Menendez calls for boycott of 2011 All-Star baseball game
U .S. Sen. Robert Menendez, in a letter sent on Monday to the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), encouraged the association to boycott next year’s All-Star Game in Phoenix to protest the recently passed Arizona law to crack down on illegal immigrants.
Menendez, the former Union City mayor and the only Latino serving in the U.S. Senate, stated in the letter that “Latinos represent 27 percent of all MLB players and 28 percent of MLB players are foreign born, “ and “these players come to the United States legally and should not be subjected to the humiliation and harassment that SB1070 would inflict. “
SB1070, also known as the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, was signed into passage by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer last month and goes into effect in July. Specifically, the state law makes it a misdemeanor for someone who is not a U.S. citizen, referred to as an alien in the bill, to be in Arizona without carrying documents attesting to their citizenship and also penalizes those who hire or shelter ‘aliens.’
Supporters of the bill said it needed to passed since Arizona, as a state that borders Mexico, has seen a rise in murders and kidnappings that they attribute to Mexicans coming across the border, with an estimated 460,000 coming into the state without legal documents. But Menendez said in his letter that the bill “codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally. “ Other critics say SB1070 supersedes the federal government’s authority to enact and enforce immigration laws.
Menendez, 56, was born in New York City. He is the son of Cuban immigrants who came to the U.S. in 1953. He currently represents New Jersey’s 13th District, which includes most of Hudson County, with Hispanics making up about 47 percent of the district’s population.
All kinds of road and sidewalk work in JC
A recent Jersey City Reporter article reported that roadwork and streetscape projects were being done on some downtown Jersey City streets. It turns out there’s plenty more to report.
Among the projects across the city that are either completed, in progress or about to start, according to the city:
Sip Avenue resurfacing from Bergen Avenue to JFK Blvd: English Paving is to start concrete curb and sidewalk work along Sip Avenue by the end of this week, with the entire project to be completed by July.
Citywide Curb and Sidewalk Improvements: Diamond Construction has completed all handicapped ramps at intersection corners in the city’s Greenville section, and work has already begun in the city’s Heights section. The improvements are necessary in order to meet current ADA requirements.
Resurfacing of Garfield Avenue (Cator Avenue to JC/Bayonne City Line), Danforth Avenue (Old Bergen Road to Route 440), and Westside Avenue (Communipaw Avenue to Ege Avenue): English Paving has already completed the concrete curb and sidewalk construction along Garfield, and work has already started on Danforth Avenue with Westside Avenue to follow.
Report: Attorney says Hoboken SWAT cop should be fired
An attorney contracted by the city to deal with a matter involving suspended Police Lt. Angelo Andriani has recommended to the city that the officer be fired, according to a newspaper report.
Andriani was already suspended based on a series of scandals involving the now-disbanded Hoboken SWAT team. Recently, he was in more trouble after he allegedly flashed a police badge at a Tampa airport, despite being suspended.
Attorney Thomas Portelli recommended that he be fired. Now, the city’s police chief, director of public safety and mayor must decide whether to approve the recommendation, according to the newspaper report.
Happy hour for shelter
The Hoboken Homeless Shelter is sponsoring a happy hour fundraiser on Thursday, May 13 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the second floor at Black Bear, 205 Washington St. Live acoustic appetizer buffet, drink specials, and great raffle prizes will be available.
A minimum donation of $25 at the door is recommended with all proceeds going to the shelter. If you can not attend the event but would like to make an online donation to the shelter, visit www.hobokenshelter.org/donors/Donor_Main.html.
‘Ernest’ musical comes to Hudson School
On Friday and Saturday, May 14 and 15 at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, May 16 at 6 p.m., Hudson Productions will present “Ernest in Love, “ a musical comedy based on Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest, “ at the Hudson School Performance Space, 601 Park Ave.
Price of admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. To reserve tickets, please call (201) 659-8335, ext. 317.
The comedy of jumbled identities and thwarted romance intersperses Wilde’s witty dialogue with entertaining songs and dances, and features the talents of Hudson School students under the direction of Hoboken residents Anne-Marie Marcazzo and Hudson alumnus Gabe Hernandez. Book and lyrics are by Anne Croswell and music was composed by Lee Pockriss.
The dazzled lovers are portrayed by Evan Dibbs, Stella Porter, Lucinda Mandel, and Robert Stark of Hoboken.
Public access show needs participants
This Public Voice Salon, a new weekly television show seeking a creative citizen dialogue that mixes talk of art, politics, personal stories, and the burning issues of the day, is set to premier on the Hudson County Public Access Cable Thursday evenings from 8 to 9 p.m.
Producers are looking for residents who would like to appear on the show, as an antidote to media “talking heads. “
“We seek to be a rare, hopeful, non-scripted space for people to discover their public voices; while learning the art of creating an authentic community, “ producers said.
The show is open to guest speaker like authors, artists, or activists. If you’d like to be considered as a salon participant or guest, e-mail a brief paragraph about yourself and why you’d like to be part of this project to John at jfbredin@hotmail.com.
The first show will be taped at Symposia Bookstore in Hoboken on May 20 at 7 p.m. Space is limited to 15 people per show, but your name will go on a list for future meetings.
Hoboken resident John Bredin, the creator and host of the Public Voice Salon, is a writer, real estate agent, and professor of English at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
High school musical ‘Honk’
The Hoboken High School theater group will present four performances of their spring musical “Honk! Junior “ on Friday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 15 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; and on Sunday, May 16 at 2 p.m.
All performances are in the Hoboken High School Auditorium on Clinton Street between 8th and 9th streets.
This award-winning, contemporary telling of the Ugly Duckling story is a fun filled adventure in discovering the joys of being different with by Anthony Drewe and music by George Stiles.
Tickets are $10 for general admission; $7 for college students; $5 for students; and $2 for senior citizens.
For more information, call (201) 356-3700.
HOHA Classic
On Sunday, May 16, the Hoboken Harriers Running Club (or HOHA) and All Saints Community Development Corporation will hold the 12th annual HOHA Classic 5-Mile Race, starting at 10 a.m. at Pier A Park, one block north of the PATH station. A shorter, 1-mile Fun Run for children will be held at 9:30 a.m.
Proceeds from the race will benefit the Jubilee Family Life Center, a non-denominational community center in Hoboken that provides after school youth programs for Hoboken’s needy.
Advance registration is $20, and race day registration is $25; the fun run is $5. Advance registration is available on the Internet, through a link at www.hoha.net, or you may complete and submit an application through the mail if postmarked by May 11. Applications can be obtained at Fleet Feet running store, located at 604 Washington St. For more information, visit www.hoha.net.
Relay For Life
Relay For Life is a fun-filled event designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer in our community.
Hoboken’s Relay For Life will be held on Saturday, May 22, from 11a.m. to 11 p.m.at Pier A Park where teams of people gather and take turns walking laps. The premise is to keep at least one team member on the track at all times. But Relay is much more than a walk, organizers said, it is also a time to remember those lost to cancer and celebrate those who have survived. During the event, the teams honor cancer survivors during the morning “Survivors Lap “ and remember those who have died from cancer during a “Luminaria Ceremony “ at dusk.
There will also be family-friendly activities, including clowns, a water-balloon toss, team tug of war, costume-theme laps, and more. A variety of local bands are also scheduled to play throughout the day, including cover band Not For Nothing, alt-rock group Turnpike South, pop rock quartet Emergency Now, classic rock cover band Mad Dog Mary, and Radiohead tribute group Fitter, Happier.
For more information on Relay For Life or to get involved, please visit their website, www.relayforlife.org/hobokennj.
Annual baby parade
The Hoboken Histroical Museum is sponsoring the 9th annual Baby Parade, a promenade of Hoboken’s youngest residents in their finest or most creative outfits.
The parade will be held on Sunday, May 16 and registration is free starting at noon. The parade will kick off at 1 p.m. in Sinatra Park.
The most creative costumes will compete for trophies for best dressed baby, best dressed family, and most creative carriage. Thanks to our generous sponsors, goodie bags will be available to all participants.
For more information, call the museum at (201) 656-2240 or visit hobokenmuseum.org.