Thursday, July 12, 2012
While the church is in good shape with clothing and toiletries, monetary and gift card donations are still needed.
Woodbridge area residents have donated a massive amount of clothing, toys, food, toiletries, and other necessities in the 48 hours since a fire gutted two apartment buildings in Avenel, leaving dozens of families with little more than the clothes on their backs. "A few of us came last night and got a whole bunch of stuff sorted and tables set up," said Tanya Papagiannakis at the First Presbyterian Church of Avenel, where volunteers began sorting through and distributing the donations last night. "A lot of the households housed two to four children per apartment," noted Papagiannakis, pointing to racks of donated children's clothing and tables packed with stuffed animals and books. "The community has really thought of everything. Most of…
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Officials said that at least 52 living units sustained fire or smoke damage Tuesday afternoon.
At least 52 apartments were involved in a huge fire Tuesday afternoon at the Woodbridge Village Apartments in the Avenel section of Woodbridge, officials said. At least one of the huge warehouse-like buildings, located off Routes 1 and 9, was involved in the fire; two connected buildings were apparently sustaining heavy smoke damage. Strong winds blew acrid, dense smoke from the parking lot to the front of the building, engulfing fire engines and firefighters on the ground. A police officer pointed out sounds of minor explosives - the sound of ammunition in a gun cabinet being ignited by the blaze. The popping ammunition caused fire flares through the roof of the building. Firefighters on aerial ladders were pouring water on the fire from…
Monday, September 26, 2011
From The Club at Woodbridge to Fords, Sewaren, Iselin, Colonia, and more.
Dozens of cycling enthusiasts gathered in the pre-dawn hours in the parking lot of the Club at Woodbridge Sunday morning, eager to kick off the fourth annual Tour de Woodbridge – a 30-plus mile bike tour that takes riders throughout the township. “We want to get people from Woodbridge and the surrounding communities to get out and be active,” said Jeff Marmelstein, director of the Tour de Woodbridge, as bikers trickled in to the Club to gather their racing bibs and complementary tour shirts. “We’re letting people see that you can bike around Woodbridge.” Marmelstein, an avid cyclist himself, organized and participated in the 30 mile trek that passed through Woodbridge proper, Avenel, Colonia, Fords, and Sewaren. Approximately 50 cyclists…
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Can every part of Woodbridge join the event next year?
The National Night Out has been going strong for 28 years. In nearby towns like Carteret and Metuchen, barbeques, pool parties, and live music are as much a part of the festivities as awareness of crime and crime preventing techniques. But in Woodbridge, the National Night Out has yet to catch on on a township-wide basis. Runi Sriwardena of the Woodbridge Housing Authority hopes to see that change next year. "I hope that will change soon," Sriwardena said of being the only locale in Woodbridge participating in the event, vowing to speak with Mayor John McCormac when he arrived at the event later in the evening. Sriwardena puts together the annual National Night Out event at the Maple Tree Manor senior housing complex in Avenel, where …
Monday, July 18, 2011
The money raised from Sunday's walk in Avenel will go towards purchasing special wheelchairs for disabled veterans to compete in mainstream marathons.
Under bright blue skies, they walked. They walked five miles through Avenel, raising money to purchase equipment so soldiers who could no longer walk might be able to compete in marathons and other events with able-bodied athletes, or maybe just join in on events like this one. The American Legion T. Nulty Post 471 Blue Star Families Support Group of Woodbridge held the Walk-a-Thon Sunday morning, starting at Avenel Park before heading down West Park Street and Avenel Street before looping back, with walkers making the trip three times to complete the course. “We decided to donate $500,” said Jenny Rosetti of the Blue Star Families, who also serves as Women Veterans Coordinator with Readjusting Counciling Services at the U.S. Department of…
40.575303
-74.293267
/articles/blue-star-families-walk-so-disabled-vets-can-compete
/locations/4867132
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Police have arrested a Carteret man they suspect of being involved in the Feb. 14 death of Balwinder Kaur of Avenel.
Police arrested a Carteret man Friday in the death of a woman whose body was found when firefighters responded to a fire at her Jansen Ave. home in Avenel last month. Harpal Singh, 45, was arrested outside his Carteret home and charged with murder, aggravated arson, and robbery in the Valentine's Day death of Balwinder Kaur, said James O'Neill, spokesman for the Middlesex County prosecutor's office. According to police and investigators from the prosecutor's office, Singh was an acquaintance of Kaur's. Police charge that he allegedly entered the victim's home and strangled her to death, then stole items from the house and set the fire to cover his tracks in the murder of Kaur. Passersby noticed the fire on Feb. 14, which roared through the…
40.576818
-74.286373
492 Jansen Ave, Avenel, NJ
/articles/suspect-arrested-in-the-valentines-day-homicide-of-a-jansen-ave-woman
/locations/3665845
Friday, February 18, 2011
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has called the death of a 44-year-old victim of a Valentine's Day fire a homicide.
The death of a woman whose body was in a Jansen Ave. fire earlier this week is being actively pursued as a murder investigation. The body of Balwinder Kaur, 44, was found Valentine's Day in her home in the Avenel section of Woodbridge, after passersby saw flames shooting out of the bay window in the front of the house where she lived with her husband and two teenaged children. Sources close to the investigation hinted early on that there was a strong possibility, because of the nature of the fire, that arson may have been involved. Officials investigating the fire did not immediately release the name, age, or sex of the victim. Kaur apparently was already dead before the fire engulfed the house, according to county investigators. She was…
Monday, January 3, 2011
Selected among 73 schools across the state, Avenel Middle School is one of two schools in New Jersey to be honored
The hard work from the students and staff at Avenel Middle School has paid off. "We are proud to receive the award," said the school's Principal Gary Kuzniak. The middle school, which has 631 or so students from sixth through eighth grades, was one of two schools in New Jersey to receive the 2010 National Title I Distinguished School award. The other school to receive such award this year was Bloomfield High School. There were a total of 73 schools selected across the state. Kuzniak, who has been the principal at Avenel Middle for 10 years, explained that the National Title I Association assessed the school over a two-year period by looking at scores of the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK). The school fulfilled the …
Michele Fortunato Kiss
12:47 pm on Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Renter's Insurance is so very important, unfortunately when Hurricane Irene hit 285 Mcfarlane Drive #181. The rent insurance does not cover flood damage. I was homeless for 3 months before they informed me that the building was condemed! Renter's Insurance does not cover flood damage, you must get a seperate policy. I had to relocate, and start over! This was the second flood there in 3 years! … more ›