The Need for Trees

We interrupt Italian Heritage Month for this important announcement from The Land Conservancy of New Jersey... Volunteers Needed for Tree Planting We had a great day planting trees at Nancy Conger West Brook Preserve. Twenty people came out to help create a young forest on the site where a dilapidated barn used to be. But…

For all the Right Reasons: Mayor Hector Carlos Lora

"It's so cold, I saw the Governor with his hands in his own pockets." As you all know, I don't talk about politics on here. Mainly because politics, especially Jersey politics, is really ugly. Corruption, crony politics, back-room deals; it goes on forever. Or at least it feels like it does. And most of them…

Paterson’s and Newark’s West Side

"When you're a Jet, You're a Jet all the way. From your first cigarette, To your last dyin' day." My favorite Broadway show, hands down, is West Side Story. The show that put Stephen Sondheim on the map has transcended time. I remember watching the movie for the first time in middle school during general…

Learning the History of the Lenni Lenape

When I was in fourth grade the entire year focused on New Jersey history. As much as I disliked Mrs. Stackfleth, I will say she was great at teaching the history of the Garden State. We spent a great deal of time learning about the Lenni Lenape, whose traditional territory spanned what is now eastern…

Italian Heritage in New Jersey: Bucky Pizzarelli

COVID-19 has certainly left us devoid from us this year. We’ve lost family, friends, and others we admire. One of those wonderful New Jerseyans of Italian heritage we lost to the virus is John Paul “Bucky” Pizzarelli. Born in Paterson in 1926 to the owners of a local grocery store, Pizzarelli picked up the guitar…

Going Old School in Jersey

My entire career has been focused on high tech. From prepress to IT to SEO, everything I've done has involved the latest in technology. I think that's why people are so surprised to hear I have analog hobbies. I fly fish, as well as tie my own flies. I do yoga, hike, crochet, felt, weave,…

Five Tips to Surviving Coronavirus – Jersey Style

So we've all been hearing about the expansion of the Coronavirus around the world on a minute-by-minute basis. A lot of people are in quarantine - either by choice or government mandate; others are following curfews. We are all social distancing and every school in New Jersey has been switched to remote learning. For the…

Shop Small Jersey Style

While many are out today on Black Friday shopping on major department stores like Target and Best Buy, I find Small Business Saturday much more important. Started in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday is meant to encourage consumers to shop at locally-owned stores in their communities. Small businesses generate the majority of jobs in…

Protecting the Great Notch Inn

Little did I know as a child, supporting a small business is an important part of keeping alive a community and contributing to what continues to be the history of New Jersey.

Black Bears in New Jersey

For the first time in over 150 years, there was a fatal bear attack in New Jersey. Five friends were hiking in the Apshawa Preserve when they encountered a black bear. According to the four survivors, the bear was following them and acting in an aggressive manner. Unfortunately, one of the group did not survive.…