Highland Park Planet - Community journalism. Welcome to our Planet.

Since launching in May 2021, the Middlesex County Emergency Rental Assistance Program has distributed more than $11 million in combined assistance for renter households in Middlesex County. This includes more than $10.6 million in rental assistance and nearly $790K in utilities assistance.Millions of dollars are still available for distribution; eligible renters are urged to apply for assistance today. Information can be found atMiddlesexcountynj.gov/rentalassistance. MCERAP, which is funded through a $24.6 million grant from the federal government, is open to renter households in Middlesex County that meet specific criteria (see below). Funding is distributed on a priority basis, directly to landlords and utility companies. Assistance is limited to a maximum of 12 months of arrears and cannot be provided for rental and/or utility arrears incurred prior to March 2020. READ MORE

Police are looking for Jakil Bryant of Highland Park, who was last seen this morning, February 23, in the area of Magnolia Street and South 2nd Ave after he ran from arresting officers. READ MORE

This week, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) opened the application portal for the Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance program (ERMA). To help protect homeowners from foreclosure, this program will provide assistance to cover mortgage arrearages, delinquent property taxes, and other housing costs for eligible homeowners negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. If eligible, you could receive up to $35,000 in the form of a three-year forgivable loan, with no interest or payments due. NJHMFA will also provide free housing counseling services to help New Jersey homeowners apply for this program, guide them through all available options, and even work with their loan servicers to achieve the best outcome available for their families. These counselors will also ensure that the process is accessible to those without access to internet or anyone needing assistance with the application. READ MORE

During this week’s COVID-19 briefing, Governor Murphy announced that masks and facial coverings will no longer be mandated for students, staff, or visitors in schools and childcare centers, effective March 7th, 2022. School districts and childcare facilities can continue to implement universal masking policies after the mandate is lifted in March. Schools that do not impose universal masking should revise their COVID policies to utilize masking among other prevention strategies under certain circumstances. Schools will not be permitted to bar the use of facial coverings by individuals and will be expected to take disciplinary action in instances of bullying, should they arise due to an individual’s choice to continue wearing a mask

Until March 7th, 2022, masks must be worn indoors by staff, students, and visitors in all situations except as described in EO 251. This includes physical education classes, prior to boarding the school bus, while on the bus and until students are completely off the bus. READ MORE

New Brunswick, New Jersey – American Repertory Ballet (ARB) will open its spring season with a festive evening of whimsy, world premieres, and gorgeous dancing at its Mask-erade Gala on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC). This major fundraising event supports the organization’s artistic, educational, and community engagement programs.

The performance program will feature an exclusive sneak peek of Ethan Stiefel’s new A Midsummer Night’s Dream, an exhilarating excerpt from the classical ballet Don Quixote; a bewitching duet created by American Ballet Theatre’s Claire Davison; and a showstopping pièce d’occasion by Michael Mindlin, a Princeton Ballet School alum and dance supervisor of Hamilton, among others. Students from Princeton Ballet School, the official school of American Repertory Ballet, will also take the stage. The evening’s honorees include the Rutgers Global Health Institute; Jeffrey Grosser, Princeton’s Deputy Administrator of Health and Community Services; and the Princeton Spine & Joint Center, for enabling ARB and Princeton Ballet School dancers to safely return to the studio and the stage. “These health partners have been instrumental in helping us safely navigate the ongoing pandemic,” says Julie Diana Hench, Executive Director. READ MORE

Fee Reimbursement

Rutgers University students are taking in-person classes after starting the spring semester online. But some students sued the university for closures during the first wave of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, alleging they were entitled to refunds of on-campus tuition, fees and other charges after the school went to remote instruction. Rutgers has agreed to pay $5 million, which will be evenly divided among roughly 64,500 students, minus about $950,000 in legal fees. A superior court judge ruled Friday that the deal is fair, adequate and reasonable. In the end, each student will get about $63. READ MORE

At 6:17 a.m. on Jan. 19 a person or persons fired six shots at two unoccupied cars that were parked on the 200 block of South Second Ave. There were no reported injuries. Highland Park Police believe there is no continuing danger to the community as a result of this shootingl. Residents, however, in the South Second neighborhood who were outside shoveling snow this past weekend did express some anxiety over the incident that “never should happen here on our streets,” one resident said. READ MORE

From a third to half of students fell short of grade-level expectations for the fall — and the numbers were even starker in some racial and income groups. READ MORE

Governor Phil Murphy this week announced the second round of funding for the Library Construction Bond Act (LCBA), which allocates $37 million to 36 library projects from 13 counties across New Jersey. This allocation includes nearly $500,000 for the Highland Park Public Library, an amount that will be matched by Highland Park Borough. READ MORE

The mandate requires masks in all indoor public settings within Highland Park. These settings, according to the executive order, include indoor religious services, public commercial establishments of any kind, or retail establishments of any kind.  READ MORE