12 February 2020
Vol. CXXXII, No. 40
www.TheObserver.com
MORE ON THE INSIDE
Find the Hearts Contest Winner! Turn to page 21
BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD • EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
Two men nabbed with nearly half-ton of pot arrested and thanks to bail reform:
THEY WALKED! By Kevin Canessa kc@theobserver.com
N
early a half-ton of pot with a street value of $1.5 million was taken off the streets thanks to a massive bust in South Kearny carried out by the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, but the two men who possessed the illegal drug were both free the very next day because they didn’t meet the criteria to be held on remand or on bail, the sheriff, Francis X. “Frank” Schillari, announced last week. On Friday, Jan. 31, the HCSO, with the assistance of the United States Depart-
ment of Homeland Security, intercepted a tractor trailer shipment of marijuana as it made a delivery to a Kearny warehouse. The tractor was loaded with 737 pounds of marijuana. “This is one of the biggest single marijuana busts in Hudson County history,” Schillari said. “Our detective bureau deserves all the credit for an excellent job. I’m proud to have them in my department serving and protecting the people of Hudson County.” See POT BUST, Page 22
NA residents: Want a new tree? Not a problem, mayor says By Kevin Canessa kc@theobserver.com
M
ayor Danial H. Pronti has made a strong commitment to beautifying the Borough of North Arlington. Over the years, even before he became mayor, he has championed getting all kinds of grants so trees could be purchased — and
placed in strategic locations. But if any resident homeowners want a new one for their properties, they’re available too — and all owners need to do is sign up to get on a list. Then, once it can be proved that the homeowner has the right to plant a new tree, the borough’s Department of Public Works will come out to put the new trees in the dirt sometime
this spring. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not quite that easy because the borough’s arborist — yes, there is such a position in North Arlington — must first determine where the new tree should go (a specific curbside location). This is done, the mayor says, to ensure the trees are placed in loca-
tion that will not lead to sidewalks buckling and that will not cause any issues with utility lines that are in the surrounding areas. “We’ve been doing this for about 2 1/2 years,” the mayor said. “We’ve already planted about 300 new trees throughout the borough.” See TREES, Page 21
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