Jan. 8, 2014 Edition of The Observer

see NEW HIRES page 05

By Ron LeirObserver Correspondent

KEARNY –With Christmas in sight,

Mayor Alberto Santos and the Town Council tried to bestow some gifts but to those for whom the presents were in-tended, the spirit of the occa-

sion felt more like the holiday Grinch.

On Dec. 23, the governing body invited public comment on a previously introduced ordinance proposing to grant 2% pay raises – for 2014 only – to 13 “exempt” (managerial) employees unaffiliated with a union, three of whom hold

more than one job title.However, after hearing dis-

senting opinions from several of the employees who’d be the beneficiaries of the pay adjust-ment, the mayor and council agreed to table the ordinance pending further review.

Just to be clear: the employ-ees weren’t saying they didn’t

want the increase – they were saying it didn’t go far enough. Their last increase came in 2011 but the governing body opted to give nothing for 2012 or 2013.

Chief Financial Officer Shuaib Firozvi, among the

January 8, 2014 • www.theobserver.com • Vol CXXVI, No. 33


NUTLEY –The Township has ham-

mered out a new labor con-tract with its career firefight-ers’ unions, just in time for three new hires to enjoy the fruit of the unions’ labors … at the negotiating table, that is.

From the union point of view, while some of those fruits will be sweet –pay raises totaling 8% over four years – others will taste sour, espe-cially for new employees but some that will weaken existing contract provisions for old and new.

More about that later. In the meantime, the Nutley Fire De-partment is happy to welcome its three new members – Ryan Lucas, Alan Nardiello and Michael Ferraro, all age 30 and all Nutley residents.

Nutley hired the trio, only after having applied for – and getting – a federal SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Firefighter & Emergency Response) grant of $599,152 – sufficient to pay the salaries and fringe benefits for four firefighters for two years, with no local match required, ac-cording to Deputy Fire Chief Paul Cafone.

Lucas, Nardiello and Ferraro made a state-certified appoint-ment list that the state Dept. of Personnel issued in March

Addingbut alsotaking

Town rethinking ‘exempt’ pay package

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KEARNY –

A26-year-old Newark man was languishing in the Hudson County

Jail after his arrest last week by Kearny police in connec-tion with a home invasion and carjacking.

The suspect, Anthony Lewis, was nabbed in Newark by the KPD after a foot chase across the Clay St. Bridge, police said. He is being held on a dozen charges and $250,000 cash-only bail.

It was just a few hours into the New Year -- at 7 a.m., Jan. 1 -- when Kearny police re-ceived a report of the home invasion on Tappan St. near Devon St., where a man had “burst into” an apartment in a multi-family building. Police Chief John Dowie said it appears as if the invader had prior knowledge of the victims and/or the residence.

There reportedly were at least six people in the apart-ment at the time.

Responding Officer Jay Ward was advised that the suspect was armed with a handgun and had stolen jewelry, currency and a cell phone, Dowie said.

One of the women in the apartment was taken at gunpoint to her parked car, a 2009 Lexus, and was forced to turn over the keys and sur-render the vehicle, in which the bandit then made his getaway alone, Dowie said.

Police issued a BOLO on the car, which Officer Thom-as Pontrella found aban-doned a short distance away, on Devon St. at Johnston Ave. near the Kearny-Harrison pedestrian bridge.

Believing the suspect was now fleeing on foot, the KPD, with the assistance of the Harrison and East Newark

see CARJACK page 04

Unhappy New Year for carjack suspect

Photo courtesy KPD

Anthony Lewis

02 THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014


HARRISON –

The Town of Harrison has a new tenant oc-cupying its Cleveland

Ave. firehouse.Kearny Emergency Man-

agement Services (EMS) has vacated the space and, as of New Year’s Day, it’s been replaced by Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corp. (MONOC) EMS, based in Wall Township.

Mayor Ray McDonough and the Harrison Town Council voted Dec. 19 to accept the bid submitted by MONOC to provide emergency medical service coverage – basic life sup-port provided by EMTs – for Harrison and East Newark. MONOC says it will also provide medical 9-1-1 call in-take, pre-arrival instructions and dispatching.

The town is paying noth-ing for the service and, in fact, will be collecting $1,500 a month rental fee from the new vendor for stationing of a MONOC ambulance at the Harrison firehouse and for sleeping quarters for MONOC staff, according to Town Attorney Paul Zarbet-ski.

Zarbetski said that the agreement with the new provider is for one year with a provision for possible two one-year extensions.

Zarbetski said that under the contract terms, MONOC will handle all billing with patients. The vendor will accept payments through third-party insurance firms, including Medicaid and Medicare, he said.

The town won’t be on the hook for any deficits that may be experienced by the

vendor, he said.On its website, MONOC

describes itself as a nonprofit hospital cooperative with affiliated member hospitals around the state, including Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville, which is part of the Barnabas Health net-work.

If MONOC’s ambulance is on the road responding to an emergency and another call is received by a dispatcher, then Harrison will deploy one or both of its two backup ambulances, as needed, Zar-betski said.

Zarbetski said MONOC was the only firm to submit a bid on Dec. 17, the date designated by the town for receiving proposals for emergency services. “Kearny didn’t bid, which was sur-prising,” he added.

It was also puzzling for Harrison Public Safety Director Harold Stahl, who said that during the past two

and a half years that Kearny provided the services – re-sponding to about 1,600 calls a year – “we were working well together.”

Kearny EMS, which oper-ates independently of the Town of Kearny, has been an “interim provider” of the services since July 1, 2011, af-ter Harrison – with prodding by the state Dept. of Com-munity Affairs – opted to end a longstanding practice of having its Fire Department, whose members are trained as emergency first-respond-ers, handle ambulance runs.

With a depleted fire personnel roster, Harrison officials felt the town – and neighboring East Newark – would be better served by delegating that service to another entity. At the time, DCA encouraged the town to solicit bids but, instead, the town elected to go with the Kearny squad on a trial basis. Kearny EMS operated from

the Cleveland Ave. firehouse with a Harrison ambulance.

In mid-October last year, Kearny EMS President/CEO Harry McNeill wrote to Mc-Donough, serving notice that the squad would “terminate its services as interim EMS provider … effective Dec. 31,” pending Harrison bidding out the service, “… in which Kearny EMS may submit a bid for contract.”

But Kearny didn’t follow through, because, according to Kearny Mayor Alberto Santos, “it was not a cost ef-fective service.”

Although the mayor couldn’t provide figures to back that up, he said the Kearny squad “did an analy-sis” of the operation and con-cluded the revenue from the Harrison enterprise wasn’t sufficient to cover costs.

Santos said that the squad did receive monthly compen-

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KEARNY –

Sworn in for his 12th consecutive term as Kearny’s chief executive

at the town’s annual reorgani-zation meeting Friday night, Mayor Alberto Santos deliv-ered an Inaugural Address, listing financial stability, public safety protection and development as being among his administration’s priorities for the next four years.

The mayor also attacked Gov. Chris Christie’s admin-istration for what he felt were oppressive fiscal policies.

And he also lauded new community initiatives such as the newly formed West Hud-son Arts and Theatre troupe whose mission is to be “a cul-tural resource that will enrich and invigorate the West Hud-son community as a whole,” along with the successful first season of the Kearny Com-munity Garden and organizers Jenny and David Mach, Ed and Peg Bixler for “beautifying, educating and nourishing the Kearny community.”

Addressing the town’s fis-cal pressures, Santos said: “The future must … be one in which Kearny remains afford-able to live and work,” Santos said. “With property taxes in Kearny exceeding $9,000 a year for an average-assessed home in a community that is predominantly working class and fixed-income households, the homeowner’s tax burden is heavy.”

Fixed costs figure into that tax equation, Santos said. “Since my first year as mayor (2000), employee pension costs have nearly tripled, health insurance costs have more than doubled and garbage and sewage disposal costs have doubled,” he noted. “These costs will add up to $23 million in this year’s budget, which is almost one-third of the total budget.”

In hopes of securing an eq-uitable share of state revenue, Santos said he would “remain vigilant against efforts to undo tax sharing in the New Jersey Meadowlands.” This year’s

funding formula, he said, pro-vided Kearny with $3.8 million in revenue that helped bal-anced the municipal budget.

To try and shake loose ad-ditional revenues, Santos said he would press state law-makers to lift the tax exempt status currently afforded CSX and NJ Transit for “two of the largest rail yards in the region,” as well as the county jail; two PSE&G power plants, including a $250 million peaking facility; and shipping container storage facilities, all located in South Kearny.

“Highways such as the N.J. Turnpike, the Pulaski Skyway and Rt. 1&9 impose demands on Kearny’s police and fire departments, and take up substantial portions of Kearny real estate, but generate zero revenue for the town,” he said.

State aid to Kearny has also taken a hit, Santos said. The town’s share of the state’s

energy tax receipts and prop-erty tax relief programs has dropped from $21.4 million in 2000 to $18.4 million. By changing the original Pub-lic Utility tax, the state has deprived Kearny of the “full amounts” due from utili-ties, he said. “If the law had been followed,” Santos said,

“Kearny would have received an additional $46 million from the state over the past 10 years.”

Because of these inequities, along with the mandated 2% budget cap, “we are losing our fiscal capacity to govern,” San-tos said. If the state continues “encroaching” on home rule, it will open the door wider to “further consolidation of state power and probably mandated regionalism from above by the attachment of strings to whatever reduced revenues are dispensed by the state to municipalities.”

“The current state policies that reduce municipal finan-cial burdens under the pre-tense of fiscal austerity will not reduce the property tax burden,” Santos said. “Rather, they will further centralize the power of the state at the expense of local democracy.”

– Ron Leir

2014 forecast: ‘Trying to contain taxes’

Observer photo

Mayor Alberto Santos

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police, set up a containment perimeter. Kearny Sgt. Paul Bershefski, one of those pa-trolling the perimeter, “had a hunch” the man was heading for Newark, Dowie said, and spotted an individual fitting the fugitive’s description in the parking lot of Tops Diner in East Newark.

Dowie said Bershefski rec-ognized Lewis from previous police encounters and called to him to stop, but Lewis

bolted to the Clay St. Bridge and fled across the river with Bershefski in foot pursuit.

During the chase, Lewis reportedly was seen pulling a handgun from his waistband and throwing it into the water.

On the Newark side of the Passaic, Lewis scaled a a fence at a construction site and disappeared on the property, police said. Units surrounded the location, and the suspect was found and taken into custody by KPD Officer Cesar Negron.

Police said no shots were fired during the pursuit and hunt, but some ammunition was recovered in the area where Lewis was arrested.

Lewis has been charged in two jurisdictions. In East Newark, the charges are resist-ing arrest, possession of a fire-arm, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful disposition of a firearm, tampering with evidence, and ineligibility to possess a firearm because of a prior criminal record.

Kearny has charged him

with burglary, robbery, carjacking, possession of a handgun and aggravated as-sault (for allegedly hitting one of the victims). Police said he also had an outstanding Kearny warrant.

Authorities said that Lewis has a record of nine prior arrests -- in Kearny, Harri-son, Newark, Irvington and Hillside -- and three felony convictions.

Following Lewis’ apprehen-sion, Kearny launched its po-lice boat in hopes of recover-

ing the gun from the river, but the efforts were unsuccessful.

The Bergen County Police Dive Team, which is equipped with an underwater camera and robot, went to the site Thursday, but the current was too strong for them to safely enter the river, Dowie said. The divers were scheduled to return early this week.

Lewis’ $250,000 bail, cash only with no 10% option, was set by Hudson County Supe-rior Court Judge Mitzy Galis-Mendez.

Missy (ID#88956), a me-dium size pitbull terrier, waits for her forever home at the Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, 100 United Lane, Teterboro,.

This silly pooch, although a big stressed, can calm down once her handler convinces her to. Unfortunately, Missy was given to us because her owners didn’t have the energy to keep up with her. To give Missy some credit, her owners were a bit older and could not handle her strength, which a younger family would have no

problem managing. At 2-years-old, this pittie

mix needs love, patience and a knowledgeable owner. A lot more walks, training and playtime will not only help release some pent-up energy, but it can also be a great way to bond with her. The more she forms a relationship with her new family, the more ready she will be to explore her world without feeling overwhelmed.

Since her stay at the shelter, she has definitely turned into a mush and absolutely loves

attention. However, like most dogs, she will need contin-ued positive socialization. Speaking of training, Missy does take some of her things seriously and doesn’t like to share. Therefore, she will need an adopter(s) who is willing to work with her and help man-age this behavior so it doesn’t escalate. Spending quality time with Missy will not only help her blossom, but it will help her feel balanced and wanted. And don’t we all want to be that happy? So why not give her this second chance to

be happy again?For more information, call

201-229-4600. Hours for adop-tion are 1 to 5 p.m. every day, including weekends. The shel-ter is closed for adoptions on Mondays and open Thursdays from 1 to 7:30 p.m. Many other adoptable animals can be seen at the shelter’s website http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NJ29.html. Many local towns have a Patch website where the shelter’s animals are fea-tured.

The shelter also has a page on Facebook. Please visit and “like” the Bergen County Ani-mal Shelter.

Help Missy find a home


2013 but it wasn’t until the fall when the Township Board of Commissioners voted to hire the three men, after conclud-ing that the township would be able to afford the payments after the two years, Cafone said.

“We hope to hire a fourth firefighter in early 2014,” he added.

That’s when the NFD plans to send Ferraro and the fourth firefighter for a 10-week training program at the Essex County Fire Academy. Lucas and Nardiello recently com-pleted their training. At gradu-ation ceremonies on Dec. 10, his 16 fellow recruits pre-sented Lucas with the Merit Award as the one among them most likely to display leader-ship qualities on the job.

Ferraro, who had been work-ing as an officer with the New York Police Department, has yet to take the training course.

Lucas has three cousins in the Nutley Fire Department (Capt. Robert Ryan and Fire-fighters Edward Ryan and Joe Ferraro) and his dad, Ben, hav-ing served with the U.S. Navy, was assigned to ordnance and was heavily involved with firefighting duties on his ship. Lucas served with the U.S. Marines Wing Support Squadrons 472 and 473 during a tour of duty in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2007.

After completing his mili-tary service, Lucas resumed construction work and then enrolled at Lincoln Techni-cal Institute to get certified as a diesel mechanic but had to take a leave of absence. He hopes to go back at some point and apply his technical skills with the Fire Department.

Nardiello and Ferraro have almost identical backgrounds: Both came up through the lo-

cal public school system, both joined the Nutley Junior Fire Volunteers, both enrolled at Union County College for fire science degrees. And they got married a month apart.

While his father-in-law, Sal Lubrertazzi, was a member of the NFD before Nardiello applied, the rookie said he’s always been drawn to fire rigs. “I love the thrill of being around fire engines,” he said. “It gives me a sense of pride that I’m able to give a help-ing hand to people in time of need.”

Ferraro echoed that senti-ment, saying: “Being a fire-fighter is something I always wanted to do as a kid. I wanted to get out there and help peo-ple who need you in times not so good for them.”

Staying true to that goal, Ferraro said he’s been “taking the Civil Service test for fire-fighter from [age] 18 on.”

While waiting to be called, the recruit has worked as a bank teller, as a part-time school custodian, with the family catering business in Belleville, and, most recently, as a two-year member of the NYPD. The temporary tilt to law enforcement could’ve been a family influence, since his great-grandfather, Gerald, was a Nutley Police captain and his dad, also Gerald, was a 25-year Essex County sheriff’s officer.

With the hiring of the rook-ies, the career NFD roster will climb to 35 – still short of the 39 members who were aboard in 2008, according to Cafone. The shrinkage, he said, was due to retirements, with more likely to come. The career members are backed up by about 60 volunteers, he said.

Then there’s the matter of the new labor contract between the township and FMBA Locals 44 and 44A, for

which the terms were outlined in a Dec. 16 memorandum of agreement signed by Public Safety Commissioner/Mayor Alphonse Petracco, Local 44 President Greg Misner and Local 44A Vice President John Hund.

The membership of both locals have voted to ratify the proposed agreement which provides for annual 2% pay raises for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and for hiking clothing al-lowance, from the current $625 to $675 by 2016, but also calls

for these givebacks: • Reducing the yearly allot-

ment of 60 hours of compen-satory time to only 20 hours, effective Jan. 1, 2014.

• Adding three steps to the firefighters’ salary guide, increasing the total number of steps (to reach maximum base pay) to eight.

• Creating an additional step, going up to four, to the salary guide for all newly ap-pointed fire lieutenants and captains.

• Extending, by two, the

number of steps, for a total of three, on the guide for deputy chiefs.

• Eliminating longevity for new employees hired after Jan. 1, 2014, except for those hired with the SAFER grant.

• Deleting stipends for senior fire inspector and fire prevention officer.

• Creating a two-tier system for vacation days, holidays and personal days for those em-ployees hired after Jan. 1, 2013.

Another concession be-ing made by the unions is, effective Dec. 31, 2013, “all employees with $15,000 or less in unused sick leave shall be capped at $15,000 upon retire-ment for the payment of un-used sick leave. The sick leave bank for current employees that have more than $15,000 shall be frozen and given a dollar value [which] shall be determined by multiplying the employee’s daily rate of pay as of Dec. 31, 2013 (based upon an eight-hour work day) by the number of days in their sick bank as of Dec. 31, 2013. This frozen amount shall be the maximum amount at retire-ment for accumulated sick leave.”

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The new recruits at Nutley Fire Headquarters with Deputy Chief Paul Cafone. From l.: Cafone and Firefighters Ray Lucas, Michael Ferraro and Alan Nardiello.

THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 201406060606

twitter.com/theobservernjFollow us on Facebook &Don’t forget to check www.theobserver.com for news that didn’t make it into this week’s paper

thoughts&viewsThe contents of letters do not reflect the opinion of The Observer staff. Letters must be kept to a maximum of 250 words. Any letters that exceed the maximum will be edited, at the discretion of the publisher, who reserves the right at any time to reject or edit the letters for space. Letters must include the writer’s name, address, and telephone number for verification purposes. The deadline for letters is Thursday at 5 p.m. Any letters that arrive after deadline will not be considered for the upcoming publication. Letters can be sent by e-mail to [email protected] or mailed to 39 Seeley Ave., Kearny, N.J. 07032. Anonymous letters will not be published under any circumstances.

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On New Year’s Eve, a typewriter repairman in Manhattan hung up

his ribbons, so to speak, after spending almost four decades working in the business.

A New York Times story, published Dec. 28, 2013, told how Bino Gan, a Filipino immigrant, now 60, learned the trade from his brother and, in 1987, opened his own shop, Typewriters ‘N Things, in the West Village section of Manhattan.

Among his customers, ac-cording to the Times, were filmmakers Woody Allen and Francis Ford Coppola, but also plenty of regular New Yorkers, too, who simply pre-fer using the instrument.

Learning to operate a manual typewriter was key (no pun intended) to getting my first newspaper job at The Jersey Journal, when I was a very raw rookie, still an undergrad at the time, in the late ‘60s.

Having been weaned on the TV “Superman” serial, I had high hopes of grabbing a coveted spot on the City Desk as a wanna-be Jimmy Olsen (minus the camera he carried as sometimes sidekick to the Man of Steel…. The camera would come to me, much later).

Anyway, you had to know how to type before you could

even be considered for em-ployment. No, you wisenhe-imers, they weren’t still using feather quills.

I hadn’t taken any typing course in high school, so, what to do?

At my mom’s suggestion, I “enrolled” at Drake’s Secre-tarial School, now defunct, but, then, still going strong on the second floor of a commer-cial building in the Journal Square section of my home-town, Jersey City.

I was assigned a hardback seat in front of an enormous black Remington equipped with equally enormous keys. Each one could probably accommodate two of my fingers.

But the keys were blank! No lettering. No numbering. No nothing. Yikes! This was going to be a challenge, for sure. I think they had a big wall chart diagramming the layout of the keyboard for us students to master, which, eventually, I managed to do.

Boy, those keys were not only big – they were heavy – so you really had to exert your finger muscles with suf-ficient strength to ensure the typebar impacted your ribbon to make a legible imprint on the paper curled up on the roll. And, of course, you had to make sure your ribbon didn’t get tangled up as you

pounded away.Luckily for me, my mom –

using uncanny precognition – had previously arranged for me to take lessons on another type of instrument – a Winter & Co. upright piano. On these keys (I see a pattern develop-ing), I was compelled to play many selections of classical music during six long years of trial and much error.

Still, the forced labor got my fingers in fighting trim.

And so, when it came to the real test at Drake’s, I had had, as it were, my basic training.

Now I was ready for the real deal. Which, in this case, turned out to be a musical application of key power to the highest degree, as our Drake D.I. ordered us to bang out a copy of a written form, as fast as we could go in three minutes, as a loud recording of a John Philip Sousa march blared from a phonograph re-cord, after which our papers were checked for mistakes.

Now that was one heck of a way to learn how to type, let me tell you. And when I finally got that job, I discov-

ered that several of my more veteran colleagues some-how managed to get by, very nicely thank you, using just two fingers on the keyboard – at lightning speed and with amazing accuracy. They knew their way around telling a story, too.

Looking back on my experi-ence, though, I would maybe have added one more test, worthy of anyone wishing to soldier on as a member of what Ted Williams used to call the “Knights of the Keyboard.”

In that test, our D.I. could have ordered each of us to change our ribbon – or, if she’d wanted to be true to the cause – disassemble and reassemble our instrument while blindfolded. I bet Ernie Pyle could’ve done it in his foxhole, if he had to.

A whole lot of ribbons, tons of copy and carbon paper later, we evolved to electric typewriters (adjusting my keyboard action accordingly, from bashing to a light touch, to avoid bumping the wrong key) and, finally, to an actual computer keyboard.

Would I ever go back to the Remington, Royal or Under-wood? Only to admire them as noble antiques that helped me along the path I chose so long ago.

– Ron Leir

Keys to my newspaper kingdom

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affected employees, said: “The total dollar amount of the proposed increase [which he calculated as $34,000] is not significant compared to the town’s overall budget [about $61.7 million] and the individu-al positions involved.

“And,” Firozvi added, “the town’s financial position hasn’t prevented it from settling with other employee [union] groups for multi-year agree-ments that didn’t skip two years.”

Firozvi currently earns $108,205 a year as CFO and an additional $33,495 as tax collector. He also receives separate salaries as financial officer of the Kearny Munici-pal Utilities Authority and as part-time CFO for Northvale in Bergen County.

Another unhappy employee is Fire Chief Steve Dyl, who says he and his colleagues are “always available. We put a lot of time in” – beyond the normal working hours and aren’t entitled to overtime. Dyl’s base pay is $159,207 plus $15,920 in longevity and $12,859 in holiday pay.

And Police Chief John Dow-ie, whose base pay is $166,800, but also collects $16,680 in lon-gevity and $9,309 in holiday pay, said he was upset because the town’s proposal “didn’t address 2012 and 2013. I don’t think we’re better than other employees but we do want similar consideration given to other employee groups.”

“In 2012,” Dowie said, “a lot of us worked a lot of days during [Superstorm] Sandy. I went a full month without a day off.” During a typical work week, Dowie said, “I put in 55 to 60 hours.”

Several of the exempt em-ployees previously worked un-der contracts or employment agreements with the town but those have all expired, Dowie said, “so we’re kind of in limbo as to what benefits we’re entitled to. It leaves you wondering.”

Maybe it would be better for the town to propose some-thing more “standardized” for this group of employees, Dowie said.

Other employees included in this group are:

• Michael Martello is on the books as earning $101,052 as construction/zoning officer plus $30,450 as town adminis-trator, and an extra $12,000 as network administrator.

• Pat Carpenter, who, late last year, was tenured as mu-nicipal clerk, is making $68,317.

• Health Officer John Sarnas, collects $125,256 base pay plus $12,525 in longevity.

• Water Superintendent Richard Ferraioli makes $101,052 base pay plus $11,005 in longevity.

• Public Works Superinten-dent Gerry Kerr earns $96,118 plus $3,844 in longevity.

• John Peneda gets $75,000 as tax assessor plus $24,500 as Urban Enterprise Zone direc-tor.

• Personnel Director Kim Bennett draws $76,728 plus $7,672 in longevity.

• Town Treasurer Monica Charran earns $70,194.

• Deputy Town Clerk Lyla DeCastro gets $61,289.

• Mayoral aide Mary Torres receives $47,411 plus $2,844 in longevity.

“Many in this group have been working 25 to 30 years so their salaries would reflect cumulative increases received during that time,” Santos said.

“We have high respect for the work they do,” the mayor said. “Most work well beyond their regular hours.” However, he added, “most of the exempt employees have the highest salaries in town, so not grant-ing them increases for 2012 or 2013 isn’t the equivalent of, say, denying an increase to an employee with a lesser salary. Going without [that increase]

is not going to be the hardship it would be for the employee making the lesser amount.”

Elaborating, Santos said: “The town clerk, deputy clerk and assessor positions are on [salary] steps; by state law, the town clerk, tax collector and tax assessor are entitled to pay parity with ‘similar’ employ-ees but there are no clear guidelines on the meaning of ‘similar’ employees.”

So what happens now? The ordinance, as it now stands, is dead and would have to be reintroduced in another form, assuming it is revived, Santos said.

While it’s not the town’s intent “to have 13 sets of negotiations” with each of the exempt employees, Santos said he and the council are await-ing a “counter-offer” from the two chiefs and CFO which, he added, would still have to comply with the state-mandat-ed 2% cap and “would have to be inclusive of longevity and any additional compensation beyond the base pay.”

Once such a proposal is received, Santos said, “we’ll invite [all 13 employees] to come in and discuss” the issue. That doesn’t mean that the town’s ultimate offer would be structured the same for everyone, he said, suggesting that some may prefer to have the 2% spread over time or to get a fixed cash amount, for example.

Nutley Little Theatre, 47 Erie Pl., has completed casting for its production of “Children of a Lesser God,” opening Friday, Feb. 7, and running for three weekends.

The cast includes Esta-fania Arias and Michelle Benenati of Kearny and Brian Butterfield of Bloomfield.

The cast will also stage the production at the Ber-gen County Community College in the summer.

Winner of a Tony Award for Best Play, “Children of a Lesser God,” is the story of a naive speech therapist who joins the faculty of a school for the deaf to teach lip-reading. He meets Sarah, deaf from

birth and estranged from the world.

Evening performances will be on Feb. 7, 8, 14, 20, 21 and 22, all at 8 p.m.Matinee performanc-es are on Feb. 9, 15, 16 and 22. Ticket prices are $15. There is a $2 discount (matinees only) for stu-dents and senior citizens who show IDs at the box office.

Patrons can order by phone by calling 1-877-238-5596. To order online, patrons can go to the NLT web site at www.nutleylit-tletheatre.com and click on the “Click for Tix” icon, or can go directly to www.SmartTix.com.

For directions, see www.nutleylittletheatre.com.

Nutley Little Theatre presents ‘Children of a Lesser God’ Feb. 7

08 THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014

out&aboutBy Ryan SloanObserver Correspondent

Several years ago, while Leslie Gold was host-ing her wildly popular

show on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio — you know Leslie as “The Radiochick” — she landed a guest she’d always wanted on the show: “Gong Show” host Chuck Bar-ris. She always admired his show — “I loved his kooky genius and fatherly way,” Gold says.

And she was hardly the only one who loved Barris and the show.

During its run, it had a cult-like following, with around 8 million regular viewers. But after the show went off the air, that was it for “The Gong Show,” despite some reruns on GSN and other networks.

So Gold had this idea — let’s bring the show back for live performances. Sony owned the show’s trade-mark, and after some nego-tiation — and a really good lawyer — Gold had permis-sion to bring the show back.

And thus, “The Gong Show Live Off Broadway” was born.

Ahead of its timeGold puts it well when she

says “The Gong Show” was well ahead of its time as a TV reality show. In truth, it was one of the first shows — much like some of today’s reality programs — that al-lowed everyday folks with (or without) talent to audi-tion to be on TV to perform.

But it’s a lot different now.While there are indeed

regular Joes who audition for Gold’s version of the show, it is the professionals

who make up the majority of the cast. In fact, more than 1,000 professional perform-ers have auditioned for the show over the last few years. They’ve already been on shows like “America’s Got Talent,” “30 Rock,” “The Late Show with David Let-terman” and “Conan” on TBS.

“They’re just really great performers,” Gold says.

In the new show, there are 30 total core acts. But they’re rotated so 14 perform each month.

If one were to go to see the show three times in three consecutive months, chances are you’d never see the same show twice.

There are also celebrity judges, too. Gold is one of them. So is her former radio sidekick Chuck Nice, who you’ll often see guest host-ing on “The View” or doing segments on “The Today Show.” Comedians Carey Reilly, Dan Naturman and Danny Cohen judge, as does Q-104.3’s Ken Dashow.

Comedian Ray Ellin is the host.

Gold says Ellin does a magnificent job of playing Barris’ role.

“Ray has the charm of Chuck, and you’ll always find him on the side of the performers — good or gonged,” Gold says. “He’s a real champion for the acts and he’s extremely fast on his feet.”

Gamble pays offInitially, Gold had hoped

a three-engagement run a few years ago at BB Kings in Manhattan would be enough to turn “The Gong Show Off Broadway” into a monthly affair. And it did.

Each month, at the Cutting Room in Manhattan, you’ll find Gold and the crew put-ting on the show.

Gold says she has a few favorite acts, including the 80-year-old contortionist and Amazing Amy, a woman who can put her head up to her own buttocks.

“Amy wears a Star Trek outfit,” Gold says. “And the band plays the Star Trek theme as she performs. It’s perfect.”

Great for groupsIn addition going in small

groups, there are also large-group rates — so if you’re looking to put together a night out for the office or so-cial group you might belong to, here’s one fantastic and hilarious way to do just that.

“We went, my husband and I did, and we had such a good time, I can’t even explain it right,” says Jean Walker of Bloomfield. “I think what made it even more enjoyable is that we went, laughed our rear ends off and still didn’t have to part with a lot of cash to do this. If you’re looking for a great night out, not too far from home, and you’re not so willing to part with a lot of cash, you’ve got to go see this show — that’s how good it is.”

The bottom line is “The Gong Show Live Off Broad-way” is a magnificent night out for the family, and is just a few miles away in Manhat-tan. And it’s all at a reason-able price.

If you don’t leave the theater with pains in your stomach from laughing out of control, chances are something’s seriously wrong with you.

Take a quick trip to Manhattan, and you’ll love ‘The Gong Show Live Off Broadway’Leslie Gold ‘The Radiochick’ brings it to New York with all trimmings of old TV show

Each month, at the Cutting

and Amazing Amy, a woman

Leslie Gold ‘The Radiochick’ brings it to New York with all trimmings of old TV show

out for the family, and is just

If you go…What: The Gong Show Live Off BroadwayWhere: The Cutting Room, 44 E. 32nd St., New York CityWhen: 7:30 p.m., Jan. 9, April 3 (check website for other dates/times)Ticket prices: $49 for reserved center-stage seats; $35 for general admissionTo buy tickets or for more info: Visit www.gongshowlive.net


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TRENTON– As the fallout continues

from the massive data breach at Target stores--potentially affecting 40 million custom-ers nationwide--the N.J. Division of Consumer Affairs last week issued a fact sheet on what information may have been compromised and on what (and what not) to do if you are one of the at-risk shoppers. The advisory reads:

Consumers who shopped at Target stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013, and paid for their purchases via a credit or debit card may have had their card information stolen.

The stolen information included customer names, credit and debit card num-bers, card expiration dates, the three-digit security codes located on the backs of cards

and PINs of the debit cards. Those who shopped online

were not affected by the breach.

Consumers should be alert for possible fraudulent charges on any credit or debit cards that were used

at Target. Consumers should also take actions to protect themselves:

• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ftc.gov/com-plaint by phone at 1-877-438-4338; TTY: 1-866-653-4261 and fill in an Affidavit. Take your

FTC Affidavit to your local police or to the police where the theft occurred.

• File a report with the po-lice department. In the event that a creditor charges your account for unauthorized purchases, send a copy of the

police report to the creditor.• Obtain a current copy of

your credit report from all credit reporting agencies.

• Check your credit/debit card activity: 1) Call the number of on the back of your credit/debit card. 2) Many card-issuers offer con-

sumers online access to their accounts. Check it daily.

• Go to your local bank branch to change the PIN on your debit card or request that your credit card com-pany or bank issue you a new card.

• Keep a complete set of records: Write notes and re-cords of all telephone conver-sations with credit-reporting bureaus, creditors or debt-collection agencies. Confirm all telephone conversations, in writing. Keep copies of all correspondence sent and

received. Send correspond-ence by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep a record of the time spent and any expenses you incurred, in case you can request restitu-tion in a later judgment or conviction against the thief.

• Do not respond to unso-licited requests for your in-formation related to the data breach at Target, as there were reports of incidents of phishing or scam commu-nications. Target has estab-lished a dedicated resource on its corporate website where it posts copies of all official communications that Target sends to its customers. Go to https://corporate.tar-get.com/about/payment-card-issue. aspx?ref=sr_shorturl_paymentcardresponse.

The Target Fraud Hotline number is 1-866-852-8680.

If you were a ‘target,’ here’s what to do

To place a classified ad, please call 201.991.1600


sation from Harrison to cover “labor costs” but nothing for administration overhead or for gaps in uncompensated insurance coverage. “Only about one-third of the pa-tients the squad transported were insured,” he said.

“Acute care service is a very competitive industry these days,” Santos said. “With medical conglomerates swal-lowing up smaller hospitals and hospitals merging, with hospital stays tending to be shorter and more medical procedures being done in outpatient clinics, ambulanc-es are being used to direct patient traffic to those hospi-

tals they’re affiliated with and those ambulances will get subsidized by the receiving hospitals. The Kearny squad has no hospital affiliation agreements and, as required by state protocol, takes pa-tients to the nearest appropri-ate [medical] facility.”

Without the assurance of a hospital subsidy, “it does not add up” for the squad, Santos said, “unless you make [the deficit] up elsewhere.”

So if an ambulance ends up taking an emergency case to an affiliated hospital, Santos added, “the question then arises, is that the best out-come for the patient?”

While its base is the Jersey Shore area, MONOC isn’t exactly a stranger to this area.

In June 2011, the firm was contracted to provide EMS dispatch to Hudson County, meaning that its staff re-ceived 911 EMS calls from the county sheriff ’s office and, in turn, relayed information to guide first responders – in-cluding paramedics, fire or police, if needed – to the cor-rect location. And MONOC currently provides Advanced Life Support paramedic emer-gency service to the West Hudson region.

MONOC, founded in 1978 “to improve health care and reduce [hospital] members’ costs,” comprimises 15 acute-care New Jersey hospitals from Meridian Health Sys-tem, Robert Wood Johnson Health Network and Barnabas

Health System spread among five counties, the closest being Essex. Its website says MONOC “employs over 700 staff and operates a fleet of over 100 ambulances and works within a $61 million an-nual budget.”

Affiliated Essex hospitals listed by MONOC are: Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Michael’s Medical Center (now owned by the California-based for-profit chain Prime Healthcare Services) and St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

In 2004, then-Assemblyman James Holzapfel (R-Ocean) questioned MONOC’s billing practices after receiving com-plaints from Monmouth and

Ocean county patients about allegedly excessive bills for paramedic service. Holzapfel couldn’t be reached during the holiday period to learn what, if anything, resulted from his inquiries.

More recently, while Kearny EMS was providing BLS services for Harrison/East Newark, Santos said that MONOC would periodi-cally send him letters asking that Kearny share insurance fees the squad received for providing BLS service in connection with ambulance calls to which MONOC also responded – a request that, Santos said, Kearny consist-ently rejected. He said the cooperative threatened to sue but never did.

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AMBULANCE from 02

KEARNY –For the second year in a

row, the West Hudson Arts & Theater Co. (W.H.A.T.) is hosting a 24 -Hour Musi-cal Challenge, an amazing

project in which a few dozen young actors, actresses, costumers and technical staff will come together to rehearse, choreograph, stage and produce a full production

of a musical -- all within a 24-hour time span.

This time, the curtain will rise on “Back to the ’80s: The Totally Awesome Musical.”

Participants will enter the W.H.A.T. Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11. Exactly one day later, on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m., they will take the stage and present the show.

“This is literally a full show, produced entirely in one day,” said W.H.A.T. Artistic Direc-tor Joe Ferriero.

While those participating are told in advance which show has been selected, eve-rything else -- the script, the cast, costumes, set and even the production staff ’s roles -- is kept a secret.

“We will work throughout the night and into the next day in a creative - and I’m

sure caffeine-fueled - diligent setting to bring this show to the stage,” Ferriero said.

“We loved the idea when it was presented to us last year,” he added, referring to the concept of a 24-hour chal-lenge as the new “flash mob.”

The 2013 production was of the award-winning show “Rent.” This year’s show, “Back to the ’80s: The To-tally Awesome Musical,” will transport the audience to the era that brought the world Rubik’s Cube, Max Headroom and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It captures the feelings and fun of such movies as “Six-teen Candles” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and brings the ’80s film style to the stage with hit music of the decade: “Total Eclipse of the Heart,”

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Come On, Eileen,” and “Love Shack” (to name just a few).

“The Challenge is fun, fresh, and we think a perfect way to expose W.H.A.T. to new audiences,” Ferriero said.

Participants are from com-munities throughout Hudson, Bergen and Essex counties.

“We can’t wait for this group of talented, crea-tive young people to come together for such a unique theatrical undertaking,” said Michele Sarnoski, who will once again serve as director.

Tickets for the Jan. 11 performance of “Back to the ‘80s” are $7. They can be purchased online at http://www.whatco.org/, by call-ing 201-467-8624, or at the W.H.A.T. Theater, 131 Midland Ave., Kearny.

W.H.A.T.’s 24-Hour Musical Challenge goes ‘Back to the ’80s’

/theobservernj

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And the first person to be locked up in Kearny in the New Year was (sound of drumroll): Segundo Yunda, 44, of Plainfield, arrested at 5 a.m., Jan. 1.

Yunda was reportedly found drinking a Corona beer while sitting behind the wheel of a 2009 Cadillac that was stopped in the middle of the intersection at Devon St. and Woodland Ave. The car, police said, had heavy front-end damage.

Officer Brian Wisely came upon this interesting vi-gnette while on patrol and approached the driver, who reportedly was also “rev-ving the engine excessively,” Police Chief John Dowie noted. Ordered from the vehicle, Yunda was said to be unsteady on his feet and nearly toppled over twice, but Wisely kept him from falling.

While this was happen-ing, Dowie said, a concerned citizen came by and told the officer that he had witnessed the Caddy strike a parked vehicle at Kearny and John-ston Aves.

Yunda was charged with DWI, reckless driving, leav-ing the scene of an accident, failure to produce a driver’s license, and refusing to take a breath test.

Other recent reports from the Kearny Police Depart-ment blotter included the following:

Dec. 21At 2:45 a.m., at Johnston

and Passaic Aves., Officer Ben Wuelfing stopped an auto he had seen speeding south on Passaic, police said. The driver, 24-year-old Liz-marie Velez of Newark, re-portedly failed field sobriety tests and was charged with DWI, careless driving and failure to exhibit registration and an insurance card.

Dec. 22At 1 a.m., Officer Luis Mo-

ran, Det. Michael Gonzalez and Sgt. Richard Poplaski responded to a disorderly-conduct complaint on the 300 block of Maple St. and

found a 27-year-old Kearny man bleeding profusely from a head wound. Police said he had been hit with a bottle. After interview-ing witnesses, the officers arrested David Emanuel, also 27 and from Kearny, on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon (the bottle) for unlawful purposes.

Lt. Tim Wagner and Of-ficer Barry Green, on off-duty, uniformed detail at Walmart at 9 a.m., placed under surveillance a custom-er who appeared to be under the influence. The man was reportedly seen ripping open packages in the electronics department and then forcing open a jewelry display case.

As he attempted to leave the premises, he saw Lt. Anthony Gouveia arriving and, pursued by all three cops, ran back into the store, “literally knocking other customers out of the way,” Dowie reported. Green tack-led him in the deli section, where, police said, pieces of jewelry were found on the

suspect and strewn about the area.

Charged with robbery and resisting arrest was Reginald Flowers, 29, of East Hanover.

Dec. 27Officers Dean Gasser,

Chris Levchak and Melinda Esposito responded to the 6:15 p.m. report of a dispute in a Liberty St. residence and arrived to find a man and a woman in a heated argument. They separated the parties and advised the man to leave, but he report-edly became hostile and profane. Once outside, this behavior escalated, police said. Alejandro Guzman, 29, of Kearny was arrested on charges of disorderly con-duct and criminal mischief (for allegedly smashing a mirror inside the residence).

At 11:15 p.m., headquar-ters received a call about a car traveling westbound on Dukes St., which is one-way eastbound. Officers Wuelf-ing and Gasser responded and located the vehicle at Schuyler Ave. and Dukes St.,

where it had ended up after the driver reportedly hit two parked cars, made a k-turn, and headed back downhill. Police said the driver was still behind the wheel and the car was still in gear.

After Wuelfing secured the auto and field sobriety tests were conducted, Jose Solano, 32, of Kearny was charged with DWI, DWI in a school zone, careless driv-ing and being an unlicensed driver. He was also charged criminally with possession of a false government docu-ment, a Social Security card that police said appeared to have been altered.

Dec. 29Det. Gonzalez was on

off-duty, uniformed detail at Walmart at 11:20 a.m. when he was alerted by a cashier that a woman was attempt-ing to pay for purchases with what appeared to be a coun-terfeit $100 bill. Detained

and questioned, the 31-year-old Montclair resident said she had just been given the money by an ex-boyfriend for child support. He was no longer in the area, but po-lice said the woman’s story seemed credible and she was released. The currency was confiscated and the Secret Service was advised.

Officer Peter Blair was on mall patrol on Kearny Ave. at 6 p.m. when his mobile data terminal alerted him to a vehicle owned by an individual with a suspended license. Blair stopped the car and was advised by HQ that the driver, Mohamed Selim, 39, of Jersey City, had an outstanding warrant from the Hudson County Sheriff ’s Office, police said. Selim was arrested on that and the MV violation and the HCSO was notified.

– Karen Zautyk

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KPD blotter: Could you be a bitmore conspicuous?


Then & Now

Photo courtesy Kearny Public Library Photo by Karen Zautyk

Last time, we had a photo of people ice skating on the Passaic River between North Arlington and Belleville in 1905. This week’s picture, from the early 1900s, shows another option for those skaters who did not want to venture downhill to the river: the reservoir at the top of the hill. It was part of the Jersey City Waterworks system and was built, as best we can fi gure out (dates are sketchy) sometime in the late 1800s. A pumping station near the banks of the Passaic fed river water into the reservoir, and that water then fl owed, by gravity, down across the Meadowlands and into another reservoir in Jersey City. Eventually, apparently before 1900, the Passaic water had already become too polluted to be potable, and Jersey City had to look elsewhere for its drinking water. A map of North Arlington from the 1920s shows the reservoir still extant, though disused. We do not know when it was fi nally fi lled in, but by the 1950s, it was gone. And where had it been located? Believe it or not, at the intersection of Ridge Road and the Belleville Pike, the current site of the Riverview Gardens apartment complex.

– Karen Zautyk

around townBloomfieldOakeside Mansion, 240 Bel-

leville Ave., is hosting an open house on Sunday, Jan. 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. No R.S.V.P. required – just stop by. Enjoy complimentary beverages and sample foods from Frungillo Caterers, Oakeside’s resident caterer. Talk with staff about the possibility of Oakeside Mansion hosting your next event: weddings, social events or meetings etc. For more in-formation, call 973-256-9380.

KearnyKearny UNICO announces

these upcoming events:• A membership meeting

will be held on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the group or to attend, contact Chapter President Lou Pandolfi at 201-368-2409. New members are welcome. Kearny UNICO is a member chapter of UNICO National, the largest Italian American service organization in the United States.

• A fundraising bus trip to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City is slated for Sunday, Jan. 26. There is no NFL playoff game this week-end. The bus will depart from American Legion Post 99 on Belgrove Drive at 8:30 a.m.

Tickets are $30 with $25 in slot play back from the casino. Proceeds from this trip will help fund scholarships and other charitable donations.

Kearny Public Library, 318 Kearny Ave., will host a screening of the family film “Despicable Me 2” (PG/98 minutes) on Friday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m., on the lower level. This sequel to the 2010 animated film catches up with Gru, the ex-scheming evildoer-turned-parent, as he attempts to work for the good guys. Popcorn and light refreshments will be served. This program is free and all are welcome. For more information on any library program, call 201-998-2666 or visit www.kearnylibrary.org.

Master Gardner Carolyn Gretchen will present a pro-gram about suitable plants for local gardens for the Evening Membership Department of the Woman’s Club of Arling-ton on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Henrietta Benstead Center, 60 Columbia Ave. The executive board will meet at 6:45 p.m.

LyndhurstBill Bosenberg’s Snakes-n-

Scales: “Fish Tales, a hands-on aquatic adaptation program for all ages, will be offered

on Sunday, Jan. 12, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., at the Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 De-Korte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst. Bosenberg uses his brand of jokes, stories and “animals’ eye views” to tell what it’s like to live in the water. Bosenberg will use a digital camera to display the smallest details of these denizens of deep and shallow waters. Admission is $5; $4/MEC members. Regis-tration is recommended and appreciated. To register, visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.

For more information, call 201-460-8300.

Lyndhurst Public Library, 355 Valley Brook Ave., offers these upcoming events:

• A 45-minute program for children ages 3 to 4 1/2 featur-ing stories, music, and crafts, begins Feb. 20 and continues through May 29. Parents are welcome to participate. There will be two sessions on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Required registration runs through Feb. 14. Space is limited. Call in advance to register your child.

• Children in pre-K to grade 3 are invited to a snowman craft session on Monday, Jan. 27, from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Call in advance to register.

For more information or to

register, call the library at 201-804-2478.

Sacred Heart School, 620 Valley Brook Ave., sponsors a Tricky Tray on Friday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m.

Lyndhurst Health Depart-ment, 601 Riverside Ave., reminds pet owners to renew licenses for domesticated cats/dogs by Jan. 31. A $10 late fee is assessed for any animal registered after Jan. 31. Renew licenses in Suite 1 of the Health Department or at the free rabies clinics held on Thursday, Jan. 9 and Thursday, Jan. 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the recreation room at 601 Riverside Ave. Per state law, the rabies certificate must be valid through Oct. 31, 2014, in order to receive a 2014 animal license.

Nutley Nutley Public Library, 93

Booth Dr., announces the fol-lowing programs:

• Play video games on Fri-days, Jan. 10 and 24, at 3 p.m.

• High School Manga Club meets on Monday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m.

• Middle School Manga meets on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 3:30 p.m.

• Library Catalog 101 teaches the latest tips and strategies

to effectively search for and request items, how to share what you are reading on Facebook and how to manage your online library account on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.

• The library hosts a dis-cussion of short stories by Nutley authors, Frank Stock-ton and Henry (H.C.) Bunner on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. Participants will discuss “The Lady or the Tiger?” and “Love Before Breakfast” by Frank Stockton and “The Pointers” and “The Story of a Path” by H.C. Bunner.

Copies of the short stories are available at the library. This special event begins a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the library with monthly events and contests.

For more information, call the library at 973-667-0405.

• Utilizing Yahoo, Y Not? offers a guided tour through the many different services and tools offered by Yahoo, including My Yahoo, Ymail, the blog site Tumblr and the photo sharing site Flickr on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. Participants will not have access to a com-puter. Call the library at 973-667-0405, ext. 2604, to register no later than one week before each presentation.


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The Harrison Downtown Community Development Partnership and Preservation Program sponsored a Thanks-giving and Christmas Window Art Contest. The Harrison High School Environmental Club is receiving recognition for their window decorations in the Harrison Business Dis-trict.

Students created artwork in over 18 businesses. The com-mittee cast their votes for the art and design, best display for

bringing people into the shop-ping area and demonstrating the holidayspirit.

First prize went to Amanda Santiago and Leslie Castillo for their window display at Elite Realty Group. Leslie Castillo, Amanda Costa and Amanda Santiago won the second place award for their display at Jack-son Hewitt Insurance Com-pany, and the third place award was given to Leslie Castillo and Flavio Escalante for their design at La Pizza Restaurant.

Window art contest in the Town of Harrison

TOP: 1st Prize – Elite Realty Group: Mayor Raymond McDonough and Council-man Anselmo Millan with the artists. CENTER: 2nd Prize-Jackson Hewitt Insur-ance: Mayor Raymond McDonough and Councilman Anselmo Millan with the winners. BOTTOM: 3rd Prize – La Pizza Restaurant: Mayor Raymond McDon-ough and Councilman Anselmo Millan with the winners.

www.theobserver.com

Attention HArrison residentsHarrison Free rabies Clinic

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Cleveland Ave. Firehouse 7:00pm – 8:00pmThis will be the only rabies clinic that Harrison

will be offering this year. Anyone who’s dog is due for a vaccine in 2014 is advised to attend.

Please call the Town Clerks office at 973-268-2425 to register

raymond J. Mcdonough - MayorVincent rivelli - Health officer


By Jim HagueObserver Sports Writer

The Belleville High School girls’ basketball team won 10 games a year ago. Liz

Ramirez, the third-year head coach of the Buccaneers, truly believes that her team should take a step up this season.

“We have a lot of seniors back from last year,” Ramirez said. “The core of the team is back. The girls know the deal. They’re familiar with what we want. We should hit the ground running.”

The Bucs have started the 2013-14 season with a 2-2 re-cord.

“We lost two games (Science Park and Glen Ridge) that we should have won,” Ramirez said. “We’re still growing and trying to get into the swing of things.”

Ramirez said that she wished the schedule was kinder in

the early going. Playing only four games over the first three weeks of the season isn’t easy.

“I would have liked to have faced more competition at this point,” Ramirez said. “It’s just the way the schedule worked out. We’re going to see a lot more games in January and February.”

One of the top returning players is junior point guard Arianna Douglas, who aver-aged nearly 14 points per game last year, earning All-Super Essex Conference honors.

“She’s improved a lot in the offseason,” Ramirez said of the 5-foot-3 Douglas. “I’ve definitely put a lot more on her shoulders this year.”

Another key returnee is senior center Shatia Silas. The 6-foot-1 Silas, another All-SEC honoree last year, averaged 11 rebounds per game last year. Silas has played in only one game thus far – and had 20

points and 10 rebounds in that game.

“It was good for our guards to step up and learn that they could play without Shatia,” Ramirez said. “We learned that if we don’t have one of our key players, the others have to step up.”

The Samaniego sisters are also key contributors, namely senior Alisson and junior Sa-mantha.

Alisson is a 5-foot-3 guard, while Samantha stands 5-foot-1.

“Alisson is all over the place,” Ramirez said. “She gets points, rebounds. She gets something in almost every statistical cate-gory. She gives us an all-around look. Samantha is a good shoot-er who has developed her shot even more. She’s already made a few from 3-point range.”

Senior John’Nae Williams is a 5-foot-10 inside presence.

sports&recreationSPORTS

VIEW

For 14 years now, as the head coach, Tony Carratura has dedicated his entire life to the Kearny High School wrestling program.

Take that one step better, Carratura lives for the sport of wres-tling in Kearny. It doesn’t stop with just the Kardinals’ varsity program.

“I want the kids to love the sport as much as I do,” Carratura said.

However, it’s not easy. Participation numbers are way down. Not just in Kearny, but all over New Jersey.

“The numbers the last few years have gone down,” Carratura admits. “It’s an uphill battle. We’re starting from scratch again.”

That’s why Carratura has enlisted the help of his son, Tony Jr., a coun-selor at Lincoln School, to help with the seventh and eighth grade pro-grams.

“I think we have an excellent area for wres-tling,” Carratura said. “This is just a start.”

So having an inexpe-rienced varsity team is something Carratura is not accustomed to.

“It makes you a better coach,” Carratura said. “I’ve been plucking kids out of the hallways and the weight room and trying to turn them into wrestlers. The major-

ity of our team has only two years of experience. We have only four sen-iors. We’re up against a lot of obstacles. We’re trying to build up the program again.”

It doesn’t mean that Carratura is taking his team this season and hiding in a corner some-where. Carratura firmly believes that inexperi-enced wrestlers become better wrestlers when they compete. And Carratura certainly lets the Kardinals compete, taking them on a grap-pling sojourn all over the state, match after grueling match.

For the last several years, Carratura has booked some of the top wrestling teams in the state – and this year is no exception, even with the inexperience and the lack of quality numbers.

“We’re still going to go after it,” Carratura said. “We want to stay as competitive as we’ve always been. It’s hard to do with the numbers, but we have about 25 kids who are there every day, busting their tail to get better. It’s a dedi-cation sport and you have to be dedicated in order to do it well. We all have to work to-gether to bring all of our sports programs back at

Kearny wrestling: Trying to instill pride

COnTaCT JIm [email protected]

see VIEW page 17see BEllEVIllE next page

Photo by Jim Hague

The Belleville girls’ basketball team looks to improve on its 10-win season a year ago. From l. are seniors Shatia Silas, Alis-son Samaniego, head coach Liz Ramirez, Amber Bulna and Chloe Mecka.

Belleville girls’ basketball team has higher hopes


“She has crazy leaping ability for a girl,” Ramirez said. “She’s our shot blocker. She is a natural at blocking shots.”

Senior guard Amber Bulna is a 5-foot-5 sharpshooter.

“She’s our best techni-cal shooter,” Ramirez said. “She has the best technique. When she’s on the floor, then she’s behind the 3-point

line, because she can make those shots. We have to find her if she’s on the floor. She has a lot more confidence in that 3-point shot.”

Ramirez is ecstatic about the prospects of two fresh-men who are seeing action right away.

Gianna Benacquista is a 6-foot forward. She comes from a long family lineage of talented female athletes in her family.

“She really has come a long way,” Ramirez said. “She’s getting a lot more playing time than I first envisioned. I can’t ask for a more dedicated player.”

Benacquista is averaging seven points and eight re-bounds per game thus far.

The second freshman is guard Giselle Luna. The 5-foot-1 Luna has impressed Ramirez with her hustle.

“She’s an excellent de-

fender,” Ramirez said. “She’s definitely our fastest player. She’s one of the quickest kids I’ve ever seen. I’m a defensive-minded coach, so I like defensive players. She’s proven she can give people problems with her defense.”

The Buccaneers con-tinue their season this week against Christ the King of

Newark and then a local rivalry is renewed Friday af-ternoon, when neighboring rival Nutley comes calling at Belleville at 4 p.m.

“It’s a good rivalry that we have with Nutley,” Ramirez said. “It’s good that we’re going to get a chance to play against a top team.”

And if Silas is able to play, it should be a fine battle between Silas and Nutley’s fine inside player Blair Wat-son. Where else can you see two talented players over 6 feet tall going head-to-head against each other?

Ramirez knows that her team still has to accomplish a lot.

“I would like us to be more patient on the offensive end,” Ramirez said. “I think that comes with time and experience.”

Ramirez believes that her team has a chance to capture the Super Essex Conference-Freedom Division crown.

“I really think we have a shot at the division title,” Ramirez said. “Our goals are to make the states, have a better than .500 record and win the division. I believe we can do all three.”

The opportunity certainly is there.

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Belleville junior point guard Arianna Douglas is one of the top returning players in the Super Essex Confer-ence.


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Kearny, not just wrestling.”Carratura believes that the

Kardinals are about to turn the corner.

“We want to have kids who love the sport,” Carratura said. “No doubt about it, the kids are working hard. They want to be there.”

Carratura always has the assistance of dedicated coach Rich Stacey, who has been with Carratura for over a decade. But this year, former Kardinal standout wrestler and cross country runner Brian McDon-nell (a recent inductee into the Kearny High School Athletic Hall of Fame) has joined the coaching staff.

“Brian is a great addition, be-cause he’s been wrestling with me since he was eight years old,” Carratura said. “Rich has been with me for 12 years. We have a good staff and absolute-ly, that’s the first step.”

Senior Wilker Villacorta is the Kardinals’ 106-pound wrestler.

“It’s only his second year of varsity wrestling, but he won 18 matches last year,” Carratura said. “He was a soccer player, so he’s a good athlete. When he first came out, he didn’t know

what to do, but he’s come a long way. I expect big things from him this season.”

Villacorta has won five matches already this season and placed fifth in his weight class at the recent Bloomfield Invitational tournament.

Junior Diego Poma and senior Angel Rodriguez share the 113 and 120-pound classes. The two are interchangeable, depending upon the opponent and their weight loss before the match.

“They flip back and forth,” Carratura said. “It’s a good option to have there. Poma is long and lanky and good with his legs. Rodriguez is more of a brawler. But they’re both doing a good job.”

At 126 pounds, the Kardinals welcome a newcomer in junior Josh Guerrero, who transferred to Kearny from New York ear-lier this year.

“He wrestled before, so that’s a help,” Carratura said. “He has good technique. He’s the most technical kid we have. He’s well on his way and I think he’s go-ing to be a big surprise for us.”

Guerrero took third in the recent Kearny Holiday Invita-tional tourney.

Senior James Hodnet is the 132-pounder. Hodnet is perhaps

the Kardinals’ most experi-enced wrestler, having been part of the team for the last three years. Hodnet finished fourth at the NJSIAA District 16 tournament last February and was fifth in the recent Bloom-field tourney.

At 138 pounds, junior Juan Lamboy returns. Lamboy was a newcomer last year, but he’s made strides already this season, finishing third in the Kearny tourney and fifth at Bloomfield.

“Last year, he was still green and learning the sport,” Car-ratura said. “This year, he’s improved and doing well.”

At 145 and 152 pounds, Car-ratura is using freshmen Cesar Fernandez and Justin Baeza are bouncing back and forth, de-pending on who makes weight.

“They both did well in the Bloomfield tournament and they show a lot of promise,” Carratura said.

Senior Luis Cornejo is the team’s 160-pounder. Cornejo is a complete novice to the sport.

“He’s just coming out for the team for the first time,” Car-ratura said. “He’s been there every day, as dedicated as the rest. He’s doing well.”

The Kardinals have two youngsters filling the slots at 171

and 182 pounds in sophomores Chase McMillan and Thomas Presblyski.

Senior Gio Diaz returns at 195 pounds. Diaz was a newcomer to the sport last year.

“He told me that he should have come out earlier and he could have been better,” Car-ratura said.

Junior Piero Ugaza is the team’s 220-pounder. Ugaza is also wrestling for the very first time.

The Kardinals have a busy slate, with more than 30 dual meet dates already set. Carra-tura always looks to add more as the season moves on.

“We’re competing all the time,” Carratura said. “We have quads (quadrangular meets with four teams participating) every Saturday. It’s a complete schedule. But we’re going to be well prepared for the (NJSIAA) Districts (16, in late February). We’re going to be ready. I just want to see them keep moving forward, keep making progress. We have kids who are there every day, dedicated to the sport, doing what they need to do”

And keep the sport of wres-tling alive in a town where wrestling has always been a staple of the community.

Photo by Jim Hague

The Kearny High School wrestling team is experiencing some growing pains. Front row, from l., are James Hodnet, Wilker Villacorta and Luis Cornejo. Back row, from l., are head coach Tony Carratura, Giovanni Diaz, Johann Holguin, as-sistant coach Brian McDonnell and assistant coach Rich Stacey.

VIEW from 17


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TOWN OF KEARNYPUBLIC NOTICE

The 2014 Tax List of the Town of Kearny will be open for inspection in the office

of the Tax Assessor, 402 Kearny Avenue, on January 7 through January 10 of 2014,between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

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Tax Assessor

By Jim HagueObserver Sports Writer

It’s not an easy task when your girls’ high school basketball team loses two

of its top scorers from last year’s team, including one player who averaged close to 20 points per game down the stretch last season.

Harrison lost Rayven Lucas

(now playing at Montclair State) and Ulyissa Pereyra from last year’s Blue Tide squad that went to the NJ-SIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group II playoffs. Those losses might be hard for some teams to overcome.

But the Blue Tide is showing no signs of letting up, explod-ing out to a 4-1 mark in the early going of the new season.

“The girls have done well picking up the slack,” said Harrison head coach Al Ruiz. “Sure, Rayven did most of the scoring last year. There have been times where it has been tough without her. But the girls knew that they had to pick up the slack somehow and they’ve definitely done it

Harrison girls’ hoops squad doesn’t skip a beat

Photo by Jim Hague

Senior Stephanie Flatley (l.) has been the leading scorer for the Harrison girls’ basketball team, averaging 16 points per game with senior Sarai Rivera (r.) is a two-year captain on the team, averaging 13 points per game this season.

continued next page


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defensively. That’s the key. If we play well defensively, we have a chance to win. If our captains shoot the ball well, it could be a decent night.”

Ruiz said that he is not sur-prised by the Blue Tide’s solid start.

“With the type of defense we have, I thought we had a chance to get off to a good start,” Ruiz said.

Leading the way so far has been senior captain Stephanie Flatley. The 5-foot-6 forward is averaging 16 points per game.

“She’s doing a little bit of everything for us,” Ruiz said. “She’s like having an-other coach on the floor. She’s already had a couple of big games for us. She’s stepped up tremendously. She worked hard over the summer to get ready and she’s been a big plus for us.”

Another key contributor is senior forward Sarai Rivera. The 5-foot-6 Rivera is a two-year captain.

“She also has had some big games for us,” Ruiz said. “She hit three 3-pointers against Lyndhurst to help us get a win. She does a nice job of boxing out and rebounding.”

Rivera is averaging 13 points per game thus far.

Junior Amber O’Donnell is the starting point guard. The 5-foot-4 O’Donnell, a standout softball player in the spring, is a defensive whirlwind.

“She puts so much pressure on the opposing guards,” Ruiz said. “She also does a good job of controlling the tempo of the game.”

O’Donnell is averaging five points and five assists per game.

Senior Emmalee Lucas is the team’s starting off-guard. The 5-foot-4 Lucas (cousin to graduated standout Rayven) is another defensive stalwart.

“She takes good care of the ball,” Ruiz said. “She does a good job shooting and scor-ing.”

Ruiz said that there is no substitute for experience.

“It helps so much,” Ruiz said. “It helps us do a lot of different things. The girls all know what we’re trying to do, so that helps tremendously.”

Junior Kayla Montilla is a 5-foot-3 guard who is another standout on the defensive end of the floor.

“She is our defensive har-asser,” Ruiz said. “She puts so much pressure on the oppo-nent just being out there on the ball. Our defense has been unreal. They make stops all the time.”

Freshman Cynthia Ferreira has fit in nicely with the team. Ferreira is a 5-foot-7 forward.

“She works hard down low and has a nice post-up game,” Ruiz said. “She can also score pretty well with a nice mid-range shot.”

Heather Harris is a 6-foot junior center.

“She’s a good rebounder who works hard down low,”

Ruiz said.Senior Ximena Lopez is a

5-foot-7 forward who comes off the bench.

“She has nice hands and catches the ball well,” Ruiz said. “She makes good deci-sions with the ball. She’s pretty smart.”

Senior guard Stephanie Lopez (no relation to Ximena) is a 5-foot-5 guard.

“She outhustles everyone on the floor,” Ruiz said of Steph-anie Lopez. “She gets to a lot of loose balls. She does the dirty work.”

Ruiz was happy to welcome Ray Lucas back as an assistant coach. While his daughter Rayven is now at Montclair State, the former New York Jets quarterback and famed television and radio football analyst has remained as a vol-unteer assistant coach.

“The girls love him,” Ruiz said. “He’s so much more of a father figure to the girls than he is a basketball coach. They

look to him for advice about anything. They don’t look at him as a football analyst on television. They think he’s just Ray and that’s why I like hav-ing him around and the girls like having him around.”

Ruiz is pleased by his team’s hot start.

“I’m very encouraged,” Ruiz said. “I just hope it keeps roll-ing, that we can keep riding that wave.”

Meaning, the wave of the Blue Tide.

“One of the main reasons why we’re doing so well is that they’ve all bought into the fact that we have to play defense to be successful,” Ruiz said. “They’re constantly diving on the floor for loose balls for the betterment of the team. They have the will to win and they’re willing to sacrifice themselves for the team. It gives you a nice feeling when you come to practice and they’re willing to work as hard as they are.”

Check out our e-edition @ www.theobserver.com

Yvonne Cali, principal of Franklin School in Kearny, has announced that the following students have achieved Academic Honors for the first marking period:

Principal’s Honor Roll Grade 8 – Gabriel Arcanjo, Facundo Maidana, Emilee Marshall, Mariana Silva, Sabrina Vasquez, Tao Chen, Naomi Miranda, Elissa Perez and Eduarda Serafim.

Honors Grade 8 – Michelle Barbosa, Julia Benedicto, Khalil Crespo, Samantha DaSilva, Amanda DaCosta, Bryam Guzman, Raymond Lopez, Alina Machado, Jo-seph Maddi, Lucila Rivera, Bruna Fidencio, Elijah Ortiz, Javian Pereira, Joshua Rubio, Gloria Salas, Gabriela Sci-bilia, Michelle Staszewski and Nalani Velez.

Student of the Marking Pe-riod Grade 8 – Matthew Bittle (Math), Mirellys Rachumi (Science), Nalani Velez (Sci-ence), Tao Chen (Science), Joseph Schulze (Social Stud-ies), Gabriel Arcanjo (Math), Liseth Bermudez-Gonzalez (Math/ ESL), Gloria Salas (Honors Language Arts), Nicole Vargas (Language Arts), Tao Chen (Computers), Gabryella Carvalho (Physical Education), Bryan Noristz (Physical Education) and Isa-bella Pereira (Language Arts).

Principal’s Honor Roll Grade 7 – Jamile DeOliveira, Elili Benti, Montserrat Brenes, Dy-lan Conrad, Joshua Klinger, Brian Medina, Julio Sarmien-to, Marcela Barreto, Arianna Garcia, John LeVan, Enrique Reyes, Roberto Rodas-Hern-don, Camila Zarate, Celeste Delgado, Marieme Dia, Ste-ven Diaz, Nathaly Horvaht, Patrycja Parafinska, Juliana Peres and Arianna Serra.

Honors Grade 7 – Lilian DaSilva, Justin Jablonsky, Jorge Maza, Katie Vicente, Stephanie Guilherme, Alissa Kohlmann, Stacy Menezes, Steven Tambo, Kevin Burton, Valeria Carpio, Mackenzie Elliott, Bryan Ferreira, Jose Gongora Gonzalez, Ed-gar Fernandez and Emilie Marinho.

Student of the Marking Period Grade 7 – Juliana Peres (Lan-

guage Arts), Brian Medina (Honors Language Arts), Marieme Dia (Social Studies), Julio Sarmiento (Science), Marieme Dia (Honors Math), Katie Vicente (Math), Emilie Marinho (Language Arts), Noel Mejias (Math), Xavier Reyes (Language Arts), Adair Villanueva-Rosas (Math), Ed-gar Fernandez (Art), Steven Tambo (Computers), Ashley Oliveira (Physical Education), Enrique Reyes (Physical Education), Brandon Rodri-guez (Physical Education) and Katie Vicente (Physical Education).

High Honors Grade 6 – Cryst-elle Martins, Maria Gutierrez, Nicole Torre, Freddy Fernan-dez, Jake Long and Nicole Lucero Huerta.

Honors Grade 6 – Brian Espi-noza, Alyssa Lopez, Michael Mallea, Maya Perez, Kayleen Salazar, Tiffany Sun, Brandon Loo, Alexa Maddi, Kristen DeMatos, Felix Guerrero, Jason Marshall, Thomas Ne-ves, Thiago Texeira, Victoria Murphy, Diana Ordonez, Na-talia Parafinska, Eliza Threm, Jason DaSilva, Giuliana Evan-gelista, and Stephanny Marin.

Student of the Marking Period Grade 6 – Jason DaSilva (Sci-ence), Crystelle Martins (So-cial Studies), Maria Gutierrez (Language Arts), Tiffany Sun (Language Arts), Alyssa Lopez (Math), Natalia Para-finska (ESL), Kristina Yaya (Physical Education), Joseph Neves (Physical Education), Thiago Teixeira (Physical Ed-ucation) and Nicole Almeida (Physical Education)

High Honors Grade 5 – Kalsey Colotl, Natalie Vega, Alek-sandra Kryznowek, Daniela Mendieta-Rodriguez and Juliana Sarmiento.

Honors Grade 5 – Juan Chumpitaz, Hafsah Saeed, Sergio Garcia, Raphael Moody, Leslie Ortega, Cauan Santos-Silva, Ismael Sela, Nicole Sosa, Jonathan Moro-cho Ludizaca, Joseph Pazmi-no, Juliet Rodriguez, Scarlet Velasquez, Nicole Gallegos, Walter Guerrero, Xiomara Oriondo, Nicole DeLaFuente and Madelyn Evanchick.

High Honors Grade 4 – Ra-chael Castro, Julia Milla,

Alyssa Catillo, Mardeo Lamas, Logan DaSilva, Sayuri Kirikihira, Aileen Li and Se-bastian Solis

Honors Grade 4 – Brianna Bradley, Janelle Hernandez, Jalessa Moreno, Manuel Pinguelo, Emily Quia, Camila Taddeo-Tafernaberry, Jerermy

Klinger, Ethen Lugo, Giovanni Huancaya, Maria Silva, Jacob Solinski, Emanuel Esquijaro-sa, Samantha Almonte, Haley Kohlman, Ariana Perez, Sharif Wilkinson, Dorismar Freile, Raizel Estrada, Ariana Robaina, Aimi Davila, Nicole Goya, Jakub Paszczk, Victo-

ria Basso, Kayleen DeMatos, Stephen English, Aiden Man-silla, Rachel Mayorga, Emily Rodriguez, Adriana Esteves, Anna Burigo, Izabella Hel-ler, Cynthia Solari, Nataly Abrantes, Vaneza Herndon-Rodas, David Martinez and Raquel Reyes.


Ewelina Taszynec, PTAMagdelena Buczek, DPT

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Franklin School academic honors announced


To advertise in this directory CALL 201-991-1600

Real EstateDIRECTORY

Rosa Agency Realtors551-553 Kearny Ave., Kearny

201-997-7860www.RosaAgency.com

The Bixler Group LLC

The Bixler GroupReal Estate & Insurance Since 1891

758 Kearny Ave., Kearny201.991.0032

BixlerEST1891.com

213 Kearny Ave, Kearny, NJ

201-991-1300Semiao & Associates

761 Ridge Rd. Lyndhurst, NJ201-460-8000

Exit Golden Realty148 Midland Ave., Kearny

201-997-4425

Elite Realty GroupCommercial & Residential

235 Harrison Ave., HarrisonT: 973-268-4000

www.eliterealtyharrison.com

21 DiSabato Inc.105 North 3rd St., Harrison

T: 973-483-2081 F: 973-483-0705www.DiSabatoInc.comAN ICON IN THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1890

Keypoint MortgageNorth Arlington, NJ

[email protected]

Savino Real Estate251 Ridge Rd., Lyndhurst

201-438-3120www.savinorealestate.com

Arlington Real EstateOwned & Operated by the

Capobianco family since 1924201.991.0905

SAVINO REAL ESTATE, INC.

LET US SAVE YOU MONEY ONYOUR HOME & AUTO INSURANCE

H O U S E O F T H E W E E K

MANOR SECTION- Traditional 3 bedroom colonial, lovelychestnut trim with 1 1/2 baths and 2 car detached garage. Sun-porch, living room, dining room & kitchen on 1st. floor. The 3 bed-rooms and full bath above. Gas heat, relatively new roof. Taxesunder $10,000. per annum. Better be quick! EXCLUSIVELYLISTED. REDUCED TO $269,000.

SIDE BY SIDE - 2 Family with 2-4room (2 bedrooms) apart-ments. Both having updated kitchens & baths. Each apartmenthas separate entrances and have both 1st and 2nd floors. Finished basement. 3 garages for offstreet parking. Convenientlylocated. Sorry Saturday appointments only. Special offering. Callnow. Asking $359,000.

8 Year Young Kearny Two Family Home -Both apartments feature three bedroom, two baths,central air. Off street parking. Immaculate.Reduced for quick sale $519,000.

Kearny Exclusive - Our office has just listed thislovely 3 bedroom, 2 bath, Modern Ranch Home. A finished basement, driveway & garage are included.Very reasonable asking price of $289,000.

LYNDHURST - 2 bedroom one family colonial - 100yards from train and bus transportation and Ridge Road.Living room, dining room and kitchen on 1st, fl., The 2 bed-rooms and extra special tile bath above. Gas heat. Yearlytaxes $5,000. Estate sale. We have the key. Asking$199,000

U N D E R C O N T R AC T

Cappiello Real Estate Services, L.L.C437 Kingsland Ave, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071

Tel: 201-438-9000 • www.CRSsells.com

LYNDHURST

2 Family 5 Bedroom,

2 Bath$379,000

LYNDHURST

4 Bedroom 2 Full Bath$455,000

LYNDHURST

1 FamilyRenovated$339,000

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THINK YOU CAN’T REFINANCE BECAUSE VALUES ARE DOWN? THINK AGAIN!!!

ROB PEZZOLLA • NMLS# [email protected] • Fax 201.820.0505

STARTING MARCH 2012, HARP 2.0, a new program presented by the Federal Government, allows homeowners to refinance regardless of the equity they currently have in their house (even if you are upside down!)Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have adopted changes to Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and you may be eligible to take advantage of these changes.If your mortgage is either owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you may be eligible to refinance your mortgage under the enhanced and expanded provisions of HARP.You can determine if your mortgage is owned by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac by checking the following websites:For Fannie Mae: www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup For Freddie Mac: www.freddiemac.com/mymortgage

NORTH ARLINGTON • NJ 07031


Welcome to Sun Home Loans

Selecting the right mortgage

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Equal Housing Lender. Sun Home Loans is a division of Sun National Bank, member FDIC. All loans subject to credit approval and programs may change at any time. Pre-approval or pre-qualifi cation is not a commitment to lend; additional information may be required for formal loan approval. Consult a tax advisor for feasibility of tax deductions. NMLS # 429900

Sun Home Loans Delivers

James Chu, VP - Northern NJ Regional Sales ManagerNMLS# 536286Mobile: 201-725-2800 • Offi ce: 973-805-4141 • Fax: 973-860-2203E-mail: [email protected]

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Maggie Oledzki - Sr. Mortgage Loan Offi cerNMLS# 485724400 Broadacres Drive Suite 100, Bloomfi eld NJ 07003824 Kearny Avenue, Kearny, NJ 07032973- 919-5803 • Fax: 732-301-8328E-mail: [email protected]

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Semiao & Associates 213 Kearny Avenue, Kearny, NJ 07032

Frank Riposta CDPE, SFR

Sales Associate

201- 991-1300 Ext. 410Cell: 201-679-3785Each office is independently owned and operated

KEARNY - DON'T MISS THIS EXTREMELY WELL MAINTAINED 1 FAMILY HOME! ALL LARGE ROOMS AND HIGH CEILINGS!

SECOND FLOOR HAS 3 GOOD SIZED BEDROOMS AND 1 SMALL ROOM USED AS BEDROOM OR OFFICE! FORMAL DINING

ROOM! 1 FULL AND 1 HALF BATH! NICE DECK OFF KITCHEN WITH GREAT VIEW OF NY SKYLINE! LARGE 43' X 100' LOT! LARGE PRIVATE MANICURED YARD! LONG DRIVEWAY FOR

PLENTY OF PARKING! LARGE WALK-UP FINISHED ATTIC AND SEMI FINISHED BASEMENT! 2 ZONE GAS BASEBOARD HEATING SYSTEM! NEW TIMBERLINE ROOF! NEW VINYL SIDING! NEWER VINYL WINDOWS! TRULY A MUST SEE HOME WHERE PRIDE OF

OWNERSHIP SHOWS!! $299,900

Kearny, 3 Family! Great investment Property!

Call for Details! $299,500

Kearny- Immaculate Ranch Style Home on very desir-able block! 2 or 3 bedrooms! Formal Dining Room!

Hardwood Floors! Central A/C! Sliders to a Nice Deck overlooking beautiful yard! A must see home!

$255,000

NEW LISTING!

Kearny- Large 2 Family Home on corner lot! Hardwood Floors and Natural Woodwood

Throughout! Large Rooms! Separate Utilities! New Roof! 2 New Furnaces! New Sidewalk!

$269,900

KEARNY - LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! DON'T MISS THIS GREAT COLONIAL STYLE ONE FAMILY HOME! LARGE 29' X 190'

LOT! HARDWOOD FLOORS! OPEN FLOOR PLAN! UPDATED KITCHEN WITH CUSTOM CABINETS, GRANITE COUNTERS AND ISLAND!

LIVING ROOM WITH FIREPLACE! ALARM SYSTEM! CENTRAL A/C! LARGE WALK-UP ATTIC! SLIDERS OFF KITCHEN TO A LARGE 18' X 12' TREX DECK OVERLOOKING A BEAUTIFUL PARK-LIKE YARD! A

MUST SEE HOME! $329,900

Harrison- A Builders Dream! 6 connecting lots on Harrison Ave. Measuring approximately 75'

wide by 135' deep. Call for more details!$459,900

KEARNY- EXTRA LARGE 2 FAMILY HOME LOCATED IN THE DESIRABLE ARLINGTON

SECTION OF KEARNY! $369,900

Kearny 1 family attached home in desirable section of Kearny. Open floor plan, 3 bedrooms,

new heating system. Great Starter Home! $129,500.

KEARNY DON'T MISS THIS EXTREMELY WELL MAINTAINED HOME IN DESIRABLE SECTION OF KEARNY! THIS BEAUTIFUL HOME BOASTS 4 BEDROOMS! 3 FULL BATHS! CENTRAL A/C! NICELY UPDATED KITCHEN AND BATHS AS WELL AS OTHER

UPGRADES! FORMAL DINING ROOM! CERAMIC TILE FLOORS! FULL SEMI FINISHED BASEMENT WITH FULL BATH! LARGE

50' BY 100' LOT WITH PLENTY OF DRIVEWAY PARKING AND DETACHED GARAGE WITH LOFT! TRULY A MUST SEE HOME!

$319,900

KEARNY- BUILT AS TWO FAMILY HOME AND LATER CONVERTED AND USED AS ONE FAMILY HOME. POSSI-BILITY TO CONVERT BACK TO TWO FAMILY DWELLING! LONG DRIVEWAY AND ONE CAR DETACHED GARAGE. TWO BRAND NEW GAS FURNACES AND HOT WATER

HEATERS JUST INSTALLED. CLOSE TO ALL SHOPPING AND ALL TRANSPORTATION. $179,900

UNDER CONTRACT

NEW PRICE!

UNDER CONTRACT

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Frank Alonzo Frank Alonzo, 77, passed

away peacefully on Friday, Jan. 3, at his home in Har-rison.

The funeral will be con-ducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave, Harrison, on Tuesday Jan. 7, at 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Church, East Newark, followed by in-terment in Holy Cross Cem-etery, North Arlington. Rela-tives and friends are invited to call from 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. For information, directions or to send condolences to the family please visit www.mul-liganfuneralhome.org.

Born in Oak Hill, W. Va., Frank moved to New Jersey as a young boy before moving to Harrison 44 years ago.

He served in the United States Air Force for four years.

He had worked for Raritan Valley Bus Service and N.J. Bell Telephone Company before retiring in 1993.

Frank is survived by his beloved wife, Amelia “Sissy”

(nee Belmont); his devoted nieces Maria Belmont and Anita Ferreira and her hus-band, Tony and their children Anthony, Jenna and Jillian; and by his caring sisters, Jeanne Orcutt and husband Harold, Sue Kolcun and hus-band Chuck and his brother, Donald and wife Nancy. Frank was a fun-loving and dedicated uncle to his six nieces and nephews, Diane, Chuck, Chrissy, Rob, Joe and Mike; 10 great-nieces and nephews and two great-great-nephews.

Donations may be made to either St. Anthony’s Church, 409 N. Second St., East New-ark, N.J. 07029 or to Hospice Care of Hackensack, 25 E. Sa-lem St. 2nd Floor, Hackensack, N.J. 07601 in loving memory of Frank.

Marie BasileMarie P. Basile, 69, died on

Dec. 21 in St. Joseph Villa in Wissahickon, Pa.

Arrangements were by the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Dr., Kearny. A funeral Mass was

offered at St. Cecilia’s Church, followed by interement in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thiele-reid.com.

Miss Basile was born in Brooklyn and lived in North Arlington before moving to Kearny in 1972.

She was a clerk for Pruden-tial Insurance in Woodbridge for 35 years, retiring in 1996.

Marie is survived by her brother Thomas A. Basile and his wife Denise Wallack; one niece Yvonne Basile; her uncle Anthony Basile, and her cousin Carolyn Basile.

Mary Ann Bielski Mary Ann Bielski (nee

Brennan), of Toms River, passed away Monday, Dec. 30, at St. Claire’s Hospital in Dover.

Mary Ann was born on March 25, 1949, to the late Martin and Catherine Bren-nan of Kearny. Mary Ann is

survived by her husband Rob-ert Bielski and her daughter Erin Catherine Coller and her husband Matthew, all of Toms River, and also her brother, Joseph Brennan of Bergen-field.

Mary Ann was a devoted wife and loving mother who enjoyed time with her family and spending her summers at Island Beach State Park. Mary Ann was a member of the Fairleigh Dickinson financial aid family for 12 years from 2000-2012. Mary Ann exemplified unselfish-ness and touched the hearts of those that knew and loved her. Mary Ann was a parish-ioner at St. Justin the Martyr Church, Toms River.

Arrangements were by the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals, 995 Fischer Blvd., Toms River. A Mass of Christian burial was held on Monday, Jan. 6, at St. Justin the Martyr Church, followed by burial at St. Joseph Cem-etery, both in Toms River.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the ALS Asso-ciation: 321 Norristown Rd. Suite 260 Ambler, Pa. 19002 in honor of Mary Ann Bielski. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.ryanfuneralhome.com.

Jorge L. Bless Jorge L. Bless, of Kearny,

passed away on Dec. 31. He was 43-years-old.

Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Jorge moved to the United States with his fam-ily when he was 12-years-old. They lived in Harrison before moving to Kearny in 1995. He worked for AXA Finan-cial, Secaucus, as a annuity analyst for the last 11 years.

Jorge is survived by his beloved wife, Maria (Roca), cherished daughters Natalie and Melanie Bless, loving parents, Jorge E. and Ana M. (Santos) Bless and dear sib-lings, Henry E. Bless and Ana

obituaries To submit an obituary:fax: 201-991-8941

[email protected]

Deadline for obituaries:Monday by 10 AM

see OBITS page 27

Everyone already knows how expensive a state New Jersey is to live in. Not everyone realizes that New Jersey is also an expensive state to die in when compared to other states. Our state imposes an inheritance tax on the amount certain beneficiaries receive from a decedent’s estate. The inheritance tax is imposed begin-ning on any bequest over $500.00. Spouses, children, grandchil-dren, and certain other relatives of a decedent are exempt from owing any inheritance tax. Brothers, sisters of the decedent, son/daughter-in-laws married to the decedent’s children, and certain other relatives of the decedent are subject to the NJ inheritance tax. They each receive an initial $25,000.00 exemption from taxation; any inheritance over that first $25,000.00 is then taxed at 11%. Other more distant relatives and non-relatives are each taxed at 15% of what they would stand to receive as inheritanc-es. Charities named in the will are exempt from owing any taxes.

It is the duty of the executor, or administrator if there is no will, to calculate, collect, and pay the required inheritance tax within 8 months from the decedent’s date of death. Some ex-ecutors right after the death make immediate distributions of all of the estate’s assets to the eager beneficiaries named in the will without realizing this obligation. And the State clearly makes it the executor’s obligation to do that. How does the State even know to follow up on a non-filed inheritance tax return? The county surrogate sends a report of the probate of the will to the Division of Taxation. If an executor does not file the inheritance tax return by the deadline, the executor will receive a notice from the NJ Division of Taxation inquiring about it. If the executor ignores the notice either willfully or neglectfully, eventually the State will impose an arbitrary assessment against the estate and the executor. These arbitrary assessments are usually far in excess of the amount of taxes actually due. The State uses the decedent’s most recent state income tax return or other available information to arrive at the arbitrary assess-

ment. That assessment, if ignored, will eventually ripen into a judgment against the executor with possible collection actions taken by the State in the worst cases. All of that damage can be undone by filing the inheritance tax return and paying the taxes due with 9% interest, but what if the executor has al-ready paid out the assets from the estate? Then the executor has a real problem on his hands. Don’t let it get to that point.

Sometimes an executor finds out that he cannot simply close out the decedent’s bank accounts after death because all banks require that he present a “tax waiver” for each account which is issued by the State after the inheritance taxes have been paid. Other assets such as real estate and certain corporation stock cannot be sold without obtaining the correspondence tax waiv-ers and filing them or delivering them to the proper persons.

Sometimes the State’s auditors select certain inheritance tax returns for closer review. The auditors compare assets declared on the inheritance tax return to those previously declared on the decedent’s income tax records. Any discrep-ancies will trigger a request for further information from the executor. No tax waivers will be issued by the State until the auditor’s inquiries are addressed. The executor’s tardy re-sponse will only delay settlement of the estate. This is merely an overview-there’s a lot more to it. But when it comes to dealing with the NJ inheritance tax return process, there’s definitely a right way and many wrong ways to go about it.

The foregoing comments are for general information purpos-es only and are not a substitute for legal advice. You should con-sult an attorney about the facts affecting your specific situation. Richard M. Mausner is an attorney with over 30 years experience in probate and elder law, with offices at 110B Meadowlands Park-way, Secaucus, and in Holmdel, New Jersey. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. He can be reached at 201-617-9100. © 2013 Richard M. Mausner, Esq.

Legally Speaking By Richard M. Mausner, Esq.

The New Jersey Inheritance Tax

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MARIO TEIXEIRA, JR., #2542 DIRECTOR-MANAGER

Shaw-BuyusHome for Services

138 DAVIS AVE. • KEARNY, NJ 07032Tel: (201) 991-2265

Wilfred Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home

596 Belgrove Dr. • Kearny, NJ 07032(201) 991-0657

WILFRED ARMITAGE & WIGGINSFUNERAL HOME

Mark G. Wiggins, Manager N.J. Lic. #3916John W. Armitage, Director N.J. Lic#2642

You will feel as if friends of family have taken over when you entrust funeral arrangements to the Wilfred Armitage Funeral Home. The family-owned firm has been in business for 75 years, serving genera-tions in West Hudson and South Bergen. Its beautiful facilities, in a setting reminiscent of a colonial mansion, reflect the graciousness and tact of its understanding personnel.


CLASSIFIEDS To place an ad call:201-991-1600

[email protected]

www.theobserver.comThe Observer is not responsible for typographical

errors. Credit for errors will not be granted after the next week’s publication. No changes or refunds.Deadline for classifieds is Monday by 4:00 PM.

There will be a $10.00processing fee when Cancelling

an ad before it is published for the first time.

• $10 processing fee if changesneed to be made for running

specials

house for sAle

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KEARNY 2nd floor, 2 level Apt. $1,100/month + Utili-ties. 1-1/2 month Se-curity. No Laundry. No Pets. Quiet Location. Credit Check Re-quired. Available Janu-ary 1st. (201)997-2113


KEARNY Arlingtonsection, 1 bedroom, allnew appliancesflooring, $1,000/monthplus utilities, No petsor smoking, SecurityDeposit (973)309-0903




KEARNY ELM COURTKearny’s Best Keptsecret 732 Elm St.1 BR for $850 NYC Commuter Bldg Call

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KEARNY New 3 bed-room apt, 2 full baths, L/R, kitchen, central AC/HT, hardwood floors. Basement stor-age with washer/dryer hook-up. Off street parking. Yard. No Pets. $1575.00 month + utilities, 1-1/2 Secu-rity + good credit. Close to NYC trans-portation. Call (201)998-8226, 6am-3pm, M-F for appt.

KEARNYNewly renovated,hardwood floors.

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HARRISON: HarrisonAvenue. PizzeriaRestaurant for rent orlease, full equipment.Ideal for BBQ.Available now.(973)714-2368

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KEARNY 3 LARGEROOMS. (1BR).BELGROVE APTS.111-117 BELGROVEDRIVE. $915INCLUDING HT/HW.NO PETS.SECURITY. LEASE.LAUNDRY ROOM.973-493-7868


HARRISON 43Cleveland Ave. 1 BR.Apt. Tenant paysutilities. No Smoking.No pets. Excellentneighborhood.Available Dec. 1st.954-448-3339.

KEARNY BelgroveDrive, 1 bedroom, LR,DR. 1 month security.Utilities separate. Nopets. No smoking.$1000/mo. Availablenow. (201)991-3608

KEARNY RenovatedApartment building. 1bedroom. Woodkitchen cabinets,refrigerator, stove,ceramic tile floor,hardwood floorsthroughout. Laundryon-site. No Pets. NearNYC transportation. 1-1/2 months security.Arlington Section.$880 + utilities.(908)244-5847

Hair Salon for sale,operators will stay.Owner looking toretire. Caldwell area.Call for information(201)207-7263

KEARNY Studio Apt.Utilities included.$700/month. 1 monthsecurity. Call after5pm, 201-927-6608.

KEARNY 1 FAMILYHOUSE, 7 ROOMS +LAUNDRY ROOM,CLOSE TO SCHOOLS& TRANSPORTATIONAVAILABLE NOW551-482-0999.

BELLEVILLE 2nd fl. 2BR’s, Belleville Nutleyborder. W/D Hook up.HT/HW included$1300/month.Avl. Jan.1st 862-201-6166.

POLICYThere are

NO REFUNDS orCHANGES with

CLASSIFIEDADS

Please notethere will be a

$10.00PROCESSINGFEE if changes

need to be madefor running

specials

KEARNY NewlyRenovated. 7 rooms, 3BR’s, LR, DR,bathroom EIK.$1300/mon + utilities.1 month security. Avl.Jan 1st. 973-280-4100.

KEARNY 1 BR apt. 4rooms, 2nd fl.Reasonable rent plusutilities. 1 1/2 monthssecurity. 201-428-1299

HARRISON 2nd floor.3 bedrooms. No pets.$1200/month. 1 monthsecurity. AvailableFebruary 1st.(973)482-5532

HARRISON 2 BR Apt.2nd fl. Good Condtion.1 mile from PATH.$1300/month. HT/HWincluded. Avl. Jan. 1st.973-483-2993.

HARRISON Modern 1BR, AC. Like newappliances/TV. HT/HWincluded. No Pets.Close to PATH.$1,100/month. Avl.Jan. 1st or 15th. 201-738-4167.

HARRISON Apt. forrent on Cleveland Ave.2 bedrooms, kitchenand LV. $1000/month+ 1 month security andSeparate utilities. Avl.Feb. 1st. 201-618-6984.

HARRISON 6th st. 2family house, 2nd fl. 2bedrooms, Hardwoodfloors, Avl. Feb 1st. Imonth security. Nopets. 973-412-9909 or201-667-6857

lyNdhurst

LYNDHURST 2bedrooms. IncludesAC, kitchen w/granite& all appliances,laundry facility,parking. $1195/monthplus utilities. No pets.Smoke Free Building.Close to NYCtransportation.(201)970-3210

LYNDHURST 2nd fl. 1bedroom apt. PrivateHouse. hardwoodfloors, $1000/month +1 month security.HT/HW included.Small pet ok. 201-575-5270.



BELLEVILLE Studio &1 bedroom apts.,$750-$1050/month.HT/HW included. 1-1/2months security.Available now. Multiplelocations. (201)509-8315

KEARNY BeautifulModern Apartment. 2BRs, 1 bath, LV/DR,New kitchen HWfloors. $1350/month.Avalable February 1st. 201-240-7404.



KEARNY Elm St., 2bedrooms, 2nd floor of6 family. $950/month,heat included. 1-1/2months security. Nopets. AvailableFebruary 1st.(201)916-9460

KEARNY• 6 room Apt. 3

Bedrooms garageincluded

$1400/month.• 2 BR Apt. for rent.

$1,100/month +Utilities

O’HARA AGENCY (201)997-6300

KEARNY 24 DevonTerrace. 3rd fl. 2bedrooms. $1050/mo+ utilities. 1 monthsecurity. Avl. Jan. 1st.No pets. Call after6pm 973-743-1551 or973-417-5239.

Cleaning business forsale with currentclients. For moreinformation callSebastian at (908)422-3027

KEARNY 2 bedrooms,1st floor. No pets. Nosmoking. $1100/month+ utilities. 1-1/2months security.Available February 1st.(551)655-0473

HARRISON 2nd floor,5 rooms, 3 bedrooms.Available February 1st.$1100/mon + utilities.1 month security. (973)953-5031

HARRISON Threebedroom apt. w/DR,LR, kitchen, 1BTH.Central AC/HT. 1 carspace. AvailableFebruary 1st. No pets.Com. washer/dryer onpremises. Walkingdistance to train.(201)252-7272

NewArk

NEWARK 1 BR $865& 2 BR $1,100Vailsburg, Near SetonHall. HT/HW included.Safe/Secure. BrickHistoric Bldg. ExtraLarge BR’s. NewlyRenovated. Kitchen,Bath, H/W Floors,Refrigerator, CeilingFans. 1 monthsecurity. Section 8 ok.No fees. No pets.973-216-9470

N. ArliNgtoN

N.ARLINGTON3 rooms, 1

bedroom 1st fl.Garden Apt.$950/month.

O’HARA AGENCY (201)997-6300

N.ARLINGTON 1bedroom apartment forrent. $1050/month.Call (201)376-7200 or(201)893-7913

HARRISON One roomstudio, 1st floor.-HT/HW included,refrigerator, stove,parking for 1 car.Available Immediately.$810/month. 1-1/2months scurity.(973)808-1556

KEARNY 4 rent ByOwner 2 & 3 BR Apts.Newly Renovated. AllUnits Have W/D Hookup & BasementStorage. Most unitshave A/C. RentsRange from $950-$1475 + Utilities. 1 ½months security +Good Credit required.Close to NYTransportation. Nopets. Call 201-998-8226. Between thehrs. 6am-4pm.Monday-Friday forAppt.

LYNDHURST 2Bedroom apt. Close totransportation. Avl.Now. Small petsallowed. 1-1/2 month’ssecurity. 201-359-5489.

KEARNY 1 bedroomapartment, LR, kitchenOne month security.Utilities separate. NOpets. No smoking.Available now.(551)486-1488

KEARNY Beautiful2nd fl. 2 bR apt.Modern kitchen andbath. Hardwood floors.LV, Move in condition.W/D hook-up. StorageBin. 296 Beech St.$1200/month +utilities. 1 monthsecurity. No pets. Nosmoking. Avl. Feb.1st. 973-202-9769.

KEARNY Modern OneBedroom Apt. 1 ½month security. Nopets. $650/month +utilities. 201-997-46299am-5:45pm Monday-Friday.

KEARNY 5 room apt.If interested please call(201)314-7813

KEARNY Large 2 BRApt. 1st floor. W/DHook up $1000/month+ utilities. 1 ½ monthsecurity. No pets. Nosmoking. Immediateoccupancy. 551-580-6306.

KEARNY 1 BR apt.$950/month HT/HWincluded. No pets.201-997-0590.

KEARNYArlington section

3R, 1BR, $825/month.4R, 2BR, $1050/month

Conv. Located.Both include H/HW +

security. No fee.(908)696-1866

KEARNY Apartmentfor rent, 1 bedroom,Living Room, Kitchen.Separate Utilities, Nopets. For More info.Call: 201-726-4603.

belleville

KEARNY ResidentialArea, East MidlandAve. 2nd fl. 2BR Apt.LR, Big Kitchen, Bath,Hook Up Central Air.Separate Utilities. NoSmoking. Off StreetParking. $1300/month.1 ½ months security.Available Now. Call201-519-3778. LeaveMessage.

KEARNY AvailableNow. 2 BR Apt. HWFloors. Close toTransportation.$950/month + Utilities.1 month securityLaundry on premises.(201)362-5028

KEARNY Apt. for rent,Davis Ave. Apt.Building, 2 ½ rooms$650/month + utilities+ 1 ½ months security.No pets. Call 973-610-4257

HOUSEfOr�rENT

BELLEVILLE 1 Familyhouse for rent. 2bedrooms, I bath LR,DR. 2 car garage.Close to publictransportation.$1675/month +utilities. 1 monthsecurity call 201-998-5082.

KEARNY Kearny Ave.2 bedrooms.$975/month. No pets.Separate utilities. 1-1/2months security.Available February 1st.(201)893-1955

bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD 3BRApt. Kitchen, LV/DR, 1Bath. $1300/month +utilities. 1 monthsecurity. No pets. 973-634-6350.

BLOOMFIELD 2 BR.Apr. LV Kitchen, 1Bath. $1100/month +utilities. 1 monthsecurity. No pets. 973-634-6350.

HARRISON 3bedrooms. Supply ownutilities. No pets.(201)998-3554(551)580-5019

HARRISON 5 rooms 3bedrooms, kitchen,LR, bath. 2nd floor .$1200/month. 1 monthsecurity. HT/HWincluded. No pets.(973)573-9045

HARRISON 2 BR, 1 ½Baths. C/A andHeating. W/D andAppliances included.1 car garage. 1 monthsecurity. No pets.973-876-1648 or973-289-8690.

HARRISON Studio.Near PATH. Quietarea. AvailableFebruary 1st. No petsallowed. Please call(973)902-9986 after5pm

LYNDHURST 2nd fl. 1BR apt. Private House.H/W floors, $1000/mo+ 1 month security.HT/HW included.Small pet ok. 201-575-5270.

N.ARLINGTON 2 BRapt available. HT/HWincluded. In Gardenstyle apts. NewlyRenovated. Laundry.Close totramsportation. Calllisa 973-330-2874.


CLASSIFIEDS To place an ad call:201-991-1600

[email protected]

www.theobserver.comThe Observer is not responsible for typographical

errors. Credit for errors will not be granted after the next week’s publication. No changes or refunds.Deadline for classifieds is Monday by 4:00 PM.

Now Hiring!Property inspectors FT/PT in your area.

Full, free trainingprovided.

[email protected]

(732)766-4425 ask for Mel

Real Estate Agents Call for a confidential interview or if inter-

ested in taking a local real estate course to obtain your license

CALL Mid-Realty, Inc. (201)991-5719

N&JREMODELERS

Roofing + SidingSpecialist. Windows,Doors, Decks, Kitchen/ Baths. Complete Home

Renovation. Quality workmanship. All work

guaranteed. Free Estimate. Fully Insured

Nick (201)997-7657

MARIO ESPOSITOLANDSCAPING LLC

SNOW REMOVALLawn maintenance

Top Soil • MulchFree Estimates(201)438-3991

Annie’sCleaning Service

Homes, offices. Move in-out cleaning.

Gift Certificates Avail.Excellent references

973-667-6739862-210-0681

ClEANiNGSErviCES

gutters

D. FITZGERALDSeamless Gutters

Installed.Gutters Cleaned

We-R- AlsoDennie’s

Painting & RoofingSlate Roofs

repaired.1(800)479-3262

employmeNt

FM PropertyHome Repairs & Improvements

• Kitchens • Bathrooms • Doors • Floors • Windows •

Painting • Decks All types of repairsLic. # 13VH05674000

Fully Insured201-428-7160www.repairsbyfm.com

[email protected]

FGLC Contracting

Interior StoneTile & Paint

Hardwood Flooring

201-962-0032

JMW CONSTRUCTION

Complete Home Improvements

•Kitchens •Bathrooms•Decks •Replacement

windows •Siding •Additions

Lic.#13VH03156600FREE Estimates

Fully Insured!(201)935-1975

G & R BuildersRoofing, Siding,Windows/Doors,Decks, Painting,Tiles & Masonry,Sheet Rock. All

types of Carpentry.Lic.

#13VH02536200Free Estimates

20% Senior CitizenDiscounts

(201) 893-0656

roofiNg roofiNg

MIKE’SALL SEASONS ROOFING & SIDING• Roofing • Siding • Windows • Doors

• Gutter & Leaders • Roof Repairs13VH008B0300

Free Est 201-438-0355 Fully Ins’d

Full time medicalreceptionist wanted for

a busy medicalpractice in Nutley.

Bilingual and medicalexperience preferred.

Competitive Salary andexcellent benefits.

Apply via email. SendResume to:[email protected]

DO IT ALLInterior/Exterior new &

repairs. All types of Carpentry.Reasonable

rates,quality work, reliable, experienced.

13VH06620900(201)991-3223

hANdymAN

G & R BuildersAll Roofing &

Siding. Patchwork.Senior Citizen

Discounts(201)893-0656

roofiNg

ANDRIELLO CLEANOUTS

Yards, Garages,Basements, Attics,

Real Estate, Rubbish Removal/DemolitionLic.13VH04443200(201)874-1577

rUBBiSHrEmOvAl

LADYBUGLandscapes Inc.• Design • Construct •

Maintain • Paving• Snow Removal

Demolition-Commercial(201)804-0587(201)655-1938

lANdsCApiNg

Ranne Tile & HomeImprovement

Ceramic Tile Repairs• Walls & Floors • Big &

Small • Regrouting• Caulking • Repair soap

dishes • Tile Floors.Free Est. Fully Ins.

(201)355-8489

HOmEimprOvEmENT

**MATH TUTOR**Retired Math

Teacher available for tutoring. Call for appointment (201)935-3645

tutoriNg

CoNstruCtioN

Martinez Chimney• Chimney Liner • Leaks• Cleanings • Building & Repairing • Down Draft

Correction • Total Chimney RestorationFully Ins. and License

#13VH06939900(201)889-1363

wANted to buy

Estates Bought & Sold

Fine Furniture Antiques, Accesso-ries, Gold & Silver.

Cash Paid (201)920-8875

ALEXANDER PAINTING, DECORATING

Sheet rock/drywall. Skim coat, tape & spackle Water

damage. Wallpaperremove. 15+years of

experience. Free Estimates.

(973)985-6644

SAL POLIZZOTTOPainting, Decorating

interior, exterior, Paper Hanging, ceiling. FullInstallation, General

Repairs. Over 14 yearsexperience.

FREE ESTIMATE(201)939-8781

pAiNTiNG�&DECOrATiNG

Bills InteriorPainting &

repairs. Free Estimates

(973)801-9487

CourageousPlumbing HVAC LLC

Lic. # 11103• Plumbing • Heating •

Cooling • Sewer • Complete basement

pump out & Sump pumps

MC/VISA and Finace Available

$50 off when mention this ad.

(201)206-4845

JOSEPH V.FERRIERO

Plumbing & HeatingKitchen and bath

remodeling.Carpentry. Fully Ins. Free Est. Lic# 165

(201)637-1775

plumbiNg

COmpUTErSErviCES

J. M.Electronics

Computer Repair*Free Computer

Check-up*We Buy & Sell

Computers*TV Repair

LCD & Plasma

502 Kearny Ave.Kearny, NJ 07032Call Jeff for more

information at (201)486-2057

AutomobileswANted

J & F TOWINGCA$H 4 JUNK

CAR$ $200-$500 PAID ON

THE SPOT.FREE TOWING 201-428-0441

ANY CAR, VAN OR TRUCK.NO TITLE,NO KEYS,

NO PROBLEM.

Weslo Pursuit Exer-cise Bike and D.P.Transport Tread-mill #LP-6100 $350.00 Call (201)991-5770.

iTEmfOr�SAlE

ADVERTISINGACCOUNT

EXECUTIVEWe have an opening for an

aggressive energetic self-starterto sell newspaper advertising.

Duties include servicing existingaccount, calling inactive

accounts, and generating newbusiness while making friends.

Family owned and operated 126 years.

Team oriented environment.You have the ambition and

we will train.

High CommissionMust have transportation.

Fax resume to:201-991-8941 or

E-mail: [email protected]

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

employmeNtemploymeNt

Bartenders andWaitresses Wanted.

Bilingual a mustEnglish & Spanish.

Call after 10am 973-344-0419ask for Angel.

employmeNt

F/T Directorwanted forLyndhurstpreschool.

Education &managementexperiencerequired.

Understand all NJchildcare licensing

& regulations.Competitive salary.

Email resume:lyndhurstdirector@

gmail.com

“Fair Deal Dan”Painting, Sheetrock,plastering, Odd Jobs,

Flooring, Windowsand doors, Plumbing,replace water heater,Leaky Faucets, Tile

work for floors,Bathrooms, Kitchen,Counter Tops and

Granite. Lic#V203575.201-448-1563.

Handyman StarAll inside or outsiderepairs. Windows,

painting, sheetrock,carpentry, masonry, anddecks. No job too big orsmall. Free estimates.

Tom (201)4245042

JAG PAVING CORP.Commercial & Residential Driveways

Parking Lots • Belgian Blocks • Sidwalks • Steps• Pavers • Retaining Walls • All asphalt work

Lic by NJ, Member of BBB • Fully Insured • Free Estimateswww.jagpaving.com LORENA (201)991-4165

Cell: (201)401-4525 Kearny Fax:(201)997-5783

pAviNg pAviNg

EMERALD ELECTRIC25 Years Experience • All types of electrical wiring

24 hour emergency service

Free Estimate 10% OFF with adLic # 11909 El. Insp. # 7566

(201)955-2678

eleCtriCAl eleCtriCAl

room for reNtBELLEVILLENice area. Room for rent. $400. 1 month security. Call after 4:00pm(973)336-5335 (862)215-9440

KEARNY Room forrent share kitchen andbath. $450/month + 1month security. Nopets. Cable included.201-615-9990 or 201-694-8910.


N.ARLINGTONAvailable Now. 1stfloor. Residential area.1 bedroom apt. Allutilities included. Nopets. $850/month(201) 988-8978

N.ARLINGTON 1stfloor. 5 rooms.Completely renovated.Stainless steelappliances. Central air.Near NY transport.Available now.(732)648-1171

CDL Class A DriverSo. Kearny tank

cleaning companyhas an immediate

opening for 2nd shiftyard switcher.

$12-$14/hr. Holiday &vacation pd. Must

have SDL Class A, 2yrs experience, clean

background andverifiable work

history. Call Mike C. at 973-589-3300.

HAIRDRESSERWANTED

for Harrison, NJ.

Please call 973-462-4773.

AUTOBODY SHOP NEEDSPERSON WITH

EXPERIENCE INAUTOMOBILES/

ASSEMBLY / AND SOMEMECHANIC SHOP

MAINTENANCE AND THATKNOWS HOW TO DRIVE.CALL MON – FRI FROM8:30 AM – 6:00 PM AND

SATURDAYS FROM 8:30AM – 12:00 PMCOLORMYCAR

AUTOBODY (973) 589 – 2424

Light assembly &warehouse work.Company located

near Mill St.,Belleville. Must

speak Both English & Spanish.$9.00/hr. to start.

Call 973-482-8603

employmeNtTransportation

Supervisor: DayProgram for Adult withDisabilities is seekingindividual to overseedaily transportation of

consumers to/fromprogram. Must have

clear NJ Driver’slicense. 30 hours perweek. (6:30-9:30 amand 2-5pm). E-mail

resume to mverdelho@

pathwaysnj.org, or fill out application at

Pathways toIndependence, Inc.,

60 Kingsland Avenue,Kearny.

(201) 997-6155.

HANDYMAN

Painting • Sheetrock •Plastering • Flooring.

Reasonable rates.(862)452-7695 Sami.

Leave message

mAsoNry

Forever Green-Custom Masonry-Snow Removal-Patios & Walks201-962-0032www.ForeverGreenNJ.org

• New + Re-roofing • Slate Repairs

• Gutters Cleaned • Flat Roofing

• Also Do PaintingFree EstimatesFully Insured

(201)998-5153

roofiNg

GArAGEfOr�rENT

Belleville 3 car garagefor rent. 25x19.$425/month. 1 monthsecurity. Availablenow. Good for parkingcars, storage, boats,contractors. Safelocation. (973)951-6315


Valentine’s Day3 Week Special

Run dates will be January 29, February 5

and February 12

Minimum 10.5 column inches. Must run two weeks and be pre-paid

to receive promotional pricingDeadlines: January 23

Complimentary

FULL COLOR!

For more information, please call us at

201.991.1600

1/4 Page

1/8 Page

Size: 3 Weeks 2 Week

$292.50/wk

$157.50/wk

$331.50/wk

$178.50/wk

Jan. 3At 9:59 a.m., police were

sent to Hiram Place on a report of someone threatening a second party with a snow shovel.

Upon arrival, the man claiming to be threatened told officers that the owner of the vehicle parked directly behind his car had started yelling at him that he was too close to his vehicle and told him to move his car.

While continuing to shout, the man was walking toward him while brandishing a snow shovel, the reporting party told police. While waiting for police to show up, the man be-ing threatened tried to defuse the situation, asking the other man to calm down, police said.

At this point, the man with the shovel allegedly told the other man that if he didn’t move his car, he would slash his tires, the reporting party told police.

Police charged the shovel man, Aljo Huseinovic, 49, of Harrison, with aggravated as-sault and released him on his own recognizance pending a court appearance.

Jan. 1At 2:42 a.m., police were

dispatched to the 600 block of Sussex St. on a robbery report.

When officers got there, the victim told them he was walking east on Sussex past Washington St. when he was jumped by two males who punched him several times in

the face and head, knocking him to the ground.

One of his attackers then took his iPhone 5S, valued at $400, and a debit card and both fled on foot, last seen going west on Sussex toward Fifth St., the victim told police.

Police said a witness re-ported seeing two males jump out from behind a parked vehicle, assault the victim and then run from the scene in the direction of Fifth St.

Both attackers were de-scribed only as wearing black jackets, police said.

A search of the area by patrol units proved futile, ac-cording to police.

Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident.

– Ron Leir

Highlights from the Harrison Police blotter

Valentine’s DayValentine’s DayValentine’s DayGreetings

Send your message to anyone who holds a place in your heart, with a published greeting in

Double Box (1 col by 4”)

Single Box (1 col by 2”)

$29.99

$19.99(25 words or less & photo)

(20 words or less & photo)

Have a specialday Grandma!

PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 12, 2014Bring or Send your message along with a photo (optional) with yourname, address and phone number with a check or money order to:

The Observer 39 Seeley Ave., Kearny, NJ 07032

Message can also be sent to [email protected] messages must be received by February 6 by 2:00 PM

HappyValentine’s Day!

I love you!Kevin

Bloomfield residents James Sause and Christopher Pulmano, both Class of 2014, at St. Peter’s Preparatory School, Jersey City, were among six seniors to receive this year’s Spirit Awards, the school’s highest non-academic honor. Sause was cited for his work ethic and dedication to academics and athletics; Pulmano, for his intellectual acuity and care for his classmates. From l., are Prep Principal Jim DeAngelo, Christopher Pulmano, James Sause, the Rev. Ken Boller, S.J., Prep president; and Anthony Locricchio, dean of student life.

They’ve got school ‘Spirit’


DIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECTDIRECT RYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYBUSINESS

Restaurant & Bar

973.481.3646

www.picnicrestaurant.com

Specializing in Seafood & BBQ Catering for All Occasions

& Takeout

224 GRANT AVENUE • EAST NEWARK

ASPHALT / PAVING LANDSCAPING DESIGN ALL MASONRY WORK

FULLY INSURED FREE ESTIMATES10% OFF WITH JOBS OVER $2,000

201.991.4165201.401.4525 JAGPAVING.COMServing all NJ Lic# 13VH01119300

ERICKERICKCONSTRUCTION INC.

Specialized in Roofi ng • Siding • Gutters Windows Installation • RepairsScrap Metal • Rubbish Removal

973.343.1167Lic. 13VH04302300

www.erickconstructionnj.comFree Estimates - Fully Insured - Serving all NJ

AVAILABLE 24/7!

J&A POWER WASHINGTrucks Wash - Residential - Commercial

Juan/Andres(908)422-7487/(908)937-8232

404 Harrison Ave • [email protected]

COURAGEOUSPLUMBING, HEATING, COOLINGSewer and Drain Cleaning/Rooter/Central AC

RESIDENTIALCOMMERCIAL

$50 OFFCourageousLLC.com • [email protected]

201.206.4845 • 908.387.8150

NJ Lic# 11103

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Express Co.MAKE YOUR OWN MOVE!

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Mario Esposito Landscaping LLc

Spring Clean-UpsLawn MaintenanceTop Soil • Mulch

FREE ESTIMATES201.438.3991

To advertise in our Business Directory Call 201-991-1600

Hours: M - Sat

11AM - 10PMSun

12PM - 10PM

41B River Road, N. Arlington, NJOrder Online! nicetoeatatslice.com

T: 201-997-7542 F: 201-997-7544

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PLUMBING • HEATING • LIC. 1637

OBITS from 23E. Martinez.

Arrangements were under the direction of Mulligan Funeral Home, Harrison. His funeral services and interment will take place in Peru.

For information or to send condolences to the family please visit mulli-ganfuneralhome.org.

Mary Victoria McDonoughMary Victoria McDon-

ough, 67, died peacefully at home on Jan. 1 after a lengthy illness.

Funeral services were under the direction of Mulligan Funeral Home, Harrison. A funeral Mass was offered at Holy Cross Church, Harrison. Her interment took place in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. For information or to send condolences to the fam-ily, please visit mulligan-funeralhome.org.

Known to her family as Torry, and to her friends as Vicki, Mary Victoria was born on August 14, 1946, in Newark and lived most of her life in her beloved Harrison. She attended Holy Cross School, Marylawn of the Oranges Academy, and graduated from the Col-lege of St. Elizabeth, Con-vent Station, in 1968. Her teaching career included 19 years with the Harri-son School District where she taught first grade. She had also taught English at the El Centro Bilingual, Cuernavaca, Mexico. A parishioner of Holy Cross Church for most of her life, Mary Victoria served as a lec-tor and as a Eucharistic minister. She was ac-tive in the church choir, the Rosary Society and taught C.C.D. for many years. Her community service included mem-bership on the Board of Trustees of the Harrison Public Library and teach-ing English as a second language.

Predeceased by her parents, Marie T. (Young) and Raymond J. McDon-ough Sr., Mary Victoria is survived by her sis-ters, Maureen Miller

of Sparta, and Kathleen Fitzpatrick of Los Ange-les, by her brothers and sisters-in-law Thomas and Ann McDonough and Mayor Raymond McDon-ough and his wife Con-stance, all of Harrison, nieces Kimberly and hus-band Alfredo Huaranga, Breena and husband Taku Taira of Glendale, Calif., Kara and husband David Bajot of Palo Alto, Calif., nephews Thomas and wife Tara McDonough and Michael and wife Suzi of Mission Viejo, Ca-lif. and great-nieces and nephews, Anthony and Giuliana Huaranga, Lev and Sei Taira, and Katie and Sarah Fitzpatrick and Alex Bajot.

Mary Victoria will be greatly missed by her family and by her many friends and associates both at Holy Cross and Lincoln School. Memo-rial donations may be made to the Holy Cross Restoration Fund, 16 Church Square, Harrison, N.J. 07029 or to a charity of your choice in her lov-ing memory.

Anna Mae PearnAnna M. (Joll) Pearn,

94, died on Dec. 27, 2013, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Arrangements were by the Thiele-Reid Fam-ily Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Dr., Kearny. The funeral service was held at the funeral home, followed by interment in Rosedale Cemetery, Linden. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thiele-reid.com.

Mrs. Pearn was born in Kearny and lived there most of her life.

She was employed for the U.S. Postal Service and served as a person-nel supervisor at the bulk mail in Kearny for many years.

Anna is survived by her children Maryann With-erspoon, Fred, Frank and Tom; one sister Mildred Mella; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchil-dren.

She was predeceased by her husband Frederick Pearn, her sons Robert and John and her grand-son Freddie.

Pauline PlaugicMrs. Pauline Plaugic, of

Kearny, died on Dec. 31. She was 77.

The funeral Mass was held at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, followed by interment in Holy Cross Cemetery. Arrange-ments were by the Con-don Funeral Home 684 Kearny Ave., Kearny.

Mrs. Plaugic had been an administrative assis-tant for Bambergers in Newark for many years until retiring.

Pauline is survived by her husband, Donald and her children, Debo-rah Diglio (Paul), Paula Bardzilowski (Ronald), Donna Pedati (Philip) and Donald Plaugic Jr. (Ange-lina). Also surviving are her brother, Harry Ger-stenmaier as well as her 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider donations to barnabashealthhospice.org.

Mary Wharrie Mary Wharrie (nee Mc-

Nally) died Dec. 9 at her home in North Arlington.

Born in Paisley, Scot-land, she lived in North Arlington for the past 48 years.

She was a food service worker at the West Hud-son Hospital in Kearny before her retirement. She was a member of the North Arlington, Happy Senior Citizens and the North Arlington Senior Activity Center.

She was the beloved wife of the late William James, the cherished mother of Raymond and his wife Alice and Wil-liam and his wife Robin, the loving grandmother of William Craig and Ste-ven James, and the dear sister of James McNally of England and Nan Ben-nett of Australia.

The funeral service was held at the Parow Funeral Home, 185 Ridge Rd., North Arlington, on Thursday, Dec. 12. A pri-vate cremation followed .

Donations in her mem-ory may be made to the North Arlington Senior Activity Center, 11 York Rd., North Arlington, N.J. 07031.


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Documents

Jan. 8, 2014 Edition of The Observer