| Feature Articles |
 | More than just medals and competition
10/15/2008
They come to win medals, set personal bests, and make new friends. Since its inception in 1968, the Special Olympics have provided a way for people with intellectual disabilities to participate in competitive sports and be part of a team.
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 | Family motto: ‘Run fast, live slow’
10/07/2008
The motto of Hector Martinez, an avid runner, might seem quite contradictory at first: “Run fast, live slow.”
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 | IBM employee finds enlightenment in Tanzania
10/07/2008
Matthew Berry is a changed man. The Park Ridge resident and Global Media Relations Manager for IBM recently returned from a trip to Tanzania, Africa.
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 | Scouts help residents send gifts to soldiers
10/07/2008
Girl Scout Troop 425 of River Vale and the residents of the Jewish Home for Assisted Living teamed up last Thursday to pack up gift bags for soldiers serving overseas in Iraq.
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 | Volunteers safeguard history
10/07/2008
In its more than 60-year history, the Pascack Historical Society has never had a paid employee. Over the years, in relative anonymity, members and trustees have seen to it that the thousands of items entrusted to the society are preserved and protected fo
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 | A place to grow and compete
09/23/2008
The normally hushed meeting room in Westwood Borough Hall was transformed last month into a standing room only event as Special Olympians of the Pascack Valley were handed plaques celebrating their achievements.
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 | The privilege of giving
09/22/2008
It isn?t every day that over a dozen teenagers pick up and take a work trip to Kentucky with the only certainties being a hectic schedule of manual labor and uncomfortable sleeping quarters.
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 | Motorcycle enthusiast heads west for Wounded Warriors
09/16/2008
Frank Buonocore, of Park Ridge (formerly of Northvale), has embarked upon a cross-country journey on his motorcycle to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project.
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 | A miracle amidst the rubble
09/16/2008
For Louise Buzzelli of River Vale, Sept. 11, 2001 it was the day she watched as the weight of the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed upon her husband, who she knew did not escape the building before the skyscraper became a mound of twisted me
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 | Riding for a cure and honoring a mother’s memory
09/16/2008
This past month, sisters Kathy McCullough and Kelly McCullough Huber, rode their bikes in the two-day Pan-Massachusetts Challenge to raise money for cancer research.
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 | Dedication to finding a cure
09/12/2008
Standing at the closing ceremonies of the 2007 Avon Breast Cancer Walk in New York City, Olivia Beattie and her cousin Abigail Lopez were so overcome with emotion they felt compelled to do something to help.
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 | New members welcomed; club participates in 'Legislative Day'
09/12/2008
The Greater Pascack Valley Woman's Club (GPVWC), a member of the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs (NJSFWC), is always looking for new members.
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 | Pascack Valley Triathlon Results
09/10/2008
On Sunday, Sept. 7, 144 individuals and 17 relay teams came to Stonybrook Swim club in Hillsdale to participate in the Pascack Valley Sprint Triathlon, which consisted of a 300-meter swim, followed by a 10-mile bike ride and a 5-kilometer run. Proceeds fr
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 | Towns turn teal for cancer
09/10/2008
At 50 years old, Deborah Scanlon was misdiagnosed as suffering symptoms of menopause while ovarian cancer in her lymph nodes spread through her body and attacked her brain.
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 | Dills fund new scholarships
09/10/2008
Marianne and Bob Dill are familiar names to many in the Pascack Valley. They owned and operated the Rink in Montvale for decades before its closure in 2007.
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 | Jenny Romanelli - 105 years young
09/10/2008
Jean Nicolich describes her mother, Jenny Romanelli, as "fiercely independent, headstrong, and very healthy." Most would like those attributes ascribed to them when they reach 80. Jenny Romanelli, though, is 105.
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 | Eagle Scout project benefits town field
09/02/2008
It is estimated that only five percent of all boys who participate in the Boy Scouts will ever achieve the ranking of Eagle Scout.
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 | Remembering a son and brother
09/02/2008
Two years after Dave Buschow traveled to Utah to learn how to survive in the wild, never to return home, his mother, Pat Herbert and her son Rob retraced his steps through the arid trail, hoping to gain some perspective on Dave’s last moments.
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| | More than a shelter
08/26/2008
To raise money for Shelter Our Sisters special events and services, the agency will be holding its Seventh Annual Golf Classic on Monday, Sept. 22 at Valley Brook Golf Course in River Vale.
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| | Raising money for a cure
08/26/2008
Tanja Fagan, 36-year-old resident of Montvale, shares many things in common with her best friend Laura.
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 | Church installs new rector
08/26/2008
Rev. Robert R. Rhodes, Grace Episcopal Church’s new rector, has had a long and winding journey to his place behind the pulpit at the Westwood church.
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 | For EMTs it's all about the touch
08/20/2008
Bill Kroekpe and Bea Napier don't do it for the glamour. They will admit that they are of a "rare breed," and are somewhat addicted to the rush of it.
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 | Group raising awareness
08/19/2008
Aditi Sen, a marketing research analyst and mother of two, has founded a new children’s program called Earth Scouts to educate children about the present environmental issues plaguing their community and the world.
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 | One person doing extraordinary things
08/13/2008
As an individual human, it can be daunting to consider one’s place in the world, the limited scope of one’s potential to effect change in the lives of others.
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 | Hitting the pavement and lapping limitations
08/13/2008
Hillsdale resident Bo Petkovich has organized a shorter distance triathlon in the Pascack Valley, a triathlon that he hopes will introduce people to the sport and encourage them to become more active.
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 | Pete 'Oompa' Garifalos loves being a clown
08/06/2008
"I've always wanted to take a pie in the face!" Only a clown could make that statement convincingly.
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 | A 435-mile ride through The Rockies
08/06/2008
The wheels began spinning. Local residents Brian Mahoney and John Skelton started their training, knowing full well that there was no way to emulate the conditions they would encounter on their journey.
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 | Helping ‘comrades in arms’ is VFW post’s mission
08/06/2008
Members of VFW Post 8946 recently went on their sixth “mission” to help members of the armed forces who are recovering from combat injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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 | Inner city kids fishing for confidence
08/06/2008
After months of preparation, on Thursday, July 31, 16-year-old Park Ridge High School Senior Kristin Fallon got to see the fruits of her labor - or rather the fish of her labor.
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 | After the fall, a whole new purpose
07/30/2008
Thump, thump, thump! Joe Concato was dozing in bed early in the morning on March 15, 2004, when he was roused by a disturbing sound. He bolted to his feet. It wasn't until he was in the hallway that he realized, with horror, what he had heard.
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 | Celebrating life through giving
07/30/2008
Three 11-year-old girls from River Vale have dedicated their summer vacation to a project that began with an idea for a birthday party to benefit others instead of receiving presents for themselves.
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 | Troop 80 celebrates '100' milestone
07/22/2008
The rank of Eagle is the highest honor a Boy Scout can earn. Only two percent of all Boy Scouts attain it.
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 | Keeping a loved one's memory alive
07/16/2008
The details of Eleanor Grace Alexander's six-month service in the U.S. Army are well known, and not particularly unique. The United States lost more than 58,000 servicemen and women in Vietnam.
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 | Filmmaker champions natural childbirth
07/16/2008
For many filmmakers, their first movie is a labor of love. For River Vale resident Debra Pascali-Bonaro, creating her first film was a long and, at times, difficult labor, but one that was more than worth the struggle.
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 | More than $240K raised to fight cancer and AIDs
07/08/2008
On June 28 at the New York Sports Club in Westwood and at fitness centers around the country, people exercised not just for the good of their own health, but for the health of others.
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 | Woodcliff Lake resident to head UJA
07/08/2008
On July 1, the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Northern New Jersey welcomed Alan Scharfstein as its new president.
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 | A farmer's market field guide
07/08/2008
Across the country, it seems impossible to swing an eco-friendly, reusable grocery tote without knocking into the stall a farmer’s market, and this summer, Pascack Valley is no exception.
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 | No cupcakes, no doughnuts, no excuses
07/01/2008
An unwavering condition that plagued me throughout my childhood was the fact that I could not run. My father to this day pulls out a photograph of me at the age of 7, “running” a relay race at school, arms and legs flailing wildly and inappropriately at m
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 | When daddy goes to work
06/24/2008
Jill Bruce's husband, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bruce, has been stationed in Iraq since December.
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 | Sirens beckon a maestro to Mars
06/24/2008
It’s the beginning of your final marking period in high school. You’re waiting to hear back from colleges, and you’ve completed most of your requirements to graduate. It’s perhaps the last totally carefree couple of months you will ever have, the pressure
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 | A love of healthy eating
06/24/2008
Growing up in an era when many people are able to delude themselves into believing that a Hot Pocket qualifies as a “home-cooked” meal, Jennifer Cush had some hurdles to overcome in teaching kids that healthy eating can be easy and delicious.
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| | Tragedy strikes local family
06/24/2008
Blood was pouring from his eyes, nose, and face, and filling his lungs and airways. Needless to say, when first responders arrived at the scene of the accident, they did not have high hopes for Gary Galian’s survival.
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 | The fight to end genocide
06/17/2008
Only 17 and not yet able to vote, Erica Rosenthal doesn't fit the bill of the typical social activist. But, not one to let not being “typical” stop her, she has lifted her voice to speak out against a formidable global scourge – genocide.
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 | A great student, friend, and sister
06/17/2008
Caitlin McQuade’s love of reading began in the womb. Mom read her stories such as “Good Night Moon” and “I Love My Mommy Because”
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 | Life with Marfan
06/17/2008
It’s November 2004 and things are not going Greg Evashko’s way. For three years, he’s been jobless. For close to twice as long, he’s been suffering from intense fatigue and soreness in his back and legs, as well as excruciating headaches.
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 | Seizing that 'decisive moment'
06/11/2008
At the top of a snow-capped mountain, on the shore of a thundering ocean - these are places one might expect to have an epiphany. Gwenn Levine had hers while driving through Paterson.
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 | Phil Germakian goes to the birds
06/11/2008
Ah, vacation... those paltry two weeks a year when a hardworking soul can unplug and relax, sit back in a lounge chair with a pina colada and count kittiwakes.
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 | Softening a hard-knock life
06/11/2008
Caitlyn Cafasso knows that she has a good life. Like many children in the Pascack Valley, she never had to worry about where her next meal was coming from or whether there would be a roof over her head tomorrow.
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 | Mazel Tov! School nurse honored
06/11/2008
"School Mom," Debra Mendelhoff, recenlty returned from a trip to Israel with 49 eighth graders from Solomon Schecter Day School of Bergen County.
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 | Dodging dookie with the Prince of Poop
06/04/2008
Walking across a sprawling green suburban backyard can be a serene and pleasant activity. Throw a dog into that equation, however, and it can turn into a tentative tiptoe through a poop minefield.
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 | New Orleans schools still reeling from Katrina
06/04/2008
What started out as a basic Gold Award project for Anna Okoniewski became a full-fledged mission when she began to learn more about the thousands of people still scraping to get by in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
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| | Kids helping kids with cancer
06/04/2008
Mike Fasciano remembers July 12, 2006 through a series of phone calls. The first call informed the Westwood resident that his 13-month-old daughter, Elizabeth, had taken a bit of a tumble while home with her babysitter.
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 | Robert Relay wins award for making a difference
05/28/2008
Robert Relay of River Vale recently received one of 19 Russ Berrie Awards given to New Jersey residents for making a difference in the lives of others.
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 | Children to raise money for Armory
05/21/2008
On a recent Sunday at the First Congregational Church in Park Ridge, Sergeant First Class Janis Shaw and Master Sergeant General Minnie Hiller-Cousins spoke before the service.
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 | Scout re-discovers long lost records
05/21/2008
When 17-year-old Boy Scout Robbie Hanrahan embarked on refurbishing the Montvale Train Station last year, he anticipated providing a decent space for exercise classes and other community activities while achieving the sought after rank of Eagle Scout.
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 | Memories of The Manor
05/21/2008
Hillsdale Manor Day revived memories and made many new ones for those who attended the afternoon open house at the Pascack Historical Society on May 4.
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 | Charity baseball game benefits hospice
05/20/2008
In honor of his late father Stanley, a lifelong baseball fan, Jim Moldow of Hillsdale is organizing a charity baseball game to raise money for the fledgling Community Hospice of Bergen County.
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 | The foxtrot of sword play
05/07/2008
In an age when kids are constantly bombarded with high tech media and spending hours a day glued to the TV set, one man is doing his part to get kids off the couch and engage them in a bit of old-fashioned sword-fighting.
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 | Glimmers of the past found among historic graves
05/07/2008
When the building of the Pascack Reformed Church began in 1812, the structure was a godsend to Pascack Valley residents who had theretofore worshipped in the churches of neighboring towns.
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 | Why the world should remember
05/07/2008
The room is flooded with light, and the 18 senior citizens seated in a circle, cheerily talking and remarking on how big the class is on this particular Friday, don?t notice that their instructor, Bette Birnbaum, has lit a small candle.
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 | Veteran gets a home makeover
05/07/2008
Just before 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, 86-year-old George Nicholas of Park Ridge finds more than 20 College of New Jersey freshman waiting at his back door.
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 | Mending a hole in a woman's heart
04/29/2008
Between the holidays and the new year, the snow and sleet, and afternoons spent with her grandchildren, this past winter was marked by one overriding theme for Eleanor Enerson: shortness of breath.
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