Thursday, March 28, 2013
A lawsuit filed against Joseph Sanzari alleges the contractor's company dumped materials illegally in protected wetlands and streams that flow into the Hackensack River.
A lawsuit filed against the Bergen County-based contractor Joseph Sanzari alleges his company dumped contaminated materials in wetlands and streams, according to a report on NorthJersey.com. In the lawsuit filed in the Newark U.S. District Court, AMA Realty of Allendale accused Sanzari and his son-in-law, Timothy Murray, of dumping harmful materials including mercury and lead on property they leased from AMA, according to the report. Sanzari's company also allegedly dumped materials in protected wetlands and streams that flow into the Hackensack River, according to the report. Timothy Corriston, Sanzari's attorney, was quoted in the report calling the lawsuit "a landlord-tenant dispute that’s been overblown." AMA's attorney, John Daniels, …
Monday, March 25, 2013
"Modernize Bergen County" is seeking 2,500 signatures to get a voter referendum aimed at repealing blue laws on the ballot in November.
A group of Bergen residents seeking to repeal the county's "blue laws" intend to get 2,500 signatures for a petition by the end of June so they can get their initiative on the ballot in November. The laws prohibit the sale of certain items — clothes, furniture, etc. — on Sundays. Westwood resident Rosemary Shashoua, the founder and chair of "Modernize Bergen County," previously told Patch she believed that permitting seven days of retail business each week would create more jobs and increase local tax revenue to counter economic troubles and ever-increasing property taxes. Members of the group also pointed to the difficulty of enforcing the laws because of online commerce on sites like eBay. The group has now just about completed their …
Winning tickets sold in Mahwah and Fort Lee, lottery officials say.
It may not have been the $338 million Powerball jackpot winning ticket, but someone who stopped into a Mahwah convenience store to buy a lotto ticket is now a millionaire. The second prize Powerball winning ticket, worth $1 million, was sold at the Franklin Turnpike 7 Eleven in Mahwah, NJ Lottery announced Monday. Lotto officials were not available Monday afternoon to confirm whether or not the person has yet claimed the prize. According to the release, the one grand prize winning ticket, worth $338 million, was sold at Eagle Liquor in Passaic. The jackpot is the fourth largest in Powerball history. The winning numbers, which were drawn Saturday, were 17, 29, 31, 52 and 53. The Red Power Ball number was 31. Five third place tickets, worth…
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Here are the top headlines from around Bergen County, brought to you by the Patch editors who know those towns best.
A chain mail message is "spreading like wildfire" amongst 5th graders at Somerville Elementary School, prompting the principal to ask parents to talk to their children about social media. Prosecutors plan to fly two Israeli boys to the United States to testify in the trial of a Teaneck rabbi who allegedly molested the teens while they stayed with him during a scholarship program, northjersey.com reported. An 81-year-old Fair Lawn man, who is already serving a multi-year prison sentence for endangering the welfare of two minors, faces a mandatory minimum of five more years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to receiving images and videos of child sexual abuse over the Internet, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in a statement. Gov. …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Host of regional employers planned at job fair Thursday
Whether it is employment your looking for, or career coaching, Bergen County is hosting a Job Fair and Career Resource Event on Thursday, March 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Pitkin Education Center at Bergen Community College. According to a release by County Executive Kathleen Donovan, this fair will have a targeted focus on regional manufacturers who are looking for both entry level and skilled, talented employees. Participating employers include: Affinity Health, Cintas Corporation, Holy Name Hospital, Macy's, Stryker, Hertz Corporation, Crestron Electronics, Home Depot, National Manufacturing, Party Rental, Ltd., Triangle Manufacturing, Versa Products Company, Whole Foods Market, Stauff Corporation, New Jersey Transit, Paul Davis …
Monday, March 18, 2013
The bill creates more severe punishment for child porn possession and distribution.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, March 18
The State Senate passed a bill designed to prevent child porn Monday. The legislation, which still requires approval from the State Assembly, would widen the definition of child porn to cover all victims under the age of 18 and create more severe penalties for possession and distribution with mandatory prison sentences, according to a release from Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic), the bill's primary sponsor. It would also make file sharing on peer-to-peer networks count as distribution instead of possession, impose lifelong parole for convicted offenders and prevent a possession conviction from being expunged from an offender’s record. “This legislature has the duty to pass one of the most important initiatives in …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
County Executive Kathleen Donovan stressed the importance of the county working with municipalities to share costs in her state of the county address Thursday.
County Executive Kathleen Donovan outlined her vision to cut spending by pushing for greater cooperation between county and municipal government Thursday in her state of the county address. From exploring cooperative electric and gas purchases to sharing county police services, Donovan touted her administration's record of working with local government to trim costs at both levels. "In 2013, I want Bergen County to be the laboratory for innovation in partnerships with local municipalities to deliver essential services for less money," she said, declaring a "new era of intergovernmental cooperation." Donovan's primary shared service pitch involved encouraging more towns to consolidate emergency dispatch services and embrace use of the …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Here are the top headlines from around Bergen County, brought to you by the Patch editors who know those towns best.
Mother, son and friends have sold a “significant” amount of marijuana to township minors, police say. Police became concerned about the mental status of a man parked near a middle school Monday afternoon in Ridgewood. A Fair Lawn High School graduate who now lives in Garfield was arrested Wednesday on charges he impersonated a police officer to force sex on a woman in a Fairfield hotel, police said. A neighbor aided a mother and her young children after a house fire injured five people. County officials will hold a gun buybacks in April funded by seized assets at locations across Bergen County, the sheriff's office announced Thursday.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
County offering up to $300 for firearms in April gun buyback
Officials will hold a gun buyback in April at locations across Bergen County, the sheriff's office announced Thursday. Funded through the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office by seized assets from criminal cases, the program will pay up to $300 for firearms and be offered at 11 houses of worship. “Gun violence knows no bounds,” Sheriff Michael Saudino said in a statement. “Intentional violence and accidental discharges involving firearms can destroy families and communities. If we can take just one dangerous weapon out of our homes or off our streets, we can make Bergen County a safer place for all residents.” Firearms experts from the sheriff's office will be on hand April 13 and 14 at the gun collection locations to help visitors complete…
Monday, March 4, 2013
Fourteen pedestrians were killed across the county in 2011.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Monday, March 4
Fourteen pedestrians were killed on Bergen County roadways in 2011, according to a new report issued by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. In Bergen County, Route 17 and Essex Street in Hackensack were ranked as "most dangerous" by the campaign. Route 17 saw one pedestrian death each year from 2009 to 2011. Three pedestrians were killed on Essex Street in 2011, the report said. The 14 pedestrians killed on Bergen roads in 2011 was a slight decline from 15 deaths in 2010, according to the study. "The analysis found that arterial roads – roads with two or more lanes in each direction that are designed to accommodate vehicle speeds of 40 mph or higher – are the most deadly for pedestrians, with almost 60 percent of pedestrian deaths in …
sic
10:23 am on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
as much as conservatives say there should be less regulation this is exactly why we need them. people will always take short cuts that are harmful to others/ the environment just to save a buck. more ›