New Board of Ed trustees to replace two who resigned
Trying to replenish its ranks so that it can continue to do business, the Bayonne Board of Education selected two new trustees on Feb. 24. The ninth board member will be elected next month.
Mary Jane Desmond and Carol Cruden will fill the vacancies of Ava Mitchell and Will Lawson, respectively, according to Board Secretary Gary Maita. Mitchell left in December for professional reasons and Lawson resigned in January after he was not reelected to his post as president at the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting.
Desmond, a medical practice office manager, is a former member of the board of trustees, having been selected in a similar fashion about a year ago. She served for most of 2015, but lost her seat when she ran in November. She came in fourth, just behind the three trustees who were elected to three-year terms.
“There were two reasons for Desmond,” said Board President Joseph Broderick.”One is that she received the fourth amount of votes and would have been the next person elected. The second reason is that since we’re lacking experience right now, we brought back a person who had experience.”
He felt that Cruden, a nursing supervisor at Bayonne Medical Center and former school nurse, would be an asset as the district expands its academy system at the high school to include a new one in the health field.
The process will be put into motion once again next month because of the recent resignation of trustee Christopher Piechocki, who left because his brother has cancer and he wants to devote time to him and his family.
Both Desmond and Cruden will serve until the end of the year. Since the Bayonne board changed back to an elected one last year, both would have to run in November for new, three-year terms, if they so choose.
Bayonne cruise ship has weather, virus problems
Anthem of the Seas, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line ship that was criticized earlier this month for sailing following a forecast of a strong storm at sea, turned around and headed back to Bayonne to avoid a similar storm.
Anthem was due back in Bayonne on Wednesday, March 2.
The ship had additional problems this time, according to a report by The Associated Press. There was a norovirus outbreak aboard the vessel, and employees disinfected much of it to avoid the spread of the illness, the news agency said.
In the previous incident on Feb. 6, Anthem left its Bayonne homeport on its way to the Bahamas and encountered winds estimated at up to100 miles per hour and 30-foot-high waves off the coast of North Carolina before turning around and heading back. The ship was damaged and four people were reported injured.
Passengers on that trip have filed suit against the cruise line.
Anthem is the third largest cruise ship in the world, and has called Bayonne home since November.
Dine Out for Mental Health Month being held
The Bayonne Community Mental Health Center has announced the dates for its Ninth Annual Dine Out for Mental Health Month Fundraiser.
Every time patrons visit one of the participating restaurants on its designated Dine Out Night, a portion of the proceeds will be donated by the owner to support the BCMHC.
Participating restaurants are: Wednesday, March 9: The Big Apple Lounge and Restaurant, 414 Broadway; Monday, March 14: San Vito’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, 406 Broadway; Wednesday, March 23: Hendrickson’s Corner Restaurant, 671 Broadway; and Tuesday, March 29: Buon Appetito Restaurant, 906 Broadway.
People participating in the fundraiser should mention to their server that they are there to support the BCMHC.
The BCMHC is a full-service facility that provides services for a wide range of problems, from family abuse to bipolar disorder and severe depression. For 43 years, it has provided community-based mental health services to anyone who needs them, regardless of their ability to pay.
For more information about the BCMHC and the dine-out fundraiser, call (201) 339-9200.
Walk to benefit ovarian cancer research April 2
To help raise awareness about ovarian cancer and to raise funds to eventually develop a test, the New York and New Jersey chapters of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition will hold their 1st Annual Run/Walk at Liberty State Park on Saturday, April 2.
The National Ovarian Cancer Organization is the oldest and largest ovarian cancer organization in the United States, and the only one that has “feet on the street” in communities across the nation.
The 5K run/walk in Liberty State Park is one of 20 such events that will be held nationwide this year.
The cost for the April 2 walk is $35 for adults if they sign up before March 31. Participants can register online at nnocc.kintera.org/nyc.
PSE&G customers can text to pay their bills
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) has announced a new feature that enables customers to simply send a text to pay their PSE&G bill. By texting “PAY” to 4PSEG (47734), customers whose bank account information is on file can resolve the previous month’s bill with a few clicks on their mobile phone.
To use this feature, customers first must register for MyAlerts, PSE&G’s two-way texting feature, by texting REG to 4PSEG (47734), logging into My Account at www.pseg.com, or speaking with a customer service representative at (800) 430-7734. Once customers have logged into My Account, they can select the “Text/Email Notifications” under “Update My Profile.”
When customers text “PAY” to 4PSEG (47734), they’ll be prompted to: choose a service address (if multiple accounts on file); choose a bank account (if multiple accounts on file); enter an amount to pay; confirm payment details; and receive payment confirmation.
“We want to give our customers choices to accommodate their different lifestyles and preferences,” said Greg Dunlap, vice president of customer operations.
This is a free service, but standard messaging rates may apply.
Board of Freeholders receives drug prevention funds
The Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders on Feb. 24 accepted the State Department of Health, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services Grant of $257,008 for fiscal year 2016 on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
The funds will be used to help Hudson County municipalities address the issues surrounding alcoholism and drug abuse in their communities. The grant also addresses and provides services in early intervention and addiction services to the residents of Hudson County.
“Freeholder Chairman Tilo Rivas and the Board of Freeholders are committed to the education and prevention of the effects of alcoholism and drug abuse,” said spokesman Edgar Martinez.
First Sunday of the Month Nature Walk at Meadowlands
Interested parties can join the Bergen County Audubon Society for a free, two-hour nature walk on Sunday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to noon at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst as participants look for raptors, waterfowl, and other birds of interest.
Attendees should meet in the Meadowlands Environment Center parking lot, 1 DeKorte Park Plaza, said spokesman Brian Aberback.
For more information, call (201) 230-4983 or email greatauk4@gmail.com.
Menendez gets commitment from feds on opioid treatment
In a recent hearing of the Senate Finance Committee with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez received a commitment that the agency will use its administrative authority to address limitations on medication-assisted treatment for those addicted to opioids.
Heroin deaths in New Jersey have risen 60 percent since 2010.
Last fall, Menendez held a strategy session with New Jersey law enforcement officials, healthcare and rehabilitation experts to discuss ways to address the opioid epidemic, including drug treatment options and programs, access to medications, and ways the federal government can help. Limitations on a provider’s ability to conduct medication assisted treatment were cited as the most substantial barrier to addressing the epidemic.
During the strategy session, Menendez heard from physicians and recovery advocates who offered the buprenorphine treatment and had waiting lists of over 200 people.
“A New Jersey doctor told the senator that a patient tragically died of an overdose while awaiting his number to be called for treatment,” said Menendez spokesman Steven Sandberg.