Decision on Regional Funding, School Reports, and Habitat Race Top Weekly News

Judge Recommends Regional Funding Change for River Dell; Awaits Commissioner's OK

Almost nine months since the initial arguments were given over a two-day spanbefore Administrative Law Judge Leslie Z. Celentano, the boroughs of Oradell and River Edge have received an answer to the ongoingRiver Dell Regional school district funding inequality fight.

Celentano has recommended that the state change the funding formula for River Dell to an 80-20 mix formula and placing the majority of the tax burden for the district on River Edge. Her decision called for a two-year phase in period.

Students at Oradell Public, Roosevelt and Cherry Hill elementary schools were found to be better performing than those at the Regional schools when compared to their new peer groups and the state according to the new School Performance Reports.

Released Wednesday, the reports are a new version of the long-running School Reports Cards that have measured school performance on a variety of metrics since the 1990s.

New Jersey residents will have yet another chance to induct River Dell's "Big Tuna", Bill Parcells into the state Hall of Fame as Parcells was again nominated for the Class of 2013.

The former Oradell resident who was chosen as one of seven new inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013 in February was one of 51 nominees for this year's honor. He missed out in 2012 in the Sports category to New York Giants former owner Wellington Mara, Plainfield's Milt Campbell and Jersey City's Bob Hurley.

While the pain of losing a father and husband may never fully go away, the Farrell family in River Edge are once again organizing one of the largest groups of runners for the annual River Edge Run as Team Farrell and The Melanoma Research Foundation join forces to raise funds for melanoma research in memory of Stephen Farrell.

After sweeping his way into the Bergen Catholic record books, New Jersey native Alecko Eskandarian has returned home to the Garden State after years of playing professional soccer on the West Coast. His career sidelined by injuries, the Mahwah resident will now take his experience as an athlete and help lead others as the newest assistant coach of the New York Cosmos.

Over 150 runners hit the ground running on Saturday in the first annual Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County 5k Race to Build for Little Ferry victims from Hurricane Sandy.

The race, which raised over $3,523 to benefit the affiliate’s "Repair. Rebuild. ReStore" Hurricane Sandy rebuilding program in Little Ferry, was held at United Water's offices in Harrington Park next to the Oradell Reservoir.

After playing together for three years at Bergen Catholic, brothers Kyle and Cameron Quiero of Verona will take the field again together in the fall of 2014. Kyle, who will graduate this Junepreviously committed to Northwestern, will be joined by Cameron following his own June 2014 commencement as the younger Quiero verbally committed to the Wildcats this week, according to Inside Northwestern.

If spiking the competition during the winter in Washington, DC was not enough, the Digs Red 17 club volleyball team, featuring River Dell Lady Hawk setter Kalette deMarrais, recently earned a spot in the USA Volleyball's National Championships.

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