Category: Public Info

Union County, NJ – The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County is offering a unique class that shows how to combine good nutrition with simple money saving habits. Titled “25 Days to Better Health and More Wealth,” the class is taught by Dr. Karen Ensle. Rutgers University Family and Community Health Sciences Educator.

“Dieting and budgeting are often associated with stress, which can be counter-productive,” said Dr. Ensle. “We break it down into simple steps, so learning new habits becomes an enjoyable and rewarding experience.”

The class is free but pre-registration is required by contacting Digna Torres at the Extension, 908-654-9854 or dtorres@ucnj.org. It will be held at the Extension offices at the new Union County building, 300 North Avenue East in Westfield, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16.

“25 Days to Better Health and More Wealth” is based on the book Small Steps to Health and Wealth, co-authored by Dr. Ensle with Rutgers financial expert Dr. Barbara O’Neill, which will be on sale for $10.00 at the class.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Daniel Sullivan (R) presents a resolution to Mike Guarino of the Columbus Day Parade Association of Union County 500 during the group’s annual Columbus Day celebration at III Amici Ristorante in Linden. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present an exhibit of artwork by Rosalia Tignini Verdun in the gallery space at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, located at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth. A selection of Verdun’s oil, acrylic and pastel paintings and gicleè prints entitled “Art of Rosalia” is on display at the Pearl Street Gallery until Dec. 2. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

“The talent and diversity of our county artists ensure an inspiring and interesting variety of exhibitions at the Pearl Street Gallery,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board. “We are pleased to display an exhibit by award-winning painter Rosalia Verdun.”

Born in Italy, Rosalia moved to the United States with her family as a teenager. She took classes in classical art, participated in workshops, and studied with artists Thomas Valente, Valerie Larko, Alex Piccirillo, Christine Du Barry, Garry Goodbee, and Pino. For nine years she was an assistant teacher at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey with portrait painter Enrique Flores Galbis. Since 1984, she has studied painting techniques at workshops in Italy, France, Vermont and New Jersey. Besides being a professional portrait artist, she also is accomplished in fashion design, interior decorating, music and the culinary arts. Her language skills give her the opportunity to study the arts in Italian, English, and Spanish.

Mrs. Verdun has presented painting demonstrations at the Alpha Gallery in New Brunswick. She teaches acrylic technique workshops at Express Yourself Studios in Maplewood and painting classes in her Roselle Park studio.

Rosalia Verdun is the recipient of many awards including: first place in professional oil painting in the 2010 Union County Senior Art Show; honorable mention at the 2010 New Jersey State Senior Art Show; 2010 award of excellence in portraiture from the Millburn-Short Hills Art Association; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Award Grand Prize to study at Vermont Studio Center in 2007; Livingston Art Association 2007 Merit Award; and 2007 Pastel Society of NJ Honorable Mention. She is a member of Studio Montclair; Millburn-Short Hills Art Center; the Westfield Art Association; the Contemporary Arts Group in Watchung; and associate member, National Association of Women Artists, NYC. Visit www.rosaliart.com to view her artwork.

Union County artists (whose works can be hung on a wall) interested in exhibiting in the gallery space are welcome to apply. For more information about the Pearl Street Gallery or to learn about other programs and services please contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202. Telephone (908) 558-2550. NJ Relay users dial 711. E-mail to: culturalinfo@ucnj.org

– END –

For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union,  or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org

On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook

On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Families will enjoy the beauty and serenity of the Watchung Reservation by participating in the Saturday Outdoor Adventures at Trailside Nature & Science Center in Mountainside. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Community Renewal, these theme hikes and nature-related talks begin at the Trailside Visitors Center and are designed for families with children of all ages.

“The Saturday Outdoor Adventures are a great opportunity for families to enjoy the beautiful Watchung Reservation and experience the splendor of the fall season, while learning new and interesting facts about our local wildlife and environment,” said Freeholder Vice-Chairwoman Deborah Scanlon. “I hope many families will take part in these exciting programs.”

On Saturday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m., the “Red Trail Ramble” will have families explore the Hilltop Swamp trail. Discover the bounty of food available to wildlife at this time of year and scour the forest floor for animal tracks.

On Nov. 13, at 10 a.m., families are invited to visit the Bird Viewing Area at the Trailside Visitors Center during “Backyard Birds,” a program to help participants discover how to identify backyard birds by site and sound. During this fascinating program, families also will learn which birds stay for the cold winter months and which migrate south.

During “Lenape Native Americans” on Nov. 20, at 2 p.m., families will visit Trailside’s Lenape exhibit and learn how these Native Americans used this land to survive. Visitors will search outdoors for plants and trees used to help cure colds, construct wigwams, build canoes and make arrow shafts.

The final Saturday Outdoor Adventure on Dec. 4, at 2 p.m., is “Winter Tree ID,” a program designed to teach participants why trees lose their leaves for the winter. Families will use buds, branches and bark to identify tulip, beech, dogwood and oak trees.

Admission to Trailside’s Saturday Outdoor Adventures is by donation. Some programs require pre-registration.
For additional information about the Saturday Outdoor Adventures or about other upcoming programs and special events, please call 908-789-3670 or visit Trailside on the web atwww.ucnj.org/trailside

Trailside Nature & Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road (at Coles Avenue) in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Families have fun investigating the Watchung Reservation in the fall with naturalist Susan Day. Trailside Nature & Science Center offers Saturday outdoor programs this fall for adults and children of all ages. For information, call 908-789-3670 or visit on the web atwww.ucnj.org/trailside .

ELIZABETH, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi announces a new service for voters that makes sample ballots accessible online starting today. The new website access, available atwww.ucnj.org/government/county-clerk is in addition to the mailed sample ballot each registered voter is mandated to receive at their home address prior to the General Election.

“I am excited by this new program that we are bringing to voters,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “Preparing to vote in Union County just got easier. We are the first county in the state to put each of our voting districts online so that voters in each town can preview their specific ballot.”

There are 438 voting districts in Union County.

Ms. Rajoppi said the increased accessibility will allow voters more time to familiarize themselves with the ballot, locate their district and polling place, and better prepare them in general for the voting booth. The information on the web also is made available in the event a voter moves, misplaces their mailed sample ballot, or the voter is the victim of a lost sample ballot. Students who attend out of state schools also can benefit by familiarizing themselves with the ballot in preparation for voting by mail.

The new online service allows the voter to access their ballot by selecting their municipality, then their district and ward if applicable. It is not necessary to know your district or ward to navigate the system since a search tool is provided to allow the voter to find this information by their street address.

“I encourage registered voters to use this simple tool to preview their ballot before casting their vote in the General Election on Tuesday, November 2nd,” Ms. Rajoppi said.

-end-

Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi presents Union County Freeholder Chairman Daniel Sullivan with a check for $60,000 for the Union County Homeless Trust Fund. The purpose of the Homelessness Trust Fund is to move the homeless and formerly homeless into permanent affordable housing and can be used for rental assistance, and as leverage for additional funding It is funded entirely through a $3 surcharge on recording transactions processed through the Union County Clerk’s Office. The $60,000 was collect from May to September 2010. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Nancy Ward (2nd L) accepts a Community Change Award for “Christopher’s Program” on behalf of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders from New Jersey Black Issues Convention (NJBIC) Board Secretary Barbara James, John Hinds (2nd R) and Chairman Jerome Harris at the NJBIC 28th Annual Black Leadership Conference “Strengthening Families & Building Community: Change We Can Believe In” at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders partnered with the New Jersey Superior Court to introduce “Christopher’s Program,” an intensive effort to help prevent gang violence. (Photo by Kelly Coyle/County of Union)

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – The County of Union will sponsor a recycling event for electronic equipment and unwanted paper documents on Saturday, Oct. 30, so Union County residents can get rid of unwanted computers, televisions and other electronic equipment, and shred old personal documents in a secure and environmentally proper manner.

The special recycling event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Alcatel-Lucent facility, 600 Mountain Avenue, New Providence 07974.

All residents of Union County are eligible to participate at no cost. There is a limit of six electronic items and/or four bags/boxes of paper per car.

“Computer monitors and old televisions are the source of a considerable amount of lead – about five pounds per screen,” said Freeholder Rick Proctor, liaison to the Union County Solid Waste Advisory Board. “Up to 95 percent of most electronic appliances can be recycled. This is a responsible way to keep hazardous heavy metals out of our environment.”

Electronic equipment that will be accepted on Oct. 30 includes computer monitors, hard drives, modems, keyboards, CPU’s, mice, printers, scanners, speakers, televisions, VCR’s, fax machines, telephones, and circuit boards.

All that residents need to do is drive to the site with their electronic equipment and unwanted personal documents. Workers at the site will unload the vehicles. Pre-registration is not required for this special collection.

Refrigerators, washers and dryers, microwaves, and air conditioners will not be accepted.

A complete list of the materials that will be accepted on Oct. 30 is available at the Union County Bureau of Planning and Environmental Conservation website: www.ucnj.org/community/recycling .

The electronics collection will be held rain or shine, for Union County residents only and not for businesses. Proof of Union County residency is required.

In addition to the special Oct. 30 electronics recycling event sponsored by the County of Union, there are other local opportunities for residents to recycle electronic equipment. Visitwww.ucnj.org/community/recycling for more computer and electronics recycling options.

The Oct. 30 paper-shredding event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding event will end before 1:00 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents eliminate clutter in their homes and also fight identity theft,” said Freeholder Chairman Daniel Sullivan. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with our other Go Green Initiatives.”

All Union County residents are eligible to use the personal document paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate all participants, there is a limit of four boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Residents should recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.

Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and put through the shredder. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp.

The mobile shredding program is paid for through funds from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Solid Waste Services Tax Grant.

Shredding may be cancelled in the event of extreme bad weather. Please call the Recycling Hotline for more information about future events, directions, or event day cancellation at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/community/recycling .

Students should make tracks and travel through time during “Four Centuries in a Weekend: A Journey through Union County’s History” on Saturday, Oct. 16 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 17 (noon-5 p.m.). Students and young children will learn about the history of Union County and have the chance to win free tickets to a variety of events and performances.

Four Centuries 2010 showcases 25 historic house museums and sites located in towns and cities throughout Union County. This public history event has been presented annually since 1997 by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Families, senior citizens, scout troops and history enthusiasts make up the annual audience of more than 4,000. Each year, about half the people are repeat visitors and half are first-time visitors coming from Union County and beyond.

The Time Traveler Sweepstakes was added last year, not only to attract more students to local historic sites but also to draw them to cultural events. Site specific activity sheets and entry forms are available at each of the Four Centuries locations. Students complete the activity sheet by moving around the site, by listening to volunteer docents and by asking questions. Each student may submit a completed entry form for each site visited during the weekend.

Completed entry forms must be mailed or delivered to the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth by Friday, Oct. 29. Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski will draw the ten winning entry forms at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4 at the County Administration Building in Elizabeth.

“We’re delighted by the positive response donors have had in providing wonderful prizes for this year’s Sweepstakes,” said Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan. “Both the Weekend and the Sweepstakes introduce our young people to history and the arts at an early age. We hope that their interest will grow with them into adulthood, creating a love of history and the arts.”

Sweepstakes prizes were donated by local arts and history nonprofit organizations and agencies within Union County government and include one week of summer camp at Hedgehog & Feather Theater Co.; a two-hour private archery lesson for a student and parent at Union County’s Oak Ridge Park; and family admission to the Pumpkin Sail at Echo Lake Park.

Additional prizes are two free tickets to a live performance: Celebration Singers’ Holiday Treasures Concert; “Stuart Little” at the Cranford Community Theatre; the Easter Celebration at Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University; a performance of the winner’s choice at Premiere Stages at Kean University; Ice Skating with Santa at Union County’s Warianco Park; and New Jersey Ballet’s “Cinderella” at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway.

For more information about the Time Traveler Sweepstakes or Four Centuries in a Weekend, please contact the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 908-558-2550 orculturalinfo@ucnj.org A complete list of prizes, performance dates and donors is available atwww.ucnj.org/cultural 
– END –

7,000 Mail-in Votes Expected in Union County

ELIZABETH, NJ – County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi will open her office on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for voters seeking last-minute Vote By Mail ballots. The office at 2 Broad Street, Elizabeth, will be open as a public service for voters seeking Vote By Mail ballots for the Nov. 2nd General Election.

“Every voter should have the opportunity to cast his or her ballot in the general election for the U.S. House of Representatives, county and municipal offices,” Rajoppi said. “We want to ensure that even those who have a last-minute change of plans can have a chance to cast their vote.”

Walk-in applications are accepted up to 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1, the day before the general election. Voters do not need to give a reason why they wish to use the Vote By Mail option.

“By opening the office on the Saturday before the general election, as we have done for the past 14 years, we hope to assist those citizens whose working hours or other commitments keep them from applying during the work week,” Rajoppi said.

Voters will be able to drop-off their completed Vote By Mail ballot at the Union County Clerk’s office. This option allows voters to pick up their ballots, vote in privacy and deposit them in a secured lockbox – all at the same office through 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1.

“The new Vote By Mail option, which has replaced Absentee Ballots, makes voting more accessible, particularly for senior citizens,” Rajoppi said.

Completed ballots will be kept in a secure lockbox under the control of the Union County Board of Elections, who will collect them for counting. The County Clerk’s office has processed more than 5,300 Vote By Mail applications to date for the General Election and expects the number to exceed 7,000 before Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2.

To obtain an application, voters may download the form at the County Clerk’s website:www.ucnj.org/government/county-clerk/vote-by-mail or pick up an application at their local municipal building. Last-minute voters must bring the completed form to the County Clerk’s Office on Saturday, Oct. 30, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., or on Monday, Nov. 1, before 3 p.m.

For more information, contact the Union County Clerk’s office at 908-527-4996.