ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The world can be a scary place. But it’s also filled with humor, inspiration and beauty. Let’s focus on that second part. Take a look at some recent good news stories in Essex County below. (Click the headlines to read).
A massive sculpture called “XO World,” installed last fall in front of lower Manhattan’s Freedom Tower, marked a turning point for the World Trade Center site. The huge blue globe (the “O”), next to two giant crossed arms (the “X”), is one of the first pieces of public art on the site since the attack on the twin towers 20 years ago.
The 12-by-24-foot artwork, along with a companion piece inside the Oculus depicting four multi-racial children playing a game of jacks, titled “XO Play,” has inspired countless Instagram selfies of tourists crossing their arms on their chests in front of the sculptures, sign language for “love” (#xoworldproject).
The giant artwork also marked a turning point for Montclair artist Daniel Anderson, who, until “XO World,” was known among private collectors for his oil paintings with a sculptural, or 3D, component. He hadn’t done anything on this scale before.
Anderson, 42, who grew up on Packanack Lake in Wayne and moved to Montclair in 2016, got the idea for “XO World” in September 2020, while the pandemic raged. “There was COVID, and so much racial and political tension across the country and globe,” he said. “I wanted people to experience a message of positivity and peace, and rally behind it.”
He set the lofty goal of having the sculptures installed a year later — near the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and on the 40th anniversary of World Peace Day — and began campaigning for his vision.
He started with The Durst Organization, the real estate firm that developed the World Trade Center site after the twin towers fell, and Kevin O’Toole, chairman of the board of commissioners for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a former state senator for the 40th District. Both were supportive and helped get the ball rolling.
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But that was just the beginning of a process that Anderson said tested even him, an artist accustomed to rejection.
Because the land is co-owned by the Port Authority and New York state, he said, “You have to go through a lot of levels. There’s so much paperwork, permits and insurance. It was exhausting; so many long phone calls and presentations.”
Ultimately, though, his persistence paid off. The sculptures were installed on World Peace Day, Sept. 21, 2021, an impossibly short timeline from Durst’s approval eight months earlier.
The two artworks, which were commissioned by The Durst Organization, are scheduled to remain at the World Trade Center for two years from installation.
Meanwhile, Anderson is looking to create and install “XO World” sculptures in “signature cities around the globe” through his new XO World Project Foundation, beginning with Chicago and Miami.
“I’m very grateful that this piece, with its message of equality, unity, peace and love, has been unanimously loved and embraced, and is bringing everyone together at this landmark site at the epicenter of the globe,” he said.
“The chances it would be completed were so slim, but I felt a higher purpose guiding me on sleepless nights,” Anderson said. “I swam up the Nile and never got bitten by alligators.”
Julia Martin is the 2021 recipient of the New Jersey Society for Professional Journalists’ David Carr award for her coverage of Montclair for NorthJersey.com.
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Email: jmartin@gannettnj.com
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NEW JERSEY – A COVID-19 vaccination for some of New Jersey’s residents is as close as ever, with Moderna on Thursday asking the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a low-dose vaccine for kids ages six months to five years.
The agency is expected to make a decision by June. Right now, children under five years old are the only age group that cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the U.S. Those as young as five can receive the Pfizer vaccine, but the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots are only available to those over 18 years old.
Moderna’s child vaccination will be about a quarter of the amount that adults receive, with a two 25-microgram dose regimen to be given four weeks apart.
Vaccinating the nation’s youngest children “has been somewhat of a moving target over the last couple of months,” Dr. Bill Muller of Northwestern University, an investigator in Moderna’s pediatric studies, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “There’s still, I think, a lingering urgency to try to get that done as soon as possible.”
The news comes as the country reports a slight spike in COVID-19 cases following Easter and Passover gatherings earlier this month. In New Jersey, the daily case average is over 2,400, a 28 percent increase over the previous 14 days.
The rate of transmission in the state is 1.1, meaning that every new case is leading to roughly one other new case.
As of Friday, eight New Jersey counties are labeled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “medium” areas for transmission (Bergen, Essex, Morris, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Atlantic and Cape May counties). Per the CDC, “medium” rates of transmission means at-risk individuals are recommended to speak with healthcare providers about whether mask-wearing or other precautions are necessary. The rest of the counties in the state report “low” transmission.
With a vaccine for some of the state’s youngest residents, experts hope to decrease the risk of hospitalizations for future spikes.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in March shows that during the omicron surge, children under 5 were hospitalized at a rate about five times higher than they were during the delta spike.
Moderna said early data showed that two weeks after getting the two shots, 6,900 children enrolled in its study showed youngsters developed virus-fighting antibody levels as strong as young adults getting its full-strength shots, the company said in a news release.
The only side effects were mild fevers similar to those associated with other common pediatric vaccines, the company said.
In February, Moderna competitor Pfizer paused its application seeking emergency authorization to offer toddler-sized doses to children under 5. The FDA said at the time it wanted more data on the efficacy of a three-dose series of the vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years. A third dose “may provide a higher level of protection in this age group,” the company said in a statement.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The number speaks for itself: 162. That’s how many years of combined Girl Scout experience three family members in Essex County have … and they aren’t done yet.
The trio – a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter – are lifetime members of Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ), with ties to Nutley, Livingston and Essex County. And they all have a common link: they credit their successes and leadership skills to lessons they gained in the Girl Scouts.
Jeanne Van Steen, who has lived in Nutley for the past 65 years, has been a lifetime member of Girl Scouts for 82 years. She grew up in St. Louis and became a Brownie in 1939, when she was in second grade. She continued Girl Scouts through her senior year of high school when she became a Mariner, a natural development as she lived on the Mississippi River and “being a Mariner was just a way of life.”
While in high school, Van Steen was part of an advisory board and her counselor, the late Margaret Price, who later became president of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), was her mentor.
“Mrs. Price was an amazing and influential person,” Van Steen said. “She was one of the reasons I became so involved with Girl Scouts.”
From there, Van Steen was a troop leader in college and continued her involvement until the last of her three daughters finished Girl Scouts.
“I was a leader for 30 years, and even had first and second generations of girls throughout the years,” she said.
Van Steen has held several other positions within the Council, including Service Unit Manager in Nutley, and Vice President of Council for Greater Essex County. From 1986 to 1992, she was president of the Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex County.
But Van Steen isn’t the only member of her family with deep ties to Scouting. Her daughter, Coralyn Vossler, who lives in Livingston, has been a lifetime member for 57 years.
Vossler joined Girl Scouts as a Brownie in 1965. Her mother was her troop leader and continued until she was a Cadette. Like her mother, Vossler became a troop leader while in college and later became a leader for girls with disabilities and hearing challenges.
“My mother was truly an inspirational woman,” she said. “I wanted to follow in her footsteps and be a positive influence on young women.”
When her daughter, Sara, joined Girl Scouts, Vossler was her Daisy leader and remained the troop leader until the girls earned their Gold Award in 2012.
After being a troop leader, Vossler was a Service Unit Manager of Greater Essex and Hudson County for 14 years and now serves on the Girl Scout Council Gold Award Committee as Chairperson of the East Committee.
“I love being on this committee, I get to meet so many interesting young women and listen to the final Gold Award proposals,” she said. “These young women are our future. Seeing girls with diverse backgrounds come together and become leaders through the skillsets they have developed from being a Girl Scout makes me proud to be part of this amazing organization.”
Her daughter, Sara, earned her Gold Award in 2012, and currently is a lifetime member. Those skills have enabled her to become a teacher in Malaysia.
For Van Steen, the one who first launched the daisy chain of volunteerism, it’s inspiring to look back on what her family has accomplished.
“Being the first of three generations, the one thing that has not changed over the years is the core values and leadership skills that Girl Scouts instill to help build confident, self-assured and independent women,” Van Steen said.
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ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The world can be a scary place. But it’s also filled with humor, inspiration and beauty. Let’s focus on that second part. Take a look at some recent good news stories in Essex County below. (Click the headlines to read).
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Find out why those sirens were wailing. Check out these recent police, fire and EMS stories in Essex County (click headline to read).
The adult smoking rate is 23% in Cumberland County. The rate is nearly half that in Somerset and Morris counties.
There’s one dentist for every 2,900 residents in Salem County, and one dentist for every 750 people in Bergen County.
In Essex County, there are more than 800 new cases of chlamydia diagnosed each year per 100,000 people, compared to about 176 cases per 100,000 in Hunterdon County.
Health factors and outcomes vary greatly from county to county in the Garden State, and new rankings from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute reveal the healthiest and least healthy counties for 2022.
“This year’s rankings include some COVID data, but we’ll truly understand the impact COVID had on our communities in the years to come,” said Michael Stevenson, with County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
countyhealthrankings.org
Compared to last year’s rankings, the top 4 healthiest counties in the Garden State remained the same for 2022. Middlesex was pushed out of the No. 5 spot by Sussex, and moved to No. 6.
The bottom 5 are in the same spot as 2021.
2022 County Health Rankings:
The above rankings relate to two overarching factors: length of life and quality of life.
For example, 25% of adults in Cumberland County self report poor or fair health. The rate is 12% in Morris, Somerset and Hunterdon counties. In Salem County, there are 12,000 years of potential life lost before age 75 due to health behaviors, compared to 7,100 in Ocean County and 4,300 in Bergen County.
“This is wonderful and welcome news, and I think we earned it. The report says Morris County ranked very well on many factors, such as a long life-expectancy, high education levels and opportunities for social associations, while having some of the lowest rates in New Jersey of unemployment, violent crime and child poverty,” said Tayfun Selen, director of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners.
Some factors examined by the report have an obvious impact on one’s health, such as obesity rate and access to doctors. But the report also looks at measures that indirectly impact one’s chances of living a healthy life, such as a cost of childcare.
According to the report, an average New Jersey family with two children pays 28% of household income on childcare.
“When a single expense consumes the majority of a paycheck … families are unable to afford other necessities,” the report says.
Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.
UPDATED 4/10: A current list of county fairs happening across the Garden State for 2022. From rides, food, animals, and hot air balloons, each county fair has something unique to offer.
(Fairs are listed in geographical order from South NJ to North NJ)
The Daily Beast
Cullman County Sheriff’s OfficeA retired corrections officer has been arrested in the murder of an 11-year-old New Hampshire girl more than three decades after she was stabbed to death, authorities announced Wednesday.Marvin Carlton “Skip” McClendon, Jr., 74, was arrested Tuesday evening at his home in Bremen, Alabama, announced Essex County, Massachusetts, District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. He is accused of killing Melissa Ann Tremblay in 1988 and dumping her in a Lawrence, Massachusetts, rai
New Jersey and 15 other states that want the U.S. Postal Service to buy more electric delivery vehicles are suing to halt purchases of thousands of gas-powered trucks as the agency modernizes its mail delivery fleet.
Three separate lawsuits, filed by 16 states and environmental groups Thursday in New York and California, ask judges to order a more thorough environmental review before the Postal Service moves forward with the next-generation delivery vehicle program.
Plaintiffs contend that purchases of fossil fuel-powered delivery vehicles will cause environmental harm for decades to come.
“Louis DeJoy’s gas-guzzling fleet guarantees decades of pollution with every postcard and package,” said Scott Hochberg, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, referring to the postmaster general.
One lawsuit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, CleanAirNow KC and Sierra Club in San Francisco. Attorneys general from 16 states and the District of Columbia filed another suit in the same venue. Another was filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and United Auto Workers in New York.
All three of them target the environmental review underpinning the Postal Service’s planned purchase of up to 165,000 next-generation delivery vehicles over the next decade.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said it’s key to stop the process before it’s too late.
“Once this purchase goes through, we’ll be stuck with more than 100,000 new gas-guzzling vehicles on neighborhood streets, serving homes across our state and across the country, for the next 30 years. There won’t be a reset button,” he said.
The Postal Service defended its actions.
“The Postal Service conducted a robust and thorough review and fully complied with all of our obligations under (the National Environmental Policy Act),” spokesperson Kim Frum said Thursday in an email.
The Postal Service contract calls for 10% of the new vehicles to be electric but the Postal Service contends more electric vehicles can be purchased based on financial outlook and strategic considerations.
The percentage of battery-electric vehicles was doubled — to 20% — in the initial $2.98 billion order for 50,000 vehicles.
Environmental advocates contend the Postal Service’s environmental review was inadequate and flawed, and that the contract represented a missed opportunity to electrify the fleet and reduce emissions.
The review process “was so rickety and riddled with error that it failed to meet the basic standards of the National Environmental Policy Act,” said Adrian Martinez, senior attorney on Earthjustice’s Right to Zero campaign.
The Postal Service is in the process of replacing the ubiquitous delivery trucks that went into service between 1987 and 1994.
The new gasoline-powered vehicles would get 14.7 miles per gallon (23.7 kilometers per gallon) without air conditioning, compared to 8.4 mpg (13.5 kpg) for the older vehicles, the Postal Service said.
All told, the Postal Service’s fleet includes 190,000 local delivery vehicles. More than 141,000 of those are the old models that lack safety features like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and backup cameras.
The new vehicles are taller to make it easier for postal carriers to grab packages and parcels that make up a greater share of volume. They also have improved ergonomics and climate control.
The states that sued are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District in California, District of Columbia and city of New York joined that lawsuit, as well.
UPDATED 4/10: A current list of county fairs happening across the Garden State for 2022. From rides, food, animals, and hot air balloons, each county fair has something unique to offer.
(Fairs are listed in geographical order from South NJ to North NJ)
TRENTON — A firefighter grazed in the arm by a stray bullet while working out in a firehouse gym believes his deceased older brother was looking out for him and saved him from a more serious injury.
Kevin Soto was using the elliptical on the second floor Tuesday night when he heard what sounded like fireworks going off outside the Engine 1 and Ladder 1 firehouse on Calhoun Street. He quickly realized it was gunfire and he needed to duck.
“Something inside of me said ‘hey take cover. Duck.’ As soon as I ducked the bullets started flying through the window. So then I went to reach for my radio I left on top of the elliptical and my phone so I could get out of there. As soon as I tried to get out of there the bullet grazed my arm,” Soto told New Jersey 101.5. “All I felt was a burning sensation like a hot piece of metal singeing my skin.”
Bullet holes in the kitchen of the firehouse and wall
He ran downstairs where his fellow firefighters also heard the shots and told them he’d been hit. They began checking him over for other possible hits.
“The bullets kept flying and we heard bullets go into the kitchen. A bullet went into the wall and into the refrigerator. There were multiple bullets on the second floor and the first-floor kitchen,” Soto said. “They were pretty big bullets so it had to be a high-powered gun especially to go through walls like that. It was a scary situation.”
Soto said that if he hadn’t ducked when he did and stayed standing the bullet would have hit him in the head. He credits his decision to drive his brother’s car to work for the first time since his death.
“I drove my brother’s car to work that day and that day something told me to take cover without having even having any bullets flying into the firehouse yet. Me and my brother were close. I’ve never really believed in superstition but it’s kind of weird that day the first time in my eight-year career I took my brother’s car to work,” Soto said.
Kevin Soto
Soto said that he was taken to a hospital and was released several hours later. He is currently off the job and will be undergoing some physical therapy and counseling.
“It was a traumatic experience. In beginning, I didn’t think nothing of it but now you sit around the house and start telling the story and you go back to sleep you start reliving the situation. And it’s so fresh right now when you go to sleep and I wake up I’m like ‘oh my God what’s going on?’ I wake up scared but I’m OK now for the most part,” Soto said.
Firefighters already wear vests on every call because of the varied situations they are entering on calls like shootings, EMS calls, domestic violence cases and anything else police may respond to. There have also been cases in other cities where firefighters have been shot on routine fire calls.
“It’s very unfortunate that we have to wear bulletproof vests for our own safety. I personally don’t like to do it because I feel it shows the public fear. But nowadays you have to wear it for everything,” Soto said.
City spokesman Timothy Carroll said there have been no arrests as of Thursday morning in the case.
There were 40 homicides in Trenton in 2021, the vast majority from shootings, according to an unofficial count by MidJersey.news. All seven homicides in Trenton in 2022 were from shootings.
Bullet hole in the window of a Trenton firehouse
Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.
UPDATED 4/10: A current list of county fairs happening across the Garden State for 2022. From rides, food, animals, and hot air balloons, each county fair has something unique to offer.
(Fairs are listed in geographical order from South NJ to North NJ)
A little less than 30 cents of every $1 in property taxes charged in New Jersey support municipal services provided by cities, towns, townships, boroughs and villages. Statewide, the average municipal-only tax bill in 2021 was $2,725, but that varied widely from more than $13,000 in Tavistock to nothing in three townships. In addition to $9.22 billion in municipal purpose taxes, special taxing districts that in some places provide municipal services such as fire protection, garbage collection or economic development levied $323.8 million in 2021.
