🌱 Patch AM: Which Hackettstown soccer stars made the 2025 All-Area team?

Coffee in hand, Hackettstown? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Which Hackettstown soccer stars made the 2025 All-Area team?
• When county commissioners will bring their 2026 meeting to Hackettstown
• Which new high-tech patent just named a Hackettstown resident as inventor?

Also on today's calendar: Five Things You Must Know About Estate Planning After 65 (Online).

Today's riddle: I quit my job as a banker. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Friday: Clouds breaking and breezy, with a high of 30 and low of 16 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
• Saturday: Some sun, then clouds, temps: high: 32, low: 21.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high of 33 and low of 15 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. The 2025 lehighvalleylive All-Area Boys Soccer Team (lehighvalleylive.com) — Hackettstown boys soccer standouts earned major recognition on the 2025 lehighvalleylive All-Area Team, led by senior scorer Ibrahim Bah and defender Jamie Ponce. Several other Tigers, including Daniel Gubernat and Shay Patel, received honorable mention, highlighting Hackettstown’s strong presence among top programs across Warren and neighboring counties.
   

2. Warren County commissioners appoint new director, swear in member for 6th term (wvnews.com) — Warren County commissioners have chosen Lori Ciesla as board director for 2026 and set their meeting schedule, including an Oct. 28 session at the Hackettstown Municipal Building. The board plans to prioritize emergency communications upgrades, tourism-focused economic support, and maintaining the county’s debt-free status, while holding most meetings in White Township and a few in other towns.
   

3. The R&D Dept.: Local patent roundup for 12.31.25 (richmondbizsense.com) — A Hackettstown, N.J. resident, Harish Upendra Patel, is listed among the inventors on a newly granted Capital One patent for dynamically generating secure permission roles in cloud computing environments. The broader roundup highlights a range of patents issued December 23–30, 2025, from vaping devices and rainwater systems to AI-driven security tools and payment-card-based authentication technologies.
   

4. 35 Lucky New Year's Eve Traditions From Around the World (kcra.com) — Hackettstown gets a fun shout-out in a global roundup of New Year’s traditions, noted for dropping a giant M&M alongside famous ball and object drops in other cities. The feature explores dozens of quirky customs worldwide, from special foods and clothing colors to good-luck rituals you can try at home with family and friends.
   

📸 Around Hackettstown

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Hackettstown

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★ Featured events ★

Friday January 2

• Five Things You Must Know About Estate Planning After 65 (Online)
  Online,
  2:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Saturday January 3

• Mount Olive Food Drive
  204 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Mt Olive
  10:00 am

Sunday January 11

• Meadowbrook Day Camp to Host Open House on January 11, 2026
  Meadowbrook Country Day Camp , 73 E Valley Brook Rd , Washington Township
  11:00 am

📣 Hackettstown Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Saturday January 3

• Traveler's Roundtable - Adult
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  12:30 pm

Monday January 5

• Hatha Yoga - Adult (evening)
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  6:00 pm

Tuesday January 6

• Hatha Yoga - Adult (morning)
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  10:30 am
• Robert J. Walker Mapping Expedition - Adult
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  6:00 pm

Thursday January 8

• Bunco (Afternoon) - Adult
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  12:00 pm

Saturday January 10

• Rabies Clinic
  Independence Township , 286B Route 46 West , Great Meadows
  10:00 am
• French Conversation Group - Adult
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  10:30 am

Monday January 12

• Bingo - Adult
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  1:00 pm

Tuesday January 13

• Morning Book Club - Adult
  Mount Olive Public Library , 202 Flanders-Drakestown Rd , Flanders
  11:00 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Hackettstown PatchAM possible:

• TerpTaxi Delivery NJ — (973) 936-3577
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• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• New Jersey Staffing posted a job opening for Paint Room Operator - 3rd shift ($500 Sign On Bonus) in Hackettstown. Apply here.
• Target posted a job opening for GM and Food (General Merchandise, Closing, Fulfillment, Inbound, Food and Beverage , Food Service, Starbucks) (T2446) in Hackettstown. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Hackettstown here.

Ok Hackettstown! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I just lost interest.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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