ROCKEFELLER FAMILY: We?re not involved in Chris Christie/Hoboken issue, and we don?t own Rockefeller Group

The Hudson Reporter
Feb 05, 2014

HOBOKEN ? The Rockefeller family may be rich, but they don?t own land in Hoboken. They wanted to clarify that because recently, the Rockefeller Group, a development company in New York, has been mentioned in connection with a controversy involving Gov. Chris Christie, Mayor Dawn Zimmer, and three blocks of land in upper Hoboken (see our prior stories, linked after this one). So the family?s PR rep wrote on Wednesday to clarify their involvement.

(Also note: The Rockefeller Foundation, which gave some money to the town for a study last year, is also unrelated to the Rockefeller development group.)

The PR rep wrote:

?I am a public relations associate of the Rockefeller Family. We have been reading your fine articles about the Hoboken situation.

Since I suspect you may be writing about this issue again, I wanted to give you some background on behalf of members of the Rockefeller Family.

As the situation has developed in Hoboken over the past few weeks, the news media have regularly referred to the Rockefeller Group?s ownership of the real estate parcel in Hoboken. Understandably, much of the public has assumed (we have heard from a few of them) that the Rockefeller Group and the Rockefeller Family are one and the same. At one point in time that would have been correct. However, the Rockefeller Family sold the Rockefeller Group, owner of Rockefeller Center and other properties, to the Japanese company, Mitsubishi Estates Corporation, in 1989. There is currently no Rockefeller Family investment in, ownership of or involvement with the Rockefeller Group, and there has not been for almost 25 years.

We think it might be edifying for the public to be made aware of this fact in future stories.

Many thanks for your understanding, and congratulations on some fine work.?

So now you know.

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... -Group?instance=top_story

Ms. Marvel, aka Muslim teen Kamala Khan from Jersey City, set to make historic comic book series debut

The 16-year-old Pakistani-American girl is part of publisher's wave of female super hero titles, including Black Widow and She-Hulk, and also joins rival DC Comics' Green Lantern Simon Baz as rare Muslim heroes.

By Ethan Sacks / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, February 4, 2014, 7:44 PM




The new Ms. Marvel is set to make a Hulk-sized impact on the comic book industry.

Marvel Comics? ?Ms. Marvel #1? hits comic store shelves Wednesday, introducing readers to a new Muslim super heroine whose secret identity is 16-year-old Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American of Jersey City.

The character ?- the brainchild of writer G. Willow Wilson, an Islamic convert herself, and Muslim editor Sana Amanat ? is an attempt to punch through long-standing stereotypes in a medium that has largely been the purview of muscle-bound white crime-fighters.

Read more from the Daily News

U.S. labor secretary joins Steve Fulop, Cory Booker at minimum wage roundtable

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
on February 03, 2014 at 4:10 PM

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez joined Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker at a Jersey City community center today, where they were joined by seven low-wage workers as part of an Obama administration push to increase the federal minimum wage.

Perez said Obama, who in last week?s State of the Union called on Congress to hike the minimum wage to $10.10, would in a few weeks sign an executive order mandating that all federal contractors pay their workers that hourly rate instead of $7.25, the current federal minimum wage.

?The executive order is a start, but it?s not a finish,? Perez said today. ?And it?s meant to really make sure we practice what we preach ? we?re demonstrating you can do it.?

The executive order would cover dish washers, janitors and other low-wage federal contractors.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is opposed to a federal wage hike, with Marc Freedman, its labor law policy director, saying last week that it "creates more problems than it solves."

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Jersey City Wants to Transform Loew's Into Concert Venue

Officials are Seeking Operator That Could Attract National Music Acts

The Wall Street Journal
Feb. 2, 2014

Jersey City is moving forward with turning the historic Loew's Jersey Theatre into a concert venue.

Officials are seeking an operator that could help attract national music acts to the city-owned movie house as well as help reinvigorate the surrounding Journal Square neighborhood, which has seen far less development than the city's eastern sections.

The city would engage in a profit-sharing agreement with a management company, said Mayor Steve Fulop.

Built in 1929, the ornate theater was set to be demolished in the 1980s but was saved through the efforts of a nonprofit organization, Friends of the Loew's. The group holds revival movie screenings at the theater, which seats 3,021 but isn't fully used because it needs safety upgrades.

The request for bids is set to be issued Monday and the deadline for submissions is March 19. A copy of the request viewed by The Wall Street Journal calls for the operator to book at least 20 music concerts, 10 theatrical productions, 10 comedy performances and 50 community and other types of events.

The Friends of the Loew's will be able to hold 20 performances, according to the document. The group had raised concerns last year over an outside firm taking over management of the Loew's.

?Heather Haddon

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/S ... 04579359221532462240.html

Former top Jersey City judge's law license suspended for fixing tickets

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
February 02, 2014 at 6:49 PM

Former chief Jersey City Municipal Judge Wanda Molina?s license to practice law has been suspended for six months by the state Supreme Court?s Office of Attorney Ethics for ?fixing? tickets for her ?significant other.?

He license was suspended for ?commission of a criminal act that reflects adversely on the attorney?s honesty, trustworthiness of fitness as a lawyer? and for ?conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation,? according to the disciplinary order.

In June 2010, Molina, 54, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to tampering with public records or information, a third-degree offense, and falsifying records, a fourth-degree offense, before Superior Court Judge Harry G. Carroll in Bergen County. In August of that year, Carroll sentenced her to three years probation.

At her plea hearing, Molina admitted that between Oct. 30, 2006 and April 2, 2007, she took judicial action to dismiss eight parking tickets that were issued to a close personal companion.

Molina resigned from her judgeship on Sept. 21, 2007. As part of her sentence, she has been permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey.

The Office of Attorney Ethics also ordered that the entire record of the disciplinary proceedings be made a permanent part off Molina?s file as an attorney at law in New Jersey.

Finally, Molina has been ordered to reimburse the Disciplinary Oversight Committee for the administrative costs and expenses incurred in the prosecution of her discipline.

Molina could not immediately be reached for comment at her law office.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... tickets.html#incart_river

Mayor Fulop tops Political Insider's 2014 Power List; and your comments

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
February 02, 2014 at 3:44 PM




The Political Insider's Power List for 2014 has a number of new faces. As in the past few years, there is no person or institution from West Hudson here, although a Harrison entity was considered because of the area?s 15 minutes of fame in statewide politics (with the alleged gubernatorial scandals). Some skeptics even said it would be difficult to fill 25 available slots, but here they are.

Last May?s Jersey City municipal election made it easy to focus on one individual who is the big rock creating ripples in the New Jersey Democratic Party?s pond. This is evidenced by the 36-year-old male?s verbal jousting with Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester. Along with Sweeney, he is a potential candidate for governor ? in addition to state Deputy Assembly Speaker John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, who found a platform (joint investigative committee) to enhance his name recognition.

NO. 1 on the Insider?s list is Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.

A millisecond after defeating incumbent Jerramiah Healy, Fulop was being touted as a possible replacement for Gov. Chris Christie. Fulop is top dog as much for the commotion and connections he made before, during, and after campaigning in the second largest city in the state. It helps that the mayor seems to have been picked from a casting call, although he did not initially register with the Denver Broncos.

Fulop has been trying to enhance his credentials as a smart, savvy administrator while bolstering his liberal credentials by writing Op-Ed material for hand-picked online sites, including the Huffington Post and Philly.com, and appearing for interviews on TV and cable. His first action as mayor was to push through the City Council a ?progressive? measure mandating paid sick leave for businesses employing 10 or more employees, and thus justifying his reformist label. Even so, with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on one side and whoever comes out of the frenetic Newark mayoral fight (my pick is Councilman Ras Baraka), Fulop will seem more like a centrist and more appealing to a majority of statewide voters.

He has attracted major politically connected law firms, which like bookies can smell good things happening (for them). Fulop?s name has come up on the periphery of the Christie/bridge lane closures scandal as being on a virtual enemies list, giving the Jersey City mayor national exposure.

And he has only been in office for seven months.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Start of something big
Land cleared to make way for ?J2? development

by Al Sullivan
Reporter staff writer -- Jan 19, 2014

Although the project has not yet had its official groundbreaking, Journal Square Center Towers, or ?J2? as some call it, has begun with the first series of demolitions near Pavonia and Summit avenues.

?They started taking down the buildings this week,? said Councilman Richard Boggiano, with a note of regret at the loss of a venerable old structure.

The massive project is the next step in revitalizing the area around the Journal Square PATH and bus station, ushering the district into a new era and allowing it to compete with the Jersey City waterfront for prestige as an urban hub.

The City Council voted in November to approve a 30-year tax abatement for the project. The project fulfills a campaign promise Mayor Steven Fulop made last spring when he said his administration would push ahead with long-delayed development in that part of the city.

In 2012, the city Planning Board approved three residential towers to be constructed in an area bordered by Magnolia Way, Summit and Pavonia avenues that was until recently occupied by a number of apartment buildings, a parking lot once used for New Jersey Transit personnel, and a former office building owned by Verizon.

To be constructed by the KRE Group, the project when completed will have 1,840 residential units in three towers ranging from 54 to 70 stories in height, far exceeding any building that currently exists in that part of the city. The KRE group previously built Grove Pointe, a large-scale residential development near the Grove Street PATH Station.

Demolition started just prior to the end of the year, and became more intense after Jan. 1 with the removal of four apartment buildings on Pavonia Avenue.

To be built in phases

The development is expected to be constructed in three parts and will eventually include about 36,000 square feet of retail space and 920 parking spaces. Phase I is expected to be completed and its luxury rental units available within three years, officials said.

This phase will include a 54-story, 540 residential rental unit tower that will include a pedestrian/community space out front similar to Grove Plaza at the Grove Street PATH Station.

Magnolia Way, which currently serves as an access point for workers and others in the transportation hub, will become a plaza.

The final phase is expected to be completed by 2029.

The $666 million total project has been granted a 30-year tax abatement as well as $10 million in bonds that were authorized by the City Council last year. The developers have negotiated annual payments to the city in lieu of taxes, but none will be paid to Hudson County or the local school district.

KRE has also agreed to pay $515,000 to the city annually over 25 years to amortize the $10 million bonds. Also as part of the agreement, KRE has agreed to donate $2.5 million to help restore the Landmark Loew?s Jersey Theatre, located nearby.

City officials said KRE estimates a total of $11.1 million in net annual income once the three towers are complete and fully rented.

Boggiano, who represents the area on the council, said he was somewhat saddened by the loss of one of the apartment buildings, saying that it had been well-maintained. But like many, he saw this as the eventual start of long-needed restoration of a key part of the city.

Although the abatement on the project sparked a lot of debate, moving ahead with the project serves as a primary example of a new philosophy for expanding development projects beyond the downtown and waterfront areas of the city.

Vacant lots of previously demolished buildings on Journal Square became symbols of the city?s inability to restore the one-time hub of business activity, and one of the principle campaign issues during Fulop?s election last May.

Fulop promised during a debate in the Loew?s Theatre prior to the election that he had a plan to get the Journal Square redevelopment back on track.

The KRE project plus others proposed for Journal Square almost guarantee a steady flow of construction and later permanent jobs in the area, as well as the replacement of aging buildings with new, modern and appealing residential and business spaces.

The official groundbreaking is expected to take place once the demolition and cleanup of debris is done, city officials said, most likely within a few weeks.

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... nt--?instance=jersey_city

http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/03/revealed-city-center-towers.html

Two White House Cabinet members to speak in Jersey City

The Hudson Reporter
Jan 31, 2014

JERSEY CITY ? Mayor Steven M. Fulop will be hosting two White House Cabinet members next week as Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are scheduled to speak at two different events.

Secretary Perez will be in Jersey City to participate in a round table discussion at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 3 at PACO, 398 Manila Avenue, with city officials and local and state labor leaders regarding the city?s recently enacted Earned Sick Leave legislation and New Jersey?s recent referendum to raise the minimum wage.

In October, Mayor Fulop signed into law the City?s Earned Sick Leave ordinance, making Jersey City the first city in the State of New Jersey to enact such legislation and the sixth city to do so nationally.

Secretary Sebelius will be hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 4, 2014, at City Hall Council Chambers to discuss Jersey City?s successful efforts at enrolling residents in the Affordable Care Act.

Jersey City had an aggressive role out plan and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, hosting a bilingual navigator and ten staff members who were trained as certified application counselors. Jersey City Health and Human Services also worked in coordination with ten other local agencies that serve certain populations such as veterans and ethnic groups.

?These visits illustrate all of the great things we are doing to move Jersey City forward and we are honored to be recognized by the White House,? said Mayor Fulop. ?Having a strong working relationship with the Obama administration will greatly benefit the City and our residents.?

This is the third cabinet secretary to visit Jersey City in a little over a month, as Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx visited Jersey City in late December.

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... -City-?instance=top_story

Gas main break at site of $666 million project closes Jersey City roads for hour

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
January 31, 2014 at 7:40 PM

A gas main was ruptured at a site undergoing demolition work adjacent to Jersey City?s Journal Square Transportation Center this afternoon, causing streets to be closed in the area.

The gas line break occurred at 3 p.m. at the KRE construction site at Pavonia and Summit avenues.

The $666 million KRE project calls for 54-story tower with 540 units, a 70-story tower with 700 units and a 60-story tower with 600 units. The developer is KRE Group, headed by Murray Kushner.

Construction of the first tower is to take three years to complete. The final tower is expected to be complete in 2029.

By 4 p.m. all streets around Journal Square were reopened.

Officials at the transportation hub said that buses were temporarily delayed after the roads were closed, but that by 5 p.m. the buses were all on schedule.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... cts_nj_transit_buses.html

Sick Leave in Jersey City

The New York Times
January 30, 2014

To the Editor:

Re ?Quick Work on Paid Sick Leave? (editorial, Jan. 24): The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio is to be commended for proposing ways to improve New York City?s earned sick leave policy. Officials need only look across the Hudson River to Jersey City, where our earned sick-leave rules ? the first in New Jersey ? just went into effect.

Giving workers earned time off to care for sick loved ones or themselves when ill is a basic human dignity that also protects the public. Often overlooked is that businesses are also helped by reduced employee turnover, as studies show.

STEVEN M. FULOP
Mayor
Jersey City, Jan. 24, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/opi ... -in-jersey-city.html?_r=0

Jersey City owes city agency $500K for unpaid bills going back to 2011

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
January 30, 2014 at 4:35 PM

Jersey City is paying up to $500,000 in back rent to the city agency that owns the Hub shopping center on Martin Luther King Drive.

The deal became official thanks to a City Council vote last night, where Ward E Councilwoman Candice Osborne took a shot at the city officials who were swept out of office in last year?s municipal election.

?It seems like someone with the past administration tried to artificially lower taxes by not paying a $500,000 bill,? Osborne said.

The charges include $19,869 in annual rent for a building division office, unpaid since Sept. 1, 2012; $62,880 in rent for the commerce division, unpaid since June 1, 2012; and $125,000 in rent and construction costs for a city immunization clinic, unpaid since Jan. 1, 2011, city officials say.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

$34,000 paint job planned for City Hall in Jersey City

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
January 28, 2014 at 3:45 PM

City Hall in Jersey City is about to undergo a $34,000 makeover.

The City Council is set to approve a contract tomorrow night with Bayonne firm NJ Professional Painting to paint the Grove Street municipal building?s first- and second-floor lobbies and hallways.

When Mayor Steve Fulop took office in July, he said he planned to give the 118-year-old City Hall an interior facelift. The yellow walls are uninviting and dreary, Fulop said then.

NJ Professional Painting offered the lowest of three bids. None of the firms that bid on the contract are from Jersey City.

At last night?s City Council caucus, Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano asked Michael Razzoli, the city Department of Public Works director, why the city seeks to hire an outside company instead of having DPW painters perform the job instead.

?We don?t have enough personnel to do it,? Razzoli said.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Jersey City police arrest man charged with gunning a man down last summer in Greenville

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
January 27, 2014 at 7:16 PM

Hudson County homicide investigators have charged a Jersey City man with gunning down a 21-year-old man who was shot several times in the torso and limbs on Orient Avenue on July 30, officials said today.

Dashawn Haynes, 21, was arrested last night and charged with murdering Kareem Porter, 21, of Bramhall Avenue, who was shot near Kennedy Boulevard at about 3:40 a.m., Hudson County Prosecutor?s Office spokesman Gene Rubino said.

Porter was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center and was pronounced dead there shortly after 4 a.m. that morning, Gene Rubino said.

Eyewitness information led to a warrant being issued for Haynes? arrest on Jan. 17. Last night at about 10 p.m. Jersey City police officers spotted Haynes in the area of Dwight Street and Bergen Avenue and took him into custody, Rubino said.

Haynes? bail has been set at $250,000 cash of bond and he is being housed at the Hudson County jail in Kearny. His first court appearance on murder and weapons charges, including possession of a handgun by a felon, is expected to take place tomorrow, officials said.

Porter?s murder was the seventh homicide within a one-month period during a wave of violence in Jersey City last summer.

The motive for Porter?s murder was not available.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... enville.html#incart_river

Super Bowl 2014: The Jersey City councilman who corrected Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on being in New Jersey By Mike Vorkunov/The Star-Ledger January 27, 2014 at 9:44 AM JERSEY CITY -- The comment to Pete Carroll came from the back of the room, a blunt tone with a light Jersey accent breaking through the Seahawks coach's first Super Bowl press conference of the week. "Coach, I just want to say something. I'm Rich Boggiano with the city council. You said you're glad to be back in New York, I just want to remind you, you're in New Jersey." There it was: the vocalization of a weeks-long agitation of this Super Bowl's New York City slant. Here was Boggiano, the id of ornery Jersey residents, reminding Carroll exactly where he was. Carroll's transgression was saying that he was returning to New York after his previous stint as Jets coach 20 years ago. The Jets, of course, play in New Jersey. "I get you," Carroll interjected before Boggiano could finish. "My bad." "Even when you're at the Jets, you know we were the New York Jets but we were playing in New Jersey so that's always been an issue," Carroll continued on. "I understand. I appreciate it. Sorry it came out that way." So who is this man who earned an apology from Carroll for the state's persistent under-appreciation? Boggiano is actually a born and raised Manhanattanite but has spent the past 40 years living in Jersey City. A retired Jersey City police officer, he is serving his first year on the city council -- representing Journal Square. He has made a life of representing the state. He says he has produced research over the years showing how New York City reserved undue credit for its cultural contribution -- and how New Jersey was slighted. He came to the press conference not because he is a football fan -- he had Jets tickets for 15 years before PSL prices drove him away -- but to represent Jersey City. "Listening to the radio, the television, New York Giants, New York Jets, they're playing here," he said. "It's like ridiculous." After the press conference ended, Boggiano was suddenly flocked upon by others praising his righteousness. As Carroll walked out of the room several feet away, Joyce Watterman, a city councilwoman, came to praise him. "Best question. I liked that," another person came over to say. It was not his intention to become the center of attention, but Boggiano couldn't see another mistake pass by. "I didn't want to embarass him," he said. "But.. http://www.nj.com/super-bowl/index.ss ... roll_on_being_in_new.html

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer is probably telling the truth for these reasons: Moran

By Tom Moran/ Star-Ledger Editorial Board
January 26, 2014 at 11:15 AM

We may never know whether Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer is telling the truth.

She could be a psychotic liar. We have plenty of those in the world of New Jersey politics.

She could have misunderstood. Zimmer remembers Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno shaking her down, saying she would not get Hurricane Sandy aid for Hoboken unless she approved a big real estate deal the governor favored. But maybe Guadagno was only suggesting that more downtown development would improve her odds in the competition for Sandy aid.

Maybe when Zimmer heard Guadagno say, "I know it?s not right," the real words were "Have a good night."

And why didn?t Zimmer object right away? Instead, she continued praising the governor, even a few months after that bare-knuckled showdown with Guadagno.

A good lawyer might be able to mix those ingredients to create reasonable doubt about Zimmer?s account. And with no recordings of the conversation, that might be the end of it.

But let?s look at the other side, the reasons we should believe Zimmer, and why her shocking story is probably true.

1. Zimmer is ready to take a polygraph and testify under oath.

She knows that lying to federal prosecutors is a serious crime. Why would she expose herself to ruin, with no hope of personal gain?

It comes to this: She is either telling the truth or she is certifiably insane. And no one thinks Zimmer is insane.

2. This was no misunderstanding.

Zimmer?s account is explicit and leaves no wiggle room.

Here is her recollection of Guadagno?s closing statement: "I know it?s not right ? these things should not be connected ? but they are ? and if you tell anyone, I will deny it."

So in Zimmer?s account, Guadagno acknowledged this move was ethically wrong and linked Sandy aid to the development unequivocally.

3. Zimmer told others about this threat at the time, and wrote about it in her diary.

So if she is not telling the truth now, she would have to have planned this ruse back in May after she and Guadagno spoke.

In sexual assault cases, courts have established a "fresh complaint doctrine" that allows testimony from those who spoke with the victim at the time of the assault. It is typically invoked when a victim waits weeks or months before reporting the crime. A mother might testify that her daughter told her of the rape the night it occurred even though she did not go to police.

In corruption cases, it?s not clear whether this "fresh complaint" evidence would be admissible. But it does fortify Zimmer?s credibility.

4. Zimmer was a Christie supporter.

If these charges were coming from a hyper-partisan Democrat, you might think it was all a dirty trick aimed at a strong Republican contender for the presidency in 2016.

But Zimmer liked Christie. She appeared with him several times over the years, supported his cost-cutting agenda, and is particularly grateful that the governor stepped in to help keep the city?s only hospital open when it faced bankruptcy.

5. This bullying fits a pattern.

This case may have gone over the line into criminal behavior, and that would be new. Until now, Christie?s four years in office have been scandal free.

But by Zimmer?s account, Guadagno acted like a thug. And we see the same arrogance and abuse off power in the George Washington Bridge scandal. This is the Christie team?s gestalt.

* * *
Federal prosecutors are swarming over Hoboken now looking for hard evidence.

Maybe they will find a paper trail. No one thought the Christie team would be dumb enough to put its plans to sabotage Fort Lee in writing. But it turned out that former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly was indeed that dumb.

In Hoboken, it could boil down to Zimmer?s word against Guadagno?s. Zimmer says she didn?t speak up until now because no one would have believed her before Bridgegate exposed the dark underbelly of Christie?s operation.

And when she tweeted support for the governor, she was still hoping to get more Sandy aid.

The testimony of one credible witness can be enough to win a criminal conviction, and often is in rape cases, said Darren Gelber, president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey.

But in corruption cases, prosecutors rarely bring charges without more solid evidence, such as a recording or incriminating email.

"I can?t think of a single case like that," Gelber says.

So even if Zimmer is telling the truth, prosecutors may feel they can?t prove the crime "beyond a reasonable doubt."

Guadagno has been an odd mute presence at Christie?s side over the past four years.

The governor?s crew keeps her locked away from reporters. They must be afraid she will crash the car if they let her drive.

She is said to have hopes to succeed Christie. But that is hard to imagine now. Because Zimmer?s testimony is believable. And the standard of proof in politics is not nearly as high as in a criminal courtroom.

http://blog.nj.com/njv_tom_moran/2014 ... er_is_p.html#incart_river

U.S. Sen. Menendez pushes back on report of new federal investigation

By Matt Friedman/The Star-Ledger
January 24, 2014 at 3:07 PM

JERSEY CITY ? U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez today strongly challenged allegations that he did special favors for a pair of Ecuadorian bankers who are fugitives from justice in their home country.

?A year after a false smear campaign was launched against me, once again we see anonymous sources ? I wish we had these source quoted,? Menendez (D-N.J.) said at after a campaign event for U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8th Dist.) ?I?d like them to come forth.?

Citing unnamed Justice Department officials, WNBC-TV reported Thursday night that Menendez is under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice for making calls to the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to advocate William and Roberto Isaias, who are fugitives from justice in their native Ecuador and seek permanent residency in the United States.

Although the brothers are not legally allowed to donate to politicians, WNBC reported that their relatives gave $10,000 to Menendez?s 2012 re-election campaign and $100,000 to Democrats around the same time.

?My office works with literally hundreds of individuals and families working from New Jersey and across the country who are seeking help from the immigration process,? Menendez said. ?The Isaias family made just a request. We addressed this request in an identical process that was no different than any others.?

Menendez said he had not heard anything from federal authorities and that the brothers have been in the United States since 2001, and that his office had nothing to do their status in this country. He said the Bush and Obama administrations have both refused Ecuador?s request to extradite them. And he said the current government in Ecuador is ?corrupt.?

Menendez ? who became chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations last year ? said his office would ?never ? never - act on a contribution as a cause for action.?

?Now if people support my views, if they support my advocacy, they obviously may feel the desire to contribute. People generally contribute to people who share their views,? Menendez said.

Menendez already reportedly faces an investigation over whether he used his position to aide the business dealings of Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... igation.html#incart_river

Paid sick leave now mandatory for most businesses in Jersey City

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
January 24, 2014 at 3:22 PM

When Jersey City in September 2012 became the first New Jersey municipality to mandate that most private businesses provide paid sick leave for its workers, Mayor Steve Fulop predicted a legal fight.

Four months later, and no lawsuit filed, the measure is now law.

Fulop called today ?very exciting.?

?I think it?s going to help tens of thousands of working families in Jersey City,? he said at an event at Saint Peter's University.

Jersey City is the sixth city in the nation to force private businesses to provide paid sick time. The law affects employers with 10 or more workers, and was opposed by state- and countywide business groups.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

The ?Power List?
The Reporter?s third annual rankings of Hudson County?s most influential people

by Dean DeChiaro and Al Sullivan
Reporter staff writers
Jan 26, 2014

You don?t have to be a politician to have influence in Hudson County, but it sure does help. However, you could be an artist, an activist, or even a group of people with similar interests and still wield enormous power.

Each January, our editorial staff spends several grueling meetings ranking the county?s most influential people. This is our third annual list.

2013 was an exciting year in Hudson County ? mayoral elections caused a political shakeup, scandals and truces saw some gain power and some lose it, and a growing arts community continued to flourish ? and we believe our list reflects that.

The key is simple: after each ranking?s name, a + sign represents that they moved up from their position on last year?s list, a ? sign means they went down, and an = sign means they?re ranked in the same spot. The corresponding number represents their previous ranking.

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... e--?instance=latest_story

Super Bowl 2014: Downtown Jersey City busy preparing for Super Bowl teams' arrival

By Anthony J. Machcinski/The Jersey Journal
January 25, 2014 at 1:08 PM

While the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks won't arrive in the area until tomorrow afternoon, Downtown Jersey City is as busy as ever.

Along Columbus Drive and Washington Street, workers have begun to place large, blue banners with the Super Bowl logo on them on top of light posts to welcome the teams to Jersey City.

Also looking to welcome the two Super Bowl teams, both the Hyatt and the Westin have placed banners of their own depicting images of the two teams.

The Hyatt, at the foot of Columbus Drive, is decorated with images of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and New Jersey's own Knowshon Moreno near the entrance of the hotel. The Broncos will stay at the Hyatt starting tomorrow and through the end of the week.

Not to be outdone, the Westin features images of their guests, including Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Marshawn Lynch and cornerback Richard Sherman, outside the entrance to their hotel.

Even though the teams won't arrive in Jersey City until tomorrow, security measures have already begun. Police officers have placed several barricades near both hotels in preparation of tomorrow's welcoming ceremony.

In addition, the Hyatt pier has been shut down and will remain shut down until after next Sunday's big game.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... r_bowl_teams_arrival.html

Interest waning? Hudson homeowners say few biting on Super Bowl rentals

By Joseph R. Vena/The Jersey Journal
January 23, 2014 at 5:44 PM

Fans of the Broncos and Seahawks heading east for Super Bowl XLVIII are scrambling to find places to stay -- but Hudson County residents looking to rent out their homes are getting few inquiries.

With the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford rapidly approaching, sites like airbnb, Super Bowl Rentalz and HomeAway, which allow owners to advertise the weekend lease of their homes, have numerous listings of homes across the county still available to rent.

Could it be that supply is far outweighing demand?
Even the search term "Super Bowl" in North Jersey Craigslist's "sublets and temporary" section reveals 647 entries, with the first page comprised of listings created in the past three days.
Hoboken resident and Patriots fan DeWitt Hutchins listed his 800-square foot, one- bedroom apartment at 800 Jackson St. on a few different sites, but so far, has only gotten two inquiries, both of whom backed out when they learned he was charging $1,000 a night.

His price, however, pales in comparison to some other Hoboken listings, the highest being a four-bedroom in Maxwell Place asking $10,000 a night.

Hutchins believes that aside from having amenities most hotels don't offer, such as a kitchen and a living room, his proximity to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station, a grocery store, a covered parking spot and an in-building sports bar makes his price more than fair.

"I feel like it's kept like a hotel," he said.

Hutchins says he is now considering dropping his asking price, but if he doesn't find a temporary tenant, he'll just stick around and enjoy the Hoboken festivities.

"I was going to head up to Boston, and avoid the chaos that's going to be surrounding it," he said. "I've been to the Super Bowl myself, so I know what it's kind of like and I already experienced it."

Weehawken resident Chris Vaz has had four inquiries on his 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom ($1,500-a-night) and a 2,100-square-foot, three-bedroom ($3,500-a-night) apartments at 12 King Ave., but he hasn't heard from any of those people since.
"Maybe (they're looking) to find something else that is more up their alley or find something cheaper," he said.

Vaz, however, thinks his apartments, which he said can easily accommodate eight people, trump the hotel experience.

"I might, if there are some parties that are willing to talk, I can adjust the price, " he said.

Kyle Jackson, also of Hoboken, said he initially listed his 2,000-square-foot, four-bedroom apartment on Washington Street at $6,000 a night, but lowered it to $3,000 two weeks later after not receiving any interest.

"We realized it was pretty ridiculous, so we bumped it down," he said.

Even at the reduced price, Jackson, who works as a realtor for Liberty Realty but is handling the process on his own, still has received just one inquiry. He thinks it's because visitors are unaware of how much Hoboken has to offer, instead vying for a place as close as possible to the stadium.

"I thought we'd be getting a lot more leads," he said. "They don't know the kind of community Hoboken is. That's kind of a problem ? people unaware of the whole social scene and nightlife here."

Jackson says $3,000-a-night is a great deal, considering his location and the fact that it's a four-bedroom unit,
"On game day, Washington Street is going to be a crazy place," he said.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ticking.html#incart_river

22-year-old Jersey City man accused of murder rejects plea for 30 years in prison

By Jonathan Lin/The Jersey Journal
on January 23, 2014 at 6:13 PM

A 22-year-old Jersey City man charged with murdering a 24-year-old Bayonne man in 2010 rejected a plea deal for 30 years in prison without parole this afternoon.

When Judge John Young asked Larry "Du Du" Austin if he understood that he could face consecutive prison sentences and life without parole if he went through with a trial, he only murmured "yes."

Austin is accused of robbing three men at gunpoint in an alleyway in Jersey City on Sept. 4, 2010 and killing one of the men, Jorge Cuadra, 24, of Bayonne, when Cuadra hesitated to give up his wallet.

Salaam Reevey, 24, of Jersey City, was Austin's accomplice, remaining at the edge of the alleyway that night to look out for police. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison last November.

At several points today, Austin only answered the judge affirmatively after being prodded by his defense attorney, Lynda Benzenhoefer.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Nicole Ghezzar told the judge that the state would be submitting into evidence Austin's jeans, which were found in his apartment with blood on them shortly after Cuadra's death.

The blood on the jeans tested positive for Cuadra's DNA, Ghezzar said.

After some back-and-forth with the lawyers about scheduling conflicts, the judge set Austin's trial date for June 3 at 9 a.m.

Gloria Torres, Cuadra's mother, said, "For the most part his lack of remorse and arrogance would not allow him to come to terms after three long years with what he's done. I feel in a sense great, and can't wait to see the outcome of the choice he has made. For I know justice will prevail. I continue to pray, for all.''

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _prison.html#incart_river

Super Bowl 2014: Parties in New Jersey, a local roundup

By Amy Kuperinsky/The Star-Ledger
January 22, 2014 at 11:14 AM

Earlier this month we posted our fan guide, a wide-ranging look at entertainment, food, parties and more in both New Jersey and New York for Super Bowl XLVIII.

Now that the big game is little more than a week away, let's revisit the New Jersey parties that will crop up in towns, boroughs and cities all over the state. VIP and big-ticket affairs crowd the New York scene, but Jersey, too, has not ignored its identity as Super Bowl host.

While Newark hosts Super Bowl Media Day, local communities that have organized several days of party events include Secaucus and Ridgewood. (Secaucus' Winter Blast will include a Guinness World Record attempt for the world's largest mozzarella football.)

East Rutherford, home to MetLife Stadium, has its own game-day party in Meadowlands Tailgate Party 2014, while Montclair has a series of big-game activities, as well as VH1's Super Bowl Blitz concert with Gavin DeGraw. In Hackensack and Rutherford, as with other towns, events tagged to the game will benefit charity. See all these events and more here, and word from local authorities on their homegrown celebrations here.

Several other events will highlight Jersey's part of game week, even if they're not parties. Touchstones of the scene, they'll lend an air of celebration to Super Bowl week.

At Liberty State Park Monday night, the Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular stars music from the Goo Goo Dolls, Daughtry and The Fray, as well as Macy's fireworks. Also in Jersey City, at Pole Position Raceway, there's Jersey City Fashion Week, and at Liberty Science Center, the "Gridiron Glory" exhibit.

One visual cue will tower over the Hudson waterfront ? Hoboken has an illuminated sculpture that spells out "Super Bowl XLVIII."

Are you planning to go to any local Super Bowl parties, or partake of a game-related New Jersey event? Let us know in the comments, and tweet us what you're seeing by using the hashtag #superjersey.

http://www.nj.com/super-bowl/index.ss ... l_parties_new_jersey.html

Super Bowl 2014: NFL says game program cover shows off Jersey City

By Charles Curtis/NJ.com
January 21, 2014 at 1:52 PM




See that red circled speck in the background of the Super Bowl game program cover? As some eagle-eyed readers noted, that's Jersey City. And according to the NFL, that's part of the reason both New Jersey and New York are covered (we didn't agree earlier on Monday). Here's what a league spokesperson told us about the photo that will be featured:

"The cover says New York/New Jersey at the bottom of the photo. The photo, taken at the top of Rockefeller Center, includes Jersey City. It shows part of the NYC skyline looking across the Hudson River (which borders both NJ and NYC) to Jersey City, where both Super Bowl teams are staying. The Super Bowl logo is a reverse view. It is the stadium in New Jersey with elements of the NYC skyline in the background."

It also happens to be the photo used on Super Bowl tickets, as the NFL's Brian McCarthy tweeted on Monday:

Also note what Giants owner John Mara said before the cover was released, via The Star-Ledger's Dave Hutchinson: "[New York and New Jersey] cooperated with each other very nicely. Certainly, making sure New Jersey doesn't get left in the cold is a challenge for us. We certainly want the state of New Jersey to feel like they?re a huge part of this game because they are."

Readers: Do you still think it's a Super Snub?

http://www.nj.com/super-bowl/index.ss ... hows_off_jersey_city.html

Forbes committed to 10-year lease in Jersey City

By Joshua Burd - NJBIZ
January 23, 2014 at 2:35 PM

Forbes Media will spend at least 10 years in Jersey City under the terms of its new 93,000-square-foot lease with the LeFrak Organization, the developer said.

Details of the publisher's new headquarters space were made available Thursday, about a week after it announced it would relocate from its longtime home in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Aided by a $27 million Grow New Jersey tax credit from the state, the company is crossing the Hudson with about new 350 jobs.

Forbes will occupy the entire ninth and 10th floors of 499 Washington Blvd., a 14-story, 600,000-square-foot tower built by LeFrak in 2000, the developer said. The building is in the Newport section of Jersey City, putting the media giant alongside tenants such as UBS and Citibank.

The building remains 100 percent leased as a result of the deal, LeFrak said in a news release. Marylou Berk, senior vice president and head of commercial real estate at LeFrak, and Charles Borrok, executive vice chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, secured the lease on behalf of the landlord.

Forbes is expected to relocate by the end of this year.

http://www.njbiz.com/article/20140123 ... year-lease-in-Jersey-City

'Cake Boss' features a sweet treat for Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop

By Vonecia Carswell/The Jersey Journal
January 20, 2014 at 3:07 PM

"Cake Boss" fans will get a taste of Jersey City tonight.

In the "Sicilian Samurai" episode, Buddy "Cake Boss" Valastro whips up a celebratory cake for Steve Fulop's first day as Jersey City mayor.

Valastro, who owns Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop on Washington Street in Hoboken, presented the cake to Fulop when the mayor was sworn into office on July 1, 2013. It stood 2-feet high and was decked out in red, white and blue.

The new episode, which also features a cake for the 50th anniversary of a New York martial arts school, airs tonight at 10 p.m. on the TLC network.

http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/cake-boss
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_mayor_steve_fulop.html

The Fray joins Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular at Liberty State Park

By Amy Kuperinsky/The Star-Ledger
January 21, 2014 at 5:37 PM

Looks like the Broncos will have a little piece of home representing them at Liberty State Park Monday night.

Denver band The Fray has just been added to the Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular in Jersey City. The band also joined the Broncos for the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots last Sunday.

Previously announced performers at the Liberty State Park show are the Goo Goo Dolls and Daughtry. Jordin Sparks will help host the kickoff event as a correspondent at Macy's Herald Square ? the show features Macy's fireworks.

The NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee also announced that more tickets ? both free tickets and VIP tickets that cost $40 ? are being made available, due to high demand. The event sold out last week.

Prior to the announcement, The Fray were already part of Super Bowl week. They're on the lineup for the NFL On Location pre-game party at the Izod Center on Feb. 2. Also playing that party are Cyndi Lauper and Doug Flutie.

The Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular is 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at Liberty State Park, 200 Morris Pesin Dr., Jersey City. Tickets are at sbkickoffspectacular.com. The VIP tickets include a reserved viewing spot for the show and fireworks as well as access to a pre-concert warming lodge at Maritime Parc Restaurant.

For those not wanting to venture outdoors that evening, portions of the show will air Monday at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 and repeat at 2 a.m. Tuesday.

http://www.nj.com/super-bowl/index.ss ... te_park.html#incart_river

With Super Bowl teams staying in Jersey City, officials serious about emergency plans

By Jonathan Lin/The Jersey Journal
January 21, 2014 at 1:51 PM

How would authorities and law enforcement officials respond if a major snowstorm hit Jersey City during the Super Bowl? What about a terrorist attack?

These scenarios were played out this morning at a Super Bowl preparedness exercise in the command center of Jersey City's Office of Emergency Management.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Deputy Police Chief Joseph Connors, Public Safety Director James Shea, OEM Director Sgt. Greg Kierce, heads of multiple city agencies and FBI supervisory Special Agent Michael D'Alonzo attended the exercise.

"The point of these exercises is to bring everyone together ... it identifies who's going to do what," Shea said. "It's so we're not meeting each other for the first time at the scene."

In a major snowstorm scenario played out today, a blizzard warning is issued for Hudson County, and the National Weather Service predicts 20 to 30 inches of snow.

Water main breaks then interrupt water service to Newport Downtown, where the Super Bowl teams will be staying, and power outages affect various parts of the city.

A United Water official responds with backup water being provided within an hour and repair crews get to work on the breaks right away.

An official from the Department of Health and Human Services sets up warming stations for the homeless and coordinates with homeless shelters in the area.

In the terrorist scenario, two men are spotted jamming a suspicious package under a table at a restaurant at the Westin in Jersey City, where one of the Super Bowl teams is staying. They then leave quickly.

Authorities confirm the package is suspicious, the hotel is evacuated and a bomb squad gets on site within minutes to investigate. Security at the Hyatt, where the other Super Bowl team is staying, is increased.

In the meantime, the two men are tracked down by Port Authority police, where one is shot when he refuses to remove his hands from his jacket and the other is apprehended.

The FBI probe their cell phones to find who the men have been talking to; the bomb squad at the Westin finds out the package is a bomb and defuses it, and another man with a suspicious package is seen approaching the Hyatt and arrested.

A bomb squad finds out the second package is also a bomb, and the FBI, after realizing that the attack has connections with Pakistan, works with Jersey City police and other law enforcement agencies to track down any other suspects and foil any other planned attacks.

After the two scenaries were played out, Shea said nJersey City is well-prepared for any emergency that might occur during the Super Bowl.

"We will have all the resources we need," he said. "We've been practicing for two years."

"There are going to be hundreds of thousands of people in Jersey City. There will be billions around the world watching the Super Bowl," Fulop said. "We want to make sure we're as ready as possible. It's important to do these things."

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ficials.html#incart_river

Political Insider: Hoboken mayor adding fuel to Bridgegate fire

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
January 20, 2014 at 9:13 PM

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer has tossed some gas on the fire that is Bridgegate.

Zimmer accused Gov. Chris Christie?s administration of threatening to withhold Super Storm Sandy funding to the Mile Square City if she didn?t fast track a Rockefeller Group multi-million dollar commercial development project. She said Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable and others of strong-arming her.

This all comes out in the midst of the Bridgegate scandal that accuses Christie operatives in the state and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey of shutting down George Washington Bridge lanes, creating traffic jams for, gasp, political reasons. If you are to believe the Christie involvement in the GWB mess, the Hoboken accusation pretty much follows the narrative of the governor?s alleged bully-persona.

How do we know Christie and company were playing ?On the Waterfront? ? for real?

The Hoboken mayor announced she wrote everything down in her diary. She also tells us she turned over her personal tell-all to federal prosecutors. The fact the alleged quid pro quo offer came in May is somewhat troubling. If there was no Bridgegate, would anyone have ever known what allegedly happened?

Eight months later, Zimmer said she was afraid complaining would somehow jeopardize Hoboken?s Sandy funds. We can argue this point, but I?m sorry, local voters thought they were getting a lioness and instead, when a defining moment came, they got a scaredy-cat. Keeping quiet was not protecting her constituents.

While acknowledging the delay in coming forward is problematic, Zimmer is putting her reputation on the line which is no small thing, Senate President Steve Sweeney told me yesterday. He asks that everyone should wait until the facts come out. ?I believe in a process,? Sweeny said, noting that Zimmer will come under constant attack and as to point out how grave the situation has become, he added, ?(Christie?s) whole administration has been subpoenaed.?

The Senate President said it is not a good time for New Jersey and the investigations cannot interfere with the peoples' business. Although it is hard to fathom what business that may be because, as of last month, Sweeney says there's there's a $350 million hole in the state budget and this suggests not much will happen this year.

INSIDER NOTES:

-- The most interesting thing about this story is that a Port Authority-financed study concluded that only three Hoboken blocks out of the 19 reviewed should be developed -- those parcels belong to the Rockefeller Group, which just so happens to be represented by Port Authority Chairman David Samson's law firm, Wolff & Samson. It must have been dubbed the Chutzpah Report. Hoboken discarded the PA study.

-- Everyone in Hoboken seems to have something to say. Councilwoman Beth Mason wants Zimmer to go before the City Council and rehash the accusations. Below is a portion of Mason's statements that is pertinent.

" ... Meanwhile, the City is on the hook for well over a million dollars because our former Public Safety Director recently won his discrimination lawsuit against the Zimmer Administration. During her testimony in that matter the Mayor claimed she fired him in part because he failed to inform law enforcement that he was offered a bribe in return for supporting a development project. At this point, it's difficult to see the difference in what reportedly happened here ..."


Mile Square City Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia says he is concerned about Zimmer?s comments. Below are some of his released statements:

"I am deeply concerned about Mayor Zimmer's allegations and the possibility Hoboken residents were adversely impacted, but I have reservations about Zimmer?s comments.

"These are serious accusations that require scrutiny, but I also question Mayor Zimmer's long silence, her failure to immediately inform authorities and the timing of her accusations.

"It's no secret that I have had long-standing disagreements with Mayor Zimmer, and I remain concerned about her local political practices, but the most important thing for Hoboken residents at this moment is finding out the truth of what happened here ..."

If only Garcia was nearby when the alleged Guadagno comments were made to Zimmer, then there would have been no need for a diary ;)

-- Use of a diary to prove a point is highly unusual. The facetious question is how far back does the diary go?

Will we read such possible entries as, "Dear Diary, someone should tell Beth Mason that she needs a fashion consultant"?

Wll we come to the date and page when we read, "Dear Diary, I've decided 'Stick' Romano has got to go. I can't stand his jumping into all my photo-ops?"

Coupled with the entry: "Dear Diary, is it possible Mike Russo isn't such a bad guy, There's a James Taylor quality about him. Should I call him, ' freeholder?' "

And a highly possible posting, "Dear Diary, why shouldn't Hudson County have a congresswoman and why can't it be me?"

Perhaps Jon Stewart can supply some more.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... en_mayo.html#incart_river

Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken among towns most enamored with online gaming at Betfair site

Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2014 1:43 pm
by John Brennan -

Betfair officials have taken a look at who in New Jersey is using their online gaming platform since the entertainment option was legalized in late November.

Newark and Jersey City are among the top half-dozen municipalities participating in the gambling ? no surprise given that they also rank 1-2 in population at about a quarter million residents apiece.

Toms River, which ranks 8th in the state according to the 2010 U.S. census, also is on the list.

The others are Old Bridge in Middlesex County (18th, not sure how they wound up here), Hoboken (34th, with a mere 50,000 people, but tons of young urban professionals with discretionary income), and Egg Harbor (43rd, but don?t forget that it?s in Atlantic County, home of Atlantic City?s casinos).

The peak time of use, naturally is 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., which should relieve some employers who might have thought their employees would be gambling on their computers instead of working.

The most popular games for Betfair players? Blackjack, Monopoly, Crazy Money, Cleopatra, and Roulette. -

See more at: http://blog.northjersey.com/meadowlan ... ite/#sthash.j5EV6rld.dpuf