December 2013

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Last October, a total of 24 states were rocked by the Category 3 Hurricane Sandy.  Of course, New Jersey and New York were two of hardest hit.

A year earlier, in August 2011, Hurricane Irene made its way up the eastern seaboard, slamming New Jersey as a Tropical Storm.

Both times, areas near Route 18 and the intersection of Joyce Kilmer Av. and Charles St. sufferred heavy flooding, and power outages caused problems citywide.  Sandy caused atleast $29.4 billion worth of damage in New Jersey alone.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Today marks the final day of a Rutgers Center for Women's Global Leadership's (CWGL) annual campaign known as "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

The campaign, held every year since 1991, features events and rallies, and provides online information about how individuals and other organizations can get involved. 

This year's theme was, "From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!"

UPDATE: The city released a Nixle alert at 7:53am alerting the public to the closure of Suydam Street.  It has since been re-opened and the fire has been contained.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—For the second time this year, firefighters from multiple companies responded to the 300 block of Suydam Street to fight structure fires in the early morning hours.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Patricia Ruggeri, a former Vice Principal in the New Brunswick school system who admitted to stealing more than $26,000, is still awaiting sentencing, two months after pleading guilty and more than a year after she was arrested.

On October 3, Ruggeri plead guilty to a third-degree theft charge and will likely avoid going to state prison if a judge approves the plea agreement offerred by Middlesex County's Prosecutor.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—From the basement shows to the legendary Court Tavern, the Hub City's local music scene is often touted as one of the best in the tri-state area.  But while New Brunswick has long been known as a hotbed for live music, this weekend a live game show might be the main attraction.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Johnson & Johnson, the New Brunswick-based pharmecutical giant, will pay $2.5 billion in lawsuit settlements related to complaints about one of the company's hip replacement implants. 

The product, known as Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) was sold to nearly 35,000 people in the United States, and 90,00 people worldwide over the course of eight years.  But as many as 8,000 patients have sought the product to be removed or replaced.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—A bicycling festival held in many cities across the world known as Ciclovia wheeled its way into the Hub City for the first time on October 6, thanks to the support of seven sponsors who spent a total of $83,780.

Locals enjoyed the cloudy but pleasant day, playing sports and doing physical activities in the streets.  Kids and adults found themselves walking, running, and playing in the street as well as riding bikes, scooters, skates and other non-motorized transportation.