Highland Park Celebrates the Multi-Million dollar Renovation of School Recreation Track and Field Complex

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The Borough of Highland Park on September 29, 2022 formally opened the nearly two million dollar renovation of the football fields/track & field/recreation complex behind the Highland Park Middle School/High School. The renovation of the Highland Park Recreation Complex was funded by an allocation from the NJ State FY 2022 budget and local matching funds from the municipal budget as approved by the Highland Park Council Members and the school budget as approved by the Highland Park Board of Education Memvbers. Highland Park elected officials and staff worked tirelessly to obtain the funding from the state and to ensure matching local funds. In her remarks, the mayor noted:

“The recreation complex at the Middle School/High School is the only large parcel of land owned by the borough. As such, it has served as the location for different broadly-attended borough activities over the years. READ MORE

HPPD Averts Potential Suicide on Goodkind Bridge

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Two Highland Park Police officers stopped a potential tragedy last week, as they calmed an individual showing suicidal behavior on the Goodkind Bridge in Edison. On the evening of Friday, June 3, Highland Park Police Officer Sean Garley was driving over theMorris Goodkind Bridge on Rt 1 in Edison on his way home from work. As he was crossing thebridge, he observed a car parked on the shoulder and an individual pacing near the railing thatrepeatedly grabbed the guardrail and leaned over the edge, looking at the river below.Believing he was witnessing an indicator of suicidal behavior, Officer Garley parked nearby,exited his vehicle, and started speaking with the distraught individual who confirmed they wereintending to jump from the bridge.Utilizing his training in de-escalation and critical incident management skills, Officer Garleycalmed the individual down and over the span of several minutes was able to bring them awayfrom the edge of the bridge to sit on the curb.Off Duty Highland Park Police Detective Sean McGraw, also on his way home from work, sawwhat was happening and stopped to assist Garley in keeping the individual calm.The off-duty Highland Park Officers notified the Highland Park Dispatch center of what wasoccurring and asked for support from neighboring jurisdictions. Officers from the Edison andNew Brunswick Police Departments quickly arrived on scene and were able to take theindividual to a local hospital for an evaluation and treatment.Highland Park Police Chief Rick Abrams praised Officer Garley and Det. McGraw, saying, “I amextremely proud of both officers. READ MORE

Mural vandal – a Highland Park resident – is apprehended by Highland Park police and charged

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Chief Rick Abrams of the Highland Park Police Department announces that a man from Highland Park has been charged with the vandalizing of the mural located at 75 Raritan Ave. Thomas Santo, 54, of Highland Park, New Jersey, was charged with NJSA 2C:16-1 Bias Intimidation, a 4th degree criminal charge, as well as NJSA 2C:17-3 Criminal Mischief for the actual physical defacement of the mural. A preliminary investigation by Highland Park Police Detective Sgt. J. Culver and Det. Palumbo determined that Mr. Santo first vandalized the mural on the morning of 4/29/22 and then returned later in the day to vandalize the mural again. READ MORE

Highland Park Mural defaced and town reacts to a shocking act of intolerance and bigotry

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Several faith and service leaders led a vigil on the evening of May 2, 2022 after a newly installed mural, titled “Home is Where We Make It,” was vandalized last week. Discussions are ongoing among community leaders as to when the mural will be restored. Speakers at the vigil included Josh Pruzansky, president for the Raritan Valley Orthodox Jewish Community Association, Dr. Alex Kharazi, director of Masjid-e-Ali Mosque, Pastor Seth Kaper-Dale, Reformed Church of Highland Park, and Rebecca Cypess, Middlesex Black-Jewish Coalition. Members of The Shelter Project, a group of faculty from Rutgers University and the New Brunswick Theological Seminary that commissioned the mural, also attended. The mural, located near Papa John’s pizzeria parking lot at 75 Raritan Avenue, was designed to facilitate conversations with the local refugee community by being in a prominent place for motorists and pedestrians alike. READ MORE

It’s Legal – Mariunana as of April 21, 2022, can be legally purchased for recreational use by adults

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NJ on April 21, 2022 finally joined the growing roster of states where marijuana can be legally purchased for recreational use by adults — a milestone marked both by state officials and happy customers proclaiming “at last.”

Gov. Phil Murphy, who campaigned on legalizing pot, was among the dignitaries on hand at Zen Leaf in Elizabeth, one of 13 locations across NJ now in the legal retail recreational-pot business.Sales for now are limited to existing medical-marijuana dispensaries that won approval to expand their operations to recreational users; more locations are due to come online in the future.It’s been nearly 18 months since state voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of recreational pot in a referendum; 17 states and the District of Columbia have already taken the step. The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission has issued the following tips for cannabis customers in New Jersey:

Do: Be patient – expect long lines and wait your turn to be served.Do: Start low and go slow – follow product instructions and remember ingestible products can take longer to take effect than smoking or vaping. Call NJ Poison Center at 800-222-1222 if you are concerned you may have ingested or used too much.Do: Store your legal cannabis products securely, out of the reach of kids. Legal cannabis products are in child safe packaging, but always keep them secure and out of the reach of anyone under the age of 21.Don’t: Drive while high. Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal and dangerous.Don’t: Cross state lines. READ MORE

Tyler Rios pleads guilty in domestic violance case

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Highland Park High School graduate and former high school football star Tyler Rios, now of East Orange, pleaded guilty in mid-April, 2022, to one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and one count of second-degree desecrating of human remains in the death of 24-year-old Highland Park High School graduate Yasmein Uyar, who was a resident of Rahway at the time of her murder. The tragic ending to the abusive relationship that began when they were both Highland Park High School students occurred in July 2021, with the arrest of Rios and discovery of Uyar’s body. Their son was unharmed. The 27-year-old Rios was charged with killing his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping their two-year-old-son, after an Amber Alert and statewide manhunt last July. He is facing a 30-year sentence after a guilty plea, according to Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel. READ MORE