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Obituaries
All obituaries must be submitted by email by 10 a.m., Mondays, to obituaries@ theobserver.com. Payment is due at submission.
Rocco ‘Rocky’ Cignarella
Rocco “Rocky” Cignarella, 69, of North Arlington, died Dec. 18, 2022.
The beloved companion of Deborah E. Sewulich, he was the devoted father of Valerie Cignarella, Charles DiMenno and Scott DiMenno. Dear brother of Michael Cignarella and his wife Debbie, Rocky was predeceased by his brother Stephen Cignarella.
Before retiring, Rocky was the sole proprietor for Rocky’s Auto Center, Kearny. In his spare, time he acquired his general license to become an amateur radio operator. He loved yardwork and enjoyed working on many automobiles. Rocky leaves behind a host of loving family and friends. He will truly be missed.
Visitation was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrate at Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington. Entombment was in Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum, North Arlington.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, cancer.org.
Theresa Vacca
Theresa Vacca 87 of Kearny and raised in East Newark died peacefully Dec. 18, 2022.
Beloved wife of the late Donald N. Vacca (2022), she was the devoted mother of Keith Vacca and his wife Mary, Donna Vacca and Paul Vacca. Loving grandmother of David and his wife Amy, Courtney, Jonathan and Coreym she was the cherished great-grandmother of Matthew and Nicholas.
Before retiring, Theresa was a line cook for Pomptonian Food Service, Fairfield. She belonged to the St. Cecilia Rosary Society as well as being a Cub Scout Leader, Pack No. 34.
Visitation was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at St. Cecilia Church, Kearny. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
3 common digestive problems in seniors
Getting older sometimes comes with an increase in health issues, or at least an increased risk of developing them. Digestive illnesses and disorders are among the most unpleasant ones. Here are four of the most common.
Constipation. Moving food through your body involves a series of rhythmic muscular contractions. With age, these processes can become less efficient, making it difficult for you to pass stool.
Gastroesophageal reflux
disease. While gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can occur at any age, it’s more common in older adults. GERD may cause a burning sensation, sore throat, coughing, bitter regurgitation and bad breath.
Colorectal cancer. This serious illness affects about five per cent of the population. It poses a higher risk in older adults who have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Regular screening makes it possible to diagnose the disease early and treat it effectively.
Even if your chances of
Miracle Prayer
Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked for many favors this time I ask you this special one favor. Take it. Dear Heart of Jesus and place it on your own broken heart where our Father sees it then in his merciful eyes it will be your favor not mine. AMEN. Say this prayer for 3 days and promise to publication and favor will be granted no matter how impossible. Never known to fail. B.C.
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getting digestive issues increase with age, you can mitigate the risk with healthy lifestyle habits and a balanced diet. Speak with your doctor if you have any concerns about your health.
Novena to St. Claire
Ask St. Claire for 3 favors. 1 business 2 impossible. Say 9 Hail Mary’s for 9 days with a lighted candle. Pray whether you believe it or not. Publish on 9th day. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised, adored, glorified & loved today and every day throughout the world Forever and Ever. Amen. Your request will be granted no matter how impossible it may seem.
E.P.
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Home for Services
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agreed to provide us with this sub-station to handle the upswing in service calls.”
Loss of a legend: Charlie Dolan dies
Long time Kearny philanthropist and volunteer Charlie Dolan died in October aged 85.
Retired sports writer Jim Hague penned a moving tribute to the man who touched so many lives in his time on earth and recounted stories of his 65-year marriage to the former Jo-Ann Foster.
Dolan, who also wrote his own obituary, suffered from Parkinson’s for almost 40 years.
He was a prolific athlete at St. Cecilia High School, most noted for basketball and baseball.
From Hague’s tribute:
Bill Raftery, whose point total of 2,430 points at St. Cecilia remains No. 2 in the all-time Hudson County scoring list, vividly recalls Dolan’s kindness when Raftery was growing up in Kearny, as a key to his development as a player that led to a career at LaSalle University in Philadelphia and led to his eventual career as the head coach at Seton Hall and to a threedecade career as a beloved sportscaster, most notably with CBS Sports and the national coverage of the popular NCAA Tournament and Final Four.
“He was one of the older guys that I looked up to,” Raftery recalled. “The older guys pretty much held the court, but Charlie let us play with them if they needed an extra guy. The competition was always good and playing with the older guys, guys four, five or six years older, always helped. And Charlie always offered good constructive criticism. He would never interfere with my development. He was always so helpful. I think about him a lot.”
Raftery paid Dolan a visit whenever he had the opportunity to do so, especially after Dolan’s health went into decline.
“He had this natural athletic ability,” Raftery said. “But it was never about him. His generosity just showed the goodness of the guy. He had such a good heart. I never once saw him raise his voice to anyone. He always seemed to be so happy and that stuck with me over the years.”
Election ‘22
The Election of 2022 was, indeed, memorable in two Observer towns and fairly routine in another.
In Harrison, in perhaps the most contentious race of them all, incumbent Mayor James A. Fife easily fended off a challenge by former Councilman Anselmo Millan, taking around 2/3 of the entire vote. This was the second time Fife defeated Millan, who ran against him in a primary in 2018.
None of Fife’s running mates — Jesus Huaranga, Ellen Mendoza, Delfim Sarabando, Larry Bennett and James P. Doran — faced challenges. Bennett was the top votegetter of all the candidates.
In Kearny, two of the four council seats had contest elections, but it was the candidates backed by Mayor Alberto G. Santos who cruised to easy wins.
In the Third Ward, incumbent Eileen Eckel beat David Paszkiewicz easily and in the Fourth Ward, Stathis Theodoropoulos held off Sydney J. Ferreira, who had run, unsuccessfully, for mayor in 2021. Theodoropoulos is a newcomer to the council.
Also winning were newcomer George Zapata,
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who previously served on the Kearny Board of Education, in the First Ward, replacing the retiring Albino Cardoso and Peter P. Santana won his second full term on the council in the Second Ward.
All will be sworn in the first week in January.
And in North Arlington, incumbent Mayor Daniel H. Pronti and his council running mates, Kirk Del Russo and Lynette Cavadas, each won easy elections against a slate of relatively unknown Democrats.
Nutley fire chief arrested, charged with luring minor
The year’s final, and perhaps most noted story, happened just a few weeks ago and it garnered the attention of the New York City media and agencies throughout Jersey, when Nutley Fire Chief Henry Meola was nabbed in a YouTube sex sting by a group called OBL Nation.
Earlier this month, a video that has since been seen by more that 25,000 viewers, depicts Meola arriving at the North Bergen Walmart to meet who he believes is a 14-year-old boy. Thing is, that 14-year-old boy was actually a decoy purporting to be a minor and when he showed up at the store, he instead met OBL Nation’s Ramy, who was streaming the encounter live to scores of people on YouTube.
Meola eventually brought Ramy back to Nutley, where he expected to meet with one of the township’s commissioners, but instead, viewers had already called Nutley police, who were there to meet them.
Ultimately, though Nutley detectives did a tremendous job investigating, since the crime took place in North Bergen, authority was transferred to the North Bergen PD and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. The HCPO charged Meola with luring and attempted endangering the welfare of a minor.
Though initially remanded the Hudson County Jail, one day after, a judge allowed Meola to go free, without bail, with conditions he remain in constant contact with investigators until and when the case is adjudicated, either in trial or with a plea agreement. nnn
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opportunity too good to pass up on.
Seven months later, on Sept. 20, Lyndhurst and long-time neighboring rival North Arlington became the first Bergen County girls soccer teams to ever play at Red Bull Arena.
In order to raise the funds needed to help offset operating expenses, both teams sold tickets to the Red Bulls’ Aug. 27 game against Inter Miami FC.
“We were just geeked because these kids will never have an opportunity like this again,” said Hykey before the game. “We both wanted to make sure that we did as much as we could to get this opportunity because they don’t come around too often.”
After getting the professional treatment, which included using the team locker rooms, North Arlington went out and defeated Lyndhurst, 1-0. Star striker Lia Cruz score the only goal of the game in the 50th minute and keeper Daliana Rojas made seven saves for the shutout.
“This was a really important game to us,” said Rojas. “We got lucky to have this opportunity, it was amazing to play here. Since we were little we were dreaming to play here and we won!
“We had this one opportunity and we made it great.”
The 2022 Harrison soccer team.
Garfield School names Students of the Month for November
Donna Masters, principal of Garfield School, announces the following recipients for Student of the Month for November 2022.
Kindergarten: Helena DaCunha, Liam Esnal, Melanie Vega-Samaniego. 1st Grade: Alexa Feijoo, Aria Merce, Mason Rivera. 2nd Grade: Isabella Carillo, William Tapia, Camila Vargas. 3rd Grade: Christiano Ocana, Mia Oliver, Sophia Polanco. 4th Grade: Maria Corrone Guimaraes, Fiona Hicks, Tiago Munoz. 5th Grade: Ethan Bian, Joseph Boone, Liam Latona, Jeffrey Morocho. 6th Grade: Ryleigh Chesney, Luv Garrett, Nayanna Matos Echevarria, James Mirasso.
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RESOLUTION NO. 1599-12-2022 RESOLUTION ADOPTING MEETING SCHEDULE FOR 2023 Pursuant to Chapter 23l, Laws of 1975, the following are designated as meetings of the Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the Town of Harrison, N.J. at which Public Housing Agency business may be formally discussed, decided or acted upon.
DATES & TIMES
Harrison Soccer Champs
Here’s a look at the Harrison Recreation Soccer League champs from the Upper Division, the Colorado Rapids, with Councilman Larry Bennett and Councilman Mike Dolaghan.
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January 10, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
February 14, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
March 14, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
April 18, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
May 9, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
June 13, 2023 Re-Organization Meeting - 6:00 P.M. Regular - 6:15 P.M. July & August at Request of Chair
September 12, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
October 10, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
November 14, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
December 12, 2023 Regular - 6:00 P.M.
PLACE & LOCATION Commissioner’s Room Bldg. #1, Harrison Gardens Harrison, New Jersey
PURPOSE Any and all Public Housing Agency Business
In accordance with P.L. 2020 c. 11, N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 and N.J.A.C. 5:39-1.1 et seq., during an active state of emergency, the Housing Authority may hold any of its meetings virtually, at which point, a notice will be published and posted, including on the Authority’s website, detaiting the change and the means of accessing said meeting remotely. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 20th day of December 2022.
