TRENTON, NJ — Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Richard Codey and Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee Chairman Joseph Vitale that would establish law enforcement-assisted addiction and recovery programs was signed into law on Oct. 26, according to a press release. Under the law, the director of the Division of Mental Health and […]
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — According to Mayor Michael Venezia, an 11-year-old boy has been injured by a dog adopted from the Bloomfield Animal Shelter. “All I know is he got 81 stitches,” Venezia said earlier this week. In an email, Bloomfield Police Department Director Sam DeMaio confirmed that the dog was a pit bull named Derrick. The […]
BLOOMFIELD, NJ (updated Friday Oct. 28, 2:54 p.m.) — A Bloomfield High School coach was arrested, Thursday, Oct. 27, and charged with sexually assaulting two juvenile males. Leo Donaldson, a track and cross-country coach, is alleged to have sexually assaulting the juveniles last year and this year, at his home in Bloomfield and his previous […]
NEWARK, NJ — The NJ Transit board of directors recently adopted a Fiscal Year 2017 operating budget and capital program that supports continued investments in infrastructure and equipment to maintain the system in a state of good repair and enhance the overall customer experience, according to a recent press release from NJ Transit. “The operating […]
VOORHEES, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued a drought warning for the following 14 counties: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. The drought warning designation is an exercise of the DEP’s non-emergency authority and aims to reduce the likelihood or severity […]
TRENTON, NJ — The N.J. Assembly on Oct. 20 voted 71-0 to launch an investigation into the safety and financial practices of NJ Transit, giving the Assembly Judiciary Committee subpoena power to conduct an inquiry, according to a press release. The Judiciary panel is working on the inquiry with the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee; this […]
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — On Tuesday, Oct. 18, the United Way of Bloomfield presented its first-ever “Cornerstone of Excellence Award” to a husband and wife for their generous contributions to the township during the years. The event was held at The Manor, in West Orange. The honorees, John and Gerry Generazio, are the owners of Generazio Associates […]
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Republican mayoral candidate Dave Tucker, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, emailed a letter to Mayor Michael Venezia challenging him to a debate. Tucker had originally issued the challenge for a one-on-one debate at the council meeting Monday, Oct. 17. Venezia asked to have the challenge emailed to him. As received by The Independent Press, […]
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — An Appellate Division court ruled in favor of four Bloomfield residents who alleged that 2nd Ward Councilman Nicholas Joanow had a conflict of interest when he voted for a $10 million bonding ordinance to finance the purchase by the town of property contiguous to his own. This ruling reversed a lower court decision […]
Don’t normalize domestic violence; help to end it instead
EAST ORANGE, NJ — October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and much has been done to bring awareness to the disease so far. But this is also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and more should be done to combat this insidious killer lurking in our society. FAMILYConnections, a nonprofit organization based in East Orange […]