Day: May 17, 2021

East Windsor, East Windsor, Hightstown-East Windsor, Mercer County

East Windsor Township Child Passenger Car Seat Safety Initiative

May 17, 2021

EAST WINDSOR, NJ (MERCER)–Mayor Janice S. Mironov announced that East Windsor Township is launching a Child Passenger Car Seat Safety initiative to run from June through September, underwritten by a $6,000 New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety grant. This pro-active initiative, offered for Township residents will be held at the East Windsor Police/Court building located at 80 One Mile Road on Friday, June 4, Wednesday, June 23, Monday, July 12, Tuesday, August 3, and Thursday, September 23 from 3 P.M. to 7 P.M.

The Township program is designed to outreach and educate motorists about properly securing children passengers in child seats as required by State law. Pursuant to this program, residents, at no cost, can have their child car seats inspected for proper fit and installation in their vehicles and receive educational materials regarding use of child car seats and current child restraint laws. A complete inspection of a child passenger car seat takes less than 10 minutes and is conducted by a nationally certified child passenger safety seat technicians, no appointment is necessary.

According to Mayor Mironov, “Statistics assembled from several organizations including the American Automobile Association and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety underscore that having a properly installed child passenger car seat is extremely important to ensure the safety of our young children in motor vehicles. It is noteworthy that motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for young children and that four out of five child car seats are incorrectly installed. The proper use of child car seats is one of the simplest and most effective means to protect young children passengers.” Mayor Mironov added, “This pro-active initiative is to focus publicly on the high value of using child car seats and most critically using them properly. East Windsor’s grant-funded program will allow residents, at no cost, to have their child car seats inspected by a professionally certified technician to ensure they are properly installed, and receive educational literature offering tips on child safety in vehicles. All East Windsor residents with child passenger car seats are strongly encouraged to attend one of these free events.”

Motor vehicles crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children ages 14 and under in the United States.  Properly installed child safety seats, can prevent injuries and save lives. Young children restrained in child seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained. Child safety seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants less than one year old and by 45 percent in toddlers ages one through four years. National studies have determined that most child safety seats are improperly installed or misused, thus negatively impacting the safety value of these devices.

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State of NJ

Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Eliminating Mask Requirement in Outdoor Public Spaces

May 17, 2021

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 241 eliminating the requirement of masks in outdoor public spaces, which was established under Executive Order No. 163 (2020).  The Order reaffirms the masking requirement in indoor public spaces and workplaces, but clarifies that individuals at small gatherings in private residences are not required to wear masks indoors. 

“New Jersey is making incredible progress towards our vaccination goals and our COVID-19 case numbers continue to trend downwards, allowing us to eliminate the need for masks outdoors,” said Governor Murphy. “Outdoor environments pose a lesser risk of transmission of the virus than indoor settings, and lifting the indoor mask mandate at this time could lead to a rise in transmission among those not yet fully vaccinated, including children who are either not yet eligible or who have just recently become eligible. As we approach our vaccination target in the coming weeks, we expect to be able to safely lift the indoor mask requirement soon.”

The order notes that outdoor public spaces do not include child care centers, other child care facilities, youth summer camps, and public, private, and parochial preschool program premises, and elementary and secondary schools, including charter and renaissance schools. Current recommendations and requirements regarding masking in those settings will remain in effect.  

Additionally, any masking requirements for outdoor spaces in healthcare settings and at congregate facilities, such as long-term care facilities and State correctional facilities, will remain in place.

For the full text of Executive Order No. 241, please click here.

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East Windsor, East Windsor, Mercer County

33rd annual Rainville Awards honor URI student leaders

Recipients of this year’s A. Robert Rainville Team Excellence Award are Carlee Kerr ‘21 of East Windsor, New Jersey, Maya Moran ‘21 from Brockton, Mass., and Veronica Seay ‘21 from Brockton, Massachusetts and Joseph Amaral from Warwick. 

May 17, 2021

KINGSTON, R.I. — May 17, 2021 — The University of Rhode Island recently honored three undergraduate student leaders and one student organization as  part of its  33rd annual A. Robert Rainville Student Leadership Awards ceremonies. The award is named in memory of A. Robert Rainville ’64, vice president for Student Affairs 1980-86, who was a friend and mentor to students.

This year’s recipients are Marland Chang of Cranston, Student Leadership Award; James Cocozza of Cranston, Employee Excellence Award, and Naomi Pajarillo of Providence, Robert L. Carothers Servant Leadership award. Members of University of Rhode Island’s Diversity Dialogues were awarded The Team Excellence Award.

Team Excellence Award recipient: Diversity Dialogues

Diversity Dialogues’ main goal is to create a safe space at the University of Rhode Island where students can learn, discuss, and reflect on  topics regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion through student-led workshops. The workshops help foster learning and understanding of what can be difficult topics because of the lack of inclusive curriculum in American school systems. Diversity Dialogues have created workshops for more than 1,500 students, including organizations such as Greek Life, Resident Advisors, URI 101, as well as education majors and more. Through the members’ workshops they conducted pre- and post-tests on subjects such as microaggression, social identity, and privilege, and saw significant statistical evidence of how people grasped the material and learned how to become better allies to their marginalized peers. The group recognizes that ignorance and misunderstanding of topics involving diversity, equity, and inclusion stem from a lack of consistent curriculum taught in schools about power, social identity, and implicit stereotypes. The team continues to make efforts that provide opportunity and better understanding to students to improve URI’s cultural competence.


“These students have enthusiastically taken on what I believe is our biggest need as a URI community, and a society: engaging people in critical conversations about topics that are challenging but necessary,” said Kristina Perelli, director of New Student Programs in University College for Academic Success. “This team is disrupting the status quo and creating student-driven change through education and the power of peer-to-peer learning and mentoring.” 

Recipients of this year’s A. Robert Rainville Team Excellence Award are Carlee Kerr ‘21 of East Windsor, New Jersey, Maya Moran ‘21 from Brockton, Mass., and Veronica Seay ‘21 from Brockton, Massachusetts and Joseph Amaral from Warwick. 

Recipients of the Team Excellence Award are, from left, Maya Moran, Carlee Kerr, and Joseph Amaral. URI photo by Michael Nolfe
Middlesex County, Monroe Twp

Monroe Township Man Charged with Murder

May 17, 2021

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Michael J. Biennas of the Monroe Township Police Department announced today that a Township man has been arrested and charged for the fatal assault of a female victim who was known to him.

Deymis Jimenez, 32, of Monroe has been charged with murder and unlawful possession of a weapon following an investigation by Detective Joseph Gentile of the Monroe Township Police Department and Detective Mark Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

On May 17, 2021, at approximately 12:36 A.M., authorities responded to a residential building on Spotswood-Gravel Hill Road where they found the deceased adult female in a common area of the building. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation determined Jimenez had assaulted the victim in a common area in the building. The official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy.

Jimenez is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center pending a pre-trial detention hearing in Superior Court.

The investigation is active and continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Gentile of the Monroe Township Police Department at (732) 521-0222 ext. 120 or Detective Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3927.

As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against Jimenez are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

State of NJ

Governor Murphy Announces That Schools Will Be Required to Provide Full-Time, In-Person Instruction Beginning Fall 2021

May 17, 2021

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Continuing his commitment to ensuring that students have access to a high-quality education, Governor Phil Murphy today announced that upon the conclusion of this school year, portions of Executive Order 175 allowing remote learning will be rescinded, meaning that schools will be required to provide full-day, in-person instruction, as they were prior to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

“When schools across New Jersey first closed their doors in March of last year, little was known about COVID-19 and how it spread. But over a year has passed, and we are now facing a very different reality,” said Governor Murphy. “With our health metrics trending decisively in the right direction, the significant progress we have made in our vaccination effort, and vaccines now available to those as young as 12, we are in a position to get our students back into the classroom full-time come fall. We know that there is no substitute for in-person education and know that a full opening of our schools is critical to the well-being of our students.”

“Over the past year we have made the health of our students and school staff a top priority, and stakeholders in all of our school communities have done a commendable job of weathering this storm,” said Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, Acting Commissioner of Education. “Now we turn a corner, and students, educators, and parents throughout New Jersey can look forward to the full return to safe in-person instruction at the start of the 2021–2022 school year. Local Educational Agencies will continue to adhere to Individualized Education Programs, 504 Plans, and the Home Instruction needs of their students.” 

While school districts will be required to fully open buildings beginning Fall 2021, remote learning will be permitted in the event that there is a localized outbreak or other emergency. If buildings are open for in-person instruction, parents or guardians will not be able to opt-out of in-person instruction.

Summer camps and summer educational programming for Summer 2021 will not be impacted and will still be required to follow relevant health and safety protocols.

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Monmouth County, Neptune

UPDATE Found: 10 Year Old Child From Neptune Township

UPDATE: CHILD HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE. thank you to all.for your concern and assistance in getting the word out.

May 17, 2021

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)–Alert: Missing Child – Neptune Township Jai Parrish, 10 years old. Child is wearing blue jeans, black hoodie, white backpack and yellow framed glassed. Please help by sharing and if anyone sees Jai please reach out to Neptune Township Police Department immediately.

UPDATE: CHILD HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE. thank you to all.for your concern and assistance in getting the word out.