Fort Lee, NJ
Police & Fire
Palisades Park Police Sergeant's New Book Examines Changing Role Of Law Enforcers In Film Palisades Park Police Sergeant's New Book Examines Changing Role Of Law Enforcers In Film
Palisades Park Police Sergeant's New Book Examines Changing Role Of Law Enforcers In Film A history of how law enforcement was portrayed on the big screen in the first half of the 20th century had never been written -- until now. A Palisades Park police veteran who's also a prolific author has just released his fifth book, "Law Enforcement in American Cinema, 1894-1952," which examines the history of police and policing on the big screen during that period. "Film is a site where public sentiments toward the police are both created and reflected," Sgt. George Beck wrote. Cineastes have often focused on the way gangsters and other criminals are romanticized in movies -- or film, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Paramus, NJ
Schools
BCC Freezes Tuition Rates, Transitions To Online Learning For Fall Semester BCC Freezes Tuition Rates, Transitions To Online Learning For Fall Semester
BCC Freezes Tuition Rates, Transitions To Online Learning For Fall Semester Bergen Community College (BCC) is moving most classes online and is freezing tuition rates for the Fall 2020 semester. No classes will be held at the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and only paramedic science program practicals will take place at Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst.  The school will offer a limited number of practice-based classes -- including those in health professions -- in person. The fall semester begins Sept. 2. Students can register here or email registration@bergen.edu for assistance. While the majority of BCC's fall classe…

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by Cecilia Levine
Cliffside Park-Edgewater, NJ
Business
College Dropouts Take Over As New Owners Of Edgewater's 'Pizza Club' College Dropouts Take Over As New Owners Of Edgewater's 'Pizza Club'
College Dropouts Take Over As New Owners Of Edgewater's 'Pizza Club' Michael Ghinelli of Wyckoff was in his junior year and distracted from classwork by designs for his own t-shirt company when a teacher told him he'd never go anywhere. That stuck with him, he said. But now, the 21-year-old has taken over Pizza Club in Edgewater with business partner Hadi Parhizkaran. And he says he's proving his teacher wrong one slice at a time. Ghinelli and Parhizkaran, also of Wyckoff, have always been motivated to work, talking about potential future business ventures when they first met as teenagers in the kitchen at Blue Moon Mexican Cafe. “We were just kids at …

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by Valerie Musson
Paramus, NJ
News
Drive Right Up: Bergen's Public Coronavirus Testing Site Has Tests To Spare Drive Right Up: Bergen's Public Coronavirus Testing Site Has Tests To Spare
Drive Right Up: Bergen's Public Coronavirus Testing Site Has Tests To Spare You don't have to be showing symptoms and won't be waiting in line for hours to be tested for coronavirus in New Jersey anymore. In fact, the Bergen Community College site has tests to spare at the end of each day.  It's a stark contrast to where things were two months ago, when people were sleeping in their cars overnight hoping they'd be one of the lucky 500 to be tested. Many people were turned away within hours as the site reached capacity within hours of opening. As of 10:30 a.m. Friday, there was no line at BCC -- and still hundreds of tests available.  The BCC site -- alo…

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by Cecilia Levine
Ridgefield Park-Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
Obituaries
HERO: North Jersey Nurse Contracted Coronavirus While Working Long Hours During Pandemic HERO: North Jersey Nurse Contracted Coronavirus While Working Long Hours During Pandemic
Hero: North Jersey Nurse Contracted Coronavirus While Working Long Hours During Pandemic A nurse who died of coronavirus over the weekend is being remembered for his dedication to both his family and his trade. Felicisimo Omaña Luna Jr., 62, had been working at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth when he contracted the virus. His daughter Gabrielle, also a nurse, cared for him while he was sick. "He was one of our front-line heroes at Trinitas Regional Medical Center," said Gov. Phil Murphy during Monday's COVID-19 briefing. "We thank him for his years of service to the people in his care." Born and raised in the Philippines, Luna came to the U.S. in 1986. He began …

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by Cecilia Levine
Edison, NJ
News
NJ's State-Run Coronavirus Testing Sites Expand To Residents Without Symptoms NJ's State-Run Coronavirus Testing Sites Expand To Residents Without Symptoms
NJ's State-Run Coronavirus Testing Sites Expand To Residents Without Symptoms New Jersey's two state-run coronavirus testing sites will soon allow residents without symptoms to be tested, state officials said. The sites at Bergen Community College and PNC Bank Art Center in Holmdel Township will provide tests to certain "asymptomatic" state residents, Gov. Phil Murphy said during Friday's COVID-19 briefing. Residents looking to be tested should contact a health-care provider who agrees they should get the test to keep demand lower, Murphy said.  "By expanding our testing capability, we can build confidence,'' Murphy said. "We're making huge progress, but we're …

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by Jon Craig
Saddle Brook-Elmwood Park, NJ
Police & Fire
Saddle Brook Adds 2 Needed Police Officers To Force Saddle Brook Adds 2 Needed Police Officers To Force
Saddle Brook Adds 2 Needed Police Officers To Force Saddle Brook officially added two desperately needed police officers to its depleted force on Tuesday. Both Frank Giordano and Lawrence DiBello Jr. were promoted from special police officer/dispatchers to full-fledged patrol officers in a decidedly low-key proceeding at Township Hall in which everyone wore protective masks and the officers also wore gloves. Everyone also kept a safe distance from one another -- including Mayor Robert White, who swore in the officers. Coronavirus quarantines combined with the recent death of an officer, two recent retirements, injuries and an officer on fa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Middletown, NJ
News
COVID-19: Here's Where You Can Get Tested In North Jersey COVID-19: Here's Where You Can Get Tested In North Jersey
Covid-19: Here's Where You Can Get Tested In North Jersey As expected, the number of coronavirus cases has increased with the opening of testing sites across New Jersey. And that number is only going to increase, Gov. Phil Murphy said. "As the testing regime expands, we’re going to see these numbers go up in a big way," he said. "We are getting a clearer and better sense of how far the coronavirus has already spread.” Here's a list of coronavirus testing sites in New Jersey: Officials are urging New Jersey residents to keep these testing sites open to those who need it saying that if you feel okay, stay home and rest.  You'll need state ID…

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by Cecilia Levine
Middletown, NJ
News
COVID-19: Here's Where You Can Get Tested In North Jersey COVID-19: Here's Where You Can Get Tested In North Jersey
Covid-19: Here's Where You Can Get Tested In North Jersey As expected, the number of coronavirus cases has increased with the opening of testing sites across New Jersey. And that number is only going to increase, Gov. Phil Murphy said. "As the testing regime expands, we’re going to see these numbers go up in a big way," he said. "We are getting a clearer and better sense of how far the coronavirus has already spread.” Here's a list of coronavirus testing sites in New Jersey: Officials are urging New Jersey residents to keep these testing sites open to those who need it saying that if you feel okay, stay home and rest.  You'll need state ID…

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by Cecilia Levine
Newark, NJ
News
SURGE BEGINS: New Jersey Coronavirus Cases Hit 22,255, Seven Hospitals At Capacity SURGE BEGINS: New Jersey Coronavirus Cases Hit 22,255, Seven Hospitals At Capacity
Surge Begins: New Jersey Coronavirus Cases Hit 22,255, Seven Hospitals At Capacity Another 91 deaths coronavirus deaths and more than 3,600 new cases were reported Wednesday in New Jersey, raising the statewide total to 22,255 with 355 fatalities. Another 350 ventilators were being released to New Jersey in addition to the 300 acquired Tuesday morning, Gov. Phil Murphy said at his daily briefing Wednesday afternoon. That gives the state 850 additional ventilators, although the governor said more are needed. He promised to keep pressing for the nearly 2,000 that he previously cited as necessary. North Jersey is already seeing an increasing demand on the healthca…

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by Cecilia Levine
Pascack Valley, NJ
Lifestyle
TRUE HERO: Gulf War Vet, Park Ridge Cop-Turned-Nurse Fights Coronavirus In Second Career Battle TRUE HERO: Gulf War Vet, Park Ridge Cop-Turned-Nurse Fights Coronavirus In Second Career Battle
True Hero: Gulf War Vet, Park Ridge Cop-Turned-Nurse Fights Coronavirus In Second Career Battle A former Park Ridge police officer is on the front lines of the coronavirus war just three months into his new career, armed with new expertise.  After retiring from law enforcement after 25 years, Laughton recently started a new career in nursing with a 2019 degree from Bergen Community College. Lisa Catalano Cifalino, his manager at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, launched a Facebook series about COVID-19 heroes. Laughton is her first HERO, which was shared by Park Ridge police.   "Please keep him, his co-workers, and all health care workers in your thoughts and prayers. T…

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by Jon Craig
Newark, NJ
News
COVID-19 Cases Rise To 11,124 In NJ, $146M Set Aside For Hospitals, PPE Shipment Arrives COVID-19 Cases Rise To 11,124 In NJ, $146M Set Aside For Hospitals, PPE Shipment Arrives
Covid-19 Cases Rise To 11,124 In NJ, $146M Set Aside For Hospitals, PPE Shipment Arrives The number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey had risen to 11,124 with 140 known deaths as of Saturday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced. "We are now into five digits, as we predicted — at the pace we expected," he said. "If that isn’t reason to continue your social distancing, please take this one to heart. This is not a game... It is critical for you to stay home." Hospitals in the state will be receiving $146 million as part of a new funding plan, Murphy said. ALSO SEE: Hackensack ER Doc Shares What He Learned After He Says He Intubated Healthy, Young Colleague A pre-payment plan will …

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by Cecilia Levine