Mayor Fulop Spreads Holiday Cheer to Youth as City Meets Historic Increase in Demand for Toy Drive
Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins the City Council and community members to help kickoff the holiday season with multiple events this week hosted by the City. At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1st, the annual Christmas Tree LightingCeremony will take place at the City Hall Annex. On Friday, December 3rd, Mayor Fulop will join the Resident Response Center to distribute gifts to over 1,600 children and families in need this holiday season.
This year, due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, registrations for Jersey City’s25th Annual Toy Drive has increased over 160% from last year. To make sure every child receives a present this holiday, the City is meeting the increased need by providing unwrapped toys donated by the community to children under 12 years old.
Wednesday: Christmas Tree Lighting
5 p.m. on December 1, 2021
City Hall Annex
Ege Avenue & MLK Drive
Friday: 25th Annual Toy Drive Distribution
6 p.m. on December 3, 2021
City Hall Council Chambers
Mayor Steven M. Fulop, City Council Members and Jersey City Families
*Social distancing and masks will be strictly enforced.
Pictured here are HCCC CAI students serving seafood delicacies at a previous HCCC Foundation Gala.
November 18, 2021, Jersey City, NJ – The Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Foundation invites the community to be a part of the 24th Annual Holiday Gala on Thursday, December 2, 2021, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the HCCC Culinary Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street in Jersey City, NJ.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Hats Off to Hudson’s Heroes.” The Foundation will honor Jose “Pepe” Garcia, Founder and President of Maverick Building Services, Inc. After immigrating from Cuba in 1968, Mr. Garcia settled in Union City, NJ, where his mother worked three jobs to support her sons. Mr. Garcia started his own cleaning business while attending Seton Hall University. Today, Maverick Building Services provides facilities services to college campuses, corporate parks, office buildings, ferry terminals, high schools, transportation centers, banks, and many municipalities.
On Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 9 a.m., at the IUOE Local 825 Training Center, 338 Dean Rhodes Hall Road in Dayton, NJ. Hudson County Community College (HCCC) and International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825 l signed an articulation agreement providing Local 825 members with the opportunity to be dually enrolled in the Union’s apprenticeship program and HCCC where they will earn an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Technical Studies. There will also be a tour of the IUOE Training Site.
Present were HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber; IUOE Business Manager Greg Lalevee; New Jersey Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo; New Jersey Council of County College President Dr. Aaron R. Fichtner; IUOE Executive Board Vice President and Training Director William Vaccaro; HCCC Associate Vice President Continuing Education and Workforce Development Lori Margolin; HCCC Associate Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Dr. Burl Yearwood; and faculty, staff, and students.
About Hudson County Community College Hudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers nearly 80 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Fine and Performing Arts. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. Over 94% of HCCC Nursing program graduates passed the NCLEX the first time out, placing the program’s graduates in the top tier of two- and four-year nursing programs nationwide. In 2017, the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 5% of 2,200 U.S. higher education institutions for social and economic mobility.
HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.
About International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825 Headquartered in Springfield, NJ, the International Union Operating Engineers Local 825 represents more than 8,200 operating engineers throughout New Jersey and five counties of lower New York: Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, and Delaware.
This Grady Fanatic Strengthens Bonds with Family and Friends While Promoting Environmental Stewardship This super-active Grady-White owner confesses he really wasn’t into boats when he was young, but it only took one trip to change his way of thinking. That trip sparked a whole new way of life for him and his family and friends. Almost 25 years and eight Gradys later, they’re all still loving The Grady Life.
Roger and his dad, Roger Muller, Sr. pictured in front of their first Grady-White, an Adventure 208 they bought in 1998.
What started as family adventures along the shoreline turned into years of escapades on the water for this eight-time Grady-White owner. Roger Muller grew up fishing with his father and mother, but they always fished from the shore. It all changed when a family friend, Dr. Robert Eramian, invited Roger and his parents to fish on a boat. Roger was introduced to a new way of life – one that was destined to shape his future activities, and his children’s idea of fun and excitement.
After that momentous fishing excursion, he was ·hooked” and decided he wanted a boat of his own. Roger wasn’t specifically looking for a Grady-White boat, but you could say the Grady found him!
One day while driving by his local boat dealership, he looked at the gleaming new boats and thought, ·wow, those boats are beautiful!” He went into the dealership to take a look, and the salesman showed him all the features and benefits that make Grady-White a unique boat brand. That led Roger, along with his father, to purchase their first boat, a Grady-White Adventure 208. This boat began Roger’s love of all things nautical, especially Grady-White boats. Now, after owning eight Gradys, Roger emphatically says, “Grady-White boats are truly the highest quality, unsinkable, solid constructed boats with the most beautiful lines!”
Roger’s wife, Andrea, caught her first bluefish weighing 7 lbs. 2oz. off Bayonne, NJ, on his Marlin 300. He says she can really fish!
Roger started boating with his daughters, Kelsey and Taylor, when Taylor, the youngest, was only two years old!
Continuing a more than 115-year family legacy, Roger now owns his family’s insurance business, but he also has a passion for conservation which led him to obtain a degree in Environmental Science. He feeds that passion with his involvement in a number of organizations including Lionfish University, the American Littoral Society, the Hudson River Fishing Association (HRFA), American Angler, and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). His work with these organizations has garnered him several accolades. In 2016, PAOI recognized him with their annual President’s Award. The Lionfish University, which works to remove invasive lionfish in non-native areas, named him Field Reporter of the Year in 2019. Tagging fish and documenting his catches, as well as the fish he encounters around his boat, is another one of Roger’s endeavors through his work with the American Littoral Society, an organization whose mission includes promoting the study and conservation of marine life and habitat.
Roger proves you can still connect with your teenage girls if you instill in them a love for boating and fishing when they’re young.
While Roger and his crew are fishing, he often places a GoPro camera underwater to observe the fish, giving him a unique view of the activity and a way to answer some of the mysteries they encounter. Recently, something hit the line but wasn’t caught. They could see mahi everywhere and were perplexed why none of them would take the bait. Upon review of the footage, Roger noted that the bait had been damaged by the original strike from a blue marlin, so when the other fish came up to it, they turned away.
Two years ago, they were trolling for mahi when the line went down. They could see they had caught a little mahi, but then suddenly the line was hit again by a bigger fish. Roger took the rod and cranked it about five times. Frustrated because he thought it was a shark, he handed the rod off to his eldest daughter, Kelsey, who cranked it about five times and then passed it off to Roger’s friend, Russ. Eventually, Captain Russ Jacobus pulled in the SO-pound bluefin that had eaten the mahi!
In 2018, Roger bought a Grady-White Canyon 306 center console. He loved the boat, but in 2019 he decided to return to a cabin model and purchased an Express 330, noting that “the Express is just better for the chilly weather we have here and allows us to use the boat more in the colder seasons when the fishing is still really good.” He explained that he ordered the optional integrated hardtop with helm enclosure so that he and his crew would be shielded from wind and spray on cooler days. Praising the boat’s design, Roger said that “it gets so toasty in there, we have to open the window!” In fact, his fishing buddies say it’s like being indoors, the seats are comfortable, and it’s such an enjoyable experience being out on that boat. While he currently uses rods to fish all over the waters of New York and New Jersey, both inshore and offshore, Roger is also a professional scuba instructor with more than 130 certifications and hopes to soon start doing some local spearfishing too.
Roger and his parents, Roger Sr. and Hetty Muller, shared lots of time together fishing on their Grady-White boats.
During the Muller’s early boating years, Roger and his family did a little bit of everything. Of course, fishing with his parents, Roger Sr. and Hetty Muller, and father-in-law, Eddy Fortes, was included. He also fondly recalls some special moments with his daughters, Kelsey and Taylor, beginning with the first time he took them out on the boat. He buckled the life jackets on them both, and they happily enjoyed the ride. From that day forward, both girls loved the fun that boating brought to their family. From swimming, fishing, scuba diving, and tubing to just relaxing and visiting places that can’t be seen by car, boating truly brought their family together. Today, along with Roger’s wife, Andrea, they are all about fishing, and their boating family has grown to include Kelsey’s husband, Chris Sun, and Taylor’s boyfriend, Devin Hines.
Roger and his family take friends out often and recommend boating as a terrific family activity to all the people they meet. “My girls grew up spending most of their lives on Grady-White boats, it is always a great way to spend time together,” says Roger. “Thank you to the GradyÂWhite team for the great memories with family and friends you’ve given us, and continue to give us, on our Grady-White boats!”
Kelsey and Taylor have been sightseeing by boat as they pose with Lady Liberty in the background.
Roger met Steve Phelan on a trip to Aruba where he invited him to come for a visit and fish on his Grady-White boat. This is just one of their successful trips.
Joe Covello goes below to conduct some business by phone while out fishing. Roger said Joe made him take a photo because the cabin is so beautiful!
A highlight of Roger’s 2021 fishing season was catching this impressive wahoo with Michael Manno.
Pictured here, NJCU President Dr. Sue Henderson and HCCC President Dr. Chris Reber at an articulation signing earlier this year.
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) and New Jersey City University (NJCU) have been selected to participate as a team in the Aspen Institute-American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Transfer Student Success and Equity Intensive (TSSEI) Cohort. This prestigious Transfer Intensive is a one-year, privately funded initiative consisting of monthly sessions to support partnerships between community colleges and four-year universities in advancing practices and policies associated with improved, more equitable transfer student success. The sessions provide practical support in accelerating transform reform. Topics will include setting a bold transfer vision, defining long-term goals for transfer success and equity outcomes, identifying strategies to support seamless academic pathways to baccalaureate programs, and transforming culture. The program is supported through the Ascendium Education Philanthropy. “As always, we are very proud to partner with NJCU, and to have been chosen as part of this nationally recognized initiative,” said Dr. Christopher Reber, President of HCCC. “We thank the Aspen Institute and AASCU for their leadership in providing more equitable educational opportunities for the men and women of our community. The deeply rooted HCCC-NJCU partnership has been beneficial to thousands of students, and this initiative is testimony to the importance of our alliance.” “We are grateful for the outstanding community college partnerships that New Jersey City University shares with institutions like Hudson County Community College,” said Dr. Sue Henderson, President of NJCU. “The prestigious Aspen Institute and AASCU initiative provides NJCU and HCCC with financial support to sustain and strengthen academic programming and student support in order to ensure that our region has an educated workforce. We look forward to working with Chris Reber and his team to realize this goal.”
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster values-based leadership and provide a nonpartisan forum for the exchange of ideas to solve problems. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. AspenInstitute events have attracted presidents, statesmen, diplomats, judges, ambassadors, and Nobel laureates over the years, enriching and enlivening the Institute as a global forum for leaders.# # # About Hudson County Community CollegeHudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers nearly 80 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Fine and Performing Arts. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. Over 94% of HCCC Nursing program graduates passed the NCLEX the first time out, placing the program’s graduates in the top tier of two- and four-year nursing programs nationwide. In 2017, the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 5% of 2,200 U.S. higher education institutions for social and economic mobility. HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.
Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone/ Special Improvement District (UEZ/SID) will hold its annual Broadway Christmas tree-lighting ceremony on Tuesday, November 23, at 5:30 p.m. The event will take place at Lance Corporal Stanley Kopcinski Park near 19th Street and Broadway. The park is an outdoor special events space that is located on Broadway in front of the 19 East apartment house. For the ceremony, Broadway will be closed to traffic from 19th Street (Vinny Bottino Way) to 20th Street. No Parking signs will be posted from 19th Street to 20th Street on both sides of Broadway.
At the event, entertainment will be provided by the Bayonne Jazz Ensemble (Bayonne High School) and the Artists Avenue Theatrical Performance Group. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available. Santa Claus will be back this year, along with some surprise friends. Pictures with Santa will take place at the end of the event. A free, trackless train will offer rides on the street.
Anyone coming to the event must wear a mask, due to the Coronavirus. Social distancing will be encouraged.
There are 4 ways in which decorations are usually removed at our cemeteries: Regular Maintenance: Items that are unsightly are removed each week during the growing season. General Cemetery Clean-up: All decorations are removed from graves and private mausoleums each year on January 15, the Monday following Easter, the first day of Summer, and November 16. This is done to ensure a thorough cleaning of the properties. Notifications of these clean-up times are posted in advance at the entrances of all archdiocesan cemeteries. Due to the volume of decorations being removed, it is impossible to make provision to claim items after they have been removed. Therefore, should families desire to retain items, they must be removed prior to the scheduled clean-up dates. Decorations not Complying with Rules: Cemetery employees work in the various sections of the cemeteries on a regular basis. As part of their responsibilities, they maintain the beauty and safety of the cemeteries. As instructed by the Cemetery Rules & Regulations, to ensure their safety, and the safety of all who visit the cemeteries, they are expected to remove decorations which are not in compliance. Wind and Theft: Decorations may also be removed by either of these causes. Since cemetery employees cannot always be everywhere, the cemeteries cannot assume liability for decorations. When items are blown about, the grounds crew has no choice but to dispose of them as replacement at specific sites is not possible. For the entire schedule, go to: www.rcancem.org/beautification-scheduleFor our Rules and Regulations, click here.
Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that Lowe’s Home Improvement has sponsored two beautification projects in Bayonne, one by the 14 A Turnpike interchange and the other at DiDomenico-16th Street Park. Lowe’s carried out the community programs as part of its Heroes Project, a company volunteer program. Lowe’s contacted the Bayonne Department of Public Works to find out some ways in which they could be helpful to the community. After consulting with Public Works Director Tom Cotter, the Lowe’s volunteers began their work in two parts of Bayonne during the month of October.
The first Lowe’s project took place around the Bayonne welcome sign that is located immediately south of the 14 A Turnpike interchange. The volunteers from Lowe’s installed shrubs and mums (flowers) near the Turnpike. The goal of the work was to improve the appearance of the entry way to Bayonne.
The second Lowe’s project focused on the garden by the special needs playground on the lower level of DiDomenico-16th Street Park. The Lowe’s volunteers placed shrubs, mums, bales of hay, and pumpkins there. The purpose of this activity was to enhance the appearance of the park with an autumn theme.
The following Lowe’s employees worked on the beautification projects:
Audrey Santiago, Myrna Santiago, Roshell Lopez, John Frade, Hector Lorenzo, Marlene Vasquez, Patrick Middleton, Brian Oblitas, Kharique McNeil, Kim Lista, Yuri Dyusseken, Akeem Montantine (operation manager), and Lamont Smith (store manager).
Mayor Davis said, “On behalf of the City of Bayonne, we would like to thank the volunteers from the Lowe’s Heroes Project for their generosity to Bayonne. The two projects help improve the appearance of Bayonne. We are very appreciative of their efforts to give back to the community. We look forward to working together with Lowe’s on other beatification projects in the near future.”
Halloween is the one day a year that you can transform into someone (or something) you’ve never been before. In 2021, Americans are getting creative with their costumes—prepare to see a few doctors, blockbuster movie characters, and even mythical animals roaming the streets.
For the fourth year in a row, the team at All Home Connections found the most popular Halloween costume in each state. This year, witches and dinosaurs rule the nation, with a combined 22 states either looking to cast a spell or return to their Jurassic roots.
Whether you’ll attend an outdoor bash or stream the newest scary movie on your couch, here’s a look at the biggest costume trends of the year, so you can decide if you’ll join the crowd or try something new.
The Breakdown
Referencing Google’s top Halloween costume list from 2020 and other trending costumes, All Home Connections analyzed current Google Trends data to create a projection of 2021’s most popular costumes per state.
Freaky Facts
Nearly a third of states (14 total) are searching for witches this year, so if you see a lot of Sabrina Spellmans or the Charmed sisters walking around, you’re probably not the only one.
This year we had a larger variety of costumes than in 2020, with 20 completely different costumes searched across the nation compared to last year’s 12.
Last year, costumes with face-coverings prevailed—Spiderman was the most popular in 8 states in our 2020 report.
Proving that movies released on streaming platforms still make a mark on pop culture, superhero icons like Black Widow and Wonder Woman made the map for 2021.
25% of the costumes we found are types of mythical creatures.
Americans spent roughly $800,000 less on Halloween candy in 2020 than in 2019—can we expect the same change this year?
Of the over 140 million Americans who celebrate Halloween each year, many spend over $90 a person on their costume.
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has selected Professor Joseph Caniglia to serve as Executive Director of the College’s comprehensive North Hudson Campus in Union City, New Jersey.
“Professor Caniglia has served the College for many years in multiple capacities,” HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber stated. “We are confident that he will continue his hard work, dedication, and commitment to the growth of the North Hudson Campus in service to the residents of Union City and other communities in Hudson County.”
Nearly 3,000 students pursue studies at the HCCC North Hudson Campus each semester. In addition to classrooms with SMART-boards and Wi-Fi, the seven-story, nearly 100,000 square-foot building at 4800 Kennedy Boulevard in Union City houses a fully operational Library and Bookstore; an Enrollment Center with Enrollment Services, Bursar, Financial Aid, Testing and Assessment, Academic Advisement, and Community Education Offices; Academic Support Center; Computer, Science and Language Labs; Student Lounge; Outdoor Courtyard; and Multipurpose Room. A glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge connects the building to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Bergenline Avenue Transit Center.
Joseph Caniglia’s 25 years of experience as an educator includes service as a public-school teacher and administrator, Professor of English and Developmental Education, Interim Associate Dean for the College’s English, and English as a Second Language Division. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mercy College-Pace University, a Master of Science degree in Education and Reading from New Paltz University, and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Higher Education Administration from Grambling State University, where he is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration.
“I believe passionately in education’s transformational impact,” Director Canigilia stated. “As the new Executive Director of the College’s North Hudson Campus, I will collaborate with staff and all members of the North Hudson and Journal Square campuses to support and encourage students to excel in their academic and personal careers.”
The HCCC North Hudson Campus offers 19 degree programs on site that can be completed from start to finish: Accounting AS; Business AA; Business Administration AS; Criminal Justice-Homeland Security AS; Early Childhood Education AAS; English AA; Environmental Studies AS; History AA; Sociology AA; Criminal Justice AS; Digital Art and Design Proficiency Certificate; Early Childhood Education AA; Early Childhood Education Child Development Associate (CDA) Coursework; Elementary/Secondary Education AA; Health Science AAS; Infant/Toddler CDA Professional Development; Liberal Arts AA; Psychology AA; and Special Education AA.
Information about courses offered at the HCCC North Hudson Campus may be obtained by emailing northhudsoncampus@hccc.edu. # # #
About Hudson County Community College Hudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers more than 70 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Fine and Performing Arts. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. Over 94% of HCCC Nursing program graduates passed the NCLEX first time out, placing the program’s graduates in the top tier of two- and four-year nursing programs nationwide. In 2017, the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 5% of 2,200 U.S. higher education institutions for social and economic mobility.
HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.
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