Town of Secaucus
On tap
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NJMC Pitches Media on ‘Real’ Meadowlands
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission on Tuesday held a press event to tout the natural and environmental landscape of the Meadowlands to local and national reporters as media interest grows with the approaching Super Bowl next winter. “My hope is this will be one of the stories of the Super Bowl of what people can do and how wonderfully restorative nature is if you give it a chance,” said former Gov. Tom Kean, who took part. The event, dubbed “Super Day at the Meadowlands: Where Footballs and Egrets Fly,” took press on a pontoon boat tour through the Meadowlands and featured various speakers on the drastic improvements in the local environment over the past few…
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Secaucus Library 2013 Summer Reading List
Each season, Secaucus Library Director Jenifer May will provide eSecaucus with a list of recommended books. Be sure to reserve your copy at the Secaucus Library or click on the book’s title to purchase it from Amazon. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini If Hosseini’s first two novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, are any indication, this should be the runaway hit of the summer. At the center of the story is the heartbreaking choice made an impoverished father to sell his daughter to a wealthy Kabul couple in order to save the rest of his family. This book is beautifully written, with characters so realistic that they will haunt the…
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New Hudson County Alert System
Hudson County has announced a new Emergency Notification System that will allow residents to receive text messages and e-mails when emergencies arise. Residents interested in signing up for the alerts can visit the Hudson County website, fill out the form and choose which kind of notifications they would like to receive.
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Donate Blood, Get Backstage at Vans Warped Tour
On Tuesday, June 18, Music Saves Lives will host a blood drive at Secaucus Library and donors will receive perks for this summer’s Vans Warped Tour. Anyone who donates blood at the event will be presented with a voucher that can be used for special MSL meet & greets and free water at any concert on the tour. The MSL areas at each concert will give donors the chance to meet the artists for autographs and photos. Additionally, the first 100 VIP voucher holders at each event will receive backstage access. The tour will reach New Jersey on July 7 at the PNC Bank Arts Center. Reservations are not necessary for the blood drive but to make…
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Baggy Pants Ban
If you hate seeing baggy pants at the shore, be sure to head to Wildwood, which passed a law this week banning them. Wildwood will now hand out fines between $25 and $200 to those wearing pants that that drop three inches below the waist and expose either skin or underwear. The mayor of Wildwood, Ernest Troiano, says he has received complaints from visitors about the popular style and wanted to maintain a “family atmosphere”. The law takes effect on July 2 and will only be in effect at the Wildwood boardwalk. The statute is expected to be contested in court.
Schools
Secaucus Softball Team Dream Season Ends
The remarkable season for the Secaucus High School softball team ended on Tuesday with a 6-5 loss in extra innings to Saddle Brook in Group 1 semifinals. Secaucus (24-7) jumped out to a 3-0 lead but surrendered five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Julia McClure tied with a two-run inside-the-park homer in the fifth, but the Patriots made a costly throwing error in the eighth that led to the decisive run. Despite falling two wins shy of winning the state title, the Patriots emerged as a softball powerhouse with the best season in the program’s history. They set a school record with 24 wins, including a tremendous 14-game winning streak.
Secaucus Softball Faces Saddle Brook in State Semifinals
The Secaucus High School softball team faces Saddle Brook in the Group 1 state semifinals today at 4 pm in Ramsey. The incredible run of the Patriots (24-6) in the state tournament continued with a 1-0 victory over Whippany Park on Friday. They have been anchored by star pitcher Danielle Roseing, who has struck out 32 and allowed only one run in four tournament games. Secaucus is now only two wins away from the state title but will have to slay Saddle Brook (27-3), which is the top overall seed in North 1, Group 1. NJ.com blog: Secaucus girls to meet Saddle Brook in state softball semifinal NJ.com: State Softball Preview: Group I semifinal, Secaucus vs. Saddle…
Prom Dress Controversy
The principal at Readington Middle School in Readington Township has caused a stir in New Jersey by banning girls from wearing strapless dresses at the school’s upcoming prom. According to the principal, the ban was implemented because the dresses would be “inappropriate” and “distracting” to boys. Of course, everyone knows there is nothing you could put a teenage girl in to prevent a teenage boy from being distracted. Parents are petitioning the school to overturn the controversial policy before the event on June 12. It remains to be seen if such restruction will catch at future New Jersey proms – including in Secaucus – or if Readington’s ban will be quickly swept aside. Yahoo!: New Jersey…
State: Secaucus Schools ‘Lag’
Secaucus schools lag in several areas like academic performance and performance on statewide tests compared to peer schools and others statewide, according to the latest round of “report cards” released by the state. Secaucus High School was found to lag — “lagging” is defined as the 20-39% range — in academic performance, outperforming only 24% of its peers and 37% of schools statewide. SHS was found to be about average for college and career readiness, but it ranked very high for graduation and post-secondary performance, outscoring 91% of its peer schools. Secaucus High students outscored only 29% of peers on the statewide HSPA test for Language Arts and only 19% of peers for Math. Statewide,…
Election Losers Sore
MaryAnn Weiner and Salvatore Manente are citing Mayor Gonnelli’s “political machine” for their losses in Tuesday’s school board election, according to a report in The Record. Weiner and Manente got the fewest votes in the six-person race (unofficial results indicate a large margin) and feel they were bested because the mayor and Town Council actively supported the eventual victors. The underlying implication is that the winners of the election will now be beholden to the mayor and the council, a charge the newly-elected John Gebasio denies in the article. Gerbasio received the most votes in the election while school board president Jack McStowe and Kathy Huber-O’Connell were also elected. The Record: 2 Secaucus incumbents say ‘machine’…
Budget Passes, Voters Oust Incumbents
Secaucus voters ousted two incumbents for the Board of Education Tuesday night while board president Jack McStowe was re-elected and the $35M budget passed by a wide margin for the first time in three years. John Gerbasio and Kathy O’Connell easily defeated sitting trustees Sal Manente and MaryAnn Weiner with 1,513 and 1,429 votes, respectively. Manente garnered only 546 votes while Weiner picked up 558. Former trustee Tom Troyer got 409 votes. Voters approved the $32M levy for the $35M school budget by a 1,232 to 707 margin, or 64% to 36%. They also approved an addition $175K in spending for security personnel and training, 57% to 42%, showing safety is still on the minds…
Crime
Car Thefts Spark Warning
Three cars stolen in similar fashion over the past month have sparked Secaucus Police to issue a warning to residents who leave their keys in the ignition of vehicles. First Ward Councilman Gary Jeffas said the recent thefts occurred after people left their car engines running and jumped out to run a quick errand. “Take the time to shut it off and lock it if you’re just running out,” said Jeffas, passing along the reminder at the request of the police. First Ward Councilman Rob Costantino said he was previously the victim of a similar theft. “It does happen,” he said sheepishly. “So please, listen to Gary.”
Town Examines Gun Control
The elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut has sparked a nationwide debate on gun control that reached the Secaucus Town Council last month to urge the town to adopt stricter gun laws. Secaucus resident Don Evanson addressed the council with a number of suggestions, including a weapons census and a buyback program, among others. “The Town Council has an obligation to protect, not just the children of Secaucus, but all 17,000 residents of this wonderful town.” The Hudson Reporter has an in-depth piece on Evanson’s comments as well as the town’s response and potential future actions. Hudson Reporter: Gun control in Secaucus Resident’s remarks prompt look at what can be done locally
Secaucus Man Choked by Union City Mayor?
Secaucus resident Ray Mitchell has accused Union City mayor Brian Stack of choking him at a Union City Christmas party, according to the The Jersey Journal. Mitchell alleges that Stack approached him at the party to question his appearances at Union City public meetings. Stack accused the 33-year-old Mitchell of being ”spy” before attempting to choke him. Stack denied the charges in a statement released by Union City spokesman Mark Albiez but a hearing date has been set for January 7 after Mitchell filed assault charges. The Jersey Journal: Secaucus resident says Union City Mayor Stack choked him at holiday party
Fire House Misconduct
Following a series of incidents that included alcohol, fighting and destruction of public property, the recreation room at the North End Fire House has been shut down by town officials, according to the Hudson Reporter. The fire house, which is located on Paterson Plank Road near Huber Street Elementary School, was closed indefinitely by the Secaucus Police Department on Sunday and an investigation is underway. The fire fighters are still able to respond to calls, but the second floor and back rooms – which included a full bar and flatscreen TVs – have had their locks changed. Punishment will be handed out by the fire chiefs and Town Attorney Anthony D’Elia will examine potential disciplinary actions. To make…
Bank Thief Busted
A man charged for trying to withdraw money from a bank in Vermont under an assumed name in March was busted while attempting to commit the same exact crime at the Capital One Bank in Secaucus earlier this week. Cary L. Kleiner filled out a withdrawal form for $3,200 under his victim’s name. He had acquired a New York driver’s license with his photo on it and an American Express card in his victim’s name in an attempt to assume the person’s identity. The 41-year-old Kleiner made a court appearance in Jersey City yesterday and was charged with identity theft, forgery, using a false license, fraudulent use of a credit card and resisting arrest. His bail…