State issues report cards on public schools
The New Jersey Department of Education issued its annual schools report cards for the 2010-2011 school year, which details the cost, test scores, and other indicators for all public schools in the state.
The web site lists the results for each district, each town and each school, and according to state officials this years report cards provide a more accurate assessment on school data, allowing parents and others to better see how the school is doing to similar schools elsewhere in the state.
http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc11/
Sen. Menendez announces grant to clean up brownfields sites in Jersey City
U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) last week announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing a total of $2.83 million to Jersey City and Newark to help clean up abandoned hazardous sites, referred to as brownfields. Because brownfield sites are considered to be moderately contaminated they are often difficult to develop, but their abandoned status means there is no property owner that can be held liable for their remediation. The EPA’s Brownfields Program offers federal grants to municipalities so they can safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields locations.
“Brownfield sites not only drag down the aesthetic of our neighborhoods and communities, but they are hazardous areas that could have negative impacts on the health of New Jerseyans and our environment,” Menendez said in a release last week. “At the same time, these abandoned properties are pockets of untapped opportunity for economic growth. By cleaning them up, we can encourage their redevelopment, creating new jobs, revitalizing towns and communities and boosting local economies.”
Through the EPA’s Brownfields Program the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency will receive $350,000 to assess brownfields at the Grand Jersey Brownfield development area site and to prepare cleanup plans and conduct community outreach activities. In addition, the city will receive another $400,000 to cleanup sites contaminated with hazardous substances and $928,090 to support a revolving loan fund from which the city will provide loans and subgrants to cleanup sites contaminated with hazardous substances and petroleum.
JCPM organizing forum
On Saturday, June 9 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jersey City Peace Movement will host the public forum “From Journal Square to Everywhere: Progressive Activism at Home and Abroad.” The form will be held in the Mildred H. Hunke Auditorium of the Five Corners Public Library, located at 678 Newark Ave.
The forum – which will include speakers, panelists, and a Q&A – will also feature a screening of the film “Homeless, Not Helpless.” The short film was shot by New Jersey City University students Felix Rodriguez and Gerald Cameron.
‘Distinct Ethnic Magical Tales’ exhibit set to open
The culmination of months of planning and artistic “webisodes” that have regularly been posted to the internet, three artists – Jersey City resident Isaac Fortoul, Jersey City native and resident Nyugen Smith, and Hector Ruiz – are set to open their temporary gallery, 40 Owls. The trio’s inaugural exhibition, “Distinct Ethnic Magical Tales,” will open on Tuesday, June 12 and run through Friday, July 6 at 150 11th Ave. in New York City. The 40 Owls Gallery will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays through July 6.
Curated by Fortoul’s brother and business partner Gabriel Fortoul, also a Jersey City resident, “Distinct Ethnic Magical Tales,” is, according to Gabriel, “three solo exhibitions. Yet the theme is something that ties the three artists together. They’ll each have their own unique installations and artwork. But there is a common uniting thread, which is that theme.”
For more information on the exhibit and the webisodes the artists produced as a lead up to the gallery opening, visit www.40owls.com.
Don’t let the city arrest your dog; renew Fido’s license
The Jersey City Department of Health & Human Services and the Bureau of Animal Control are reminding residents that now is the time to renew expired dog licenses. All single-year dog licenses expired on April 30 and a late fee will apply to single year licenses that are not renewed by June 30.
Residents can choose from the traditional one-year license or the popular “Save on the fee and tag Fido for three” multi-year license, which allows owners to tag their pups for 36 months at a lower per-year cost. All licenses are effective May 1, 2012. One-year licensing fees are $8 for neutered or spayed dogs and $12 for dogs that have not been neutered or spayed. Three-year licensing fees run $20 for neutered and spayed dogs and $30 for dogs that are intact. Proof of neutering/spaying is required upon licensing.
All unlicensed dogs, or those with expired licenses, must be tagged by June 30, or their owners run the risk of fines and late fees.
All applications for licenses require a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate showing your pet to be up to date on his shots for the licensing period. Attendees of the Jersey City Pet Owner’s Day Clinics can get free rabies and 4-in-1 DA2PP shots (Distemper, Adenovirus 2 (also called Hepatitis), Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus) for all licensed dogs, courtesy of a grant from the ASPCA.
Checks or money orders must be made out to the “Jersey City Division of Health.” Cash is not accepted for licensing at the clinics.
For the third year in a row, Pet Owner’s Day Clinics will being held throughout Jersey City this month. Clinics run from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the following dates and at the following locations:
• Saturday, June 2 @ Riverview Fisk Park, Palisades Avenue
• Sunday, June 10 @ Lincoln Park Running Track Parking Lot
• Saturday, June 16 @ Arlington Park, 785 Grand Street
• Saturday, June 23 @ City Hall Plaza, 280 Grove Street
Residents who can’t make it out to the Pet Owner’s Day Clinics may license their dogs online by downloading the forms and following the instructions at Department of Health and Human ServicesBureau of Animal Control webpage at http://jerseycitynj.gov/hhs.aspx?id=1434.
And in other pet-related news…
On Saturday, June 16 the Liberty Humane Society will host the Yappy Yard Sale Fundraiser. The yard sale will feature a variety of goods (for people), including home appliances and clothing. The sale will last from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Liberty Humane Society, at 235 Jersey City Blvd. Proceeds from the event will benefit the shelter and its work.