"QCSF Builds Culture and Community"

Dear Community Member,



Plainfield is pulsating with renewed energy and life. For the past ten years, we’ve focused on revitalizing every facet of life in the Queen City, and today, our city teems with cultural activities and events that bring our community together.  

As we continue to reshape the landscape of our great city, it is crucial that we nurture the spirit and culture that makes us unique. That’s why events like the annual Queen City Street Fair are so crucial to our economic resurgence—they celebrate our community, our progress, and our shared pride. 

Held at the site of the soon-to-be pedestrian plaza behind the Plainfield NJ Transit station at the junction of North and Gavett, this event is more than just a day of fun—it's a chance for us to come together as a unified community and nurture the diversity and pride that makes us uniquely Plainfield. It's a moment where we can step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, reconnect with our friends and family, and celebrate our rich cultural tapestry. 

Events like this create moments for our community to experience joy in the most tangible way and reflect what we know to be an engaged and thriving community. It’s an embodiment of our spirit, which radiates a rich diversity. As we walk through the fair, enjoying the music, food, and festivities, it'll be hard not to fall in love with Plainfield all over again. 

My administration has been intentional about ensuring that events like these are part of our city’s holistic growth. As we continue to see economic and infrastructure development, it’s essential that our community and culture grow with it. The Queen City Street Fair is one of the largest events we have and is proof that our story is about more than just resilience - it's about our rich history, our inclusivity, our evolution and our commitment to quality of life. Embracing this foundation to propel us to even greater heights. 

I ask you to join me this Saturday at 4 pm. Bring your family, your friends, and your neighbors. Come out and enjoy this fun-filled community event. But more importantly, come out and be a part of something bigger than any one of us. Come out and be part of the history that’s being made daily, be part of our resurgence, our revitalization Let’s take pride in our home, celebrate our achievements, and work to fulfill our shared vision of prosperity for this city we call home. 

#LovePlainfield #AmoPlainfield



Creating One Plainfield. One Future.

Sincerely,

Mayor Adrian O. Mapp

City of Plainfield

"QCSF Construye Cultura y Comunidad"

Querido(a) Community Member,

Plainfield está llena de energía y vida renovadas. Durante los últimos diez años, nos hemos centrado en revitalizar cada faceta de la vida en Queen City y, hoy, nuestra ciudad está repleta de actividades y eventos culturales que unen a nuestra comunidad.

A medida que continuamos remodelando el paisaje de nuestra gran ciudad, es fundamental que fomentemos el espíritu y la cultura que nos hacen únicos. Es por eso que eventos como la Feria Anual de la Calle Queen City son tan cruciales para nuestro resurgimiento económico: celebran nuestra comunidad, nuestro progreso y nuestro orgullo compartido.

Este evento, que se lleva a cabo en el sitio de la futura plaza peatonal detrás de la estación Plainfield NJ Transit en la intersección de North y Gavett, es más que un día de diversión: es una oportunidad para que nos unamos como una comunidad unificada y fomentemos la diversidad y el orgullo que nos hace únicos en Plainfield. Es un momento en el que podemos alejarnos del ajetreo y el bullicio de la vida diaria, reconectarnos con nuestros amigos y familiares y celebrar nuestro rico tapiz cultural.

Eventos como este crean momentos para que nuestra comunidad experimente la alegría de la manera más tangible y reflejen lo que sabemos que es una comunidad comprometida y próspera. Es una encarnación de nuestro espíritu, que irradia una rica diversidad. Mientras caminamos por la feria, disfrutando de la música, la comida y las festividades, será difícil no enamorarse de Plainfield una vez más.

Mi administración ha tenido la intención de garantizar que eventos como estos sean parte del crecimiento integral de nuestra ciudad. A medida que seguimos viendo el desarrollo económico y de infraestructura, es esencial que nuestra comunidad y cultura crezcan con él. La Feria de la Calle Queen City es uno de los eventos más grandes que tenemos y es una prueba de que nuestra historia es más que solo resiliencia: se trata de nuestra rica historia, nuestra inclusión, nuestra evolución y nuestro compromiso con la calidad de vida. Adoptar esta base para impulsarnos a alturas aún mayores.

Les pido que se unan a mí este sábado a las 4 p. m. Traigan a su familia, sus amigos y sus vecinos. Vengan y disfruten de este evento comunitario lleno de diversión. Pero lo más importante es que salgan y formen parte de algo más grande que cualquiera de nosotros. Salgan y formen parte de la historia que se escribe a diario, formen parte de nuestro resurgimiento, nuestra revitalización. Sintámonos orgullosos de nuestro hogar, celebremos nuestros logros y trabajemos para hacer realidad nuestra visión compartida de prosperidad para esta ciudad que llamamos hogar.

#LovePlainfield #AmoPlainfield

Creando Un Plainfield. Un Futuro.

Alcalde Adrian O. Mapp

Ciudad de Plainfield

Mayor Adrian O. Mapp and the City Council can't wait to welcome you to this year’s Annual Queen City Street Fair on Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 4 PM to 10 PM at North Ave & Gavett Place. This year, we’re turning up the fun with even more activities, thrills, and great moments you’ll want to share with friends and family.

Picture this: carnival rides that’ll have everyone smiling, from the towering Ferris wheel to a playful water gun station. Whether you’re young or just young at heart, there’s something for everyone. Plus, our game booths offer plenty of chances to win prizes and test your skills. And for the little ones? They can bounce around in our super fun, safe bouncy houses all day.

We’ve got some serious fun lined up for the kids, too. Face painting stations are ready to turn them into their favorite characters, animals, or superheroes—adding a little extra magic to their day. And if you’re a car lover, you’ll be blown away by the classic cars and custom rides on display, thanks to G-Wiz Auto Entertainment. Expect everything from slingshots to tricked-out imports that’ll have you snapping photos left and right.

Music lovers, you’re in for a treat. BKS1 (Best Kept Secret Radio) is hosting the event with live music that’ll keep the energy up, including a DJ battle between DJ StormNorm and BJ Bookeem, and headlining DJ Troy, DJ Kay-Tee, DJ DH, and DJ Suko that’s sure to get the crowd going. And when you think it can’t get any better, comedian GL Douglas will take the stage to keep the laughs coming.

Food? We’ve got you covered. Imagine indulging in everything from classic fair favorites like funnel cakes and fried Oreos to an incredible variety of international dishes from the West Indies, Spanish Caribbean, Africa, and more. And for the adults who want to relax, our beer garden, hosted by Mamajuana Cafe Plainfield, will be the perfect spot to kick back with a local brew or a signature cocktail.



And hey, look for some surprise giveaways throughout the day. The Queen City Street Fair isn’t just an event; it’s the kind of day that creates memories. We can’t wait to see you there!

#LovePlainfield #AmoPlainfield

August 15, 2024

The Union County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to announce that applications for the 2025 Union County History Re-Grant Program for Special Projects and General Operating Support are available on Thursday, August 8th. All eligible non-profit organizations in Union County are invited to apply.  

“The History Re-Grant program was designed to support the preservation of Union County’s rich historical legacy, which continues to thrive in our museums, local libraries, and various historical organizations today,” said Union County Commissioner Chairwoman Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded. “I encourage all eligible organizations to seize this opportunity and apply.”

Applicant organizations must be based in Union County, and the programming covered by the grant must take place in Union County during 2025. Applications must be submitted online to the Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, a division of the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation. To begin the application process and to create an account, request the link to the application portal by emailing John Prescott, History Programs Coordinator, at jprescott@ucnj.org.

The application deadline is Friday, September 20, 2024, at 11:45 p.m. Application materials submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. 

Eligibility requirements, application components, and other pertinent details are outlined in the complete General Operating Support (GOS) and Special Projects (SP) guidelines.

The Re-Grant Program includes two types of grants:

• General Operating Support (GOS) grants provide assistance for the basic costs of operation such as programming, preservation of collections, salaries, marketing, and more. Funding is available to Union County based historical societies, house museums or historic sites only. The maximum GOS grant request is $7,500.

• Special Project (SP) grants support history organizations, museums, schools, libraries and similar organizations with collections or programming relating to Union County and New Jersey state history. The maximum SP grant request is $5,000.

“The organizations we support through this grant provide valuable resources for our residents to creatively and engagingly explore the past, fostering a sense of belonging and appreciation for the diverse culture in the community,” said Commissioner Bette Jane Kowalski, Liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board.

For additional information on the Re-Grant program and other grant programs administered by the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, visit ucnj.org/parks-recreation/cultural-heritage-affairs/funding-opportunities.

Funding for the History Re-Grant program is provided by the New Jersey Historical Commission. For clarification, assistance, or questions about applying, please contact John Prescott, History Programs Coordinator, at 908-436-2912 or by email at jprescott@ucnj.org

August 15, 2024

Fares Waived on All NJ TRANSIT Modes Aug. 26 - Sept. 2.

TRENTON – Governor Murphy today announced a transit fare holiday for all customers from August 26 through September 2, 2024. During this period, fares will be waived for all modes of transportation, offering free rides across the NJ TRANSIT network as a "Thank You" to the hundreds of thousands of loyal customers who depend on public transit.

Monthly pass holders who have already purchased an August pass, which covers travel through the end of the month, will automatically receive a 25% discount on their September monthly pass purchase through the mobile app, at Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs), or ticket windows.

The fare holiday is a way to express the sincere appreciation for customers’ continued loyalty and patronage, particularly during a time when transit service has not consistently met their expectations—or our own. NJ TRANSIT recognizes the impacts these service issues have had over the past few months and remains committed to improving the travel experience for transit customers.

“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one week fare holiday for NJ TRANSIT riders,” said Governor Murphy. “As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief. We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we continue to be thankful to the many New Jerseyans who depend on public transit.”

Many of the recent service disruptions have occurred on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC). NJ TRANSIT has been working tirelessly advancing the joint plan with Amtrak announced immediately following Governor Murphy’s meeting with NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak leadership on June 27, 2024, to improve service on this critical rail line – the busiest corridor in the country. While the root causes of these incidents have not yet been identified, significant short-term actions have already been taken and there has been noteworthy progress. NJ TRANSIT personnel have increased equipment inspections on platforms, while Amtrak has stepped up its efforts in inspecting and repairing their catenary (overhead wire), track signal systems, and substations along the NEC. These collaborative efforts have already led to a noticeable decrease in infrastructure-related incidents.

Additional longer-term actions to address state-of-good-repair of Amtrak infrastructure include adding resources to increase testing of transformers in substations and evaluating opportunities to expand work windows with service adjustments to accelerate repairs and upgrades. In addition, NJ TRANSIT is working with Amtrak to support overall capital renewal by pursuing additional grants to expedite the replacement of catenary, substations, and transmission and signal lines, through the Fed-State Partnership Grant Program.

NJ TRANSIT also recognizes that the River LINE light rail service has not been meeting its performance standards over the last several weeks. NJ TRANSIT implemented a supplemental bus plan earlier this week as an interim measure to improve service reliability and predictability for customers traveling on weekdays. At the same time, we are holding NJ TRANSIT’s contracted operator accountable to expedite necessary repairs and upgrades to the light rail vehicles to restore reliable weekday light rail service as quickly as possible.

August 15, 2024

New prices are expected to save millions of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in the first year of the program alone

For far too long, Americans have paid more for their prescription drugs than any developed nation. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is delivering on its promise to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and save money for Americans. That’s because Medicare has the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time in history thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Biden with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Because Medicare is now able to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors and people with disabilities, American taxpayers are expected to save $6 billion on prescription drug costs, and people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2026 alone. President Biden and Vice President Harris took on Big Pharma and won, and now millions of seniors and others on Medicare will soon see their drug costs go down on some of the most common and expensive prescription drugs that treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, blood clots, and more.

HHS Announces Negotiated Prices for Medicare Drugs

HHS has reached agreements with all participating manufacturers on new negotiated, lower drug prices for the first 10 drugs selected for the Medicare drug price negotiation program. After manufacturers have steadily increased the list prices of all 10 of these drugs since they went on the market, these new prices will cut the list price of these drugs between 38 and 79 percent.

The new prices will go into effect for people with Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage in 2026:

Source: CMS, https://www.cms.gov/files/document/fact-sheet-negotiated-prices-initial-price-applicability-year-2026.pdf

These ten drugs are among those with highest total spending in Medicare Part D. If the negotiated prices had been in effect during 2023, Medicare would have saved an estimated $6 billion. When the negotiated prices go into effect in 2026, people enrolled in Medicare Part D are estimated to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs.

Millions of Part D enrollees that depend on these treatments to treat life-threatening conditions including diabetes, heart failure, and cancer are also expected to see lower out-of-pocket costs for these drugs. For example, a Medicare enrollee who takes Stelara for their arthritis and pays $3,459 on their drug today for a 30-day supply would pay only $1,174 in 2026. Many seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare who take these drugs will also benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act’s $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending, which will be fully in effect in 2025, saving 19 million beneficiaries an average of $400 per year, in addition to these savings from the negotiated drug prices.

More drugs will be selected each year as part of Medicare’s drug price negotiation program. Medicare will select up to 15 additional drugs covered under Part D for negotiation in 2025, up to an additional 15 Part B and D drugs in 2026, and up to 20 drugs every year after that.

Building on Progress Lowering Health Care Costs

Every day, millions of Americans are saving money on health care costs because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions.

• People with Medicare are saving an average of $70 in out-of-pocket costs on vaccines like shingles and Tdap because President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act made recommended vaccines free for beneficiaries, including the 10.3 million enrollees who received a free vaccine in 2023.

• All 3.4 million Medicare Part D enrollees who filled an insulin prescription in 2023 had their insulin costs capped at $35 per month, saving some seniors hundreds of dollars for a month’s supply.

• Some seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries taking drugs covered under Part B for which manufacturers have hiked prices faster than inflation are saving up to $4,593 in lower coinsurance this quarter thanks to the new Medicare inflation rebates.

• Starting this year, Part D enrollees no longer pay 5% co-insurance when they reach the catastrophic phase of their benefit and have their out-of-pocket drug costs capped at about $3,500. In just the first quarter of 2024, over 260,000 people benefited from this cap.

• Millions of American are saving an average of about $800 per year on health insurance premiums because of savings from the American Rescue Plan that the Inflation Reduction Act extended, helping drive the nation’s uninsured rate to historic lows under the Biden-Harris Administration.

Check out the Biden-Harris Administration’s Savings Explorer to see how some of the Administration’s policies are helping Americans save money on annual expenses – from health care to junk fees, grocery costs and more.

Continuing to Lower Prescription Drug Costs

People with Medicare will continue to see their prescription drug costs go down as more provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act go into effect next year. Nearly 19 million seniors and other Part D beneficiaries are projected to save $400 per year on prescription drugs when the out-of-pocket cap drops to $2,000 in 2025, and 1.9 million enrollees with the highest drug costs will save an average of $2,500 per year. And the lower prices negotiated for the high-spend drugs announced today will go into effect in 2026.

The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 builds on this success by significantly increasing the pace of negotiation, bringing more drugs into negotiation sooner after they launch, expanding the $2,000 out-of-pocket prescription drug cost cap beyond Medicare and into the commercial market, and other steps to build on the Inflation Reduction Act drug provisions. The Budget also includes proposals to curb inflation in prescription drug prices and extends the $35 cost-sharing cap for monthly prescriptions of insulin to the commercial market to lower drug costs for all Americans.

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Volume 11 - Issue 32