Free Shakespeare in the park
The Hudson Shakespeare Company returns with the second installment of its 25th annual Shakespeare in the Parks tour. They’ll perform the play Edward III written by William Shakespeare and Thomas Kyd on Thursday, July 21 in Hamilton Park in Jersey City on 25 West Hamilton Place at 7 p.m., and Thursday, July 28 at 7 p.m. in Van Vorst Park on 257 Montgomery St.
This month the company flashes back to the story of King Richard II and King Henry IV’s grandfather Edward III and his son Ned the Black Prince. Edward III is the man who started the Plantaganet dynasty. The play continues the story of the Plantaganet family. Edward III is a warrior kings interested in claiming the French throne and also getting even with King John of France and his son Charles for embarrassing him in his own court. The shows are free. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs for the park showings and register for library showings. For more information call (973) 449-7443 or visit www.hudsonshakespeare.com.
The Barclays announces $1.3 million to charity in 2015
The Barclays has announced that the 2015 event, played at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, raised a grand total of $1.3 million for New York/New Jersey metropolitan-area charities. With this addition, the tournament has donated more than $44.8 million to community charities since 1967.
The Barclays has been a part of the PGA Tour schedule since 1967 when Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural event at Westchester Country Club.
“We are extremely proud to be able to give back to the communities in which we play,” Executive Director of The Barclays, Peter Mele, said. “The Barclays is committed to not only putting on a world class event, but also to giving back to the New York / New Jersey metropolitan area by providing local charities with vital donations.”
Barclays is a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management. Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 130,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.
The Barclays has provided charitable contributions to a variety of charities in recent years, including The First Tee of Metropolitan New York, Tackle Kids Cancer and the American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey, among others.
The site of The Barclays this year, Bethpage State Park (Black Course) is hosting the event for the second time – the first was won by Nick Watney in 2012.
Tickets are available at thebarclaysgolf.com. Fans are reminded that each year, up to three youths 18 and younger are admitted free of charge to The Barclays when accompanied by a ticketed adult. For more information and a behind- the-scenes look at the tournament, follow The Barclays on Twitter and Instagram @thebarclaysgolf and on Facebook at facebook.com/thebarclays.
Ticket options are available at (844) 868-7465 and www.thebarclaysgolf.com.
For further information about Barclays, please visit their website www.home.barclays.
Christie transportation shutdown affects three Hudson County projects
The New Jersey Department of Transportation, under an executive order signed by Gov. Chris Christie after his administration and legislators were unable to agree on a new revenue plan for the exhausted NJ Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), has advised the Hudson County Engineer to suspend all county projects funded by the NJ Transportation Trust Fund (TTF).
The following Hudson County projects are currently suspended: Concrete Deck Rehabilitation, Park Avenue Bridge in Hoboken; improvements to Newark/Jersey City Turnpike, Phase II and Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard; and improvements to JFK Boulevard East from Bergenline Avenue to Woodcliff Avenue, West Hudson Park and Newark Street.
The Hudson County Division of Engineering contacted each project contractor to advise of the suspension. Currently NJDOT anticipates the suspension to extend a minimum of seven days. The initial demolition work carried out earlier this week on the Park Avenue Bridge was ordered to be repaired to allow two-way traffic to flow by 6 a.m. Tuesday, July 12.
Prieto, Jimenez and Mukherji bill eliminates obstacle to organ donation
Legislation that Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Assembly Democrats Angelica Jimenez and Raj Mukherji sponsored to eliminate a deterrent to organ donation was advanced by a Senate committee on Monday.
The bill (A-374) would prohibit the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission from imposing duplicate identification card fees and replacement driver’s license fees, including the digitized picture fee, if a person requests the duplicate identification card or replacement license solely for the purpose of reflecting that he or she has become an organ donor.
Currently, the cost of having a duplicate identification card or replacement license issued is $11, including the digitized picture fee.
“We should be doing everything we can to promote organ donation,” said Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen). “Organ donation saves lives, and we should not be letting fees get in the way of it. This bill is, quite simply, common sense.”
“We need to encourage organ donation, not discourage it,” said Jimenez (D-Hudson/Bergen). “The difficult fact is that $11 is too costly for many hard-working New Jerseyans. Prohibiting this fee is a positive and life-saving step forward.”
“Each New Jersey resident who chooses to register for organ donor designation could potentially save eight lives,” said Mukherji (D-Hudson). “With more than 120,000 people in the United States waiting for a transplant, it’s important that we eliminate barriers to organ donation.”
The bill, which gained unanimous approval from the Assembly in February, was advanced by the Senate Transportation Committee.
Congress passed Landmark Opioid Bill on July 13
According to a press release from the Drug Policy Agency, on Wednesday, July 13 the U.S. Senate voted to send opioid legislation known as the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) to President Obama for his signature. The U.S. House voted last week 407-5 to approve CARA. According to the release, the measure advances a large number of treatment and prevention measures intended to reduce prescription opioid and heroin misuse. That includes evidence-based interventions for the treatment of opioid and heroin addiction, and prevention of overdose deaths.
The press release said CARA contains interventions for turning the tide on the opioid and heroin crisis if these interventions are fully funded by Congress. CARA supports the expansion of programs that send people stopped by law enforcement for low-level drug law violations away from the criminal justice system and into evidence-based treatment and other services, according to the release.
CARA supports the expanded provision of buprenorphine, methadone, and other forms of medication-assisted treatment, the release stated. According to the release, the majority of correctional facilities do not provide medication-assisted treatment to treat opioid dependence.
According to the release, CARA supports the expanded use of naloxone, an opioid overdose remedy, by first responders and community members such as family members in a position to administer naloxone. Naloxone effectively reverses opioid overdoses and is safe to use.
CARA also includes a provision that permits nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe buprenorphine for the first time, the release stated. This change, along with a separate decision by the Obama Administration to raise next month the number of patients that a practitioner can treat with buprenorphine from 100 to 275, should improve patient access to this form of treatment, according to the press release.
Free seventh annual Butterfly Day walk July 30
The Annual Butterfly Day at the Meadowlands is back. Enjoy butterfly walks and talks Saturday, July 30 during this family-friendly event. Onsite experts will help identify various butterflies. Monarchs, skippers and crescents are among the species that are likely to be seen.
There are plenty of kid’s activities, including a scavenger hunt, face painting, a butterfly costume contest for 12 and under, and crafts. Butterfly Day is co-sponsored by the Bergen County Audubon Society and the North American Butterfly Association. The rain date is scheduled for Sunday July 31.
Meet at the Meadowlands Environment Center on 2 DeKorte Park Plaza in Lyndhurst Saturday, July 30. The event is free and begins 10 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.
Patient recovers wrist function after replacement surgery at Jersey City Medical Center
Robert Biangazzo, a boxer in the Marine Corps and later a construction worker who kept in shape by weightlifting, decided to correct an injury sustained in the military and the osteoarthritis that followed.
He saw a Long Island hand surgeon and underwent a common wrist fusion (or arthrodesis) procedure, which can reduce chronic pain, but eliminate wrist motion and make many aspects of normal function very difficult.
“I was very disappointed with the results of the surgery,” said Biangazzo. “The pain was gone, but I was left with very limited motion.” Biangazzo did research and found his way to Dr. John Capo, a specialist in Total Wrist Replacement surgery (or arthroplasty) at Jersey City Medical Center.
Only in the past few years has the technology and the procedure design itself improved to the point where a Total Wrist Replacement is not only a viable option for many patients with arthritis, but it can be performed to reverse fusion surgery. But relatively few surgeons still feel comfortable performing the procedure.
In a five hour surgery, Dr. Capo replaced the degenerated parts of the patient’s wrist bones with metal and polyethylene (a high density medical grade plastic) components.
The total wrist procedure is not for everyone, said Dr. Capo. Patient selection is critical to its success, as it may be more applicable for a musician, who requires greater flexibility and less strength, than a heavy laborer (which Biangazzo no longer is). Patients with osteoarthritis and have low demand activities are considered ideal candidates because they typically have good bone density, good soft-tissue quality and good alignment of the wrist (as opposed to those with traumatic injuries).
In Biangazzo’s case, it has been like night and day. The surgery, he said, has changed his life.
“I’m a much happier person because of the surgery,” he said. “I can now fish and play ball with my 11- and 13-year-old sons, and can work out again. It’s really improved the quality of my life.”