Hudson Reporter Archive

HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Former Assemblyman/mayor loses license for 90 days from DWI

Former Assemblyman and Union City Mayor Rudy Garcia had his license suspended for 90 days in Hoboken court this week, stemming from a driving while intoxicated charge from Sept. 15, according to a published report.
In court, Garcia’s attorney, Christopher Patella of Bayonne, showed repair records for Hoboken’s Breathalyzer machine that indicate that the machine may not have been working correctly when Garcia’s blood alcohol level was measured, according to the article. In the end, Garcia pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated based on “observation only,” according to the report.
Garcia once also served as the attorney for the Hoboken Housing Authority board. He is currently a partner in a lobbying firm in Trenton.

FOX 5 takes a look at Hoboken parking

As recently reported in the Hoboken Reporter, the city has stepped up parking enforcement and plans to more vigorously enforce the rule saying that people without permits can’t park on city streets for more than four hours. (They can park in city garages if they need to, or use meters for a time, or get a visitor parking permit if they’re visiting a resident.) What the signs don’t make clear – and many people don’t realize – is that the four hours applies to parking in the entire town on a given day, not just parking in one spot. If you park without a permit for three hours and then park across town for two hours, you can still get booted.
The city’s intention, officials said months ago, was to free up parking for visitors using local businesses. Hoboken has numerous popular shops and acclaimed restaurants. In fact, the city announced earlier on Monday that they are offering lots of free parking specials now through the holidays. But apparently, there are problems that lead to incorrect booting.
When Fox 5 investigated for its 10 o’clock report Monday night, they found out that people who park for a few minutes, leave town, and come back hours later are sometimes being incorrectly booted, as if they were here the whole time. Fox 5 found new residents and visitors who made that complaint, so they tried it with an undercover van of their own. They parked in Hoboken for a few minutes, spent time in Edgewater, and returned later – only to be booted within an hour of their return.
When the van was booted, the newscaster showed receipts to the Parking Utility worker receipts to prove he’d been in Edgewater, and the worker said he would have to fight it in court.
The Fox 5 report also showed a man receiving a ticket for not paying a meter machine, even though the signage didn’t tell him that the machine was far up the block and not close to where he parked.
The report then showed that Hoboken boasted on its website of increasing revenues via the Parking Utility, by as much as $1 million from 2009 to 2010.
The Fox 5 reporter interviewed Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who said that the city’s signs were beyond what the state law mandated. But she then said that resident feedback is important, and she’ll look into it.

Sen. Menendez visits Hoboken for ‘Small Business Saturday’

Everyone knows about Black Friday. Some may even have heard of Cyber Monday. But what about Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday is an annual campaign to encourage shoppers to buy gifts from local businesses during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D – NJ) spoke at Big Fun Toys on Washington Street in Hoboken on Monday afternoon alongside Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Wendy Olivera, who is the president of the Hudson County NJ Association of Women Business Owners, and Kathleen Childs of Big Fun Toys.
Menendez said he remembered that when he lived in Hoboken, he would frequent small businesses in the mile-square city for shopping, and urged others to do so.
He said that even though federal programs help small businesses, they cannot succeed without a reasonable demand for their goods from the local community.
Zimmer encouraged residents to shop locally, saying it is the “most convenient and most enjoyable way” to complete holiday shopping.
Zimmer, who said parking is “a challenge” in Hoboken, explained a parking coupon program that the city is offering business owners during the holiday season to allow customers to park in municipal garages.
Starting on Nov. 21, Hoboken businesses can visit the Hoboken Parking Utility to pick up $100 worth of “Park-and-Shop” customer coupons for free, valid from Nov. 26 through Dec. 31, according to a city release. “Park-and-Shop” validation coupons are always available for purchase by registered Hoboken businesses at the Hoboken Parking Utility during regular business hours.

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ coming to Mile Square Theatre

For Chris O’Connor, the founder and artistic director of Hoboken’s Mile Square Theatre, his job is not just about telling stories for an audience; it’s about telling stories in a unique way that they haven’t seen or heard before. So when “It’s a Wonderful Life” comes to the Mile Square Theatre in early December, audiences will see the timeless classic told in a way many have not seen before.
“It’s not like we’re doing the movie here,” O’Connor said. “We’re doing the story of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ but done as a radio play. It has a very interesting theatrical twist. The audience will come into the theatre and the theatre is going to look like a 1940s radio theatre. The MST audience will be the 1940s audience in that studio.”
The show runs from Dec. 1 to Dec. 18 on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, the shows begin at 8 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, the shows also begin at 3 p.m.
Tickets are available on MileSquareTheatre.org.
For the full story, read the Nov. 24 Midweek Reporter or go to the Midweek stories on HudsonReporter.com.

Holiday Crafts Fair scheduled for Dec. 3 and Dec. 4

The city of Hoboken is hosting a Holiday Crafts Fair on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hoboken Multi-Service Center (126 Grand St.).
The event includes unique handcrafted gift items sold by local artists, photographers, and crafters, according to a city release. Also sold at the event will be pottery, art, photography, stained glass, mirrors and frames, hand knit scarves, hats, mittens, jewelry, baby clothes, blankets, holiday ornaments, soaps, body lotions, candles, and more. The event will also include live music, activities for children, and a visit from Santa Claus.

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