Pam Hersh

Highland Park has a new leadership team- Mayor Elsie Foster and Council President Matthew Hersh

At a special meeting of the Highland Park Mayor and Borough Council on Tuesday January 24, council members voted for Acting Mayor Elsie Foster to assume the position of mayor and complete the remaining one year in the term of Gayle Brill Mittler, who resigned on the mayor’s position on Dec. 31, 2022. Foster was one of three candidates nominated to complete the mayor’s term; the other nominees were Council Member Phil George and Council Member Matthew Hersh.Council members also voted for Council Member Matthew Hersh to assume the position of council president, which was vacated by Foster when she assumed the position of mayor. Hersh was one of two candidates nominated for council president; the other nominee was Council Member Stephany Kim Chohan.In her remarks before the vote by the council, Foster identified her priorities: safety, affordability, and downtown development. She stressed her 22 years serving on the council and her considerable experience, including having served on all the committees of the council.After the vote, she stated: “I’m complimented by the confidence my colleagues on the council have placed in me. READ MORE

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From NJ Spotlight – Friday Nov. 4, 2022: The day after FBI in Newark warned of a threat to synagogues in N.J., the agency said it has identified its source and mitigated the danger.The agency did not detail what steps it had taken, saying only, “We identified the source of the threat who no longer poses a danger to the community.”The source was identified only as a man who holds “radical extremist views”; there was also no word on whether he had been charged or was in custody.The agency yesterday took to Twitter to say it had “received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ,” explaining the unusual move as a “proactive measure” as it investigated. 
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Announced during the 2022 State of the County address at the beginning of April by Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios, the County is doubling down on its commitment to its residents with programs and initiatives specifically focused on revitalizing our education system, continuing to build programs centered around the health and wellness of residents, and ensuring Middlesex County is the best place to live, work, and play for all. 

This year’s State of the County was held in-person for the first time in two years at the Carteret Performing Arts Center with more than 200 county residents, business leaders, students, and government officials in attendance.  A link to the full event can be found here. “Middlesex County has been on a transformative journey over the last decade centered on making strategic business decisions to improve our overall fiscal health and investing in the vital services we provide our residents, all laddering up to our Destination 2040 master plan,” said Ronald G. Rios, Director of the Board of County Commissioners. “At our core, Middlesex County is committed to making decisions that enable us to offer services and launch programs that have a lasting impact on those who call and will call Middlesex County home.”

Additionally, County Commissioner Director Rios shared that, despite the pandemic and the economic challenges of the past two years, it grew its surplus fund to nearly $89 million and decreased its debt by more than $10 million. This surplus, combined with the County’s receipt of the coveted AAA bond rating from Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings, reaffirms County’s robust fiscal health. 

Additionally, during the address, County Commissioner Director Rios highlighted how the County plans to leverage key partnerships and funds to support essential services while also investing millions in capital projects including performing arts centers, parks, recreation, and open space this year. While the overall physical and mental health and well-being of Middlesex County residents continues to be at the forefront, the County will be focusing on sound business strategies meant to expand career and job opportunities. READ MORE

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New Jersey is poised to be an important player in the emerging offshore wind (OSW) energy industry development throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. A strong OSW energy industry can only be technologically efficient and cost-effective with the existence of a nearby robust supply chain support.  

To help sustain this emerging industry, Rutgers EcoComplex has launched the “WindIgnite” accelerator program to provide support to the OSW supply chain. Located at the EcoComplex facility in Bordentown, New Jersey, the program will serve as the hub of an innovative wind supply chain entrepreneurship ecosystem. It is being tailored for entrepreneurs and small businesses, with a particular emphasis on women and minority-owned enterprises.   The EcoComplex “Clean Energy Innovation Center,” affiliated with Rutgers University, is dedicated to moving inventions from the lab to successful real-world applications and to promote New Jersey as a center for clean energy and environmental innovations and enterprises. “Given the complexity of the supply chain for OSW energy technology, WindIgnite will utilize a network of resources to assist new and existing OSW energy supply chain technology companies to successfully maneuver the innovation pathway,” says Serpil Guran, director of Rutgers EcoComplex. 

This pathway includes discovery, concept assessment, business model assessment, technology verification, scale-up and commercialization to support emerging offshore wind industry in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic region. 

The ultimate goal is to provide a solid network for supply chain industry growth and to maximize the economic development impacts that it can generate. The WindIgnite program is funded by Atlantic Shores LLC.   
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American Repertory Ballet (ARB) presents a fantastical forest of faries, eleves, and mischief grows in New Brunswick, N.J. with the world premiere of Ethan Stiefel’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, April 1-3, 2022 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. His first full-length ballet for the company since being named Artistic Director in the summer of 2021, Stiefel’s magical production for audiences of all ages will be performed in collaboration with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Bean. Set to Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic score with additional music written for film by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the enchanting production will transport audiences to a fantastical forest filled with fairies, elves, mischief, romance, joy and love. ARB’s Artistic Associate and American Ballet Theatre principal ballerina Gillian Murphy will dance the role of Oberon, leader of the elves. “I can’t wait to dance in the world premiere of this incredibly unique, magical, and entertaining production,” says Murphy. “The story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is such a treat to watch or perform, and I’m thrilled to portray Oberon for the first time in such a brilliant new version created by the one and only Ethan Stiefel.”

Stiefel’s artistic vision employs an expansive choreographic vocabulary, with a style and dynamic that veers from tradition. READ MORE

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