November 25, 2015 • www.theobserver.com • Vol CXXVIII, No. 27 Visit our
BUSINESS DIRECT on
COVERING: BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD
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• EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
Be wary of ‘IRS’ scamsters By Karen Zautyk Observer Correspondent
KEARNY –
Scamsters posing as Internal Revenue Service representatives have been bilking American taxpayers for several years now, but recently they have been focusing on Kearny, to the extent that the Kearny Police Department is issuing an alert to local residents to be wary -- and beware. The con artists contact their potential victims by phone, warning the call recipients that they owe back taxes and face severe penalties, even arrest, if they do not pay up immediately, via check or moneygram or credit card or prepaid debit card. The call appears to be legitimate, since the scamsters can alter the caller ID to appear that it is indeed from the IRS. The trusting, threatened, frightened call recipient complies -- and his or her money ends up in the pockets of criminals. This con game has been flourishing nationwide for awhile now, but as KPD Lt. Anthony Gouveia told The Observer, “There has been a big increase in Kearny for about the last three months.” Kearnyites who were targeted -- including the unfortusee IRS page
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Season of giving Photo courtesy Kearny Mayor’s Office
At kettle drive kickoff, from l., are: Kearny Corps soldier Michael Hislop Jr., Corps secretary Evelyn Hopler, Corps advisory board chairwoman Ellie Nakrosis, Corps Commanding Officers Lts. Seoyoung and Hwang Lim, Mayor Alberto Santos and Town Council members Susan McCurrie and Marytrine DeCastro.
KEARNY –
T
he Salvation Army of Greater Kearny, providing religious and social services for needy residents of Kearny, Harrison, East Newark, North Arlington and Lyndhurst, is seeking more volunteers for
its annual Red Kettle Campaign, launched last week in ceremonies held in front of Kearny Town Hall. It hopes to raise $59,000 in this season’s campaign to support Christmas programs and services across the state, throughout the entire year.
Last year, it fell just short of the goal of $43,000, according to members of the Salvation Army of Greater Kearny’s advisory board. During 2014, the Greater Kearny unit said it provided some form of assistance to about 6,300 people in its ser-
Keeping kitties cozy in winter By Karen Zautyk Observer Correspondent
KEARNY – Did you know that exotic fish can help keep a stray cat warm in the winter? You wrap the fishies up in wool and pack them around the chilly
201-460-8000 LYNDHURST OFFICE 761 Ridge Road, Lyndhurst, New Jersey C21Semiao@Century21.com
cat inside a crate and . . . . Just kidding. (But we couldn’t resist.) The fact is, though, keeping outdoor cats cozy can entail a fish/feline link, albeit tenuous. We shall explain in due course. This article was prompted
by our recently meeting several Observer readers, from various towns, who have taken it upon themselves to care for one or more strays cats. Usually, the cats are ferals who frequent their backyards. But we do know one couple who has adopted a five-cat colony
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vice area, including holiday assistance, music and art classes and summer camp for children, ESL/citizenship programs, holiday toys and gifts for kids and the elderly and more than 1,000 bags of see KETTLE page
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residing behind a gas station in Newark. Every evening, they drive to the city to feed and water their foster kitties. They have even built shelters and are now looking to replace these with sturdier wintersee SHELTERS page
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