NORTH BERGEN BRIEFS

Courtyard by Marriott holds fundraiser for charity on Feb. 14

The Courtyard by Marriott is holding a “Hotels with a Heart” fundraiser on Feb. 14. For every room booked that night, they will donate $5 to Meals with a Mission.
Meals with a Mission is a nonprofit that prepares, cooks, and delivers meals to homeless shelters, pantries, soup kitchens, housing authorities, senior citizens, veterans, disabled vets, the home-bound and children’s programs. With over 150 volunteers and donated product they provide services in Essex, Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson Counties, working with St. Lucy’s Shelter, PERC, Hoboken Shelter, Self Help in Jersey City, Good Shepherd Church in Weehawken, Our Lady of Fatima in North Bergen, and the Secaucus Food Pantry.
Meals with a Mission also just started offering culinary classes for special needs students. Visit mealswithamissionnj.org or call (201) 986-6325 for more information or to donate.

Big boost in the number of local liquor stores checking ID

A study of local liquor stores on Dec. 31, 2015 determined that 21 percent of vendors failed to properly request age identification from purchasers (3 out of 14 stores). This was a significant improvement from 2014, when 63 percent of stores failed to check for identification, and 2013, when there was a 73 percent noncompliance rate among randomly selected stores in the West Hudson area.
The study was initiated in 2013 by the Hudson County Coalition for a Drug-Free Community (HCCDFC), who carried out the assessments by sending a person of legal age dressed in a college sweatshirt to visit the stores and try to purchase alcohol.
Supplying alcohol to minors is a serious offense. HCCDFC has prioritized underage drinking as a primary public health concern with a high correlation rate of injury and social consequences, such as violence, driving while intoxicated, alcohol poisoning, and high-risk behavior. To reinforce legal policies, the coalition, along with local law enforcement, continues to offer free Techniques of Alcohol Management (TAM) trainings to liquor store owners and employees. TAM training provides risk management tools that should be used by all alcohol vendors to control the day-to-day operations of their business. The coalition will run two county-wide TAM trainings, in March and June 2016, for any licensed merchants to attend.
For more information about the HCCDFC, visit hudsoncountycoalition.org.

One-on-one reading assistance available at library

Call the North Bergen library today to make an appointment for one-on-one reading enrichment assistance on Monday to Thursday between 4 and 6:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Call (201) 869-4715 for an appointment. The library is at 8411 Bergenline Ave.

Recreation clinic basketball awards and basketball championship games upcoming

The annual clinic basketball awards will be held at North Bergen Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave., on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 12:30 p.m.
In addition, North Bergen Recreation boys and girls basketball will be playing championship games at the Recreation Center on Friday, Feb. 26. The first game starts at 6 p.m., the second game at 7 p.m., and the last game starts at 8 p.m.

Zumba for health and fun at the library on Feb. 21

Looking for a fun and effective workout? An exciting dance class? Enjoy both at the same time as the North Bergen Free Public Library hosts a free Zumba class on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. The library is at 8411 Bergenline Ave. For more information call (201) 869-4715 or visit nbpl.org.

Dr. Seuss Celebration at the library on Feb. 26

Join the North Bergen Public Library’s “Dr. Seuss Celebration” on Friday, Feb. 26 at the main library, 8411 Bergenline Ave., beginning at 4:30 p.m. The festivities will include a magic show, story time with special guests Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Cat in the Hat, plus cotton candy and goodie bags to take home. Come along and help sing “Happy Birthday” to Dr. Seuss.

See ‘Minions’ for free on Feb. 27

Attend a screening of “Minions” at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the main library, 8411 Bergenline Ave. Stuart, Kevin, and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world. Admission and refreshments are free and all ages are invited.

Free income tax preparation available

North Bergen residents age 55 or over, or in possession of proof of disability, with a yearly income below $55,000 are eligible for free income tax preparation. Preparation is by appointment only. Call (551) 262-0843 between Feb. 6 and April 13. Must bring identification, Social Security card, tax documents and 2014 tax return (first-time participants only).
For details on appointment times and locations, visit the town website at northbergen.org.

Law scholarships available to Hudson County residents

The Hudson County Bar Foundation will award scholarships to students who are attending law school or who have been accepted to law school for the September 2016 to May 2017 term.
The Hudson County Bar Foundation Scholarship Fund is one of the oldest providers of financial assistance to Hudson County law students. Esteemed members and families of the Hudson County legal community have funded these 46 scholarships.
Students must be bona fide residents of Hudson County, must demonstrate financial need, must provide two current letters of recommendation, and must account for appropriate academic standards.
Interested applicants can write to the Hudson County Bar Foundation Scholarship Committee, 583 Newark Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07306 or call (201) 798-4708, send an email to events@hcbalaw.com, or visit the website at hcbalaw.com for an application. All applications must be received on or before April 29.

Verona Quartet plays classics at UBS Atrium Series on Feb. 17

The UBS Atrium Series will present the Verona String Quartet in a classical concert on Feb. 17 at 12:30 p.m. in the Atrium at 1000 Harbor Boulevard in the Lincoln Harbor section of Weehawken, New Jersey.
The Verona Quartet was recently named the Graduate Resident String Quartet in residence at the Juilliard School. As such, the quartet works closely with the renowned Juilliard String Quartet. The group has performed across four continents in venues such as Wigmore Hall (London), Izumi Hall (Osaka), the National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), the Melbourne Recital Hall (Melbourne) and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC). It has also appeared on National Public Radio and “The Weekly Special” on PBS and will make its Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully Hall in May 2016.
The Verona Quartet is a recent winner of the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and has also won top prizes at prestigious competitions in England, Australia, and Japan. The Quartet has collaborated with artists such as Pedja Muzijevic, Jean-Michel Fonteneau and has worked with members of the Alban Berg, American, Brentano, Cavani, Cleveland, Fine Arts, Guarneri, Miami, Pacifica, Tokyo, Vermeer and London Haydn Quartets.
The Verona Quartet’s members hail from the USA, Canada, and Singapore, and hold degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and Eastman School of Music.
All performances for the UBS Atrium Series begin at 12:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public and the venue is wheelchair accessible. Free parking is available in the adjacent outdoor lot and public transportation options include NJ Transit Bus 158 as well as the Hudson Bergen Light Rail to Lincoln Harbor. For directions and more info, please check the HRPAC website – www.hrpac.org – or call the concert hotline at (201) 716-4540.

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