County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi alerted Union County residents and businesses to be aware of mortgage wire transfer fraud, a trending fraud victimizing prospective home owners, in which funds are steered from legitimate accounts to unauthorized ones.

“June is National Home Ownership Month, but unfortunately many prospective buyers are being defrauded by a vicious scam,” said Ms. Rajoppi. “Being informed and aware is the best strategy for avoiding this type of fraud.”

Mortgage wire transfer fraud falls into the FBI category of “Business Email Compromise” schemes, a category that has been growing by leaps and bounds.

The impact of wire transfer fraud is significant. Since 2013, American home owners have been defrauded in an amount exceeding $748 million.

The tactics can vary but the central theme is consistent. The fraudster, posing as the title company, notifies the buyer by email that there has been a change in the instructions for the wire transfer.

Typically, the fraudulent email address closely mimics the address of the legitimate title company. Sometimes the only difference is one letter.

If the unwary recipient complies with the instructions, the money ends up in a “staged” account – often an overseas one — set up by the fraudster.

“There are endless variations to this scheme, so the best defense is to pick up the phone whenever you receive a notification regarding a wire transfer, and check with a reliable source to confirm that the instructions and account number are legitimate,” said Ms. Rajoppi.

More details about Business Email Compromise fraud are available from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

For all County Clerk programs and services visit online, ucnj.org/county-clerk.

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Visit the County Clerk’s new elections website, unioncountyvotes.com.

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Saturday, June 10th, 2 pm – 5 pm

Conant Park, 310 Conant Street, Hillside

Join Union County’s Department of Parks and Recreation for the annual summertime carnival for people with disabilities and their families. The afternoon will include carnival games, music, crafts, and a magic show finale.

Light refreshments  and beverages will be served. Registration fee is $10/person.

To register, pay, and learn more details, please visit www.ucnj.org/parks-reg . Questions? Please call (908) 527-4781

Citizens of Union County battling substance abuse or addiction will be eligible to surrender small amounts of narcotics without being arrested and gain access to recovery services free of charge under a new initiative being launched today by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Prevention Links, and the County Sheriff’s Office, Police Department, and Prosecutor’s Office.

The Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery (C.L.E.A.R.) program will be available to members of the public from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Union County Sheriff’s Office, basement level of 27 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth, and at Union County Police Department headquarters, 300 North Avenue East in Westfield.

Those seeking to participate in the program will be screened for eligibility by members of law enforcement and permitted to surrender illegal drugs and paraphernalia for personal use without fear of arrest, prosecution, or questioning. Those excluded from participation will include citizens with active warrants or those previously convicted of certain serious indictable offenses.

Participants will be connected with Prevention Links-trained certified recovery specialists, who will serve as personal guides and mentors for those seeking to overcome their addiction.

“This is an essential component of our mission to provide support to individuals and family members seeking assistance accessing treatment and recovery services,” said Pamela Capaci, CEO of Prevention Links.

The initiative is based on a model first established by the Gloucester Police Department in Massachusetts and later adopted by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and Newton Police Department. The County Freeholder Board authorized $17,000 in funding for the program and an additional $150,000 this year for inpatient addiction treatment beds.

The model can also be adopted by individual municipal police departments.

“There is an urgent need to get more of those who suffer from opioid addiction to help, and Operation C.L.E.A.R. is certainly a step in the right direction,” Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen said.

“For far too long, law enforcement has approached this issue from one angle only, seeking to go after and arrest those who sell, buy, and use drugs,” Union County Sheriff Joseph P. Cryan said. “Considering the scope and depth of the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic as it exists today, both here in Union County and nationwide, it’s beyond obvious that we need to fundamentally change that attitude. We want those affected by this to be able to look to us for help.”

At least 89 people died from fatal drug overdoses in Union County last year, more than any year since the start of the decade. Police departments in Union County began deploying the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug naloxone in July 2014, with more than 300 total deployments recorded to date.

“In addition to co-sponsoring the new C.L.E.A.R. program and launching our naloxone program nearly three years ago, we also strongly support the Project Medicine Drop initiative, through which citizens can safely dispose of unwanted or excess prescription medication that might otherwise fall into the wrong hands,” acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park added, noting that the number of Drop boxes available countywide has grown from two in 2013 to 12 today. “We are also strong proponents of our Drug Court program, through which nonviolent offenders can gain access to the recovery services they need, and we are proud members of the Union County Opioid Response Initiative, through which recipients of police-administered naloxone are connected with addiction recovery specialists at our local hospitals.”

“We are doing everything in our power to address this pressing public safety issue in every way we can.”

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools received top honors for its participation in Kans 4 Kids, a countywide civic engagement campaign designed and carried out by students in the Freeholder Board’s UC-STEP youth leadership program.

Receiving honorable mentions in the friendly competition were Union County TEAMS Charter School, Roselle Park High School, Linden High School and Governor Livingston High School.

“I would like to thank UC-STEP students, and our sponsors and supporters, for bringing the whole Union County community together in support of a good cause,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “Donations to our local food pantries are especially important heading into the summer, when children and families in need have more difficulty accessing school meals and other resources.”

UC-STEP is a unique youth development program that brings together high school students from different parts of Union County. The program launched as an initiative under Freeholder Linda Carter when she served as Chairman in 2013.

“Congratulations to this year’s UC-STEP awardees and many thanks to all of our participants for a job well done,” said Freeholder Carter. “We are already looking forward to another exciting program next year.”

UC-STEP provides students with the opportunity to engage the whole community in a county-wide service project. UC-STEP participants design the projects themselves, and carry them out with the support of the Freeholder Board and local sponsors.

The Kans for Kids community service campaign was sponsored by Sysco and ShopRite and supported by The Community FoodBank of New Jersey with the Freeholder Board.

More than 100 students from 14 high schools participated in Kans 4 Kids, which included a food drive, a virtual food drive and a “can-struction” project composed of more than 3,500 cans.

By the conclusion of the campaign, the Kans 4 Kids campaign collected 6,000 pounds of food for donation to the Community FoodBank.

For its work in collecting the most donations, Union County Vocational-Technical Schools received a Start Now grant of $1000.00.  The four runners-up each received a grant of $250.00.

Also participating in the program were David Brearley Middle/High School, Arthur L. Johnson High School, Cranford High School, John E. Dwyer Technology Academy, New Providence High School, Barack Obama Academy for Academic and Civic Development, Rahway High School and Jonathan Dayton High School.

To find out more about UC-STEP, and to view a stop-motion video of the “can-struction” project under way, visit ucnj.org/uc-step.

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Photo caption: Union County Freeholders Linda Carter and Alexander Mirabella present a resolution and a check to administrators Robert McCurley and Kevin Dougherty and students Grissy Sime, Hannah Seewald and Samantha Lotfy from Union County Vocational-Technical Schools (UCVTS) in Scotch Plains in honor of the school winning the 2017 Union County Student Training and Enrichment Program (UC STEP) challenge. UCVTS collected the most food donations during the “Kans 4 Kids” food drive under the annual UC STEP youth leadership program and won the $1,000 Start Now grant.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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 – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Department of Human Services Union County Office on Women is presenting a free yoga class and wellness event, “Union County Women Let in the Light” on Wednesday evening, June 21, at Maskers Barn in the historic Deserted Village of Feltville.

“Let in the Light” refers to the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, which occurs on June 21.

The summer solstice is traditionally celebrated by many different cultures around the world.

“Union County Women Let in the Light” is open to all level of yoga experience, from beginners to seasoned practitioners. Participants must be age 16 or older.

The evening includes:

• Nutrition and self-care with Justine Hernandez, RD, Registered Dietitian, ShopRite of Union.  
• Guided meditation ceremony by Barbara Plyer, MA, LPC, ACS, CCG, CCH
• Yoga session by Nicole DeAugustine, certified yoga instructor.

The event begins at 6:00 p.m. on June 21. It is expected to conclude at approximately 9:00 p.m.

Attendees should wear comfortable clothing appropriate for yoga, and bring their own yoga mats.

The event is free but space is limited. Pre-registration is required online at ucnj.org/womans-yoga.

The Deserted Village is located in the Berkeley Heights section of Union County’s Watchung Reservation. Masker’s Barn is a fully renovated 19^th century building located at 9 Cataract Hollow Road in the Deserted Village, off Glenside Avenue.

The Office on Women was created in 2016 as an initiative of Freeholder Chairman Bergen. As the first county-based office of its kind in New Jersey, the Office on Women aims to help ensure that women connect with services and programs that enable them to reach their full potential at every stage of their lives, in education, in employment and business, health and in the social fabric of Union County, and to raise awareness of the many contributions that women make to life in Union County.

For additional details contact Jennifer Erdos, Union County Office on Women at jerdos@ucnj.org.

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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.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Please note correction to the June 7th date.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders would like to remind you of several free recycling events coming up in June. 

Union County will host three (3) Mobile Paper Shredding Events in June.  The first is on Saturday, June 3^rd at Union County College in Cranford located at 1033 Springfield Avenue in Cranford.  On Wednesday, June 7^th at Clark Public Works located at 315 Westfield Avenue and then on Saturday, June 17^th at the Union County Vocational Technical School (Votech) located at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains.    All events will run from 9 am to 1 pm or until the truck(s) get filled.  Residents can bring up to four bags of confidential documents for shredding.

On Saturday, June 10th, there will be a Household Hazardous Waste Program at Union County College in Cranford, located at 1033 Springfield Avenue.  The event will be held from 9 am to 2pm.  Items for drop off include old pesticides & herbicides, pool chemicals, gasoline, oil-based paints, deck stain, fluorescent bulbs and propane tanks. 

Union County’s Scrap Metal Recycling program also continues in June.  The events are the first Thursday and Third Saturday of each month so Thursday, June 1st and Saturday, June 17th.

There are two (2) locations in Union County for residents to drop off their metal for recycling, one in Cranford and Rahway.  All locations will be open from 9 am to 12 pm.  Residents can drop off old appliances, microwaves, air conditioners, and metal lawn furniture to name a few.

Please visit www.ucnj.org/recycling for more information or directions. 

Union County residents seeking information about services for seniors age 60 and older can attend any of six Aging Services Kiosk (ASK) events in April to speak with experienced staff from the county’s Department of Human Services, Division on Aging. The ASK events will be held in Clark, Westfield, Fanwood, Mountainside, Linden, and Union.

“The ASK program brings our knowledgeable, experienced Division on Aging staff to convenient locations throughout Union County, to reach more residents with helpful resources,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, who is the Freeholder Board liaison to the Human Services Advisory Board.

The Union County Division on Aging and Disability Resource Connection is based in Elizabeth.

The ASK community outreach program provides for members of the staff to travel throughout Union County to help connect residents with information about services such as home delivered meals, respite care, home care, adult day care and support services for caregivers.

The ASK program also enables residents to obtain assistance with completing applications and forms at convenient locations.

The June 2017 dates and locations will be:

All Union County residents are welcome to attend any of these ASK events.

The mission of the Union County Division on Aging and Disability Resource Connection is to promote wellness, independence, dignity and choice for seniors and their families. It is one of 670 “Area Agencies on Aging” nationwide established under the federal Older Americans Act.  The division has information printed in both English and Spanish.

“The ADRC model, a state initiative that Union County has embraced since 2012, is designed to improve service for seniors and the disabled,” said Chairman Bergen. “These services can enable seniors and the disabled to remain in their homes and communities.”

Check for the upcoming schedule of stops for an ASK kiosk coming near you as dates and locations are posted in local newspapers, the Senior News, Facebook, Twitter and the Union County website, www.ucnj.org.

For further information about the Union County Division on Aging and Disability Resource Connection, call the division’s toll-free number: -1-888-280-8226 or 908-527- 4870 or 4858 or visit the Union County government website at www.ucnj.org.