I just spoke to a very helpful woman at the Hudson County Clerk's office.

She is getting back to me with specifics but there are two things to consider.

Is the candidate handing out an APPLICATION for an absentee ballot or an actual absentee ballot?

If it's an actual absentee ballot (which you can see on the clerk's website at www.HudsonCountyClerk.org) then the answer is no, they cannot do that. In fact, this is considered being a "messenger" which is prohibited - and it's written in large red letters on the ballot.

If it's an APPLICATION for an absentee ballot, she was getting back to me on specifics, but she didn't think that there was the same prohibition.

More to follow...

Condolences to the family. So tragic.

From Hoboken411.com:

With the ?biggest? partying day of the year to kickoff bright and early tomorrow morning - here?s some last minute information to help you out:

It costs money to be stupid

The Hoboken Police have a ?zero tolerance? policy on St. Patrick?s Day. That means that if you act like a moron (drink on the street, pee where you?re not supposed to, or act ?uncivilized? or unruly) you will be fined to the max. That includes $1000 tickets! (over 500 issued in 2007!)

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Jeez - have we forgotten about those amongst us that are not plugged-in, nor ever care to be, particularly senior citizens in our area? They read "The Jersey" and rely upon the paper for their local connections.

I'm not sure if it's anecdotal, but I've noticed people driving aggressively more all over.

I drive the NJ Turnpike every weekend and have seen far more speeders/bad drivers out there than usual. Perhaps the stress of our current times?

Complain About NJ Transit Busses Here

Complain About PATH Service Here

Best news of the day! The woman who owns Torico's is one of the nicest people I know.

Dr. Manny Alvarez - Hackensack University Medical Center - specializes in high risk, too

He's the Dr. Manny seen on Fox News. One of the best OB/GYNs ever. And their maternity unit is fantastic. It's where my son was born.

A Wiki about "shoefiti."

(Hmmm, now which JC park would benefit from the shoe tree idea? )

JerseyGirl - any update on this story? Was more than one business impacted by the raids? Thanks.

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I remember shortly after we bought our house in the Heights, foot patrols and bike patrols were put into place. It was great (we lived a block away from the notorious Franklin Street) - and a welcome presence. I don't know who the PD chief was back then, but crime definitely took a hike for a good long time. Then the patrols suddenly stopped. Good luck getting a decent response time. Now it's back to the old days of graffiti tags, gang violence, drug dealing - the works. All, and I mean all of the young families I knew who bought houses have moved out of the Heights (me included) for safety and school issues.

This death is another senseless tragedy - my heart and prayers go out to this family.

Start with this guide, courtesy of the state of New Jersey:

Section 8 Housing - Landlord's Guide

I think this should answer your question (I didn't write this - I grabbed it verbatim from the Internet - it was posted by a police officer on another site). The first story posted indicates the victim was 15 when this relationship started - therefore the teacher is in violation. In addition, he was a teacher, or in a position of authority over the victim.

Here's the NJ Criminal Code, I'll follow it with a short summary:

"2C:14-2. Sexual assault. a. An actor is guilty of aggravated sexual assault if he commits an act of sexual penetration with another person under any one of the following circumstances:
(1)The victim is less than 13 years old;
(2)The victim is at least 13 but less than 16 years old; and
(a)The actor is related to the victim by blood or affinity to the third degree, or
(b)The actor has supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the actor's legal, professional, or occupational status, or
(c)The actor is a resource family parent, a guardian, or stands in loco parentis within the household;
(3)The act is committed during the commission, or attempted commission, whether alone or with one or more other persons, of robbery, kidnapping, homicide, aggravated assault on another, burglary, arson or criminal escape;
(4)The actor is armed with a weapon or any object fashioned in such a manner as to lead the victim to reasonably believe it to be a weapon and threatens by word or gesture to use the weapon or object;
(5)The actor is aided or abetted by one or more other persons and the actor uses physical force or coercion;
(6)The actor uses physical force or coercion and severe personal injury is sustained by the victim;
(7)The victim is one whom the actor knew or should have known was physically helpless, mentally defective or mentally incapacitated.
Aggravated sexual assault is a crime of the first degree.

b.An actor is guilty of sexual assault if he commits an act of sexual contact with a victim who is less than 13 years old and the actor is at least four years older than the victim.

c.An actor is guilty of sexual assault if he commits an act of sexual penetration with another person under any one of the following circumstances:
(1)The actor uses physical force or coercion, but the victim does not sustain severe personal injury;
(2)The victim is on probation or parole, or is detained in a hospital, prison or other institution and the actor has supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the actor's legal, professional or occupational status;
***(3)The victim is at least 16 but less than 18 years old and:
(a)The actor is related to the victim by blood or affinity to the third degree; or
(b)The actor has supervisory or disciplinary power of any nature or in any capacity over the victim; or
(c)The actor is a resource family parent, a guardian, or stands in loco parentis within the household;
(4)The victim is at least 13 but less than 16 years old and the actor is at least four years older than the victim.***
Sexual assault is a crime of the second degree.

L.1978, c.95; amended 1979, c.178, s.26; 1983, c.249, s.2; 1989, c.228, s.3; 1997, c.194, s.1; 2001, c.60; 2004, c.130, s.13."

I put the specific part you are concerned with between sets of ***. The law does not specifically say that a person can legally have sex at 16, but what it does is provide a penalty for anyone having sex with someone under 16. It also provides penalties for having sex with someone who is 16-18, but only under the specific circumstances. So, unless the older person is related to, in charge of, or in a position of authority over the 16 year old, then the law does not provide a penalty for the act.

H.S. TEACHER JAILED AGAIN
Monday, January 26, 2009
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Hudson County Prep High School teacher is back in an Ocean County jail after being charged with stalking the 16-year-old girl he was accused last month of having a year-long sexual relationship with, officials said.

Ocean County Superior Court Judge James Den Uyl ordered Gustavo Bordenabe, 44, of Point Pleasant Borough, to be held without bail at the Ocean County Jail Friday pending a court appearance tomorrow, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Michael Mohel said.

The judge will determine if Bordenabe is in violation of Nicole's Law, which prevents someone charged with sexual assault from having any contact with the victim, Mohel said.

Bordenabe was re-arrested Thursday after allegedly following the girl to her Point Pleasant home that day, officials said. According to published reports, he followed her from a bus stop, making eye contact with her.

The math instructor and girls' soccer and softball coach had been released from Ocean County Jail after making $200,000 bail following his arrest in December, when he was charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact, officials said.

The tenured Bordenabe, who has worked for County Prep for six or seven years, is accused of having a sexual relationship for more than a year with the Point Pleasant girl, officials said. No further details were provided about the relationship.

He was suspended without pay after his December arrest.

Crash showed people at their best ? and worst
By Dan Jennings - Las Vegas Sun

Wed, Jan 21, 2009 (12:21 p.m.)

You may not have heard about the actions of two passengers who came dangerously close to hindering the evacuation and sinking the aircraft.

One passenger, a woman in her 60s, calmly removed her overhead baggage and proceeded up the aisle, as if to disembark at a terminal with suitcase in tow. Once she exited the aircraft, she grasped the wing and refused to let go of her luggage. Saner passengers forced her onto a life raft as her luggage sank to the bottom of the Hudson River. She obviously had not grasped the severity of the situation, or the frigidness of the river, as she angrily screamed about her lost luggage.

A sole flight attendant at the rear of the aircraft made the correct decision to keep the rear exits closed. However, a woman decided that one of the rear doors would be ideal for personal use and attempted to open it. The alert flight attendant was able to secure the door despite a rush of icy water into the plane.

I do not personally know the two passengers in question. However, I bet that when they arrive at their destinations and drive home, they will occupy the fast lane while driving much slower that the speed limit. They will block the grocery aisle with their carts as they examine a product on the opposite side. They will answer their cell phones in the movie theater during critical dialogue. They will ... I think you get the picture.

Perhaps I am being a bit harsh on two people whom I do not know. No, if I were being harsh, I would recommend that both be banned from flying on commercial aircraft for life.

Despite the borderline catastrophic actions by two passengers, the majority of folks kept their cool and paid attention to the trained professionals during this critical incident. The actions of 148 of the 150 passengers ensured that the miraculous landing on an icy river had a happy ending.

Cops: Man attacked by unleashed dogs in Downtown Jersey City

by Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
Monday January 19, 2009, 6:14 PM

A Jersey City man was attacked by two mastiffs in the city's Downtown neighborhood this morning, and the owner of the dogs was issued two summonses for failing to keep them on leashes, officials said.

Susan Clob, 58, of Dudley Street, was issued the summonses after the 7 a.m. attack at Christopher Columbus Drive and Washington Street, police said.

The 24-year-old victim, a resident of Brunswick Street, was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center in stable condition and appears to have suffered injuries to his arm, officials said.

When police responded they saw the dog owner leading the mastiffs into a nearby building and a witness flagged down the cops and pointed out the victim who had run into a nearby lobby, reports said.

The victim said Clob unleashed the large male and smaller female dogs, which then ran across the street, police said. The male bit his arm, then the female bit him as well.

Clob tried to pulled them off the victim but they were both dragged to the ground, police said.

A witness tried to scare the dogs off by driving his car toward them but that did not work, police said.

Construction workers at a nearby project approached the dogs and banged their helmets on the ground to scare them as the larger one was going for the victim's neck, police said.

The dogs let up enough for the victim to run to the safety of a nearby building with the larger dog on his heels, police said.

Clob was issued the summonses but the dogs were not taken away, officials said.

I've heard wonderful things about Garden Preschool as well as the Hamilton Park Montessori School - also in the same location.

I would highly recommend sitting in the classroom and observing to see what the environment is like. Most reputable schools will allow you to do so. It will give you a flavor of the environment.

Another often overlooked item when considering a school is parental involvement. Ask if parents are encouraged to participate in the decision-making of the school. Is there a parent board, PTA, or other parent oriented group that is active in the school? No parental involvement (if it's a school environment - not daycare) is usually a sign of a dictator-like director and that is bad news, in my humble opinion.

So sorry Croft...this is just awful. The same thing happened to me in the Heights - for a handful of change. It takes so much time and money too (which we didn't have) to fix the window. These little punks have no capacity to consider what this does to a person.

If anyone attends today's meeting and can update us on the details of the school (particularly the location), that would be great.

They've got the teacher's photo up on NJ.com. And check out the second-to-last paragraph's of the article below. A bit disturbing, don't you think?

Like there's a chance he could return to the classroom if the issue is resolved? (Unless he's proven innocent, of course.) And we taxpayers may be footing the bill for his salary while he's suspended? Nice.

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County Prep teacher is held on underage sex charges
by Charles Hack and Tom Shortell/The Jersey Journal
Monday December 29, 2008, 8:06 PM
County Prep Web site photoGustavo Bordenabe

A Hudson County high school teacher and coach sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl for more than a year, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said today.

Gustavo Bordenabe, 44, a math teacher and girls soccer coach at County Prep High School in Jersey City, was arrested today at 11 a.m., authorities said. Bordenabe, a Point Pleasant Borough resident, is charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact, said Deputy Chief Michael Mohel, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

He is being held at the Ocean County jail in lieu of $200,000.

Mohel said the sexual assaults took place for at least a year. A joint investigation by the Point Pleasant Police Department -- where Bordenabe and the alleged victim live -- and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office began when a family member of the victim contacted police, Mohel said.

Authorities refused to release any information on Bordenabe's relationship with the victim.

Bordenabe has worked at County Prep for six or seven years, said Paul Swibinski, a spokesman for the Hudson County Schools of Technology. Bordenabe's wife is also employed at the school, Swibinski said.

"This is a serious matter and will be treated as such," Swibinski said. "He will definitely be suspended and will not return to the classroom until this is resolved."

The school is consulting its attorney to see if Bordenabe can be suspended without pay, he said.

Jersey City teacher accused of sexual relationship with 16-year-old girl

by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
Saturday December 27, 2008, 3:06 PM

A math teacher at Hudson County Prep high school in Jersey City was arrested Friday by Ocean County authorities on charges he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl for more than a year, according to a report by the Asbury Park Press.

Gustavo Bordenabe, 44, of Point Pleasant, is charged with sexual assault, child endangerment and criminal sexual contact. School officials were notified Friday, a spokesman for the Ocean Prosecutor's Office said. Bordenabe also served as the girls soccer coach for Hudson County Prep. The relationship with the 16-year-old girl occurred in Ocean County, prosecutors said.

Bordenabe is being held on $500,000 bail, authorities told the Asbury Park Press.

I guess the thing that befuddles me the most as a mom of school-age children is the "answer" to fixing the JC public school system.

Scores and numbers don't lie - and across the board, regardless of the type of test, our kids are not doing all that well. Why?

Why can one school like Learning Center Charter have decent scores and a sought-after reputation? Why can't their success be replicated throughout the district?

When I'm seeing schools with 30% and 40% literacy/math comprehension scores in the early years of learning, what chances do these children have in their later years to catch up and thrive?

It cannot be a money-per-student issue - our rates are on par with better performing districts. Linky sounds like a teacher we need here in Jersey City - but is her type of approach not acceptable in our district?

I'd be interested in hearing from teachers in Jersey City.

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Please, enlighten us, what do these numbers actually mean?

From today's Jersey Journal:

Almost 30 percent of New Jersey public schools failed to meet student achievement requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind act, a slightly weaker performance compared with last year and again hitting hardest in urban and low-income districts.

The state today released the school-by-school results for every district, detailing how and where each school fared with each standard under the federal law.

......................................................

I quickly reviewed the stats and if I read this correctly, it appears that only 15 public schools in JC made their AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) standards. A whopping 23 did not and 7 are in the "early warning" column.

Our children deserve better.

STATE RESULTS FOR NJ DISTRICTS

I just saw this on the JCPD website - interesting! To see a list of the landlords on their ready-to-arrest list:

Heat & Hot Water Warrants

Housing Violation Warrants

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POLICE LAUNCH OPERATION HOUSE CALL
Mayor Healy Orders Crackdown on Deadbeat Landlords
Fix Your Property or Go To Jail

JERSEY CITY - Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Jersey City Police, and Hudson County Sheriff?s Office announced the kickoff of OPERATION HOUSE CALL for December 11, 2008.

The initiative is designed to insure residential and commercial property owners are held accountable for violations on their properties, which negatively affect the quality of life of Jersey City residents and visitors.

The Jersey City Police Department will post the names of property owners/managers/agents, who are delinquent on Court ordered repairs and fines, on its website, www.NJJCPD.org.

Initially, only the names of repeat offenders and property owners, whose properties evidence the most serious violations, will be published on the website.

During the weeks that follow, the names of property owners, who have failed to address less serious violations, will be listed. The launching of the operation will give those, who have failed to answer citations and/or warrants time to remediate these issues to the satisfaction of the Court.

Beginning January 12, 2009, however, Jersey City Police Officers and Hudson County Sheriff?s Officers will start making ?house calls? to arrest these violators.

?The publication of the names of violators, although not required, will give landlords the opportunity to meet their obligation as property owners to provide safe and decent housing for City residents, ? Mayor Healy said..

Chief Thomas Comey stated ?As law enforcement officers, our mission is to protect and serve the public. I am pleased Sheriff Juan Perez has chosen to join the Mayor and me in this initiative. Together we will work to meet the Mayor?s mandate to make Jersey City a better place to live, work and visit.

To that end, I promise those landlords, who do not maintain their properties in a manner compliant with the law; that they can expect a visit from us.

Shelley - thanks for the solid information. Congratulations on your proposed move and your commitment to providing a great school for area children.

Any input on what is replacing LCCS once you leave your current downtown location? Is another school looking to lease the space?

I read in the Jersey Journal that the Learning Community Charter School may move to the space occupied by the former Caritas Academy on Kennedy Boulevard. Is that confirmed?

Does anyone know what, if anything, is going into LCCS's space on Grand Street? I wonder if many of the area families are ready for a commute to school when they used to be able to walk to LCCS. It seems like this move would be a big loss to the downtown community since that school is positioned to be one of the better educational centers in the city.

You're okay as long as you don't have commercial plates. I learned that the hard way when I first moved to JCity (boot on my U-Haul - ouch!).

When I lived in the Heights, this crew (or a group similar) pulled a scam like this on my neighbor (he was in his 80's). They are slick and really put fear into their victims. If you have an elderly neighbor, please take a moment to let them know these scum are trolling our neighborhoods again.

---------------------------------------------
Cops: Jersey City senior holds toilet handle while water company impostor ransacks house
by The Jersey Journal
Monday November 17, 2008, 8:56 PM

A man pretending to be a United War employee gained entry to an apartment on Cator Avenue in Jersey City this afternoon and then stole $3,650 from the 91-year-old resident, reports said.

Responding to a knock on her front door around 2 p.m., the female resident told police she found a man who told her he was an employee with the water company and that "there was an emergency" and "he had to check the water," reports said.

The man first opened and shut a faucet in the kitchen and then went into the victim's bathroom where he flushed the toilet, reports said.

The man then instructed the victim to "hold down the flush handle or else the house will explode," reports said.

The victim, who said the man was speaking to someone on his cellphone the entire time he was in her house, did as she was told, reports said.

But after about two minutes, the victim told police "I didn't care if the house exploded" and walked into her living-room, at which time she discovered her house had been ransacked, reports said.

The man -- described as white, slender, and in his 40s -- got away with $3,650 in cash the victim kept in a metal box, reports said.

If you're willing to wade through statistics and get up to your elbows in data, you can start with the SEER database.

Established by the National Cancer Institute, SEER collects information on incidence, survival, and prevalence from specific geographic areas representing 26 percent of the US population and compiles reports on all of these plus cancer mortality for the entire US. This site is intended for anyone interested in US cancer statistics or cancer surveillance methods.

SEER SITE

The UMDNJ physician that compiled the study mentioned in the NY Times many years ago is still at the facility (I posted that article in this thread). Google his name and you'll find his email address on the UMDNJ website. I'm sure he could send you the study.

There's a thread on the NJ.COM Jersey City forum (go to NJ.com, click on FORUMS, access Hudson County, then visit the JC forum group - you can lurk - certainly not as good as JCLIST posts, though!) either today or yesterday about toxic waste. One of the posters did his thesis on the subject locally. I would get in touch with him/her, too.

In terms of maps and a whole bunch of good data, Google this term: "EPA SUPERFUND HUDSON COUNTY."

Start here for a great collection of maps, types of area pollutants, our overall ranking nationally for pollution and superfund sites, etc:

Hudson County Toxic Scorecard

This site below shows cancer incidence in New Jersey (you can search any state actually) by the type of disease, and the trends for that specific cancer:

NJ CANCER TRENDS - VERY INTERESTING

Good luck and let us know what you discover!