State announces settlement to start chromium cleanup
NJ Attorney General Anne Milgram and Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Mark N. Mauriello announced on Thursday the state has reached a settlement with PPG Industries, Inc. that will result in the clean-up of chromium contamination at a property once owned by PPG in Jersey City, as well as the clean-up of numerous other chromium-tainted sites throughout Hudson County.
According to the settlement, the company will remediate soil and sources of chromium contamination at property along Garfield Avenue in Jersey City within five years. PPG also agreed to complete remediation at 13 other chromium-contaminated sites in Jersey City, Weehawken and Bayonne.
Chromium is used in a variety of industrial applications including metal plating, the manufacture of stainless steel and the production of colored glass. The waste produced from chromium processing is a pollutant found to be a cause of cancer.
“This is a major settlement, and is the culmination of years of intense investigative work and litigation on behalf of our citizens and our environment,” Milgram said.
Acting DEP Commissioner Mark N. Mauriello also hailed the decision.
“I grew up in Jersey City and know firsthand the frustration felt by people who have had to live with chromium contamination,” Mauriello said.
Citywide public safety rally
A Citywide Block Association Public Safety Rally is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 7 p.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church, 768 Ocean Ave. in Jersey City. Expected to attend is Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
Buses will transport senior citizens from some of the city’s senior buildings starting at 6 p.m.
For more information, contact Communipaw Avenue Block Association by phone: (201)432-6565, by email: caba_jc@yahoo.com or commblock@msn.com or visit: http://caba-jc.org. Also, contact the Central Avenue Special Improvement District at (201) 656-1366, at casid@jcheights.com or www.jcheights.com
JC police officer in America’s Most Wanted contest
Jersey City Police Officer Cora Kerton has become more than a local presence with her work as a Community Relations Officer.
Kerton, 38, is a nominee for the long-running crime show America’s Most Wanted 2009 All-Star Contest. The contest started on Monday and runs until April 12.
A police officer for the past six years, Kerton is one of 38 nominees whom the public can vote for once a day by going to www.amw.com each week. The nominee who receives the most votes each week will be announced on an episode of America’s Most Wanted, which broadcasts locally on Channel 5 at 9 p.m.
The weekly finalist with the most votes at the end of the contest will win $10,000 and a weekend trip in May to the NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series All-Star Race in Concord, North Carolina.
Kerton is a nominee for helping an elderly woman living in the southern part of the city, whose home was burglarized several times and who had developed a case of agoraphobia.
Kerton said she was “surprised and excited” about being chosen as a nominee, and she was modest.
“It wasn’t a big deal to me, I was asked to check in on her and I did,” Kerton said. “It’s what I do all the time.”
But it was a big deal to Jerome Colwell, who works for the city’s Department of Health & Human Services. Colwell was the person who asked Kerton to check on the senior citizen, and responsible for nominating Kerton for the contest.
“Our police officers do so many things in the community that doesn’t get noticed by the media,” Colwell said. “Cora is one of them.”
Police Director Samuel Jefferson said he was “proud” of Kerton being chosen for the contest.
The Police Department’s website (www.njjcpd.org) also links to the contest website.
Church holds performance of 1955 play
A performance of “The People of Clarendon County – A Play by Ossie Davis & the Answer to Racism,” will take place Sunday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 38 Duncan Ave. (between Bergen Ave. and Kennedy Blvd.) in Jersey City.
The play is based on the new book edited by journalist Alice Bernstein that contains the 1955 play by the actor and human rights activist Ossie Davis. The play honors black parents in South Carolina who risked their lives under Jim Crow to file the first lawsuit for “equal” schools, leading to the historic Supreme Court 1954 ruling, Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in public schools.
Scenes will be presented by actors in the Jersey City community under the direction of Rey Allen of Theatre International, accompanied by choral music directed by Minister of Music Dr. Edward Green. Angela Starks of Rejoice Ensemble is featured soloist.
Educator Monique Michael will present a lesson on diversity in birds and people. For more information, call Alice Bernstein at (917) 214-6794 or St. Paul’s at (201) 433-4922.
Public school chess championship
The Jersey City Public Schools Elementary Chess Championship takes place on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Public School 11-Martin Luther King Jr. School, 886 Bergen Ave. in Jersey City from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Children in grades 1 to 8 can participate in the championship, a five-round competition. Entry is free of charge. A guest speaker is scheduled to speak during a break.
To register e-mail the following information – student name, address, phone number, school, grade level and parent/guardian name – to: kingsknightchess@aol.com.
Film Noir at the Loew’s
Film noir is the term that refers to movies that show off shadowy lighting and shady characters.
Four film noir classics are being screened on Feb. 27 and 28 at the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre, 54 Journal Square in Jersey City.
The series is hosted by Foster Hirsch, Professor of Film at Brooklyn College, author of sixteen books on the movies and theatre.
For directions or more information call (201) 798-6055 or visit www.loewsjersey.org.