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 […]
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 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 […]
Posted inLatest News
City Takes Steps to Rein in Own Spending and to Help Beleaguered Renters
As Jersey City continues to suffer growing pains reflected by a surging municipal budget and the fastest growing rents in the New York City metropolitan area, the city’s municipal government spurred in part by Ward E Councilman James Solomon is taking steps aimed at reining in both. On January 25, the city rolled out a buyout offer […]
Posted inLatest News
Council Grapples with Payroll Glitches and Massive Back Pay Tab
Data overload caused Jersey City’s municipal payroll system to crash a few pay cycles ago. Slowly but surely, it’s been creeping back to normal, according to city administrators. Quizzed by City Council members at Monday’s caucus, James Carroll, assistant director of Human Resources, said the city is trying to switch all of its more than […]
Posted inLatest News
DeGise Pleads Guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Accident
As her dad, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise looked on, Jersey City’s embattled lawmaker Amy DeGise yesterday pleaded guilty to “leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death.” DeGise’s plea was the culmination of a 6-month ordeal that the city’s at-large lawmaker triggered when she drove her Nissan Rogue SUV through the intersection […]