Rep. Donald Payne remembered
Representative Donald Payne, 77, died of colon cancer on March 6. He was the first and currently only African-American congressman from New Jersey. Due to recent congressional redistricting, he inherited portions of Jersey City and Bayonne.
“Congressman Donald Payne was more than a son of Newark,” said State Sen. Ronald C. Rice. “He was an icon who was not only a trailblazer for New Jersey, but also a pioneer who made a real difference in the lives of all Americans, particularly African-Americans.”
“Congressman Donald Payne was my friend,” said Rep. Steve Rothman. “He was also a giant. History will record that Donald Payne saved literally tens of thousands of lives in his work in the United States, Northern Ireland, and Africa over a lifetime of public service. In his long journey to become a congressman, he traveled many different paths as a father, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, teacher, longshoreman, among a list too long to describe briefly. He was a true pioneer and champion for civil and human rights here at home and around the world.”
“New Jersey has lost one of its greatest leaders in the fight for equality and fairness for all Americans, and one of the greatest advocates for families of the Garden State,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell. “I was proud to serve alongside him in the fight to keep our cities safer, to provide greater opportunities for our young people and to give all Americans access to quality affordable health care.”
“I am deeply saddened to hear about the death of my colleague Congressman Donald Payne,” said Rep. Albio Sires. “The residents of the 10th Congressional District have lost a great leader and the Payne family has lost a beloved patriarch. My sympathies go out to his son Councilman Donald Payne Jr., his daughters Nicole and Wanda, and his grandchildren. Human rights, health-care, and education were among his top priorities. The congressman’s fight against discrimination and consideration for the underrepresented will never be forgotten. As a member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, I was honored to work with Congressman Payne on the forefront of efforts to restore democracy and human rights in nations throughout the globe.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, “As the first African-American elected to represent New Jersey in Congress, Don was truly a tireless champion for the city of Newark, for the 10th Congressional District, and for all of the less fortunate among us who needed a voice in the halls of power. As a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Payne was a fierce advocate for workforce protections for America’s working families, and as a leading advocate of quality education, he was an active supporter of funding for Head Start, Pell Grants, and affordable student loans. So many of us also knew him as a powerful voice for peace in the Darfur conflict, and as a former chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, he dedicated himself to the critical mission of addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa.”
“Mary Pat and I offer our condolences to the Payne family on the loss of Congressman Payne,” said Gov. Chris Christie. “He was a leader with great compassion for every person he had the honor of representing. He was a true gentleman and we considered him a friend.”
Christie was preparing an Executive Order to have flags lowered.
Irish flag-raising ceremony set for March 7
Bayonne’s St. Patrick’s Parade Committee will join city officials for a ceremony on Wednesday, March 7, at 5 p.m. in the Dorothy Harrington Council Chambers at City Hall, 630 Ave. C. The aides to parade Grand Marshal Sean Neary will be honored. After the ceremony inside the building, the group will move outside to the lawn for the raising of the Irish flag. The public is invited to attend.
Feds seize more computers at HCIA
For the second time in three weeks, FBI agents and others recently took computers from the Jersey City offices of the Hudson County Improvement Authority in what appears to be a statewide investigation involving the dumping of tainted toxic soil.
The FBI arrived at the Summit Avenue offices on Wednesday and removed records, according to sources in the county.
Under federal law, soil removed from contaminated sites such as former gas stations or chemical industrial sites must be processed through specific channels – often at great expense. Some contractors have in the past been caught dumping contaminated soil or mixing it with clear soil to be used as fill for projects. Although the HCIA has inspectors at the site of the proposed golf course off Lincoln Park in Jersey City, the FBI is apparently seeking to learn whether or not tainted loads were brought on to the site.
“This appears to be part of a larger investigation,” one source said.
The investigation may not be focused on the HCIA, this source said, but on the practices of subcontractors involved in this and other projects around the state.
The second raid may also have been made as a result of information obtained in the first raid, one source said.
Officials with knowledge of the situation said that the second raid by the FBI appears to have come as the result of computers missed during the first raid three weeks ago.
“They also seem to be on a fishing expedition,” one source, adding that several secretaries and others were interviewed about employees going out to dinner and other activities at the government’s expense.
Sires, Menendez among reps to appear at CHLI conference
Open to all high school seniors, college students, young professionals, and community leaders in the area, the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute will host its Future Leaders Conference on Friday, March 9, at the Roy Irving Theatre and McIntyre Lounge on the Saint Peter’s College campus, 2641 Kennedy Blvd. in Jersey City, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The conference, titled “Explore the World, Discover Your Future,” will include the participation of members of Congress – including Representative Albio Sires and N.J. Sen. Robert Menendez – as well as experts from private and public sectors and representatives from Fortune 500 companies.
The event is open to the public, and breakfast and lunch will be served. RSVP at www.chli.org.
DeLeo to appear at St. Joseph’s
Hudson County Surrogate Donald W. De Leo will be addressing the members of St. Joseph’s Senior Citizens’ Club of St. Michael/St. Joseph’s Parish of Bayonne on the subject of “New Information on Wills, Living Wills, Living Trusts, and Stories from your Hudson County Surrogate’s Court” on Monday, March 19, at 1 p.m. The location will be at the St. Michael’s Madonna Hall, Church Lane (between 23rd and 24th streets).
Bayonne man charged with bank robbery
Arthur T. Anderson was charged with bank robbery on Feb. 27. According to a police spokesman, he allegedly told a clerk at a bank located on Broadway that he had accomplices outside who would come into the bank and start shooting if the teller didn’t give him cash.
A police spokesperson said that following a description given to them by the clerk, police officers stopped Anderson a few blocks away, where he was walking. He had no weapon but the police report said officers recovered $3,900, which they believe were the proceeds from the bank.
DWI charges filed
Mark W Gustaferro, 29, of Bayonne, was charged with DWI after his car allegedly struck an undercover police vehicle while backing up at a high rate of speed at about 1:12 a.m. on March 3. The police had responded to a tavern located near 50th Street and Broadway on the report of a disturbance. The alleged perpetrators apparently were dispersing when officers saw a gray, four-door Nissan Maxima backing up fast and struck the passenger side fender of the police car. When the officers approached the driver, they reported smelling the odor of alcohol. The report said Gustaferro was allegedly unsteady on his feet and slurred his words. He was charged with DWI and improper backing up.
Meanwhile Katherine Gutierrez, 30, of Jersey City, was charged with DWI on March 3 after police reported seeing her vehicle – a four door Honda Accord – allegedly traveling at a high rate of speed down Avenue C at about 3:34 a.m.
The car turned on to 12th Street, where the police found it parked across the front of a driveway and Gutierrez laying back on the reclined seat.
The police report said that the officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol, that she allegedly slurred her words when they spoke to her, and she appeared to have glassy eyes.
She was charged with DWI, DWI in a school zone, refusal to take a Breathalyzer, unregistered vehicle, uninsured vehicle, reckless driving, no seat belt, and failure to provide registration and insurance documentation. She also had two outstanding warrants for unpaid fines to Jersey City Municipal Court, police said.