ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs invites the public to participate in its 2022 fishing derbies. The free events will be held in seven locations in the Essex County Parks system.
“Our fishing derbies are an excellent opportunity for our children to enjoy the historic Essex County Parks system in a different and fun way. You’ll have a great time creating your own ‘big fish’ stories and spending some quality time with your friends and family in some of the most beautiful parks in the area,” Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said. “I invite everyone to come out, cast their lines, experience Essex and take a look at the improvements we are making to revitalize our parks.”
Each derby is free and open to children ages 15 and younger. All children must be accompanied by an adult and bring their own fishing pole, bait, bucket and chair. Prizes in various age categories for catching the first and most fish will be awarded at the conclusion of each derby.
The fishing derbies will be held as follows:
Tuesday, May 17, at Monte Irvin Orange Park Pond, Center and Harrison streets, Orange. On-site registration begins at 5 p.m., the derby begins at 6 p.m. and awards will be presented at 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, May 18, at Irvington Park Pond, Grove Street and Lyons Avenue, Irvington. On-site registration begins at 4:30 p.m., the derby begins at 5:30 p.m. and awards will be presented at 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 19, at Grover Cleveland Park Pond, Brookside Avenue and Runnymede Road, Caldwell/Essex Fells. On-site registration begins at 5 p.m., the derby begins at 6 p.m. and awards will be presented at 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, May 24, at Weequahic Park Lake, Elizabeth and Meeker avenues, Newark. On-site registration begins at 5 p.m., the derby begins at 6 p.m. and awards will be presented at 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, May 25, at the Verona Park boathouse, Bloomfield and Lakeside avenues, Verona. On-site registration begins at 5 p.m., the derby begins at 6 p.m. and awards will be presented at 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, May 26, at the South Mountain Recreation Complex, Orange Reservoir paddle-boat area, West Orange. On-site registration begins at 4:30 p.m., the derby begins at 5:30 p.m. and awards will be presented at 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 5, at Branch Brook Park Prudential Concert Grove, use Park Avenue or Clifton Street entrances, Newark. On-site registration begins at 9 a.m., the derby begins at 10 a.m. and awards will be presented at 11:30 a.m.
For additional information, call 973-268-3500. In case of inclement weather, cancellations will be posted onwww.essexcountynj.org. Canceled fishing derbies will not be rescheduled.
The Irvington golf team poses at the state sectional tournament at High Bridge Hills Golf Club on Monday, May 9. From left are players Marilyn Zaruma, Loundy Paul, Gregory Monice, Tylesa McBean and Ashley Rodriguez, and head coach Thomas Larranaga. Not pictured are Veniel Henderson and Malcom Kamara.
IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington High School golf program is enjoying an impressive season this spring.
Led by head coach Thomas Larranaga, the team finished 7-3. They also qualified for the state sectional tournament at High Bridge Hills Golf Club on Monday, May 9., where they finished in 10th place with a score of 626.
Larranaga was thrilled to take over the program this spring.
“I came to the Irvington district after four years in Paterson in January,” said Larranaga in an email to the Irvington Herald. “If I told you I saw this opportunity coming, I would be lying to you. As a PE teacher, Dr. (John) Taylor, the athletic director at IHS, is my supervisor, and he’s the best athletic director around. He asked me what sports I was into, and I told him basketball and golf were my two major sports. About a week later, he reached out to me asking if I would be interested in coaching the golf team at IHS. I love the game of golf, and spreading it among the youth is something I’m truly passionate about, so I couldn’t say yes quickly enough. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I knew I was coming in to make a difference and help my players.”
The returning players sparked the team.
“I had three returning players from last year’s team,” Larranaga said. “Tylesa McBean, a senior; Ashley Rodriguez, a junior; and Marilyn Zaruma, a junior as well. These three girls were my core, and they did a great job helping me adjust on the fly. The first day of practice at Galloping Hill (Golf Course), I knew I had a few solid players. Over the past two years, I put a great deal of work into my own golf game, so I knew exactly what I had to do to help my players get to a point where they would be confident enough to get out on the course. I told my players on the first day that I needed two things from them, and if they gave me these two things I knew we would be successful. The first was to be patient and to not get frustrated. Golf is not a game that you pick up quickly, and there are going to be days where you just want to put your clubs down and go home. That’s just part of the grind. Second was to make sure they were at practice every day. Doing so would ensure they would get comfortable with their swings and be able to repeat them every time. They all did this, and I think the results speak for themselves in that aspect.
“After the first few weeks of practice, three students’ progress in particular started to stand out to me. Loundy Paul, a sophomore; Veniel Henderson, a junior; and Gregory Monice, a senior, really started to make some big strides. I would film their swings at the driving range and help them make minor adjustments, and it was really starting to pay off. Our first match of the year was against Barringer, which we did not play well in and lost. I made sure to let my players know that this was only game one, and there was nowhere to go but up from here. From there, we beat Newark East Side to get to 1-1, and then came what I think was the turning point of our season. We had a tri-match against Cedar Grove and Barringer at Montclair Golf Club, one of the older and more prestigious clubs in New Jersey. Before the match, I told the kids that they were getting a treat playing the course they were today, but it wasn’t going to be easy. I showed them around the clubhouse, and they all looked around in awe of how beautiful it was. This was the first time they actually got to experience some of the beautiful places golf could take them, and I think that was where they really bought in and realized how great this game really is. We lost to Cedar Grove and beat Barringer, bringing our record to 2-2.
“From there, we went on to win five straight matches. We had a few cancellations due to inclement weather, so in reality, our record could be even better than it currently stands at 7-3.”
Larranaga cited several highlights of the season. Ashley Rodriguez making a par on the final hole to seal the victory against Belleville and the team defeating Barringer to clinch the divisional title were key highlights.
“Another highlight to our season was a trip we took down to Ocean Acres Golf Course during our spring break to play against Southern Regional,” Larranaga said. “Our girls team got the chance to get away for a day, and it really was a great experience. Jeff Reilly, the coach at Southern, is a really great guy. I can’t say enough about the program he’s built down there, and his girls made sure mine had a great time. We lost the match, but I know some great memories were created for my team that day.”
After that, the team defeated Lincoln at Galloping Hill and participated in the Essex County Tournament.
“I think that was a great experience for my team, not just to get out and play against some of the top talent in Essex County, but also to play a round with 18 holes.” Larranaga said. “We did not fare as well as we could have, but I was proud of my team for making it through the 18-hole marathon.”
Qualifying for the state tournament was another thrill.
“Receiving word later that week from Dr. Taylor that we had qualified for the state tournament is something I will never forget. I was happy for myself, because it showed that all the work I put in with these kids was getting results, but I was even happier for my golfers, because they had some tangible results that proved their hard work had paid off. This is the first time that IHS has qualified for the state tournament in 41 years. That is something that will be immortalized forever, something these kids can come back to in 20 years and show their kids. In my opinion, that’s what high school sports is all about.”
Larranaga sees the program flourishing.
“I know that golf isn’t exactly a popular sport in Irvington, but the potential this program has is crazy. It all starts at the top, and the administration at IHS has been so supportive. Kevin Williams, the assistant principal at IHS, came to practice regularly not only to support our team, but to have me give him lessons as well. Every day I walk into the gym to pick up my players, there are students, teachers and even security guards asking me when they can come to practice for some lessons. I can’t thank Dr. April Vauss, the superintendent of schools in Irvington, and Dr. Oge Denis, the principal at IHS, enough for their support throughout the season. They allowed me to come in and run this program knowing that I was new to the district, and the trust they placed in me allowed me to have the confidence to lead it to the best of my abilities. I truly love this job, it allows me to be around the game I love and teach my students to play and appreciate it as well. I was blessed with a great group of kids this year, and they deserve all the credit and accolades they are getting. This may be the first time people are hearing about the Irvington golf team, but I can promise you, as long as I’m leading this program, it won’t be the last. We are just getting started, and I will continue to do my best and grow this program into one of the best in Essex County.”
Essex County will hold a computer and electronics recycling day on Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Essex County Public Works garage on West Bradford Avenue in Cedar Grove.
Essex County residents can in computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, telecom equipment, speakers, televisions, keyboards, main frames, VCRs, stereos, DVD players, toasters, irons and cellular telephones. Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms cannot be recycled at this event.
“Recycling computer hardware and electronic devices helps remove lead and other dangerous chemicals from our waste stream, which is important for us and our children. With your participation, we can do our part to protect the environment,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. “Our collection days are very popular and I am glad our residents understand the importance of recycling. I encourage everyone to participate in our fall Computer and Electronics Recycling Day.”
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The Essex County Computer and Electronics Recycling Day is for Essex County residents only. Residents are not charged when they bring materials, but they must provide proof of residency. Commercial businesses may not drop off materials. For more information, please call the Essex County Utilities Authority at 973-792-9060 or visit www.ecuanj.com.
NJ DCF Continues Work to Strengthen Families and Prevent Child Abuse
$6.4 Million in Grant Funding to Support Community Based
Prevention Programs for Child Abuse and Neglect
TRENTON – New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJ DCF) Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer today announced the availability of $6.4 million in American Rescue Plan Supplemental grant funding for Community Based Prevention Programs to help strengthen families and prevent child maltreatment.
“A hallmark of a successful twenty-first century child- and family-serving system is the inclusion of primary prevention,” said Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “Providing opportunities for families to build on their inherent strengths, develop parental protective factors, and receive supportive services, before a crisis occurs, is how we reduce incidents of child maltreatment.”
Over 3,000 New Jersey children are victims of abuse or neglect every year, with the most common forms of child maltreatment being neglect. According to the New Jersey Child Welfare Hub, children under the age of 1 are the most at risk for maltreatment when compared to older children.
“We know the long-standing data demonstrates that child abuse and neglect are more likely among families with the youngest children,” said NJ DCF Family and Community Partnerships (FCP) Assistant Commissioner Sanford Starr. “It’s normal for young parents to experience higher levels of stress, especially if they are adapting to and coping with the demands of a newborn. Add to that the everyday worries and concerns of today’s families, and it can quickly feel like too much to handle without a good network of friends, family and community supports. Through this funding, NJ DCF will be able to enhance the network of community-based prevention supports to help prevent child abuse before it ever happens.”
Two separate Requests for Proposals (RFPs) have been sent out, with specific goals for each RFP. One RFP is aimed at strengthening the network of primary and secondary prevention programs in communities to further the goal of reducing child abuse and neglect. Specific community need and target population will vary across applications. The second RFP, which is similar, will target families with children aged 0 to 5. Grant funding will be awarded to four to eight applicants per RFP, ranging from $400,000 to $800,000 for each 36-month project. The funding is made possible through the Federal Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program, of which NJ DCF is the state agency lead. A total of $6,400,000 in funding is available, to be divided evenly between each RFP.
The FCP primary and secondary prevention program models are grounded in the evidenced-based Strengthening Families Framework Approach which focuses on five protective factors, including building: parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence for children. Prevention infrastructure is informed and guided by a Statewide Child Abuse Prevention Plan developed in partnership between NJ DCF and the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect – the NJTFCAN Prevention Plan is available for review at https://www.nj.gov/dcf/news/reportsnewsletters/taskforce/2022-2025.NJ.Statewide.Prevention.Plan.pdf
GLEN RIDGE — Multiple people died in a car crash following a police pursuit Tuesday morning in Glen Ridge, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Kathy Carter said.
The crash is being investigated by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Carter said. The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The car, a silver Hyundai, crashed into a park and hit two trees near the Glen Gazebo. Authorities did not provide further details on the crash.
The active police investigation closed Bloomfield Avenue Tuesday morning between Ridgewood and Hillside avenues.
Story continues below gallery
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office was on scene as police directed traffic at Ridgewood and Bloomfield avenues in the heart of the town by the municipal building, library, elementary school and police department. The area closed by police is in front of a steep embankment in the park.
Commuters will not have access to the Glen Ridge train station, police alerted.
The crash came not far from where another happened in 2018 that left two people dead. The 2018 crash also started as a pursuit initiated by Montclair police.
The intersection and Bloomfield Avenue mark the main area of activity in normally quiet Glen Ridge, an affluent borough with fewer than 8,000 residents. Mike Lucci, a Glen Ridge resident of four years, said though Bloomfield Avenue is busy in the area he rarely sees any crashes.
“It’s kind of shocking,” Lucci said, noting most times he sees police officers in the area they’re only helping kids cross the street.
Mickey Dobesh, who has worked in town for seven years, says the location can be hectic when the nearby elementary and high schools let out but otherwise it’s a calm town. Dobesh came to work around 5 a.m. and already saw the active police investigation.
“You had to be going pretty fast to go down
Check back for more on this developing story.
Joshua Jongsma is a breaking news editor for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
A Lincroft man who had served as the treasurer of the Red Bank Education Foundation has now been charged with embezzling thousands of dollars from the non-profit organization.
Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Monday that 32-year old Hazim Yassin, 32, is criminally charged with third-degree Theft by Unlawful Taking for stealing $7,650 over the course of two years from the Red Bank Education Foundation.
When the non-profit ran a financial audit earlier this year, they discovered that there were several withdrawals made from their bank account “that could not be reconciled” and four of those money withdrawals took place in 2020 when the foundation wasn’t active as the pandemic was beginning to worsen.
Acting Prosecutor Linskey said when the Red Bank Education Foundation learned of the improprieties, the MCPO Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau investigated the claims and situation.
During the time period Yassin was treasurer of the nonprofit, he was responsible for the withdrawals according to an MCPO review of financial records.
Over the course of two years, Yassin embezzled $7,650, and failed to reference those transactions in the nonprofit’s treasury reports, according to the MCPO.
Yassin has been served the charge on a summons, pending a first appearance to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court, and he faces up to five-years in prison if convicted.
This case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Lawrence Nelsen, Director of the MCPO Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau.
Yassin is being represented by Robert A. Honecker, Jr., with an office in Freehold.
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GLEN RIDGE — At least two people is confirmed dead after a car went down an embankment and into a wooded area Tuesday morning.
A Hyundai heading east on Bloomfield Avenue in Glen Ridge went airborne and into a wooded area at the intersection with Ridgewood Avenue around 5 a.m., according to ABC 7 Eyewitness News. It landed next to a gazebo in the park across from Ridgewood Avenue Elementary School.
Essex County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Katherine Carter confirmed two people died in the crash. She said the incident began in Montclair as a pursuit but referred additional questions to the state Attorney General’s office.
Bloomfield Avenue is closed in front of the school approaching Ridgewood Avenue.
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GLEN RIDGE — At least one person is confirmed dead after a car went down an embankment and into a wooded area Tuesday morning.
A Hyundai heading east on Bloomfield Avenue in Glen Ridge went airborne and into a wooded area at the intersection with Ridgewood Avenue around 5 a.m., according to ABC 7 Eyewitness News. It landed next to a gazebo in the park across from Ridgewood Avenue Elementary School.
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The lawmakers who sit on New Jersey’s Senate Education Committee usually hear from the public on things like learning loss, bullying, students’ mental health, and school lunches.
On Monday, their meeting veered into uncharted territory.
“Let’s ban Dr. Seuss, but books normalizing children having sex, using sex toys, experiencing glory holes, and crossing boundaries of society’s moral standards, and at times laws, seems to be quite acceptable to some,” Christopher Stadilis told the committee.
Stadilis — who described himself as “not a domestic terrorist” but rather “a concerned parent” — was one of a steady stream of critics who testified for more than two hours Monday before the Senate panel on two bills that had nothing to do with sex toys or any of the other things ascribed to them.
But the bills — one to increase curriculum transparency and another to expand access to menstrual products in schools — have become lightning rods in the battle over New Jersey’s new sex education standards.
Critics, riled up by conservatives who regard the new standards as pornographic and obscene, urged committee members to reject the bills and repeal the new standards. The committee does not have the authority to do so: The state Board of Education sets standards and local schools create and pass curricula based on them. Curricula based on the standards, which the board adopted in June 2020, will be implemented in schools statewide this fall.
“We will not allow our children to be force-fed content we oppose! We will not co-parent with the government!” said Eric Simkin, a parent and school board candidate from Voorhees.
Renata Brand of Monmouth County complained the new standards go “against our Judeo-Christian values,” adding: “The vast majority of parents in New Jersey are Judeo-Christian.”
“Family values are being undermined by the 2020 standards. Parental rights are being subverted by the very schools that were entrusted by the parents to teach our children. The children are being corrupted and confused,” Brand said.
The committee ultimately advanced both bills, with votes split along party lines.
Transparency the goal
The first bill was a measure that would require schools to allow parents to review and ask questions about new health and sex education curricula before their approval by school boards.
The bill also would require districts to post curricula to their websites at least two weeks before classes start and reiterate parents’ rights, as guaranteed in a 1980 state law, to opt their child out of sex education at school.
“This bill has nothing to do with ideology. It has to do with transparency,” Gopal told one woman.
“I feel there’s a lot of deception in this bill, sir,” the woman responded.
The new standards set guidelines for local districts to teach about certain topics. The more controversial items say students should use correct terminology to identify their body parts by the end of second grade, should learn about gender identity by the end of fifth grade, and should hear about abortion as a pregnancy option by the end of eighth grade.
Critics’ complaints ranged from concerns that sex-ed content would be graphic and not age-appropriate to calls for schools to focus on core academics and leave sex ed to parents.
A grandmother who testified called the standards “illegal, obscene and pornographic” under the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act, while another grandmother asked lawmakers to mandate an “opt-in policy” instead of requiring concerned parents to opt their children out of curriculum they oppose.
Many critics were religious. The Rev. Gregory Quinlan, a self-described “ex-gay,” founded the Center for Garden State Families, a Christian group that has advocated against abortion, masking, marijuana, assisted suicide, critical race theory, and “the religion of LGBTQIA-XYZ.” He called the standards “a perversion.”
Quinlan and others also scolded lawmakers for failing to make the bill available for public inspection before its committee vote, citing the irony of the lack of transparency around a bill about transparency.
Late Monday, the bill still was not yet online.
“This disrespect to the people in New Jersey when it comes to legislation has got to stop,” Quinlan said. “There’s no reason why you cannot give the public the time they need to look at legislation that affects their lives and the lives of their children.”
Gopal defended the process, saying haste was necessary because new curricula must be in place by September. The public will have more opportunities to comment on the bill, because it still must advance in the Assembly’s education committee, as well as in both full chambers of the Legislature.
Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren) echoed critics’ concerns, leading to testy exchanges with Gopal, the bill’s sponsor.
When Doherty complained that some material could be taught across the curriculum and not just in health class, Gopal retorted: “I don’t think they teach sex ed in math.”
The bill did draw a few supporters to testify.
Melanie Schulz of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators applauded its transparency aim.
“I understand what the people are concerned about,” Schulz said of critics. “This bill course-corrects.”
The committee ultimately voted to advance the bill, with Doherty opposing and Sen. Samuel Thompson (R-Middlesex) abstaining.
Reducing period poverty
The committee considered another bill that brought many of the same critics back to the microphone.
That bill, sponsored by Gopal and Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), would require schools with students in grades 6 to 12 to provide free menstrual products in all bathrooms. It’s intended to reduce “period poverty.”
Discussion devolved quickly after critics questioned whether the dispensers would also be placed in boys’ bathrooms to accommodate transgender or gender-nonconforming students. Speakers warned boys would stuff tampons up their noses to be funny and stop nosebleeds and use them to clog toilets and sinks.
Doherty called the legislation “the craziest bill I have ever seen.”
“We have an unanswered question about whether this is going to go in the boys’ rooms? Feminine hygiene products?” Doherty said. “There’s a full-fledged assault now on families, people of faith. God made man and woman, that’s it.”
Doherty asked to amend the bill to place products only in girls’ bathrooms, but his motion failed. The committee then advanced the bill, with Doherty and Thompson opposing it. Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) voted to advance the bill, but said she shares critics’ concerns about putting the products in boys’ bathrooms.
After the committee meeting, Gopal told the New Jersey Monitor the bill is intended to help girls without adequate access to menstrual products, but said he and Ruiz would consider critics’ concerns and “try to get clarity before it moves forward.”
On the hubbub surrounding the sex-ed standards, Gopal said critics have not singled out any districts where they believe problematic curriculum has been adopted.
“Unfortunately, I think this has been used as a political football for folks for trying to get voters in November. So I’m not sure what, specifically, the concern is,” he said. “But transparency will only stop all that.”
Joe McCallum, the disgraced former West Ward councilman bounced out of his seat after getting jammed up on corruption charges, said he backs Dupre “DoItAll” Kelly to be his replacement.
Kelly is Mayor Ras Baraka’s candidate in the West Ward, one of the city’s most closely watched contests.
On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-10) announced his support for Kelly, and McCallum followed up with a Facebook endorsement of his own.
From the former councilman:
“On Saturday Congressman Payne Jr. said it loud and clear.
“‘We rather have a Doitall than a know it all.’
“Doitall Du Kelly has a formal education, has traveled the world as an artist, has sold millions of records, but above all of that, he has the love, compassion, and understanding that the West Ward needs. It’s not only about legislation. Dupré Kelly knows that some residents need food to eat, beds to sleep on, or computers so that they can further their education. His compassion combined with the ability to legislate, will continue to make the West Ward a better place to live.
“Who are we as a community, if we send our youth out into the world to learn, and when they return we don’t give them a chance to lead.
“Dupré “Doitall” Kelly is a son of the West Ward and one of the brightest jewels the City of Newark has ever produced.
“So now that we’ve believed in the City of Newark, and have prayed diligently for our children to be able to do great things, your prayers have been answered. One of our children has stepped up. Now it’s time to go out on May 10th and provide him the opportunity.”
