Broadway fire extinguished quickly
On April 16, the Bayonne Fire Department responded to 618 Broadway for a report of smoke in the building. Arriving firefighters discovered smoke billowing from the front of the structure at a third floor window. The building is a three-story frame mixed used occupancy, with a deli on the first floor and apartments on the second and third floors. Fire crews advanced suppression hoses into the building, and quickly extinguished fire that was found in the exterior sheathing and asphalt shingle near a third floor window.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. All tenants were permitted to return to their apartments. The Building Department and Police Department were also at the scene. The damage was considered minimal, and there were not reported injuries.
Bayonne man busted in child porn sting
A Bayonne man was among 27 people charged in a state wide child pornography sting conducted by the State Attorney General’s office.
John Thomas Kondes, 56, former auxiliary police officer in Jersey City, was charged with allegedly possessing or viewing materials in which underage children engaged in or simulating sex, said Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa in a release issued on Tuesday.
The arrests were associated with a large scale child porn investigation dubbed Operation Watchdog. The three-month, multi-agency effort resulted in 26 men and one woman being charged with distribution and possession of child pornography.
“Through aggressive, technology-driven investigations such as Operation Watchdog, we must banish the misguided notion that online viewing and sharing of child pornography is a victimless crime,” said Attorney General Chiesa. “The vulnerable children who are tortured and degraded to create these vile materials are re-victimized every time another person views the images. Moreover, these offenders generate the demand that motivates suppliers to produce these odious images.”
Detectives were able to link all arrested subjects by their alleged use of the Internet to download or distribute images of child pornography. There is a large library of images and videos known to law enforcement. These pictures are able to be traced in a number of ways, including their digital fingerprint, as they are passed through cyberspace. Detectives then follow the file transfers to their origin and destination locations. Peer to Peer, or P2P, file sharing networks play a significant role in the distribution of child porn. Detectives, often with intricate undercover identities in the cyber-world, also monitor searches of these sites to develop suspects.
“Those who thought they could hide their child porn crimes in the secrecy of their homes have been exposed by the relentless work of law enforcement working together. We will continue to stand together—as the name ‘Operation Watchdog’ implies—as guardians to protect children from those who would make them sexual victims,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.
The Operation Watchdog investigation was coordinated by the Digital Technology Investigations Unit of New Jersey State Police, with seamless integration of more than 100 troopers, agents, detectives and officers from 21 law enforcement agencies. Between Monday, April 9 and Friday, April 13, they executed search warrants in 26 different towns across the state.
Sires supports extension of surface transportation bill
Rep. Albio Sires joined his colleagues last week in passing H.R. 4248, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, which will ultimately allow the House and Senate to work together and reach an agreement on a long term transportation bill.
As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Sires urged his colleagues last month to push for this bill to be passed when he and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, along with Senators Lautenberg and Menendez hosted a press conference in Hoboken for this two year bill to fund highways and mass transit.
“Passage of this bill brings us one step closer to passage of a long term transportation bill, which will allow Congress to focus on our most important issue – creating jobs,” said Congressman Sires. “For too long there has been extension after extension, and with the construction season upon us, we must work quickly to finalize a long term transportation bill.”
This bill extends the current surface transportation bill for another 90 days until September 30, 2012. The House and Senate will then be able to go to conference to reconcile differences between the House bill and the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which was passed by the Senate on March 14, 2012. It is estimated that under MAP- 21, up to one million jobs will be created and 1.8 million jobs will be saved. “It is my hope that with passage of this bill, the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate is now prepared to work together to pass a long term transportation bill, invest in our infrastructure, and create jobs,” said Sires.
Homecoming for HCCC
Hudson County Community College has scheduled its annual Alumni Homecoming Reception for Monday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. The event will be held in the HCCC Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street, Jersey City – just two blocks from the Journal Square PATH Station.
HCCC Vice President of Development Joseph D. Sansone invited all of the college’s graduates to attend the homecoming reception. “We would like to reacquaint our graduates with the College, which has grown enormously and has been physically transformed these past few years,” Mr. Sansone stated. “All of our graduates have played a role in the college becoming a trusted institution that provides life-changing educational opportunities for our community.”
Sansone said that the event also provides alumni with opportunities to catch up with old classmates and faculty and to network.
The 2012 HCCC Homecoming Reception will be catered exclusively by the faculty and staff of the College’s Culinary Arts Institute, and admission to the event is just $10 per person. (There is an additional nominal charge for alcoholic beverages.)
“We truly hope this event will be well-attended and that it will serve as the first step to the college engaging graduates and establishing a formal Alumni Association,” Mr. Sansone said.
Additional information about the HCCC Homecoming Reception and reservations may be obtained by phoning Mirta Sanchez at (201) 360-4004 or emailing msanchez@hccc.edu no later than April 25.
Artist talk at HCCC
The Hudson County Community College Foundation will host another segment in its “Artist Talk Series” on Friday, April 27, when photographer Ricardo Barros will discuss his portraits of sculptors. The event will be held at 1 p.m. in the Follett Room of the college’s Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center at 161 Newkirk Street in Jersey City. Light refreshments will be served, and there is no charge for admission.
Time to renew Orange Zone parking permits
The Bayonne Parking Utility has announced that renewal applications for the Orange permit parking zone around the Eighth Street light rail station are due. Last year’s permits will expire April 30. Enforcement of the new permits begins June 4.
Applicants may file through the mail by sending permit applications and photocopies of the required documents along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the Bayonne Parking Utility, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, N.J. 07002. To apply in person, visit the Parking Utility Office in the back corridor of City Hall.
Permit forms and a list of Orange Zone streets can be viewed on www.bayonnenj.org. For more information, call the Bayonne Parking Utility at (201) 858-6135.