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Friday, May 18, 2012

Child Safety Locks Deemed Unsafe

The Safety 1st toilet and cabinet locks were sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Burlington Coat Factory, Home Depot, Target and Walmart.

Hundreds of thousands of child safety locks are being recalled because they can fail, exposing children to dangerous situations. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Dorel Juvenile Group, Thursday announced a voluntary recall of about 183,000 toilet locks and 685,000 cabinet locks. Young children can unexpectedly disengage the toilet locks and gain access to water in the toilet, posing the risk of drowning, according to the CPSC, and the cabinet locks are being recalled because young children can disengage the lock, posing the risk of injury from dangerous or unsafe items stored in the cabinet. Have you had issues with these locks or others not working? Tell us in the comments below. Consumers …

Bruce Ruck

8:31 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012

As director of Drug Information and Professional Education for the NJ Poison Center I can tell you it is imperative to lock up all meds. Keep them high and locked up. Child "safety locks are not good enough. Meds need to be locked up not only from little children but also your teens. Prescription drug abuse is at an all time high. Teens take meds form their house, homes of friends and relatives. …   more ›

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Gov. Wants Non-Partisan Effort to Approve Tax Cuts

Christie also addresses video parody with Newark mayor during his East Hanover meeting.

The focus Wednesday of Gov. Chris Christie's 79th Town Hall meeting was the governor's proposed 10 percent, across-the-board tax cuts. Christie, speaking at the East Hanover Fire Department, said he's determined to deliver the tax break New Jersey residents have been waiting for. “The people of New Jersey haven’t had a tax cut in over a decade," he said. "You’ve made the sacrifices that were necessary to step up and help me balance this budget, and I want to give you some of your money back to spend on your family, not to spend in Trenton." Christie looks to accomplish this despite some opposition across county lines. According to Christie, two of those opposing the proposal in particular—Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) …

Cara DePalma

10:27 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012

Looks like the governor was talking to retirees and school kids bussed to be there. Perhaps if Christie would have a real town hall meeting where more citizens can attend to ask real questions, I'd buy what he's saying. How many working people are around at 1:45 in the afternoon? And Christie's is all about semantics. He put the cap of 2% on so he could say HE'S not raising your property taxes, …   more ›

Booker, Christie Ham It Up for Video

Mayor and governor have fun with their images

Just because they're the state's two most prominent politicians doesn't mean they don't have a sense of humor. The office of Gov. Chris Christie yesterday released a lighthearted video co-starring Newark Mayor Cory Booker as a peripatetic go-to guy, riffing off his now national-scale image as a man of action following his rescue of a neighbor from a burning building several weeks ago. As the Democratic mayor of the state's largest city is depicted doing everything from coming up with a spare guitar for Bruce Springsteen to catching a falling baby, a faux-frustrated Christie hisses "Booker!" The video was produced for the New Jersey Press Association's Legislative Correspondent's Club show. Click on the video above to see the Cory and Chris…

Nose Wayne

11:39 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012

Tricia, Yes Sunday is Double time. Probabily filmed on a Sunday. Getting the best for your buck!   more ›

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

County Names Two Warren Men 'Profiles in Positive Aging'

Ernie Cottrill and George Truxel honored at county meeting.

Warren residents Ernie Cottrill and George Truxel were recently honored by the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders in the county Office on Aging and Disability Services’ “Profiles of Positive Aging” program.   “Each May, in celebration of Older Americans Month, we honor the diversity and vitality of our older residents. With their valuable insights and wisdom, they enrich lives and maintain the continuity of our communities,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Peter S. Palmer, human services liaison.  “The 2012 Profiles of Positive Aging recipients are wonderful role models for their communities.” Six gentlemen were recognized on May 8 for their leadership skills and for volunteering their time to give back to residents of Somerset …

Towns Oppose Proposed Changes to Meeting Laws

Legislation seen as adding costs, burden to governmental meetings.

The Watchung Borough Council has already staked a position against two bills in the legislature that seek to update the Open Public Meetings Act, and more area governing bodies are almost certain to join. The measures—Assembly bills A-2426 and A-2425—were introduced by Teaneck Democrat Gordon Johnson, and contain changes to the language of the laws governing requirements for all levels of government, as well as schools, state commissions and other authorities to disclose actions and plans to the public. But Warren Township Clerk Patricia DiRocco, who gave a presentation on the legislation to a May 9 meeting of the Somerset County Governing Officials Association, noted the changes could add some costs as well as create near-impossible …

Friday, May 11, 2012

Supporters of Library Worker Take Battle to Social Media Sites

Using Facebook and a Change.org petition, backers of Larry Sapienza hope to get reversal.

Change.org has proven an effective tool for many causes—think Trayvon Martin or Bank of America's dropped plans for a $5 debit card fee. Now, the friends of Larry Sapienza, the former Warren Township Library circulation supervisor fired last month, are employing the website to try and get officials to reverse the decision. The group launched the Change.org effort and opened a Facebook page to keep attention on Sapienza's plight. "I would like to express my deepest thanks to everyone who is fighting to keep this matter from disappearing into the shadows," Sapienza said about the efforts. He added he has not heard from the Somerset County Library System Commission regarding the next step in the appeal he filed regarding his dismissal.   "I …

Tom Smith

9:40 am on Friday, May 11, 2012

Mr. Auger and Mr. Mcoy's decision making is despicable and self preserving. They were covering up an error in judgment on their part. They used Larry as a scapegoat. They should be reprimanded and forced to reinstate Larry. The poor judgment was on their part and not Larry's. After 20 years of dedicated service Larry only felt he was following orders from higher ups. The only justice would be to …   more ›

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Library System's Balance Sheet to be Examined

Township evaluating whether costs of county system are worth it.

It's not been a good month for Warren Public Library. After coming under fire for the handling of a change in duties for the volunteers and the dismissal of two employees, the Township Committee took aim at the costs and benefits of belonging to the county system at its May 3 meeting. "It looks as if we're paying $1.7 million to the county for the library system, but we're getting $1.8 million back," Mayor Carolann Garafola said. While committee members agreed that calculation looked pretty good, it did not include the cost of maintaining the library, or the heating and cooling costs for which the township is responsible. But Deputy Mayor Vic Sordillo, who requested the study several months ago, noted his concern wasn't just whether or not…

Laura A. Herndon

10:05 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012

I assume, however, that if Warren removes itself from the county library system, residents would still be able to go to neighboring county libraries in towns such as Watchung or Bridgewater to have access to the full range of county resources. I hope that the township committee takes into account that use of the library might be affected by such a decision.   more ›

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Report: Arts Education Leads to Higher Test Scores

New Jersey Arts Education Census Project surveys nearly all schools to compare arts education offerings.

A statewide survey of arts education programs in New Jersey schools to be released Thursday finds a correlation between schools with more arts education programs and greater proficiency scores on the language sections of the state's High School Proficiency Assessment.   The report is a follow-up to one conducted in 2007, and is a joint project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the state Department of Education, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Arts Education Partnership, ArtPride New Jersey Foundation, and Quadrant Arts Education Research. According to Robert Morrison, project coordinator of the report and founder of Quadrant Arts Education Research, the report compiled survey responses from about 99 percent of the …

Interested Party

8:24 am on Friday, May 11, 2012

The headline draws a misleading conclusion. Correlation (which the study finds) does not mean causation. There is a link between arts education and high test scores, but that does not necessarily mean that arts education causes high test scores.   more ›

POLL: Obama Backs Gay Marriage

President Obama made his historic pronouncement during an interview with ABC News.

President Barack Obama has publicly come out in support of gay marriage, the first time in history that a sitting U.S. President has ever done so.  Obama gave the news to ABC News' Robin Roberts in an interview that will air on ABCs “Good Morning America" on Thursday. "I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit …

Domino

8:02 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Be careful Stacie, Lotito likes to throw out nasty comments and when you reply, he runs to the nearest municipal court, pulls out his three ring binder full of clippings he saves from the internet, and whines to the judge like a pathetic little boy that he was harassed and his family is in danger. Creep !!!!   more ›

Mountain Boulevard Improvements Focus of May 14 Meeting

County project aims to widen, straighten sections of road in Watchung.

As plans to improve a section of Mountain Boulevard in Watchung proceed, some residents living along the road have been trying to make sure the rural nature of the area remains, borough officials say. Cutting down trees and adding sidewalks would certainly change the nature of the bucolic drive, and while plans for sidewalks are included in the county's designs, sidewalks are not part of the project. "As much as safety is an issue, you don't want to make it an interstate highway, either," Borough Administrator Thomas Atkins said. "And the county doesnt want to, either." The project wil repave, widen and take some of the curve out of the road between the Warren Township border and Anderson Road. The county will offer area residents a chance…

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