Olympic dream ends for Jonathan Gomez
After placing fifth in a preliminary heat with a personal best time of 1:56.65, Jonathan Gomez, the St. Peter’s Prep and St. Peter’s University alumnus and Bayonne Scarlet Aquatics star, did not advance past the semifinals on Monday, August 8, at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Swimming for his native Colombia, he placed eighth in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:57.47, going up against Hungary’s Tamas Kenderesi who finished first, followed by Michael Phelps in second.
Woman crashes car into Sleepy’s
According to police, the Sleepy’s at Bayonne Crossing found a hole through the front of its showroom on Sunday afternoon after a 57-year-old woman allegedly crashed her white Hyundai into the building while trying to park. According to police, she has “no recollection” of the crash.
First Annual Car and Bike Night
A local organization dedicated to the memory of John “Jack” Santopietro, the victim of a fatal motorcycle accident in which he collided with a minivan on Avenue E on March 16, 2012, will host the First Annual Car and Bike Night on August 17 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. between 30th and 31st Street on Broadway. The event will feature music, food, and prizes.
The preregistration fee is $10, to register on the day of is $15, and to register as a vendor is $25. To preregister, go to 47 Kennedy Boulevard from Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and make checks payable to “Remember Me John Jack Santopietro Inc.” For more information, call (201) 273-4275 or (201) 697-1506.
Bayonne building sells for $3.2 million
Broadway Plaza, a five-story, 29,577-square-foot building on the corner of Broadway and 22nd Street that is made up of office suites, and retail space on the bottom floor, recently sold for $3.2 million to a private investor. The sale is a part of a trend of investor interest in the city, and a growing urban renewal effort. Many buildings, such as the old Maidenform factory, were bought and converted to residential units. With a new state-of-the-art 80,000 square-foot Barnabas Health medical facility only two blocks up on 24th Street, the neighborhood is seeing revitalization and modernization.
Henry Repeating Arms fined $45K
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Bayonne-based rifle company, Henry Repeating Arms, was fined $45,000 for exposing workers to dangerous noise levels; in other words, for allegedly failing to provide its workers with the proper ear protection and safeguards needed to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. On July 29, OSHA issued citations for three repeat violations, four serious ones, and one “other-than-serious” safety violation. According to an OSHA press release, the fine comes after the company was fined $72K in 2013 for eight violations, including noise level violations, after a 2012 inspection placed the company in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
Kris Hoffman, director at OSHA’s Parsippany office said in a statement, “Hearing loss is a serious issue. This employer’s callous attitude toward hearing protection is unconscionable and will not be tolerated.”