Anti-abortion activists hold vigil in Hackensack

HACKENSACK – Dozens of protesters are holding a round-the-clock vigil in front of a women’s health clinic as part of a 40-day campaign aimed at preventing abortions.

The anti-abortion activists, made up of local religious groups and volunteers, are participating in “40 Days for Life,” a nationwide campaign in which protesters hold peaceful vigils in front of abortion clinics, Hackensack coordinator Lorraine Logerfo said.

Hackensack is one of more than 200 cities participating across the country.

The effort kicked off Sept. 23 with a Mass at Holy Trinity Church in Hackensack, followed by a procession to the Women’s Choice Medical Center on Zabriskie Street.

Volunteers take turns at the vigil, according to a schedule that ensures people will be present for 24 hours until the campaign ends Nov. 1, Logerfo said.

On Saturday, around 11:30 a.m., five women and a man with a young child stood in a line across the street from the clinic, holding rosaries. They did carry signs, but some wore t-shirts that read, “Say yes to Life.” A wooden cross was mounted to a nearby telephone pole.

Representatives of the Women’s Choice Medical Center could not be reached for comment. A secretary at the clinic deferred comment to the clinic’s owner, but the owner did not return a call seeking comment Saturday.

A patient entering the clinic also declined comment.

Across the country, pro-choice groups have countered with protests of their own at abortion clinics. A pro-choice rally organized by New York City Abortion Clinic Defense was scheduled to be held Saturday in front of the Dr. Emily clinic in the Bronx, where anti-abortion protesters were participating in “40 Days for Life.”

Suzanne Alexander, of Teaneck, one of the protesters in Hackensack, said the volunteers are there to pray, and typically, do not approach patients.

“We would like people to see us and change their minds,” Alexander said.

But the novices of the Franciscans of the Renewal from the Most Blessed Sacrament Friary in Newark, who participated early Saturday, approached patients and handed out literature, she said.

Lucy Meagher, a mother of seven from Dumont, said she is participating in the vigil every Saturday.

“We’re not here to judge them, we’re here to love them and tell them there are options,” she said. NorthJersey.com

Teaneck to give vets parking-lot perks

TEANECK – The township will establish courtesy parking spaces for veterans in two of its municipal lots. (Former Mayor) Councilman Elie Katz , who came up with the idea, said the gesture is a way of thanking veterans for their service.

“It is because of our veterans that we as Americans can enjoy all of our rights and liberties,” he said. Signs will ask drivers to reserve the spaces for veterans. NorthJersey.com

Squad leader claims ‘harassment’

Letter says Jewish group not up to code

PASSAIC — The city has told one of two Passaic-based Orthodox Jewish volunteer ambulance squads that it must shut down because the squad isn’t up to city code.

But the squad’s founder called the city’s action “harassment” and questioned why the other Jewish squad wasn’t scrutinized.

On Monday, the city sent a letter signed by its law firm, Scarinci & Hollenbeck, to David Kaplan, 26, founder of Hatzolah EMS of North Jersey, saying the squad wasn’t in compliance with city law.

The letter said Hatzolah must shut down operations by the end of the day on May 19 if it did not fulfill the requirements of proving that all volunteers are qualified and that the squad has insurance that covers any legal action against the city up to $2 million. The requirements are outlined in a 2004 ordinance.

Kaplan said his squad does meet city requirements and showed necessary proof to the city last September. A letter to Kaplan from former Mayor Samuel Rivera, dated Sept. 12, states that Hatzolah is qualified to provide emergency medical services in Passaic and that a certificate remains in effect for two years from that date.

But Acting Mayor Gary Schaer said to the best of his knowledge Hatzolah had not met all the city’s requirements.

Hatzolah is licensed to operate by the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services, although a license is not necessary to operate, said spokeswoman Marilyn Riley.

As of Wednesday, Hatzolah had not provided documentation to the city, Kaplan said. But Hatzolah is continuing operations anyway, he said, because Kaplan believes the city’s letter is unfair and unfounded.

To complicate matters, a second Hatzolah ambulance service with a similar name — Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton — has never been used informally by the city and is not on the list of squads the city uses. Hatzolah means “rescue” in Hebrew. The squads are local chapters of a worldwide organization that has volunteer ambulance squads in Jewish neighborhoods.

Greg Hill, the business administrator, said the city has not checked whether the second Jewish squad is violating city law. Schaer, an Orthodox Jew, said he asked Hill on Tuesday to verify that all private ambulance squads comply with city law. Passaic has only the two Hatzolahs as private squads.

The city’s paid squad, which has two ambulances, is overseen by the Police Department. When both vehicles are in use, the city calls other municipalities and private squads to ask if they can dispatch an ambulance immediately. Andy White, police spokesman, said Kaplan’s Hatzolah has been called in recent months after the Clifton squad and a private company based at Hackensack University Medical Center.

Last week, the City Council entertained a resolution that would formally add Kaplan’s Hatzolah to the city’s list of mutual aid services. But the resolution was defeated by a 3-3 tie vote. A tie means the measure is rejected.

The three Orthodox Jewish council members voted against the resolution, while the three Hispanic members voted in favor.

Schaer, who proposed the resolution, said he voted against it because he believes Hatzolah was stoking ethnic divide in the city.

“Picking up an ambulance group that’s working primarily in one part of town — I don’t think it’s a good idea, if we’re continuing our fight to unite Passaic,” Schaer said.

Kaplan said Hatzolah serves the entire city, not just Jews.

“It’s ludicrous, because the whole point of doing 911 is we service anybody. We don’t ask them, ‘Are you Jewish? Are you Orthodox?’ when someone calls,” Kaplan said. “Gary Schaer has furthered the stereotype that we only want to help ourselves.”

Hatzolah gets an average of 600 calls a year to its direct line, Kaplan said. He did not know what percentage was Jewish.

Councilman Gerardo Fernandez said he supports the squad.

“We never had a problem before. We voted for it. I voted ‘yes’ because they’re providing a service with the community. They’ve been doing it all along,” Fernandez said.

On Tuesday, Schaer said that the letter sent to Kaplan was purely out of concern for public safety.

“It’s not my personal feelings at play here. This affects the health and welfare of city residents,” he said. “What’s relevant is what’s in compliance.”

Reach Karen Keller at 973-569-7158 or kellerk@northjersey.com myheraldnews.com

Hackensack University And 2 other hospitals earn top ratings in nationwide health study

Three North Jersey hospitals rank among the top 5 percent of nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide for patient outcomes, a leading health-care rating service said Thursday.

Hackensack University Medical Center, The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck received the 2008 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence from HealthGrades Inc.

Patients admitted to these hospitals are, on average, 27 percent less likely to face mortality, and 5 percent less likely to suffer from a major complication, according to an independent study released by HealthGrades.

Hackensack, Valley and Holy Name were among 269 of 4,971 non-federal hospitals to receive the top award. Hospitals in the study were graded on 27 procedures and diagnoses, based on millions of hospitalization records from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In addition to overall quality, Hackensack received 2008 specialty excellence awards from HealthGrades for bariatric, cardiac and general surgery; and for care of cardiac, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, pulmonary, stroke and women’s health patients.

Holy Name was cited for excellence in 2008 for gastrointestinal, pulmonary and stroke care; and Valley for joint replacement and maternity care.

Hackensack has won the Distinguished Hospital Award for the past six years, and Holy Name for the past four years.

St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Mountainside Hospital in Montclair and Clara Maas Medical Center in Belleville also were among the top 5 percent of facilities to win overall excellence awards. NorthJersey.com

You Can Save A Life ; Just take a fiew minutes and wipe the Ice/Snow off your car

 

Above is a picture of a car that was smashed from falling ice. Please be considerate for your fellow freinds. Please take the extra fiew minutes to clear snow or ice off your car. Please use caution when driving leave extra time.

It was unseasonably warm last week, but it didn’t keep me from encountering people who sympathized — just barely — with this column’s call to ban the kind of road hazard that we call the Snow and Ice That Fall Twice.

That’s the kind of white junk that leaves the other guy’s car or truck, hits your windshield and makes your whole life flash in front of you. You know the kind:

* The Route 17 kind that killed Ridgewood’s Michael Eastman nearly 12 years ago.

* The Route 287 kind that caused Hawthorne’s Bob and Mary Mahon to chase after the car whose icy load smashed their windshield last year.

* The Route 80 kind that ran Kinnelon’s Tara Varner and her 2-year-old off the road last month.

Shouldn’t New Jersey fine drivers whose vehicles carry snow? Currently, statute 39:4-77.1 makes it illegal only when it causes damage or injury.

Cathy Eastman understands this because the vehicle whose icy load crushed her husband’s skull was long gone by the time police arrived. Tara, Bob, Mary and most of the 2,000 readers who sent me petitions early this year also get it.

But not some folks I’ve encountered. “There are thousands of SUVs, many driven by women,” said Pequannock’s E.L. Quigley. “They can’t clean ice off the tops of their vehicles.”

Ray R. also sympathizes, but:

“Do you have suggestions for clearing … snow from an SUV that’s been out overnight WITHOUT damaging the hood, roof rack or moon roof?” asked the Fair Lawn man. “Pushing snow off is easy, but after past storms, thick solid ice and packed snow didn’t budge after the car’s heater was on for 20 minutes.”

* Run a garden hose over the car with the heater running, but do this for short periods to avoid cracking the windshield.

* Put old cardboard, canvas or a rug over the vehicle before it snows, and yank it off after the storm.

* Run the engine for an hour, long enough to free frozen snow, or at least to help clear it.

Some consider all this unnecessary. One woman, 72, said: “If I can clean my SUV, so can anybody.” Cathy Eastman, who’s 5 feet 1, says she does it. NorthJersey.com And Passaic News.

HEAVY SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM EST MONDAY

Snow is on the way

A snowstorm expected to cross New Jersey tonight might make tomorrow’s morning commute a little messy for some travelers but carries the potential for significant snow in other areas.

Anticipated to hit the state around 9 p.m., it could last until noon tomorrow, said Valerie Meola, meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

“The storm is over the Southeastern states, and it’s moving up the coast,” Meola said. “How far the storm lands off the coast will determine how much snow falls on our area.”

Depending on the track of the storm, weather officials said Essex, Union, Hudson, Bergen and Passaic counties could see between 6 and 12 inches. Sussex and Morris counties could see between four to seven inches.

Middlesex, western Monmouth and Mercer counties could experience 2 to 4 inches, beginning first as rain.

Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties could see nearly 2 inches as well, Meola said.

Temperatures tonight will plummet below freezing for most of the state, Meola said.

Tomorrow, temperatures will hover around the high 30s in the northern part of the state and in the 40s farther south.

Nawal Qarooni may be reached at nqarooni@starledger.com or (732) 404-8082.

Watch out for scammers, cops warn

Englewood police are warning residents to beware of offers that sound too good to be true — especially if they involve a chance to join in on a winning lottery ticket.

The warning came as a result of two scams in the past two days, they said.

In one, a couple approached a man on the street Saturday morning with an offer of a lifetime: If he gave them $5,000 up front, they would split the proceeds of a winning lottery ticket when they cashed it — a classic flimflam scheme, police said.

The victim offered them $3,000, and the couple, a Hispanic male and a heavyset Hispanic female, took the cash. Then they drove the victim to his house to pick something up and drove away with his cellphone and iPod, police said. The couple were driving a red Nissan, police said.

Bogota police said a woman was approached Friday in a similar scam.

Police said the perpetrators have targeted Hispanic residents. The incidents are under investigation. NorthJersey

Reyes, who based on the preliminary investigation was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene

CLIFTON — Police have identified the man killed in a head-on collision on Route 46 early Sunday morning as a 19-year-old Passaic resident.

Carlos Reyes of Passaic was in the front passenger seat of a black Acura traveling westbound on Route 46 a little after 4 a.m. Sunday, when the car collided with a beige Nissan Altima that was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane, Lt. John Link of the Clifton Police Department said Monday.

Reyes, who based on the preliminary investigation was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene, Link said.

It is unclear why the driver of the Nissan Altima, whom police identify as Leighton Alarcon, 21, of Prospect Park, was traveling in the wrong direction, Link said.

Alarcon, who was also not wearing a seat belt, and the driver of the Acura in which Reyes was a passenger, Lenyn Munoz-Paredes, 24, were both taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson with major head injuries. Munoz-Paredes was wearing a seat belt, Link said.

“We are still investigating aspects such as the cause, where they were going, where they were coming from,” Link said.

Clifton New Jersey Another life is taken on Rt-21

Clifton New Jersey There was a fatal accident this morning at about 4:05 am on Rt-21 South by Rt-46 and Rt-20 when a car was driving down Rt-21 a 3 lane 55 mph highway the wrong way and hit a oncoming car at high speeds. The crash had 2 people in 1 car and 1 in the other the accident took the life of 1 left 1 in likely to expire condition 1 in critical condition. At the time of the accident Clifton F.D. had no Ambulances available so they sent 4 fire trucks all of Clifton’s Fire Fighter’s are E.M.T. Garfield E.M.S. Passaic E.M.S. Nutley E.M.S and Hatzolah E.M.S. all were on scene 2 Pt were xported to Saint Joes Trauma Center in Paterson with Paramedics aboard. The Highway is expected to be closed for most of the day for the investigation.

You heard this story first on Passainews.wordpress.com

As N.J. house sales fall, prices still rise – only more slowly

The number of New Jersey house sales dropped 13.4 percent during the third quarter of 2007 from the same period in 2006, continuing a slide from the hyperactive sales pace of 2004 and 2005, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday.

Home prices, however, have not followed. In the census area that includes Bergen and Passaic counties, prices were up 3.6 percent from the same period last year, to a median of $550,900 for an existing single-family home, the NAR said.

That may reflect high demand in New York City, which is in the same statistical area. The New Jersey Multiple Listing Service says that North Jersey prices have risen just about 1 percent over the last year, to a median of $520,000 in Bergen County and $389,000 in Passaic County. northjersey.com

FBI agents search Coniglio’s house, office

Federal agents this morning raided the Paramus home and legislative office of state Senator Joseph Coniglio as part of an ongoing corruption investigation targeting the Bergen County Democrat, according to his staff and a source close to the probe.

FBI agents arrived at Coniglio’s office at about 9 a.m. with a search warrant, said Terry Romano, his office administrator. They were still searching the office at about 11:30, but had not seized anything, she said.

Authorities were simultaneously searching Coniglio’s nearby home, according to a source close to the investigation who requested anonymity.

Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, declined to confirm or comment on any activity by federal agents. by Jeff Whelan/The Star-Ledger

Accident shuts down part of Route 17 for hours

An accident on southbound Route 17 will shut down a lane of traffic on the road into the night, police said.

The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m., when a box truck rammed into a fire hydrant and utility pole just north of Century Road in Paramus, sending streams of water into the air and flooding a nearby parking lot, according to Paramus Deputy Police Chief Richard Cary.

“The only lane that’s open is the left lane,” Cary said at 1:30 p.m. He estimated that the right lane and shoulder would be closed after dark. It was unclear whether the truck, owned by Health Care Waste Solutions of Cincinnati, Ohio, was carrying anything. According to its Web site, Health Care Waste Solutions transfers and processes medical waste for hospitals

Cary said the truck driver was transported to Bergen Regional Medical Center with injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening.  NorthJersey.com

Kosher Hot Food Vending Machines at Hackensack University Medical Center!

New York Times / VosIzNeias

New York, NY – Earlier this month, the nation’s first glatt kosher vending machine that can shoot out a hot knish was installed at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. The machine also crisps up kosher mozzarella sticks, cheese pizza and onion rings. And in a few weeks, freshly grilled hot dogs in warm buns will be for sale there, too. Not from the same machine, of course. That wouldn’t be kosher.

The vending machines are called Hot Nosh 24/6. “To make it a little Jewish sounding we called it nosh, and we added the 24/6 to give a little cuteness to it,” said Doron Fetman, who with his partner, Alan Cohnen, created Kosher Vending Industries.

Although Orthodox and some Conservative Jews do not use electric devices during Sabbath, the creators of Hot Nosh 24/6 will leave that choice to the customer. Despite their name, the machines will be ready to serve 24/7

Their business plan calls for 2,000 machines in the next two years in ballparks, malls, airports, military bases — pretty much anywhere people might be willing to pop in a few dollars for something hot and kosher.

Full Hackensack hospital diverts ambulance arrivals

Hackensack University Medical Center was accepting all ambulances Friday evening after diverting some of them to other hospitals over the previous 24 hours due to high patient volume, officials said.

Hackensack had to turn away ambulances with critical-care patients between 8 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Friday, because all 58 beds in the hospital’s intensive-care unit were occupied, said Patricia Ahearn, vice president of capacity management at Hackensack.

“For us to be on critical care [ambulance] bypass is exceedingly rare,” Ahearn said Friday.

“It’s unpredictable,” she said. “But it’s extremely unusual at this time of year. This is usually one of our slowest months.”

The hospital also diverted ambulances with trauma patients and regular-care patients with non-life-threatening injuries for several hours on Thursday, because beds were not available, Ahearn said.

The actions were taken “in the interest of patient safety, and to maintain quality of care,” she said.

Physicians at Hackensack couldn’t explain why the hospital has had such an influx of patients and occupied beds.

There does not appear to be any one cause for the emergency-case glut, said Dr. Joseph Feldman, chairman of the emergency trauma department.

“It’s a whole variety of stuff, from bad infections to heart attacks to traumas,” Feldman said. “It’s nothing specific, not the wet weather, or heat emergencies.”    [Northjersey.com]

Route 4 in Englewood Closed After Tree Fell.

Englewood, NJ – Police have closed down Route 4 at Jones Road Exit 2 in both directions after a tree fell onto the roadway on the eastbound lanes and onto a passing vehicle. Traffic is being diverted to Route 46 or to the NJ Turnpike. Hatzolah is also on the scene. [VosIzNeias.com]

DOT plans revamp at Routes 3 and 21 in 2009

Rutherford, NJ – Since January, Bob Shafer has had at least 20 close calls with incoming traffic where the Route 21 north ramp meets Route 3 east just before the bridge connecting Clifton and Rutherford.

“It’s a tragedy waiting to happen,” Shafer, a borough resident who uses the thoroughfare several times a day, said recently. “Some day, somebody is going to get killed there.”

Meanwhile, the state Department of Transportation plans to address how vehicles merge from Route 21 north onto Route 3 as part of the Passaic River Crossing Project, scheduled to begin in 2009, said agency spokesman Tim Greeley.

The project, now in the design phase with an estimated construction cost of $140 million, includes replacing the bridge over the Passaic River with a new one

“These lanes will be physically separated from the Route 3 mainline traffic and the length of the acceleration lane onto Route 3 eastbound will be significantly increased and brought up to the current standard,” Greeley said. “These improvements will both reduce congestion and improve safety.”

Many towns opt out of telephone alert system

NorthJersey.com

In a crisis, Bergen County residents rely on an emergency communications system that can’t call most of their homes.

This weekend’s United Water treatment plant failure made gaps in that system abundantly clear.

Ron and Barbara Stackhouse didn’t know they shouldn’t drink from the tap until 3 p.m. Saturday, when their daughter delivered bottled water to their Teaneck home.

“I said, ‘What’s this for?’ ” Ron Stackhouse said.

Pelopibas Papaphanasio of Cliffside Park learned about the boil water advisory only by reading the newspaper.

But in Bergenfield, Marci Saks got a call at 8 a.m. from a “reverse 911″ system.

Only half of Bergen’s 70 towns have opted to join the county’s SwiftReach telephone alert system, which was begun with great fanfare in 2004 and can quickly dial thousands of phone numbers to broadcast an emergency message.

That’s why Saks knew about the water emergency and quickly bought bottled water for her three young children, while the Stackhouses spent half the day using tap water that state officials said should have been boiled.

“It’s at the town’s discretion,” said Bergen County spokesman Brian Hague. “We provide the tools. The local officials choose whether or not to use them.”

The SwiftReach system costs towns nearly $5,000 a year in fees plus 3.5 cents per telephone call. In addition, the county pays $120,000 a year to SwiftReach Networks in Mahwah to use its technology.

Compare that with Passaic County, where every household with a listed phone number is automatically on the call list, and families with unlisted numbers can sign up on the Internet.

The Sheriff’s Department has paid about $100,000 to operate its reverse 911 system since it began five years ago, spokesman Bill Maer said.

And that system doesn’t cost local towns a dime.

Hackensack Hospital scrambled into ‘code yellow’

Hackensack, NJ – When lightning struck United Water’s treatment plant early Saturday, water pressure plummeted at Bergen County’s biggest hospital.

Personnel at Hackensack University Medical Center noticed the low pressure about 3:30 a.m. and immediately activated an emergency plan after consulting with the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, said Nancy Radwin, a hospital spokeswoman.

The decision by Mary Ann Donohue, the administrator on call, also activated what officials referred to as “code yellow,” which involves calling in teams of hospital personnel. The teams covered key areas of operation, including the emergency room, patients undergoing dialysis, and the food and nutrition departments.