Community News

September 28, 2012 (Kearny, NJ) Kearny High School's Football team cancelled its scheduled game with St. Peters Prep's last Friday September 21, 2012. The reason given for the cancellation was player safety. The first press coverage of the cancellation stated that the Kearny Board of Education and the superintendent of Kearny's school cancelled the game out of concern for student's safety.

Kearny who was (0-2) and St. Peters (2-0) were apparently not a competitive match up. In fact, St. Peter's had crushed its opponent Memorial High School the prior week by a score of 77-7. Kearny's Superintendent of Schools was not willing to subject his students to the risk of injury given the overwhelming odds.



According to a news report in the Star Ledger, Kearny superintendent of Schools Ron Bolandi had anticipated the competitive mismatch last year when he wrote to the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League requesting that Kearny be switched to a lesser division, "out of considerable concern for the safe of our student athletes, since there are only 24 players left on the team." In support was the athletic staff, the school board, and the booster club all in agreement that a denial of the request would "not only destroy our program, but put our players in danger." The Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League denied the request. That same body is now considering sanctions against Kearny for its cancellation of the game.

September 11, 2012 (Kearny, NJ) An unidentified Kearny firefighter was featured in a New York Times Article today about the 9/11 ceremony in Lower Manhattan. The Article had a picture of the firefighter sitting on a granite stone apparently in deep reflection just before the start of the 9/11 ceremony.

Photograph courtesy of New York Times.



KOTW takes a moment to reflect upon the events of 9/11 eleven years ago. Local ceremonies commemorated the events of 9/11/01. Every adult remembers where they were when they heard or saw the events unfold before them. Today the weather was much like it was eleven years ago which made one reflect even more on how a terrorist act turned a beautiful feeling of a crisp Fall day into something totally different. The New York Times photographer brought to the world the reflections of a Kearny Firefighter as he awaited the official ceremony. The human aspect of the firefighter's reflection captured in the picture demonstrates the impact on all that remember 9/11 today.

May 28, 2012 (Kearny, NJ) The Memorial Day weekend is a time to reflect and honor our soldiers present and past.

On February 10, 2012, Lance Corporal Osbrany Montes de Oca of North Arlington, NJ died in combat operations in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Montes de Oca, 20, was a Lance Corpal with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment , 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. In February of this year, over 1500 mourners packed the Queen of Peace church and others lined Ridge Road in North Arlington outside the church and along the route to the North Arlington Cemetary.

Photograph courtesy of Jennifer Brown/Star Ledger.

On November 19, 2005, one of Kearny's residents serving in Iraq lost his life as a result of a road side bomb in Baiji, Iraq. Army Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

On this Memorial Day weekend, we stop to reflect and give thanks for all that Army Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz and Lance Corporal Osbrany Montes de Oca and others have done on behalf of our country. Our thoughts also go out to the the Karolasz and Montes de Oca families and friends.

As KOTW noted last year, The Newark Star Ledger has put together a Tribute to New Jersey Fallen Servicemembers Take a moment to visit the Tribute and take notice of the sacrifice made by these soldiers and their families on this Memorial Day.

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Article on Army Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz

Memorial for Army Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz

Soldier saw the world, kept home in his heart

Likable Hudson hero loved the Army, adventure

Kearny Fire Department Honors Army Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz



Article on Lance Corporal Osbrany Montes de Oca







Twin Brothers Article regarding Lance Corporal Osbrany Montes de Oca



Fallen Soldier's Mother Pledges To Keep Son's Memory Alive Article



Portions of the above article were published during the 2007 and 2011 Memorial Day weekend. Conduct a search using the Search box on the top of the right column on our front page for Memorial Day and you will find our past Memorial Day postings. Use our Submit Article or visit our Discussion Board and leave us your reflections and thoughts on Memorial Day.

July 3, 2012 (Kearny, NJ) The Annual Town of Kearny Independence Day Celebration & Fireworks is scheduled for Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at Veterans Field starting at 6:30 p.m. Veterans Field is located between Bergen and Afton Streets on Belgrove Drive.

Starting at 6:30 p.m. your favorite cartoon characters Sylvester, Tweety Bird, Scooby-Doo and Sponge Bob, Gracie and Whistles (the clowns) will supply balloon art, mime acts and variety of clown activities. In addition Carl the magician will perform a 30 minute magic show for those in attendance. Pony rides and inflatable moon walk and giant slide will be available for the kids.



May 26, 2012 (Kearny, NJ) Filmmaker Vic Losick announced on a post on KOTW's Discussion Board that his documentary In God We Teach was released to the public on YouTube. KOTW has embedded the documentary below (follow the Read More Link). The documentary is balanced and explores the issues surrounding the events that transpired when Kearny High School Teacher David Paszkiewicz was recorded making statements in class which student Matthew LaClair thought were inappropriate and in violation of the constitutional protection of separation of church and state.



Although Vic Losick is obviously aware of KearnyOnTheWeb and its Discussion Board, Mr. Losick did not provide a credit or mention of KearnyOnTheWeb.com during his one hour documentary. The Paszkiewicz / LaClair story broke out from being a local story to a national story when New York Times reporter,Tina Kelley, wrote an article entitled Talk in Class Turns to God, Setting Off Public Debate on Rights' reacting to the anti-LaClair posts on our discussion board and referenced our website.