Vol. XII: No. 4 April, 2016“Our Community... Your Stories”The Independent Leader in Local News

In This Issue...Community

CalendarPage 2

•Open for Business

Page 3•

Letters to the EditorPage 4

•Senator Pou Honors “Inspiring Women”

Page 4•

Germain Honored with Award of

ExcellencePage 6

•A Last Will and Testament that “Proves Itself ”

Page 7•

Montclair Animal Shelter Fire

Page 8

12th Annual Film

FestivalApril 23

Fabian 8 CinemaPaterson

Continued on Page 10

Passaic Couniy’s 12th annual film festival will be held at the Fabian 8 Cinema located in the Center City Mall. The event sponsored by the Passaic Coun-ty Board of Chosen Freeholders and the members of the Passaic County Film Commission will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 23.A selection of short films will be

Jack Corradino is Certified by the Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney

www.corradinoandpapa.comMy Mowimmy Po Polsku - Se Habla Espanol

Bergen County Audubon Celebrates 75 years

By Don Torino

For the last 75 years the Bergen Audubon has been preserving our environment and protecting the birds. Whether it was de-fending endangered species, preserving their habitat or introducing school children to the love of birds. The BCAS has been in the forefront of protecting the environment

surrounding our communities and home-towns.It is hard to explain in words how proud and honored I am to be president of Ber-gen Audubon during this 75th anniversary year. This milestone is not only a tribute to the many years this organization has spent

Continued on Page 9

The

Jers

ey In

sider

• Ap

ril, 2

016

• Pag

e 2

HOW TO REACH USThe Jersey Insider

Published by

CLIFTON INSIDER LLCP.O. BOX 764

CLIFTON, NJ 07015-0764P: 973-865-7691

www.insidernewsnj.com

nveliky@InsiderNewsNJ.comLook for us on Facebook

Editor & Publisher:Nicholas J . Veliky

Associate Editor:Sharon Veliky

Feature Writers:Jeffrey Pompeo Esq.

Victoria VelikyDon Torino

Customer Service:Call 973-865-7691

Press Releases:Send to: Editor@InsidernewsNJ.com

Back Issues:Contact nveliky@InsiderNewsNJ.com

Advertising - Print & Online:For advertising rates, publication sched-ules, or to request a media kit, please

contact us at:nveliky@InsiderNewsNJ.com or call

973-865-7691

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The Jersey Insider is published up to 24 times a year, semimonthly when possible. © 2016- Clifton Insider, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates $25 per year. Nothing appearing in The Jersey Insider may be reprinted, either wholly or in part, without the written consent of the publishers. Send editorial submissions to the address above. All letters and photos will be considered as intended for publication, and The Jersey Insider reserves the right to edit and/or comment.

Around Town Community Calendar...We want to help your events to be successful! If you belong to a group or community organization, send us your information and news. We will include them in them in our Around Town Community Calendar. Send your event information VIA E-MAIL to: info@cliftoninsider.com. Please note, all submissions must include the name of the sponsoring organization, the date, time, and location of the event, and a person to contact for more information regarding the event!

Send Us Your Events!We Can Help Get The Word Out!

Editor@InsiderNewsNJ.com

Young at Heart Club • The Young At Heart Senior Club Will Meet The First and Third Tuesday of the month at the fellowship hall of The First Presbyterian Church on Maplewood Ave. at 12:00 pm. Refreshments will be served from 11:00am to 12:30pm. The next meeting for The Young At Heart Club will be Tuesday April 19th-Visiting Angels-fun filled games. The new time for all future meetings is now 12:00 noon. Come socialize, make new friends and play bingo. All are welcome to join the club. Be a guest for the day or go on our trips.Upcoming Trips For 2016 - 1. Wednesday May 4th, 2016-”Legends in Music-”Patsy Cline” a Comedian and Dancing-at Doolans/Spring Lake, NJ. - 2. Friday June 10th, 2016-Spring Lun-cheon & dancing at The Mountainside-AARP 4192 & Young At Heart Club. - 3. Wednesday June 15th, 2016-Jefferson House at Lake Hopatcong, NJ. “A Day with Elvis”-Boat ride,good food-fun day. - 4. Wednesday July 27th, 2016-Hunterdon Hills Playhouse-Rock & Roll & Soul. -5. Wednesday August 24th, 2016-Erhardt’s/Lake Wallenpaupack,PA-”Murder on the LustBoat” -6. Wednesday Sept. 21st, 2016-San Gennaro-Stony Hill Inn-Hackensack, NJ. -7. Monday Nov. 7th, 2016-Hunterdon Hills Playhouse-Christmas Show. -8. Friday Nov. 18th, 2016-Camp Hope-Salute to Veterans Show. All trips leave from the Masonic Lodge at 1484-1510 Van Houten Ave. For more information & ticket prices call Lillian @ 973-779-5581.

Valley Seniors • The Valley Seniors Social Club meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 11:30 am at the Masonic Temple 1484 Van Houten Avenue. Refreshments are served prior to the meeting from 10:30 to 11:30 am. For more information contact Ethel at 973-706-6164.

PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND HOME

JOE’S LOCK & KEYRESIDENTAL, COMMERCIAL

& INDUSTRIALCOMPLETE LOCKSMITH

SERVICEFULLY BONDED & INSURED

973.517.0001

Memory Screening • The Clifton Health Department and Act Now Foundation will be offering a FREE Memory Screening on Tuesday, May 3, 2016 from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM at the Clifton Health Department, 900 Clifton Avenue, 2nd floor. Registration is required. Please call the Clifton Health Department at 973-470-5760 to register. Registra-tion will be on a first come - first served basis. Call as soon as possible, as space is limited. This screening is open to Clifton and Little Falls residents aged 60 years and older only. Memory screenings do not replace a consultation with a phy-sician. It is an important step toward finding out if an in-dividual may have a memory problem. Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease enables individuals to obtain treatment, participate in clinical trials, and make legal and financial de-cisions that can improve quality of life. The Clifton Health Department is a contractual health agen-cy serving the Township of Little Falls.

Thrift Shop • St John Lutheran Church in Passaic will hold a Thrift Shop on Saturday, May 7, from 9:30 am to 1 pm featuring gently used spring and summer clothing, household items, and toys and games at very low prices. The church is at 140 Lexington Avenue. For information call the church office at 973-779-1166 or Margaret at 973-777-0322. Our fund raisers help us contribute to 7 local charities as well as to our church.

Roast Pork Luncheon • A Roast Pork Luncheon will be offered by St John Lutheran Church, Passaic, on Sunday, May 22 at noon. It will include spaetzle, green beans, red cab-bage and dessert with coffee or tea. Bottled water and soda will be available for purchase. Cost will be $20 per adult, $5 for child between 5 and 10 years, and free for child under 5. Basket raffles and 50/50 will also be offered. For information and for advanced reservations which are advised, call Hilde at 973-868-8183. Our fund raisers benefit 7 local charities as well as the church which is located at 140 Lexington Avenue.

The Jersey Insider • April, 2016 • Page 3

Open for Businessby Nicholas J. Veliky

Pascrell victorious even before the first vote is cast. There are certain things in life that are certain, the list use to contain two items, death and taxes, however a third guarantee has been added to the residents of the 9th Congressional District, that being the reelection of Congressman Bill Pascrell, as long as he wants the job. The GOP still hasn’t caught on about how to field a viable opponent, so there is no threat from there. Former Mayor Jeffrey Jones attempted a challenge but was met with opposition from the moment he announced his candidacy. This past week, the Passaic County Democratic Party challenged, in court, some of the signatures on Jones petitions. 40 signatures were disqualified, just enough to leave Jones short of the number necessary to challenge the incumbent. Some say the reason for the challenge was sloppy housekeeping in the Jones’ camp, allowing for ineligible vot-ers to sign his petition. Others say he posed a real threat to the Pascrell incumbency. Now we will never know. The popu-lar Congressman will have another term to bring home the bacon to the 9th.

The 6th ward in Paterson has turned into quite the battle zone, incumbent council representative Andre Sayegh is be-ing challenged by one of the up and comers in the Democrat-ic party Al Abdelaziz. Abdelaziz has been openly endorsed by Mayor “Joey” Torres, could it be that he feels Abdelaziz is good for the Ward or is it political payback for Sayegh’s run against Torres in the last mayoral race? Sayegh finished sec-ond just behind Torres. Sayegh has also been critical of Tor-res’ Administration, in particular, the Mayor’s proposed and defeated recreation fee (which would have been an addition-al tax on Paterson residents.) Sayegh has continually done well for the voters of his ward and the city of Paterson. By the way as of the last reporting Abdelaziz boasts a war chest of $47,000. To Sayegh’s $27,000. It looks like the mayor’s endorsement brings juice to the campaign . . . at least $20,000 worth! Both men are good for Paterson, too bad one will go down defeated in this race. Lets face it, Paterson needs all the good men they can get.

Weasel Brook Park improvement? Back in October we posted photos of part of the deplorable condition of Weasel Brook in Clifton The photos included two softball fields that were flooded, overgrown and in overall disrepair. Beside the fact that these fields are unsuitable for use by area residents, the real sad part of this story is that these fields were dedicated in 1946 by the Clifton Memorial Softball League in memory of their team members who lost their lives in World War II. The response from County operatives was swift, declaring that Weasel Brook Park was slated to be renovated in 2016. We are four months into 2016 and there is no sign of any improvement to the park. The county has announced reno-vations to Garret Mountain Reservation but still not even a wooden sign, you know the ones with the Freeholders names on it, telling of the coming improvements. Your County tax dollars are obviously still not at work here.

HOUSE CALLSI Make House Calls. . .

JEFFREY POMPEO, ESQ. DiFrancesco Bateman

jpompeo@newjerseylaw.netContact me to meet in your home or

Clifton, 1200 Rt. 46 West, Suite 130 - 973-458-9174Warren, 15 Mountain Blvd. - 908-757-7800

Newton, 61 Spring Street, Suite A-2

The Mystery of the Disappearing Facebook Question on PCTI Funding

by Antonio Latona

Continued on Page 11

In the past few weeks I have seen much talk and commentary in the newspapers and on-line about PCTI (Passaic County Technical Institute) promoting its success. These state-ments have been made by many local and county leaders. I spent some time reading and reviewing and many red flags were raised in my mind. I decided to respond and ask some questions, yet the posts on facebook and responses were quickly deleted not once but twice. This dis-appearance then raised another red flag and made me ask why? What is there to hide? I guess the constructive questions were too much for the county officials to want anyone asking. What did I ask? How is PCTI funding dis-tributed? What is the student break down by town of each of the 16 municipalities that at-tend there? Are the classroom seats fairly dis-tributed to students of the county? Who de-cides who get’s accepted and who is denied? Is it decided by an independent staff or a politi-cally appointed board? What is the percent-age of administrative costs compared to the rest of the county? What is the total security staff employed by PCTI? Then there are the multiple turf fields, swimming pool, limited

transparency and accountability. Is it fair for Clifton/Wayne taxpayers (paying almost half of county taxes) to unfairly subsidize an 11/1 student/teacher ratios for the county school, and unlimited funded programs, while Clif-ton is short changed on their students edu-cation who are sitting in up to 30/1 student/teacher classrooms? Clifton has 20 schools and almost 11,000 stu-dents and 3 security officers while the PCTI has at least 50 security positions for only a single school of 3,300. I’m still wondering how all those great programs and staff is be-ing budgeted for less than 12k a student. My guess is how much of the school related costs are not being counted under PCTI budget but under county budget maybe? The county elected officials promoted the story and now it’s time to answer many of the hard questions people are asking so the resi-dents of Passaic County can judge for them-selves. In closing I’m not questioning the wonderful programs, superior education, or quality staff at PCTI but the way the county dispropor-tionately disperses it’s funding in an unfair way at the expense of other school students.

The

Jers

ey In

sider

• Ap

ril, 2

016

• Pag

e 4

The opinions and views expressed in the letters to the editor are not necessarily those shared by the Jersey Insider. Letters to The Editor Policy: Sub-mission of Letters to the Jersey Insider Letters to the Editor does not guarantee publication. Letters may be edited. Letters submitted may be published in print or in electronic format.

Follow the Money

To the Editor:

Here’s the Way to Find Money

The Clifton Board of Education announced that 49 staff reduc-tions in our schools were nec-essary to balance the budget, claiming that revenues have not kept up with expenses. This board faces choices - increase revenues and prioritizing ex-penses - is it needed or wanted. The answer is NOT reducing teaching positions.

Here is a simple way to increase revenues by approximately $4 million - sell Latteri Park to the city of Clifton once and for all. This school district should not be in the business of man-aging a park nor should any of the school budget be used for this purpose like insurance and maintenance expenses.

On the expense side, this board needs to decide what expenses are necessary and needed to educate the children of Clifton and only reduce those expens-es which are not necessary. Teaching positions are neces-sary and is not the way to cut costs. It is time we start “cut-ting the fat” from this budget. For example, with an annual salary of $177,000 the superin-tendent does not need a BOE paid car and gas to compute to/ from his home which is ap-proximately 20 miles from Clif-ton each way. Last year, Clifton taxpayers paid over $1,300 in

gas for him to compute to/from work without the cost of insur-ance and maintenance on this vehicle.

At the last BOE meeting, with the exception of Evans and Bassford, the rest of the board voted to hire another supervi-sor of custodians at $65,000 annually. Since the district has several supervisors of custo-dians this was a position that could have been easily cut.

Commissioner Evans stated at the last BOE meeting since 2010 this board has moved over $14 million from the operating budget into the capital reserve account. This is exactly what the previous boards did with the 290 Brighton Road Debacle and how they funded the over $5 million in cost overruns and then claimed they were forced to layoff media specialists in the schools. Fast forward to to-day, and having spent over $3 million for turf at the stadium; spending another $1 million for turf at the high school prac-tice field and moving $14 mil-lion into capital reserve over the last 6 years, we are now told 49 staff positions must be reduced. This is poor financial management. As we did several years ago after the 290 Brighton debacle it is time once again to clean house at the BOE.

Mary Sadrakula (201)314-5380Editors Note: Mary Sadrakula is a former member of Clifton’s City Council

The Clifton Health Depart-ment and Saint Mary’s Gen-eral Hospital will be offering a FREE podiatry screening on Thursday, April 21, at 10 AM at the Clifton Health Department, 900 Clifton Av-enue, 2nd floor. A Podiatrist from St. Mary’s will provide a free physical exam of the foot and ankle, and, if needed, offer recommendations on follow up care. Registration is required. Call the Clifton Health Department at 973-470-5760 to register. Regis-tration will be on a first come - first served basis. There is no cost. This screening is open to Clifton and Little Falls residents only. Patients will be required to

sign a disclaimer and will leave with a follow up/re-sults form. A translator may be needed for patients who do not understand English. Patients should avoid wear-ing pantyhose, as shoes and socks must be removed for the screening.Our feet are crucial for our general well-being. Our feet are pretty small, considering they have to support the en-tire height and weight of our bodies. Each step you take involves a remarkably intri-cate network of 26 bones, 33 joints, 19 muscles, multiple tendons, and 107 ligaments. That complexity, combined with all the weight feet carry, accounts for why feet can be so prone to problems such as bone fractures, arthritis, and plantar fasciitis, a swelling of the thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot. On average, a healthy person

should aim to take 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. That cov-ers several miles and adds up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime. By age 70, the aver-age person will have walked the equivalent of 4 times around the globe. Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It also contributes to your general health by improving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promot-ing all-around well-being. Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems. It is neglect, and a lack of awareness of proper care, including poor-ly-fitting shoes, that bring on the problems.Please call the Clifton Health Department at 973-470-5760 to register or for more information about this free screening.The Clifton Health Department is a contractual health agency serving the Township of Little Falls.

Free Podiatry Screening

Senator Pou Honors “Inspiring Women”

Annually, Senator Pou, acknowledges out-standing women from throughout the 35th Legislative District to highlight their leader-ship and unsung contributions to the com-munity.“The honorees this evening represent the areas of law, education, healthcare, govern-ment, law enforcement, volunteerism, and so much more. These women are mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts as well as, public

servants, teachers and activists. I am honored to have the opportunity to recognize them for all their efforts. Pou presented merit resolutions to Yvette Beckett Roland; Deziree Cuadrado Marti-nez; Lucia De Nova; Marisol Flynn; Jeanne Freitag; Amy Perlmutter; Caty Polanco; Judy Rattacasa; Heather Sparano and Aleksandra Tasic.

The Jersey Insider • April, 2016 • Page 5

LIVE LOCAL.SHOP LOCAL. BANK LOCAL.

*Eligibility requirements for a free gift include full direct deposit of payroll or Social Security into a Simply Free Checking Account of at least $500 per month, debit card and enrollment in e-statements. One gift per household; gift will be delivered to your home once all qualifications are met. If direct deposit is cancelled within the first year, your account will be charged for the gift. The amount of the gift will be reported to IRS; consult with your tax advisor. Offer valid while supplies last; offer subject to change without notice. Gift availability subject to change. Member FDIC. © Clifton Savings Bank 2016. Fitbit® is a registered trademark of Fitbit, Inc. GoPro Hero is a registered trademark of GoPro, Inc. Polaroid is a registered trademark of PLR IP Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.

GoPro Hero®

ActionCamcorder

Fitbit Flex®

Polaroid Zip Mobile Instant Printer®

$50 Gift CardsSelect 2 from anyof the following:Cedars RestaurantCorrado’s Market Davia RestaurantImperial 46 RestaurantMichael’s SalumeriaOasys Day SpaPiast Meats & ProvisionsPloch’s/Strawberry Blossom Garden CentersPositano Restaurant & PizzeriaRoyal Warsaw

OR OR OR

Open a Simply Free Checking Account* with Direct Deposit, Debit Card and E-Statements and choose your favorite Thank You Gift! Download our mobile app for free. No minimums and No monthly fees.

Open a Simply Free Checking Account at CSBK and do all three.

Ask about our BONUS SAVING RATE!

Make a personalized appointment today! Visit csbknj.com and select a date/time that works best for you or call us at

973-473-2200

Clifton • Fair Lawn • Garfield • Hoboken • Lyndhurst • Wallington • Wayne • Woodland Park

876_Hoboken Now Ad_10.3X11.25_The Jersey Insider_040816_PUB.indd 1 4/8/16 11:43 AM

The

Jers

ey In

sider

• Ap

ril, 2

016

• Pag

e 6

Now ServingPassaic, Bergen and

Essex Counties

Each year at their annual Communion Breakfast, the St. Philip the Apostle Knights of Columbus Council 11671 presents an award of excel-lence to someone in recog-nition of their outstanding contributions they make to the parish community. Un-like the Knight’s Awards Night, held in June, where awards are presented in many categories, the com-munion Breakfast Award of Excellence is given to one person, usually a parishioner,

who exemplifies the best of Catholic values in their daily living and who contributes in his/her time and talents to the community. This year’s honoree Doreen Germain, has served as Confirmation Coordinator, Religious Edu-cation teacher, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, di-rector of the annual parish blood drive, active partici-pant in the Counting Minis-try and general volunteer in other parish activities.

Doreen Germain Honored with KofC Award of Excellence

Pictured are: Mike Cervine,-Breakfast Chairperson, Doreen Germain-honoree, Rich Donkersloot-Grand Knight

Clifton Public Library cel-ebrates National Poetry Month, Open Mic Poetry Night celebration. This is an event open to everybody who would like to read their

own or favorite poem in the language of their preference.Here are the events’ details:Open Mic Poetry Night, Thursday, April 25th at 6:30 pm, Main Library.Registration is open for all the events online at ww.cliftonpl.org.

The Clifton Health Department would like you to know that Clifton will be holding its annual spring Rabies Clinic in Clifton on Wednesday, April 27, for Cats ($5.00) from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Department of Pub-lic Works, 307 E 7th St., Clifton, NJ 07011. There will also be a clinic in Little Falls on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 for Dogs & Cats from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Department of Public Works, 70 Sindle Ave., Little Falls, NJ 07424. The clinics are open to all residents of New Jersey. New Jersey law requires that all dogs be vaccinated against rabies. Clifton requires that dogs over six months of age be licensed. Little Falls requires that dogs and cats over six months of age be licensed. You must show proof of rabies vaccination in or-der to obtain a license. Dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in a carrier when they are brought to the clinic. Dog licenses will be available to purchase during the clinic for Clifton & Little Falls residents.The NJDOH recommends revaccination of dogs and cats prior to expiration of the pre-vious vaccination. Some animals may need to be revaccinated before the duration of immunity expires in order to qualify for re-licensure. Administering a rabies vaccine before the duration of immunity of a previ-ous vaccination has expired is not associated with an increased occurrence of adverse re-actions in dogs.The campaign to keep rabies out of our pet population is succeeding thanks to rabies

i m m u n i z a -tion of dogs, cats and fer-rets. Between 1998 and the middle of 2013, there were only seven cases of rabies in dogs

reported in New Jer-sey, the last one being reported in 2008.

O n g o i n g prevent ion of rabies is an important public health measure. Rabies is a zoonotic disease, one that can be transmitted from animals to hu-mans. Any warm blooded animal can con-tract, carry and transmit rabies. Almost all human cases of rabies were fatal until 1865, when a vaccine was developed by Louis Pastuer and Emile Roux. Recorded human deaths in the United States have dropped from 100 or more in the early 20th Century to one or two per year. Most human rabies cases are from bat bites, which may go un-noticed and untreated. If you suspect that you or someone in your family has been bit-ten by a bat, seek medical attention immedi-ately. Modern treatment is relatively painless with few side effects, according to the Cen-ters for Disease Control, which recommends that you consult a physician after any bite by a warm blooded animal or exposure to their saliva or brain tissue.Rabies in cats has accounted for 90 percent of the domestic animal cases in New Jersey since 1989. For the last 5 years there has been an average of 16 cats infected with rabies an-nually. In that same period since 1989, the most cases have been found in raccoons (4137) and skunks (853). Please call the Clifton Health Department at 973-470-5760 for more information.The Clifton Health Department is a contrac-tual health agency serving the Township of Little Falls.

Annual Spring Rabies Clinic

National Poetry Month

The Jersey Insider • April, 2016 • Page 7

Continued on Page 8

WHERESUCCESSSTARTS

The Legal InsiderA Last Will and Testament That

“Proves Itself”By Jeffrey W. Pompeo, Esq.

Every will drafted in New Jersey before September 1, 1978 should be rewritten to include language – called “self-proving” language – that will allow the will to be easily admitted to probate upon death. (Probate is the legal process in which a will is determined to be valid and the estate of a deceased per-son is administered.)

Every will drafted in New Jer-sey after September 1, 1978 should be reviewed by an experienced and competent estate planning attorney to confirm that it includes self-proving language; if it does

not, it should be rewritten.

HISTORYPrior to September 1, 1978, in order to admit a will to probate, testimony from the people who witnessed the signing of the will was re-quired. These people were typically employees of the at-torney who drafted the Will. Especially for wills signed and witnessed many years earlier, it became difficult to locate witnesses; in some cas-es, the witnesses had died or were living out of state.

To alleviate these problems, a New Jersey law allows a will

signed on or after September 1, 1978 to be “self-proving,” that is, to be proven without the testimony of the wit-nesses, provided an affidavit attached to the will (which includes language specified in the law) is signed by the maker of the will and two witnesses.

Although the required lan-guage is too long to include here, it consists of five sec-tions, each of which is fol-lowed by certain informa-tion: signature of the maker of the will; signature of the two witnesses with their ad-dresses; signature of the

maker; signature of the two witnesses without their ad-dresses, and signature of a notary public or New Jersey Attorney-at-Law.

Under New Jersey law, a will can be made self-proving af-ter it has been signed and wit-nessed, provided the maker of the will and witnesses sign an acknowledgment (which includes language specified in the law) in the presence of a notary public and the acknowledgment is then at-tached to the will.

CASE STUDYI was recently hired by an

executor to probate his 85 year old mother’s will and to administer her estate. The will was signed in 1979 and was not self-proving. (The attorney who drafted it was apparently not aware of the self-proving law.) As a result, I had to find the witnesses. Eventually, I found one, and she was living in Florida. The other, a semi-retired attorney who was in New Jersey, was not enthused with the idea of having to travel to the Morris County Courthouse in Mor-ristown to authenticate the will he had drafted and wit-nessed 37 years ago.

The

Jers

ey In

sider

• Ap

ril, 2

016

• Pag

e 8

Clifton Vein Care CenterDo you suffer from . . .- Varicose Veins?- Spider Veins?- Leg swelling, ulcers or skin discoloration?- Blood clots, “DVT”, leg infection or phlebitis?

We offer . . .- Laser vein surgery- Minimally invasive varicose vein removal- Laser spider vein treatment- Injection sclerotherapy- On-site vascular testing- Wound care

All our procedures are performed in the comfort of our offices.

Let us help you to feel better, look better and enjoy a better

quality of life!

Before

After

905 Allwood Road Joseph Baratta, MD, FASCS Vascular SurgeonClifton, NJ 07012 Elizabeth Cole, APN, RVT Nurse Practitioner

973-778-6676We participate in most insurance plans including Medicare and Medicaid

General and Vascular Surgical Associates of North Jersey

Clearly, the attorneys’ fees incurred by this estate were higher because of the time spent locating and speaking to the witnesses; with a will that “proves itself,” those at-torneys’ fees would not have been incurred.

CONCLUSIONCheck your will or have an experienced and competent estate planning attorney do so. The cost savings at the time the will is submitted for probate can be significant.

Jeffrey W. Pompeo, Esq. is an

attorney with the law firm of DiFrancesco, Bateman, Kunzman, Davis, Lehrer & Flaum, P.C. in Warren, Som-erset County (908-757-7800) and Clifton, Passaic County (973-458-9174). Jeff has been a member of the New Jersey Bar since 1982 and has been a columnist for Jersey Insider since 2005. He was the host of the game show “In the Know” and host and producer of the television show “Close Up”. He can be reached at jpompeo@newjer-seylaw.net.

A Last Will and Testament that “Proves Itself ”Continued from page 7

Confirmation, First Communion or

Mother’s DayLet The Mountainside Inn

Do the Cooking While You Enjoy the Event

Complete Drop-off BuffetFour Hot Entrees, Potato, Vegetables

Rolls and Butter & Tossed Green Salad

Call for our complete MenuIndividual Pan Items Also Available!

The Mountainside InnCatering for All Occasions

509 Hazel Street - Clifton

973-772-1333www.mountainsideinn.com

$1395Only+ Tax/Per Person

Min. 25 People

The Montclair Fire Department (MFD) re-sponded to a report of a fire at the Montclair Township Animal Shelter at approximately 12:00 p.m. this afternoon. MFD units arrived to find a large volume of fire consuming the rear of the building. The fire engulfed the roof of the addition at the back portion of the structure as well as a nearby vehicle.Three Montclair engines and two trucks re-

sponded to fight the fire as well as units from Irvington, South Orange, West Orange, and Orange.All of the animals inside the Shelter were evacuated and survived. No injuries were re-ported to fire personnel. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Photo courtesy of the Montclair Fire Depart-ment.

Montclair Fire Department Responds to Animal Shelter Fire

The Jersey Insider • April, 2016 • Page 9

Continued on Page 10

Nature in Your Backyard By

Don TorinoBergen County Audubon

Celebrates 75 years

bringing attention to our lo-cal environment but it is also a testament to the many people that have committed their personal time, efforts and energy, often at personal sacrifice to this very special all volunteer organization.Marie Longo, education di-rector for Bergen Audubon said “Our field trips, pro-grams and events have intro-duced countless numbers of people in the community to birding, wildlife and conser-vation issues over the years. We have developed valu-

able partnerships that have helped us grow, educate and inspire. Our sponsorship of the Audubon Adventures program has provided stu-dents in our area the oppor-tunity to expand their envi-ronmental education and to connect with nature. BCAS has restored and maintained much needed habitat for birds, butterflies, pollinators and wildlife. Our new Cer-tified Wildlife Garden pro-gram is connecting gardens and gardeners in a concerted effort to make a difference for

wildlife. As Education Chair, I am proud of what we have accomplished and look for-ward to continuing our mis-sion in the years to come as there is still much work to be done. Happy 75th Anniver-sary BCAS! Dave Hall, our long time Di-rector of field work remem-bers how much BCAS has evolved over the many years “The biggest transformation for BCAS began in 1979, when we switched from being a small independent bird club to become a chapter in the

Get Your Vehicle Road Trip Ready!

Schedule Your Car’s Summer Service Today

GAM’SAuto Service

Come Visit our State of the Art Facility at160 Huron Avenue, Clifton

973-777-8476

National Audubon Society. The previous group, formerly Hackensack Audubon Soci-ety, had about 200 members at its peak, of which maybe 50 were active experienced birders. . Upon joining the NAS, the group immediately gained many new members, most were new to birding. Gradually the club moved most of field trips closer to

home, aiming towards begin-ners and their interests. Hall went on to say, these many new members brought new active board members, fresh ideas and more enthusiasm to become active in environ-mental issues. The link to NAS brought advice on new services that BCAS could offer to the community. the result was a fresh outlook,

Continued from Page 1

The

Jers

ey In

sider

• Ap

ril, 2

016

• Pag

e 10 Bergen Audubon at 75

Continued from Page 9an expanded newsletter, and more local activities that were welcoming to families and young people”There have been many chang-es over the past 75 years to our environment with habi-tat loss and the battle to pro-

tect continues. Birds that were once common now gone from our region but we have also witnessed great vic-

tories. In our time the Bald Eagle, Osprey and Peregrine Falcon have made a miracu-lous comeback with num-bers that we haven’t seen in more than a hundred years. We have seen the New Jersey Meadowlands return from

the brink of destruction, al-most forgotten, now restored to a thriving wildlife sanctu-ary that we can hold up as a

shining example to the entire nation. An example of what can be done when people care .Today Bergen Audubon is no longer limited to Bergen county and has expanded their range by representing towns in Passaic and Hudson Counties. Our work today is not only helping preserve habitat for birds but also un-derstand how all of nature is connected. We have created Butterfly and native plant gardens for all to enjoy. We work every day of the year educating people of all ages on the wonders of nature, es-pecially our birds .We now lead more nature walks than ever, almost ev-ery weekend throughout the year. They are always free and open to all in our effort to have everyone, no matter who they are, or where they live, connect with the won-ders of the natural world . With the communities sup-port we have created a stron-ger than ever grass roots conservation organization that we all can be proud of. An organization that works hard every day to protect the wildlife that we all love so passionately.Together we will establish a model for the next gen-eration of Bergen Audubon Members So that there will be another successful 75 years of being there for the

birds.Thank you all from the bot-tom of my heart to our many volunteers over the many years and to our over 2000 members for everything you have done and continue to do for Bergen Audubon and es-pecially for our birds.Beside our free weekly nature walks and educational pro-grams we have many special events planned throughout the year plus many more yet to be scheduled Monthly chapter meetings, the third Wednesday of each month (excluding July & Au-

gust) 7:30pm Teaneck Creek Conservancy Special Events: Mark your calendars - Moth Night July 25th and Butterfly day July 30th both at the meadow-lands Our 75th Anniversary Din-ner September 22nd –Gray-cliff in Moonachie December 1st author Rich-ard Crossley –Meadowlands plus much more To learn more go to Ber-ge n c ou nt y au du b on . org and to get on our weekly e-mail blast send an e-mail to Greatauk4@gmail.com

seen on the big screen. Ad-mission to the festival is free and is open to the public. A Free parking voucher for the underground parking garage at Center City Mall will be provided at the film festival, courtesy of Fabian 8 Cinema

and Center City Mall.Over one hundred films were submitted to the festival by students and independent film makers who live, attend school or work in Passaic County.Film entries are 10 minutes

in length and are in the fol-lowing categories: general short film; public service an-nouncement; music video and documentary/historic film. The films were judged by members of the Passaic County Film Commission.Awards will be presented at the festival along with the Grand Prize for best film of the festival. The North Jer-

sey Federal Credit Union will present a special award to support film makers in Pas-saic County.The objective of the Pas-saic County Film Festival is to support students and in-dependent film makers by providing a public forum in which to showcase their films.

Passaic County Film FestivalContinued from page 1

The Jersey Insider • April, 2016 • Page 11

Open for BusinessContinued from page 3

“Proud to Represent the People of Clifton”Assemblyman

Thomas P. GiblinView The Giblin Report on

Thursdays at 9pm, Cablevision Channel 76 & FiOS Channel 40. Check with your

Cable Provider for Other Listings

1333 Broad Street, Clifton, NJ. 973-779-3125

Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin would like to remind all of his constituents that their suggestions are very important to him. Many ideas for the creation of New Jersey Laws come from citizens of all walks of life. If you have an idea for new legislation that would benefit this state, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts with his Legislative office

at 973-779-3125 or e-mail us at AsmGiblin@njleg.org. It is truly his privilege to serve the people of the 34th Legislative District.

www.bizub.comAffiliated with Bizub - Parker Funeral Home, Little Falls, NJ

1313 Van Houten AvenueClifton, NJ 07013Phone: 973-546-2000Fax: 973-779-3749Timothy J. Bizub, Mgr.Lic. No. 4022

515 Lexington AvenueClifton, NJ 07011Phone: 973-777-4332Fax: 973-772-0108Thomas J. Bizub, Mgr.Lic. No. 2732

The city of Clifton’s bare bones budget boasts of austerity the likes we haven’t seen in years. To give you just a taste of the severe cutbacks in the new budget, there was a $500,000 cut that came about because there will be no new police vehicles purchased this go round. No this isn’t a sacrifice; no one will be driving an outdated vehicle. Because the city has 10 unused police cruisers currently in storage on Wellington Road just waiting to be outfitted for service, no new cars will be need-ed. Now this could be a buying in bulk mentality that many Clifton families use when purchasing products like toilet pa-per or canned beans. Not many Clifton families can afford to stockpile vehicles. The waste in government is sickening. When it comes to spending other peoples money with only a tax point or two as a consequent, the sky is the limit. Also big talk about banking cash for pricy retirements that the city will have to face. One item at point is the hefty sum Police Chief John Link will collect after his unexpected resignation. Let’s hope he too doesn’t end up working in the Passaic County Sheriff ’s office, which is looking more and more like a retire-ment facility for Clifton’s retired police brass.

School superintendent Richard Tardallo at the March 9th Board of Education meeting stated “we should have done a better job.” This was apparently said as the Clifton Board of Education unveiled their budget short fall to the tune of $8.8 million dollars. We have it on good authority that the axe has already fallen with some Board of Education support staff be-ing told to pack up their desks.Cuts in staff at the high school will be where the brunt of the layoffs will occur. Interesting fact. For two BOE meetings this has been a point of discussion without any comments or par-ticipation from the teachers union.

The word on the street is, the Board of Education member’s are fed with more than just light refreshments, at their regu-lar meetings. The assumption of those openly evaluating this perk, is that it may be a pay for play deal with the company that supplies Clifton school lunches? Question, do all Clifton boards get fed??

Just when you thought you had heard it all, it was suggest-ed that Clifton cap the number of students allowed to at-tend Passaic County Technical Institute. The per student tab charged to the City of Clifton is over $14,000, this in addi-tion to the fact that a chunk of our county taxes goes to fund PCTI. Perhaps the cap is not the answer; perhaps the BOE may want to revive the shop classes once taught at CHS. That was before everyone thought no Clifton student would ever work with their hands. PCTI prepares student for college as well as training in a variety of skill areas, including but not limited to applied technology construction - cosmetology – culinary arts - performing arts – criminal justice – finance – medical arts-special education – 7th and 8th grade Saturday academies and a diversified adult program. With the cost of a college education and the prospect of mediocre employ-ment opportunities in the current economy, many are opting for careers that do not come with tens and even hundreds of thousand dollars in student loans.

The

Jers

ey In

sider

• Ap

ril, 2

016

• Pag

e 12

INSID

ER -

April

9, 20

10 -

PAGE

16

ShopRite 503 Paulison Ave., 973-471-0868

Paulison AvenueShopRite7 am to Midnight

7 Days a Week

“Spring Has Sprung”at your

Paulison AvenueShopRite

Stop by to Pick Up Everything You Need for Your

Outdoor Living

Cuellar Family Markets

Paulison AvenueShopRite Because

We Care About You andYour Family

A LargeSelection ofPatio Sets

and Market

Umbrellas

Everythingfor the

BackyardGarden

Live Plantsand

Flowers