Hudson County athlete was illegally recruited
As previously reported in Jim Hague’s Hudson Reporter sports column, the decision to eliminate athletics at the county’s public high schools wasn’t only spurred by a need to save money. Some were whispering that the drawing of athletes from other local public schools had irked local mayors. And in fact, if it involved overt recruiting, it was illegal.
The Hudson County Board of Freeholders met last week to discuss the pending end of athletic programs at the Hudson County Schools of Technology, namely County Prep in Jersey City and High Tech in North Bergen.
At this latest meeting, Frank Gargiulo, the superintendent for the Schools of Technology, admitted that there was a student/athlete who was inappropriately recruited to attend High Tech.
In his May 2 column, Hague wrote, “Officials cited a $4.7 million budget deficit created by Gov. Christopher Christie’s massive cutbacks in educational costs statewide. But make no bones about it. The athletic programs were given the death knell by the local leaders, the mayors of the municipalities who were tired of the county schools pilfering the top student/athletes from the local districts and putting them on the rosters at High Tech and County Prep…”
What’s more, Hague wrote, “Apparently, one mayor found out about a prospective athlete ending up at one of the county schools who allegedly didn’t go through the proper channels – like filling out the proper applications or earning the proper acceptances through the necessary minimum grade requirements. The application process was possibly circumvented by an active coach at one of the county schools. That was the last straw.”
Touchdown, Meadowlands!
Nearly a week after the owners of the 32 teams in the National Football League voted to give Super Bowl XLVIII to New York/New Jersey, the region is still weathering “Ice Bowl” and Superrrrrrr Bowl jokes from envious cities that didn’t make the cut.
We predict they won’t be laughing come February 2014 when hefty tourism dollars pour into the region.
There are some #TK hotel rooms in the Meadowlands region, #TK in Secaucus alone. And every one of those rooms will be booked in the days leading up to kick-off.
Of course all those guests will need to eat, travel to and from the airport, and will probably pick up a few souvenirs for the folks back home. In all, tourism industry officials are predicting a $TK boon for the region.
Bob’s opens at Mill Creek Mall
On Thursday, May 27, Bob’s Discount Furniture became the last retailer to open at the redeveloped Mill Creek Mall in Secaucus.
Several years ago, Hartz Mountain Industries, which owns Mill Creek, set out to recreate the Harmon Meadow area for a new generation of consumers. In one sense, the timing could not have been worse, as the retail sector has suffered its worst reversals in memory over the last three years. But Harmon Meadow, the prototypical mixed-use center, has weathered many real estate cycles. Since Walmart and Sam’s Club broke ground in 2002, more than 1 million square feet of new entertainment and retail uses have been attracted, with many stores reporting gross sales figures that put them at the top of their chains, including Raymour & Flanagan, Marshall’s, Home Goods, A.C. Moore Arts and Crafts, PetSmart, PetsHotel, Sports Authority, Toys “R”Us, Babies “R” Us, TJ Maxx, Casual Male XL, and Kohl’s.
Movies scheduled for the Library
The Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center has another great line-up of movies in store for June, a diverse mix that includes drama, action/adventure, romantic comedy, and science fiction.
On screen next month will be: “Crazy Heart” (June 1), starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Robert Duvall; “It’s Complicated” (June 8) starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin; “Avatar” (June 15) starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Siqourney Weaver; “Extraordinary Measures,” (June 22) starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser; and an encore showing of “Sherlock Holmes” (June 20) for all those who missed the earlier presentation due to the town’s luncheon for seniors. Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey Jr. as the famous detective, Jude Law as Dr. Watson, and Rachel McAdams.
Movies are shown in the 2nd Floor Panasonic room each Tuesday beginning at 2 p.m. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be served. For more information regarding the library’s ongoing film series, call (201) 330-2083. The Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center is at 1379 Paterson Plank Road, Secaucus.