Kearny, New Jersey — a place where stigmas are history
On this website are two obituaries, one for a young lady, 29, and the other for a young lady, 24. Two local girls, gone in what should be the prime years of their lives. Both are very sad situations....
View ArticleThe person next door may just be an alcoholic
When people think of the term “alcoholic,” there’s often a mental image that forms. Scrawny. Unkempt. Not always clean shaven. Sometimes stinky. It’s not, as they say, the look of the average “Joe Next...
View ArticleFeorenzo, Combs speak of addiction, rebounding & being successful after being...
In our efforts to bring you top-notch content on the crisis in America involving addiction, mental health and bullying, this week we present to you a fascinating discussion that Observer Co-owner Lisa...
View ArticleThere’s so much more to college than partying
About 11 months ago I was an 18-year-old kid about to take a huge step into the next chapter of my life: college. Living away from my family and not seeing the friends I had grown up with on a…
View ArticleHelp is available, even for the uninsured
In the struggle to find ways to end addiction to alcohol and drugs, we often hear harrowing stories from people who say something like this: I wanted to get help for my loved one, but I spent hours...
View ArticleHow one person’s needless fear led to an unnecessary death
Kim Alfieri will never forget the date June 27, 2018. Because it was that day her daughter, Allison Elizabeth Gaynor, took her last breath at the tender age of 24. Allison was, as many who knew her...
View ArticleKearny Coalition tackles addiction on high school level
A dozen Kearny youths will be heading to summer camp in rural Warren County come Aug. 20. Yes, there’ll be sports, swimming and the like, but there’ll also be a serious side to their sojourn in the...
View ArticleCampers come back inspired after time away
While nearly a dozen Kearny soon-to-be high school seniors headed to the Lyndsey Meyer Teen Institute last week for training to be peer advocates in their schools, it didn’t quite go as hoped. But that...
View ArticleARMED OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS?
Guns in schools? Bring them on, says one area public official, but before you jump to the wrong conclusion, hear him out. Steven Rogers, a Republican Nutley Commissioner, an ex-cop, a former school...
View ArticleHELP IS COMING
For those who suffer from addiction, every day is a struggle. And for many, it often seems like there is no hope — or help — to get out of that well-known vicious cycle. But thanks to a new program…
View ArticleMan whose son took own life discusses suicide during a pandemic
Gerald “Jerry” Appelstein has experienced a life of highs and lows. He’s had a successful career in the oil business. He’s a noted arts philanthropist. And several years ago, he lost his son, Jason, to...
View ArticleADDICTION IN A PANDEMIC — HELP IS STILL OUT THERE
By Sean McDonald Special to The Observer “My name is Sean and I am an alcoholic.” It took me a long time to say those words and even longer to actually believe and accept them. As I write this, the…
View ArticleSuspect in domestic case jailed and five days later, he was somehow OUT...
A man involved in a domestic dispute with a family member (not a spouse or partner) where he allegedly used a frying pan as a weapon, and where the victim…
View ArticleKPD: Two Kearny crossing guards struck by cars within a week
Two Kearny crossing guards were struck by vehicles within a week of each other and both suffered injuries as a result of what police describe as “sun glare and driver… The post KPD: Two Kearny crossing...
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