By ROD HIRSCH
Credits: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
By ROD HIRSCH
January 2, 2021 at 2:27 PM
SOMERVILLE, NJ - It may be a new calendar year, but the relentless COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge around the world, nation, New Jersey and Somerset County.
The Somerset County Department of Health on Saturday, reported an increase of 173 positive tests for the COVID-19 virus on the first day of 2021, bringing the total number of cases to 12,452 with 581 COVID-19 deaths reported since March 8.
The New Jersey Department of Health on Saturday reported a total of 488,372 positive cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began its spread in the state 299 days ago, an increase of 5,511 overnight. The death toll in New Jersey increased by 27 overnight for a total of 17,166 deaths. There have been 7,792,714 COVID-19 tests administered in New Jersey.
Kezia Bacon
Kezia Bacon
As challenging a year as it was, one of the upsides of 2020 was that it gave us increased opportunities to spend time outdoors. We are so fortunate, here on the South Shore, to have a seemingly endless supply of parks, preserves, and conservation areas.
Last year each of these Nature columns was devoted to a specific town, highlighting some of the best walking places to be found there. This year we’ll be returning to more varied themes, with the continued intention of introducing you to, or reacquainting you with, a wide variety of places to hike, to fish, to paddle . . . or just to enjoy the view.
Coronavirus in N.J.: What’s reopened, what concerts, festivals and shows are rescheduled, canceled. (Dec. 30, 2020)
Updated Dec 30, 2020;
First Night Morris County, for one, was planning to celebrate its 29th year of offering an alternate “alcohol-free and substance-free celebration of arts and culture” with live events throughout downtown Morristown on New Year’s Eve.
Instead, it will aim its efforts toward the internet with “First Night Reimagined,” a virtual celebration beginning 5:40 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 31, with more than 40 streamed and on-demand programs by 21 acts.
Passes start at $15 and will provide access to all the events as they’re posted and on-demand through Jan. 3. The lineup even will include “virtual fireworks” at 9 and 11:50 p.m. tomorrow.
Common calendar, Packet papers, January 1
Common calendar, Packet papers, January 1
Ongoing
While decorating for the holidays is a tradition, too often strings of burnt out or damaged holiday lights end up being tossed out with household garbage.
There is a greener way to properly dispose of these decorations. Instead of discarding non-working lights in the trash, the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders want residents to give them a second life by bringing them to the county’s Resource Recovery Complex, where a permanent electronics disposal center is staffed from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and from 7-11:30 a.m. Saturdays.
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A view of the home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. on July 20, 2020 in North Brunswick. Salas son, Daniel Anderl, was shot and killed and her husband, defense attorney Mark Anderl, was injured. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
NEW JERSEY Even as crime dropped when many New Jerseyans huddled in their homes amid the COVID crisis, a number of heinous criminal acts still occurred in New Jersey this year.
Some of them may have even been linked to the pandemic, such as child sex predators who used the allegedly lockdowns as an opportunity to find more children online.