W Hotel to host amateur boxing event on July 7 to benefit HUMC
The fighting is about to pick up over the Hoboken University Medical Center, and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with the hospital’s pending sale. In fact, it will benefit a local AIDS organization.
The Hoboken University Medical Center Foundation will partner with Everlast and LA Boxing to host “Fight Night 2011” at the W Hotel, 225 River St., on July 7, at 7:30 p.m.
The event is being billed as “an exciting card of amateur fights sanctioned by the New Jersey Association of USA Boxing,” according to a release.
Ticket packages range from a general admission standing room ticket for $25 to a ring side seat with dinner at Zylo and an open bar at the W’s Chandelier Room for $205, with many other options in between.
All proceeds will support FAITH services. Founded in 1988, FAITH Services is the only HIV/AIDS dedicated agency in Hudson County, according to the hospital’s website.
To purchase tickets, go to www.hobokenumc.com or call (201) 418-2009. No tickets will be sold at the door.
May PATH train crash likely caused by human error, report says
The May 8 PATH train crash in Hoboken that sent 34 passengers to the hospital appears to be caused by human error, according to a story in the New York Post that quotes unnamed officials.
The train was travelling at more than three times the proper speed when it crashed into the station platform in Hoboken on the morning of May 8, according to the article.
The report also states that the train operator was inexperienced, having just finished her training months before the incident.
Hoboken SWAT officers announce $2 million settlement
Another chapter of the Hoboken 2008 S.W.A.T. mess is officially over.
On Tuesday, a Newark law firm that represents five Hispanic Hoboken police officers in a racial discrimination lawsuit scheduled a press conference to discuss a settlement between the five officers and the city stemming from a 2008 lawsuit in which officers alleged discrimination from a superior who no longer works for the city. The five will split $2 million settlement, according to published reports.
Although the announcement was scheduled for Tuesday, the City Council already approved the settlement unanimously on May 18.
The case was settled on Jan. 28, as an order of dismissal was issued by United States District Court Judge Stanley Chesler, U.S.D.J., according to a legal database.
How much did your councilperson spend on his or her May race?
If you think people overspend on seats at Yankee Stadium, wait until you see how much people spend for a chance to sit on the Hoboken City Council.
As campaign finance forms begin to flow into the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), the results show that some candidates spent more than a councilperson’s annual salary ($24,130) on their campaigns this past May.
Candidates are required to disclose how much money they spent, what it was spent on, and how much they received during campaigns. The last filing was due on May 30, or 20 days after the May 10 election, when all six Hoboken council ward seats were up for grabs.
Here’s who spent what for the chance to represent you:
1st Ward
Incumbent Councilwoman Theresa Castellano defeated challenger Eric Kurta by a 664-502 margin in the downtown 1st Ward. Castellano spent $22,414 on her campaign. Despite the loss, Kurta outspent Castellano by a more than 2:1 margin, spending $48,977.
2nd Ward
Council President Beth Mason defeated challengers Tom Greaney, Franz Paetzold, and Patricia Waiters in the uptown 2nd Ward race. Mason received 671 votes, Greaney received 542, Paetzold had 81 votes, and Waiters received 26.
Mason spent $138,185 on her campaign, significantly higher than the other candidates. Greaney, who finished in second, was outspent by just under $100,000, as he spent $38,733 on his campaign.
Paetzold said on Tuesday that he spent only approximately $270 on his campaign and did not have to file a final report. Waiters did not file a final report.
3rd Ward
Councilman Michael Russo defeated challenger Greg Lincoln by a 947-459 margin. Lincoln spent $10,935 on his campaign, while Russo spent $26,620. (See our cover story from three weeks ago about that race.)
4th Ward
In the city’s southwestern 4th Ward, Council Vice President Timothy Occhipinti defeated Rami Pinchevsky, receiving 1,023 votes, compared to 679 votes for Pinchevsky. Occhipinti spent $58,051, while Pinchevsky spent $34,029.
5th Ward
The northwestern 5th Ward saw Councilman Peter Cunningham defeat challengers Perry Belfiore, Scott Delea, and Leonard Luizzi.
Cunningham received 680 votes, Delea received 319, Belfiore had 227, and Luizzi received 70.
Belfiore, Delea, and Luizzi have yet to file a 20-day post Election Day ELEC forms as of June 28, but Cunningham’s forms indicate that he spent $22,833.
6th Ward
Councilwoman-elect Jennifer Giattino defeated Councilman Nino Giacchi by a 579-488 margin. Giattino spent only $13,629 on her campaign, while Giacchi spent $23,518.