Fall Festival becomes Spring Festival
A strong storm with heavy rain and gusting wind is in the forecast for our area this Saturday, October 27. The Waterfront Fall Festival sponsored by Hackensack Meridian HealthPalisades Medical Center scheduled for this Saturday is canceled, and rescheduled for the spring
To keep up with the hospital’s upcoming Community Outreach activities go to http://www.palisadesmedical.org/Content/21/calendar.html
Community Health Fair is Nov. 3 at North Bergen Public Library
Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center will present a Community Health Fair on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the North Bergen Public Library, 8411 Bergenline Ave. The event is free and open to the general public.
Free health tests and screenings will include: blood pressure, blood test for diabetes (A1c), pulmonary function test, vision screenings (attendees must call (201) 854-5702 to pre-register for vision tests), HIV testing, and body mass index (BMI).
Information and services will also be available on Shop-Rite Flu Clinic (with insurance card, reduced fee applied with no insurance), certificates for mammography and prostate exams, information on insurance plans, family resources, medical resources, and the Act Now Foundation (Alzheimer’s and Dementia).
Free giveaways and refreshments will also be provided. For more information, please call Nikki Mederos at (201) 854-5702.
Campaign to stop Meadowlands power plant heats up
Opponents of a gas-fired power plant proposed for North Bergen near the border of Bergen and Hudson Counties are intensifying their campaign to convince Gov. Phil Murphy to halt the project, citing the facility’s likely worsening of already poor regional air quality, and how its emissions, including a projected 3.5 million metric tons of C02 released per year, would exacerbate the climate crisis.
Over 50 residents and environmental activists rallied along with local political leaders in Ridgefield on Tuesday, Oct. 23. They unveiled a new billboard telling Gov. Murphy to stop the project. The state has already issued several key permits, though the governor has said it is “a long way from resolution.”
The proposed 1,200 MW gas-fired power plant would be built one mile from an existing PSE&G power plant that is already one of the largest sources of air pollution in the state. The proposed facility would sit in an environmentally sensitive area on the banks of Bellmans’ Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River, threatening the historic environmental recovery underway in the New Jersey Meadowlands.
The proposal is to send 100 percent of the electricity to New York City via submarine cables under the Hudson River. Last month, the New York Public Service Commission denied the company’s request to bypass an important needs assessment, insisting that it must prove that the power from the plant is actually needed.
“The proposal to pipe dirty fracked-gas through the Meadowlands for a power plant that isn’t needed is corporate exploitation, plain and simple,” said Matt Smith, senior organizer at Food & Water Watch. ”If Governor Murphy really wants to protect our environment and fight climate change in New Jersey, he must start by rejecting this ill-conceived project.”
Don Torino of the Bergen County Audubon Society added, “The Meadowlands region is in the midst of a historic recovery. This power plant would be a huge step backwards, and we cannot go back.”
The power plant has been opposed by some but not all nearby municipalities, and local elected officials are joining the calls to stop the project. “The Meadowlands Power plant proposal is a direct threat to our public health, safety and environment, not just in Ridgefield but for the whole region,” said Ridgefield Mayor Mayor Anthony Suarez. “It’s mind boggling that in the year 2018 we have to demand that we want something as fundamental as clean air” added Glen Rock Mayor Bruce Packer.
Hudson County CASA seeks volunteers
Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes. The next information session will be held at the Hudson County Courthouse, 595 Newark Ave. Rm# 901 on Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives. They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s well-being. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures.
For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org
Secaucus Resident Honored by Governor’s Council
Rev. Craig Harris, a Secaucus resident and member of the Secaucus Coalition, was honored on Sept. 25th in Hamilton as the Hudson County Municipal Alliance Volunteer of the Year by the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA). Craig was one of 19 people from around the state recognized for his volunteer service in working to reduce substance abuse in New Jersey.
Craig’s past work with addicts in a rehabilitation program at the Hudson County Correction Center and his current efforts with substance abuse patients at the Meadowlands Psychiatric Hospital have strengthened his conviction that preventing substance abuse before it starts is crucial.
“Craig’s compassion, dedication, and hard work make him a well-deserved recipient of the Hudson County Municipal Alliance Volunteer of the Year Award. I’m so thrilled he was recognized by the Governor’s Council,” said Dave Bratton, Secaucus Coalition Coordinator.
For more information about the Secaucus Coalition, please visit http://www.drugfreesecaucus.org/index.php/en/
HCCC holds WWI exhibit
The Hudson County Community College Department of Cultural Affairs launched its fall season with the “WWI: Beyond Flanders Fields” exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War. The exhibit curated by Michelle Vitale, HCCC Director of Cultural Affairs honors New Jersey WWI heroes and features unique military items from the National World War I Museum and Memorial, lectures by distinguished scholars, and interactive displays.
The exhibition’s closing reception will be held on Thursday, Nov.15 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Dineen Hull Gallery in Jersey City. In partnership with The New York Military Affairs Symposium, Captain Devon Collins, a professor at West Point, will give a lecture on “POW Veterans in WWI.” Collins was born in Westfield, Mass. and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2008. She has served in multiple logistics positions in the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and 82nd Airborne Division. In 2017 she earned a master’s degree in Military History from Ohio State University. Collins currently serves as an Instructor in the Department of History at West Point and is working on completion of her dissertation, Prisoners of War: Conceptions, Organizations and Lessons Learned in the British Government, 1914-1922. Lecture will begin at 4:30 p.m.
The Dineen Hull Gallery is on the 6th floor of the Hudson County Community College’s Gabert Library Building, 71 Sip Avenue, just a block away from the Journal Square PATH Transportation Center in Jersey City. For more information email checht@hccc.edu or call (201) 360-5379
