Highland Park High School launches its 71st class of graduating seniors on the evening of June 18th. Photo by vest-poppin' proud father, Miguel Pagliere.

Zoning board puts down Cleveland Ave. plan
Shayne Rodriguez Thompson
H.P. Mirror staff

K-1 grades lose most bus service
Traffic tangles touted, tailpipe trouble too
Parents paying privately for pickup
Nicole Gonzalez for The Mirror

A half million dollars worth of cuts to Highland Park’s school budgets will no doubt have a substantial impact on students and school staff in the upcoming school year . . .

DOWN BY THE RIVER
Polls process questioned in Hub City
Activists seek ward-based voting for council seats
Amy Braunstein
Special to The Mirror

Something is happening across the river in New Brunswick. Students and community members of Empower Our Neighborhoods (EON) have dedicated their summer to a referendum. . .

Reformed Church mobilizes to intercept “e-waste”
One town’s effort to stem the blight of throwaway technology
Jean Stockdale
for The Mirror

The Reformed Church of Highland Park has begun an electronics recycling initiative serving all residents of the borough. The church offers pickup of recyclable electronics . . .

Bartle team's creativity shines in Odyssey of the Mind
Ekaterina Vorobiev
H.P. Mirror staff

On June 3, a team of third and fourth grade students from Bartle Elementary School placed second in the world finals in a very interesting competition held at College Park . . .

Peace Vigil
Jean Stockdale
Special to The Mirror

Every Saturday morning, Dottie Ji comes to Highland Park from East Brunswick and helps roll out the now 19 banners that bear the names of the 4,300 US soldiers killed so far in Iraq . . .

Talk of the Town

From Our June 19th Issue

Free speech ripples spreading in wake of war protest arrests
New Brunswick council tacks left under student pressure

Members of the New Brunswick City Council were visibly shocked when an overflow crowd packed the May 7th City Council meeting to demand a resolution opposing the US occupation . . . .

More seniors seeking the comforts of home
”Aging in place” keeps community connections beyond retirement

HP is a NORC!

This may look like the coded short-hand of a teenager’s text-messaging, but the letters actually belong to senior citizens . . . .

Kitten Fest aims to pair up felines & families

Have you ever wondered about the stray cats you see on the street or by the dumpster near the supermarket? Do you worry when you see one who is obviously pregnant or has just had kittens? . . . .

Mr. Ray entertains for Zambia and for H.P.

On Monday June 23 at 7 PM, Highland Park resident and famous children’s performer Mr. Ray will entertain families at the Reformed Church . . . . .

From Our June 5th Issue

Mother & child reunion can be a tall order
Local author charts perilous waters

In the recent film “Because I Said So,” Diane Keaton plays a mom who is willing to do anything to help her adult daughter fulfill her life and find the perfect mate. Convinced that her daughter is not doing the . . . .

Irving School pre-K program facing choices, challenges
Expanded hours come with a price tag

Today’s public school pre-kindergarten follows a tight schedule for its brief daily session. Kids get a mere 15 or so minutes to explore toys and learning tools . . . .

Public health, family freedom clash at the pediatrics office
Should parents be able to choose whether or not to have their child vaccinated?

A new state mandate, set to go into effect in September 2008, will make New Jersey the first state in the nation to require flu vaccination for preschoolers and Meningococcal vaccination for sixth-graders...

Community talent show brings out the Idol in you

Do you have a special talent? Are you longing for your moment in the limelight? This is your chance -- sign up to perform in Main Street Highland Park’s third annual Community Talent Show, being held on Thursday, June 12, from 5-8 p.m...

Art Collective springs from fertile ground

About two dozen local photographers, painters, book artists and sculptors have banded together to form a new organization to exhibit and promote their work here and around the county. The Highland Park Arts Collective seeks...

The exit interview
Store closings tell a number of tales

Small business owners know how hard it is to stay in front of ever-changing consumer trends. They are always trying new things -- new specials, rearranging the store, adjusting the service and price offerings – to keep the storefront environment fresh and inviting. Unfortunately, however, all the efforts in the world are not always enough...

Zimmerli Art Museum and You

With over 50,000 works of art, Highland Park has an internationally recognized art center right in its own backyard, at 71 Hamilton Street in New Brunswick. The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum...

New non-profit tackles ‘witches knickers’
Green Today, Inc.: Plastic shopping bags a wasteful, toxic polluter

With 100 billion plastic shopping bags used in the United States annually, four 22-year olds decided to form a nonprofit aimed at reducing plastic bag consumption, first in Central Jersey, then statewide. Green Today, Inc. delivered...

From Our May 16th Issue

Temple groundbreaking marks a rebirth

On May 4 many Highland Park community members were gathered joyfully at 10:30 AM in front of the Highland Park Conservative Temple-Congregation Anshe Emeth (HPCT-CAE) for a ground-breaking ceremony. This ceremony on South Third Avenue marked a new beginning, not only for the Jewish community but the borough of Highland Park as well...

Downtown agency doubles up on the green stuff
Fifth annual Main Street Planting Day includes call for financial sponsors

Twice as many planters means twice as much greenery – but it will require double the work. Volunteer labor is in high demand for Main Street Highland Park’s planting day this year, as the downtown improvement district rolls out fifty-two newly-acquired concrete planters this weekend along Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues...

Lower-income ‘Parkers are eligible for family assistance
Energy bills, housing, and child care subsidies tapped

Who Is My Neighbor? Inc., a community agency based in Highland Park, has joined into an effort to find and assist low-income families, with certain kinds of federal assistance available between now and August 31st...

From Our April 4th Issue

Conservation fever drives swap event
2008 launches H.P. Spring Fling

You may notice piles of stuff on people's front lawns around Highland Park this week-end. Please stop and take anything that interests you.

Welcome to Highland Park's first annual Spring Fling, a weekend of adaptive re-use made personal...

Local researchers unlock the power in our past
Cultural Resource Consultants celebrate 25th year in H.P.

Cleveland Avenue on the northside of Highland Park hosts a chocolate factory, several doctors, a baseball training facility, and the well-hidden Cultural Resource Consultants Group (CRCG). The firm has been on this lot for more than twenty years and continues to make a mark in the history of the tri-state area....

Daily rotation keeps HPHS on their toes

Since September 2007, Highland Park High School has been scheduling student classes on a rotating schedule. Students can enroll in eight classes, but on any day they attend only six....

From Our March 18th Issue

Friday night teen show goes the extra mile

It was a family affair in more ways than one at the "Mile Long Showcase" on February 29th. About two hundred teens piled into Highland Park High School with younger brothers and sisters, cousins, parents and grandparents, to hear the Mile Long Boyz debut concert. The concert was sponsored by the Rec Department's Friday Night Teen Center.

Not only were three generations in the audience with clumps of teens leaning in and cheering. Older rappers and entertainers were also on hand to introduce and open for the Mile Long Boyz, three local high school students...