Westfield Bank 2x8
Mackie 2x6 General Election
Absentee Ballots Available Saturday
Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi has announced that the Office of the County Clerk in Elizabeth will be open on Saturday, October 31, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to serve voters who need absentee ballot applications for the General Election on Tuesday, November 3.
Walk-in applications for absentee ballots are acceptable until 3 p.m. on Monday, November 2. Mail-in applications cannot be accepted if they are postmarked after Tuesday, October 27.
County Clerk Rajoppi’s office is located in the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth. Applications may be picked up between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
She noted that her office has processed more than 2,500 absentee ballots for the General Election.
County Announces Collection For Household Special Waste
Union County Utilities Authority (UCUA) Chairman James J. Kennedy has announced that the county and the Authority will sponsor two Fall 1998 Household Special Waste Days.
The first event will be held this Saturday, October 24, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the New Providence Public Works Yard on Passaic Street. Household special waste and electronics can be dropped off at this event.
The second event is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, at the Rahway City Hall parking lot on Main Street, also from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There is no cost to participate; however, pre-registration and proof of Union County residency is required. Contractors are not eligible to take part in these events.
Acceptable household special waste includes oil-based paints and varnishes, anti-freeze, pool chemicals, corrosives and cleaners, pesticides and herbicides, caustics, solvents and thinners, aerosol cans, asphalt sealers, fire extinguishers, flammable liquids and solids, motor oil and motor oil filters, gasoline, transmission fluid, automotive products, batteries (dry cell and lead acid), propane tanks, fluorescent bulbs (un
broken), thermostats, thermometers and mercury switches, small electric appliances with non-removable rechargeable batteries (cordless tools, flashlights, etc. will be accepted).
Containers larger than five gallons, empty containers, unidentified materials, explosives, radioactive material, gas cylinders or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) material will not be accepted.
With pre-registration, the county will accept school laboratory waste chemicals at both of these events.
According to UCUA Executive Director, Dr. Joseph Spatola, this program is designed to assist public, parochial and private schools in accessing an effective, environmentally sound, costeffective method of disposing of unwanted chemical wastes and reagents.
Latex paint will not be accepted at these events. The UCUA has urged people to consider donating nearly full cans of latex paint to community groups.
If the municipality in which an individual lives does not recycle empty steel cans, they may be disposed of with the normal, household trash after the paint is dried out, the UCUA has advised.
If in doubt, county residents are asked to check with the Municipal Coordinator in their town, who may refer them to a local bulky waste facility which accepts empty paint cans.
To register for either Household Special Waste event, please call the UCUA at (732) 382-9400, Extension No. 48, on Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 1 and 4:30 p.m.
Information regarding cancellation of any event due to severe inclement weather may be accessed by calling the UCUA (recording), after 3 p.m. on the Friday before the scheduled event.
‘Four Weekends’ Offers Opportunity to Learn About County’s History By MICHELLE H. LePOIDEVIN
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times
A taste of Union County history will be available to county residents during “Four Centuries In A Weekend…A Journey Through Union County’s History” this Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, October 25, from noon to 5 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Department of Economic Development, Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, and the historical and cultural sites participating in the event.
Support has also been provided through grants from the New Jersey Historical Commission, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and the New Jersey Automobile Club of the American Automobile Association.
The heritage festival will offer the opportunity to explore the depth and diversity of local history. Twenty historical sites will be featured, including early mansions, farmhouses, museums and business establishments, some of which date back to the 1600s.
The Miller-Cory House Museum, located at 614 Mountain Avenue in Westfield, was constructed in 1740 and stands on the “road to the mountains,” its original site. It was named for its two owners, Samuel Miller and Joseph Cory, descendants of the earliest settlers in the area. The Miller and Cory families were farmers.
The museum is a one-and-a-half story, clapboard farmhouse. The property remained in the Cory family until 1921. The house includes a beehive oven for baking and an open hearth fireplace.
During the Colonial period, sheep were sheared in the springtime on the property. Candles were created to light the house, and wool was spun into thread to weave fabric.
As part of “Four Centuries In A Weekend,” the Miller-Cory Museum will offer guided tours by docents in period dress, open hearth cooking and a fall festival.
The Osborn Cannonball House at 1840 Front Street in Scotch Plains is another stop on the “journey.” It is a small, white clapboard house which was erected in the early 1700s by Jonathan and Abigail Osborn.
The house features wooden pegs which were used in construction then instead of nails; low doors and ceilings, brick-filled walls, 19th-century furnishings, an arbor and formal gardens.
The house got its name as the result of a Continental cannon which was fired in the direction of oncoming British troops in the Battle of Ash Swamp during the Revolutionary War. The shot was misdirected and landed on the side of the house. Townspeople afterwards started to refer to the house as the Cannonball House.
The house, which has been restored and furnished, is operated as a museum by the Historical Society of Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
An exhibit of 19th-century hats and changing exhibits of period clothing will also be featured during the weekend.
The Saltbox Museum, located at 1350 Springfield Avenue in New Providence, was originally inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape Indians. The first European settlers to this area, or Puritans, arrived in 1720 and came through the “West Fields.”
The museum is a blend of two houses built in separate locations and in different years between 1790 and 1844. It obtained its saltbox shape when the houses were united in the 19th century. The museum’s first floor is partially
furnished to represent a standard New Jersey farmhouse of the mid-19th century.
The museum is now operated by the New Providence Historical Society.
During the weekend, the museum will feature an exhibit entitled “Preserving Our Past for the Future,” as well as antique toys. Guided tours are also scheduled.
Those touring the Mason Room at the New Providence Library, 377 Elkwood Avenue, will be treated to a collection of rare documents, maps, photographs and oral history tapes. The tours are scheduled for Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The Deacon Andrew Hetfield House, at Constitution Plaza in Mountainside, was originally built at another location in 1760 by Deacon Andrew Hetfield. His descendants added onto the house over a period of 70 years. Three stages were involved in the completion of the house, which occurred in 1830.
The house was saved from demolition in 1984 by the Mountainside Historic Preservation Committee and the Borough of Mountainside. A year later, it was transported along Route No. 22 to its present location.
The house includes a Victorian bay window and parlor furnished with antiques, and a recreated Colonial-style kitchen. Guided tours will be available during the weekend, and visitors will also be able to explore the house on their own.
Other historic sites featured during the weekend will be the Littell-Lord Farmstead and The Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside in Berkeley Heights; the Dr. William Robinson Plantation in Clark; the Crane-Philips House in Cranford; the Belcher-Ogden Mansion and Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth, and Evergreen Cemetery and the Woodruff House/Eaton Store Museum in Hillside.
Also featured will be the Drake House Museum in Plainfield; the Merchants and Drovers Tavern in Rahway; the Abraham Clark House in Roselle; the Roselle Park Museum; the Cannon Ball House in Springfield; the Carter House and Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, and Caldwell Parsonage in Union.
Visitors will receive Time Traveler Certificates with validated “Passports to Discovery” after participating in the designated tours.
Participants whose passports are not completed over the weekend may have them stamped at the tour sites until Friday, April 30, 1999, in order to qualify for a certificate.
Children who participate in the event will be supplied with specially prepared lesson kits which include timeline activities, compare-and-contrast activities about their historical visits, and a bulletin board map activity.
The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders was recently presented with the 1998 Achievement Award by NACO (National Association of Counties) for the “Four Centuries In A Weekend” project.
“The weekend offers visitors a variety of experiences and special events at all 20 historic sites and house museums,” stated Daniel P. Sullivan, Freeholder Board Chairman.
“Join in the fun as you explore the historic sites that have played important roles in shaping Union County and New Jersey throughout the past 400 years,” he concluded.
S. African Ambassador Visits NAACP Chapter
By SHANNON WATERS
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times
South African ambassador to the United States, Franklin Sonn, was the guest speaker last Thursday evening at the Plainfield Area Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) 57th Annual Freedom Funds Award Dinner held at the Westwood in Garwood.
They group assembled to celebrate the NAACP’s theme of “Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today,” to acknowledge the awards nominees’ commitment to community service and to welcome Ambassador Sonn.
It was noted that Ambassador Sonn promotes community restoration, cultural rebuilding and education. He is also dedicated to the mission of equality. The Ambassador is keen on fostering the partnership between the NAACP and the African National Congress (ANC) because they share similar beliefs and history.
These histories include being depicted as radical and militant groups, despite actually being constructive and moderate organizations.
Both the NAACP and the ANC advocate equality and the political, social and economic rights of blacks. They act as watchdogs and are dedicated to promoting unity among all people.
The NAACP played a significant role during the civil rights movement in ensuring that the United States Constitution was fairly applied to all.
“The ANC took courage from the struggle of the NAACP and colored people to work affirmatively at the leadership level of the government
and the people,” said Ambassador Sonn.
Ambassador Sonn stated that he was pleased to be able to speak to the local members of the NAACP so that he could discuss poverty, a subject that he feels is unpopular yet is central to economic justice.
“Poverty is a condition that concerns everyone and can foster social instability. It is a universal condition yet racial stereotypes are subscribed to it. The manifestations of povertylarge families, short-term goals and objectives are used to stigmatize blacks because of their physical, historical and social conditions,” he continued.
He said that, “Wealthy white Europeans realize the injustice of prejudice yet maintain systems and structures that foster deprivation. To be black is often to be poor. Blacks are forcibly subjugated into poverty because they got a late start, and are faced with impediments and a victim-blaming system.”
He outlined steps that the NAACP should take to continue its mission. The first step is to embrace a doctrine against all types of prejudice. According to Ambassador Sonn, to be quiet about prejudice is an injustice to the legacy of the leaders of the NAACP. The next step is to fight poverty.
He declared that, “Because we are politically free, we have a new obligation to social justice to fight poverty.”
Sharon Robinson-Briggs, the Event Chairwoman, said that the Plainfield Area NAACP Branch was pleased to have Ambassador Sonn as a speaker because his world-renowned stature lent significance to the group and to the Awards Event.
Each year, three people are recognized for their long-term commitment to the community. This year, Anna L. T. Wiggs was recognized for her commitment to the Rose of Sharon Community Church while Charles “Pete” Brown and Edward Long were recognized for their active support of the Plainfield Senior Citizens Program.
County Delegation Returns From Portugal Trade Mission
A delegation of government and business leaders from Union County, led by Assemblyman Joseph Suliga of the 20th Legislative District and Freeholder Donald Goncalves, returned recently from its successful economic development trade mission in Portugal. The trip included meetings with the United States Ambassador to Portugal, Gerald McGovern.
“We left for Lisbon with clearly defined objectives of meeting with business leaders and policy makes to build friendships and business relationships,” said Freeholder Goncalves, of Elizabeth. “We are happy to report that we enjoyed a very prosperous trip that we can build on in the future.”
The delegation, which was financed by private business and not at taxpayer expense, was comprised of several leading Union County officials, including Freeholder Goncalves, Assemblyman Suliga, Freeholder Chester Holmes, Rahway Mayor James Kennedy and Elizabeth Councilmen Tony Monteiro and Manny Groom.
Union County businessmen on the journey were Carlos Silva of Silcon Construction of Elizabeth, Bay Torso of Tomasso Oil in Elizabeth, and Helder Mendonca of Elizabeth’s Mendonca & Suarez accounting firm.
The delegation visited the facilities of Expo ‘98, a formerly contaminated refinery site that was remediated and now is a highly visible $3 billion economic de
velopment success story. “Union County is faced with the task of taking our brownfields and turning what was unusable land into property that can be used to create jobs and revenues for our towns,” Assemblyman Suliga said.
“Expo ‘98 is an example of how hard work and foresight can turn brownfields into profitable, useful developments. We were able to see how Portugal accomplished Expo ‘98 and brought some of this knowledge home with us,” he added.
The delegation was invited to attend a session of the Assembly of the Republic, the Portuguese Parliament. When introduced, the members of Portugal’s governing body gave the Union County representatives a standing ovation. From there, the group traveled to the Portuguese Stock Market and held meetings with business leaders.
Ambassador McGovern also hosted a reception in honor of the Union County delegation and in attendance were many of Portugal’s business leaders.
“We spent a great deal of time discussing business opportunities in Portugal and attracting international business to Union County,” said Freeholder Goncalves. “There was a tremendous sharing of information which will benefit both regions as we move forward. There is a mission being put together in Lisbon in which Portuguese business and government leaders will visit Union County in the coming months.”
County Sheriff’s Office Seeks College Interns
The Union County Sheriff’s Office is accepting applications from college students who want to work during the spring, 1999 semester.
This is a non-paid internship program in which college students work in the Sheriff’s Office one day each week for eight hours and receive college credits for their work at the end of the semester.
The students will work in many different areas of the Sheriff’s Office, including the Warrant Squad, the Identification Bureau, the K-9 Unit, the Process Unit and the courts.
Applicants for the internship program must be in their junior or senior year in a college or university and have a grade point average of 3.0 or better. They should also check with their counselors or advisors to guarantee that they will receive credit for the internship.
To obtain an application or to receive more information, please call (908) 527-4465 or (908) 527-4487, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Students Invited to Apply For College Scholarships
High school students with a grade point average (GPA) of “B” or better, and college students with a GPA of “B plus” or better, are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship from the Educational Communications Scholarship Foundation.
Students must be United States citizens to be eligible for scholarships.
Application requests must be sent by Wednesday, December 16, to Educational Communications Scholarship Foundation, 721 North McKinley Road, P.O. Box 5012, Lake Forest, Illinois 60045-5012.
A request may be faxed to (847) 295-3972 or e-mailed to scholar@ecsf.org.
All requests for applications must include the student’s name, permanent home address, city, state, zip code, name of current high school or college, approximate GPA, and year in school during the 1998-1999 academic year.
Applications will be fulfilled by mail only on or about Thursday, January 7, 1999. The foundation will choose 250
winners based on academic performance, involvement in extracurricular activities, and some consideration for financial need. A total of $250,000 will be awarded.
Youngsters Sought For Rutgers Study
Babies, toddlers, and children in the Central New Jersey area are being sought for participation in an Early Learning Project sponsored by Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
The age categories are birth to six months, 2½ to 4½ years, and 7 to 10 years old.
The goal of the project, directed by Dr. Carolyn Rovee-Collier and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, is to gather information about the normal development of learning and memory in the first year of life.
In the course of a study, a researcher visits the infant at home three or four times for 15 to 20 minutes each. During the initial visits, the infant learns to play a game with a colorful mobile or miniature train and then, in the final visit, shows what he or she remembers about the game.
Older children play with a computer touch screen for 45 minutes during one or two visits to the home.
Participants receive a Certificate of Appreciation from Rutgers University, and a final report is sent to the parents when the study is completed.
The project has been featured in
Parents, Life. American Health and
Good Housekeeping magazines, as well as several television programs.
Parents interested in participating may call the Rutgers Early Learning Project at (732) 445-4819 for more information.
Free Eye Examinations Available for Diabetics
At Medical Center
Elizabeth General Medical Center and the New Jersey Department of Human Services Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired will offer free eye examinations for individuals with diabetes on Saturday, October 24, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Medical Center’s East Campus, 655 East Jersey Street in Elizabeth.
To reserve an appointment, please call (908) 629-8108 between 10 a.m. and noon.
Diabetic eye disease is a leading cause of blindness and vision loss, however, it can be treated if detected early. Each year, approximately 20,000 individuals with diabetes lose their sight.
Scool of Dance 2x3
| www.goleader.com | press@goleader.com | Copyright |