Correction
The wrong photo was printed in the June 29 issue for the class speaker at the All Saints Catholic Academy’s graduation ceremony.
School district gets cash for sun power, promotes all eighth graders
The sale of electricity from the district’s solar panels will likely exceed $1 million for the second year in a row, said School Business Administrator Leo Smith recently, although he cautioned that future revenues may decline as more groups begin selling power to utility companies.
So far this year, Bayonne received 435 credits for the energy it collected and transferred to the grid. The district was reimbursed at $655 per credit. If the district keeps on pace, it may well exceed the $1.2 million it received last year.
In other school news, FEMA has agreed to give the Bayonne School District slightly more than $22,000 to help cover a portion of the $30,000 snow emergency bill from the Dec. 26 blizzard last year.
Also, although some eighth grade students had to do extra work in order to graduate, all eighth grade students in all 11 elementary schools were promoted, doing away with the need and expense of holding summer school this year, said Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia McGeehan.
Kenny Britt sued for Nashville incident
According to published sources, former Bayonne High School sports star and wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans Kenny Britt has been sued over a bar fight in Nashville last October.
The Nashville City News wrote that one of the men involved with the brawl is suing Britt for $150,000.
Britt has been arrested twice over the last few months – once in Bayonne, where he grew up, for traffic related charges, and most recently in Hoboken for obstruction and resisting arrest. He was accused last year of being involved in a bar fight, but was never charged in the incident.
Newark Bay waterfront cleanup set for July 16
The Hackensack Riverkeeper, a North Jersey environmental group, has announced that it will sponsor a waterfront clean-up at DiDomenico-16th Street Park in Bayonne on Sunday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Hackensack Riverkeeper will provide tools, gloves, trash bags, and refreshments for volunteers. All are invited to participate. There is no cost or registration involved for families or individuals. Look for the big white tent and mobile clean-up unit on the lower level of the park, near the boat ramp on Newark Bay. Check in with Operations Director Lisa Ryan to get started.
Any group or organization that wishes to participate should bring no more than 10 people. Group leaders should register in advance by calling Lisa Ryan at (201) 968-0808 to help the Riverkeeper determine the amount of supplies needed for the day.
The clean-up involves working from the shore and from canoes. Participants must be age 18 or over to paddle a canoe. As a safety precaution, Public Safety Director Jason O’Donnell will have a Fire Department boat stationed in Newark Bay. Volunteers should wear clothing that they would not mind getting dirty in. The event will take place, light rain or shine only.
City launches new community notification system
Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the City of Bayonne has initiated a new community notification system. Under a contract with Global Connect, a communications firm based in Mays Landing, N.J., the city has the capability of sending announcements to the entire community or selected areas by telephone. When activated, this automated system calls homes and businesses in the affected area, and delivers a recorded message to notify the public about emergencies and special events and what actions they may need to take.
The Global Connect system has replaced an older, less advanced service that the city contracted for in 2003.
The community notification system will be used for the following types of events: missing person alerts, emergency evacuations, local security and crime alerts, weather emergencies, hazardous materials events, community events, and special meetings. The municipal government activated Global Connect’s system on July 30 to advise the community about the annual fireworks show and the creation of a buffer zone around the fireworks’ launch site.
All Bayonne landline telephones serviced by Verizon are already in the system. However, cell phone and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone numbers are not.
On the city of Bayonne’s website, www.bayonnenj.net, there is a registration form that allows you to add your cellular phone and/or VOIP numbers to the system, thus ensuring that you receive these notifications. If you have a traditional landline telephone, there is no need to register your phone number, because it is already in the system’s database.