After lobbying by city and county officials, Hudson County has been included in the Major Disaster Declaration in the wake of Tropical Storm Ida. As a result, Jersey City residents and business will now have access to federal aid.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop had called it “absolutely crazy/shameful that Hudson County was not included” on a list of counties declared disaster areas.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla agreed, tweeting “Many residents & businesses suffered tremendous damage – I saw businesses that had to scramble to buy flood pumps, rip out floors, pay a contractor for repairs & suffer the loss of business.”
Who knew the birds and the bees wasn’t just about sex? This reporter didn’t until she learned all about native plants from The Hudson County Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, which is having its first native plant sale right here in Jersey City Sunday, Sept 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Canco Park.
Some of the dozens of varieties sold will include Cypripedium acaule (Pink Lady’s Slipper), Aronia melanocarpa`Viking’ (‘Viking’ Aronia Berry), Sarracenia leucophylla (‘White Trumpet’Pitcher Plant), Allium tricoccum (Ramps), and Comptonia peregrina (Sweet Fern). And the event will feature gardening lectures, discussions with birders, and kids’ activities.
Native plants are so much more beneficial than non-native species, said Lorraine Freeney, one of three co-founders of the Hudson County chapter. “They’re easier to care for, because they’re adapted to the climate. They require less water and are hardier. But their biggest benefit, according to Freeney, “is that they support a healthy ecosystem in a way that non-native plants can’t. Native plants evolved alongside our insects, birds and other animals in mutually beneficial relationships. They provide food (pollen, nectar, seeds, fruit) and habitat for those creatures, and in turn, insects and birds pollinate the plants and help them spread.”
Or as co-founder Dawn Giambalvo put it, “When all of those neighbors link up and share food and water, it’s like the best block party you’ve ever been to; everyone grows.”
Giambalvo said native plants also inhibit the growth of weeds.
Well-Sweep Herb Farm, which boasts one of the largest collections of herbs and perennials in the country, will provide the plants available for purchase, some of which would be considered rare, according to nursery owner David Hyde. Hyde will be one of two featured lecturers at the event, sharing information on natives’ benefits, and proper plant installation and care. Hoboken author Marnie Fylling will be on hand to sign copies of Fylling’s Illustrated Guide to Your Neighborhood, and kids can learn how to make seed “bombs,” tag monarch butterflies, and make nature-based origami.
Many people associate springtime with plants, but event co-leader Kim Correro explained why the event is taking place in the fall.
“We’ve learned planting in the fall rather than the spring gives the plant’s root system time to establish itself and the plant a better chance of thriving in spring,” she said.
The Native Plant Society of New Jersey conducts regular lectures, presentations, and webinars, organizes nature walks and garden tours, and dispenses advice on design and maintenance of native gardens and landscapes. More information on the organization and on its upcoming webinar “Nature and Gardeners,” featuring renowned birder Julie Zickefoose, can be found on the organization’s website. Those with questions about the Hudson County chapter of NPSNJ can contact hudson@npsnj.org.
This morning a deranged man threw a one month-old baby off of a second floor balcony. There to catch the baby and bring it to safety were two Jersey City police officers.
According to multiple reports, at approximately 9:30 a.m. police responded to a home on Rose Avenue where a man was reportedly threatening the child. A video of the scene was posted to Instagram.
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez tweeted her thanks to the officers involved.
“Kudos to the JCPD and all the officers involved for their heroics and for bringing a safe conclusion to this dangerous situation. We especially want to acknowledge the actions & bravery of the negotiator and first-responding PO Joseph Casey, South District PO Eduardo Matute who safely caught the baby after being dropped from a 2nd floor balcony & Incident Commander Capt Michael McKerry. Thank you, Officers!”
According to city spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione, the baby was taken to the hospital to be evaluated as a precautionary measure.
Hudson County View quoted Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association President Joe Cossolini. “We are celebrating a beautiful life today instead of reading a tragic story because of the quick thinking, bravery, and team work exhibited by all of the officers who responded today. They are real life super heroes.”
The man who threw the baby from the balcony has been arrested.
A Jersey City Police officer pleaded guilty today to a charge that he traveled to Atlantic City in order to sexually assault two underage girls, according to Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck.
The defendant, Stephen T. Wilson, 34, of Bayonne, was arrested on February 26, 2021 after he traveled to Atlantic City in order to meet two girls, ages 10 and 8, to sexually assault. The girls had been offered to him by adults he met on an “incest” chat group. He had agreed to pay $200 and, at the time of his arrest, had condoms and more than $500 in cash in his possession.
Wilson was suspended by the department following his arrest.
Today Wilson pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury Jr. in Atlantic County to one count of second-degree Attempted Aggravated Sexual Assault.
Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Wilson be sentenced to eight years in state prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.
Sentencing for Wilson is scheduled for October 21, 2021.
“Predators like Wilson will go to great lengths to sexually exploit children, but law enforcement will go farther to bring them to justice,” said Acting Attorney General Bruck. “Let this sentence serve as a warning to anyone who believes they can exploit or prey on innocent children. We will continue to work with our partners to aggressively investigate and prosecute child predators.”
Jersey City has been uniquely slow in distributing money under a federally funded rental assistance program, according to an article published today in HuffPost. “Jersey City offers a case study in why so much of the federal aid is still not getting to the people who need it” writes Washington Bureau Chief Amanda Terkel.
According to the article, Jersey City denied 800 of approximately 1,100 applications for rental assistance, largely because the applicants did not live in owner-occupied buildings.
Adam Gordon, executive director at Fair Share Housing Center in New Jersey, told HuffPost that he wasn’t aware of any other program in New Jersey ― including the one run by the state itself ― that imposed that condition.
As a result, as of Sept. 9, Jersey City “had approved just 45 applications and handed out $450,000, out of the $7.8 million provided by the federal government.”
The decision to restrict funding to individuals in owner-occupied buildings came from Mayor Fulop according to a source who requested anonymity.
Mayoral Spokesperson Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione told HuffPost that the city wanted to first “focus on buildings where the owner lives and relies on the rental income for sustaining their own home as opposed to an owner who has a multiple investment properties or is a larger developer in the city.”
“We knew that if we broadly open the program, a couple of the very large developers/landlords that are more organized would exhaust the funds with their several hundred unit buildings,” she told HuffPost.
“We were very clear that we opened that program for 2 weeks (owner occupied), and we were very clear that after 2 weeks we are expanding to slightly larger buildings, and then again 2 weeks later larger buildings” she also said.
Gordon, for his part, apparently acknowledged that getting rental aid to landlords of owner-occupied buildings, who are often more financially vulnerable than larger landlords, might make some sense. “That said, from the tenant’s perspective, whether or not they’re renting from a small landlord or a large landlord, they still have the financial burden and the need,” he added.
However, the article also points out that Jersey City was much slower the county and state in setting up its program, has confusing messaging on its website and is working against a federal deadline to distribute the money.
This afternoon, they could be seen at the western end of the mall smoothing a mix of concrete and stone to create the roadbed onto which “pavers” will be laid. Among many improvements, the design calls for leveling the street with the sidewalks.
Meanwhile, at the Grove Street end of Newark Avenue, workers had a more urgent task ahead of them: finishing the replacement of a new water main, filling in the trench and paving the street to be usable for the throngs of vendors and visitors expected on Saturday.
A worker from the Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) who said they were struggling with a valve on one building was, nonetheless, confident that the street would be ready for the fair. “By tomorrow we should have the paving done. By the 17th in the morning we’ll be cleaning up.”
The brainchild of Mayor Fulop and the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District, the closure of Newark Avenue to automobiles began on a trial basis in 2014. At the time, there was some pushback from businesses concerned about losing parking spaces and customers who could no longer access their businesses by automobile. Ultimately, however, many business owners found that such fears were unwarranted as foot traffic increased and new restaurants such as Porta and South House moved in, bringing throngs of evening and weekend customers. The closure was made permanent a year later.
Workers laying concrete bed
Initially located on Newark Avenue, between Erie and Grove Streets, the mall was extended an additional block to Jersey Avenue in 2018.
The All About Downtown Jersey City Street Fair, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, returns on Saturday and runs from 12 to 8. It will feature vendors selling everything from handmade candles and jewelry to local businesses promoting their services and wares. The fair also has kids rides and face painting, beer gardens, and live music throughout the day. For information, go here.
It was the winter of 2017 and I had had enough, enough of the puddle of water straddling a piece of sidewalk just down the street from my home, enough of homeowners who didn’t give a sh** about their neighbors. Weren’t property owners supposed to keep their sidewalks in good repair? I already knew the answer: Yes. I snapped a picture and fired up the SeeClickFix app on my phone.
***
The SeeClickFix app had been rolled out in 2016 to some fanfare.
“Government — especially local government — needs to be as responsive to its citizens as possible. … This new platform will transform how we communicate with our constituents and will allow us to deliver services where and when they want it” said Mayor Steven Fulop at the time.
According to the city’s website, the app would let me “easily report broken sidewalks, strewn litter or essentially any issue that may affect the quality of life.” The task of responding to these reports would fall to the city’s Resident Response Center.
This was just the kind of efficient high-tech solution I loved. I was totally down for it.
Wayne Street sidewalk puddle garnished with trash and leaves
I attached the photo of the puddle and typed in the words “There is a deep depression here that collects water and garbage regularly.” I pressed send. Two days later, a woman named Valerie responded. “I will send an inspector out from Housing Code.” Great, I’m in business, I thought.
Well, if you’ve already figured out where this story is going, go to the head of the class. Yes, 34 emails, four inspections, three violations, one summons, the intervention of a city councilman and a municipal court case couldn’t get this little patch of urban cement fixed.
Four years later, the sidewalk remains as it was on that day back in 2017. It fills with water (see photo above). It fills with garbage. It freezes. If you’re paying attention, you’ll probably have no problem jumping over it. If you’re elderly and maybe using a walker, well there’s always the street. Just watch out for the potholes, Mom!
Sure, the problem of broken sidewalks doesn’t rival crime, affordable housing, or school funding in the hierarchy of pressing city needs. But maybe a city’s ability to fix little problems matters. Maybe we should be concerned when it can’t get the easy things done. What does that say about the city’s ability to fix hard problems?
Below is the official SeeClickFix log concerning the sidewalk that SeeClickFix couldn’t fix. Think of it as an allegory of municipal dysfunction. Those bubbles? Those were my thoughts — as I remember them — as this sad episode played out.
2017
2018
2019
January 2, 2020
“Seems bizarre given the photos I saw.” Ward E Councilman James Solomon
July 2020
Epilogue
On September 15, 2021, I called the Resident Response Center to find out what had become of the case at the municipal court. The polite young woman on the other end of the line said, “They don’t provide us with any of that info. Was the case not resolved?” No, I responded. “Let me create a new case,” she said. She promised to send me emails as it progresses.
Two people were shot this afternoon in the vicinity of Crescent Avenue and Harmon Street in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood.
One of the victims was shot in the ankle and the other in the leg. They were taken to Jersey City Medical Center. One is in stable condition.
The police are reporting that the shooting may relate to a dispute between different neighborhood groups and that there is the “potential for further violence.”
Police are on the lookout for an armed male described as Black, wearing all black clothing and black and white sneakers.
Lincoln High School has been temporarily locked down.
Police are currently conducting an investigation at two separate crime scenes.
By early 2023, Jersey City’s homeless will have a new place to shelter and obtain help Downtown.
Today, Mayor Fulop was joined by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, dignitaries and the site’s developers to officially begin construction on the brand new, 60,000 square foot homeless services facility located along Grove Street, between 15th and 16th Streets.
“With this groundbreaking, we’re building a safe space that will not only provide food and shelter for those in need, but we’re also utilizing St. Lucy’s established success as the foundation to build a brighter, more prosperous future for our neediest residents and families for generations to come,” said the mayor. “As we work collectively to eradicate homelessness, the City is committing over $2 million in grant funding to help expand beyond traditional shelter services to also include more permanent housing options and transitional support as well as everyday necessities that better address the health and well-being of our most vulnerable residents.”
The newly expanded St. Lucy’s campus will feature a total of 165 beds for individuals who are homeless, 14 units of transitional housing for individuals with HIV, five permanent supportive housing units specifically for families, and 15 permanent affordable housing studio apartments. The housing and public services site also provides its temporary and permanent residents with access to comprehensive case management services offered on-site, with the goal being to help the individual find permanent housing, find employment, and address any other needs that they may have, such as physical health, mental health, or substance use.
“This project is a tangible example of how the Archdiocese of Newark is heeding the call of Jesus, who asked his followers to help the vulnerable,” said Cardinal Tobin. “Projects like this are desperately needed to bring the Gospel to life, which is why we are thankful to Mayor Fulop for his support and the ongoing collaboration between the development team and Catholic Charities. May their partnership continue to prosper as they begin the construction process.” WWW.JERSEYCITYNJ.GOV
St. Lucy’s Groundbreaking
Catholic Charities will have staff offices on the second floor of the new shelter where clients can be seen. The second floor will also include a drop-in area for nonresidents in need who can utilize St. Lucy’s services for showers, meals, and the new laundry facilities.
The St. Lucy’s Public Benefit Project and related St. Lucy’s Tower development effort has been underway since 2015 and includes a series of now complete property exchanges, zoning approvals, and overall planning consent. The new $16 million facility is fully funded through Claremont Companies and at no cost to Jersey City taxpayers, according to the mayor’s spokesperson.
“As one of the largest and longest-standing homeless shelters in the state, St. Lucy’s has always played a pivotal role in helping so many within our community,” said John Westervelt, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities. “We couldn’t be more excited to mark the commencement of construction activity on such a transformational project. Our team really is looking forward to this state-of-the-art facility that will enable us to provide more services to our vulnerable neighbors.”
