls ages 7 to 12 years old for their 2015 Winter Holiday Show. Auditions will be held at the North Bergen Mini Theater, 8411 Bergenline Ave.
Auditions take place at 4 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 21 to 23. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12, and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13. For more information contact Maurena Luzzi at (201) 854- 7074 or (201) 401-9722.

Register on Sept. 21 for free classes in the performing arts

The Grace Theatre Workshop, Inc. will hold registration for its professional theatre training program for children ages eight and up on Mondays through Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. at Jose Marti Freshman Academy, 1800 Summit Ave., Union City. Registration begins on Monday, Sept. 21.
Unlimited free classes are available in ballet, hip hop, salsa, tap/rhythm, singing, and acting. To register, kids must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. No special clothing or equipment is needed. Registration fee is $30 per student. All of the instructors are professional performers. Open to all residents of Hudson County.
For information, log on to GraceTheatre.com. The Grace Theatre Workshop, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

Free health seminar on prostate cancer on Sept 24 at Palisades Medical Center

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and it is the perfect time to learn the facts about a disease that affects one out of every six men. A free health seminar on prostate cancer will take place on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Palisades Medical Center, 7600 River Rd.
Featured speakers will be three physicians from the John Theurer Cancer Center at Palisades Medical Center: Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.P.E.; Robert S. Alter, M.D.; and Glen Gejerman, M.D. Admission is free and so is parking. Free food and refreshments will be provided. Free transportation will be available from 60th St. and Bergenline Ave. starting at 5:30 p.m. For registration information contact Nikki at (201) 854-5702.

Wine tasting event to support Palisades Medical Center Foundation set for Sept. 24

Cork Wines and Spirits co-founders Mike Garcia and Debbie Kemp will spearhead a special wine tasting event to support the Palisades Medical Center Foundation on Sept. 24 at the Waterside Restaurant in North Bergen from 6 to 10 p.m.
Attendees will sample from 100 select imported and domestic wines. Hors d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner, and desserts are included. Shuttle buses will leave Cork’s Hoboken location at 1450 Washington St.
Tickets for the wine tasting are $100 each. They can be purchased by calling (201) 854-5008 or online at palisadesmedicalfoundation.org.

Pancake breakfast fundraiser at Fairview VFW on Oct. 11

The auxiliary of the VFW Post 337, 560 Fairview Ave., Fairview, will hold their first pancake breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 11 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee, and tea will be served. Donations are $7 per person, with children under five free.
Proceeds will go to scholarship awards to Fairview students, and various veterans programs in the State of New Jersey. For tickets or more information call Carol Cocco at (201) 314-9972. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Two free Wellness Wednesdays events upcoming at library

Two free bilingual events are upcoming at the main library, 8411 Bergenline Ave. from 7 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 14 and Nov. 11. Call (201) 833-3336 to register.
On Oct. 14 the library presents “Colorectal Cancer Update” with speaker Peter Caride, MD, gastroenterologist, Holy Name Medical Center. Attendees will learn about colorectal cancer, including the latest research on guidelines to help prevent and treat it.
And on Nov.11 Hilda Hernandez-Sepulveda, RN, BSN, CDE, Holy Name Medical Center will speak about “Everything You Want to Know about Diabetes.” Get the latest information on managing diabetes and take the opportunity to ask questions about treatments, strategies for glucose control, prevention of complications and other issues related to diabetes.

American Dream mall names three tenants: Saks, Lord & Taylor, OFF 5th

After much speculation, the developers of the American Dream shopping and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands publicly announced three retail brands that will have shops in the mall.
Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, and Lord & Taylor have all signed on to the project, according to a press release issued jointly by Triple Five, the developers of the mall, and Hudson’s Bay Company, the retail business group that owns and operates all three brands. Both companies are headquartered in Canada.
The Saks Fifth Avenue store will be 131,906 square feet and the Lord & Taylor shop will be 119,605 square feet. The stores will be located in “The Collections,” a high-end section of the mall. The 30,000-square-foot OFF 5th store will be located on the third level’s “off-price district.”
Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor were both among the names listed earlier in a brochure detailing stores slated to open in the mall, according to a report on nj.com late last year. The brochure, distributed at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual retail convention in the Jacob Javits Convention Center, also listed Victoria’s Secret and The Gap as brands planning to open retail shops in the mall.
Construction has been underway for months on the much-troubled project, with a network of cranes rising over the wetlands. Triple Five took over the project after two other developers spent $2 billion and failed to bring it to fruition. Originally called Xanadu, it was renamed when Triple Five took over and expanded the scope from a megamall to a sprawling entertainment complex.
Among the other attractions planned for the American Dream facility are an indoor water park, an amusement park, an aquarium, Imax theaters, and a permanent Cirque du Soleil theater.
According to recent reports the opening of the complex has been pushed back from the 2016 holiday season to the summer of 2017.

NJ pays six Meadowlands towns to cover shortfall in hotel surcharge

Early this year a new hotel room surcharge of 3 percent was established in the Meadowlands to replace tax sharing. With that surcharge falling far short of its goal, the state recently stepped in to pay a portion of the approximately $5 million due to six Meadowlands towns.
The old tax sharing system required certain Meadowlands towns with more development to pay into a pool, while other towns with more restrictions on development would be paid out of that pool. Secaucus and North Bergen were among the municipalities paying millions of dollars annually into the fund, under the system they long argued was antiquated and unfair.
Tax sharing was eliminated in February when the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) were consolidated into one entity. The hotel surcharge was instituted at that time to ensure the towns with more development restrictions continued to receive annual payments. The surcharge was predicted to raise between $7 million and $10 million annually, enough to replace the $7.4 million produced by tax sharing. The first of three annual payments of about $2.5 million each was due to the six towns on May 15. But by that point the state Treasury Department had collected less than $1 million from the hotel surcharge. A pro-rated portion of that amount was distributed to the towns of Jersey City, Rutherford, East Rutherford, North Arlington, Ridgefield, and Kearny. The towns quickly protested, since they had factored the expected revenue into their budgets for the year.
During the period of March to August, the state collected only about $1.8 million, well below expectations.
To supplement the lagging fees, a joint legislative committee approved an appropriation of $4.5 million in August, ensuring the towns would receive the balance of the money due to them.
Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli and East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella have both advised the NJSEA that the revenue generated this year by the new hotel surcharge seems too low based on past hotel occupancy.

Wine tasting event to support Palisades Medical Center Foundation set for Sept. 24

Cork Wines and Spirits Co-founders Mike Garcia and Debbie Kemp will spearhead a special wine tasting event to support the Palisades Medical Center Foundation on Sept. 24 at the Waterside Restaurant in North Bergen from 6 to 10 p.m.
Attendees will sample from 100 select imported and domestic wines. Hors d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner, and desserts are included. Shuttle buses will leave Cork’s Hoboken location at 1450 Washington St.
Tickets for the wine tasting are $100 each. They can be purchased by calling (201) 854-5008 or online at palisadesmedicalfoundation.org.

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