How about a folding 10' kayak on the PATH?

Love New York City? Love to paddle in and around New York City? Well, now there's the perfect kayak to proclaim that love for all to see. The MTA MetroBoat is the only kayak in the world which has the eye-catching iconic New York City subway map infused into its deck. The image will not run; the image will not peel off - it's part and parcel of the kayak.

This expedition-quality 24lb. kayak, based on the best-selling Citibot, fits into a backpack and assembles in minutes. Now, you can store your kayak in your apartment, toss it over your shoulder, and hop onto the subway or a bus, and be on the water in... a New York minute.




http://www.thrillist.com/links/148228

Henry Is Not Yet in Form, but His Debut Excites Fans




Playing his first game for the Red Bulls, Thierry Henry scored in the 25th minute against Tottenham Hotspur, tapping in a cross past goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

New York Times
By THOMAS KAPLAN
July 22, 2010

HARRISON, N.J. — Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer, went out for a slice of pizza Thursday and walked by a pub in Midtown that had a blackboard outside.

Earlier this summer, during the World Cup, the blackboard had tried to lure passersby inside to watch the matches live. On Thursday, it once again advertised soccer: namely, the French striker Thierry Henry’s first game for the Red Bulls.

Garber was taken aback. “That’s the first time in my 10 years as commissioner that I’ve seen a soccer pub get excited about our local team,” he said.

The pub was not the only place with excitement for Henry, the Red Bulls’ newest player. The crowd at Red Bull Arena erupted when Henry scored in the 25th minute against Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League for his first M.L.S. goal.

The Red Bulls ultimately fell, 2-1, although the final score was merely the postscript to an evening that was all about Henry.

“The reception was tremendous — every time I touched the ball, when I came out, when I scored,” Henry said. “It’s something important to me, to feel at home.”

Henry, who turns 33 next month, is the biggest star to come to M.L.S. since the Los Angeles Galaxy acquired David Beckham in 2007. But Henry is a different kind of star, known for smooth play on the field, not glitz and glamour off it.

The Red Bulls are hosting three European teams — England’s Tottenham and Manchester City, and Portugal’s Sporting — in a four-game tournament here that runs through Sunday. The team could not have scripted it any better, for Tottenham is the archrival of Arsenal, Henry’s longtime Premier League club.

Henry rode to the stadium here alongside fans on a PATH train — “It was the quickest way to come to the game,” he explained — and was the last member of the Red Bulls to be introduced before the game. He received sustained, thunderous cheers from the 20,312 in attendance.

And he wasted no time getting into the action. Henry recorded the Red Bulls’ first shot on goal, an open look in front of the net in the seventh minute, and he broke a scoreless tie in the 25th minute, sliding in front of the net to tap in a well-placed low cross from Joel Lindpere.

With that goal, Henry sent a message to Red Bulls fans. “I can say it again: I’m here,” he said after the game.

Henry was removed at halftime, as was expected. He acknowledged after the game that he was not yet in top shape; before Thursday, he had not played since France was eliminated from the World Cup a month ago.

That was Henry’s fourth World Cup. His soccer résumé is as decorated as any: when he was 20, he was a member of the French squad that won the 1998 World Cup, and his 51 goals in international competition are more than anyone has ever scored for Les Bleus.

In an eight-year career with Arsenal, he won two Premier League titles and was a goal-scoring machine. He led the Premier League in scoring four times and set a club record with 226 goals, in 370 games.

But Henry has shown his age in recent years. He is coming off a lackluster season for Barcelona in which he struggled to crack the starting lineup and scored only four goals. At the World Cup, which ended in disaster for France, he was a little-used substitute, and he announced his retirement from international competition after France’s elimination.

That puts Henry in an unusual position: he has something to prove on the field, a task he commenced Thursday.

“I’m trying to work to be fit as soon as I can,” he said.

The Red Bulls also have something to prove because the New York market has never been a bright spot for M.L.S. There is no shortage of soccer fans in the tristate area; they just have not had much to get excited about in past years, Garber said.

But the addition of Henry — who joins the Red Bulls just four months after they opened a gleaming new stadium — could give fans something to cheer.

“When someone of that stature comes into a young league like ours, it’s a moment that will go down in our history, without doubt,” Garber said.

===================================

Listen to more on NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128778538

And here is the Star Ledger
http://www.nj.com/redbulls/index.ssf/ ... ebut_vs_familiar_foe.html

View Larger Map

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Shot in a leg on Ocean Ave.

A Jersey City man who was shot in the leg said he was hanging out at a friend's home before being shot and was driven to the hospital by another pal. But he told police he didn't know the names of either friend, officials said.

Officers sent to the Jersey City Medical Center at 2:29 a.m. yesterday found the 20-year-old Salem Lafayette Court man being treated for a gunshot wound to his left calf, reports said.

He told police he left the home of a friend in the area of Skyline Drive and Garfield Avenue and was walking on Ocean Avenue near Wilkinson or Bayview avenues when he heard shots behind him and fell to the ground, reports said.

The victim said he then called another friend, who picked him up and took him and his girlfriend to the Medical Center, reports said.

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call the Jersey City police tip line at (201) 547-JAIL.

MICHAELANGELO CONTE

Jersey City Planning Board unanimously approves plan that breaks Journal Square redevelopment area into 9 zones

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City Planning Board unanimously approved a plan last night that maps out the redevelopment of Journal Square for the next 50 years.

The plan now goes to the City Council for final approval.

About 100 people, mostly construction workers, developers and Journal Square property owners, attended the meeting at City Hall.

"The heart of the city has been neglected for a long, long time," Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Lopez, a board member, said before voting for the plan.

The "Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan" covers the 211-acre Journal Square redevelopment zone that includes 57 blocks.

The goal of the plan is to concentrate dense, tall development in the heart of Journal Square near the PATH station.

The redevelopment area is broken into nine zones.

The heart of Journal Square, bounded by John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Sip, Summit and Pavonia Avenues makes up one zone, which calls for any new buildings to have a minimum height of 65 feet, which is about six stories.

A $500 million project next to the Journal Square Transportation Center calling for two towers - one 68 stories, the other 50 - has been delayed well over a year due to the economic slump.

Scott Harwood, a partner in the stalled project whose family owns a parking garage behind the Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre, applauded the plan.

"We have always been at Journal Square and we've seen its ups and most recently during the last 30 years, its downs," he said. "Finally Journal Square is getting the attention it deserves. It will bring more commerce, create more jobs."

Members of local trade unions spoke about how the development would put them to work to help revitalize the center of the city.

"We have people losing their homes, on unemployment, without health benefits," said Patrick Kelleher, president of Hudson County Building Trades. "We need this to be moved ahead."

But some residents, mostly notably members of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association, remained concern that tall towers would dwarf their neighborhoods.

City Planning Director Bob Cotter said residents in the city's Hilltop section don't realize their community is currently zoned for 11-story buildings. Under the new plan, the maximum allowable height would be more in line with one- and two-family homes, he said.

Belmar man charged with lewdness in Hamilton Park in Downtown Jersey City

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Belmar man was arrested in Downtown Jersey City after allegedly masturbating in front of a sharp-eyed 76-year-old woman who helped identify the man by telling police she noticed his penis was pierced, officials said.

Lionel B. Froloff, 32, was arrested in Hamilton Park at 2:26 p.m. Monday and charged with lewdness and endangering the welfare of children in a nearby playground, reports said.

The woman, who was sitting with her sister, told police she saw Froloff looking at her with a strange expression on his face and then realized what he was doing, reports said.

Arriving officers noticed Froloff had a pierced tongue and when the cop asked if he had any other piercings, Froloff confirmed what his victim had spotted moments earlier, reports said.

The officers said Froloff became angry at police headquarters, used profanity, and insulted one female officer using a racial slur and a second female officer with a sexual suggestion, reports said.

Finally, Froloff began complaining of pain in his pants and said the piercing might be infected, reports said. He was taken by ambulance to the Jersey City Medical Center for treatment, reports said.

MICHAELANGELO CONTE

Jersey City chooses to let political operative Joseph Cardwell keep his seat on MUA board, and his benefits, in advance of November corruption trial

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In spite of a City Council resolution seeking his removal, alleged bribe-taker Joseph Cardwell is still sitting pretty on the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority board.

Cardwell was one of nearly two dozen Hudson County officials and individuals who were arrested in last year's massive corruption sweep.

A longtime political operative in the city who ran state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham's election campaign, Cardwell is accused of accepting $30,000 in bribes from a federal informant in exchange for his help in securing approvals for a development project that turned out to be totally fictitious.

The City Council voted 8-0 in January to remove Cardwell from the MUA board, a position he was appointed to on May 21, 2008 by Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. His term as a "second alternate" expires Jan. 31, 2013. No salary is attached to the post, but board members receive health benefits.

But before Cardwell could be removed from the board, his attorney, Henry Klingeman, of the high-powered Newark law firm Krovatin Klingeman, wrote the city a letter on March 11 arguing the city should simply wait for the completion of Cardwell's trial, scheduled to start on Nov. 8, before taking action.

"My point was that regardless of which authority was responsible for deciding if he stays or goes, it would be fair for the criminal case to be resolved before making that judgment," Klingeman said Monday. "This will all be moot in a matter of months."

And city officials agreed.

"In light of Mr. Cardwell's approaching trial and that a removal from the MUA board would be final, as opposed to a suspension, the administration determined that the best course of action was to adjourn Mr. Cardwell's hearing until the conclusion of his trial this fall," city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said in a statement yesterday.

"Unlike city employees, the mayor does not have the authority to suspend Mr. Cardwell and no employees were terminated until an adjudication of the allegations against them, which has not yet occurred in Mr. Cardwell's case," she added.

Cardwell and Jersey City Councilman Mariano Vega are the only Hudson officials arrested in the massive sting last year who still hold their posts. Vega's trial is scheduled for October.

MUA Executive Director Dan Becht said yesterday Cardwell has attended "a half to three-quarters" of the 12 MUA board meetings held since his arrest. Cardwell's health insurance costs the agency roughly $12,000 a year, Becht said.

New Jersey Supreme Court is allowing two briefs from outside groups in defamation suit by former aide of state Sen. Stack that targets Hudson County Democratic Organization

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

TRENTON - The New Jersey Supreme Court is allowing the New Jersey Press Association and a Washington, D.C.-based public interest research center to submit briefs in a defamation case filed against the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

A former aide to state Sen. Brian Stack, mayor of Union City, filed the suit in 2007 after two fliers, paid for by the Democratic organization, referred to him as a "coke dealer" and displayed his picture.

The aide argued his conviction was off-limits because it had been expunged from his record in 2006 - 16 years after the conviction.

Expungement is a process whereby a conviction is removed from a person's record after an official request.

Stack, an assemblyman at the time, was running against former state Sen. Bernard Kenny in a primary election when the fliers were circulated.

Three Superior Court Appellate Division judges dismissed the case - which was also filed against ranking party members and political consultants - in December, saying although the record was expunged the charges still appeared on the state Department of Corrections website until 2008, when they were removed because of the lawsuit.

The aide, who is identified only as G.D. in court filings, took the case to the Supreme Court, which certified it in April.

Attorney Charles Cohen, who is representing the aide, said a court date has not yet been set.

"We are pleased that the Supreme Court considered our petition worthy of certification and look forward to the court's review of the important legal issues presented," he said.

Thomas Cafferty, an attorney for NJPA, said the association is interested in the case because newspapers should be able to print past criminal convictions, even if they have been expunged, without fear of a lawsuit.

Cafferty gave the example that a newspaper may have reported on the initial arrest and conviction. He said if the newspaper is not allowed to report that information once a person's record is expunged it would be like forcing the newspaper to purge its archives of the original articles.

The Electronic Privacy Info Center, in Washington D.C., is arguing the opposite.

EPIC's brief argues, "expungement reflects a judicial determination of fairness that should be respected, regardless of new business practices or technological change."

The Supreme Court approved both NJPA and EPIC's requests to file briefs last week and will allow both sides to present up to five minutes of oral argument. The briefs are due Aug. 19.

Jersey City's Westin Newport Hotel hosts viewing of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" episode in which hotel is featured location

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
By PATRICK VILLANOVA
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City took center stage last night, at least for a few minutes, on Bravo's hit reality series "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

In the episode, Teresa Giudice, one of the show's stars, and her husband Joe are seen celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in style at the elegant Westin Jersey City Newport hotel.

About halfway through the hourlong show, the couple is hovering above the Jersey City waterfront in a helicopter and then dining in the Westin's high-rolling Presidential Suite. Priced at $2,000 per night, the luxurious room offers breathtaking views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Jersey City waterfront.

Giudice and her husband, who filed for bankruptcy in October, owe nearly $11 million. The Real Housewife will even be forced to auction off furnishings from her Towaco mansion next month.

"Joe was a real nice guy and she (Teresa) was as sweet as can be," said Bob McIntosh, the hotel's director of sales and marketing.

Some of the show's loyal fans came out last night for a viewing party at the hotel's Half Moon Lounge, while dozens of others sat at the bar and socialized while the hit reality show aired on a massive projection screen in the background.

"I don't watch the show, but I've heard so much about it," said Yralda Fernandez.

In addition to New Jersey-inspired drink specials, the hotel offered a complimentary buffet, which included some of the plates the Guidices indulged in on their special night. Guests were treated to gourmet beet salad, sushi and barbecue-glazed chicken wings.

Although the hotel originally planned to hold a How Jersey Are You costume contest with prizes for Biggest Jersey Hair and a Real Housewives look-a-like contest, no contestants entered.

"I just started watching it and now I'm hooked. It's the biggest train wreck ever," said Jale Banay, who grew up in North Bergen and was with some friends. "It's stupid girl stuff. It's fun to watch them."

Owner refuses to sell Sixth Street Embankment
Monday, July 26, 2010

By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The owner of the Sixth Street Embankment has told Jersey City officials she will not sell the land, despite the City Council voting last week to bond $7.7 million to buy the coveted elevated land.

Supporters hoped the bond would bring an end to a years-long dispute over the parcel on Sixth Street between Marin Boulevard and Newark Avenue.

But Victoria Hyman, wife of developer Steve Hyman, who purchased the property from Conrail for $3 million in 2003, sent a letter Monday to various city officials saying she doesn't want to sell and hopes to develop the site.

"This (proposed development) would make the city money rather than drain the (city's) resources any further while cleaning and gentrifying the area and potentially creating many millions of dollars in new taxes and many full-time jobs," she wrote.

The city filed a lawsuit in 2006 arguing that under federal law, Conrail should have offered the site to the city before selling it to Hyman. That lawsuit is still pending.

Steve Hyman said the city refused to sign an agreement that would have settled the litigation and resulted in the Hymans' sale of the property to the city. He also said he and the city never agreed on a price.

Administration officials declined to comment.

"I used to think we needed Dr. Henry Kissinger to get involved as negotiation was complex, but now I think we need Dr. Phil instead," observed Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop, whose district includes the embankment.

Hyman presented a plan to the city in 2007 that called for 75 percent of the walls to remain and 1,000 to 1,500 residential units, in addition to a light rail link and public park. His wife said they're still committed to providing a park alongside the development.

Victoria Hyman said she hopes to develop the land into something like the High Line, a New York City park on a former elevated freight line.

The Embankment Preservation Coalition and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy have been fighting to turn the parcel into a park with trails. Jersey City officials have said they want it to connect NJ Transit Light Rail on the waterfront with Journal Square.

Seeking comment on proposed gas line through Jersey City and Bayonne, Feds to hold meetings next week

Monday, July 26, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The federal agency that regulates natural gas pipelines will hold four public meetings next week on plans to run a gas line through Jersey City and Bayonne.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is gathering information to assess the environmental impact of Houston-based Spectra Energy's proposed pipeline from Linden to Manhattan.

Besides the four meetings, FERC will also accept written comments through Aug. 20.

"You can make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or concerns about the project," FERC wrote in a letter to residents. "Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact."

The Bayonne meeting is Monday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 669 Avenue C.

FERC will also hold a meeting Wednesday, Aug. 4, 7 p.m., at Ferris High School, 35 Colgate St., Jersey City.

On Tuesday, Aug. 3, there is a meeting in Staten Island. On Thursday, Aug. 5 there is a meeting in Manhattan.

Pipeline officials will be on hand one hour prior to all of the meetings to present the plans and display maps of the proposed pipeline routes.

Spectra formally began the pre-filing process in April and is seeking a certificate to extend its pipeline in Linden through Staten Island to Bayonne and Jersey City, then under the Hudson River to Manhattan.

To submit written comments, visit www.ferc.gov and follow the link for "documents and filings." The docket number for this project is PF10-17. For additional information call (202) 502-8258 or e-mail efiling@ferc.gov.

View Larger Map

Hoboken woman leaps on car hood in failed effort to stop thief

Monday, July 26, 2010
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In an attempt to stop a car thief from stealing her mother's Infiniti, a 23-year-old Hoboken woman leaped onto the hood of the vehicle shortly after it exited a Jersey City gas station near the Holland Tunnel Saturday afternoon, reports said.

The woman told police that she entered the station at 18th Street and Jersey Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. and left the keys in the car while it was filling with gas as she went to purchase a couple of items at the station's convenience store, reports said.


While inside the store, she noticed a man who had been in a black BMW with another man take the gas pump out of her mother's 2008 Infiniti, get in and drive to the corner of 18th Street and Jersey Avenue where he stopped for a red light, reports said.

The victim said she ran toward the car and stood in front of it trying to stop the thief from getting away, reports said.

But the driver edged toward her and revved the engine, reports said.

She then jumped on the car's hood, but the driver threw the car into reverse, causing her to fall to the ground, reports said.

The driver of the BMW then drove up and blocked traffic so the man in the Infiniti could drive away south on Jersey Avenue, reports said.

The victim told police she is a regular at the service station and has always felt comfortable leaving the keys in the car while going into the store, police said.

View Larger Map


View Larger Map

Jersey City toxic site cleaned up after 50 years will not be used for City Hall Annex, officials say

Monday, July 26, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City-owned contaminated site at the southern end of Monmouth Street is clean and ready for development, but don't expect to see a City Hall Annex there.

The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency announced last week that the brownfields site, contaminated with heavy metals including arsenic and lead, has been remediated.


The 10-acre site near Jersey City Medical Center has been vacant for about 50 years. Once surrounded by industrial buildings, the site became a dumping ground called the New Jersey Turnpike Dump Site, for its proximity to the state toll road.

"This is the first step in the process of reclaiming this important redevelopment area from years of environmental abuse and neglect," JCRA Executive Director Robert Antonicello said.

But despite city officials discussing plans to build a City Hall Annex with 120,000 square feet of office space, 1,200 parking spaces and 50,000 square feet of retail on the site as recently as last month, Antonicello said plans have changed.

"That is permanently tabled at this point," he said of the annex.

Antonicello said the economy and a push to shrink local government contributed to tabling the idea for an annex that would have occupied two acres of the site.

Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop, whose district includes the site, has said the land is prime real estate and should be sold to a developer.

The city already has a developer for eight acres of the 10-acre site, which is called the Grand Jersey Redevelopment Area.

The investors building Monaco Towers on Sixth Street have plans to build Harbor Place, a mid- to high-rise apartment and condo complex with retail space, on the majority of the site, Antonicello said. The clean-up of the site, which took about there years, was funded through a $5.8 million state grant.

In a statement, Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy commended the JCRA, state Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts.

"Now we can move forward with our redevelopment plan for the area," he said.

You are wrong fauxboken -- that is not what PSE&G has done in South Jersey -- again check out Burlington's or Plainfield's historic residential areas! PSE&G is now headed up here and plan to place these large ugly panels on every electric pole!

Quote:

View Larger Map

Jersey City's Lincoln Park is scene of bone discovery as workers dig in construction of new golf course

Friday, July 23, 2010
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

What appears to be a human bone was excavated in Lincoln Park in Jersey City yesterday by workers using earth moving machinery to construct a new golf course.

"It has not yet been confirmed to be human, although it does appear to be a human femur bone," said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, adding that no other bones were found.

The bone is only 8 inches long, DeFazio said, adding that it shows signs of decay and there is no flesh on it.

The bone is light brown in color and was found in the soil 4 to 5 feet below the ground in an area of landfill containing a large amount of broken bottles, officials said.

The bone was picked up by the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark and DeFazio said the medical examiner will attempt to make a definitive determination whether or not it is human.

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Squad was called to the park at 9:15 a.m. by the Hudson County Sheriff's Office, which patrols county parks.

View Larger Map

Jersey City police nab three 11-year-old boys and a 13-year-old on charges of slashing tires

Saturday, July 24, 2010
By KATIE COLANERI
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Parents and police said they were shocked when three 11-year-olds and a 13-year-old, all of Jersey City, were arrested for allegedly slashing the tires of 18 cars in the area of Fowler Avenue on Wednesday evening, according to police reports.

The 11 year-olds are from Armstrong, Van Nostrand and Sterling Avenues, and the 13-year-old is from Arlington Avenue.

William Cathey Jr., of Jersey City, said he and a woman friend were outside when they saw four boys laughing and poking holes in the tires of several cars parked on the street.

"The woman asked them, 'Why are you doing that?'" Cathey told The Jersey Journal. "The one kid replied, 'Because I'm bored.'"

Cathey waved down police and described what he had seen, reports said. Police stopped four boys matching the descriptions on Stevens and Sterling avenues, where Cathey identified them, reports said.

"I was shocked to see that going on in that neighborhood," Cathey said.

When cops searched the boys, they found one had an orange pocket knife and another a black box cutter, reports said.

"I don't understand, he's only 11 . ," said the mother of one boy. "He said he felt bad after he did it and I told him 'You should feel bad.'"

The mother said the boys were coming from a swimming pool when the incident occurred and the reason he had the pocket knife was "because he said he needed protection from the other kids" at the pool.

All four boys were charged with criminal mischief, possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, police officials said.

"It's disturbing that children of such a young age have such disregard for the property of others and it doesn't speak well of today's society," said Police Chief Thomas Comey. "One can only hope that somehow they'll learn their lesson and not interact with the juvenile justice system again."

Jersey City ed board being told by state education commissioner it's not too late do nationwide search for new superintendent

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The state commissioner of education is personally calling Jersey City school board members to say it's not too late to conduct a nationwide superintendent search.

Commissioner Bret Schundler, of Jersey City, called Superintendent Charles Epps Thursday and informed him that he would be recommending such a search to board members.

Schundler said he was prompted to make the calls after more than 2,000 people led by Jersey City Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop sent petitions asking the state to review Epps' contract extension.

Schundler said it's a good practice to review a superintendent's performance and see how he or she compares with others. He said he's sending a letter to all board members in the state detailing why.

He said in Jersey City he will also tell the board it's not too late to do a search and that he can recommend top candidates from around the nation.

Epps, who was out of the district on vacation and reached through a spokesman, declined to comment on the issue.

At issue is a June 22 special board meeting at which Epps' contract was extended to June 30, 2013. His contract expires June 30, 2011. Board Vice President Sue Mack and member Sterling Waterman voted against the extension. Member Carol Lester abstained. The other six members supported it.

Board President William DeRosa and Mack said Schundler hadn't called them. DeRosa said he would reserve his comments for Schundler. Mack said she welcomed the commissioner's involvement. Member Sean Connors also said he did not get a call, but questioned what authority Schundler has over the board.

"I don't know legally what he can do," Connors said. "I think it's an opinion."

But member Angel Valentin said the state, which took control of the district over 20 years ago, still has oversight of personnel and must ultimately approve any contract the board awards.

Lester said she's happy to have some guidance.

Waterman, who threatened to file a complaint with the state alleging the special meeting violated public notice laws, said he felt vindicated by Schundler's involvement.

"It's not about Epps," Fulop said. "I think that a national search is the right thing to do for the city and for the schools."

The board is holding a special meeting Aug. 11 for a public hearing and vote on Epps' proposed contract, which is still being negotiated. The meeting is at 6 p.m. in the sixth-floor conference room of 346 Claremont Ave.

MELISSA HAYES

I wholeheartedly agree with you -- but the least PSE&G and PETRA Solar can do is not place these panels right in front of historic properties!

Clearly it is a boondoggle -- even PETRA's CEO says it is "critical" to get the funding from Federal and State tax incentives -- and he even admits that the solar panels are made in China -- or at least "elsewhere in the world"

Here he is on FOX News talking about teaming up with none other than BP!

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3951375/petra-solar-ceo-on-solar-ac

If you are in the shade because of buildings, then likely PSE&G won't place panels there -- but your tress will be pruned severely -- maybe not right then but later -- just go and look at Burlington, NJ -- you will see your future!

Quote:

Go look at the poor town of Burlington NJ -- PSE&G already placed these eyesores in front of many beautiful well maintained historic colonial buildings -- what harm would it be to avoid placing these in front of Historic properties? The loss of electric for skipping areas would be minor at best.

As far as your mature trees - have you ever seen PSE&G prune trees? They have the longstanding easements in place -- they can prune away! Once the panels are in place - they will justify even taking more branches!

Quote:

Sadly they cannot come near taking the place of coal power plants -- keep in mind that suburban tract houses have no above ground wires or poles -- so this PSE&G move is only something that older urban areas will have to burden -- realize that these are our Historic gems and areas that we are talking about!

Quote:

It is really a boondoggle with Federal and State tax money -- it delivers very little energy -- just see the first video's estimates after all panels are completed. Your electric bill will actually rise even by PSE&G's own estimates -- you are not getting anything cheaper this way.

Quote:

These $1000 a piece solar panels are really made in China but assembled here in New Jersey. This is Federal Money being used. PSE&G started by putting these panels up in poorer towns in South Jersey -- areas like Burlington NJ -- the company is based in the somewhat wealthier town of Plainfield in Central Jersey and started there -- Plainsfield homeowners were shocked -- the Plainsfield Historical organizations are already up in arms...(click link below)

http://plaintalker.blogspot.com/2009/ ... t-all-want-solar4all.html

PSE&G and Petra say they get to avoid annoying NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issues since they have power line pole easements already in place -- you can look at the pdf file on their website stating this.

http://www.petrasolar.com/

============================

Here is the newest NJN News video:



Governor Christie loves PETRA Solar:



Here is some older news:



=====================

The man in charge at PSE&G

Arthur S. Guida
80 Park Plaza
Mail Code: T10
Newark, NJ 07102
Tel: 973-430-7135
Fax: 973-622-4261

Busted for PNC bank robbery, Jersey City man tied to three other bank holdups: cops

Updated: Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 7:08 PM
Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

A Jersey City man who allegedly robbed a bank this morning was arrested on a NJ Transit bus minutes later and by afternoon police had charged him in three additional bank robberies committed over the past three months, officials said.

At 9:46 a.m. Kevin J. Prentiss, 32, of West Side Avenue at Boyd Street, was arrested and charged with the 9:29 a.m. robbery of PNC Bank, located at Danforth and West Side avenues, reports said.

The ongoing probe after Prentiss' arrest led to his being charged with the June 10 robberies of Bank of America on Kennedy Boulevard at Harrison Avenue and Capital One Bank at West Side and Virginia avenues, as well as the robbery of Capital One on April 10, officials said.

"He said he was down on his luck and needed the money to pay his bills," said Police Lt. Edgar Martinez who interviewed Prentiss at the South District precinct along with Detective. Michael Post.

"It was the same m.o. (motis operandi) as the other robberies...and he just said he did Capital Bank twice and the other Bank of America," Martinez added.

Officers responding to the PNC Bank yesterday spoke to a teller who said a man passed her a note saying "Stay calm & quiet. I have a weapon I don't wanna use. Give me all your 100s, 50s and 20s and no one gets hurt. Move quick!" reports said.

Police broadcast the robber's description and quickly received information that the robber was in the area of West Side and Claremont avenues, reports said.

Cops finally spotted Prentiss aboard the bus only a few doors from his home and took him into custody, reports said, adding that at the time of the arrest, Prentiss had a plastic bag containing $1,550.

Detectives made copies of the PNC Bank security video that captured the robbery, reports said, adding that the FBI was also involved in the investigation.

If anyone else scratches their sun glasses -- I just got a few new pairs of RX sunglasses for $36 total shipped!

http://zennioptical.com - but any of these companies would be great.

Very busy Jersey City farmers market for a place of no progress:

Editorial
Published: Monday, July 19, 2010, 6:01 AM
The Jersey Journal The Jersey Journal

Recently, the Jersey City Planning Board has been asked to approve a plan that would expand the Journal Square Farmers Market onto vacant land. Not just any land, but that scar on the face of the city's transportation and onetime cultural and shopping hub.

The city wants to hide the embarrassing tract of land where once dilapidated structures housed the Hotel on the Square, McDonald's, and other businesses.

Right now, the rubble-strewn property is fenced off. Only weeds grow along the edge. Except for the occasional pigeon, no animal or insect traverses it. How better to mask it at least several days a week than by placing the successful farmers market on it -- for several seasons.

Back in the late 1990s there were efforts to redevelop the eyesore. The last push was in 1999. Designated developer K&T Building Associates, a partnership of Ralph Tawil Sr., owner of the old hotel and 90 percent of the Journal Square block, and Charles Kushner Cos., ended 18 months of talks with the city.

In 2005, big cracks appeared in those rundown buildings that eventually led to the razing of the blighted block in 2007. A Jersey Journal editorial prophesied that while it might mean future redevelopment of the area, residents should not hold their breath.

In 2006, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency named the Journal Square Redevelopment LLC as the developer of the key block in the Square.
And from there, promises dragged through each calendar year.

The city allowed Tawil to delay proceedings. One can only guess what happened with the designated developer, but a new partner was brought with supposedly deeper pockets. Skyscapers, housing and retail were promised.

Here it is 2010. The Farmers Market will be able to use the 10 Journal Square property -- for "several seasons" of more non-development.

Jersey City doctor pleads 'not guilty' to trafficking prescription drugs

Updated: Monday, July 19, 2010, 2:14 PM
Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

A neurologist with a Jersey City practice was arraigned this morning on a 12-count indictment charging him with pharmaceutical narcotics trafficking, Medicaid fraud scams and other offenses, officials said.

Dr. Magdy Elamir, 57, of Saddle River, wore a pale gray double breasted suit and stood with his hands clasped behind his back during the hearing, at which he was represented by Jersey City attorney Sam DeLuca.

A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of the soft-spoken doctor by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Kevin Callahan.

At then hearing, Deputy Attorney General Debra Conrad noted that Elamir's license to practice medicine was suspended in December by the state Board of Medical Examiners. Elamir, whose office is in the Journal Square area, is currently out on bail.

Authorities claim that between Jan. 1, 2007 and Oct. 20 last year, Elamir, a neurologist who practiced at 550 Summit Ave. in Jersey City, conspired with others to submit fraudulent claims to the Medicaid program for reimbursement and received payments for medical examinations that had not been provided.

Prosecutors say Elamir also conspired to write medically unnecessary prescriptions for Medicaid beneficiaries, thereby causing pharmacies to submit claims to Medicaid for the medically unnecessary drugs.

The indictment further states that Elamir distributed drugs by providing medically unnecessary prescriptions for Xanax and Percocet in exchange for cash payments within 500 feet of the Jersey City Public Library, a public building, and within 1,000 feet of St. Joseph's School.

The most serious charge against Elamir carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and fine of up to $150,000, officials said. Conrad said the state had no plea offer on the table at the time of today's hearing.

DeLuca had no comment after the hearing. Callahan set Sept. 15 for the next hearing in the Elamir case.

Jersey City businesses offer deals during 'Make My City' week

Updated: Monday, July 19, 2010, 2:53 PM
Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal

A crowd gathered at The Stockinette Knitting Café in Jersey City for free express spa treatments yesterday and the Baby Nutrition workshop at Made With Love Organic Bakery & Café down the road was a hit this morning.

It’s the second day of Make My City in Jersey City, a week long event packed with discounts at restaurants and shops and free events.

Organizer Cara Birnbaum said she’s “thrilled” with the outcome so far and there’s so much more to come.

Maps of participating businesses are available around town (the businesses also have signs in their windows) and on the event’s website.

Birnbaum said Alex Chang, co-woner of Smith & Chang in Hamilton Square, told her that a group of shoppers walked into his store with maps in hand Saturday, a day before the event kicked off, because they didn’t know the shop had opened and wanted to check it out.

Jersey City ex-state legislator facing corruption charges appears in video calling for defeat of Supreme Court nominee Kagan's confirmation

Updated: Monday, July 19, 2010, 12:53 PM
Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal

Former New Jersey Assemblyman Louis Manzo of Jersey City, who faces federal trial on corruption complaints, is on the national stage by appearing in a video on The Justice Integrity Project website urging the the U.S. Senate to deny confirmation to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.

Manzo and The Justice Integrity Project accused Kagan, as solictor general, of rubberstamping what they consider the Department of Justice's misconduct in the case of Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and co-defendant Richard Scrushy. In the video, Manzo accuses Kagan of ignoring "prosecutorial misonduct." The U.S. Supreme Court has since vacated the Siegelman case and it has been sent back to a federal appeals court.

On the video, Manzo said:

“While serving as Solicitor General arguing against certiorari in Siegelman v. United States, Kagan ignored constitutional protections provided by due process. Also troubling is the manner by which Kagan feigned ignorance to what is frightfully apparent in Siegelman’s case – prosecutorial misconduct. Instead of questioning the bizarre prosecution tactics employed against Siegelman, Kagan blindly supported positions taken by prosecutors with obvious personal and political agendas.”

Since her nomination by President Obama was announced, Kagan has received support from many organizations and individuals, including retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

The Senate is expected to vote on Kagan's confirmation tomorrow.

The assemblyman from Jersey City is interested in the Kagan confirmation hearings and the Siegelman case because he is seeking a hearing on "prosecutorial misconduct" in his case.

Manzo's attorney, John David Lynch of Union City, said the massive corruption and money-laundering probe appears to have been engineered to help to elect Republican Gov. Chris Christie, the former U.S. attorney. Manzo, was among 46 people charged in the probe that was started under Christie.

The Justice Integrity Project (“The Project”) explains on the Internet site that it advocates for legal reform, calls itself a bi-partisan advocate for legal reform seeking. It seeks "oversight of abusive prosecutorial and judicial decisions in the federal justice system."

It is following a number of cases that are considered possible instances of political or selective prosecutions and other legal abuses. Besides Siegelman and Manzo, other cases reviewed include those of former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, former Georgia State Senate Majority leader Charles Walker Sr., former National Security Agency analyst Kenneth Ford, and others.

Jersey City employee union reacts to news of more furloughs

Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal
Updated: Monday, July 19, 2010, 3:03 PM

Jersey City employees will be forced to take another 12 unpaid days off as the city continues to grapple with a multi-million budget deficit.

There will be one day a month between September and June 2011, except for October and April when there will be two.

H.K. “Chuck” Carol, president of Jersey City Public Employees Local 246, which has over 600 members, said the unions were given about two hours notice Friday before a memorandum detailing the furloughs was handed out.

“I get the feeling from the people I speak to that they would be more than willing to give something up for the greater good, but nobody at all in this administration is holding out hope that these furloughs will avert layoffs,” Carol said. “If we’re not avoiding layoffs, what’s the point?”

The employees were subject to 12 furlough days between December and June to offset a budget deficit in the last fiscal year. City officials said those unpaid days off saved about $1.5 million.

City officials have said they are facing a $56 million deficit in the current fiscal year due to declining state aid and increasing healthcare and pension costs.

City Council members and Business Administrator John “Jack” Kelly have said the city is developing a furlough and layoff plan to help close the deficit.

But Carol argues that the furloughs will cost the city more. He said the city must still provide essential services. He said closing down the municipal court for example will only create more back log and a need for overtime.

He said when the animal control officers are out on unpaid leave, the city must still pay someone to address those needs.

He said elevators will go without inspect when those officials are out.

“The obvious ripple effect is so horrible,” he said. “These furloughs are going to hurt the public much more than they’re going to hurt the (union) members.”

Carol said while some employees can handle the loss in pay, others like, those making only $22,000 a year will be hit hard.

“It’s awful,” he said. “It’s a difficult situation.”

Carol said he plans to call a meeting of his union before next month’s City Council meeting.

“I want to put it before the board so we can make an enlightened decision on this,” he said.

Here's a full list of the furlough schedule. Police and Fire are not impacted:

Department of Administration, City Clerk, Health & Human Services, Office of the Mayor, Public Works, Tax Assessor, Housing, Economic Development & Commerce.
1. Friday, September 3, 2010
2. Friday, October 8, 2010
3. Monday October 25,2010
4. Friday, November 12, 2010
5. Thursday, December 23,2010
6. Friday, January 14,2011
7. Monday, February 14,2011
8. Friday, March 18,2011
9. Friday, April 1,2011
10.Monday, April 25, 2011
11.Friday, May 27, 2011
12.Monday, June 20, 2011

Department of Recreation
1. Friday, September 3,2010
2. Tuesday, October 12,2010
3. Monday, October 25, 2010
4. Monday, November 15,2010
5. Thursday, December 23, 2010
6. Friday, January 14,2011
7. Monday, February 14,2011
8. Friday, March 18,2011
9. Friday, April 1, 2011
10.Monday, April 25, 2011
11.Friday, May 27, 2011
12.Monday, June 20, 2011

Department of Law & Municipal Courts
1. Friday, September 3, 2010
2. Friday, October 8, 2010
3. Friday, October 29, 2010
4. Friday, November 12, 2010
5. Thursday, December 23,2010
6. Friday, January 14,2011
7. Friday, February 18,2011
8. Friday, March 18,2011
9. Friday April 1,2011
10.Friday April 29, 2011
11.Friday, May 27,2011
12.Friday June 17,2011

My friends (and neighbors) are having a hard time finding one -- they said they looked on craigslist -- they are just looking for a garage to rent for $100 or less a month anywhere in Jersey City (not just downtown) just to store some crap in - the driveway could even still be used for others to park in!

I said I would just go to Moishe's -- but they wanted something like a real garage.

Another Way for Condos to Go Green

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
Published: July 14, 2010

THE famous Jersey tomato — known for its delectability, and its ubiquity (seemingly no back garden is complete without a Big Boy or a beefsteak) — is about to make its debut as an amenity at a high-rise condominium complex.




Jennifer Finotti, top, tends to plants at the Beacon in Jersey City, which is sectioning off 72 garden plots for its residents.

The Jersey City tomato, if you will.

At the Beacon complex in that densely populated city, a community garden with 72 plots is being sectioned off near the community dog run. Starting this month, residents can ride down the elevator, grab tools from the shed, and grow their own.

“Tomatoes. Herbs. Fruits, vegetables, flowers — whatever they want, actually,” said Alan Rubin, a nurseryman from Belleville who will serve as the garden consultant and adviser. “I’m sure everybody will start with a tomato, though,” he added with a laugh, “since this is Jersey.”

Jennifer Finotti, who lives in the Rialto building at the Beacon with her fiancé, Scott Sheppard, announced her intention to grow tomatoes, cucumbers and other “salad vegetables” — as well as hydrangeas for her wedding next spring — even though she has no gardening experience.

“I’ve only raised a few houseplants, of the type you can’t kill,” said Ms. Finotti, who is 31. “But I’m excited about this. I go down to the dog run every day anyway. Now, I’ll just walk over to the garden and spend an hour. They’re going to teach us what we need to know.”

A garden club is being set up, according to the Beacon developer, George Filopoulos, who conceived of the garden-as-amenity as part of his quest to endow the Beacon’s mammoth buildings and 14-acre site next to deteriorated housing projects with many pastimes and diversions.

Besides the spa, the fitness center, the billiards room, the movie theater, the library and the deli already ensconced at the development, Mr. Filopoulos said a prekindergarten learning center and a private nightclub called Prohibition would be opening soon.

Mr. Filopoulos is the president of Metrovest Equities, which since 2005 has been working on conversion of Jersey City’s historic former medical center into a residential compound that today includes about 300 units, and will eventually comprise more than 1,000. The Beacon’s 10 tall Art Deco structures stand on a hill at the corner of Montgomery Street and Baldwin Avenue.

Community gardens are thriving in other urban areas — the “adopt-a-lot” program run by the nonprofit Greater Newark Conservancy, for example, as well as the City Green network in Paterson. But those programs are organized around the principles of reclaiming derelict land and raising nourishing food in low-income neighborhoods.

There is also a growing movement toward “horticultural therapy,” said Jan Zientek, the senior coordinator of the Rutgers Urban Gardening Program in Roseland.

Plans are in progress to create a garden for cancer patients at the Hackensack University Medical Center, said Robert Schucker of RS Landscaping, who is working on the project.

And several New Jersey retirement villages — Cedar Crestin Pompton Plains, for one — already offer residents the chance to get their hands dirty at a community plot.

But the Beacon garden, where soil was still being moved into place and paving stones added recently, appears to be among the first to offer younger, more upscale apartment dwellers the opportunity to produce their own produce.

“I think people are going to flock to this,” said Mr. Rubin, the consulting nurseryman, who runs the Alpine Nursery and Garden Center in Belleville. “These days, freshness is in. That’s all you hear: fresh, fresh, fresh.”

Mr. Rubin is to hold classes in the evenings on how to maintain organic practices at the garden, avoiding the use of pesticides. He will also advise for and against crop choices, he said: “No corn! Takes too much space, needs too much water. Not worth it in an urban garden.”

Mr. Filopoulos said that the Garden Club would parcel out its 5-by-8-foot plots, assigning most to individual residents, but maintaining some as group plots where novices can work beside more seasoned hands.

Water from several spigots, and hoses, will be supplied, along with basic garden tools, he said.

Several other condo and rental building owners said they thought the idea was “attractive” and “innovative.”

“We currently encourage people to have plantings on their porches and balconies, to feel at home,” said Jonathan Moore, a vice president of the Value Companies in Clifton, which owns dozens of rental buildings in northern New Jersey.

“This is an idea we would potentially consider,” he said.

Five-year-old girl in critical condition after shooting at Jersey City housing complex

Saturday, July 17, 2010, 8:08 AM
James Queally/The Star-Ledger

JERSEY CITY - A five-year-old girl was shot at a Jersey City housing complex tonight and rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, according to a city police spokesman.
The girl was taken to Jersey City Medical Center with life-threatening injuries after the vicious shooting, which took place at 10:10 p.m. at the Montgomery Gardens housing complex, according to Lt. Edgar Martinez, a spokesman for the Jersey City Police Department.

Information about a motive or a possible suspect was not immediately available, and Martinez did not say if the child was the intended target in the attack. Police were actively canvassing the housing complex and interviewing witnesses late tonight, according to Martinez.
The girl was shot "in the throat area," according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official is not authorized to speak about the shooting publicly.

The complex, an area plagued by criminal activity, is only a few blocks away from the St. Peter’s college campus.

=============================

Jersey City girl, 5, suffers life-threatening injury after being shot: police

Saturday, July 17, 2010, 1:10 AM
Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal

Montgomery Gardens housing complex, Jersey City

A 5-year-old girl was shot about 10 tonight and is in the Jersey City Medical Center with what is described as a life-threatening injury, according to Police Department spokesman Edgar Martinez.

Other than to say that the shooting happened at the Montgomery Gardens housing complex, Martinez said the police was not giving out more information while the investigation is progressing.
Residents of the public housing complex have long complained about drug trafficking and other criminal activity.

Jersey City hit-run kills Queens man, 33, and police charge 23-year-old Bergen County driver with death by auto and DWI

Updated: Friday, July 16, 2010, 10:01 AM
The Jersey Journal The Jersey Journal

A Harrington Park man was charged with death by auto and drunk driving after he was tracked down in Bergen County following a fatal hit-and-run accident in Jersey City that claimed the life of a New York City man, as reported by The Jersey Journal's Michaelangelo Conte in today's editions.

"Holy s-! I killed that guy?" said John Dineen, 23, after River Vale Police Officer Christopher Bulger recognized Dineen's speeding 2009 black Toyota Land Cruiser at 1:13 a.m. based on the alert issued by Jersey City police, police said.

Dineen is also charged with endangering an injured victim and other offenses in connection with the collision that killed Jermaine Forrester, 33, of Queens, as he was crossing State Highway 139 at Bevan Street at 12:48 a.m. yesterday, Jersey City police said.

Both Jersey City Councilwoman Nidia Lopez and ex-candidate challenging her residency say they're confident after appeals court hearing

Updated: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 11:37 AM
The Jersey Journal

Two state Appellate Division judges have heard the arguments and now they will decide whether or not Jersey City Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Lopez properly vacated her Florida residency before running for office in New Jersey, as reported by The Jersey Journal's Melissa Hayes in today's editions.

Raymaker, who ran unsuccessfully against Lopez last year, is arguing that Lopez was not a New Jersey resident for one year prior to the May 2009 election, as required by law. She's asking that the election be voided and a special election be held.

Lopez says that despite owning a property in Florida, which was once her primary residence, she has lived in Jersey City since 2001.

Jersey City group filing complaint with state Ed Dept. to overturn contract extension for superintendent

Updated: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 2:57 PM
Ken Thorbourne/The Jersey Journal

A group led by Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop is filing today a "verified petition of appeal" with the state Department of Education in hopes of overturning the two-year contract extension Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. was granted by the Board of Education last month.

On June 21, members of the Jersey City Board of Education voted 6-2-1 to grant Epps a two-year extension on his contract, which expires next year.

Longtime board member Sue Mack and newcomer Sterling Waterman voted against the extension, while Carol Lester -- who ran on a Fulop-backed slate with Waterman in April -- abstained.

After the vote, Waterman filed an ethics complaint with the state School Ethics Commission arguing that according to state laws, the public had to be notified about the meeting 30 days in advance. An announcement about the June 21 meeting ran in The Jersey Journal on June 18.

Board officials responded that Waterman is misinterpreting the law, which only calls for the 30 days notice if the contract is going to voted on. They point out that terms of the two-year extension still have to be negotiated and the public will have its say on the final deal at a public hearing.

In addition to Waterman's ethics violation, Fulop launched an on-line petition campaign to force state officials to overturn the contract extension vote.

The formal petitioners for the appeal to be filed today include Board of Education candidate/parent Anthony Sharperson, education activist Shelley Skinner, School 27 parent Elvin Dominci, and Fulop.

"We are going to keep the pressure on the Jersey Board of Education. The appeal will give the Commissioner the ability to decide on the board's willful attempt to disenfranchise the public," Skinner said in a statement today.

"Hopefully the vote is reversed. The law is very clear on this matter. This is about insuring that parents and residents have an opportunity to be part of the process and decide if we are doing the best we can for our students." Skinner added.

Epps didn't immediately return a phone call to comment.

A spokesman with the state Department of Education said the agency has yet to receive the petition of appeal, which would trigger a quasi-judicial process that could take several months.

Fulop said the petition is being delivered in Trenton some time today, noting that the City Council voted today to endorse a resolution calling for the circumstances of the extention to be reviewed.

Superintendent since 2000, Epps earns roughly $270,000 a year.

He is credited with establishing early childhood education in the district and improving test scores in the early grades.

But the vast majority of schools in the 29,000-student district have stubbornly failed to meet federal educational benchmarks year after year.

Interim board formed for Jersey City animal shelter after tonight's mass resignations

Updated: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 10:20 PM
Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal

In the wake of the entire five-member board of the Liberty Humane Society shelter resigning, an interim board has been put in place consisting of three past presidents of the Jersey City shelter -- Bonnie Swazo, Laura Moss, and Diana Jeffrey.

Norrice Raymaker, who resigned tonight along with four other board members, told The Jersey Journal tonight that the three past presidents could perhaps work with current management of the shelter to get the financially-strapped facility back on track.

"As we attempted to develop strategies to counteract the inevitable bankruptcy, it has become clear to everyone on the board that within this organization, decisions are made not through a board as defined by the New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act, but rather through a partnership of close individuals," board President John O'Keefe read from a statement to open the 6 p.m. at City Hall.

When he finished, he announced that effective immediately, he, Jin Park, Gia Arturo, Raymaker and Pui Chi Wong were all resigning their seats.

"Walk away cowards! Take your movie moment and walk away," shelter volunteer Marcy Anderson shouted as the board exited the meeting.

The mass resignation is the result of a bitter battle between board members who want to save money by dramatically reducing the number of animals the shelter houses and management who wants to pursue a "no-kill" policy and pursue grant funding to keep the shelter open.

In June, the board voted to cap the number of dogs the facility could house to between 45 and 57.

Executive Director Joanna Hopkinson said that the shelter's contract with Jersey City requires space for 74 dogs.

"If you take our shelter down to 45 dogs, given our intake, we're going to become a kill shelter," Hopkinson said.

O'Keefe accused management of running the shelter into the ground and said the facility lost $73,000 in the first half of 2010, forcing it to dip into its reserve.

"The board has been faced with management that has been operating the shelter under policies and procedures that were not presented to or approved by the board," O'Keefe said.

"The only metric visible to the board over the past six months were the ever-increasing population of animals in the shelter," he added.

Hopkinson, who has been director for nearly eight months, said the board is skewing the numbers and has failed to fundraise or support the shelter.

She said the shelter has contracted with the City of Hoboken and opened a Wellness Clinic to generate additional revenue.

"To sit and hear these lies is very disheartening," she said.

Board members said the shelter currently has 400 animals, but Hopkinson said the shelter has 79 dogs, five puppies and about 200 cats, which is normal for this time of year.

Staff member Susan Raynes said she was disappointed the board walked out.

"I felt like it was a cop-out and that it was not legal or ethical," she said. "They owe it to the animals to stay and listen to what we have to say and figure out a solution."

Journal staff writer Madeline Knight contributed to this story.

Jersey City Council approves $7.7 million bond to buy Sixth Street Embankment

Published: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 12:38 PM Updated: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 3:50 PM
Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal

The Jersey City Council narrowly passed a bond ordinance that would provide up to $7.7 million to purchase the Sixth Street Embankment.

The ordinance passed in a 6-1-2 vote. Bond measures need six votes to pass.

Twenty-six speakers from an array of community groups packed the City Council chambers despite the meeting being held at 10 a.m.

"We're just very thankful to the City Council for seeing that our vision is viable and an asset to everyone in the city," said Stephen Gucciardo, president of the Sixth Street Embankment Coalition, which has fought for the project for the last decade.

Councilman Bill Gaughan voted against the measure saying he couldn't support spending money when the city is facing a $56 million deficit and looking to institute 12 more furlough days and further layoff staff.

Gaughan said he was also concerned that Developer Steve Hyman, whose wife purchased the site from Conrail in 2005, hasn't given the city an asking price in writing. He also questioned the city's ability to transform the city into a future park and NJ Transit Light Rail line.

Councilwomen Willie Flood and Viola Richardson abstained.

But the other six council members supported the measure, saying grant funds will help pay for the project. Several of those supporters told the community that approving the bond is just one step in a long-fought battle that still must be resolved.

"It's another step in the process, but we are definitely getting closer," Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop said.

Council President Peter Brennan cast the sixth vote to adopt the bond ordinance.

"It's a tough decision we have to make today, bonding for $7.7 million at a time when the city is facing tax increases, a lot of tough issues here. But the Healy Administration is committed to open space," he said.

Brennan added, "We're doing our share putting the $7.7 million aside, now maybe Mr. Hyman will come to the plate."

Hey Big Al,
If downtownfella gets his way it would be a coup de grâce -- to the name Coop! I don't think he is hoping to have a coup d'état of the whole Downtown Coop -- but in the end I was also just making the word play coop coup.


Quote:

Christie Signs 2% Cap on New Jersey Property Taxes

July 13, 2010
Businessweek

July 13 (Bloomberg) -- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whose state has the highest property taxes in the U.S., signed legislation capping annual increases in the levies at 2 percent.

The measure reduces the current 4 percent threshold on real-estate taxes, the prime funding source for schools and local governments, and cuts the number of exemptions to four from 14. Christie, a first-term Republican, said the new limits will affect calendar-year budgets that begin in January 2011.

Christie and the Democratic-led Legislature agreed on the cap July 3 after lawmakers resisted his call for a constitutional amendment limiting the increases to 2.5 percent. The governor vetoed an earlier 2.9 percent statutory limit approved by lawmakers as he called a special session of the Legislature and pushed for stricter restrictions.

“This is all about making New Jersey affordable again,” Christie said. “We’ve waited 30 years for a solution to the property tax problem in New Jersey and we’ve waited for politicians to fix it. They didn’t. This puts the solution in your hands.”

Christie, 47, signed the legislation in Hamilton, a Mercer County township of 92,000 residents where the average property- tax bill last year was $5,893, according to Mayor John Bencivengo.

$7,281 Bill

New Jersey property taxes rose 72 percent from 1999 to 2009 to an average of $7,281, according to data from the state Department of Community Affairs. Towns, schools and counties raised a total of $24 billion through the levy last year.

Christie, the first Republican elected governor of New Jersey since 1997, defeated Democrat Jon Corzine in November after pledging to end chronic budget deficits without raising sales, personal-income or business taxes. He has said curbing increases in local property taxes would make the state more affordable for residents and help it lure new businesses.

Corzine enacted a 4 percent cap in 2007 after property-tax bills climbed 7 percent in 2006 and 7.2 percent in 2005. Average taxes increased 3.3 percent last year, according to the community-affairs department data.

With the new cap, governments may be granted exemptions to cover bond payments, higher health insurance or pension costs and natural disasters. They would be allowed to exceed the limit with approval from a majority of voters in a public referendum.

State Aid

Christie’s $29.4 billion state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 trimmed aid to schools by $820 million and to municipalities by $445 million. Towns and districts have warned of service cuts and firings because of the aid reductions.

“The quality of education will undoubtedly suffer in New Jersey,” said Steve Baker, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, a union representing about 200,000 current and retired teachers, in an interview. Program cuts and firings “are going to be repeated next year. You’re going to see more layoffs and more program cuts on top of that.”

Hamilton cut costs to avoid raising its share of the property-tax levy, according to Bencivengo, a Republican, who said 50 jobs have been eliminated since he took office in 2008. The town’s average real estate bill will rise $45 to $5,938 this year because of higher school and county taxes, he said. Residents under Christie’s budget also will lose property-tax rebates, which averaged $955 last year, he said.

Civil Service

Peter Lyden, a spokesman for the state Civil Service Commission, said 121 local governments have filed applications since January seeking to fire as many as 1,908 workers. In all of 2009, 82 towns applied to cut 965 jobs, he said.

“Something had to be done” to control property-tax increases, said Bencivengo, who attended the bill-signing. “We all realize that.”

William Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, which represents mayors and councils, said the Legislature will need to enact laws to help towns curb expenses including personnel costs and medical rates so they can stay within the cap.

Christie has proposed a 33-point package allowing towns to opt out of civil-service laws and cap contract awards in order to lower spending. It also would curb payouts for unused sick- leave and vacation days, and end the “bumping” rights that let the highest-paid, senior workers avoid layoffs.

“We’re going to have to work to give local officials the tools to work under this,” said bill sponsor and Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat from West Deptford who has set a schedule for legislative committees to remain in session during their summer recess to consider the bills. “That’s next.”

Dressel said he doesn’t see the same urgency to enact the rest of Christie’s proposals as he did with the tax cap.

“The only thing municipalities can do in order to really meet the cap is to have more layoffs and more cuts,” he said in a telephone interview.

--Editors: Stacie Servetah, Mark Schoifet

To contact the reporter on this story: Terrence Dopp in Trenton, New Jersey, at tdopp@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Tannenbaum at mtannen@bloomberg.net.

Heads Turn as a Bridge Floats By

Librado Romero/The New York Times

The new Willis Avenue Bridge, passing Saugerties, N.Y., on Tuesday, floated on a barge guided by three tugboats.

By COREY KILGANNON
Published: July 13, 2010

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — Kent Waddell started his day Tuesday by heading to the Hudson River with his bloodworms and fishing rod. But he saw something on the river that made him race home and put his fishing gear away.

The new Willis Avenue Bridge will dock in New Jersey before going to the Harlem River.

“It’s not every day you see a huge steel bridge floating down the Hudson,” said Mr. Waddell, 69, a retired engineer from West Hurley, N.Y., who had ambled down a woodsy path to the Saugerties Lighthouse, on the west shore of the Hudson, just as a prefabricated steel bridge about 350 feet long, 65 feet high and 77 feet wide was slipping downriver, propped on a huge barge guided by three powerful tugboats.

Its eventual destination is the Harlem River in New York City, to replace the nearly 110-year-old Willis Avenue Bridge linking Manhattan and the South Bronx. This was a crucial day in a decade-long, $612 million project, but for Mr. Waddell, it simply meant the chase was on. He spent the rest of the day hopping in and out of his car and chasing the slow-moving bridge down the river.

And like Mr. Waddell, there were hordes of onlookers along the Hudson’s shores, tipped off to this bridge-on-a-barge spectacle by local newspapers and word of mouth. Mr. Waddell joined them at vantage points like the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge and the Walkway Over the Hudson footbridge park in Poughkeepsie, to monitor the progress of the bridge getting a pristine promenading down nearly the entire length of the navigable Hudson, as if to give the people of New York State a sneak preview of what New York City residents would be driving on.

The trip seemed almost ceremonial, as people gathered on bridges and in waterfront parks, gawking at the structure.

“It’s great to see real industry happening again on the Hudson,” Mr. Waddell declared while snapping picture after picture of this cog of urban infrastructure.

Most onlookers seemed to know bits and pieces of the story of the 2,400-ton bridge’s construction and transport, which they spoke of in language reserved for things like the Empire State Building and the great water tunnels.

In Catskill, Vivian Dobrosielski said she understood that the bridge was constructed at the privately owned Port of Coeymans, a former brickyard roughly 10 miles south of Albany.

This was so. The bridge was built near the fortified docks of the port and carefully moved onto barges about 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, were untied from a dock there and pushed by three tugboats downriver at a speed of about seven miles per hour.

Mr. Waddell, a retired engineer, took it for fact that the move was a herculean task, with workers needing to weld together two heavy barges, each 180 feet long.

This was also true. After an 18-month construction job, workers used special heavy-duty trailers to form a huge dolly with nearly 400 tires and guided the bridge on Monday some 1,000 feet to the port’s dock. At peak high tide, the bridge was rolled over four heavy steel ramps onto the barge decks.

To avoid tipping the barges, workers continually pumped water in and out of subdeck compartments as ballast as the bridge was eased on. To keep the water calm, the authorities shut down this area of the Hudson to all traffic.

The 145th Street Bridge project was built and transported by barge several years ago from this port, “but this bridge is more than double the weight,” said Barend Schuring, a project manager for Mammoet, a Dutch company that handled the move from land to barge. Mammoet specializes in heavy transport and has raised a sunken Russian submarine and moved the 400-foot-long, 5.5-million-pound new Providence River Bridge in Rhode Island.

Mr. Schuring, a 33-year-old Dutchman, stood near the barge on Monday, wearing a grease-smeared jumpsuit and watching as three tugboats jostled into place and repositioned the barge so that the bridge’s steel spans, jutting out like the outspread wings of a bird, were parallel to the riverbanks.

“It is a big job,” he said, “but everything is simple if you have the right tools.”

The new Willis Avenue Bridge will be docked at a yard in Bayonne, N.J., for two weeks before being transported 15 miles up the East River and Harlem River and floated into place atop new foundations and piers. The old bridge, which opened in 1901 and carries more than 70,000 vehicles a day, will be taken down as the new one is put into place.

The Port of Coeymans contracts with New York City on many projects, including quarrying and transporting limestone to the city for Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Statue of Liberty and other projects. Also on the property were several huge cooling towers scheduled to be floated by barge for installation at a power plant in Astoria, Queens, in several weeks.

But the sheer size of the Willis Avenue Bridge turned a barge ride down the Hudson into a spectacle; the port even posted updates of the bridge’s location on its Web site.

About 9 a.m., the bridge approached the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill, where a jogger, Ron Van Kleeck, 55, stopped and stared. Lori Sturges, who was out power walking, quickly called her mother, Ms. Dobrosielski, and her friend Kathy Salvato, and told them to come quick to see this piece of urban landscape sweeping the natural pristine setting of the Hudson estuary. It was escorted by an armed Coast Guard cutter.

Elizabeth Lopez, 39, and Lars White, 51, of Catskill, were transfixed, stopping their fast-paced walks to watch the barges pass underneath them — a bridge under a bridge.

“I’ve driven on that bridge a million times, Willis Avenue,” said Mr. White, who is originally from Brooklyn.

“Me, too. I grew up in the Bronx,” Ms. Lopez said. “That’s where it’s going. Strange to see a city bridge up here.”

Maybe you should change your name from 'Hunter' to 'Gatherer' and just plant something.

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Sort of a coup de grace of the coop

Quote:

Leighlee wrote:
...These kids, who i might add do need a good beating, probably were far from home....

... We walk through Lincoln Park some nights and all the "thugs" know us and say hi and pet him. I feel safer knowing they have my back if something happened.

I'm lost...the "thugs" got your back... guarding you from what exactly?

Quote:




Back from a 2004 New York Times:
----------------------------------------------

Lipstick On a Pig

By JONATHAN MILLER
Published: July 18, 2004

THERE is no shortage of ugly roads in northern New Jersey. But one particular stretch of highway is so inescapably fearsome and despised that if one day it slipped into the Hackensack River it would barely be missed -- except for the usual backups.

''It's the road to hell'' is how John Gomez, president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, described it.

The road in question is Tonnelle Avenue. But given the state's problem with traffic signs, it is of little surprise that in Jersey City the name is spelled Tonnele. Either way, it is pronounced TUNN-el-lee. To many, however, the road is known simply as Routes 1 and 9 -- best viewed from a rear-view mirror.

Seedy motels with neon signs bearing the names Spinning Wheel and Starlite and Seville (the latter advertises ''Jacuzzi. Mirror Rooms''). Drug rings. Prostitution rings. Gun-running rings. They have all operated along this strip over the years.

Beside this illicit trade, perhaps the second-biggest industry is the auto shops, where the corpses of cars long past their prime line the street. The hulks of warehouses and old industrial buildings and half-lived-in homes are crowded along the road in all their claustrophobic grotesquery.

Traffic, when not at a standstill, travels at breakneck speeds along narrow, 10-feet-wide lanes -- providing Routes 1 and 9 easy access onto the list of the state's most-congested roads. Trucks spew fumes into the sky. Sidewalks are hard to come by.

But in recent years change, however slight, has come to this six-mile stretch of road that runs through Jersey City and North Bergen, bisected by the approaches to the Lincoln Tunnel from Route 495 and the Holland Tunnel from the Pulaski Skyway.

New businesses have opened, like an Argentine bar and grill that serves $185 bottles of wine. Just up the road, a spot that once housed the Millennium Club, scene of countless brawls and a fatal shooting, is now a Hindu temple that advertises itself as ''a unique cultural complex'' and attracts hundreds on Sundays. A Lowe's home improvement store recently opened in North Bergen, and a Target -- the postmodern essence of cheap chic -- will open this week. Home Depot is litigating to develop nearby.

Next year, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail is scheduled to open a stop at 51st Street and Tonnelle Avenue. And new overpasses have freed up traffic that just two years ago would back up around the freight train lines that run parallel to the road.

For now, new signals and an untangling of traffic circles have made the road slightly less harrowing. And Transportation Department officials plan a $215 million widening and repaving next year from Secaucus Road in Jersey City to Route 46 in Fairview.

''It's coming a little bit,'' said Thomas A. DeGise, the Hudson County executive, who travels the road three or four times a week. ''I still try to avoid it, though. It's a scary place to ride.''

So it is not exactly a renaissance. But things are looking better, as when someone applies lipstick to a pig.

The changes are welcome news to Mario Costa Jr., who sipped a glass of pinot noir at his bar on a recent Saturday night. ''It looked really bad before,'' said Mr. Costa, the 47-year-old owner of Ringside Lounge, a Portuguese bar and grill he has owned since 1983. ''It looked like a bomb hit.''

By way of comparison, he invoked Vietnam. ''Before, it looked like Danang,'' he said. ''The junkyards and prostitutes. It was really bad.''

Many of those junkyards -- ones with names like Hub World, which featured a hubcap pyramid -- are gone, but dozens of auto body shops remain. The prostitutes linger, though there are fewer than in years past, when packs of them stood by the road leering at passers-by.

Still, professionals like Denise patrol the Putnam Truck Stop. Decked out in a pink-and-white striped one-piece affair, she leaned into dozens of cars one recent afternoon to offer her services. ''You want some loving?'' she asked.

So why is the name for Routes 1 and 9 -- a strange enough locution in its own right -- spelled one way in Jersey City and another in North Bergen? No one is sure. The name itself probably comes from a wealthy landowner, John Tonnelé, who owned property in Jersey City near the current site of St. Peter's College and briefly was a state senator.

When Mr. Tonnelé died in 1852, his estate was valued at $500,000, according to newspaper accounts. The family, in typical New Jersey fashion, traded on its wealth and became part of Manhattan high society. Later, his grandson, Laurent J. Tonnelle -- who sometimes spelled his last name with one ''L'' -- became embroiled in a lawsuit to get $2 million in property he was owed in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Oswego, N.Y., that had been left to him by his grandfather. He lost the suit, but went on to become the first chairman of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, which governs the Wanaque Reservoir.

For years, Tonnelle Avenue was a backwater, a dirt road running next to the marshes of the Meadowlands.

''If you can visualize it, it was all grass and muck,'' said Sol Feith, 92, a longtime Jersey City resident and former teacher at Lincoln High School.

Around 1930, three years after the Holland Tunnel was built, the road was paved. But that did not prevent it from becoming a dumping ground and scrap site (many properties along the stretch are still contaminated with chromium) and motel haven.

The followers of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, as it is known --a sect founded in 1907 -- have five strict vows: no stealing, no adultery, no drinking, no meat and no ''impurity of body and mind.'' What better place to set up a Hindu temple than in a dingy nightclub that once served seafood on a road that caters to the illicit sex trade.

Manoj Mehta, 42, the priest at the temple, spoke on a recent afternoon of what people encountered when they entered the former nightclub: ''Too much smell of liquor and beer, and lobster and seafood.''

Just down the street, La Fusta, the Argentine restaurant that opened in May, has a tiled floor, white tablecloths, exposed brick and $185 bottles of wine. So far, business has been solid, said José Bruno, the headwaiter.

''We don't have only Argentinians,'' Mr. Bruno said as a soccer game played on a television in the bar. '' We have a lot of American people, we have a lot of Spanish people. A lot of Italians, in fact.''

The building, formerly the site of a Spanish restaurant, sits at an angle to the street, and its dining room is barely 10 feet from the rush, often giving diners the precarious impression that a car could easily crash their party. ''That's what people tell me when they're sitting,'' Mr. Bruno said.

Right next to La Fusta is the Comfort Suites, which opened last year and has a chandelier in its lobby, comfortable rooms and a reception desk. ''It's hard to believe how much it's changed,'' one receptionist said of the neighborhood.

But some things never change. Across the street stands the Seville Motel, where $26 covers a three-hour stay, and a man on duty behind a thick wall of yellowish bulletproof glass shouted, ''I don't understand'' when asked how things had been going at the motel. Finally, he said: ''Fine. No problems.''

Of course, the question is why. Why have things improved along Routes 1 and 9? ''I don't know why that is,'' said Mr. DeGise, the county executive. ''You got me on that one.''

The why does not matter much to Mr. Costa of the Ringside Lounge. ''It's ugly,'' he said. ''It's still not really, really pretty. But it's better.''

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/18/nyr ... a-pig.html?pagewanted=all

There is a curfew in place for good reason -- these thugs attacked a female jogger -- no one is talking about "polite" kids waiting on a bus after a school activity or a softball game. Get real!

Where are the cell phone pictures?

Quote:

Hi Isaac

Seals on windshields and auto glass might be a rather cheap fix -- you should talk to a glass guy first before you talk to an auto body shop -- maybe let Howie (owner of Central Auto glass) look at it and give you a price.

Central Auto Seat Cover & Glass Company Inc.
3592 JFK Blvd. Jersey City NJ 07307

Phone(201) 656-9839


View Larger Map


View Larger Map

N.J. hospital group wants to sell pot

MONDAY JULY 12, 2010, 8:59 AM
BY SUSAN K. LIVIO
STATE HOUSE BUREAU

New Jersey's teaching hospitals are campaigning to be the sole dispensers of medical marijuana in the state by touting their secure buildings, connection to patients, and "legitimacy" in the community.

The plan assumes Rutgers University's School of Environmental and Biological Sciences would be the lone farmer supplying the marijuana crop to the 16 largest of the 40 teaching hospitals.
The New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals' pitch is the leading proposal Governor Christie's administration is considering as it wrestles with implementing the controversial law within the next six months, said state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, one of the law's sponsors.

"The program not only will make New Jersey a model for the nation in how to implement a safe and sane medical marijuana program, it could bring significant new dollars to the teaching hospitals to fund graduate medical education therein addressing New Jersey's physician manpower shortage," according to the council's proposal.

The plan assumes Rutgers University's School of Environmental and Biological Sciences would be the lone farmer supplying the marijuana crop to the 16 largest of the 40 teaching hospitals. They would include Hackensack University Medical Center, St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson and Morristown Memorial Hospital, according to the proposal.

The patients registered by the hospital would place orders online and pick them up at the in-house pharmacy. The product itself would be sold in prescription pill bottles, with specific strains like "White Widow" and "AK-47" renamed to eliminate reference to "pot culture terminology," the proposal said.

J. Richard Goldstein, a physician and the council's executive director, said the proposal would benefit chronically ill patients, many of whom rely on hospital clinics, as well as the state, "which is rightly concerned about abuse. We already handle all classes of legal drugs, so this is no different."

The teaching hospitals also stand to gain "a significant funding source" to invest in training new doctors, Goldstein said.

The council released a report earlier this year saying New Jersey is facing a shortage of nearly 3,000 family doctors and specialists in the next decade because the state has a reputation of being a "hostile" place to run a practice.

"All proceeds would be dedicated to improving the physician supply or for research" demonstrating how the cannabis plant best reduces pain, muscle spasms, nausea and other debilitating symptoms, the report said.

But before the proposal can gain any traction, it must win the support of Scutari and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Mercer, sponsors of the original law who would need to amend or draft new legislation. The law calls for six non-profits to grow and dispense the drug as decided by a competitive regulatory process overseen by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

The changes Christie envisions would exclude involvement by entrepreneurs and the economic benefits many communities have reaped in California and Colorado.

Scutari said he likes the concept but he feels uncomfortable with the monopoly the state would be handing Rutgers and the hospitals. Scutari said he would consider drafting legislation that would give Rutgers and the hospitals first dibs on the program and allow other entities to join the market perhaps two years later.

"I don't like it being a monopoly forever," Scutari said.

He also worries the teaching hospitals might be located in some areas that might be hard for patients to reach.

But Scutari does favor the idea's association with doctors and research. "If you allow it to come from a single source, you can gauge impact in a scientific way, and make recommendations for dosage," Scutari said.

Goldstein said he would agree to ending the monopoly, but hopes the legislators give a longer window, perhaps five years, to allow hospitals to recoup some of the money invested in the operation, creating the website or purchases in technology.

Even after the state designs its medical marijuana plans, the planning is far from done. The hospitals and the university would need permission by the federal government to possess and dispense what is still an illegal drug.

A number of federal agencies "could easily make it impossible for us to stay in business," according to the proposal.

Michael Drewniak, Christie's spokesman, declined to discuss the council's proposal.

E-mail: slivio@starledger.com


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

Fast facts
The New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals is proposing that medical marijuana be dispensed from 16 hospitals:

North: Hackensack University Medical Center; Jersey City Medical Center; Morristown Memorial Hospital; Mountainside Hospital, Montclair; Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; Overlook Hospital, Summit; St. Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston; St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson; St. Michael’s Medical Center, Newark; University Hospital, Newark.

Central: Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune; Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch; Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center, New Brunswick; St. Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick.

South: Cooper University Medical Center, Camden; Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Stratford.