I attended the meeting last week. I have been wanting to join the Rotary Club for quite a while but most of the local chapters have daytime meetings which doesn't work with my schedule. The fact that this group meets in the evening is a big draw. I am glad I attended as I had the opportunity to learn more about the Rotary Club (they are so much more than I thought)
and met some really nice people of all ages and backgrounds who are already doing great things in the community. If you have been searching for an opportunity to contribute your talents to make a difference in the community please consider attending a meeting

I thought they were all section 8 apartments in here. If you are thinking of residing in one of the few market-rate rentals, you should really think twice. They may be lovely apartments being brand-new but the neighborhood is rough....very rough. Bayonne is much nicer than that area and Broadway is very convenient with stores and public transportation. There all also many other sections of Jersey City to consider other than that part of Duncan Avenue (that have less expensive rents than downtown)

Hi Brooklyn Boy. I am very sorry to hear of your situation. Your partner's doctor and the social workers at JCMC should be able to advise of the different options that are available to you and your partner. Unfortunately, you sometimes need to advocate very loudly for your loved one in a hospital setting in order to be heard and attended to.

Three years ago, a family member of mine was in hospice at Compassionate Care. The staff there was incredibly kind and helpful to my family and truly helped us through a most difficult time.

I will keep you, your partner and your families in my prayers

Lothar I am with you on this article. People live where they live for a variety of reasons. To derive your self-worth from your address seems superficial to me. These things are subject to change too. It wasn't that long ago that if you were from anywhere in Brooklyn you were considered "Bridge and Tunnel" now Brooklyn is conceivably the "coolest" address in the country.

There always was a middle-class here in Jersey City. Not everyone left during the 60's. Those who lef left for a variety of reasons and those who stayed stayed for a variety of reasons. I can only speak of my experience. I went to an all girls Catholic high school here in Jersey City during the 80's. My classmates were of many different ethnicities and came from families of different economic levels. I went to school with the daughters of doctors, lawyers, police officers, civil servants, middle management, and factory workers who worked two jobs to pay the tuition., etc.

I am glad to see the perception of my city changing but I find it funny that people think they "discovered" Jersey City.

There is a wonderful not-for-profit group called ACORN that helps low and moderate income people achieve home ownership. I know of several people here in Jersey City that have gone through their home ownership program and are now proud homeowners of two-family homes. They have an office on Newark Avenue across form the court house. I am not sure of their contact info but if they were googled the information would be right there as they are a national organization that has been around for years. I believe they also help first time homebuyers regardless of income level

I do believe that when you are a home owner that you feel more invested in your home and neighborhood especially when they live in the community and are not absentee landlords.

Regarding the dept of recreation, they are linked through the City of Jersey City website. Bob Hurley is I believe still the director. Anyone who knows anything about basketball or the history of sports/St Anthony's will know who he is. He has dedicated his career to helping our young folk and is a true role model.

There actually is a lot of sports programs available here for kids. The department of recreation and the Boys Club have fantastic programs for kids.

Many kids stay involved with sports until they are twelve or so and then for a lot of them the lure of the streets is pretty strong and they stop the sports. I see this even with kids from so called "good families".

I also agree that yes housing projects (in particular the high rise ones) contain a more than disportionate percentage of criminal activity. I am definitely in favor of getting people out of the high rises and into either economically- mixed communities or into town homes. Say for example Curries Woods. It seems to be better there since the high rises came down and the smaller houses went up. I have heard that they are inspected by the housing department regulalry to verify that the household is in compliance with the rule

That being said there are always going to be those who are "low-income" because of drug addiction and bad choices.

There really does seem to be confusion about rent control and public housing etc. Rent control/rent stabilization is not subject to income limitations etc. It has nothing to do with your income and only has to do with the unit being in a building over a certain amount of units. Now if you have been living in a rent-controlled unit for 25 years I would suppose that your rent is very low but many people are paying close to market level rents in rent control buildings. It all depends on when you moved in.

Section 8 is subject to income limitations and is for lower-income people.

I don't mind living in a mixed-income neighborhood. I like the fact that I can choose to have great Dominican food for say $6.00 or go to Marco&Pepes for more expensive fare.

Most low-income people are not involved in criminal activity. Most are just trying to make it through the day, working hard and providing for their families.

In a utopian world the children of higher income families would develop empathy for those less fortunate in their neighborhood and the lower-income kids would be exposed to professions and lifestyles that they would not normally aspire to and could strive through education for. Unfortunatley that is for the most part not the reality

One thing that does work though is mentoring. There are so many kids out there in need of a Big Brother/Big Sister to mentor them and expose them to things like art, higher education, etc. For some kids navigating the system for things like financial aid for college is so difficult when there are no adults in their lives who have gone to college or speak Englis proficiently.

I didn't mean to write a novel but I am home right now so I have a bit more free time to think of these things and expound on them. I am looking forward to reading other responses.

I also do not agree with bringing in the National Guard to solve the crime problems that we are having in Jersey City. As a matter of fact, I see this as a ploy by Manzo to get his name back in the news and paint the current administration as being soft on crime.

However I do understand why some people would feel "any means necessary" in order to stem the drug-dealing and violence that are endemic in some parts of this city. While things are bad in some parts of downtown (particularly around Wayne Street and Christopher Columbus Drive) they are much worse in other areas of this city like Ocean Avenue, MLK Drive, and the areas around the some of the projects. I have a lot of sympathy in particular for the senior citizens in these areas who are truly afraid of the streets.

Perhaps all this talk of the National Guard coming in will make our police department and politicians more aware of the need to better police some areas and the anger and fear of the average tax-paying citizen. If it embarrasses them into action then some good will have come of all this debate.

I grew up here and over the years I have heard many different reasons for why people hang outside with their kids-from not having air conditioning to it being a cultural thing to many others. The one thing I do know is that all of the people I know (be they black, white., Latino, Asian, etc) who value a stable home life and education do not hang out with their children late at night outside especially in areas where drug-dealing and violence is rampant.

I think it has to do with the fact that a lot of these parents do not realize that their lives change when they become parents (even if they are young parents). They should not be out on the street late at night never mind with their children.

In my opinion I think just as much money should be put into parenting classes as anything else. Perhyaps money invested in that would cut down on violent attacks such as this one with 14 year olds involved.

It is a cultural thing but I don't see it as based upon race or nationality. It seems to be that some people no longer care about succeeding in the "mainstream" culture anymore. By mainstream I mean getting an education, holding down a steady job, being engaged in the community, etc.

It's sad to see small children outside late at night hanging out with their parents. Kids need their sleep and they are often being exposed to activities that they should not have to witness at their age.

More extra-curricular activities would probably help but that means the child must have parents involved and committed to their welfare and well-being who will make sure they attend etc. Sadly the parents of some of these kids just don't have a clue.

sorry to hear about your hospitalization and the costs involved in it. My mom was in the hospital for five months in 2005 and we are still trying to resolve billing issues even though she has a very good Aetna plan

If the insurance that you are required to have while attending school does not cover any of this, you may qualify for charity care as your income is probably limited due to being a full-time student. The hospital is required to provide you with information and the paperwork for the state-run charity care program.

If it ends up that you have to negotiate, I would try to pay no more than they would receive from a managed care insurance carrier. For example a MRI would be billed out to the carrier at an estimated $1200.00 and that is probably what they would charge the uninsured patient. The reimbursement from the insurance carrier would be only an estimated $300.00 or so. You see how it goes....the hospital/doctors are not receiving in reimbursement what they are billing out so you could try that route.

Fast Eddie ...you forgot Kool and the Gang! They need some kind of arena or auditorium named after them.....

That's my church! I feel terrible about this.It's mostly older folks that attend bingo-what a horrible thing for them to have to go through. Nothing is sacred anymore.

Hi One Skirt. I believe that Newport still has a moderate income program. Marine View Plaza in Hoboken is also moderate income though I am not sure if you need to be a Hoboken resident. There are programs out there. You should be able to get some help from the city on where they are and how to apply. Perhaps Steven Fulop's office could steer you in the right direction.

Good Luck!

Anyone else remember Meyer's ...I think there was one on Central and one on Bergen Ave too

Tippy's that was my favorite place for a burger. My perfect day as a kid would have been to go to Silver's to pick out a toy, then go to Tippy's for a burger , and then to the bakery that was near the precinct (was it Family Pride?) for an eclair. Today's kids get Papa John's and .99 cent stores-they don't even know what they are missing

On an upnote though, my Mom and her friends still go to the Lincoln Inn for steak sandwiches. They love them

And although it is not as old as some of the other places we've mentioned...Renato's is the best Italian food in Jersey City I think. It beats Laicos, Prestos, Rita and Joes, etc

I remember all of those. I'll add the Canton. These next two were not fine dining establishments by any means but I loved them as a kid: Rodeo at the Hudson Mall and The La luncheonette at Kennedy and Jewett (where Ferrera' s is now)

I heard that Beetlejuice owns a bar on Westside. Any truth to that rumor?