Port Authority tables proposal to end overnight PATH service
Port Authority Chairman John Degnan has agreed to table a bi-state reform panel’s proposal to eliminate overnight PATH service, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto announced on Wednesday.
Sweeney and Prieto secured the commitment from Degnan at a recent meeting organized at their request. In a Jan. 13 letter to the legislative leaders, Degnan said the concept has not been presented to the Port Authority Board of Commissioners and would not be presented for the indefinite future.
“Solving problems requires leadership, negotiation and open communication, and we would like to thank Chairman Degnan for his willingness to work with us to resolve this important issue by working together,” Senator Sweeney said. “This is a victory for the hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans who ride on the PATH system, especially the low-wage workers and young people who rely on the line as their principal mode of transportation.”
"Port Authority reform was never supposed to be about cutting vital rail services for hard-working residents,” said Speaker Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen).
“I thank Chairman Degnan for listening to our voices and for taking the idea of PATH overnight service cuts off the table,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer in a statement. “With 56% of Hoboken residents using public transportation to commute each day – the highest rate not just in the state, but in the nation – the success of our community and region is intrinsically linked to a robust mass transit system.”
“I want to thank Mayor Zimmer for her leadership and my council colleagues for standing together as one city in opposition to this proposal by unanimously passing a resolution last week opposing cuts in service,” added Hoboken City Council President Ravi Bhalla.
In a report released on Dec. 27, the Bi-State Special Panel on the Future of the Port Authority said cutting weeknight overnight PATH service would save the agency $10 million per year. The PATH’s yearly budget is around $330 million.
The overnight service cuts were opposed by a broad swath of Hudson County and New Jersey politicians, including U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Albio Sires (D-8), many of whom gathered in Jersey City to condemn the idea on Jan. 5.
Hoboken Catholic Academy 2nd Annual Poker/Blackjack Night Fundraiser
Hoboken Catholic Academy is hosting its second annual poker/blackjack tournament fundraiser on Friday, Jan. 30. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. in the school gym at 555 Seventh St. in Hoboken. Come play some cards, have dinner, and enjoy a drink with friends/family at this wonderful event. For more information, please contact Mike Tennaro at 201-659-4175 or visit www.hobokencatholic.org.
Police: HUMC pharmacist allegedly stole narcotics 177 times
A certified pharmacist at the Hoboken University Medical Center (HUMC) has been arrested for allegedly stealing morphine, fentanyl, and hydromorphine from the hospital, according to Hoboken Police Capt. Charles Campbell.
John Kakowski, a 28-year-old male employee of CarePoint Health currently residing in North Bergen, was arrested on Jan. 8 and charged with alleged tampering and theft, according to Campbell. The tampering charge was elevated to a second degree crime because of Kakowski’s position as a medical professional.
Kakowski posted a $25,000 bond and was released.
According to Campbell, Kakowski allegedly extracted morphine, fentanyl, and hydromorphine in liquid form via a syringe 177 times in the past several months.
All three drugs are powerful opiate painkillers. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, fentanyl is prescribed only to treat breakthrough cancer pain in patients who have already developed a tolerance to weaker opiate medications.
Hoboken police said they believe the drugs were allegedly taken for personal use.
Hoboken police learned of the alleged theft after HUMC security staff conducted an internal audit of violations of standard operating procedure in the disbursement of narcotics in its pharmacy, according to Campbell.
After being contacted by HUMC, members of the Hoboken Police Anti-Vice Unit under Campbell’s command conducted their own immediate investigation.
Hudson County co-working spaces receive $731,550 in state loans
Two co-working spaces in Hoboken and Jersey City will receive a cumulative $731,550 in loans from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, EDA CEO Michele Brown announced Wednesday. The money is intended to fund acquisitions, improvements, and other activities associated with expansion of the spaces.
Co-working spaces allow entrepreneurs and small business owners to rent individual desks within a communal office. Comparatively cheap compared to the long-term leases required by most office buildings, the spaces are often favored by technology start-ups.
In Hoboken, Mission 50 Workspaces was approved for a $556,550 loan. The company hopes to expand from its current 3,000 square foot space to a 13,000 square foot facility near mass transit.
Mission 50 president Greg Dell’Aquila, the former head of the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce, said the state loan would fund “some combination of construction of space, furniture and fixtures and working capital.”
As the only co-working space in Hoboken, Mission 50 already boasts 300 individual members and a pipeline of 200 additional member companies.
In downtown Jersey City, co-working space Indiegrove received a $175,000 loan. With the state cash infusion, Indiegrove founder Zahra Amanpour plans to expand in his company’s current location on Newark Street.
Indiegrove has 135 members, of which more than 50 percent are from the tech industry.
“This funding will support the earliest stage New Jersey entrepreneurs and technology startups by partnering with three thriving co-working spaces in Hudson and Monmouth Counties,” said Brown in a statement. A co-working space in Asbury Park received an additional $240,000 loan.
Federal, state officials to hear Hoboken out at Rebuild by Design outreach meeting Tuesday
Members of the Hoboken community are invited to a public outreach meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015 regarding the Lower Hudson Rebuild by Design flood resiliency plan. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Hoboken Multi Service Center, located at 124 Grand St.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, Rebuild by Design, Hoboken, Weehawken, and Jersey City will be in attendance to discuss the project and listen to community feedback.
The Rebuild by Design project aims to protect Hoboken, Weehawken, and northern Jersey City from flooding. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will receive the $230 million in funding from HUD and manage the project. Members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions of representatives from the DEP.
“I invite members of our community to come out to the meeting on Tuesday so that State and Federal representatives can hear directly about why this project is so important,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “While the $230 million in federal funding will support implementing coastal surge protection, the City is moving forward in parallel on various projects to address other elements of the plan.”
“I’m looking forward to working together with everyone to get this project completed,” said Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner.
Free cervical cancer screening in Hoboken on Jan. 21
The Hudson County Cancer Coalition will host free cervical cancer screenings for uninsured and under-insured women age 21 and over on the following dates and at the specified times and locations. No appointment is needed, but there are financial restrictions and you can call any of the centers at the listed phone numbers for additional information.
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 9 to 11 a.m. at Hoboken Family Planning, 124 Grand St., Hoboken, 201-963-0300
Friday, Jan. 23, 9 to 11 a.m. at HFP's Summit Center, 1206 Summit Ave., Union City, 201-319-9200
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 9 to 11 a.m. at HFP's West New York Center, 5305 Hudson St., West New York, 201-866-8071.
hob'art cooperative gallery makes a ‘Fresh Start’
The new year is a chance to make a fresh start for the months to come. And at hob'art cooperative gallery, a new year means the debut of Fresh Start, a new group exhibition by members of the collective. The exhibiting artists are Alberte Bernier, Jesse Ensling, Jim Legge, Frank Pariso, Rich Roberts, Starr Tucker-Ortega, and Roy Wright.
Fresh Start will be open to the public from Jan. 17 to Feb. 7, 2015, on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Black Rail Coffee is located at 800 Jackson St., the corner of Jackson & Ninth streets, in Hoboken. For more information, contact Liz Cohen at 201-424-1275 or Alison Yackanich at 561-313-2581.
Raise money for Wallace autism program at pajama and movie party Jan. 18
This Sunday, Jan. 18, raise money for the Wallace Elementary School Applied Behavior Analysis Program, which helps local children with autism, by joining in a pajama and movie party from 3 to 6 p.m. at Work it Out Gym, located at 603 Willow Ave.
Drop the kids off in their PJ’s for an afternoon movie! They’ll provide snacks & crafts and be showing Ice Age: Continental Drift.
Donations requested are $60 for the first child and $75 for two or more (children must be between the ages of 3 and 8).
Learn about Hoboken’s new wayfinding and branding signage Jan. 22
Members of the Hoboken community are invited to a public meeting for the First Street Streetscape Revitalization, City-Wide Wayfinding and Branding project. The meeting will take place on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Multi Service Center Community Room at 124 Grand St.
Streetscape revitalization for First Street will span 12 blocks from Paterson Avenue to Bloomfield Street and will include rain gardens, curb extensions, new benches, bike parking, trash and recycling receptacles, ADA accessible curb ramps, shade trees, and banners. In order to implement the design, construction, and installation of a cohesive city-wide wayfinding system, a comprehensive brand identity will be created for the city.
The City of Hoboken hired T&M Associates and its sub-consultant M studio for the project, which is being funded by approximately $880,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery funds from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
For an offbeat letter about this matter from a Hoboken resident, see the letters page this week.
Hoboken private school runs lecture on pressure on kids and depression
On Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m., as part of its ongoing lecture and film series for parents and members of the community, The Hudson School will offer a presentation by Ronald Wasser, PhD., “The Perfection of Being Imperfect: Helping Kids Reduce Pressure, Perfectionism, Anxiety, and Depression.”
Wasser will discuss the pressure and perfectionism children and adolescents grapple with, how those forces impact their self-esteem and self worth, and ways they and their parents can help them navigate these choppy waters. Dr. Wasser looks forward to answering parents’ questions and having a thoughtful discussion regarding these issues.
Dr. Ronald Wasser is a psychologist in private practice in Montclair, NJ who specializes in working with children and teenagers. Particular areas of focus include anxiety, depression, self esteem, self worth, self concept and dealing with pressure and perfectionism.
The Hudson School’s Think Thursdays series was founded in 2010 to educate and inform the over-18 crowd with a lecture and film series aimed at adults. The series, Think Thursdays, features guest speakers, local authors, and films covering a broad range of topics. Suggested donation is $7 for Hudson School family members and $10 for the general public. Students may attend for free. All are welcome to attend.
‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Manzo boys to open new restaurant in old location
On Monday, Jan. 12, the restaurant Little Town New Jersey, located at 310 Sinatra Drive in Hoboken, temporarily closed its doors. Little Town will move to another location a few blocks away and the current waterfront space will reopen as the Hoboken outpost of upscale gastropub The Ainsworth.
Restaurateurs and stars of Bravo’s “Manzo’d with Children,” Albie and Chris Manzo, along with business partner Michael Sinensky, have joined with Paige Hospitality Group to open Ainsworth Hoboken in early March. The Ainsworth prides itself on being a one-stop shop for brunch, lunch, dinner, cocktails and sports viewing.
The Manzo brothers may reopen a version of Little Town elsewhere.
“We are thrilled to partner with Paige Hospitality Group and bring one of the best and most established upscale steak, burger, and sports gastropub brands in the country to the waterfront space in Hoboken,” said Albie Manzo.
“We look forward to announcing the next evolution of the Little Town brand in a vibrant and exciting part of town,” Chris added.
Read more: Michael Russo Hoboken
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