Final hearing for Stevens Academic Gateway complex to be held next week
The public will have a chance to speak at the sixth and final hearing of Stevens Institute of Technology’s long awaited Academic Gateway Complex project next week on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
When the school initially presented their Gateway Complex proposal, the Hudson Street Alliance blasted the plan, saying Stevens disregarded the character of the surrounding neighborhood. They prompted the school to reduce the height of the complex by 25 feet, redesign its façade, abandon a pedestrian plaza concept, and relocate a floor’s worth of mechanical equipment underground.
The original proposal included a two-building 90,000 square foot academic complex. The new plan consists of two four-story buildings on the north and south sides of Sixth Street where it meets Hudson Street, connected by a two-story sky bridge.
The school foresees the 10-year strategic plan for the complex as addressing an increase in the student population by 2,000 with 11 new classrooms, 10 labs, and 45 offices.
The public meeting, which will be held at the Multi-Service Center, 124 Grand St. at 6:30 p.m., will include closing arguments of the attorneys, deliberation by the board, and a vote. The school is also currently awaiting the approval of a project to rehabilitate its Babbio parking garage.
Find stories on both projects at www.hudsonreporter.com.
Remembering longshoreman Donald ‘Red’ Barrett
The Hoboken Historical Museum will honor the life of one of the mile-square city’s most well-known dock workers on Sunday, Nov. 15.
Donald “Red” Barrett worked as a longshoreman for 34 years on piers along waterfronts in Brooklyn, Newark, and Hoboken. Longshoremen also referred to as a stevedores or wharfies, work as manual laborers loading and unloading ships.
“Beginning in the late 1950s, [Barrett] not only arrived at work on the Hoboken docks with his longshoremen’s hook—the essential tool to secure and move cargo— ‘Red’ also carried a point-and-shoot camera,” said museum organizers in an announcement. “He snapped countless photos of our city’s working waterfront and its surrounding neighborhood of bars, supply stores, and old hotels catering to stevedores and merchant marines, before containerization and urban renewal obliterated that way of life.”
A selection of his visual archive forms the centerpiece of the Hoboken Historical Museum’s 27th oral history chapbook, “The Hook: Recollections of Donald ‘Red’ Barrett.”
The museum will trace Barrett’s story through a presentation at 4 p.m. to celebrate the book’s publication, and Barrett’s contribution to the city’s historical record. The event is free and all who attend will receive a copy of “The Hook.” Refreshments will be served.
For information on upcoming events at the museum visit www.hobokenmuseum.org.
Rotary Club to launch program to help senior citizens
The Hoboken Rotary Club will kick off a new program titled “Golden Rotarians” wherein seniors, who don’t have guests on a regular basis, are partnered with families or individuals for a monthly 2 to 3 hour visit.
“Visits would be to talk, play games, go to the park [and more],” said members of the Rotary Club in an announcement. “We hope to pair people with similar interests in common to make it easier to find activities to do each month.”
The launch event will be held Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hoboken Multi Service Center at 124 Grand St. Food and drinks will be served. For information contact Joe Mindak at joe@hmag.com.
Local award-winning investigative reporter to discuss book on notorious conman
Diana Henriques, a longtime Hoboken resident and award-winning New York Times investigative journalist, will discuss her book “Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and The Death of Trust” at Little City Books.
Henriques will soon appear as herself in a movie directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert DeNiro. The movie, as well as the book, delves into the life of Bernard “Bernie” Lawrence Madoff, the notorious American con man and former stockbroker convicted of fraud in 2009.
The event will be held Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Little City Books, 100 Bloomfield St.
59-year old-man allegedly in possession of cocaine tries to evade cops
A 59-year-old Hoboken man was arrested on Thursday, Nov. 12 allegedly in possession of cocaine, according to a press release from the Hoboken Police Department.
According to police officials, anti-violence narcotics detectives spotted Thomas Gorham of Hoboken near Jackson Street around 8 p.m. on Thursday. The detectives were aware that Gorham had outstanding warrants. As they approached him, he allegedly took off running, the release said.
He was ultimately stopped near Marshall Drive and after a search was police found “two clear plastic bags tied in a knot with a white rock like substance inside of suspected cocaine,” the release said.
Gorham was arrested and charged with bail jumping, resisting arrest and possession of cocaine. He was remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility with a $5,900 bail, as well as the outstanding bail for four open warrants that ranged from $150 to $250.
The Hudson School to screen ‘Most Likely to Succeed’
The Hudson School will feature “Most Likely to Succeed” on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.
The film, which won in the documentary category for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, looks at how the education system has taken a nose dive since 1845 and is in need of reform.
Founder of the Hudson School, Suellen Newman, will give opening remarks at the event, which is open to the public.
“I think the concept [of the film] is that as adults we need to help our children to enlarge and to understand that success can be multi-dimensional and there are many ways to fulfill that potential,” said Newman over the phone on Friday. “I think students often feel like they get boxed in and that there are a limited number of ways for them to be successful.”
Admission is $10 and the Hudson School is located at 601 Park Ave. on the ground floor of the school.
City Hall’s Holiday Crafts Fair
This year’s Hoboken City Hall’s Holiday Crafts Fair, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will include three floors of nothing but handmade arts and crafts from local artists.
The unique items will include jewelry, silk felted and leather bags, hand knitted scarves, shawls, hats, sweaters, and blankets, as well as candles, body products, fresh herbal teas, photography, holiday ornaments, hair accessories, pictures frames, mirrors, stuffed dolls, and fashion good for all ages.
The event at City Hall (94 Washington St.) will also have face painting by Mrs. Claus. Organizers ask that attendees take the Newark St. entrance on the day of the event.
For information contact Gerri Fallo at 201-420-2207or by email at gfallo@hobokennj.org.
Build something using cardboard? Challenge accepted
All Saints Episcopal Day School participated in the global Cardboard Challenge as part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiative. Third and fourth grade students were confronted with building something using only cardboard and recycled materials.
“It was amazing to see my students create amazing innovations and inventions from such simple materials. It was wonderful to see their brains at work in such an authentic way,” said Stephanie Karian, a third-grade teacher at the school.
In all the students were able to construct an array of products: a castle, birdhouse, apartment building, submarine, pyramid, pirate ship, hideout, time-travel machine, airplane, bee house, and a space ship.
Hoboken-based lab helps Pearson improve digital education
Nine New Jersey students, as part of the Hoboken-based Kids CoLab, are working to help the world’s leading learning company with employees in over 80 countries, shape the next generation of digital learning.
The students began working – at their new iDEA Innovation Center in Hoboken – in the summer to help Pearson designers and developers ensure innovations that are efficient for both students and teachers. The Hoboken students are following in the footsteps of the first successful Kids CoLab in Arizona, where students supported the development of back stories, names, features and personalities for new characters in SuccessMaker (Pearson’s adaptive K-8 reading and math curriculum, featuring a game-like environment).
“We jumped at the opportunity for our 10-year-old daughter to participate in Kids CoLab because we recognized the many benefits offered by the program for a shy, but bright child,” said Lisa Segali.
Segali, and John Rotundo, are parents of Kids CoLab Hoboken team member Kate Rotundo, a fifth grader at Hoboken Dual Language School.
“The collaborative nature among the kids and facilitators has provided a safe and fun environment for Kate to speak up and contribute her unique perspective when the kids are working on an idea,” added Sigali.