Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan thanks Florence Duggan of Westfield for the donation of pet oxygen masks to the K9 Search and Rescue Unit from the Sussex Hills Kennel Club. The officers from the K9 unit are (from left) Officer Ryan Wilson, Sgt. Brian Howarth with K9 Devante, Officer Timothy O’Grady, Detective Anthony Gialanella and Officer Bryan Frew.
The K-9 Search and Rescue Unit’s assignments include searching buildings, locating missing persons, detecting narcotics, detecting explosives/explosive devices and specialized patrol functions. The services of this unit are requested by law enforcement agencies throughout Union County, and sometimes beyond the county limits. They also respond to calls which include providing assistance to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Agency, New Jersey State Police, U.S. Customs, U.S. Postal Police and the U.S. Secret Service.
Union County Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Sergio Granados attended Opening Day for the 70th season of Union County Youth League Baseball at Warinanco Park in Roselle. Boys and girls 8-15 years old from throughout Union County participate in the league. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholders Christopher Hudak, Linda Carter and Vernell Wright joined Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan marching in the annual Central Jersey Fourth of July Parade in Plainfield. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
Adrian Lam of Westfield was one of seven Union County 4-H Club members to compete in the statewide 4-H Public Presentation Contest at Rutgers University this year. Credit: Union County 4-H.
Union County, NJ – Each year, dozens of Union County students in grades one through 12 join a Union County 4-H club to explore their favorite interests and activities. This year a select group of seven 4-H’ers from Union County qualified to demonstrate their knowledge of cryptology, the U.S. Constitution, and other topics at the statewide 4-H Public Presentation Contest held at Rutgers University in June.
Competing among a statewide field more than 150 students divided into groups, Union County 4-H’er Adrian Lam was awarded the “Best in Room” honor for his speech entitled “Journey to the East.”
“On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I’d like to commend Adrian and all of our Union County 4-H contestants on a job well done,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohammed Jalloh. “Participating in this statewide event gives students the opportunity to pursue their passions and is testament to their hard work and commitment.”
4-H is a long running national youth development program. It originated in efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to connect rural youth with up-to-date farming practices and community health information, through a nationwide network of county-based Extension offices.
In its modern iteration, 4-H clubs offer young people the chance to develop expertise in a wide range of topics while gaining experience in public speaking, organization, team building and other essential skills. Union County 4-H clubs include horticulture, history, archery, Lego robotics, cooking, pet care and much more.
The 4-H schedule runs concurrently with the school year. Each spring the students can provide a formal presentation of their project before a live audience. The presenters who earn a score of “Excellent” are invited to participate in the statewide contest each June.
The seven Union County contestants in the statewide event were:
Adrian Lam of Westfield, Journey to the East (Best in Room award)
Vivek Sreenivasan of Westfield, Cryptography: The Language of Secrets
Kyle Grant of Union, President Barack Obama’s Morehouse Commencement Speech
Jada Peterson of Rahway, how to make chocolate chip brownies.
Union County Mosquito Control will be spraying for adult mosquitoes tonight between 7:30pm and 11:30pm. The spraying will be predicated on the weather conditions; rain and high winds will cancel the operation. The areas to be sprayed are as follows:
Berkeley Heights– Bristol Ct. and the B.H. D.P.W. yard, Bolton Blvd.
Clark– Conger Way, Colonial Rd., Francis Dr., Back lot of St. Agnes church area
Cranford-Dartmouth Rd. , Park St., Maryland & Fairfield Ave.
Elizabeth– Clarkson Ave., Peterstown area, Trumble St.
Fanwood– Fanwood Place
Hillside– Harvard ave., Cornell Ave., Aldine St., Westminster area
Kenilworth– Dorsett Dr., Water Company Rd.
Linden– Tremeley Pt. area, Bradford Ave., Lexington Ave., Marion Ave., Miner Terrace
Mountainside– Watchung Reservation, Fitness Trail off Mountain Ave.
New Providence– Gails Dr. ( Manor Care), Grove St.
Plainfield– First St., Abbond Ct., Reeves Terrace, Wiley Ave., Cushing Rd., Knollwood Ave., Kenyon Rd., Woodland Ave., Stelle Ave., Madison Pl.
Rahway– Leesville Ave., Main St., Central Ave., New Church St., Church St., River Rd., Elizabeth Ave., Scott Ave., Whittier St., Donald Ave.
Westfield – Livingston St., Windsor Ave., Marcellus Ave., Norwood Dr.
Winfield– Union County Parkway
Union/Kenilworth – Galloping Hill Golf Course
Municipal Parks– Linden Memorial Pk., Roselle Sylvester Pk., Westfield Mindowskin Pk and Tamaques Pk., Union Biertempful and Rabkin Pk.,
County Parks– Clark Oakridge Pk., Elizabeth Mantano Pk., Cranford Nomahegan Pk. Lenape Pk., Mountainside Echo Lake Pk., Plainfield Joe Black Pk. Cedar Brook Pk., Mountainside Watchung Reservation and Loop Area, Rahway Rahway Park, Roselle Warinanco Pk., Hillside Conant Pk.,
(From left) Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen visits with Jewish Family Services Executive Director Tom Beck and Case Worker Elie Bodner at the nonprofit’s community garden outside their office in Elizabeth. They are joined by James Nichnadowicz of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, which is funded through Union County, that helps maintain the community garden. Last year the garden produced 1,200 pounds of food. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders today announced a call for visual artists to participate in the County’s first Art Outside The Box creative placemaking project offered as part of Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh’s Building A Community of the Arts initiative.
Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce a call for visual artists to participate in the County’s first Art Outside The Box public art project.
Art Outside The Box is a new countywide creative placemaking project created to support Union County visual artists by offering a nontraditional exhibition opportunity that broadens and diversifies public exposure to art murals.
“Art Outside The Box is an innovative public art project that seeks to engage residents and visitors by integrating visual art with public spaces in our communities,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “The Freeholder Board is proud to provide opportunities that celebrate creativity, enhance community identity, and encourage cultural tourism.”
This call for entries is open to all 2D visual artists (painters, photographers, printmakers, graphic and computer/digital artists) residing in or working in Union County. Artists are invited to submit up to four different designs for project consideration. The deadline for entry is August 1, 2015.
The theme for this submission of Art Outside The Box entries is diversity. Artists should submit work that is uplifting, colorful, and appropriate for people of all ages. There is no fee required to participate.
Offered as part of Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh’s Building A Community of the Arts initiative, a total of nine original artworks will be selected to cover traffic control boxes in Elizabeth, Linden, and Rahway, NJ. Each artwork will be reproduced on a special vinyl adhesive film and professionally applied to the exterior of the pre-selected traffic control boxes.
Funded by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Art Outside The Box project will provide a $200 honorarium for each artist whose work is selected. Details about the project, including entry form, traffic control box locations, reference samples, and artist agreement are available online at www.ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox.
Deadline for entry is August 1, 2015.
Entries will be juried and selected for the program based on artistic excellence, technical merit, the ability to complement the setting and how well it translates into large-scale viewing.
For further details about how to participate, please call the Union County Department of Cultural Heritage at (908) 558-2550 or visit our website at: ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox.
Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan (R) thanked VFW Post 2433 Commander Leo Graf (3rd R) and past Commander and Quartermaster Bob Johnsen (2nd R) as they presented the Sheriff’s Office K9 Search and Rescue Unit with 5 K9 ballistic vests Post 2433 donated. The officers from the K9 unit are (from left) Officer Ryan Wilson, Detective Anthony Gialanella, Officer Timothy O’Grady, Officer Bryan Frew and Sgt. Brian Howarth. K9 Ruger is wearing one of the donated vests. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright (3rd from left) congratulates incoming UNICO National President Dr. Ann Walko (second from left). They are joined by Anthony Bengivenga (first, left), President of the Westfield Chapter of UNICO, and (fourth , left), Joe Almeida, President of the Union Chapter of UNICO.
Walko, a professor at Kean University, is also a resident of Scotch Plains. She begins her tenure as President in July. UNICO National is the nation’s largest Italian-American non-profit service organization whose chapters engage in philanthropic, cultural, educational and anti-bias activities. The organization has 140 chapters nationwide.
Photo by Lamar Mackson, Public Information Division
Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (R) joined employees from McKinsey & Company working on an Adopt a Park Project in the Watchung Reservation. The employees volunteer their time for the cleanup and the company provided equipment, materials and tools to help with the improvement project. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
