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Somerset County Wins National Award for “Farm to Frame” Agriculture & Arts Program
SOMERVILLE, NJ – Somerset County’s innovative “Farm to Frame” program combining agriculture and art won a National Association of Counties (NACo) 2024 Achievement Award at its national conference this week. More than thirty artists from throughout the Garden State created works of art based on local farms, highlighting the beauty and importance of Somerset County’s preserved farmland and agricultural industry. “Our farmers are integral to Somerset County’s healthy environment and economic vitality, and the artists who participated in the Farm to Frame program captured them perfectly,” said Director Shanel Y. Robinson who accepted the award at the conference....
New Jersey bill aims to boost elementary student literacy rates
📚 A bill would require universal literacy screenings for New Jersey students. 📚 It's in response to poor test scores among NJ's third graders. 📚 The bill also provides professional development for teachers. Did you know that New Jersey is one of just a few states that...
Decades-old auto parts store in Southern New Jersey abruptly demolished
Here's another case of "here today, gone tomorrow" in South Jersey. A decades-old auto parts store right in the heart of Gloucester County is quickly being reduced to rubble. That store is the old Pep Boys right off of the corner of the Black Horse Pike and Ganttown Road in Turnersville, Washington Township.
Test calling ISIS terrorists sparks trouble for NJ school superintendent
WAYNE — Parents are holding a school superintendent's feet to the fire after he apologized for a test question that called ISIS an Islamic terror group. The multiple choice question was part of a quiz in a seventh-grade class at Schuyler-Colfax Middle School in Wayne, according to the group Teaching While Muslim.
Shady Rest in Scotch Plains Awarded $75,000 in Preservation Funding
SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- The Shady Rest Golf and Country Club in Scotch Plains is among 30 African American historic sites receiving a combined total of $3 million in preservation funding from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Established in 1921, Shady Rest was the first Black-owned and operated country club in the nation. It hosted the first American-born professional golfer John Shippen Jr. (1879-1968), a Black man whose father was born into slavery. Black luminaries such as W.E.B. Du Bois and singer Ella Fitzgerald also frequented the...
Mayor Baraka Cuts Ribbon to Open the Hyatt Center of Hope Community Refrigerator at 11 Hawkins Court
Mayor Ras J. Baraka joined United Community Corporation (UCC) today to cut the ribbon on the opening of the Hyatt Center of Hope’s community refrigerator. The Center of Hope is located at 11 Hawkins Court. UCC partnered with the city and Table to Table to develop the refrigerator food...
NJ restaurant receiving Guinness World Record for most tequilas
Last fall I shared the news about a place opening in Metuchen. Meximodo Cocina Mexicana & Tequila Bar opened in mid-November. Just like their delicious Mexican food, the name is a mouthful. Friends just call it Meximodo. In that article I mentioned how Meximodo would be proudly offering over 1,000...
Program for First-Generation Graduate Students Fills Gap
Nationwide, first-generation undergrad students are increasingly being recognized for the challenges they face navigating college as the first in their families to seek higher education. First-generation graduate students--defined as the first in their families to earn undergraduate degrees and pursue graduate studies--often receive less support, and have a different set...
Annual ‘Harmony Day’ on Staten Island a smashing success in Corporal Thompson Park
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Hundreds of West Brighton residents once again gathered in Corporal Thompson Park on Saturday for an annual day of festive family fun that’s spanned nearly a quarter of a century. Brothers Care, Inc., a local non-profit organization whose mission is to uplift the community...
Celebrate Christmas in July with family-friendly fun on Staten Island
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Islanders can join a local nonprofit organization for a festive Christmas in July celebration full of food, activities, vendors and more. On Saturday, July 20, The GRACE Foundation will host its first annual Christmas in July Event from noon to 4 p.m. at 460 Brielle Avenue in Sea View. Guests can enjoy a skating rink, bouncy houses, music and arts and crafts.
Rahway Public Schools Team Joins the BELLE Leadership Academy
RAHWAY, NJ — NIEER, the National Institute of Early Education Research, is building a pipeline of Latiné early childhood education leaders through the Building Early Learning Latiné Educators (BELLE) leadership academy. This year, a team of Rahway teachers and administrators have been accepted to Cohort IV, which begins in the Fall of 2024. During this year-long partnership, BELLE hopes to develop a shared expertise centered on a reflective coaching model approach,CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER As the organization puts it, “Through the support of the cohort model, with embedded mentors and implementation of the DLL [dual...
NYC Restaurant Week on Staten Island features 10 spots
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — What are Staten Islanders making for dinner from Monday, July 22 through Sunday, Aug. 18? That would be reservations during NYC Restaurant Week, a program kicked off by New York City Tourism + Conventions. The Big Apple’s official destination guide steers NYC residents and visitors...
Social media star ‘Famouss Richard’ arrested following dispute at Bayonne QuickCheck parking lot
An aspiring rapper and social media star who allegedly pointed a gun at two people in the parking lot of a QuickCheck in Bayonne on the Fourth of July was arrested last week. Police say they arrested Richard Sharp, who is known as “Famouss Richard,” at his home on Isabella Avenue on July 12 following an investigation into the incident.
SCLSNJ’s Peapack and Gladstone Branch to Temporarily Close for Renovations
SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ - The Somerset County Library System of New Jersey’s (SCLSNJ) Peapack and Gladstone branch will be temporarily closing for renovation beginning 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Updates about the renovation will be shared as the project progresses. "While we'll miss connecting with our community in the short term, we are eagerly awaiting the moment we can welcome everyone back to a beautifully refreshed space in just a few months,” said Nicole C. Pascoe, branch manager. “In the meantime, we are actively working to schedule programs in various other community spaces starting this September. We are...
This Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese-Flavored Vodka Is New Jersey in a Bottle
As if New Jersey’s most infamous linguistic spar wasn’t intense enough, one Garden State distillery is throwing alcohol on the fire. On June 28, Keyport-based 3BR Distillery released 011 PEC on Everything: a pork roll, egg, and cheese-flavored vodka liqueur. (Technically, given its 35-percent ABV, it falls under the U.S. classification of a liqueur, not a spirit.)
NJ HALL OF FAME: 2024 inductees include Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd and founder of Jersey Mike's
The next wave of New Jersey’s greatest has been announced to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of fame. Eighteen inductees will be honored at the 16th Annual New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
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