Category: Public Info

Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak reads to children at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Springfield on March 8 during the Union County Education Association’s annual Read Across America event. He is holding his daughter Catherine. Read Across America is a reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading in honor of the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

(From left) Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak and Freeholders Sergio Granados and Angel G. Estrada joined the 2014 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade General Chairwoman Kathryn Noonan, Grand Marshal Robert E. Jeans Sr. and Adjutant Bernadette Sullivan for the raising of the Irish flag at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and Irish Culture and Heritage. The annual event was hosted by the Elizabeth Divisions of the Ladies of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH) and the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). LAOH President Jennifer Goodman and AOH President Jimmy O’Neil welcomed the elected and parade officials. The Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 15 on Morris Avenue in Union. For more information visitwww.unioncountystpatricksdayparade.com. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds home owners who are seniors age sixty and older, or persons with disabilities, that they may qualify for a federal grant of up to $5,000 under the new Home Repair and Advocacy program. The funds are intended to repair damage to homes from Superstorm Sandy. The home must be the owner’s primary residence.

The grant applications for Union County home owners will be processed by Development Directions LLC of Rahway.

“Development Directions has a solid track record of administering grants and making sure that community assistance funds go where they’re needed, in a timely manner,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “If you think you may be eligible for this program, I encourage you to connect with Development Directions as soon as possible.”

A wide variety of storm-related repairs may be covered under this program, including damage to furnaces, hot water heaters, and other major appliances as well as electrical systems, roof and window repairs, and tree removal.

Other repairs may include water damage and mold remediation.

The source of the funding is an $8.2 million federal Social Services Block Grant awarded to the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

From that state agency, the funds are distributed in blocks to county-based offices, including the Union County Division on Aging. The Division on Aging selected Development Directions through a public bidding process to administer Union County’s share of the funds.

This “block grant” process is a long-established strategy for ensuring that federal funds are channeled to the appropriate recipients by reliable, local community development professionals.

For more information, contact Development Directions by calling 732-382-8100 or by emailingCitaliano1@verizon.net, or writing to Development Directions, 2 City Hall Plaza, 2nd Floor, Rahway NJ, 07065. Proof of home ownership must be provided.  Downloadable application forms are available here.

For information about all Union County programs and resources for seniors and individuals with disabilities call the Union County Division on Aging and Disability Resource Connection toll free, 888-280-8226 or visit online at ucnj.org.

Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter attwitter.com/countyofunionnj.

ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee invites the public to hear a special lecture by Sandra W. Moss, M.D., Program Chair and Past-President of the Medical History Society of New Jersey, on Wednesday, March 19, at 2:00 p.m.

The lecture by Dr. Moss, entitled “Women Healers in the Civil War,” will be presented at the First Presbyterian Church (“Old First”) located at 42 Broad Street in historic midtown Elizabeth, at 2:00 p.m. The program is free of charge and the public is invited. After the lecture, please visit the special exhibit on Civil War nursing and medicine at the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street, next door to the church. To reserve a seat for the lecture, please call 908-527-4999. Parking is available nearby in the J. Christian Bollwage municipal garage on Caldwell Place at Elizabethtown Plaza.

“Union County is honored to have Dr. Sandra Moss speak here about the important role of women as healers during the Civil War as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1861-65 conflict,” said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, chairman of the committee. “We welcome visitors to the Old First church and the Courthouse to learn more about the importance of nurses to members of the U.S. armed forces and about the experiences of Union County residents during the Civil War.”

Sandra Moss, M.D., M.A. (history) is a clinician historian who focuses on 19th century New Jersey medicine. She is past president and current program chair of the Medical History Society of New Jersey and recently completed a term as president of the American Osler Society, an international organization for clinician historians. Dr. Moss has taught courses in the history of medicine and she speaks frequently before local, state, and national audiences on a variety of historical topics, including the history of military medicine. Her latest book, “Edgar Holden, M.D., of Newark: Provincial Physician on a National Stage,” will be published later this year.

The Civil War Exhibit is on display until 2015 in the rotunda of the Union County Courthouse. The exhibit may be viewed weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The displays will change from time to time. Anyone wishing to loan historical artifacts from the Civil War era for the exhibit can contact committee member Katherine Craig at 908-282-7617. All objects will be secured, locked and acknowledged.

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney listens as Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak speaks during a stop on the senator’s “Sandy Bill of Rights” tour on March 6 at the 7th Ward Recreation Center in Linden. The center served as a community shelter after the storm. The Tremley Point area around the center was especially hard hit, with dozens of homes lost. The “Sandy Bill of Rights” tour is an effort to bring the thousands of victims of Superstorm Sandy the answers, assistance and results they deserve. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

TRENTON – In an effort to bring the thousands of victims of Superstorm Sandy the answers, assistance and results they deserve, Senate President Steve Sweeney will continue his “Sandy Bill of Rights” tour Thursday, March 6, with a stop in Linden.

The Senate President will stop at the 7th Ward Recreation Center, located at 2907 Tremley Point Road in Linden at 1 p.m., where he will be joined by officials, including State Senator Nicholas Scutari (D-22), Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-22) and Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-22), Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak, municipal representatives, advocates and victims of the storm. The center served as a community shelter after the storm. The Tremley Point area around the center was especially hard hit, with dozens of homes lost. More than $900 million in damages occurred in Linden as a result of Sandy.

Last month, Senate President Sweeney introduced legislation that would establish a “Sandy Bill of Rights.” The bill of rights would do several things, including requiring a plain language explanation of what is needed to be eligible and to apply for Sandy recovery programs; the right to know where your relief application stands and what additional information is needed; the right to know why your application was rejected or why you were placed on a waiting list and the right to appeal a denial of funding.

Recent media accounts and advocacy groups have reported various problems in the Sandy aid process. For example, some families were being told they would lose their aid for failure to provide certain documents, while others were given no such ultimatum. In other instances, numbers show that funding has been denied at higher rates for African American and Latino residents despite being equally hard hit by the storm. Only 4% of available funding has been distributed.

A line of victims told a legislative committee that a state contractor responsible for getting people back in their homes had repeatedly lost their applications and often couldn’t answer the most basic of questions. The Christie administration quietly cancelled the contract with this firm, and state officials have said little about how they will proceed with this critical task. In addition, they paid the company $10 million simply to be able to fire them.

This will be the fourth stop on the tour. Previously, the Senate President met with victims and advocates in Perth Amboy, Toms River and Moonachie.

Union County – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that the Union County Means Business Networking Breakfast series will launch its third season on Tuesday, March 18th with “Outlook 2014; Legislative Update.” The event will take place at Kean University’s STEM Building in Union from 8a.m. to 10a.m.

“The UCMB Series continues to grow and connect the community with resources to promote economic development throughout the County,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak, “we’re excited to continue this program for another year.”

“Outlook 2014; Legislative Update,” will feature a dialogue with State and Local legislators about their outlook for business in 2014. Other sessions for the season include “The Business of Staying in Business,” “Think Globally Act Locally,” and the acclaimed “Union County Women Mean Business Summit.”

The Union County Mean Business series, an initiative of Alexander Mirabella during his 2012 Chairmanship, is designed to bring local business owners, prospective owners and managers in contact with information about grants, loans, social media, employee recruitment, and other resources to help their businesses grow and thrive.

The series is open to all persons who own or manage a business in Union County, or who are planning to start a business in Union County.

All sessions are free but pre-registration is required by visiting the Union County website atwww.ucnj2.org/ucmb.

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MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce a program, “Learning the Basics of Gardening,” a two-part workshop for adults, ages 18 and older, at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. The sessions will be held on two Saturdays, March 15 and March 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with park naturalist and gardener Ruth Yablonsky. The fee for this two-part program is $20 for Union County residents and $24 for out-of-county participants.

“This workshop offers a respite from the cold winter, with a focus on learning the basics for starting your garden,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “It is in the perfect place – Union County’s beautiful Trailside Nature and Science Center in the Watchung Reservation.”

On March 15, participants will learn about the different types of gardens, choosing a location in your yard and the diverse kinds of plants to consider. You’ll also enjoy a tour of the Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden.

In the second session on March 22, participants will explore planting and placement, maintaining and critter-proofing their gardens. Find out the definition of a weed, learn weeding techniques, and visit Trailside’s new native plant garden.

Pre-registration for “Learning the Basics Gardening” is required. Space is limited. Walk-ins are welcomed as space permits. This two-part series offers teachers and master gardeners a chance to earn five Continuing Professional Education Credits. Participants should bring lunch.

For additional information about this lecture or other adult programs and upcoming events at Trailside, call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak (C) and Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Bruce Bergen were at the Cranford Station when the first NJ TRANSIT train offering “one-seat” direct rail service to Penn Station in New York City arrived Monday morning. The service on the Raritan Valley Line includes stops in the Union County municipalities of Plainfield, Fanwood, Westfield, Garwood, Cranford, Roselle Park and Union. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

An Elizabeth man who was arrested for possession of crack cocaine on the eve of his sentencing date for an armed robbery late last year received a combined term of eight years in state prison on Friday, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said.

Laquan Shirley, 29, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole under the parameters of New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, according to the terms imposed by state Superior Court Judge Joseph P. Donohue. Shirley was sentenced to eight years for the robbery with a concurrent three-year sentence for the drug charge.

The date was September 30, 2012 when a white Ford Taurus approached the robbery victim, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutors Robert Rosenthal and Jill O’Malley, who prosecuted the case. Shirley got out of the vehicle, walked up to the man, and demanded he turn over all of his possessions, Rosenthal and O’Malley said.

An iPhone and an accompanying charger were taken from the victim, who spotted the barrel of what appeared to be a handgun in Shirley’s hand, according to the investigation. Shirley then got into his car and drove away, but a witness immediately approached the victim and handed him a slip of paper with the license plate of the Taurus.

About an hour later, Elizabeth police officers spotted Shirley’s vehicle on Bond Street, and when they peered inside, they spotted the stolen iPhone in the center console and the firearm – which turned out to be an Airsoft pellet gun – in the backseat.

Shirley pleaded guilty to the robbery in September 2013. He was expected to receive six years in prison for the robbery when he was sentenced on October 25, 2013, but the night before, while he remained free on bail, police officers spotted him loitering in the area of 3rd Street in Elizabeth. When the officers approached him to address the matter of an outstanding traffic warrant out of Hillside, Shirley was found to be in possession of 13 vials of crack cocaine.

Shirley pleaded guilty to the drug charge in January. He had four prior indictable convictions on an unrelated drug charge, resisting arrest, and two counts of receiving stolen property.