North Bergen senior Pedro Gonzalez, 71, a resident in the Cullum building, was located in Maine in a “disoriented” state after disappearing with his car on Feb. 9. Through a combination of local public and private agencies, he was brought safely home.

Gonzalez’s wife, Maria Cardoso, 57, reported him missing to the North Bergen Police Department. The NBPD was able to trace Gonzalez’s cell phone to Maine. There, state troopers located Mr. Gonzalez and brought him to a local hospital.

“I received a phone call from the NBPD. An elderly woman reported her husband and his car missing, he was later found by State Troopers in Maine,” says NB CARES Coordinator Aimee Focaraccio.

Gonzalez, who suffers from early onset dementia, had visited a car repair shop when his vehicle’s “check engine” light came on, and was told to drive 30 miles, a common recommendation. He became confused and just kept driving, winding up in Maine.

“With the assistance of the Act Now Foundation for Alzheimer’s Awareness we where able to find a solution, after massive brainstorming, many phone calls, and a lot of research. We ended up flying the wife and her homemaker to Maine,” Focaraccio explains. “The Act Now Foundation was so proactive and on the ball we absolutely could not have done this without them. Not only are they splitting costs with, Care point health, and the Nicholas J Sacco foundation.”

After a night in a hotel, the trio drove home, where they were greeted by Mayor Sacco, Commissioner Julio Marenco, and grateful members of the senior community in a celebration at Cullum on Feb. 15.

Elvira Barillas, who worked for the township of North Bergen as executive secretary to the mayor, passed away on February 15, 2018 with her family at her side.

Barillas leaves behind a husband, two children, three siblings, and two grandchildren. Her daughter, Erin, also leads a life of public service in North Bergen as a clerk for the township.

“She was an amazing woman with a beautiful soul and heart of gold,” North Bergen activist Aimee Focaraccio wrote. “She will be missed tremendously and I hope her family and friends can find the strength to get through this difficult time.“

“I would always tell her that I wanted to be her when I grew up,” wrote Iradys Rivero Ortega. “Being around her brought joy and laughter. She was always classy and respected by many.”

In addition to her role with the township, Barillas also served on the North Bergen Democratic Committee.

The wake will be on Monday, Feb. 19, from 2 PM to 8 PM at Vainieri Funeral Home, 5923 Kennedy Blvd., North Bergen. The funeral will be on Tuesday, 10 AM at the funeral home, which will open at 8 AM to allow for people to visit before work. Mass will be at 11am at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 81st Street and Kennedy Blvd. The burial will be at St Raymonds Cemetery, Bronx, NY.

NJ TRANSIT, the nation’s largest statewide public transportation system, is one step closer to an expansion

In a unanimous vote, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved the proposed alignment of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail’s planned expansion into Bergen County. The Board’s vote authorizes the submission of the “Locally Preferred Alternative” to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Board of Trustees.

The Locally Preferred Alternative consists of a 10-mile two-track extension of the HBLR from its current station at Tonnelle Avenue northward to the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

By selecting the Locally Preferred Alternative at this time, NJ TRANSIT will be able to initiate design and engineering activities upon completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement and receipt of the Record of Decision from the FTA, in advance of requesting entry into Project Development.

The project will construct a total of seven stations in North Bergen, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, and three stations in Englewood.

It is estimated that the project will serve 12,370 passengers per average weekday in the year 2030.

“Today is a sad day in the North Bergen School District as we have lost one of our own,” writes North Bergen Superintendent Dr. George Solter after news of a 6-year-old Lincoln School student passing away with the flu.

“Due to the recent flu virus outbreak, the North Bergen School District is taking every precaution possible to make each one of our schools a safe and healthy learning environment for our students.”

The school district has taken extra precaution by disinfecting school desk, doorknobs, handles, toilets, sinks and other surfaces with bleach to “help prevent the virus from spreading.”

“We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family of our student, our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with them during this difficult time,” expressed Dr. Solter. “We all stand together as a school, a district and a community during this trying time.”

Registration for swim team conditioning for boys and girls ages 5 to 17 will be open from Feb. 20, 2018 through March 29, 2018. This is a program to improve competitive swimming skills, racing starts, flip turns, and stroke technique.

Children must be able to swim and pass a swim test. This is NOT a learn-to-swim program. Register between 2 and 9 p.m. Monday to Friday at the North Bergen Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave.

Practice will be held on Tuesday evenings from Apr. 3 through May 22.

Proof of residency is required, along with a birth certificate/passport, and a non-refundable $35 registration fee. All forms of payment are accepted. For more information call 201-861-9601.

Attention dog and cat owners: Mayor Nicholas Sacco announced the township is holding a free Rabies Clinic on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at the EMS building, 1812 43rd St. (corner of 43rd and Tonnelle Ave.).

Licenses can only be issued with a rabies vaccination certificate. The license fee is $8 if spayed/neutered or $11 if unaltered.

Cash, checks or money orders will be accepted. Checks must be made payable to the Township of North Bergen.

Contact the North Bergen Health Department at (201) 392-2084 for further information.

Several dozen residents of North Bergen and surrounding municipalities attended a community meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 30 to discuss the upcoming Hudson Tunnel Project. The meeting was sponsored by NJ Transit and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to inform the public about details of the project, including scheduling and mitigation measures being put in place to reduce impact to local residents.

The project aims to create a new rail tunnel from North Bergen into Manhattan to supplement the existing tunnel, which is over 100 years old and in urgent need of full reconstruction to repair damage from Superstorm Sandy.

The new tunnel will begin just west of Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen and pass beneath the Palisades and the Hudson River. Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2019 and finish in December 2026. Rehabilitation of the existing tunnel would then begin in January 2027 and run through December 2030.

At the meeting, residents raised concerns about noise, dust, and traffic, among other issues. To address these concerns, residences above the construction and along the truck route will be provided with new sound-reducing windows, and vibration will be monitored during construction. Other mitigation initiatives will be implemented as well, and additional plans are being formulated.

More details and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are available at http://www.hudsontunnelproject.com. For further information email team@hudsontunnelproject.com.