Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake VOLUME 29 ISSUE 43
T H E PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
Making STRIDERS ON merry NATIONAL STAGE Young cross-country dynamos bring glory home to the Pascack Valley
JANUARY 5, 2026
WOODCLIFF LAKE
BASKING IN OUR FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Valley Chabad in our towns: ʻDarkness does not get the final word…ʼ
BY JOHN SNYDER OF PASCACK PRESS
Kids from St. Joseph Regional High School deliver cheer at The Mercy House. PAGE 12
MONTVALE
‘DEPIERO’S’ LEASE CHALLENGE CUT DOWN
DʼAgostino of New York keeps deal over new borough land; Ghassali exults, says community garden beds on the way
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
A Superior Court judge on Dec. 22 denied a legal challenge by Demarest Farm & Orchard, Hillsdale, seeking to block the boroughʼs award of a 20-year lease for the former DePiero Farm property to DʼAgostino Landscaping, of West Nyack, N.Y. Judge Gregg Padovano “denied and dismissed” the complaint filed by Demarest Farmʼs attorneys from Connell Foley. The
See LEASE on page 94
“This cross country was such a fun season,” Logan Keller tells Pascack Press. “It was hard, but we had so many people make it to nationals. I hope we have even more people make it to nationals next year. The best part about cross country is running and the friends you make.” Pictured, at the recent USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Indiana: young Striders Zoe, Chase, Aiden, Dario, Xavier, Logan, and Shawn. Westwood Striders/Claire Keller photo.
W
BY JOHN SNYDER OF PASCACK PRESS
Striders runner Dario Sato Martinez placed 30th nationally in the 3,000 meters, and teammate Aiden Clark finished 66th in a field of more than 360 at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country ESTWOOD
Championships on Dec. 13, 2025, in Shelbyville, Ind. Westwood athletes raced through falling snow and inches of accumulation in what became one of the seasonʼs most memorable backdrops. The program tells Pascack Press that nine youth Striders qualified for the national meet, with seven ultimately competing. National races are divided into
two-year age groups and often draw 300 to 400 runners per event. “It was a group experience running at nationals,” Martinez said. “I really appreciate the support and help from my family, friends, coaches and teammates. Iʼll return next year and do my best.”
Continued on page 8
This Chanukah season, Valley Chabad Center for Jewish Life did what it has long encouraged the community to do: bring the light out where everyone can see it. Over the course of the holiday, Valley Chabad organized public menorah lightings across nine Bergen County towns — Woodcliff Lake, Township of Washington, Waldwick, Montvale, Park Ridge, River Vale, Allendale, Hillsdale, and Westwood — turning familiar municipal spaces into warm, midwinter gathering points. Rabbis Dov Drizin and Yosef Orenstein hosted the events, which Valley Chabad told Pascack Press drew hundreds of community members in all — not only local families, but also town council members, first responders, and other community leaders who came out to stand with neighbors and mark the Festival of Lights. Each stop had its own smalltown energy. There were donuts and hot chocolate, a “guess-howmany-dreidels” game for kids, and the bustle of people greeting each other with lightness and cheer.
See LIGHTS on page 184
REORG. ROUNDUP
B ck in time...
It’s January, and that means your town and school governments are finishing old business, swearing in election winners, and setting the tone for the new year. Here’s where and when. PAGE 14
Park Ridge’s George C. Bennett photographed his fleet with pride in winter 1926. In an era when Model Ts ruled the road, trucks like these helped plow Park Ridge’s streets.
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