They all came: students, teachers, union leaders, politicians from across the board, and, of course, the interim president of New Jersey City University. All of them came Monday to a union-sponsored “Fund NJCU” campus rally to plead the case for the survival of NJCU, to demand that Gov. Phil Murphy and state legislators come to […]
Ron Leir
Ron Leir has been a journalist since 1972. That includes a 37-year stint as a reporter, copy reader and assistant editor with The Jersey Journal, followed by a decade as a reporter with The Observer in Kearny. He has also pursued his avocation of acting, appearing mostly on small stages in NYC and New Jersey and several independent films.
Posted inNews
Council Revisits Cannabis Rules, Portside Tenants Plead for Help
With Jersey City’s Cannabis Control Board having already endorsed 41 applicants looking to set up shop as retailers, city lawmakers are now considering revising the procedures it set two years ago and then modified last year. That prospect emerged as the City Council voted Wednesday to support two applications for the operation of cannabis businesses […]
Posted inNews
Clerk Gets Tenure, Rec Head Gets a Grand Sendoff and Ferry Bids Are Nixed by Council
One Jersey City civil servant received plaudits and earned tenure while another veteran worker bade farewell at the City Council session last Thursday, Feb. 23. The council voted 8-0, with Ward C Councilmember Richard Boggiano absent, to reappoint Sean J. Gallagher, municipal clerk and local registrar of vital records, to a second three-year term through […]
Posted inNews
Lecture Highlights Role of Black Soldiers in American Revolution
Jersey City’s Muriel “Didi” Roberts belongs to the DAR—Daughters of the American Revolution. She was admitted for membership because her fifth great grandfather, eight generations removed, Plato Turner, served with distinction in the 2nd and 3rd Massachusetts Regiments fighting the British during the War for Independence. Roberts was researching her family tree, primarily through Ancestry.com, when she […]
Posted inWestside
Forestry Standards, Lead Pipes and West Side Development on Council’s Docket
At tonight’s City Council meeting, the council will finally be asked to vote on passage of the city’s revised forestry standards, guidelines that were initially adopted in 2018 and that have been undergoing hotly debated revisions for over a year. According to Tuesday night’s council caucus meeting, the lawmakers will also discuss issues involving residential […]
Posted inHeights
Skaters Decry Ice Rink Closure
To the consternation of hundreds of local skaters, Jersey City has shut down the Charlie Heger Municipal Ice Rink at Pershing Field due to repeated failures of the ice-making machinery. In a February 10 posting, the city announced that, “After decades of countless repairs and various attempts to fix the 20- to 30-year-old equipment, it […]
Posted inLatest News
Residents Await Explanation for JFK Wall Collapse
A week after a partial collapse of a wall of a bridge supporting JFK Boulevard where it crosses state highway Rt. 139 in Jersey City, traffic patterns are nearly back to normal. But a full explanation for the mishap—which, luckily, caused no injuries or deaths—and the prospects for completion of a high-rise residential development at […]
Posted inUncategorized
Council Moves Ahead on Courthouse Park and West Side Pedestrian Safety
This week Jersey City’s governing body got plaudits for taking action on adding green space to a Journal Square area starved for it and for beefing up pedestrian safety in the city’s West Side. But, once again, City Council members got an earful from tenants at Portside Towers and other locations, call of them to […]
Posted inNews
As it Pushes for Bikes over the Hackensack River, Cannabis Bedevils City Council
At Monday’s caucus, the City Council tried to clear the smoke around rules governing approvals for the growing list of cannabis business applicants. Simultaneously, the council wants the state to plan for bike crossings along the Hackensack River bridge. With two wannabe cannabis retailers seeking the go-ahead at tonight’s meeting, council members peppered city bureaucrats […]
Posted inLatest News
Despite Fire Concerns, City to Make Portion of St. Pauls Avenue One-Way
In hopes of reducing truck traffic and of increasing pedestrian safety along a busy stretch of Kennedy Boulevard near Journal Square, Jersey City plans to make St. Pauls Avenue one-way westbound between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue. Said the city’s chief fire officer, however, the move could hamper Fire Department capabilities. Currently, many trucks and […]