Hudson Reporter Archive

HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Authors James Kaplan, Pete Hamill, and Will Friedwald will discuss Sinatra

With Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday on Dec. 12 fast approaching, the Hoboken Historical Museum and Little City Books will kick off the celebration early with an author talk from James Kaplan on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. at the Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., and Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. on a panel with two other authors of Sinatra books at Little City Books, 100 Bloomfield St.
Kaplan will discuss his latest book “Sinatra: The Chairman,” the second part of a biography which began with the first volume, “Frank: The Voice” in 2010.
“Kaplan’s rich, distinctive, compulsively readable prose told the story of Frank Sinatra’s meteoric rise to fame, subsequent failures, and reinvention as a star of live performance and screen,” reads an announcement from museum organizers. “The story of ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ continues with ‘Sinatra: The Chairman,’ picking up the day after Frank claimed his Academy Award in 1954 and had reestablished himself as the top recording artist in music.”
In addition to the author talk, Little City Books will host a panel and party.
“Authors James Kaplan, Pete Hamill, and Will Friedwald will be on our panel, with moderator Bob Santelli, executive director of The Grammy Museum in LA,” said Little City Books event organizers in an announcement. “We’ll have music and refreshments and it will be swingin’ time.”
Attendees must purchase a Frank Sinatra book at the event as price of admission. The museum event is free but attendees are encouraged to purchase a book.
The museum is located at 1301 Hudson St. To learn more about the Frank Sinatra exhibit and upcoming events, visit www.hobokenmuseum.org and for information on upcoming events at the book store visit www.littlecitybooks.com.

Company teaching computer skills to kids offers free session

By 2020, estimates suggest over 1 million computer-related jobs in the US may go unfilled due to the lack of qualified candidates. With two thirds of these jobs outside of the tech sector, computer coding skills have become foundational as reading and writing.
While kids today often learn to use an iPad before they can read a book, the future is more than just being able to interact with technology – it is about being able to create using technology.
CodeAdvantage, an organization with several New York City outlets and one in Hoboken, recently began offering local coding classes for kids in 1st through 8th grade. The classes utilize a game-based learning platform which is a very effective way to get kids excited about coding – they can create stories, design video games, and even modify existing games such as Minecraft while learning the fundamentals of programming.
Code Advantage is sponsoring a free “coding fair” at the Hoboken Public Library on Nov. 30 from 5 to 6 p.m. when families can sit in on sample demo classes, meet instructors, and play the games they see created in the class.. To learn more about this event, visit www.codeadvantage.org/hoboken-classes .

Charter school’s robotics team competes in national competition

Mathematics teacher Christopher Kunkel led Hoboken Charter School’s Robotics Team at the First Lego League (FLL) Robotics Competition at Clifton High School on Saturday, Nov. 21.
The national competition gathers students from across the country to challenge themselves in the areas of science and technology.
“Comprised of ten students in grades six, seven and eight, this was the first year for Hoboken Charter School’s Robotics Team,” said school officials in a press release. “The group worked extremely hard to build and program a robot and complete a research project around this year’s theme, Trash Trek.”
The Hoboken team clutched a top ten spot of all the schools competing and won the Rookie Inspiration Award being that it was there first time competing. The team will move on to the FLL state competition.
The students that participated include Valerie Calligy, Alison Fung, Olivia Cahn, Josephine Conlon, Zoe McConnell, Nathan Kriegel, Adrian Vicioso, Matthew Neissen, and Leila Mullally.

Edgewater man arrested after alleged robbery with knife

An Edgewater man allegedly robbed a 31 year-old Hoboken resident at knifepoint in the area of Fourth and Monroe streets around 11 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Matthew Trontz, 23, was charged with robbery and possession of weapons for an unlawful purpose after fleeing the scene with the victim’s wallet and cell phone, the Hoboken Police Department said in a press release.
“Officer Ramon Estrella was able to locate some of the contents of the wallet belonging to the victim in the area of 635 5th St.,” the release said. “Simultaneously, Officer Nathaniel Arocho saw a male matching the description given of the actor in the area of 332 Monroe St. and conducted an investigatory stop.”
According to police officials, the victim of the robbery positively identified the Edgewater man and he was arrested on the scene by officer Damien Bates. Trontz was also discovered to have a warrant issued for allegedly failure to appear for an arrest in Newark.
Judge Mongiello set Trontz’ bail at $25,000 with no 10 percent option and he was committed to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, read the release.

‘Incredible works of art’ at new gallery

This past week on Tuesday, Nov. 24, Sheri Alimonda – a connoisseur of oil painting – unveiled her new art gallery/studio and event space 7 Fine Arts at 159 4th St.
Alimonda studied at the Art School of Oil Painting in New York City, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the Art Students League with Sean Crosby, Nicola Vigini, and Pierre Finkelstein domestically and abroad. 7 Fine Arts offers various classes including Oil Painting, Parent and Child art classes and Intro to Art. To see upcoming events and learn more about the gallery, visit www.7finearts.com.

Stevens ‘Knowledge is Power’ award

Stevens Institute of Technology was happy to receive the “Knowledge is Power” award from the New Jersey Tech Council (NJTC) on Thursday, Nov. 19 during an annual ceremony.
“We take great pride in our identity as an engine of technological innovation,” said Dr. Nariman Farvardin, President of Stevens. “We are delighted to receive the ‘Knowledge is Power’ Award and applaud the unwavering efforts of the New Jersey Technology Council for its leadership and advocacy on behalf of New Jersey’s tech sector.”
Stevens received the award for their unwavering support of the technology industry in the New Jersey area and for fusing technology and medicine to “create sophisticated techniques for fighting cancer, to pioneering the future of coastal sustainability,” the school outlined in a press release.

Police, fire departments give back with annual turkey drive

Despite the frigid temperatures and most of the manpower dealing with the city’s water main break on the south end of town, the Hoboken Police and Fire Departments congregated behind the ShopRite on Madison Street on Monday, Nov. 23 to prepare for their annual turkey drive.
This year for Thanksgiving Day, the departments partnered to give out 150 turkeys to the needy, with a helpful donation from ShopRite.
“We work with the housing authority to make a list,” said Sergeant Edgardo Cruz who heads the drive, as fellow officers organized turkeys with sides like mashed potatoes, vegetables, and gravy in blue bags. “It’s good for people to see the softer side of the police and fire departments.”
Cruz said that although the fire department began partnering with the police department two years ago, police officials have been hosting the drive for many years.
“Right now we’re preparing them and by tomorrow they’re shipped out,” he said last week.

Help a family in need at 1st Annual Christmas Exchange

Families in need will get a helping hand from Hoboken Grace Community Church’s first ever Christmas Exchange.
“The amazing thing about this opportunity is that it’s not just a chance to provide toys this Christmas but much needed household items that can benefit a whole family,” said Anthony Reimer, the outreach director at Hoboken Grace. “Some parents have asked for simple things like pots and pans, bedding and toiletries, diapers and towels.”
Kara Cohen, a Hoboken resident and church attendee, inspired the event. Last year, she and her relatives, distributed gifts to families at the Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA). This year, the church has decided to up the ante by working with the HHA, HOPES, the HUMC Neighborhood Health Center, Hoboken Family Planning and In Good Counsel to find and help more families in need.
“It’s so nice to bring people that little bit of happiness. It filled me in a way I wasn’t expecting,” said Cohen. “This year the sky’s the limit. We’re expecting that close to 500 families will benefit through the Christmas Exchange and I’m hoping that the program will grow each year.”
Gifts will be collected on Dec. 19 where donors will have the chance to present them to an adopted family or child. Those unable to attend can arrange to have the gifts picked up by volunteer “elves.”
“It was amazing to see the impact Kara’s made in our city last year,” said Chris High, Lead Pastor at Hoboken Grace. “She pulled this event off with extremely limited resources. When we saw what she was able to accomplish, we knew we needed to join her in taking this to a whole new level this year. We knew it was something we needed to be a part of.”
The church is located at 301 Garden St. To learn how you can give back or to volunteer to help visit www.HobokenChristmas.com.

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