Zayas is being prosecuted by Bergen County. I wonder if Jersey City P.D. has an internet sex crime division?

Anyone know?

St. Johns is about three blocks away from Canco - if you're walking straight up St. Pauls Avenue (which Canco borders).

Canco is closer to the street and the traffic noise from Tonnelle Ave - Charlotte Circle, depending upon where your unit is located. There is also a railroad in back of Canco with active train traffic.

St. Johns seems to be a bit more isolated and quieter. I take my kids to the little playground they have on-site. Their pond garden is also pretty when in-season.

Brunswick Towers is on 75 Liberty Avenue (a block away from Canco) - nice condos with an indoor pool, fitness center, concierge, green spaces, pet friendly, indoor parking, etc. There are some exceptional deals right now in this building vs. what they were selling for a few years ago. I think some are noted on Craigslist.

I absolutely adore some folks on this list - a user posts accurate information and advice and is labeled a "Debby Downer."

Here's the news - yes, actual JJ news reports from the area (Ogden Avenue/Franklin Avenue) directly in back of this complex. And this is only the stuff that made it to the newspapers and JC List:

1. Teen punches man, takes cell phone
Jersey Journal - Monday, March 10, 2008

A Jersey City man was punched in the face during a cell phone robbery Friday night, police reports said.

A 29-year-old man told police that he was walking home from a tavern at Palisade Avenue and Ferry Street and was headed to his home on Ogden Avenue at 11:51 p.m., when five juveniles surrounded him near Franklin Street, reports said.

One of them, who was wearing a red-hooded sweat shirt said, "Give me what you got," before hitting him in the face. The group then fled with his $225 cell phone, reports said.

Anyone with information should contact the confidential tip line at 201-547-JAIL.

CHARLES HACK

-----------------------------------------------------
2. Jersey City Heights man mugged by 3 on Ogden Ave. near Congress just after 2 a.m.

Jersey Journal - Wednesday, December 26, 2007

A Jersey City Heights man was beaten during a robbery early Sunday morning, police reports said.

Police were called to Ogden Avenue just after 2 a.m. on the report that a 27-year-old man was mugged near his home near Congress Street, reports said.

The victim said he was walking on the street when a man jumped out of a car and attacked him.

---------------------------------------------

3. Attacked, purse stolen

Jersey Journal -- Saturday, September 22, 2007

A robber put a choke hold on a Jersey City woman as she entered her Heights home and made off with her purse late Thursday, officials said.

The woman told police that just before 11 p.m., she entered the lobby of her building on Ogden Avenue near Cuneo Place, and the man grabbed her from behind and put his arm around her throat, reports said.

He took her purse, which had about $400 in it, and laid her down on the floor before running away south on Ogden and west on Ferry Street, where he hopped a fence into a backyard, reports said.

Detective John Carroll later found a ski mask and black shirt in the yard, reports said.

--------------------------------------------
4. Nab 6 teens after robbery in Hoboken, chase in Heights

Friday, November 23, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Five Hoboken teens and one from Weehawken were busted on robbery charges after chasing three men from the Ninth Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Station and stealing a hat and coat from one, officials said.

At about 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday Jersey City police arrested a 16-year-old 11th Street boy and 17-year-old Jackson Street boy; Julius Latimer, 18, of Harrison Avenue, Stephen Rhome, 18, of Marshall Drive, and Deeon Walker, 20, of Eighth Street, reports said. Also arrested was Matthew Dembroe, 18, of Chestnut Street in Weehawken, reports said.

All were charged with robbery and Walker was additionally charged with resisting arrest, reports said.

Cops at Ogden Avenue and Bowers Street in Jersey City saw Walker running up the block wearing a ski mask with one of the three men chasing him, cops said. The victim told the cops he had been robbed. The cops chased Walker and arrested him, reports said, adding that the Sherman Place victim gave detailed descriptions of the other five robbers and their car.

The officers drove around with the victim, spotted the car at Griffith and Ogden, and ordered the five to get out and arrested them, reports said.

---------------------------------------

5. I've been noticing an increased amount of new graffiti in the heights around ogden avenue lately that says the following:

Crips
Crip Hill
Crip Tower

Anything we can do about this? I don't feel that I want to let it continue without have the police do something.

Is this a lost cause?

Posted on: 2006/8/19 17:28 ? JC LIST

I really don't mean to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but you may want to consider a few things before you pack so quickly:

1. Ask about the remediation plan for the site. What toxic substances used to be on that building site, and how did the developer clear them out?

2. Hang out and do a personal impact study on the industrial site across the street from you. Is there dust, noise, truck traffic going to impact your quality of life? I believe it is a recycling plant of some sort - used to be when I lived nearby, but maybe that has changed.

3. Despite the incredible renderings on their site, http://www.theclifflofts.com/, that building is extremely close to the very busy roadway that is next to the light rail. (Noise, car fumes, patient JC/Hoboken drivers who use their horns ever so sparingly - and I jest) etc.

4. What security offerings do they have? The serpentine road in back of your site (that looks like it may not be there anymore?) that connected Hoboken to JC Heights has been the site of at least one murder and a few stabbings. There is gang activity in that area, too - it's just two blocks from the lovely Franklin Avenue section of the Heights.

I wish you luck - and good luck to the developer, too. It was nice to see that old brick facade finally brought back to life. I hope they can make it work.

I've always been impressed with the JCFD. We had a flood in our basement when we lived in the Heights. It was during a huge spring rain - everyone on the street got hit. They responded to our call for help in a flash, helped make sure our home was safe from electrical fire, and really were great. I think they're a good bunch, too.

I know a local family who currently home schools their first grader. He is advanced for his age in math and reading skills. They are considering enrolling him in a JC public school. Is there a local gifted and talented program for advanced second graders? They heard that because JC is an Abbott district, the gifted programs don't start until the fourth grade. They are concerned that their son will flounder if he's not challenged in an academically appropriate environment.

Does anyone have experience with a "gifted" child in the public school system in Jersey City (other than in LCCC which is impossible to get into)?

Thanks for your input.

http://www.nj.com/news/reportcard/ind ... ementary.asp?frmcounty=17

Provides a good overview of public school performance within New Jersey. The above link reviews language art, math, and science scores in Hudson County schools.

Check out the scores of Jersey City schools.

Great job JCPD - thank you!

Now - how about the prosecuter stepping up to the plate? With 21 prior arrests - and the violent nature of this home invasion - isn't it time to put this guy away for a long time?

And for those in the know - how realistic is it to think the individuals responsible for this will get a lengthy jail sentence?

I think as a mom, my number one issue in choosing hospitals to have my children was finding the facility that was best equipped if something went wrong during my delivery. Dr. Manny Alvarez is the head of OB GYN at Hackensack and his team is outstanding. My son was a preemie - and their NICU was great. I had a nice private room, lots of support, and exceptional care. It's about a 25 to 30 minute ride from JC.

A bit of an update:

1. My friend did not know her attackers. Yes, the attack was brazen and violent. The family is lovely - this has hit home way too close. If this can happen to them, it can happen to any one of us (as all random violence can).

2. There may be a connection to a man ringing doorbells in the area around 11pm and asking for "donations." Other homes were approached by this man - he may have had others with him.

Another woman reported being followed by a man that matched his same description around 4pm that same day as she walked her dog (same general vicinity). The police have this information.

3. In my friend's case, the men rang her doorbell and when she didn't answer (because she didn't know the individuals at her door), they kicked the door down to gain entry into her home.

If you have any information to add, or if you saw something suspicious that day that may be connected, you are urged to contact the police.

Our friends were victims of a violent home invasion last night in the Coles & Monmouth area. The robbers kicked the door in to the home, attacked and brutally beat our friend, a mother of two, and attempted to attack her young daughter. The house was ransacked.

Police are investigating.

Thanks to JClist, I found Jillian - and hired her to do makeup for a headshot. She was awesome. Prompt, professional, and creative. Her prices were very reasonable compared with a typical NYC headshot makeup artist. Most importantly, the results were great.

I highly recommend her.

http://www.jillianvillafane.com

When I lived in the Heights, there was a teenage girl who was involved with a gang member near my street. She was about 16 or so. I found her crying outside of my house one very hot day holding her newborn. Her boyfriend had smacked her around then kicked her out of the house. I was warned by neighbors not to get involved because of the gang affiliation.

A few weeks later in the middle of the night, she came to my door hysterical - her boyfriend had beat her up again. I called 911 and explained to the dispatcher that I needed the cops to come help this young girl. The dispatcher actually told me, "If her boyfriend hit her, she needs to help herself." She said this in such a nasty and judgemental way, I was shocked. I actually had to BEG to get a cop to come to my home to help a teenage mother who was getting the crap beat out of her on a regular basis.

Another time, a drugged out, disheveled woman tried to break into my house at 2:00 am. She stood on my porch, explaining to cops that the house was hers. Then she switched her story and told the cops she had just been raped. They basically told her to "get lost," which she did quickly enough. As she was leaving, I heard one of the cops say, "Who would want to rape her?"

So I hesitate now for sure to get involved. Will the cops come? Will I have to beg a dispatcher to get a cop to come? What will the cops attitude be? It's completely in the back of my mind.

I feel so much safer today knowing that I have only a jar of loose change and a $29 Timex.

Sam, the owner of the bagel shop, is an all-around good guy who brings a lot to Central Avenue. He is a true advocate for literacy - his free bookshelves were very popular. Great bagles, too! I wish him well and I hope he builds his new store very soon!

My favorite is seeing the light-rail conductors chatting away as they're whizzing past me...you've got to wonder!

This is a great resource to start for job information for felons. You'll find answers about your bonding questions, too:

http://www.hirenetwork.org/admin/clearinghouse.php?state_id=NJ

In Jersey City, the unemployment and job training office is located on Summit Avenue in Journal Square (same building as DMV). I would recommend starting there as they actively work to place individuals in gainful employment.

There is also a workforce development office across from the Grove Street PATH station. The county parole office is also located on Summit Avenue, at the corner of Rt. 139. The Jersey City Public Library main branch has a great literacy program run by United Way. I believe they also have computer training and job readying programs. Might be worth checking out. If any of your contacts are women, Women Rising of Jersey City might be able to help you get these individuals on the right road.

In terms of locating your various NJ representatives, try here: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

Good luck - and thank you for your efforts to help make our communities a bit safer.

Under cloud of controversy, Jersey City Councilwoman Willie Flood's son resigns as her aide
by The Jersey Journal
Monday December 31, 2007, 10:23 AM

A little more than a week after his dash from TV reporter Arnold Diaz and his "Shame, Shame, Shame" camera at City Hall in Jersey City, Phillip Flood II has resigned as an aide to his mother, Councilwoman-at-Large Willie Flood.

The younger Flood has been at the center of controversy over a marijuana arrest in February and a fine he paid for what the state said was unemployment insurance fraud.

In a letter submitted to City Clerk Robert Byrne dated Friday, Flood II wrote: "Out of concern for my mother, and apparently to avoid any additional burden in her effort to accomplish the task for the people in her capacity as councilperson-at-large, I hereby resign from my position as her aide effective immediately."

Flood II was also hired by his mother - in her capacity as Hudson County Register - as a data processing systems programmer for the county.

When I first moved to Jersey City, a service station wanted to charge me $75 for an inspection fee to get my NJ sticker. I then discovered the state's drive-through inspection station in Secaucus where they look at your car for free. Thought I'd pass that along - you never have to pay to get your inspection sticker!

My, my, my, this is timely...

Merck Recalls Children's Meningitis Vaccine, CDC Says

By Justin Blum and Beth Jinks

Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Merck & Co. recalled 1.2 million doses of a childhood vaccine against pneumonia and meningitis after manufacturing equipment was found to be contaminated.

None of the vaccine was found to be contaminated and there were no reports of injuries, U.S. health officials said in a conference call today.

The recall affects Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine, or Hib, said Mark Feinberg, vice president of medical affairs and policy for Merck vaccines, by telephone today. The company hasn't identified any contaminated vaccines, Feinberg said. About 14 million doses are used in the U.S. each year, health officials said.

``This is not a health-threatening situation in the short run, but it is an inconvenience,'' said Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the conference call.

Sanofi-Aventis SA makes a similar vaccine, and Gerberding's agency will work with the French drugmaker on increasing its production. The U.S. is ``confident'' that than be done, said Anne Schuchat, director of immunization programs at the centers.

``We do expect there to be a shortage in terms of a mismatch between supply and demand,'' she said. ``The extent of that is what we're trying to sort out.''

Pennsylvania Plant

More than 28 million doses of the vaccine have been sold in the U.S. over more than 15 years, according to Merck's Web site. Infections with the Hib bacteria lead to about 386,000 deaths each year, mainly children younger than 5 years old, according to the World Health Organization.

A bacterium called bacillus cereus, associated with food poisoning, was found on some equipment used to make the vaccine at Merck's plant in West Point, Pennsylvania, Feinberg said.

Merck said it may take as long as a year to resolve the manufacturing problems at the plant and resume production.

Merck rose to $59.90 in extended trading. Earlier it fell 68 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $59.72 in regular New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

To contact the reporters on this story: Beth Jinks in New York at bjinks1@bloomberg.net ; Justin Blum in Washington at jblum4@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: December 12, 2007 17:46 EST

I'm sure that scenario covered under the federally mandated Family Medical Leave Act:

http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/

But your statement is precisely why I continue to freelance. You can just see the eyes roll to the back of the head of prospective employers when you mention you have young children. I wish more local employers would offer on-site childcare (I don't know of any nearby).

From what I've read, the state health commissioner Fred Jacobs holds an appointed position - and he is a LAWYER by trade, not a physician. Good to know our kid's lives are in the hands of an attorney. JM

........................................................................................
Council Approves Vaccine Plan...(From NJ.com)

Children as young as six months will be required to get annual flu shots to attend preschool or day care following a vote today by the Public Health Council. The council also mandated three other vaccines, including two for sixth-graders.

The vote makes New Jersey the first state to require annual flu shots for children attending preschool or day care. State health officials say the new vaccine mandates -- which take effect in the 2008-09 school year -- will reduce disease, hospitalizations and the need for parents to stay home with sick children.

The council approved the measure 5-2, with one abstention, despite protests from parents concerned about vaccine dangers. The new regulations will not be finalized until state health commissioner Fred Jacobs signs the measure. However, Jacobs has been supportive of the new rules and is expected to sign them soon.

Opponents of the measure say there is inadequate proof the vaccines are both safe and effective. Opponents include the New Jersey Alliance for Informed Choice in Vaccination.

The new rules say:

--Children aged 6 months to 59 months (four years and nine months) must get the flu shot each year to attend preschool or day care.
--Children two months to 59 months old also must get the pneumonia, or pneumococcal, vaccine.
--A Diptheria-Pertussis-Tetanus (DPT shot) booster is now required for sixth-graders to attend school.
--A meningitis shot also is now required for sixth-graders.

Read more in Tuesday's Star-Ledger.

Okay Scott, then take a look at the FDA's VAERS online database where Gardasil adverse reports are available to the public.

There's also an interesting piece about a growing concern between Guillain Barre Syndrome and Menactra, a meningococcal vaccine. In fact, one of the deaths reported from Menactra was in a young girl who had also been immunized with Gardasil during the same doctor's visit.

www.vaers.hhs.gov

According to my search, responsible physicians reported that after a vaccine with Gardasil, patients had reactions of the following severity:

Death - 5
Life Threatening - 43
Permanent Disability - 60
Hospitalized - 128
Hospitalized, Prolonged - 34
Emergency Room - 1,906

If five children died from a toy that was on the market, the general public would be demanding action. Perhaps that's not a responsible apples-to-apples comparison, but we're talking largely about teenage girls who are getting this vaccine - in addition to other vaccines simultaneously - without proper long-term studies.

When you're layering vaccine upon vaccine with children (and when the vaccines contain mercury and other heavy metals) that's when I get concerned.

Please don't insult my intelligence or the concern I hold for my children.

A flu shot for a preschooler that is not in a "high risk" category is unwarranted. There have been no long-term studies documenting that flu shots for a widespread pediatric population (when combined with the full roster of shots our youngsters already receive) are effective or safe.

I am not anti-innoculation - I don't like Gov Corzine regulating what goes into my child's body without a way for me to opt out if I feel that is what's best for my child.

Check out the side effects of the "safe" HPV vaccine that is being forced upon teenage girls:

http://www.judicialwatch.org/6428.shtml

While I am for sensible immunizations in children, I am completely against this new proposal that FORCES me to pump my preschooler with a flu immunization - in addition to three more immunizations before he's eleven. This is almost as bad as the forced immunization of young girls with the HPV vaccine. It's intrusive government ala Corzine!

Article:

By Linda A. Johnson - Associated Press

TRENTON - Parents concerned about possible vaccine dangers and government intrusion are trying to block New Jersey from becoming the first state to require annual flu shots for children in licensed preschool or day-care centers.
The Public Health Council is set to consider on Monday whether the state should mandate flu shots as well as three other vaccines. State health officials also want to require a pneumococcal vaccine for preschoolers, a booster shot to fight whooping cough for sixth graders, and meningitis shots for schoolchildren as young as 11.

According to the deputy health commissioner, Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, the requirements have been approved by the state health department and Gov. Corzine. They are expected to be approved by the council on Monday.

Bresnitz said that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supports the requirements and that public health officials in other states are likely to follow suit.

He said he is convinced that the vaccines will reduce the incidence of the diseases, preventable hospitalizations, and parents' staying home with sick children.

"It's a great day for public health in New Jersey," he said.

But some parents say there is inadequate proof that the vaccines are safe and effective.

At a Statehouse news conference yesterday, about a dozen parents protested the new measures and urged people to call the governor's office to ask him to stop the vote on Monday.

"This will be the first jurisdiction anywhere in the world to make the flu shot mandatory" for school attendance, said Jon Gilmore, a board member of Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning. He blames his 7-year-old son's autism on vaccines.

Bresnitz said he did not know whether foreign jurisdictions require flu shots for schoolchildren.

The parents yesterday also urged support for a bill that would give parents the right to "philosophical objection" to vaccine mandates. The bill has sat in a committee for four years.

"It is not right for the government and unelected councils to dictate what we put into our children," said Sue Collins, cofounder of the New Jersey Alliance for Informed Choice in Vaccination.

When asked about the mandates yesterday, Corzine said he didn't want to "speak to the specifics."

Several parents noted that unlike other common vaccines, most of the influenza vaccine available contains mercury, a toxic heavy metal that some have called a cause of autism despite the lack of any evidence.

A few speakers also said there is no research showing that it is safe to give children the more than 30 vaccines required in New Jersey today.

"They're really being treated as guinea pigs, and not all children can handle all vaccines," said Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk (R., Bergen), sponsor of the philosophical-objection bill.

The new vaccines that New Jersey backs are recommended by the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups.

Hoboken hospital in lockdown after boy, mom bring bomb
by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

Thursday December 06, 2007, 4:58 PM

Hoboken University Medical Center is in lockdown with the Jersey City bomb squad en route this afternoon after a woman who discovered her son with what appeared to be a bomb brought him - and it - to the hospital, the Jersey Journal reports.

Details are still sketchy, but the woman and her son, who may be from North Hudson, came in this afternoon and are now in the emergency room, hospital spokeswoman Joan Quigley said.

It was unclear why the woman brought him to the hospital. Quigley said the hospital is now using the same security procedures it has rehearsed for terrorist attacks.

Dr. Abubakar on Central Avenue in the Heights charges $40 or $50 for a visit. He's a bit brusque, but efficient, and if you tell him you have no insurance, he will often give you sample prescriptions in enough quantity to get you well. The downside is, you have to get there early and sit in the office until he can see you (usually a good one to two hour wait). The office staff is nice. 452 Central Ave 201-222-0821. You don't have to be an established patient to be seen.

I also recently saw a CVS quick-clinic in Hoboken. It's the new CVS near the end of Washington, near 14th Street (sorry, don't know the exact address).

If your friend is very ill, though, don't hesitate to go to an emergency room. "Flu like symptoms" can mean many things and can be dangerous. HUMC in Hoboken is decent - avoid Christ if you can - JC Medical Center is just okay. A hospital must see you in the ER without an initial upfront charge. If your friend has no insurance, he or she can apply for charity care to eliminate the bill (if they qualify), or arrange a "payment option" with the hospital for charges.

Good luck and I hope your friend feels better soon.

The spot JerseyGirl mentioned is always busy - and the dancers look like they're having a lot of fun! I never took classes here, but what a nice addition they are to the Heights neighborhood.

Highrise murder victim was shot in the head, police say
by Michaelangelo Conte
Thursday November 08, 2007, 1:47 PM

An autopsy has determined the man found dead in a Jersey City luxury high rise yesterday had been shot in the back of the head, as well as bludgeoned, as was initially reported.

"We believe the suspect was acquainted with the victim and that this could have been a dispute over money owed," Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said of the murder of Michael Marro, 39.


Marro was found dead in his 15th floor apartment in Portside Tower at about 3 p.m. yesterday by his father, who was checking on Marro because he had not shown up for work yesterday, DeFazio said.

Marro works at a South Kearny trucking company owned by his father, DeFazio said, adding that he lived alone.

When homicide detectives arrived at the bloody scene they found Marro's badly beaten body near a door in the apartment leading to a balcony, DeFazio said. The bullet wound was not found until an autopsy was performed at the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark, DeFazio said, adding that his office was notified by the medical examiner this morning.

The preliminary autopsy report is expected later today, DeFazio said, adding that the cause of death will be determined by the autopsy.

Investigators recovered security video from the high-rise and DeFazio said the images captured were helpful but do not give a positive identification of the killer, at least not at this point.

He would not give further details.

Homicide detectives think the murder occurred late Tuesday night and say Marro was seen earlier that evening, DeFazio said. Studio apartments in the 17-story building begin at $1,800 a month and apartments run from $2,400 to $6,000, according to the Web site for the building.

"We are working with police and have no information to release," Building Leasing Consultant Mike Leibowitz said this morning. "As soon as we do, we will release it to residents and will make it avalable to the press."

Yes - my thoughts exactly Robin. The deli is on the corner of the building, closest to the Dudley/Warren Street intersection. Portside is also a quick jump from the drunk driving accident on Halloween that also occurred on Warren.