County of Union, New Jersey

Union County has a High Wind Warning until 6pm tonight (Thursday).  Highest winds could be late morning/early afternoon.  Wind Gusts could be as high as 50 MPH. 

Union County, NJ — The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to partner with Singer & Fedun, LLC and Morgan Stanley to present their “Are Your Rights at Risk?” Seminar scheduled for Tuesday, October 22 at 6:30 p.m. at The Tavern at Ash Brook Golf Course (1210 Raritan Rd, Scotch Plains).

Seating is limited for the free seminar and preregistration is required online at ucnj.org/lgbtq.

“While society at large increasingly supports LGBTQ equality, the laws protecting LGBTQ people and their families are inconsistent,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “The Freeholder Board is proud to host this free seminar to increase awareness of legal protections and family and individual planning for LGBTQ families, individuals and allies.” 

The evening seminar presentation will cover important life and family planning topics that directly affect the LGBTQ community including marriage equality, protecting non-traditional family structures, portability of parental rights, estate planning, tax law, end-of-life issues, legal concerns facing trans/intersex communities, and a Q&A opportunity to speak with the presenters Bill Singer, Esq. & John Passante, Esq. of Singer & Fedun, LLC and Kate Sweeney, CFP, CIMA & DW Kim from Morgan Stanley.

“There is a general assumption that the 2015 marriage equality ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court solved the equality issues for LGBTQ people,” said Freeholder Rebecca Williams, liaison to the Union County LGBTQ Ad Hoc Committee. “The reality is that, historically, Federal and State laws have been – and in many instances still are – written for a heteronormative society and result in intentional or unintentional consequences that leave LGBTQ families and individuals vulnerable.”​

Organized by the Office of LGBTQ Affairs in partnership with Singer & Fedun, LLC and Morgan Stanley, the mission of the seminar is to encourage LGBTQ individuals and allies to learn more about the state of LGBTQ protections in New Jersey and approaches for protecting LGBTQ families and individuals.

Union County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, under the Department of Economic Development, was established by the Freeholder Board in 2018 and is the first and only county government office of its kind in the State of New Jersey.

The Office of LGBTQ Affairs provides a platform for leadership and collaboration to support equality, and serves as a catalyst for advocacy, awareness and action on current and emerging issues that impact the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.

For more information about the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, contact Danni Newbury, Coordinator, at 908-527-4742 or dnewbury@ucnj.org or visit ucnj.org/LGBTQ.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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Union County, NJ — If you haven’t gotten hooked yet, this is your weekend to go stamp crazy. At national parks, monuments and historic sites across the country, there are stamps visitors collect in passports to mark their visit.  Visiting many of these sites can involve travelling long distances — but not this Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, during Union County’s Four Centuries in a Weekend annual history event.

During Four Centuries in a Weekend, historic sites across the County all agree to be open from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Nearly half of the 30 sites date back to the Revolutionary War and are part of the National Park Service’s Crossroads of the Revolution National Heritage area, which recognizes the role New Jersey played in the American Revolution.

Union County is part of the Passport to Your National Parks program where Parks enthusiasts have their passports stamped when they visit historic sites around the county. In 2017, when the county joined the program during the Four Centuries weekend, the number of passport stamp locations in New Jersey literally tripled overnight. Sites are in close proximity to each other, with each site having its own unique stamp recognizing its inclusion in the National Heritage Area.

“Collecting the stamps can be fun,” said Bette Jane Kowalski, Chair of the Union County Board of Freeholders. “As word has spread about our Four Centuries weekend, our historic sites have seen an increasing number of visitors coming from a distance to get all the stamps. We would love to have you join us and add to your stamp collection.”

 Several sites will have two stamps because of their location. For example, the Miller-Cory House in Westfield is a historic site in its own right and is also along the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail, which recognizes the contribution of the French in winning the Revolutionary War. Several battles in Union County were also memorialized with the stamps.

Union County offers a free passport to historic sites across the county which can also be used with the stamp program.

Stamps will be available at:

• In Berkeley Heights, the Deserted Village of Feltville/Glenside Park.
• In Clark, at the Dr. William Robinson Plantation-Museum.
• In Elizabeth, at Boxwood Hall, First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, Snyder Academy.
• Nathaniel Bonnell Homestead & Belcher-Ogden Mansion, and St. John’s Parsonage.
• In Hillside, at Woodruff House-Eaton Store Museum.
• In Mountainside, at the Deacon Andrew Hetfield House.
• In New Providence, at the Salt Box Museum.
• In Plainfield, at the Drake House Museum and Plainfield Meeting House.
• In Rahway, at Merchants & Drovers Tavern. There will also be a stamp recognizing the King’s Highway.
• In Roselle, at the Abraham Clark Memorial House.
• In Scotch Plains, at Elizabeth and Gershom Frazee House and Osborn Cannonball House.  And at Ashbrook Reservation, to mark the Battle of the Short Hills.
• In Springfield, at the Cannon Ball House. There will also be a stamp for the Battle of Springfield.
• In Summit, at the Carter House.
• In Union, at Liberty Hall, Connecticut Farms Church and Caldwell Parsonage, where there will also be a stamp commemorating the Battle of Connecticut Farms
• In Westfield, at the Miller-Cory House Museum, which will also have a stamp recognizing the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail.
• Unfortunately, the Littell-Lord House in Berkeley Heights is closed for repairs and its stamp is not available this year.

While the Union County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs will continue to offer free Union County Across the Centuries passports at all Union County historic sites, those interested in purchasing a national passport can go to: eparks.com/store/category/30/278/Passport.

Launched by Eastern National in 1986, the Passport to Your National Parks program consists of a guidebook highlighting national parks. It provides space for dated ink “cancellation” stamps that enable visitors to commemorate their visit. More information on the program is available at: easternnational.org/what-we-do/passport.

To learn more about the Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs visit ucnj.org/parks-recreation/cultural-heritage-affairs.

For more details on all Four Centuries sites, including addresses, visit ucnj.org/4C.                                                                                                                                               

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Union County Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella and State Senator Nicholas P. Scutari today joined with members of the various chapters of UNICO District X in holding the 11th Annual Union County Columbus Day Flag Raising event today in Elizabeth. Mirabella and Scutari, the keynote, were among a card of speakers that included Union County Surrogate James LaCorte, Freeholder Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, and Anthony Bengivenga, the UNICO District X Governor, which represents 8 chapters in Union County.

Bob Bengivenga, the President of Plainfields Unico, led the UNICO prayer. Sheriff Peter Corvelli led the Pledge of Allegiance and the posting of the colors, and Marie Oakie sang “God Bless America.” Others in attendance included Freeholder Sergio Granados, Freeholder Angel Estrada, County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, Acting Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo, Mountainside Mayor Paul Mirabelli, County Manager Ed Oatman, Deputy County Manager Amy Crisp Wagner, Elizabeth Board of Education members Nathalie Hernandez and Charlene Bathelu.

Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski and Vice Chairman Alexander Mirabella present resolutions to Chief of Detectives Vincent Gagliardi and Assistant Prosecutor John Esmerado congratulating them on their retirement from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office and thanking them for their many years of public service to the residents of Union County.

Chief Gagliardi of Westfield has served as Chief of Detectives since 2017. In 2018 Assistant Prosecutor Esmerado of Berkeley Heights was named Investigations Supervisor before assuming the role of Counsel to the Prosecutor on Policy and Procedure earlier this year.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

The County of Union, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the We Are One New Jersey Center sponsored a Naturalization ceremony for 30 residents from 18 countries in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Karen Cassidy.

Judge Cassidy administered the Oath of Citizenship. Freeholder Angel Estrada, himself a naturalized citizen, served as Master of Ceremonies. Heath Officer Annarelly McNair, also a naturalized citizen, performed the National Anthem. County Manager Edward Oatman led our newest citizens in the Pledge of Allegiance.