DUI Lawyers in Summit, NJ

Augustus Russo, 20,a resident of Summit, NJ, a 4th Class Midshipman in the 17th company, started his day on a high note. Russo was the 4th Class Midshipman who capped the Herndon Monument in 2:27.31. This time is in the middle of the pack–not nearly as long as 1998 and not nearly as quick as 1972.

Each year, the roughly 1,000 members of the academy’s plebe (freshman) class form a human pyramid around the 21-foot tall Herndon Monument to remove a plebe hat, or “dixie cup,” that upperclassmen have placed on the top of the obelisk monument which is covered in vegetable shortening. The midshipman who makes it to the top replaces the “dixie cup” with a midshipman’s cover.

The Class of 2028’s victory was sealed with a fire of a cannon on the Yard at 10:32 am.

The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the Naval Academy. Demonstrating the teamwork and perseverance they have learned during their first year at the Academy.

The monument is 21 feet tall and is covered with 200 pounds of lard (Crisco) by midshipmen of the 1st Company. The first recorded time was the Class of 1962 with a time of 12 minutes. The fastest time was accomplished by the Class of 1972 in 1 minute, 30 seconds (no grease). The longest time goes to the Class of 1998, which took more than 4 hours to climb.

Legend has it that the plebe who caps the monument will be the first to reach the rank of Admiral; however, this has never happened.

But for tonight, the class of 2028 will be celebrating the final task of their plebe year. Congratulations! Plebes No More!

More photos to come!

SUMMIT, NJ — Several local and statewide advocacy organizations gathered outside Summit City Hall on Tuesday to oppose a proposed ordinance that would prohibit outdoor camping in public spaces, citing concerns that the measure would effectively criminalize homelessness.

The rally was co-hosted by organizations including Bridges Outreach, the Summit Interfaith Council, Monarch Housing Associates, Family Promise of Union County, GRACE (Giving & Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials), the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness, the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, Faith in New Jersey, the ACLU of New Jersey, and the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.

Speakers at the event called on city officials to withdraw the ordinance and instead continue pursuing housing-focused strategies.

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“The ordinance which the Common Council introduced on April 1st represents an approach which criminalizes homelessness,” said Richard Uniacke, president of Bridges Outreach, Inc. “We've accomplished a tremendous amount together so far, and I'm holding out hope that they will vote down the ordinance as written and introduce a version which enables both public safety to be upheld and the work of the task force to continue meaningfully."

Faith leaders and nonprofit executives emphasized the importance of evidence-based solutions. Rev. Robin Tanner, representing the Summit Interfaith Council, called the ordinance “an erosion of trust” and urged officials to recommit to collaborative efforts.

"Together we have been making incredible strides in Summit toward ending homelessness. And we have done it a blessedly non-partisan, trust-driven collaboration,” said Rev. Robin Tanner on behalf of the Summit Interfaith Council. “Voting no on this ordinance will reestablish trust and allow us to double-down on our shared goal - ending homelessness in Summit. Passing this ordinance would be an erosion of trust and a hope-filled shared effort.”

Summit Mayor Elizabeth Fagan launched Summit’s effort to help solve local homelessness last year and roughly 20 of the 25 total people identified as homeless have been put back on their feet. The Homelessness Task Force has become a model to follow, according to industry leadership.

Fagan has noted the remaining handful of people have declined any help and now have become a danger for the rest of the community.

“There remains a small group of individuals who consistently refuse assistance, and whose actions are creating serious safety and health concerns in our community,” Fagan said. “This affects not only fellow residents but also our hardworking small business owners, especially in our downtown core. As elected officials, it is our responsibility to listen to those concerns and act with both compassion and accountability.”

Opponents of the ordinance cited research showing that punitive measures often fail to reduce homelessness and can increase public costs.

“All the research shows criminalization does not work and is more expensive,” said Connie Mercer, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness. “Summit has been a leader in outreach, and we urge the Council to reject this ordinance.”

Council President Mike McTernan (Rep-Ward 2) expressed a desire for compromise, noting that the council had made changes to the ordinance in response to community feedback. McTernan emphasized that the ordinance was intended to strike a balance between providing support to those in need and maintaining the safety and order of public spaces.

“We’ve incorporated constructive feedback and made modifications, including removing the sleeping provisions and introducing alternative consequences such as court-ordered participation with social work professionals or behavioral health treatment,” McTernan said. “We are doing our best to strike the right balance, and I’m confident that by incorporating feedback, the ordinance will make good sense to everyone.”

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SUMMIT, NJ – Summit Public Schools officials this week responded to mounting public concern over a lack of transparency surrounding the 2025–26 school budget, which was finalized this month with a 3.95% tax levy increase—down from the originally proposed 8.8%.

During Thursday’s Summit Board of Education meeting, District leaders confirmed that the reduction was achieved through various cuts, including staff personnel, totaling more than $3 million. However, community members questioned why those cuts weren’t disclosed sooner.

“I wish we could have shared more upfront earlier in the process,” Superintendent Scott Hough said. “But I want the community to know why it has taken some time.”

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Hough explained that legal and procedural requirements necessitated informing all impacted staff before sharing details with the public.

“With all the staff reductions related to the budget, we needed to have discussions with staff members who will not be here for the 2025–26 school year,” he said. “In addition, when staff members exercise their tenure rights during a reduction in force, there is a legal process that takes time and requires collaboration with the Summit Education Association.”

The process, he added, was also delayed by spring break.

“The final few staff members who are not being renewed were informed today,” Hough said. “Now that staff notification is done, we’ll be posting these slides (which outlines all the cuts in the budget) on the district website tomorrow (Friday).” See slide presentation here.

While he acknowledged the difficulty of the process, Hough stressed that the district worked to avoid disruptions to classrooms.

“As difficult as this has been, it is our goal not to impact class size or educational programs, and I feel that we accomplished that goal,” he said.

Board of Education (BOE) President Walidah Justice also addressed transparency concerns directly, saying the experience was “a humble reminder for us as a board to better communicate.”

“To hear questions about numbers is one thing. To hear concerns surrounding the transparency of the Board of Education and budget process is different. That is difficult for us to hear,” Justice said. “I want to provide some clarity on the process. I assure you that we will use the lessons we learned this year to do a better service to the Summit community moving forward.”

During Tuesday night’s Common Council, where the school budget was officially adopted, tempers flared as leaders as well as residents were alarmed at the lack of transparency during the process, which set off a confusion among many who mistakenly thought the Common Council was responsible for developing the Summit's school budget.

President Mike McTernan said at Tuesday’s Common Council meeting. ”We’re not creating a school budget here. That’s already been done. The Board of School Estimate (BOSE) approved the tax levy. The Board of Education, shockingly, creates their own budget, and they vote on it. And they’re the ones who do the nitty-gritty about who to cut and who not to cut.”

At the BOE meeting, President Justice provided an overview of the budget development process, emphasizing Summit’s status as a Type I school district, where board members are appointed by the mayor rather than elected. She explained that the Board of Education collaborates with the administration to prepare the tentative budget, which is then reviewed by the Board of School Estimate.

“The superintendent and business administrator work with principals and supervisors to develop the budget based on the needs of the district that are aligned with district goals,” Justice said. “The Board of Education collaborates with the superintendent and business office through the operations committee to review the tentative budget and discuss its impact on taxes.

“The district presents the tentative budget to BOSE and then the Board of Education certifies the tentative budget before the public hearing on the final budget. Additional work is done among district administration to make reductions in the budget.

“Based on feedback from BOSE, the district is required to finalize and deliver the itemized budget to each member of BOSE before the date of the final hearing. At that public hearing, the Board of School estimate adopts and certifies the final budget.

"I hope this breakdown provides a better understanding of the process and the roles of the Board of Education and the Board of School Estimate when it comes to the development of the school budget,” she said.

Justice and Hough also attempted to shift the tone of the meeting by highlighting positives within the district, including an upcoming celebration of teachers and staff and a recent emergency preparedness presentation.

“I know it can be hard not to get swept into the weeds of rumors or negativity,” Justice said. “But if you visit any of the classrooms in Summit, you will see terrific things happening.”

Still, budget concerns remained front and center, and the district committed to providing a full breakdown of what positions and expenditures were removed in order to bring the budget in line with BOSE guidance.

“I know there has been a desire to know what has been cut in the budget,” Hough said. “But I am comfortable with the fact that we prioritized the respect and dignity of our staff members who are being impacted by these cuts before sharing the details with the public.”

The final budget and slide presentation detailing the reductions are published on the district. Click here to review the slide presentation.

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Patch and T-Mobile have teamed up to spotlight students excelling in academics, athletics and community service.

Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff

SUMMIT, NJ — New Jersey is full of bright, driven young people making a difference in and out of the classroom. That’s why Patch and T-Mobile have teamed up to spotlight students excelling in academics, athletics and community service.

This submission comes from Megan Marine, who nominated Sarah of New Jersey.

If you know a student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured as a Star Student on Patch.

What is the star student’s name?

Sarah

Find out what's happening in Summitfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

What grade is the student in?

11th

How do you know the star student?

My daughter

Tell us about your star student's accomplishments and why they deserve to be recognized on Patch!

Sarah is a registered EMT (took a 190-hour training course + 10 hours volunteering in an ER and passed the national EMT exam) and volunteers for the Summit First Aid Squad (3+ hour shift every Monday and 12-hour shift one weekend each month plus squad meetings and continuing education and re-certifications).

She is also her high school's representative on the Overlook Foundation Junior Board, which meets monthly to learn about the hospital's fundraising needs and then creates a fundraising campaign for a chosen department. Additionally, for the past 3.5 years, she has served as a "Changemaker" intern at Promly, an online platform designed to promote mental wellness and meaningful connections among teenagers/young adults.

Sarah wants to become a doctor one day and has been awarded the Biology award and the Chemistry award at her high school. She also enjoys writing and is an editor on her school newspaper and recently wrote a novel (getting published May 2025) about a young girl who struggles with anxiety and OCD, like Sarah. She is hoping to spread awareness about OCD - it's not what it looks like on tv shows and movies - and help others recognize some of the lesser-known symptoms so they can get treatment.

Lastly, for the past 3 years, she has volunteered as an Elizabethport tutor on Tuesday nights September - April, tutoring young kids from Elizabeth who take a bus up to the Central Presbyterian Church in Summit. She has been recognized at her school each year for her volunteering: 9th grade over 100 hours, and in both 10th and 11th grades, she clocked well over 200 hours of community service.

What three words best describe your star student?

Creative, compassionate, driven.

Keep up the great work, Sarah If you know an outstanding student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured on Patch.

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