Tabbachino faces separate trials
According to published reports, former Guttenberg Councilman Vincent Tabbachino will face one trial for bribery and extortion and a separate trial for money laundering charges, all stemming from last July’s FBI sting operation of 44 political and religious leaders in the metropolitan area. Tabbachino and Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez are co-defendants on bribery and extortion charges.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Tabbachino allegedly accepted $10,000 from government informant Solomon Dwek, which was deposited into a lawsuit fund for Suarez. The cash was allegedly a bribe in exchange for Suarez’s preferential treatment for Dwek, who said he planned to develop real estate in Ridgefield. Last summer Tabbachino and Suarez were among dozens of officials who were charged with alleged political corruption and money laundering in “Operation Bid Rig.”
Tabbachino also allegedly accepted three checks totaling $100,000 from Dwek to launder for Dwek’s knockoff handbag business, which was actually a front.
Tabbaccino’s trial with Suarez is scheduled to begin for Oct. 4. The money laundering charges will be tried afterward.
North Hudson puts out fire in Galaxy Towers
North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue extinguished a fire on the 23rd floor in one of the Galaxy Towers on Wednesday morning, according to Acting Deputy Chief Michael Oriente.
Oriente said that NHRFR received a report of a fire in Tower 3. He said that 50 firefighters responded to the scene, where apparently the unit’s bedroom was on fire. The fire was contained to that apartment, which sustained fire and smoke damage throughout, Oriente said. One firefighter received a minor injury, but remained on duty. By 8:22 a.m. the fire was extinguished.
Residents of the Galaxy were not asked to evacuate since the fire was contained in that one unit, but were asked to remain in their apartments. Mayor Gerald Drasheff, who is a Galaxy resident and Regional commissioner, said that the NHRFR did an exceptional job fighting the fire.
The residents of the unit, who were on vacation at the time, were notified of the fire.
The Guttenberg Police Department and the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety are investigating the cause.
Family displaced after fire, four firefighters injured
A fire on July 24 caused a North Bergen family to be displaced and injured four firefighters, said Acting Deputy Chief Michael Oriente.
Oriente said that on July 24 at 4:46 p.m., North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue responded to smoke at 1616 53rd St. in North Bergen. Firefighters determined a fire may have begun between the basement and first floor, spreading through the walls of the building. Oriente said that the basement was crowded with “debris” and household items.
Forty firefighters battled the blaze and were able to extinguish the fire. The building suffered extensive smoke and fire damage, prohibiting the family from returning.
Oriente said the temperature was 98 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat index of 100, so firefighters rotated attacking the fire to avoid heat exhaustion. The Jersey City Fire Gong Club, a mutual aid canteen unit, was also at the scene.
Three firefighters suffered heat exhaustion, and a fourth injured his knee.
Football registration scheduled
The North Bergen Youth Football Recreation League will hold registration beginning Aug. 2 from Monday through Friday at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Lou Piantadosi Youth Center (otherwise known as the Pop Warner Building), located at 6300 Meadowview Ave.
Parents may also register their children from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the recreation office during the month of August, or until teams are full.
Boys aged 7 to 14 may join football; girls ages 7 to 11 can sign up for cheerleading; and girls ages 5 and 6 can become pom poms. Volunteer coaches are also needed.
For more information, call (201)861- 9601 or (201) 869-6950.
Bus trip set to ‘Musicfest 101’
T he German-American World Historical Society is sponsoring a bus excursion to “Musicfest 101,” which will be held in Bethlehem, Penn. on Aug. 8.
The trip is open to the general public, but is limited to 46 passengers.
The price is $40 for adults and $35 for children up to 12 years old. Amenities will include round trip transportation, refreshments on the bus, reserved seating at the festival, and a food and beverage ticket valued at $10 per person.
The festival will have 11 stages with a variety of musical entertainment throughout the evening.
The bus will leave from Schuetzen Park Senator Lounge, located on Bergen Turnpike, by 32nd Street and Kennedy Boulevard.
For more information, or to reserve tickets, call (201) 553-9171.
Schools superintendents may face pay cap
A s part of his 33-bill “tool kit,” Gov. Chris Christie is proposing a cap on salaries for superintendents of schools in New Jersey based on enrollment, which could affect almost every superintendent in Hudson County.
The proposal would establish a $175,000 cap for superintendents in districts with 3,001 to 10,000 students and a $150,000 cap for fewer. There would be no cap for superintendents of districts with more than 10,000 pupils.
The move would not affect Jersey City and Union City because Union City has just over 10,000 students and Jersey City has more than double that amount.
The move also would not immediately affect West New York, because new Superintendent John Fauta just received a five-year contract, and Christie’s proposal will affect any future contracts received, not current ones. Fauta’s contract is for $219,000 per year.
The superintendents of Guttenberg, Weehawken, and the Hudson County Schools of Technology would be held to the $150,000 cap, as those districts have fewer than 1,500 students.
According to published reports, Union City Superintendent of Schools Stanley Sanger currently earns roughly $222,000 per year.