Thursday, November 1, 2012
President Obama and Gov. Christie toured areas impacted by Sandy on Wednesday.
The federal government stands by New Jersey as it suffers in the wake of Tropical Storm Sandy, President Obama said Wednesday afternoon while visiting Brigantine alongside Governor Christie. Obama confirmed FEMA aid has already been approved for Atlantic County, and that restoration efforts will continue as long as needed. "We will not forget," Obama said. "We will follow up to make sure you get the help you need. There are 2,000 personnel from FEMA on the ground, Obama said. "They are talking to communities so people know how they can get the help they need," Obama said. "The important thing to know is that people can immediately start registering for emergency assistance. Now that you're safe, it's very important you know there's help …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
School board elections will take place on November 6.
For the third year in a row, Jean Marie Mitchell is running for school board. “I am dedicated to be on this board,” Mitchell, 50, said. “I am dedicated to the school district.” While Mitchell ran and lost last year, she already served a year on the board during the 2010-2011 school year. In April 2010, Mitchell was elected to fulfill a one-year term on the board. As the mother of a sophomore at Hoboken High School, Mitchell said she wants to make move the district forward and make more people aware of the Hoboken High School, which she calls “Hoboken’s best kept secret.” Mitchell’s son has been in the Hoboken public schools since Kindergarten, she said. The Kids First ticket of which Mitchell is part, recently underwent some changes. …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The Hoboken School district is still looking for a permanent hire, but until then, an interim principal has been appointed.
The Hoboken High School will start the new school year with a new principal and a new vice principal. Robin Piccapietra, who served as the school's vice principal, is the new interim principal of the school at a salary of $124,640. Ivan Ramos, a disciplinarian, will be the interim vice principal of the school at a salary of $115,911. The appointments were approved on Tuesday night by the Hoboken Board of Education. Some other internal changes were made on Tuesday, including the transferring of Laurinda Pereira to head the Calabro School. Gerald Fitzhugh, a former Newark principal, was hired to lead the Connors School. The board also appointed Derek England, a district teacher, as the new athletic director. The district is still looking for…
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
First Ward Councilwoman Theresa Castellano on Wednesday night will bring up the topic of purchasing a new senior bus.
On Wednesday night, First Ward Councilwoman Theresa Castellano has announced she will ask the administration to find alternative funding for a new senior bus in Hoboken. The administration has proposed to buy new Hop buses—including a new senior shuttle—multiple times. Castellano—together with the other minority council members—has consistently voted "no" on those ordinances, in opposition to the bond ordinance. Castellano announced she wants the administration to consider grant funds or surplus money to pay for the bus. "Bonding simply increases the municipal debt burden and that is not a risk we need to take given the uncertain economy," Castellano said in a press release. "Bonding can be utilized for specific community capital …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Mayor Dawn Zimmer joined Congressman Albio Sires, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and others on Tuesday afternoon in Elizabeth.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer joined local officials in demanding stricter gun laws during a press conference in Elizabeth on Tuesday. The presser comes after two recent, fatal shootings in Colorado and Wisconsin. “While we mourn those lost and injured in these senseless shootings, we must turn our grief into action," said Senator Frank Lautenberg who was also there on Tuesday. "Now is the time to put common-sense solutions in place and stop the killing." Hoboken Councilman Ravi Bhalla, in a phone interview on Tuesday, said that the recent fatal shootings appear to be part of a "continuing string of incidents that raises legitimate concerns about gun laws in our country." Lautenberg has long been an advocate for common sense gun laws. Last…
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Author Patricia Dunn lived in Hoboken. The main character in her upcoming novel Rebels by Accident lives in New Jersey.
A new novel that centers on the Arab Spring and its influence on a New Jersey teenager will be published next month. The book was written by former Hoboken resident Patricia Dunn. Rebels By Accident is scheduled to hit stores on August 16 and is published by Alikai Press. The book tells the story of a revolution. "Not just the huge ones that happen on the streets with thousands marching," Dunn said in a press release. "The kind that happens inside us all as we grow and change and figure out who we are in this world." Rebels By Accident features an Egyptian-American teen who is so disconnected from her culture that she secretly believes she comes from a backward country where people still travel by camel and women walk six steps behind …
Friday, July 13, 2012
In a 4-2 vote at the end of Thursday night's meeting, the board was re-organized.
Hoboken Housing Authority Commissioner Jake Stuiver was appointed as the new chairman of the seven-people board on Thursday night, in a 4-2 vote. The majority of the HHA board changed recently, when the city council appointed former council candidate Greg Lincoln. Commissioners Eduardo Gonzalez and Jean Rodriguez voted "no." Commissioners David Mello, Judy Burell—who was appointed to the HHA by the Governor in April 2011— and Stuiver voted "yes." Commissioner Rob Davis was not present for the vote. Lincoln filled former Commissioner Marianne Camporeale's seat. Camporeale had not finished the required classes all HHA commissioners have to complete within the alloted time. With Lincoln's appointment, the balance on the board shifted, …
Friday, June 29, 2012
Hoboken Assemblyman Ruben Ramos Jr. wrote and sponsored the bills.
A three-bill package sponsored and authored by Hoboken Assemblyman Ruben Ramos Jr. to encourage more environmentally-friendly buildings in New Jersey was advanced by the General Assembly earlier this month. Two of the three bills he proposed aim to encourage the incorporation of green and blue roofs into the design of new and existing buildings. "Green and Blue Roofs use vegetation or mechanical devices, respectively, to prevent roof water from draining too quickly," according to the assemblyman's press release, "not only improve storm water management but also provide cost saving opportunities, such as more efficient energy usage for heating and cooling." Ramos called blue and green roofs a "smart approach that will help save money in …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The new bill could affect Hoboken, because of Stevens Institute of Technology.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer is opposing a new law that in front of the state senate, that would exempt certain private colleges from local zoning and planning jurisdiction. The legislation would impact Hoboken because of the presence of the Stevens Institute of Technology in town. In a letter to state senator Brian Stack, Zimmer wrote that that she "strongly" opposes the legislation and asked him to oppose the legislation. While Stevens Institute and the city of Hoboken often partner on different iniatives, the legislation would "unfairly take away the voice of the rest of our community," Zimmer wrote.
Monday, June 25, 2012
The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Ruben Ramos Jr.
A bill to require the state to biannually distribute a letter to school districts reminding them of the requirement to enroll resident students regardless of immigration status was approved by the Assembly on Thursday. The bill was co-sponsored by Hoboken Assemblyman Ruben Ramos Jr., who is also a public school teacher in Paterson. The bill is based on a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that held that undocumented children living in the United States could not be excluded from public elementary and secondary schools based upon their immigration status. "These children were entitled to an appropriate public education," Ramos said. "We're talking about children who have no control over their immigration status, and we should want them to be…
Nancy VanTwistern
2:28 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
HEY PAUL, spoke too soon, didn't you.........the MAJORITY has spoken NOW LIVE WITH IT!!! more ›