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).
An aggressive driver continuously cutting people off as she drove along Beaverson Boulevard was pulled over for her road rage but was served additional charges after police found drugs in the car.
Brick Police said Detectives from their Street Crimes Unit saw the car on December 31 around 12:00 noon and pulled the vehicle over the near Shorrock Street and Route 70 intersection by the border near Lakewood.
When Detectives stopped the vehicle and conducted an investigation, they found crack-cocaine and drug paraphernalia in possession of 25-year old Joseph Catanzaro of Barnegat, who was the passenger in the vehicle.
In an effort to avoid charges, Catanzaro allegedly provided police with false information.
In all, he was charged on a warrant with possession of crack, methadone, paraphernalia and hindering apprehension and then brought to the Ocean County Jail.
The driver who was cutting people off in Brick, Adrianna Buttacavoli, 19, Barnegat, was also found with drugs in the form of Xanax pills and paraphernalia.
In all, she was charged with careless driving for cutting people off in the manner she did so and then charged with possession of Xanax, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle for the drugs in the car.
Following her arrest, Buttacavoli was released on a summons.
EAS Carpenters Promote Anthony Abrantes as the New Assistant Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Carpenters Union
Anthony Abrantes Promoted to Assistant Executive Secretary-Treasurer. Regional Manager Bruce Garganio to Oversee all of New Jersey
(Edison, NJ) The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters has announced the promotion of Anthony Abrantes as Assistant Executive Secretary-Treasurer for the carpenters union.
“Over the years, Anthony has been committed to working with industry partners, elected officials, and enforcement agencies to help expand workers’ rights and the opportunities for market share for union carpenters,” said William C. Sproule, Executive Secretary Treasurer for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “Having Anthony as my Assistant Executive-Secretary Treasurer will be a great asset to our union and a role I know Anthony will excel in. His problem-solving ability and his overall passion for representing the members will be a great asset across our region “
Abrantes has served the Council as a Council Representative, Senior Council Representative, Political Director, and most recently Director of Organizing for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. Abrantes has a B.A. from Montclair State University in Sociology with an emphasis in Justice Studies. Prior to joining the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America as a carpenter, he interned as an investigative analyst with the New Jersey Office of Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice – Organized Crime and Racketeering Bureau. Abrantes also has served his Union and labor causes as an Executive Board Member for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Trustee for the Northeast Carpenters Funds, Trustee for the Carpenters Contractor Trust, Delegate for Local Union 254, Trustee for the Carpenters Benefits Fund of Philadelphia & Vicinity, and President Emeritus for the Northwest Jersey Central Labor Council.
“It is an honor to serve in this new role for a union I care so much about and have committed so much time and energy to,” said Abrantes. “The carpenters union is a leader in our communities and takes its role seriously in defending apprenticeships, safety on the job site, and the right for workers to organize. I look forward to continuing to work with EST Sproule and for the membership in this new leadership role and promoting the good work of our union.”
An Essex County native, Abrantes has lived in Morris County for the last 30 years and now resides in East Hanover, New Jersey with his wife, Nicole and their two children, Nicolette and Anthony Jr.
Also announced were expanded duties for Regional Manager Bruce Garganio to include all of New Jersey. Garganio’s role as Regional Manager will expand to include overseeing Council activities for all of New Jersey following the retirement of Peter Gowing as well as the State of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Garganio is a 39-year union member and has served his union in several leadership roles including: Chairman of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Members Assistance Program (MAP), Vice Co-Chair of the Northeast Carpenters Fund, member of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Executive Board, and Financial Secretary for Local Union 255. Bruce also has been a true leader in the community serving on both the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders (now Board of County Commissioners) from 2010-2017 and the Delaware Valley Planning Commission from 2013-2017 and is currently a Commissioner for the Delaware River Port Authority and President of the Florence Township Council.
“New Jersey is my home and I take seriously who will help me oversee the day-to-day activities of our union there,” Sproule said. “Pete Gowing is one of the finest carpenters I have ever known, and I wish him a happy and healthy retirement. Bruce has an excellent record of service for his union and community. Expanding his role to include all of New Jersey is a choice I am confident in and know Bruce, as well as Anthony, will succeed in this new structure”
The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters represents over 41,000 of the most skilled carpenters who live and work in Delaware, The District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Virginia, and West Virginia. In New Jersey alone the union represents over 13,000 carpenters. EAS Carpenters are trained in many different trades, including: commercial/residential carpentry; heavy highway; piledriving; floor-layering; mill cabinet work; and tradeshow construction.
(Visited 8 times, 8 visits today)
That post card you got yesterday about the dates for Essex County’s deer hunt at the Hilltop Reservation? Forget about it. After county decided to send the mailer, it decided to cancel the hunt.
“For the second consecutive year, we have decided to cancel our annual Deer Management Program because of the Coronavirus pandemic,” Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. said in a statement today. “We are focusing our attention on staffing our vaccination and testing sites, bringing our mobile outreach program to schools, houses of worship and community centers and making sure our residents have access to programs that keep them safe, healthy and protected.”
Essex County has conducted the deer hunt program since 2008 to reduce the number of deer in the South Mountain and Hilltop reservations. It has also sought to restore park landscapes damaged by over-browsing by planting native plants in several areas.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County is canceling its annual deer cull for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Thursday.
According to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.:
“For the second consecutive year, we have decided to cancel our annual Deer Management Program because of the coronavirus pandemic. We are focusing our attention on staffing our vaccination and testing sites, bringing our mobile outreach program to schools, houses of worship and community centers and making sure our residents have access to programs that keep them safe, healthy and protected.”
Over the past decade, thousands of animals have been killed during the county’s annual deer management program, which aims to “revitalize the forest ecology” by reducing the number of deer.
The culls have been held in county-run reservations, including South Mountain Reservation in Maplewood, Millburn and West Orange, and Hilltop Reservation in Cedar Grove, North Caldwell and Verona.
County officials released COVID-19 cumulative case and death totals for each municipality on Jan. 6, which can be seen below.
CLARK — Violent details emerged about what authorities said was an attempted murder at a ShopRite on Sunday afternoon.
Melissa Prince, 57, a store employee who lives in Edison, was charged with first-degree attempted murder after police say she stabbed her co-worker, a long-time employee, at least 13 times in the torso using a 13-inch knife from the kitchen area behind the deli counter.
A ShopRite employee told RLS Metro Breaking News that as horrified customers watched, the woman used “the largest knife in the deli.”
Surveillance video shows the victim standing at a sink when Prince walks in and stands close to the victim before they argue, according to the affidavit.
Prince then tackled her co-worker and pinned her to the floor, according to the probable-cause affidavit filed in the case.
Police who saw the video say Prince repeatedly plunged the knife into the victim for about 40 seconds before other employees responded and subdued Prince.
‘I ain’t say nothing to you! I ain’t do nothing to you!’
Witnesses told investigators there was a “verbal altercation” between Prince and the victim.
Prince got on top of her victim while screaming: “I ain’t say nothing to you! I ain’t do nothing to you!”
An officer found the victim covered in her own blood, according to the officer, and Prince had blood on her hands and arm.
Mayor Sal Bonaccorso told New Jersey 101.5 that a long-simmering dispute was behind the attack.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office did not have a lawyer on record for Prince.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ
As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches its third calendar year in New Jersey, some things have stayed true (hand-washing, advice to vaccinate) while others have evolved along with the latest variant (less monoclonal antibody treatments, new at-home anti-viral pills).
In 2017, Gov. Phil Murphy won the election by 14.1 percentage points, a margin exceeding 303,000. His re-election was much closer, an 84,000-vote, 3.2-point victory. He and others talked about a ‘red wave’ of Republican voters in the electorate, and certified results show which counties turned red most.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/CDXISDJLWVGYXN4EGVF2HRH6IU.jpg)
Newark police are asking for the public’s help as they search for a man who carjacked a vehicle on Christmas Eve as a 4-year-old slept in the back seat.
Moments after a woman stepped out of the vehicle around 4:50 p.m. on the 100 block of Broadway with the engine running, the man slipped into the car and sped south toward Bloomfield Avenue, according to Newark police.
He ran off after abandoning the car near the corner of Broadway and Bloomfield. The child never woke up and was not hurt.
Police say the carjacker was wearing a black jacket, gray hooded sweatshirt and black pants.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Newark police’s tips line at 1-877-695-8477. Tips are confidential and could result in a reward.
A similar incident took place a few weeks earlier when a man carjacked an SUV on Bloomfield Avenue with two children, 9 and 11 inside. That carjacking ended the same way — with the thief abandoning the car a few blocks away and the children unharmed.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County is canceling its annual deer cull for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Thursday.
According to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.:
“For the second consecutive year, we have decided to cancel our annual Deer Management Program because of the coronavirus pandemic. We are focusing our attention on staffing our vaccination and testing sites, bringing our mobile outreach program to schools, houses of worship and community centers and making sure our residents have access to programs that keep them safe, healthy and protected.”
Over the past decade, thousands of animals have been killed during the county’s annual deer management program, which aims to “revitalize the forest ecology” by reducing the number of deer.
The culls have been held in county-run reservations, including South Mountain Reservation in Maplewood, Millburn and West Orange, and Hilltop Reservation in Cedar Grove, North Caldwell and Verona.
County officials released COVID-19 cumulative case and death totals for each municipality on Jan. 6, which can be seen below.
One year after the attack on the U.S. Capitol more than 700 people have been arrested in connection with the violent breach, including over 20 arrests connected to New Jersey.
Roughly $1.5 million worth of damage was caused to the U.S. Capitol building during the attack that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress, according to a May 2021 estimate by the Architect of the Capitol.
More than 225 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including over 75 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
Scott Fairlamb, of Sussex County, in November was the first person sentenced for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The former MMA fighter turned gym owner received 41 months in federal prison. Prosecutors said he incited and emboldened other rioters around him with his violent actions.
A Pennsylvania resident formerly of New Jersey was among two arrests back in March made in connection with the deadly assault on U.S. Capitol Officer, Brian Sicknick, a South River native.
Federal agents arrested 32-year-old Julian Elie Khater, of State College, as he got off a plane at Newark Airport. George Pierre Tanios, 39, was arrested in West Virginia, though both men grew up in New Jersey, according to a federal affidavit.
About 140 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6, including about 80 U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Of those arrested so far, 640 people have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds — over 75 of them also accused of entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.
Among the most recent New Jersey arrests was Marcos Panayiotou, a Marine reservist in Wrightstown, and Michael Oliveras, of Lindenwold.
Michael Gianos was arrested in the Marlton section of Evesham on Dec. 1. He and Philadelphia resident Rachel Myers both were traced in connection with another New Jersey insurrection suspect, Lawrence Stackhouse, of Blackwood, through cell phone records and video surveillance images from Jan. 6.
The FBI continues to seek the public’s help in identifying more than 350 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds, including over 250 who assaulted police officers.
Federal agents have shared 16 videos of suspects wanted for violent assaults on federal officers and one video of two suspects wanted for assaulting members of the media on Jan. 6, 2021 — and is seeking the public’s help to identify them.
The following people have been arrested in New Jersey, stemming from participation in the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
A year later, more than 20 people from New Jersey have been charged with involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
New Jersey’s least populated municipalities, according to the 2020 Census. This list excludes Pine Valley, which would have been the third-smallest with 21 residents but voted to merge into Pine Hill at the start of 2022.
A district-by-district look at New Jersey’s congressional map following the redistricting done after the 2020 Census.
(Morristown, NJ) – The Community Foundation of New Jersey today announced it has committed $70,000 toward the professional development of public school nurses in Morris and Sussex counties. This comes as public school nurses continue to balance the physical and emotional health of students, families, colleagues, and themselves amidst another COVID-19 surge. Recent stress, anxiety, and conflict around vaccinations has further exacerbated the pressure on school nurses.
The funding will be in the form of a grant to the Mental Health Association of New Jersey, which will coordinate three inter-related programs. A weekly virtual support/educational group designed and facilitated by experienced school nurses in New Jersey will provide opportunities for self-care, discussion, mutual support, and referral to additional services. Two conferences will address issues raised in the weekly support groups, with deeper conversation and additional opportunities for networking and mutual support. And finally, funding will be available for school nurses to join national, state, and local membership organizations, and to attend the annual state school nurse conference.
“This combination of programming and services provides a network of support that does not currently exist for school nurses, all of whom are grappling with added stress,” said Robert Kley, Vice President and COO of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey. “These opportunities for long-term self-care, emotional support, and education can help increase strength and resiliency among the school nurse workforce.”
National surveys have shown that nearly three-quarters of school nurses report increased anxiety, depression, and declines in their own personal health tied to their work in schools over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional responsibility around COVID-19 testing and tracing has resulted in more communication with families and the community, as well as more conflict around issues such as vaccinations and quarantining.
“Nurses working in our public school system have an increasingly important and stressful role,” said Madeline Rivera, Program Officer at the Community Foundation of New Jersey. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, school nurses must balance pressing needs caused by the pandemic with other challenges, such as concerns over increases in youth suicide, the opioid epidemic, a relative lack of behavioral health services, and uneven parental engagement. Ensuring our school nurses are themselves supported is critical to the broader health of the school systems.”
The program will partner with the Morris and Sussex County School Nurses Association and the New Jersey School Nurses Association to reach the school nurses in 198 public schools in Morris and Sussex counties.
Those interested in joining in support of the initiative may contact Madeline Rivera, Program Officer at the Community Foundation of New Jersey, at mrivera@cfnj.org.
About the Community Foundation of New Jersey
With $800 million in assets, the Community Foundation of New Jersey creates and scales custom solutions for purpose-driven individuals, families, and businesses. The level of precision in CFNJ’s investment and grantmaking capabilities is made possible by a team of specialists who understand the unique contours of communities and can manage the scope of CFNJ’s giving vehicles. From creative projects that tackle critical societal or policy issues to scholarship funds, corporate philanthropy, legacy funds and donor advised funds, CFNJ manages nearly every giving vehicle and tailors solutions to meet critical needs. More than 1,100 funds grant tens of millions of dollars each year, including $100 million in 2021 in New Jersey and beyond.
About the Mental Health Association in New Jersey
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey is a statewide non-profit organization that strives for children and adults to achieve victory over mental health and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training, and services. It is headquartered in Union County, with additional offices in Atlantic, Hudson and Ocean Counties and affiliates in Essex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic Counties. For more information visit https://www.mhanj.org/
###
(Visited 3 times, 3 visits today)