The Personal Injury Attorney in Oakland, NJ, You Can Trust

This month I sat down with the youngest person that I have interviewed to date for the Oakland Newsletter, Nicholas Mutterer! I am always excited to interview the younger people in town and learn about all the exciting things that they are doing. They bring an excitement and energy that I forgot I had at their age (and wish I could get back)! I asked Nick to tell me a little about himself and this is how he began.

"I was raised in Wyckoff, NJ and moved to Oakland 4 years ago when my mom received a cancer diagnosis.It was hard to leave my friends, but I knew that I wouldn't be too far away and would still be able to see them when I went to high school. During high school is when I became more interested in learning about the Oakland Fire Department. I knew I was too young to become an official firefighter, so I decided to look into the Junior Firefighter program. After learning more about it, I decided to sign up! I had so much fun in that program that I knew I wanted to become an official firefighter when I was old enough.

For the past 2 years I've been training in the Mahwah Fire and Rescue Academy, taking exams and practicing with all the equipment. Some examples of the training included learning to cut a roof off of a burning building, putting out car fires, the proper way of running into buildings, hazmat operations, firefighter safety, fire behavior and the science of fires, ropes and knots, and fire apparatus operations.The tests were a little challenging but I finally passed."

"It has been an exciting year for me! In June I graduated Indian Hills High School and I just graduated Fire School on October 17th. I also just started welding school in June and am set to graduate in April 2024 with my welding diploma from Eastwick College. I am excited what the future has in store for me. I asked Nick, what he was thinking about doing after he graduates in April. He said, "When I graduate in April I plan to either move to Teaneck or Paterson so I can take the state test to become a paid firefighter!"

Nick went on to say, "I could not have done it without the amazing leadership of the people on the Oakland FD. They were with me every step of the way and helped me in this entire process. I especially want to thank, Graedy Dies and Steve Blancher (not sure of spelling) for helping me with all my training and tests! It is such an honor for me to a part of the Oakland Fire Department. "

Thank you, Nick, for giving back to Oakland. If you would like to learn more about the Oakland Fire Department or their Junior Fire Program please email: [email protected]

Written by: Kerri Sirinides, Newsletter Chair

Oakland, N.J. - August 18, 2023 - On or about August 22, 2023, construction will commence on the Borough of Oakland's 2023 Road Resurfacing Program. The work includes the milling and paving of the following roadways. Roads are listed in the anticipated order that they will be completed and the order is subject to revisions:

No parking and detour signage will be posted along the roadway at least 24 hours prior to the start of milling and paving. Construction will take place from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please move your vehicle(s) off of the street by 7:00 a.m. on the dates indicated by the signage. Access to the roadway will be limited until approximately 5:00 p.m. on the days of construction. Every effort will be made to make sure inconveinences are minimal, and that the work is completed as quickly as possible.

For any questions or specific concerns, please contact Boswell Engineering at (201) 334-3045.

3-minute read

Marsha A. Stoltz

NorthJersey.com

OAKLAND — Quinn Cannici knows just what she wants to be when she grows up: an anesthesiologist and an Olympic wrestler. That's amazing, as she is just 7 years old.

The anesthesiologist part may have to wait a while, but the first grader is already at work on her wrestling accolades.

Quinn was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the borough Council in honor of her first-place finish in her weight class, and for receiving an "outstanding wrestler" award at the Tulsa Kickoffs in November and a first-place finish at the Tulsa Nationals in January.

This puts her on track to win a coveted Trinity Award if she finishes first at the Reno Worlds in April.

"It's fun to win," Quinn said. "I think it's cool."

Quinn said her interest in the sport started while watching her father Glen coach wrestling. He was a wrestler at St. Mary's High School in East Rutherford and Queen of Peace in North Arlington as well as Centenary University in Hackettstown.

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"I still coach, and she'd come along to watch and was always asking me if she could wrestle," Glen said. "I didn't push it, she did. Finally, I ordered her shoes, and that was it. About a week later, our daughter Brook asked to wrestle too."

Quinn, who started wrestling her teddy bears, is "always filled with energy," her mother Molly said. "She tried it out, and she was a natural," Molly said.

Growing sport

Girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. It got an initial boost from the passage of Title IX in 1972, prohibiting discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. An estimated 39 states now recognize girls wrestling as an official sport, including New Jersey.

Glen's former coach, Ron Jones, now coaches at Drill Master in Butler. He said the sport got a big boost from Helen Maroulis when she became the first American to win a gold medal in women's freestyle wrestling at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

NJ girls wrestling:River Dell freshman knocks off state champion during BCWCA title run

"That's when the floodgates opened," Jones said. "Now we're not just talking Quinnie. She's one of many. It should have happened a long time ago. The girls are just as good as the boys."

Dave Cordoba, who owns Cordoba Trained Wrestling Club in Fairfield where Glen coaches and Quinn trains, said the sport received an added boost during COVID when girls were looking for expanded activity options.

"I was told I was wasting my time," Cordoba said. "Now we have 62 girls and getting new ones every day."

One thing the three men agree on: girls coach better than boys.

"They mature faster, they have a lower center of gravity, they are easier to teach and they never argue with you," Jones said. "With the boys, you're always butting heads."

And if the sport needed more affirmation, it may be coming later this month from the National Collegiate Athletics Association's Committee on Women's Athletics. It is due to vote on a recommendation urging its divisions to sponsor legislation to add a national collegiate women's wrestling championship starting in 2026.

Full schedule

Whenever it comes, Quinn will be ready. She trains at Cordoba an estimated six hours a week, Drill Masters another 90 minutes, plus a day at the track. Friday is her rest day.

"I still catch her doing squats while she's waiting for the bus, and pushups while she's watching television at night," Glen said. "Sometimes when we're coming home she'll ask me to stop the car so she can jog the rest of the way while I drive behind her."

Quinn said her girlfriends "think it's cool" that she wrestles, and has even been able to recruit several to join her. The boys in her class took more convincing, she said.

"They thought I was lying when I told them what I was doing," Quinn said. "Then I brought in the medals."

Marsha A. Stoltz

OAKLAND — Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education in the Nov. 7 elections.

The district's two high schools serve students in Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff.

Oakland and Wyckoff seats will be up for election, but neither of the two seats that represent Franklin Lakes is up for election in November.

Oakland school board seats

In Oakland, two three-year seats are open. Incumbent Vivian King is seeking her second three-year term along with newcomer Amy Eilert on the "United For Students" slate against challengers Audrey Lynn Souders and Melissa Kiel. Incumbent board President Judith Sullivan is not seeking a new term.

Candidate: Amy Eilert

Eilert is 49 and teaches music. She has lived in Oakland for 10 years and is a graduate of Indian Hills High School, as are her husband and two sons. She holds a bachelor's degree from William Paterson University. She is also involved with the Dog Park Committee, Oakland Communications Commission and Oakland Arts Committee and is a FLOW Follies pianist.

Candidate: Melissa Kiel

Kiel declined to answer questions from The Record and NorthJersey.com. For more information on Kiel's candidacy: Facebook: MelissaKiel4RIHBOE.

Candidate: Vivian King

King is 51, has lived in the borough for 19 years and works as a retail professional. She is a graduate of Ramapo High School, where one of her children is a student. Two other children have graduated from Indian Hills High School. King holds a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University. Other community involvements include eight years on the Oakland Recreation Commission, five years on the Oakland zoning board and two years as an Indian Hills Hockey Parents board member.

Candidate: Audrey Lynn Souders

Souders is 54, has lived in the borough for 20 years and works as a certified clinical perfusionist with a bachelor's degree in nursing. Her two children are students at Indian Hills High School. She was a founding member of Access For All, providing access to townwide events for the special needs community, volunteers with the Healing the Children Guatemala Heart Surgery Team and is a vestry member of St. Alban's Episcopal Church.

Souders declined to answer questions from The Record and NorthJersey.com. For more information on Souders' candidacy: Facebook: #audreysouders4rihboe.

Wyckoff school board seats

In Wyckoff, one three-year seat is open. Incumbent Brian DeLaite was appointed to his seat in November 2022 and is seeking his first full term. He is running against newcomer Jared Geist.

Candidate: Brian DeLaite

DeLaite is 55, a 12-year resident of the township and a sales and marketing executive. He has two children in Wyckoff's grade schools. He holds a bachelor of science degree in marketing and communications from Babson College. He is a volunteer recreation sports coach and volunteers with grade school PTOs.

Candidate: Jared Geist

Geist is 41 and has lived in the township for five years. He is an attorney with three children in Wyckoff preschool and grade school. He holds bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science from Central Michigan University and his juris doctor from Michigan State University. Community involvement includes rec coaching and den leader with Wyckoff Cub Scout Pack 110. He previously served as a Dumont councilman, a member of the Dumont Joint Land Use Board, and a Bogota municipal judge and prosecutor.

2-minute read

Marsha A. Stoltz

NorthJersey.com

OAKLAND — A $3 million grant, "the largest single grant ever received by the borough," has been authorized by the state Department of Transportation for repairs to the long-languishing Patriots Way Bridge.

An additional $1.6 million for the project came through the Department of Community Affairs last week, Mayor Linda Schwager wrote in a letter to residents on Monday.

"With this additional funding secured, the Borough Council will introduce the required capital ordinance at the July 19 Council meeting to enable the borough to award a contract after the bidding is complete," Schwager wrote. "Final approval of the ordinance will be at the Aug. 16 meeting, and a contract award is expected sometime in September."

Although the borough had already secured $1.2 million in grants for the project, Schwager said, additional funding was "essential to mitigate the burden" on Oakland's taxpayers.

"Over the past few years numerous additional applications were filed at both the state and federal levels but none of those attempts met with success," the mayor wrote.

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There are seven bridges over the Ramapo River in Oakland, said Borough Administrator Richard Kunze. The borough is responsible for the upkeep of three: Patriots Way, Lenape Lane and Island Terrace.

The bridge was built in 1996 and was expected to last 75 years. It was built by the developer of the Ramapo River Reserve complex with components furnished by U.S. Bridge. Richard Rogovin, chairman and general counsel of U.S. Bridge, said in 2017 that the bridge had not been galvanized or painted with a sealant to extend its life. The developer was no longer in business by then.

Repairs to Patriots Way were deemed "pretty urgent" by the borough's engineer in 2017, at an estimated cost of $3 million, which includes:

The bridge's weight limit was reduced to 10 tons after inspection in 2015, restricting use to cars, vans and lighter pickup trucks.

Schwager credited Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti and state Sen. Holly Schepisi for their assistance in obtaining the funds.

Officials have been hoping to avoid an incident similar to the 1995 collapse of the 14-ton-limit Glen Gray Road Bridge on the Mahwah border, which gave way under the weight of a 35-ton, gravel-laden dump truck. The Glen Gray Road Bridge is under county supervision.