Menendez bids for dismissal of federal charges
Lawyers for U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D – NJ) have accused federal prosecutors and FBI agents of lying to win a corruption indictment against him this spring, saying the Justice Department would “stop at nothing” to try to convict the powerful lawmaker, according to reports in several national media.
The allegations are included in more than 400 pages of legal arguments filed to try to persuade the court to dismiss the case against Menendez and a co-defendant he describes as his longtime friend and donor, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, who is accused of buying favors from the senator with gifts and vacations.
The joint filings by lawyers for the two men demonstrate the aggressive legal strategy that Menendez, 61, has adopted as he prepares to fight to save a political career that helped him rise from a childhood in a tenement apartment as a son of Cuban immigrants to become one of the country’s most influential senators.
Menendez’s lawyers contend the Justice Department erred when it released information to a grand jury that violated rules of legislative privilege. They suggested the indictment attempts to criminalize ordinary acts of citizens who endeavor to secure access or influence to a politician.
A&P files for bankruptcy; five HudCo markets could be sold to Acme
Five supermarkets in Hudson County are slated to be sold and two more could close after A&P filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past Sunday. The grocery retailer, which operates 296 stores in the Mid-Atlantic region under six banners, has struggled financially and was never able to rebound fully after an earlier bankruptcy filing in 2010.
Twenty-five stores are slated to close within the next 60 days “due to lack of interest and significant ongoing store operating losses,” according to an A&P press release. The company will operate the remainder as normal while it seeks to sell them to new operators.
On Monday, A&P announced that it had received bids totaling $600 million for around 120 stores.
In Hudson County, five stores were included in an asset purchase agreement with Acme Markets, Inc.: three A&P stores in Jersey City, Hoboken, and West New York and two Pathmark stores in Jersey City and Weehawken.
An additional Pathmark in Jersey City and a Food Basics in North Bergen were not included in the agreements, but are not among those stores closing in the short-term.
The sales must be approved by the bankruptcy court, and higher bids are possible. A&P hopes to complete the process by October.
Based in Montvale, A&P is the oldest grocery chain in the United States. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company’s mid-tier grocery chains have struggled in recent decades to compete against big box hypermarket stores like WalMart, specialty grocers like Whole Foods, and discount chains like Aldi.
The stores slated to be sold include the A&P at 55 Riverwalk Drive, West New York, and the Pathmark supermarket at 4100 Park Ave., Weehawken.
Kids ride the ferry free all summer
Children under 12 can ride the NY Waterway ferry for free from July 5 through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Ferries travel to midtown and downtown from Port Imperial and Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken and 14th Street in Hoboken, making NY Waterway the easiest, most family-friendly way to enjoy the sights and sounds of summer in the Big Apple.
“As a family-owned business, we take pride in being family-friendly. We want to make a visit to the greatest city in the world affordable and convenient,” said NY Waterway President and Founder Arthur E. Imperatore. “We are happy to offer free ferry rides for children to make it even easier for families to have a memorable experience in New York City this summer.”
It takes 8 minutes to cross the Hudson River from Port Imperial, Lincoln Harbor, or 14th Street in Hoboken to Midtown West 39th Street in Manhattan, and takes less than 25 minutes to cross from these New Jersey terminals to Lower Manhattan. Service between Port Imperial, Lincoln Harbor or 14th Street in Hoboken and 39th Street operates all day, seven days a week.
At the West 39th Street Midtown Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, free connecting multi-route NY Waterway shuttles are waiting to take passengers on several routes serving midtown and downtown. Shuttles stop at key destinations such as Times Square, the Empire State Building, Macy’s, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Bryant Park, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Families can take advantage of “Kids Ride Free” in tandem with NY Waterway’s Your Key To The City partner program which offers discounts of up to 56 percent on top NYC museums, attractions, and tours. NY Waterway’s expanded Your Key to the City program also offers special discounts on over 40 participating Broadway plays and musicals.
For more information, call 1-800-53-FERRY or click on www.nywaterway.com or www.facebook.com or @ridetheferry.