Rothman aide fired in alleged online prostitution sting
U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman (D-9th) fired his chief of staff Robert Decheine on Fri., Nov. 19 after Decheine was charged by Gaithersburg, Md. police with allegedly soliciting prostitution from a minor, according to FOX News, which broke the story Tuesday night. According to FOX, the arrest was part of an online sting operation.
No one was available in the congressman’s office to answer press phone calls about the matter late Tuesday evening.
Rothman, who represents the state’s ninth congressional district and who won reelection earlier this month, represents several communities in Hudson, Bergen, and Passaic counties, including Secaucus and parts of North Bergen and Jersey City.
Decheine ran his Washington, D.C. office.
Celebrate the holidays with Newport events
The Newport community of Jersey City proudly announces its Ninth Annual Tree Lighting and the seasonal grand opening of Newport Skates on Wednesday, Dec. 1 (rain date: Thursday, Dec. 2) from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Newport Town Square, Town Square Place and River Drive South in Jersey City.
Newport’s Town Square will shine in the glow of holiday lights, while the festivities kick off with music, treats and visits from a special guest and friends who come to Newport just once a year all the way from the North Pole. Seasonal music will ring throughout the Town Square event, as complimentary cookies and hot drinks help keep the chill away.
Also, a Menorah Lighting at Town Square will take place in Newport on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7:15 p.m., that will include Chanukah music, Chanukah menorah kits, Chanukah donuts, dreidels and chocolate gelt. For more information, call the Chabad Jewish Center of Hoboken at (201)386-5222 or www.jewishhoboken.com
Record show in JC
Jersey City is getting its own record show this Saturday, Dec. 4 from noon to 8 p.m.
Those hours are for regular admission, actually, and will cost you $3, while early birds can come at 10 a.m. if they’re willing to pay $20.
The “Jersey City Record/CD Riot” will be held at Parlay Studios at 161 Second St., Jersey City, near the Grove Street PATH station. It will be held by the same folks who run the Brooklyn Record Riot.
“Target and BJ’s are selling turntables now,” said show founder Stephen Gritzan, who owns Iris Records on Brunswick Street downtown. “So obviously there’s a serious subculture of vinyl collectors out there.”
For more information, see www.recordriots.com.
$10 million grant to ease traffic congestion in JC, Secaucus and North Bergen
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) Board of Commissioners has approved a plan to use a $10 million federal grant from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to modernize 128 intersections with traffic lights throughout the Meadowlands District.
The grant will enable New Jersey to implement the Meadowlands Adaptive Signal System for Traffic Reduction, which the NJMC promises will help boost the local economy by improving traffic flow through the region.
In addition to the 32 intersections in Secaucus, the grant will also be used to improve 23 intersections in North Bergen and 11 intersections in Jersey City.
Specifically, the Adaptive Signal System uses traffic signal software, real-time vehicle image detection tools, and wireless communication to modernize and improve upon traffic lights. The timing of traffic signals will be adjusted based upon changing traffic flow.