Former Weehawken cop to spend five years in prison
Former Weehawken Police Sergeant Patrick Cannon was sentenced to five years in prison Friday and must pay $700,000 in restitution for stealing town funds over the years, according to NJ.com.
Cannon was sentenced to five years for theft and three years for official misconduct, which will run concurrently. He will become eligible for parole in two, the article said.
Around the time Cannon was under investigation last April, he was also the subject of a police search after someone notified police that he had disappeared, and may have overdosed on pills. A three-hour search in a Bergen County park that involved 40 officers, a helicopter, and search dogs led officials to discover Cannon drifting in and out of consciousness, and he was sent to the hospital.
He pleaded guilty on Dec. 21 in Hudson County Superior Court to charges brought against him in June for stealing $700,000 in township funds by diverting them to faux businesses that he owned. He was suspended without pay after he was charged.
Local hotels already filling up for 2013 Formula One race
Even though an exact date has yet to be set for the Weehawken and West New York June 2013 Formula One Grand Prix of America race, nearby hotels seem to be filling up already, according to NorthJersey.com.
The Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel in Weehawken’s website shows no rooms available for the weekend of June 15, 2013. It quotes rates between $659 to $689 per night for the weekend of June 22, 2013, whereas rates run from $180 to $659 per night for the same weekend in 2012.
According to its website, the W Hotel in Hoboken boasts room prices between $519 and $699 per night for the weekend of June 15, 2013, as well as for the following weekend. The same weekends in 2012 run from $323 and $649 per night.
Those hotels have not yet set their rates for the 2014 Super Bowl, which will also likely draw thousands of people to this area, according to an article on the cover of last weekend’s Hoboken Reporter (hudsonreporter.com).
Weehawken Recreation to hold baseball tryouts and registration
Weehawken Recreation will hold its Baseball league tryouts and registrations on two Saturdays, March 3 and 10, at the Webster School Gym located at 2700 Palisade Ave.
Tryouts for Cal Ripken Minors (age 8-10) will run from 2 -3:30 p.m. and Cal Ripken Majors (age 10-12) will run from 3:30-5 p.m.
Early registration for T-Ball (age 4-5) and Rookie League (age 6-7) will be held from 2-5 p.m.
Babe Ruth Baseball tryouts (boys 13-15) will be held on two Sundays, March 4 and 11 at Weehawken Stadium located at 372 Park Ave. from 2-3:30 p.m.
Proof of residency and birth certificate required. For more information please call Weehawken Recreation at (201) 319-6061.
Weehawken Woman’s Club to host psychotherapy presentation
The Weehawken Woman’s Club will be hosting their February meeting on Monday, Feb. 27 at the Weehawken Senior Center located at 201 Highwood Avenue.
This month’s meeting will feature a presentation by psychotherapist Pamela Ennis who will conduct a presentation on the fundamentals of psychotherapy. The program begins at 7:15 p.m. For more information, contact womansclubofweehawken@gmail.com.
NJ Festival of Ballooning holds kids’ essay contest
PNC Bank and the Quick Chek N.J. Festival of Ballooning invite N.J. students in grades 2 through 12 to take part in the ninth annual PNC Bank American Patriot Essay Contest by writing a short essay on the topic “What the American Flag Means to Me.”
The largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America will celebrate its 30th anniversary July 27 through 29at Solberg Airport in Readington, N.J. and will feature the PNC Bank American Flag balloon: the largest free-flying flag in the world.
This year’s Grand Prize winner will receive a visit to his or her school by a 75-foot-tall hot air balloon in June and a special VIP package at this year’s festival: a hot air balloon ride for two, four Blue Sky Club VIP tickets, and the opportunity to meet one of this year’s concert headliners, which have included the Jonas Brothers and Disney stars Demi Lovato and Emily Osment in the past.
Second and third place prizes will include festival admission and merchandise.
The winning student’s immediate classmates will each receive one complimentary general admission ticket to the festival and the winning student’s teacher and school principal will each receive two Blue Sky Club VIP tickets.
Every teacher in the state who submits a group of 15 essays or more on behalf of their students will receive two free general admission tickets to the festival regardless of whether one of their students submits the winning essay.
The essays should be 100 words or less. They will be judged by a panel of representatives from PNC Bank and the balloon festival. Winning essays will be selected based on creativity, poignancy and clarity with consideration given to the grade level of the contestant. Contestants are not required to be U.S. citizens.
Entries should include the student’s name, home or school address, home or school telephone number, grade, age, school name and the name of their teacher.
Entries should be sent by May 1 to: Essay Judges, Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, 363 Rte. 46 West, Suite 200, Fairfield, N.J., 07004. Students can also enter the contest through the festival web site at www.balloonfestival.com or by emailing their essays to information@balloonfestival.com.
Weehawken Weekenders cancel Royal Manor trip
The Weehawken Weekenders have canceled their trip to the Royal Manor on Feb. 29 due to unforseen circumstances. The trip has been changed to the St. Joseph’s Festival, on March 21. There will be comedy, music, and zeppoles (Italian fried dough balls).
Be Italian for a day. The price is $47. Anyone wishing to attend, or for more information, please call The Weekenders at (201) 319-6059.
Crime writer Jim Fusilli to visit Weehawken Library
Jim Fusilli, award-winning crime fiction writer and music critic, will appear at the Weehawken Free Pubic Library Multi Media Center at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 29 to present his new novel “Narrows Gate.” Fusilli will read, discuss and sign copies of the book. Light refreshments will be available.
Fusilli, who has authored six novels, won the Mystery Ink Best Novel Award in 2004 for his book “Hard, Hard City.” His short stories have appeared in the Best American Mystery Stories anthology and he has been nominated for the Macavity and Edgar award.
He has also been the rock and pop music critic for the Wall Street Journal for the last 25 years.
“Narrows Gate (Amazon Encore) takes place between the 1920s and 1950s along the N.J. coast overlooking the Hudson River and New York City. The story follows the lives of childhood friends, mob bosses, and a handsome blue-eyed pop crooner.
For more information contact the Library at 201-863-7823.
Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation deadline approaches
The Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ, Inc. is accepting applications for the annual scholarship and stipend awards for current college and college-bound Hispanic students for the 2012-2013 school term.
The HBCSF, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, has a mission to advance the educational aspirations of Hispanic students to become professionals, leaders, and valued citizens of the community.
The current application can be accessed through www.hbcsf.org and is open to all New Jersey residents of Hispanic heritage. Applications and all required information must be postmarked by Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012.
PERC to hold Welcome to Summer Gala
Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation, which runs a homeless shelter in Union City and offers various services for the needy in Hudson County, will hold its Welcome to Summer Gala fundraiser on May 22 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. atThe Graycliff, located at 122 Moonachie Rd. in Moonachie, N.J.
PERC will celebrate 31 years of providing shelter, food, services, and those in need in Hudson County with a cocktail hour, dinner, auction, and raffle.
For more information, contact PERC at (201) 348-8150 or e-mail events@percshelter.org.
N.Y. Giants Snow Bowl to benefit Special Olympics
The N.Y. Giants will team up with Special Olympics New Jersey to sponsor the sixth annual Snow Bowl Flag Football Tournament presented by Wyndham Worldwide on March 2 through 4 at MetLife Stadium.
The Snow Bowl, a six-on-six flag football tournament with light blocking, is played over three days and features recreational, competitive and co-ed divisions. Several of the registered teams will represent local police and fire departments. Each team was responsible for raising a minimum of $1,600 to play in the tournament, and many have gone above and beyond that.
Proceeds from Snow Bowl benefit Special Olympics New Jersey and help to support more than 22,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities who train and compete, free-of-charge, year-round in 24 sports.
For more information on Snow Bowl or Special Olympics New Jersey, visit www.sonj.org.