Archive for December, 2010

SPOTSWOOD -- A Spotswood High School math teacher has been arrested and charged with sending inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old female student, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and Spotswood Police Chief Karl G. Martin announced Monday. »

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act President Obama signed on March 23, 2010, set in motion a wide range of healthcare reforms. Although many of its more sweeping changes won't be fully activated until 2014, several key elements already went live, effective September 23, 2010. »

Dec. 13 at 8:57 a.m. – Officers Joseph Bost and Robert Dedics investigated a burglary at Elm Avenue. The case remains open. »

Dec. 16 at 12:58 a.m. – In the vicinity of Lake Avenue, Officer Christian Lott arrested Rahway resident Joseph Buck, 33, and charged him with DWI. He was subsequently released pending a court date. »

Dear EarthTalk: Can you explain what “desertification” is and why it is an important environmental issue? -- Jay Harris, Nashville, TN »

STATE – New Jersey Blood Services (NJBS), a division of New York Blood Center (NYBC), will hold special blood drives in the donor room at 2279 South Avenue. in Scotch Plains and 167 New Street, New Brunswick on Wednesday, Dec. 22 and Thursday, Dec. 23. »

PORT READING – St. Anthony of Padua Church will again hold its traditional Christmas Friendship Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 25, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. »

PARLIN -- Santa made his rounds early in the Parlin section of Sayreville on Dec. 18. (Photo by Diane Norek Harrison) »

Stress is your body’s natural response to demand or pressure. While periodic stress is normal and can be good for you—helping you to act quickly, overcome challenges, and boost your immunity—ongoing stress can lead to a number of health problems. »

STATE -- As Christmas quickly approaches, the New Jersey Division of the Salvation Army is experiencing a severe drop in donations. Kettle donations are down. Cash donations are down. However, requests for assistance are significantly up. And, the cost to provide services to the needy has skyrocketed in past years. »

WASHINGTON, D.C. ?The Internal Revenue Service released instructions to help employers implement the 2011 cut in payroll taxes, along with new income-tax withholding tables that employers will use during 2011. »

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Ekaterina Huelster, a resident of Linden, has earned an Associate in Science in Nursing from Excelsior College. »

NEWARK -- The Saint Barnabas Health Care System recently presented an evening with world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli at the Prudential Center in Newark. Proceeds from the event benefit the Cancer Services of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System. »

CLARK – The second grade classes of St. John the Apostle School, earned money by doing chores during Advent to purchase gifts for the children of the St. John’s food pantry. »

PERTH AMBOY — Mayor Wilda Diaz swore in Benjamin Ruiz as Deputy Chief of the Perth Amboy Police Department at an afternoon ceremony held at the William C. McGinnis School on Friday, Dec. 17. »

ELIZABETH -- A $24,000 grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities will allow the Trinitas Pediatric Health Center to extend staffing and hours of operation to accommodate an overwhelming number of phone calls and walk-ins from parents requesting an appointment either for a sick or well child visit. »

CLARK -- Fifth grade students at St. John the Apostle School in Clark participated in The Pajama Program. This program collects and distributes to people in need. »

RAHWAY -- Pre-Kindergarten students in Kathleen Harris' class at Franklin School in Rahway decorated their own gingerbread man and gingerbread house after reading 'The Gingerbread Friends' and 'The Gingerbread Baby' by author Jan Brett. »

Despite the horror with which the war party has received the WikiLeaks dump of secret diplomatic cables, at least some of the revelations were cheered. Those who have been agitating for an attack on Iran were pleased to see cables apparently reporting that the heads of Arab states also favor war. »

Before Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, unleashed full body imaging scanners and “enhanced” pat downs on American airline passengers, she subjected Arizona drivers to red light cameras. »