Holiday Hudson Reporter advertising, editorial deadlines
Because of the holidays over the next two weeks, the Hudson Reporter newspapers will have special advertising and editorial deadlines. In addition, the office will be closed on three days for holidays.
The office will close Friday, Dec. 23, and Monday, Dec. 26. It will reopen Tuesday, Dec. 27. The office closes again on Monday, Jan. 2, and reopens Tuesday, Jan. 3.
For the Wednesday, Dec. 21 edition of the Bayonne Community News and the Thursday, Dec. 22 Midweek Reporter, the editorial deadline is Monday, Dec. 19 at 9 a.m. and the classified and display advertising deadline is 12 noon.
For the Sunday, Dec. 25 editions of the other Reporter newspapers, the editorial deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 9 a.m. and the display ad and classified deadline is 12 noon.
For the Wednesday, Dec. 28 edition of the Bayonne Community News and the Thursday, Dec. 29 edition of the Midweek Reporter, the editorial deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. The classified and display advertising deadline is 12 noon on Thursday, Dec. 22.
For the Sunday, Jan. 1 editions of the Reporter newspapers, the editorial deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 9 a.m., and the advertising and classified deadline is 12 noon.
For the Wednesday, Jan. 4 edition of the Bayonne Community News and the Thursday, Jan. 5 Midweek Reporter, the editorial deadline is Friday, Dec. 30 at 9 a.m. and the classified and display advertising deadline is 12 noon that day.
If you have questions about these deadlines or any other issue, please call (201) 798-7800. Also check www.hudsonreporter.com regularly for information and for breaking news.
Council approves Massey appointment
The City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Michele Massey to the vacant Ward F council seat. The seat has been vacant since former Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson won an at-large seat during the November special election. Massey will serve in the seat until a special election in November 2012. The winner of the special election will then serve out the remainder of Richardson’s Ward F term, which ends in May 2013.
The Monticello Community Development Corp. lists Massey as its executive director, but she actually heads the Monticello Ave, Main Street program, which last week successfully spearheaded the creation of a new special improvement district.
Jersey City, more decorative than Newark & Roselle?
The good people of Jersey City are apparently caught up in a rivalry/bet going on between Ward E City Councilman Steven Fulop, Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos, and Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley.
Using a dedicated Facebook page called “HOME Decoration Smackdown: Jersey City vs. Newark vs. Roselle,” the three elected officials are asking the residents of their cities to upload photos of their holiday decorated homes. The city with the most photo submissions will receive $1,000 from each municipal leader, a total of $3,000, towards the library system. In addition, the individual picture with the most Facebook “likes” will receive a $500 holiday gift basket.
Residents can visit the site (https://www.facebook.com/pages/HOME-Decoration-Smackdown-Jersey-City-vs-Newark-vs-Roselle/322529117757653?ref=ts) and upload pictures until noon on December 23rd.
Now, we don’t normally endorse such competition, but the Jersey City Free Public Library desperately needs money, so we can’t afford to lose the Smackdown. Besides, how embarrassing would it be for us to lose to Roselle?
Public meetings on school superintendent search
Beginning this weekend, the Jersey City Board of Education will host a series of “town hall” meetings on the search for a new school superintendent. The purpose of the meetings is to get parent and community input into the search for a new superintendent.
Current School Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps will leave the position Dec. 31.
The first of the meetings was held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at Conwell Middle School (MS No, 4). On Sunday, Dec. 18, there will be another town hall meeting at 2 p.m.at Lincoln High School, at 60 Crescent Ave.
Subsequent meetings will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Zampella School (PS No. 27); Saturday, Jan. 7 at 3 p.m. at Williams Middle School (MS No. 7); Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Snyder High School; and Friday, Jan 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. School.
Nurses union files charges with National Labor Relations Board over Christ Hospital layoffs
Claiming that layoffs announced at Christ Hospital on Dec. 5 unfairly targeted nurse leaders, the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) – a union that represents 420 registered nurses at Christ Hospital – has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
As many as 100 nurses may be affected by the layoffs, nearly 25 percent of the registered nurses working at Christ Hospital.
The union claims that Christ Hospital deliberately targeted union leaders, nurses with longer years of service, and nurses who had spoken up publicly about their concerns over the hospital’s proposed sale. HPAE also claims that the hospital’s management has refused to sign a collective bargaining agreement reached on May 31, 2011. The union alleges the collective bargaining agreement has not been signed so that management can undermine the “successor clause” in the contract, which states that a new owner must assume the contract agreement.
“When our community’s health care is at risk, nurses have every right to advocate for patients and their colleagues,” said Ann Twomey, president of the 12,000 member HPAE. “Yet, because nurses spoke out and brought the sale of Christ Hospital out from behind closed doors, they are being threatened with the loss of their jobs. It’s unacceptable and merely urges us on to demand transparency and accountability in this process.”
Nurses belonging to HPAE say they have been working with community, civic, and elected leaders to ensure that if a sale is approved, that the hospital will maintain all of the existing services, and that job security will be provided to existing the current staff.
Gang member sentenced for murder plot
Jersey City resident Thomas Haskins, a member of a set of the Bloods street gang, has been sentenced to 120 (10 years) months in prison for illegal possession of two firearms and conspiracy to commit murder in April 2009, the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced last week.
Haskins previously pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired with two other men to kill a rival gang member. Haskins and his accomplices believed the rival gang member had murdered two of their friends.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Stanley Chesler also sentenced Haskins to three years of supervised release.
Four hearings to be held on extending Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Englewood or Tenafly
The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail train currently runs from Bayonne through Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, and Union City, and into North Bergen. But it doesn’t continue to Bergen County like it was expected to. Yet, plans are about to move forward.
The federal government has finally released an environmental impact statement about extending the route from 85th Street in North Bergen for eight miles to Englewood or Tenafly. The route would travel through Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, and Leonia, over old CSX tracks.
NJ Transit has scheduled four public hearings on the environmental statement, which will be presented formally at each of the hearings.
The hearings will be held Jan. 24 and Jan. 26, and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both days. They will be held in Tenafly on Jan. 24 and Englewood on Jan. 26.
The statement and information is available at http://northernbranchcorridor.com/docs.html.
Hospitals to share electronic medical records via new system
On Tuesday, health leaders unveiled a new high-tech system that will allow New Jersey hospitals to share electronic medical records for the first time. All hospitals are required to participate in the new system by 2014 under federal health care reform. The system goes live in several weeks. The hospitals include Jersey City Medical Center, Christ Hospital in Jersey City; and Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus.
The Health-e-cITi-NJ system allows doctors at one hospital to swiftly view patient test results, immunization records, medications and other vital health information even if that information was collected from another hospital in the exchange. The information will be available to private physicians for follow-up visits.
Electronic medical record sharing will protect patient privacy, reduce waste and costs associated with faxing and mailing patient records, and give doctors the most accurate and up-to-date information to give patients the best treatment.