English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Newark, NJ

Assistant Superintendent Carolyn Granato earned a nod as Essex County's 2024 Italian American Educator of the Year.

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Newark Board of Education. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Assistant Superintendent Carolyn Granato of Newark Public Schools was recently celebrated as Essex County’s 2024 Italian American Educator of the Year. The recognition came during a special ceremony hosted by Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, where N.J. Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz presented the award to Granato.

“You have always been a friend to me and my family,” Ruiz said to Granato. “If there was ever a parent or family or a student in need, you picked up the phone and you resolved the issue. Thank you for making New Jersey better. Thank you for making this world better.”

“Ms. Granato has made an incredible difference as a teacher, principal, and now as an assistant superintendent, always focusing on enhancing educational experiences and opportunities for our students,” said Superintendent León. “We are proud to have her as part of our district and grateful for her commitment to fostering growth and achievement. This recognition is truly well-deserved.”

“On behalf of the Board of Education, I am very pleased to see Ms. Granato receive this well-deserved recognition,” said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. “We thank Ms. Granato for her many years of dedicated service to Newark’s students, and wish her many years of continued success.”

Senator Ruiz commended Granato for her dedication and remarkable contributions to education. She highlighted Granato’s 34 years of service to Newark Public Schools that includes working as a classroom teacher, vice principal, principal, and supervisor before she became Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services.

Ruiz added that Granato has consistently prioritized creating a better learning environment for students. “In addition to her regular responsibilities, Carolyn has applied for and received grants to build playgrounds, update science labs, perform comprehensive building upgrades, develop programs to address at risk behavior, to continue the dual language program, and to enhance special education programs,” Ruiz said.

As she received the award, Granato expressed her gratitude and humility.

“This award comes from people that I admire, look up to, and have great respect for,” she said, acknowledging Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, his Chief of Staff, Phil Alagia, and Senator Ruiz.

Granato also reflected on her heritage and the broader significance of the recognition.

“I share this award, not only with my Italian American family here today, but also with all those who came from Italy in search of a better way of life. Their journeys mirror the stories we continue to see today,” she said.

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As a talented student-athlete at North Bergen High just over 20 years ago and then a four-year basketball player at Ramapo College, Noel Colon knew a little something about impassioned rivalries.

Or at least the Shabazz athletic director thought he did.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if you told me four years ago when I took this job that people would care more about the Soul Bowl than they do about a state championship, but I’ve seen it for myself,” Colon said last Thursday - one day before the Bulldogs were to face Hanover Park in the NJSIAA Group 2 semifinals and exactly one week prior to that annual Thanksgiving Day Soul Bowl against Newark South Ward rival Weequahic.

“I’ve gotten more ticket requests about the Soul Bowl than I have for the game at Hanover Park. I’ve gotten, I don’t know, about 15 to 20 phone calls a day since Monday about the Soul Bowl,” he said.

For those not in the know, Shabazz (10-2) gutted out an 8-7 victory over Hanover Park behind the heroics of Daveion Porter, Omari Gaines and Zaiden McDonald, sending the Bulldogs to their first appearance in an overall football state final, yet probably not slowing the pace of Soul Bowl requests that Colon will be fielding come Monday morning.

“It’s just incredible to me; nothing I ever knew before,” Colon said. “Last week the calls were like, ‘Congrats on the win (in the North 1 sectional final Nov. 15) and good luck Friday. But you’ve got to go beat Weequahic!' ”

Those earnest pleas have grown all the more intense in recent years now that Weequahic has won the last four meeting - and convincingly - to narrow its series deficit to 34-25-6.

Shabazz and Weequahic - separated by just two miles - will battle for the 66th time at 10 a.m. Thursday at Shabazz Stadium. The Bulldogs will face Rumson-Fair Haven for the Group 2 title Dec. 4, likely at Rutgers University.

East Orange found itself in the identical situation last week as it prepared for its Group 5 semifinal clash with 10th-ranked Union City while also fielding inquiries about the upcoming Thanksgiving Day game against Barringer.

Those two square off in the 112th holiday meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday at Paul Robeson Stadium in East Orange.

These four are the last in Essex County schools to still partake in a Thanksgiving Day exercise that used to be conducted by almost every football team in New Jersey. That tradition has faded steadily in the last two decades, and is now reduced to 19 games throughout the state, and two of those will be played Wednesday night.

Unlike Shabazz now with double-barreled goals in the sights of its hunting musket, East Orange (9-3) can focus solely upon Barringer (0-8) as the Jaguars look to claim a 14th consecutive win over their ancient Newark rival and extend the series advantage to 64-39-9.

That’s an awful lot of history between those two schools, and no doubt a great deal of it will be summoned for stories at the annual Old Guard Dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Galloping Hill Caterers in Union. What percentage of those old war stories of past encounters and stars will be 100 percent accurate will be up for debate right up to the opening comments. But that’s half the fun.

“It’s a great night for the old-timers to get together and reminisce about the games, but we’re also trying to get the younger guys involved to keep this tradition going,” said Abdul Hassan, a main organizer of the affair and a former athletic director at East Orange.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Old Guard Dinner was a completely virtual function in 2020 and 2021. That helped keep the rivalry relevant, and the participation numbers have been climbing since it was restored as an in-person gathering in 2022.

For information on the Wednesday’s Old Guard Dinner, contact Stefanie Cuff-White at 908-249-2412 or Monique Munford at 973-609-9993.

Weequahic and Shabazz also will continue a proud pre-game tradition by holding their annual Unity Dinner, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at Shabazz.

Before that friendly gathering will be a Shabazz practice session expected to be just as spirited and physical even with a state. championship game on its horizon.

“We need to go in there with the same mentality, same level of focus as we normally would because of what this game means to the community,” Colon said. “You lose that game, you’re gonna hear it for 365 days.”

In the win against Hanover Park, Porter, a senior receiver, scored on a 1-yard run to cap the Bulldogs' opening drive, then hit McDonald with a conversion pass for what proved to be the decisive points.

The offense - engineered by senior QB Romelo Tables - was not as explosive as it had been in previous tournament games, but a defense anchored by Gaines, Zykir Best, Adekunbi Adetayo, Sahaaj Bennett and McDonald held its ground in key moments.

Weequahic (3-6) will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak behind junior QB Paul Jones III, senior running backs Ja’Shyne Hayes and Reynaldo Carter and junior receiver Tyshaun Boyd. The Indians have produced just 37 points over those last four games, so will need an exceptional defensive outing from Sajani Millwood, Elijah Jonson, Mekhi Armour and the rest of that crew, and perhaps a few fortunate breaks with turnovers.

East Orange would have entered its game against Barringer as a heavy favorite, though may not know until Monday the status of senior quarterback Sa’eed Cole, who sustained an injury against Union City that knocked him out of the game.

Even still, East Orange would be predicted to extend its streak against the Blue Bears with Shakur Taylor, Tyshawn Sewell, Alex Hanks, Darell James and Semaj Toney-El looking to pick up the slack for Cole behind the blocks of Shaheem DeZonie, Wazyn King, Standley Petidor, Alvins Collin and Christian Russell.

Barringer will be entering with a 15-game losing streak dating back to last season and with an offense that has generated only 20 total points over the last six games. The Blue Bears will need a stellar effort from their defense, led by linebackers Ahmad and Ahmir Norman and Demetrius Penn, DLs Greg Dixon and Olatokunbo Jayeola, and defensive backs Nasire Cooper and Deron Abnathya.

mkinney@njadvancemedia.com.

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A statewide drought has been linked to wildfires throughout the region. Check out the local weather forecast for Newark.

Patch Staff

NEWARK, NJ — Newark might finally see rain this week, hopefully getting a breath of relief from a statewide drought that has been linked to wildfires throughout the region.

Expect the dryness to continue until Wednesday night, when New Jersey is in for some rain, forecasters say. This widespread rain will total around half an inch to one inch, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Read More: Some Much-Needed Rain Is In NJ Forecast

Since June, the state has seen 6 to 10 inches of rain below normal levels. New Jersey was recently put under a “drought warning,” one level below a drought emergency. This is the most serious declaration the state could make, and would mean mandatory, phased restrictions on certain uses of water. See Related: Drought Warning In Fire-Ravaged NJ, Officials Urge Water Conservation

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is saying that conditions are the driest they have been in nearly 120 years – which has contributed to several massive wildfires across the state. See Related: Huge Wildfire In Essex County Extinguished Amid Dry Spell

In Newark, the rain might arrive on Wednesday and continue on Thursday and Friday, forecasters say.

Find out what's happening in Newarkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here’s the local forecast for the week starting Nov. 18, as per the NWS:

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind 11 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Northwest wind around 8 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Northwest wind around 7 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: Rain, mainly after 7pm. Low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Thursday: Rain likely, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Friday: A 40 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 46.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

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NEWARK, N.J. — Staffing issues led to hundreds of delays at Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday.

According to data from FlightAware, as of 11 p.m., Newark had nearly 400 delays. Some flights were delayed as much as two hours because air traffic control was short-staffed.

It's an ongoing problem at Tri-State Area airports, and as the holidays get closer, it has some travelers concerned.

FAA staffing shortages continue causing problems for travelers

"So, Newark's a bit of a mess right now, and you can blame, in part, FAA staffing shortages," said Clint Henderson, managing editor for travel industry website The Points Guy.

He says the FAA is so short-staffed, air traffic controllers are working mandatory overtime, but the agency is trying to fix it, starting with moving control of Newark's airspace to Philadelphia in an attempt to ease the burden on New York's team.

"This has been an issue now for years ... They have made progress. They've hired, in fact, 1,811 air traffic control workers. Their goal was 1,800, so they're meeting their goals, but the problem is people are retiring so quickly that they can't keep up and it's just especially bad in the New York airspace," Henderson said.

Busy holiday travel season expected

The issues are a potential cause for concern just 12 days out from Thanksgiving.

"It's like a zoo, and basically I try really hard to avoid the holidays in general, but if you have to travel, it's always better to book it way in advance," traveler Jackie Larmony said.

Larmony's Spirit Airlines flight home from Charlotte was among the late arrivals at Newark.

"It was about an hour and a half, I'd say, late ... But it's OK. I'm here. I'm happy," she said.

Henderson also recommends travelers download the airline's app to stay on top of potential delays.

"Some of the apps, like the United app, it will show you if there's weather for the plane, where it's coming from, all kinds of nitty gritty details," he said.

Air travel demand has been breaking records ever since the end of the pandemic, and another busy season is expected around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

NEWARK — Hundreds of flights at New Jersey's largest airport have been delayed this weekend in what could be a preview of the busiest Thanksgiving holiday travel period ever.

More than 400 flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed on Saturday, according to FlightAware. There were another 242 delays and counting as of 6 p.m. Sunday.

Departures to EWR were delayed an average of 53 minutes, according to an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration. Some delays reached over 160 minutes amid an ongoin ground delay.

And there's no quick solution to the problem behind these delays.

Staff shortage at EWR

According to the FAA, a staff shortage of air traffic controllers at the Newark airport is responsible for delays this weekend.

While the federal agency announced in September that it had hired over 1,800 air traffic controllers nationally, the shortage has been decades in the making. The FAA was short 3,000 air traffic controllers as of May, CNN reported.

The issues persist despite the FAA moving control of Newark's airspace to Philadelphia this past spring to address staffing issues.

Travelers who fly out of Newark Airport this holiday season should expect packed flights and long lines.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimates that 2024 will be the busiest year on record for its airports.

New Jersey 101.5 reached out to the FAA for comment on how a busy Thanksgiving combined with the staffing shortage will impact travelers at EWR.

"The FAA is slowing traffic into Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing issues at the Philadelphia TRACON (PHL). Real-time updates are available at fly.faa.gov," said the FAA in a statement to New Jersey 101.5.

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