Sunday is the big day. The Super Bowl! A day where just about everyone finds themselves getting excited about the big game, the half time show, and, of course, those highly anticipated commercials. With the home team in the Super Bowl this year we imagine most of our readers will be going all out for the big day decorating with Giants swag everywhere and plans to put out a huge spread to enjoy during the big game. To many it’s a regular holiday, as there are some who host a Super Bowl party every year no matter who is playing which can attract even those who don’t even normally watch football…
Things sure have come a long way since many of us were in school. Smart boards continue to replace what we knew as the blackboard and chalk. Now iPads are starting to enter the classrooms. In fact Hasbrouck Heights was recognized by Bloomberg.com just last week for their use of iPads in the Algebra classes. The Internet now also provides some students with the opportunity to study a subject not offered in the classroom by way of a virtual classroom, something the school district is currently piloting with a handful of students To some parents the idea of their child taking a class without …
Hours upon hours went into that gorgeous display of lights, the delicately decorated Christmas tree, and the other beautiful holiday decor. It's hard to believe the holidays are over already. We are already one full week into the new year. Now it's time to take down all those lights. Discard the tree and pack away all those decorations until next season. Some of us go-getters are done already. Holiday decor all put away since days after the holiday or New Year's Day. Others (like yours truly) still have the stockings hung, Christmas tree is still up and other assorted holiday decorations …
The start of the new year almost always has people thinking about a new fresh start, new goals to go after, or finally seeing through some unfinished goals and desires. Many likely have resolutions that have just begun - diet and lose weight, get in better physical shape, quit smoking, etc. etc. All common goals shared by many. Most of us are not alone. Then again there are some who are looking at this new quite differently as some believe that Dec. 21, 2012 will mean the end of the world or perhaps the start of a new era. For those not aware, Dec. 21, 2012 is the date that is said to end …
Here's a poll that most of us, if not all of us, can relate to. The holiday season is no longer on it's way, it is here! Christmas is just six days a way. Now we all know that one person who has the tree up since the day after Thanksgiving and all gifts have been purchased (and wrapped mind you!) and ready to go. Meanwhile many of us haven't even begun yet or just about almost done. But remember if you are feeling behind in your shopping and other holiday prep, you are most certainly not alone. So why not take our poll and let others know where you stand. While you're at it, if you have …
Saturday morning residents had the opportunity to hear from members of the borough’s administration as they came together to address various matters affecting the borough in a community forum setting. A lot of ground was covered in just one hour. Attendees received very detailed information on various matters including the sump pump situation and how it is being resolved, how the homestead rebate works, the property reassessment process which is almost complete and a run-through of how the borough dealt with the rare and unexpected October snow storm. Those in attendance also got to see the…
This coming Saturday residents are invited to attend a town-wide forum where officials will be on hand to discuss a number of topics affecting the community including the sump pump issue, the property reassessment, storm costs and the homestead benefits. Most should be aware of the sump pump issue as the borough is conducting an investigation while also trying to raise awareness in order to get homeowners to correct any improper, or illegal, connections to the borough’s sanitary sewer system. The proper way to discharge a sump pump is to connect it to a hose that empties onto one’s property. …
Recently the United States Postal Service has polled the retail needs of residents and businesses of Hasbrouck Heights on their use of the Boulevard post office. The survey is part of its study of several area post offices nationwide to determine whether or not to keep these post offices open. The Heights office is one of 3,700 offices nationwide being survived. Also on the local level, Wood-Ridge and Wallington are also being considered. It is not expected that the closing of the retail office in Heights would affect delivery but it would mean residents and business owners would have to …
The holiday shopping season is upon us. Although some may be headed to the malls or department stores bright and early on Black Friday people should not forget that Small Business Saturday is the following day, when local businesses run specials to encourage people across the country to support local small businesses. Patch wants to know which local businesses will you be shopping at this holiday season. There are plenty of stores in town to take advantage of for your gift shopping needs. What do you feel they offer that big chains don't?
The high school is once again losing its principal in the middle of the school year. Some parents were upset earlier this year when then-high school principal Peter O’Hare was moved to the elementary school in the middle of the school year. Now less than a year later his replacement Steve Forte is leaving the district to take a superintendent’s position in Verona. Three out of the four schools in the district went through changes in administration in the middle of the school year as not only did the high school get a new principal, the middle school and Euclid School did as well. It appears …
Snow in October is certainly not a common thing, therefore it was hard to be prepared for a storm which wound up having such an impact, causing more damage than the August hurricane. Almost every street had downed trees, 10 roads were blocked off due to downed power lines and tree limbs and about 200 homes went without power for at least two days after the storm. Being without power, and therefore heat, for even a short amount of time can be very frustrating. Most homes in Heights got power back by Monday night, with a small cluster that had to wait until Thursday. There are some areas of …
Many said positive thing about the community forum which the school district hosted last Monday on the subject of HIB law which included discussion about the roles that members in the community play in helping to prevent bullying and harassment incidents from occurring. An important and timely subject, Dr. Nicole Fried, school psychologist and anti-bullying coordinator for the district, went over all the details of the state’s HIB law, steps that the school will take in incident investigation and how parents will be notified. The parents who were in attendance were very vocal with questions, …
Schools around the state are implementing the new anti-bullying law which aims to improve anti-bullying practices in schools. Hasbrouck Heights schools are already working to educate students on the significance of bullying, teaching them the consequences, the differences between a conflict and bullying and what to do if they find themselves the victim of bullying. Monday night the school district will host a community forum on understanding the new anti-bullying law for parents, guardians and the entire community to discuss what is being done to prevent bullying from happening in this …
Patch is preparing to interview candidates running for mayor and council for our municipal election preview which will appear in the coming weeks. Patch is seeking some input from the community in regards to some of the issues and topics they would like the candidates to address. You can either write to Alana.quartuccio@patch.com or post a comment below listing some of the things you feel should be addressed. Once again the candidates running are (listed in alphabetical order): Mayor – Dragan Blanusa, challenger (Independent) and Rose Heck, incumbent (Republican) Council (two seats)– Mary …
The Heights school district has switched its student database system over to Genesis this year, which administrators have said is to be more user friendly and is used by most New Jersey school districts. Some parents have had some issues with logging in due to outdated information from the previous system and there have been some other bugs but the system has been up and running since the very start of the school year and some parents have already had a chance to get familiar with the new system. Let’s take a poll on how the parents in the community are adjusting so far.
More and more municipalities are entering shared service agreements with other towns in order to help cut costs where they can to ease some of the burden on taxpayers. Most recently the borough entered into a shared service agreement with the neighboring borough of Lodi. Hasbrouck Heights DPW will pick up garbage and recycling from a small area of apartments in Lodi which border Heights in exchange for Heights no longer having to pay Lodi for the use of its sanitary sewerage system which about 51 homes use. In addition the borough provides fire and ambulance service to Teterboro and the …
Over the past week Patch has shared stories from people on our local level and from other Patch communities on how their lives changed on Sept. 11. Some shared with us how they were directly affected. Some shared mementos they keep in tribute to those whose lives were lost. Others sent in photographs in tribute to the Twin Towers. Sunday night, members of the community reflected during the borough’s memorial services. Most everyone who was old enough at the time remembers where he or she was on that day. It’s certainly not something one can easily forget. In the words of Father Joseph …
Over the past several days Patch has been interacting with residents, emergency workers, business owners and town officials in regards to Irene and the clean-up that follows. We know some people had serious flooding. Some needed to evacuate. Many had water in their basement, flooded yards, and then some. Some went without power for more than a day. Loss of cable and Internet service was also an issue for some here in Heights. Before the storm came we saw town residents and business owners stocking up on batteries, food essentials such as bread in the event of lengthy power outages. Business …
The big news hit Friday that the Port Authority approved a toll and fare hike which now means that starting next month bridge and tunnel tolls will go up $1.50 and PATH fare increases $.25. The increases don’t end there as each year until 2015 the toll will increase by another $.75 each December and the PATH fare goes up another $.25 each year. Also drivers who don’t use EZ Pass should be aware they will be charged an additional $2 fee for using cash. We already know how this affects daily commuters but what about those who frequent New York City for entertainment? Are the toll and fare …
Last week, council members gave the okay to an ordinance which formally allows non-residential property owners to rent parking spaces to residents but only during overnight hours – 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Since residents in some neighborhoods may be hard up for parking spaces the ability to rent nearby spaces will be a benefit to those in need, especially since there is no on-street overnight parking in the borough. Also many have said they are happy to hear that this will also mean that large vehicles like trucks and trailers can no longer use lots in town for storage. However one person did raise …
