Bayonne School Budget hearing postponed to next Thursday
Last week’s Board of Education school budget hearing was rescheduled to this Thursday, May 5 at 699 Avenue A in the board’s Anna J. Herbert Room. The proposed budget is around $129 million and includes a school tax increase of 2.78 percent.
Bayonne Middle School gives wrong PARCC test to 8th graders
In what the principal described as a “minor glitch,” 34 eighth graders at Nicholas Oresko School were administered the wrong PARCC test. They were supposed to take the Algebra 1 Assessment, but were administered the Grade 8 Math test instead. The students reportedly took the entire Grade 8 Math test, and then had to throw those away and take an Algebra test. They were reportedly not happy about taking two tests. The Bayonne School District said in a statement, “As soon as it was brought to the attention of the testing administrator, the test was closed. The New Jersey Department of Education Office of Assessment was immediately notified of the irregularity, and the principal contacted the parents.”
Hudson Reporter moving offices
The Hudson Reporter, which includes the Bayonne Community News will be moving offices from Hoboken and 170 Broadway in Bayonne to 447 Broadway in Bayonne effective May 10. Phone numbers remain the same.
Bayonne City Council approves 30-day hiring freeze
Your chances of getting that job with the City of Bayonne in the next 30 days just decreased after the council approved a 30-day hiring freeze at last week’s council meeting. Councilman Gary La Pelusa proposed the hiring freeze in an attempt to help offset city spending. In the meantime the city will move forward with negotiations for a deal with a developer for MOTBY.
Groundbreaking ceremony for Edward Clark Park improvements
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held for the start of improvement to Edward Clark Park on Wednesday, May 4 at 11:30 a.m.. Mayor James Davis and members of the City Council will take part. The project is one of many Bayonne is undertaking as part of the mayor’s parks revitalization program.
PSE&G Bergen-Linden Corridor (BLC) electric transmission reliability project issues construction notice/traffic advisory
During the week of May 2, PSE&G crews will work at the following locations on John F. Kennedy Boulevard for the Bergen-Linden Corridor (BLC) electric transmission reliability project. There will be conduit installations at the following locations: West 7th to West 9th Street, and from West 20th to West 26th Street. There will be conduit proofing from West 3rd Street to West 7th Street.
For questions about the project, email richard.dwyer@pseg.com or call PSE&G’s BLC customer service at 1 (800) 541-9020.
Bayonne Annual Holocaust Remembrance Service on Wednesday, May 4
Inge Auerbacher will speak at City Hall at 6 p.m. as part of Bayonne’s annual Holocaust remembrance service. She is a Holocaust survivor who spent three years at the Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia between the ages of seven and ten. Only one percent of the camp survived. She and her parents emigrated to the United States in 1946. She has been lecturing on the Holocaust since 1981, and has spoken to audiences in the United States, Canada, and Germany She has published four books, more than 50 poems, and numerous articles.
Buddy Baseball
After being rewarded $5,000 by SportNet New York (Mets TV channel) to repair and install a new backstop and fencing at the 11th Street Field, Buddy Baseball is opening this year with a parade, opening ceremony, and three games. Buddy Baseball is a program for mentally and physically challenged youth. “Buddies” come to assist players, whether it means helping the player go up to bat, catch a ball, and any other support the players might need. The program is open to Bayonne residents, boys and girls, ages 4-21. Games take place in May and June at the 11th Street Field at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. For more information, contact Pete Amadeo at Bayonnerec@aol.com or call (201) 858-6129.
Brunch to Crunch Cancer on Saturday
The Foundation for Cancer Prevention is hosting a “Brunch to Crunch Cancer” fundraiser on Saturday, May 7 with guest speaker Dr. Julie DiGioia, attending breast surgeon at Overlook Medical Center in Summit and Jersey City Medical Center. The fundraiser brunch will take place at Chandelier Restaurant, 1081 Broadway from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration is required of $50. Call (201) 437-9100.
Correction
In the April 13, 2016, issue of the Bayonne Community News, a story about the Bayonne budget hearing mistakenly stated that the contract between the city and McCabe Ambulance Service was severed. The contract remains in effect. Bayonne Spokesman Joe Ryan clarified in a statement, “The contract with McCabe Ambulance remains in effect. It has NOT been severed. Pensions and healthcare plans have not been reduced. Rather, city employees are paying more toward the costs of our pensions and healthcare. Therefore, the amount that the city has to pay is lower than it would have been.”