Hoboken Mayor Cammarano to be sentenced Thursday
HOBOKEN — Former Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, who had been in office only three weeks when he was arrested in a July 2009 FBI sting of politicians, is scheduled to be sentenced at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 5. (His sentencing was pushed back from Tuesday).
The young attorney pleaded guilty in April to one count of “conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion under the color of right,” a felony. He could be facing 20 years in prison.
To find out his sentence, check out www.hudsonreporter.com on Thursday following the sentencing.
Jersey City man killed Sunday morning after being hit by at least three shots
JERSEY CITY — In the 14th homicide in Jersey City this year, a 21-year-old city man was killed Sunday morning in the city’s Greenville section.
Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said Bryle Brooks of Dales Avenue was found dead around 1:30 a.m. in front of 30 Martin Luther King Drive. DeFazio said Brooks was shot at least three times, with bullets landing in his head, arm and neck.
DeFazio said no motive has been “definitively determined.” He said some information received so far indicate that it “may or may not be gang-related.”
DeFazio said numerous witnesses have been interviewed in the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information on the shooting can call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at (201) 915-1345.
Although 14 homicides have occurred so far this year, that number is less than this time last year. See below for links to recent articles on crime in Jersey City.
Hoboken police say layoffs were announced as two mayoral aides got raises
HOBOKEN — D.B.Ross, Jr., Esq., the attorney for two Hoboken police unions, issued a “statement of position” Monday regarding the proposed layoffs and demotions in the Hoboken Police Department. The position decries Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s layoff plan but also says that the city has wasted money in other areas that could be used to save police personnel.
The release notes: “It is essential that the residents, taxpayers, local business people and city officials fully understand the facts before the lives of 37 police officers are irreparably altered and the level of police services is substantially reduced. At the center of this matter of vital importance to Hoboken is the true motivation of the city – is it fiscal responsibility or animosity toward the police department?”
Among other issues, they noted: “If there are 19 demotions, the city may save $220,000 and 18 layoffs may save $990,000 in salary and benefits for a total of $1.21 million. That’s a $75 per year savings for each of the city’s 16,000 taxpayers. That equates to approximately $1.50 per week. If this cut in policing causes a crime increase, property values will decline much more than $75. Some who would destroy the department made claims on their websites earlier this year that the police demotions would save $5.2 million. That is simply not true. As stated, the fact is that the savings would approximate only $220,000.”
They also note, “On the same day that Mayor Zimmer announced layoffs, spokesman Juan Melli received a $15,000 raise and Mayoral Aide Daniel Bryan received a $12,000 raise.”
For the full text, see www.hudsonreporter.com.
Stevens grant may help various local schools
The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken has been awarded a three-year, $1.7 million Mathematics and Science Partnership grant from the New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Mathematics and Science Education.
The program prepares K-12 teachers in math and science to enhance students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
The Bayonne, Jersey City, Secaucus, and Weehawken school districts are all included among the partner school districts that will benefit, as well as private schools like All Saints Academy and Marist High in Bayonne, St. Nicholas in Jersey City, and St. Augustine’s School and St. Francis Academy in Union City.
“This project blends the unique talents and strengths of elementary, middle, and high school teachers with university faculty and staff to explore science and mathematics topics in great depth, so that classrooms from elementary grades through high school will be enriched,” said Dr. Philip Leopold, a professor and director of the chemistry, chemical biology and biomedical engineering department at Stevens.
Volunteers sought to help foster care children
Hudson County CASA is currently recruiting volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA (court appointed special advocate) works through trained community volunteers to insure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes.
CASA and its volunteers speak for children in court, serve as fact finders for the judges and safeguard the interests of the children while they are in the foster care system.
Information sessions regarding the program and the role of its volunteers will be held on Aug. 10 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Room 901 of the Hudson County Administration Building at 595 Newark Ave. in Jersey City.
Hudson County has over 750 children in foster care; most have been removed from their homes for abuse or neglect. For further information, please call (201) 795-9855, e-mail mveenhof@hudsoncountycasa.org or visit our website at www.hudsoncountycasa.org.