Highland Park Planet (http://highlandparkplanet.org/)
Dr. Matthew Hale on July 18, 2018 was sworn in as a borough council member by Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler to fill the unexpired term of Councilman Matthew Hersh. Replacing one Matthew H with another Matthew H was necessitated by Matt Hersh’s resignation from council in order to join Governor Phil Murphy’s administration as director of Communications for the NJ Board of Public Utilities. “Matt Hale is a tenured political science professor at Seton Hall University and is widely respected for his political commentary. Matt has chaired our Digital Data Task-force, and it is an asset to have him join Highland Park Borough Council,” said Mayor Brill Mittler, who added that Matt Hersh’s new appointment demonstrates that Highland Park talent is treasured in Trenton.
Middlesex County dancer, trained at American Repertory Ballet, now is a dance instructor with ARB’s ballet school Princeton Ballet School. The 22-year-.old dancer is focusing on a dance program for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease. READ MORE
Free concerts featuring early rock and jazz offer a great way to explore the sounds that helped create today’s popular music,East Jersey Old Town Village in Johnson Park on Sundays Aug. 26 and Sept. 9. READ MORE
Highland Park senior citizens lived up to Highland Park’s reputation as a vibrant arts community in New Jersey by winning several prizes in Middlesex County’s Annual Senior Art Contest. Continue the HP arts celebration at Arts in the Park on Sunday, Sept. 16 READ MORE
Toy Soldiers Comedy Show debuts in Highland Park on Aug 10th and hopes to be a monthly event, featuring raw, personal, political, and cultural humor. READ MORE
Main Street Highland Park is adding pizzaz to the summer with its Tomato Festival on July 27 and its ongoing Thursday night After Dark parties. Come for the camaraderie, feasting, and all-pervasive joy. READ MORE
Emma C. DeVilla, 73, of Dayton died Friday, June 22, 2018 at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center of Plainsboro. Born in Pateros, Rizal, Philippines, she has been a resident of South Brunswick since 1976. Emma retired in 2015 with over 30 years of service as a Nursing Instructor with Capital Health Systems at Fuld. Emma was a member of St. Cecilia’s Church, Monmouth Junction and volunteered for various Roman Catholic Organizations. READ MORE
Matthew Hersh’s new job as director of communications for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities within Matthew’s new job within the Murphy Administration precludes him serving as an elected official in state or local government. He intends to remain a volunteer giving back to the community that has given him so much. READ MORE
Water – a life-sustaining commodity that many take for granted – has gained a much higher profile in Highland Park in the past few days. Residents learned that a typical family of four can expect to pay an increase of $350 this year for the tap water they drink, showers they take, the dishes they wash and the toilets they flush. This increase comprises an annual hike in water/sewer rates and a one-time surcharge. The town is establishing a new rate schedule to address the water and sewer cost increases that were never passed on to Highland Park residents and businesses for the last seven years. This action is due to an administrative failure to increase residential and business sewer and water rates to correspond to the significant escalation of the water and sewer costs being billed to the municipality. READ MORE
Highland Park resident Sam Castillo is raising money and raising expectations for an entrepreneurial enterprise that will rise – literally – to the occasion of satisfying a great need for a kneaded product and needed business in her hometown. READ MORE
Broadway performer, Thayne Jasperson, a cast member of Hamilton, visited Highland Park on Monday, May 14, when he led a theater (acting, singing, and dancing) workshop, geared towards students in the 5th through 12th grades. The workshop was facilitated by Fresh Theatre Arts, LLC., founded by Highland Park resident Tova Halpern. “Thank you, Thayne Jasperson and Fresh Theatre Arts for bringing some Hamilton: An American Musical to Highland Park, New Jersey. My kid (Lily Solomon, 5th grader) had so much fun,” said Rebecca Hersh in a Facebook post. Thayne is one of Hamilton’s original cast members. READ MORE