Another NJ corruption sting suspect pleads guilty
Former Jersey City housing inspector John Guarini pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to tax evasion charges stemming from payments he received from ex-government informant Solomon Dwek.
Guarini, one of the 46 people arrested in the summer of 2009 as part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation sting known as Operation Bid Rig, faces up to three years in jail and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Jan. 4, 2012.
Guarini admitted in court that he accepted $20,000 in cash from Dwek, money that was never declared to the Internal Revenue Service.
Throughout the first half of 2009, Dwek, working on behalf of the federal government, posed as a real estate developer and met with several elected leaders, public officials, and public workers. During these meetings Dwek tried to get phony real estate deals expedited in exchange for cash payments.
Former Greenville Hospital site to become charter school
The site on Kennedy Boulevard that had once been Greenville Hospital will become the new home to the Beloved Community Charter School, a new K-5 school set to open next year. Greenville Hospital closed in 2008.
The school is among four new charter schools that the New Jersey Department of Education approved last month. According to information released by the Department of Education, Beloved Community Charter School will have an enrollment of 720 students.
In a release issued Sept. 30, the department said it has “expanded its strategies for growing the state’s charter sector and increasing the number of high-quality seats available to students. One shift in focus includes expanding efforts to attract high-quality charter applicants. The department’s Charter Schools Office has invested in recruiting high-performing charter operators from across the country to expand into New Jersey, encouraging charter operators in New Jersey with a strong track record to grow, and conducting a needs analysis to identify other areas of the state where charter schools could offer choice in underserved communities.”
The application for the Beloved Community Charter School was submitted by City Assistant Business Administrator Gregory Corrado, who said last week, “Our school [will be] quite different from the public and charter schools in New Jersey. Our school’s name is inspired by a quotation from Martin Luther King Jr., who said our ultimate goal should be the ‘creation of the beloved community.’ Our goal [is to combine] the best teaching practices from schools across the nation with a commitment to provide our children with a supportive, caring environment.”
In March, City Councilman Steve Fulop introduced a resolution in support of Beloved. He withdrew the resolution after Councilwoman Viola Richardson and Councilwoman Kalimah Ahmad both said they had unanswered questions about who would be running the school.
JC’s gun buyback program gets third weekend
The Jersey City Police Department and Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy scheduled the next phase of Operation Lifesaver 2, the city’s gun buyback program for Saturday, Oct. 8 from noon until 3 p.m. Residents once again were able to trade in their unwanted firearms for cash. Depending on the type of weapon turned in, each gun could be traded for $100 or $150 in cash. Owners of rifles and shotguns got $100, while handguns and automatics fetched $150.
As a gun amnesty program, Operation Lifesaver does not require residents to give their names or any details about how they acquired or used the firearm.
There were to be four locations throughout the city where guns could be turned in, including: Saint John’s AME Church, 326 Pacific Ave; St. Michael’s Methodist Church, 37 Virginia Ave.; New Hope Baptist Church, 472 Bergen Ave.; and Abundant Joy Community Church, 137 Bowers Street.
The city launched Operation Lifesaver 2 last summer, when 234 weapons were turned in over two consecutive weekends in July.
The gun buyback, which was made possible by donations from local businesses, residents, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, was part of the city’s Operation Summer Shield – a multi-faceted plan to stem crime throughout the city.
The Interfaith Ministerial Alliance is also a cosponsor of the buyback.
“The first two weekends were very successful, which led us to conclude we should add at least a third weekend,” said Mayor Healy in a statement released Tuesday.
Operation Lifesaver 2 is a continuation of the city’s first gun buyback effort, Operation Lifesaver, which Healy launched in 2005. That year 897 weapons were taken off the streets.
“Any gun we take off the streets ends the opportunity for that gun to play a role in violent street crime and that’s a win for our city,” Healy added.
Lincoln High School to open community ‘beauty shop’
Beginning this week, Abraham Lincoln High School’s cosmetology program will offer low-cost nail, skin care, and hair care services to members of the community. Each Wednesday and Thursday throughout the school year, from 2:30 to 6 p.m., seniors enrolled in the school’s Cosmetology and Barbering Smaller Learning Community will offer a range services, including hair styling, setting, cutting, hair color and lightening, perms and relaxers. Make-up application, skin care, and nail services will also be available.
The program – which gives students an opportunity to further their education on live clients, and gives cash-strapped members of the community access to personal care services at a discount – gets underway on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
Clients will be charged a nominal fee for all services rendered. The least expensive service provided, according to a spokeswoman for the Jersey City school district, is a shampoo and set, which will cost $15. The most expensive service available, a partial weave, will cost $35.
Lincoln High School’s Cosmetology and Barbering Smaller Learning Community, part of the Leola Dixon Clinic, is located at 60 Crescent Ave. in Jersey City.
For an appointment, call (201) 915-6384. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Another leader leaves Jersey City animal shelter
Stacie DaBolt, the shelter manager at the sometimes controversial Liberty Humane Society animal shelter (LHS) in Jersey City – which has a contract to deal with stray and found animals in Jersey City and Hoboken – resigned on Sept. 28 after seven months on the job, an official there confirmed on Tuesday.
The resignation comes close to a year after the shelter became embroiled in lawsuits with past volunteers over disagreements regarding the euthanasia policy.
“We wish her well in her future endeavors,” said John Hanussack, LHS board president, who declined to elaborate on why DaBolt left. He said her departure came as a surprise but that it was her choice. The board is soliciting the advice of former board members and is looking to bring on a new shelter manager.
“We will be fine,” he said. “It is obviously going to be a challenge with everything that went on last summer.”
During the interim, staff will step in to fill manager responsibilities, such as the director of development, Irene Borngraeber.
DaBolt joined the shelter seven months ago and was previously field operations manager for the Arizona Humane Society, overseeing animal cruelty investigations. She ran an emergency triage program, the only one of its kind. She also appeared in a documentary for “Animal Cops Phoenix” on the Animal Planet channel.
In an article that appeared recently in the Reporter newspapers, DaBolt talked about the challenges that the shelter was facing, and how they would overcome them. Last year, the shelter struggled after poor results in a state inspection. Former volunteers had complained vocally about the numbers of animals euthanized at the shelter, and how the decisions were made.
Jersey City Medical Center to hold health fair for NJ FamilyCare program
Jersey City Medical Center is hosting a NJ FamilyCare information and enrollment fair for uninsured children and parents from Monday, Oct. 17 to Friday, Oct. 21. Fair hours will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the hospital lobby.
NJ FamilyCare provides quality free or low cost health coverage for uninsured children 18 years-old if currently a student, and for younger and low income parents. This includes full health care coverage through established Health Maintenance Organizations that operate throughout the state.
NJ FamilyCare covers most health care needs, including doctor visits, x-rays, eyeglasses, prescriptions, hospitalizations, mental health services, lab tests, and dental care for most children.
Jersey City Medical Center is at 355 Grand Street.
Stevens Cooperative to host Annual Harvest
Stevens Cooperative School invites the community to its 13th Annual Harvest Festival to be held on Sunday, Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its Jersey City campus in Newport.
This community-wide event and block party offers delicious food, arts and crafts, games and activities for children of all ages. “The Harvest Festival is a wonderful tradition. It is always a pleasure to see families having a great time together,” says Joyce Doyle, Director of Development at Stevens.
The festival is open to the public. Sales made from food, games, and activities sales benefit the school’s general operating budget and financial aid program.