Pam Hersh

Sheryl Lee Ralph, an Emmy Award-winning actress, Broadway star, TV sitcom star, and one of the first women admitted to Rutgers College more than 50 years ago, encouraged members of the Class of 2023 to chase their dreams and find their voice in a passionate speech that started with her singing and taking a selfie with the crowd. “Don’t chase money. Money will come,” said Ralph who made history in 2022 when she won the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard in ABC’s hit sitcom Abbott Elementary. “Figure out what makes you happy. If you enjoy what you do, it doesn’t feel like a job.”

Before Ralph, only the second Black woman to win that Emmy, delivered the commencement address, President Jonathan Holloway bestowed upon her an honorary degree of humane letters during the 257th Anniversary Commencement of Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS). READ MORE

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Highland Park NJ Porchfest 2023 is back by popular demand for its 3rd year. This Sunday, May 21, 2023, 12 to 6 p.m. several porches in town will be alive with the sounds of music. Last year was a huge success with over 13 porches and a ton of very talented musicians. For exact locations, go to Facebook.com and search for Highland Par NJ Porchfest 2023.     Main Street Highland Park’s annual Downtown Planting Days are back for two more fun-filled days of downtown beautification! READ MORE

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Daylight Saving Time makes its return on Sunday, March 12 at 2 a.m.– time to move the clocks forward one hour. The much debated annual process of changing clocks back in fall and ahead in spring began during World War I as a way to conserve energy. In 1966, the Uniform Time Act established the current practice of Daylight Saving Time, which runs from March through November. The Energy Policy of 2005 made Daylight Saving Time four weeks longer. Only Congress or the Secretary of Transportation can make a time-zone adjustments. READ MORE

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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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