Thursday, May 23, 2013
The program collects food items to help those in need.
It is that time of year to start looking for the orange Curbing Hunger bags that will be tied to recycling containers across the county throughout June. According to a release, county recycling crews will be delivering the collection bags for the annual drive, and each household will receive two bags. This is the 19th annual Curbing Hunger program to benefit organizations that help the hungry in Somerset County. Plus, this year, there will be an online donation available by visiting yougivegoods.com/curbinghunger2013 and selecting the food to purchase to donate. YouGiveGoods will then deliver that food to the food bank. “Many families are still struggling due to the extended recession and Hurricane Sandy,” Freeholder Director Peter Palmer …
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Group hopes to heighten awareness of 10 sites in need of preservation funding.
A state historic preservation advocacy group released its list of the most endangered New Jersey sites Wednesday, detailing damage, some Superstorm-Sandy related, that has put 10 landmarks at risk for demolition. Properties that were classified as the "most endangered" have architectural and historic integrity with an identified threat and Preservation New Jersey, the organization that compiled the list, felt their inclusion could potentially help legislators realize the importance in preserving them. Included on the list is Morris County's Glen Alpin property in Harding Township. The Gothic Revival mansion is threatened by a need for sustainable use, according to Preservation New Jersey. The Morris Canal Rockaway River Aqueduct, in …
Monday, May 20, 2013
Legislation awaits Gov. Chris Christie's signature.
Bipartisan legislation was approved Monday to dedicate the Route 206 bypass to late Assemblyman Peter Biondi. The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman and Assembly members Jack Ciattarelli and Donna Simon. Biondi died in November 2011 after a battle with cancer. Days before, he had won re-election to serve the 16th district in the Assembly, which he did for 14 years. Biondi had previously served as mayor of Hillsborough, and as a Somerset County freeholder, and was instrumental in moving the Route 206 bypass project forward. The municipal building in Hillsborough was previously named the Peter J. Biondi Municipal Building in honor of his service. "Peter Biondi lived the life of a true public servant, dedicating his …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Christie administration wants $164 million in affordable-housing funds to help balance state budget
Municipalities have won yet another reprieve from having to give more than $164 million in affordable-housing funds to New Jersey. A state appeals court panel late Monday issued a temporary injunction to stop the state from taking the money to help balance its budget. The Appellate Division of Superior Court issued a stay of the state Council on Affordable Housing’s attempt to seize municipal affordable housing trust fund money that has gone unspent for more than four years. Judge Jose L. Fuentes, who signed the order, set oral arguments for June 5 in Newark. Read more at NJSpotlight.com NJ Spotlight is an issue-driven news website that provides critical insight to New Jersey’s communities and businesses. It is non-partisan, independent, …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Visit on Monday—or wait until Wednesday to return materials.
If that video is due, better get it in early: all branches of the Somerset County Library System, including the Warren and Watchung branches, will be closed Tuesday. The branches will be closed for a day-long staff development program. An annual event, Staff Development Day gives SCLS employees an opportunity to learn a new skill, try out a new experience or discuss a new idea. Branches will reopen on Wednesday and resume normal operating hours. Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908)526-4016 or check the website. The Somerset County Library System also has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, and Somerville.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Full slate of candidates expected to face off in General Election in November.
Next Tuesday is the last day to register to vote in the Primary Election, to be held June 4. The Somerset County offices on Grove Street will have extended hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday for anyone still looking to register. There will be no local race in this year’s primary in both Green Brook and Watchung. In Green Brook, Republican incumbent committeeman Jerry Searfoss will be challenged by Democrat David Breen. In Watchung, incumbent council members Dianna Beck-Cemens and Robert Gibbs will be running for the two Republican nominations. No Democrats filed for the primary. Independent candidates have until 4 p.m. June 4 to file nominating petitions to be on the November ballot. For more information on registering to vote, click…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Governor chides reporters for obsessing about 'silly,' 'shallow' subject, says he is not a role model
Gov. Chris Christie reluctantly fielded reporters’ questions Tuesday about his February Lap-Band surgery, but said he would not be providing the public with any news as he heads towards his weight-loss goal, which he pointedly refused to disclose. "This is it. You ask me any more questions about this, I’m not answering,” Christie said during a groundbreaking ceremony at a Newark vocational high school. "I’m not going to be giving you all updates as this goes along. ... I’m not giving people a day-by-day, week-by-week, blow by blow," he said, adding, "I don’t care to be a role model for anyone. This is an intensely personal issue." The governor told the New York Post Monday night he’d had Lap-Band surgery in February because of concerns …
Governor tells New York Post that Lap-Band procedure was done at the urging of his family. An NYU doctor made house calls to Christie's Mendham home to not draw attention to the surgery.
Gov. Chris Christie underwent stomach-shrinking Lap-Band surgery in February, he confirmed to the New York Post on Monday night while refuting speculation that he was slimming down for a White House run in 2016. Christie quietly had the Lap-Band — or laparoscopic adjustable gastric binding —procedure done in a New York hospital, telling the paper that he agreed to the surgery at the urging of his family after turning 50 in September. Sean Conner, a spokesperson for Christie, confirmed the story to Patch Tuesday. The governor insisted that the Lap-Band was not inserted to help him lose weight in the run-up to 2016. "I know it sounds crazy to say that running for president is minor, but in the grand scheme of things, it was looking at Mary …
Monday, May 6, 2013
And officials say tree branches, limbs and stumps in street right-of-way must be removed by homeowners.
Shortly after the devastating and damaging effects of Superstorm Sandy in very late October streets and roads were opened up by outside contractors working for the Borough and also by the Borough Public Works Department. Preliminary clean-up including the removal of some tree parts continued in November and December. The borough wanted to give every homeowner ample time to have properties cleaned up of all tree parts and debris since Thanksgiving and the December Holiday season arrived in a relatively short time after Superstorm Sandy came through. The mayor and Borough Council determined that a massive clean-up of the borough to remove all tree parts from Watchung streets and roads would begin on Jan. 2, and further decided that every …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance addresses banking reform, immigration at Warren town hall meeting.
U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance burnished his reputation as a fiscal conservative in Congress during a town hall meeting in Warren Wednesday, with about 50 area residents on hand, including Watchung Mayor Stephen Pote. In response to questions from residents, Rep. Lance said he still opposes the Federal Reserve Bank's quantitative easing program, and said he believes the biggest impediment to economic growth is the malaise of uncertainty hanging over the nation. "Seven of 10 jobs that will be created in this country will be created by small business—and small business is waiting on the sidelines in so many ways because it does not know what is going to happen with regard to tax policy and it does not know what's going to happen with the president'…
Nicholas Robert Homyak
11:33 am on Thursday, May 23, 2013
Remember all these Historic sites and structures represent a landscape of which history played a story. In many senses Landscapes have an even more important value. Governor Christie missed his opportunity to protect New Jerseys Landscapes, when he allowed Fossil Fuel Corporations to have right of way through New Jersey Highlands for their pipelines; 2 of which will terribly impact these … more ›