Hoboken priest suspended by archdiocese
Father Warren Hall, a priest at Saints Peter and Paul Church on Fourth and Hudson Streets in Hoboken, announced Wednesday Aug. 31 via twitter that he had been suspended.
“Sadly, my differences with my bishop continue,” he wrote. “Today he has suspended me from priestly ministry. @Pontifex’s Reform’s are taking too long.”
Hall then retweeted several articles about the suspension. Other media outlets reported that the priest was suspended for publicly supporting gay groups.
Religion News Service reported Thursday that the cleric was “barred from ministry because the cleric supports gay advocacy groups and has backed a Catholic high school counselor who was fired when church officials discovered the woman was in a same-sex marriage.”
Last year Newark Archbishop John Myers, fired Hall from his position as Chaplin at Seton Hall University.
Hall stated at the time via twitter that he was “fired from SHU for posting a pic on FB supporting LGBT ‘No H8.’ I’m sorry it was met with this response. I’ll miss my work here.”
“Every Catholic priest promises to be reverent and obedient to his bishop,” wrote Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark, James Goodness. “A priest’s actions and statements always must be consistent with the discipline, norms and teachings of the Catholic Church. When they are ordained, priests agree to accept the bishop’s judgment about assignments and involvement in ministry.”
Hall did not return email or message by time of publishing.
Travel advisory issued for weekend PATH service
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey issued a travel advisory Thursday Sept. 1 stating that regular weekend PATH service on the 33rd Street line would be temporarily restored for Labor Day weekend with construction to resume on Sept. 10.
The release states that “the Journal Square-33rd Street PATH line via Hoboken – closed on weekends since Aug. 6 for federally mandated service and safety upgrades – will be open and operate throughout the Labor Day weekend to accommodate high holiday ridership demand.”
With the 33rd Street line operating this weekend, the temporary Hoboken-to-World Trade Center PATH train will not be running during the Labor Day weekend and will resume Saturday, Sept. 10.
PATH had also had a shuttle running that picks up four blocks from the WTC and brings travelers to the Village and up to 29th Street. That was only in service when the regular 33rd Street train was not running.
From Saturday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 5, the 33rd Street and Newark-to-World Trade Center lines will both be operating on a holiday weekend schedule.
That schedule can be accessed by going to http://www.panynj.gov/path/full-schedules.cfm, and clicking on the PATH Holiday Schedule tab.
For additional traffic alerts, advisories and updates, travelers are encouraged to sign up for Port Authority alerts at http://www.paalerts.com/ or follow PATH on Twitter @PATHTrain.
Guitar Bar attempted world record
The Guitar Bar, a local music shop that also offers lessons and repairs, had their fourth attempt at breaking the world record for largest band on Tuesday Aug. 30.
The Guitar Bar hosted the event at Sinatra Park where all were welcome. All attendees who brought a stringed instrument could participate including cellos, acoustic guitars, banjos, and ukuleles.
The event began with Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
The Guinness Book of World Records lists 953 participants in Beijing, China as the largest rock band, and 6,346 guitarists as the largest guitar ensemble in Poland.
Unfortunately not enough musicians played last night but Jim Mastro, owner of Guitar Bar, believes that they can break the record in a few more years.
Mastro said that while breaking the record would be nice, the event is mostly about a group of musicians coming together for a night of music.
Frank Bernal, a 15-year Weehawken resident, walked to Hoboken specifically to play his guitar at the event.
“I love rock and roll,” said Bernal. “I love playing the guitar and the sense of community here. It is nice to join in with others playing who are like me.”
6-year-old Hoboken resident hospitalized after striking moving vehicle
A 6-year-old boy was hospitalized Tuesday, Aug 30 after breaking away from his mother to cross the street, running between two double parked cars, and running into the side of a moving vehicle in Hoboken, police said. Media accounts said that he could not see the car coming because of the double parked cars.
“Mother and child were walking when they went to cross the street, the 6-year-old son darted between the two double parked cars … and hit the side of the car as it passed him,” said Detective Sergeant Edgardo Cruz.
According to Cruz, the boy was taken to Jersey City Medical Center where the he was treated for a fractured ankle.
Cruz said that the driver was not at fault and was not issued a summons, as “this appears to be an accident.” The two double-parked cars did receive summonses.
Hoboken is infamous for its lack of street parking, and while double parking is a common practice, it is against the law.
Media accounts said if the boy had been a moment earlier or later, his fate could have been much worse.
Hoboken in final negotiations to acquire industrial property in NW for park and garage
The City of Hoboken announced Wednesday in a press release that it is in the final stages of negotiations to acquire the BASF property. The 6-acre property in northwest Hoboken, will be used to create a 5- acre resiliency park and a parking garage.
According to the release, the total cost to acquire the property would be $30 million, which the city intends to fund through a low-interest loan from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Fund Program (NJEIFP) for the park portion and with a bond from the Hoboken Parking Utility (HPU) for the parking garage portion.
The debt service will be financed through the Hoboken Open Space Trust Fund for the parkland acquisition and with revenue from the parking facility for the HPU bond, according to the release.
If negotiations are successful, the City Council will be asked at the Oct 5 meeting to introduce multiple ordinances to authorize the agreement to purchase the property, a bond for the NJEIFP, and the HPU bond.
The city will host a public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Multi Service Center, located at 124 Grand St., to hear the community’s input on the land acquisition.
The largest portion of the BASF property is Block 107, a 4-acre property bounded by Madison, Adams, 12th, and 13th streets.
Additional space for the park is south of 12th Street between Madison Street and Jefferson streets.
The parking garage is proposed for the property north of 13th Street between Jefferson and Adams streets.
Hoboken City Hall to display 9/11 memorial flag for the month of September
The city issued a media release on Thursday Sept. 1 that two 9/11 memorial handprint flags will be displayed at city hall for the month of September in honor of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
In 2001, as a gesture of solidarity, art teacher Amy Young in Rome, GA, created a large 7’ X 15’ flag with the handprints of over 600 schoolchildren from Glenwood Primary School.
The school sent it to Hoboken residents Brenda King and Rob Guglimetti as a visual representation of community unity and support for the victims of 9/11.
That flag is now in the permanent collection of the Hoboken Historical Museum.
In response, Hoboken artist Raymond Smith, organized Hoboken residents to create a handprint flag to send to the school in Georgia.
The ‘Thank You from Hoboken’ flag includes handprints and signatures of members of the families of 9/11 victims, Hoboken Police and Fire Fighters, Senator Bernard Kenny, Mayor Roberts and his wife, people from the Homeless Shelter, and the artist’s family and friends and was sent to the school in 2002.
It has been returned to Hoboken from Georgia for the 15th anniversary, and will be displayed along with the Hoboken Children’s Memorial Flag in the lobby of city hall.
The Hoboken Children’s Memorial Flag, by the same artist in 2002, has 229 handprints, eight of which are the children of the Hoboken victims. That flag had been on display at the Hoboken Board of Education and its current home is in Hoboken City Hall.
Preferred Alternative for Rebuild by Design Project to be announced Sept 8
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the city of Hoboken will announce the Preferred Alternative for the Rebuild by Design project on Sept 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Debaun Auditorium, Edwin A. Stevens Hall, Stevens Institute of Technology, 24 Fifth St.
The Project is a comprehensive urban water strategy whose overall purpose is to reduce flood hazard risks, flood-related public health risks, and which seeks to leverage resiliency investment to enhance the urban condition.
The meeting will include the recommendation of the project’s Preferred Alternative.
Residents are invited to learn about the project and share their input on the project’s progress to date and the recommendation of the preferred alternative.
Free 12-week NAMI course for families of those with depression, bipolar
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is offering a free educational, 12-week course for families of individuals diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. This course also covers medication and other important topics. The course starts Monday Sept. 19 in Union City.
For more Information contact Dana Johnson 551-242-3681, Danayjohnson@aol.com or Carmen Garcia 201-310-5828, garciacarmen524@gmail.com
Classes are also being offered in Spanish, for more information call 201-861-0614.
Man’s last name seems apropos for marijuana bust
Police arrested 25-year-old Hoboken resident Hakeem High on Sunday Aug 27 on charges of aggravated assault, CDS (controlled dangerous substance) marijuana distribution, CDS within 1,000 feet of School property, CDS within 500 feet of Public Housing, and defiant trespassing.
The media release issued by the Police Department stated that officers arrived to 560 Marshall Drive around 5 a.m. on the report of a fight, where they saw High allegedly assaulting a man on the third floor of the building.
After separating the two individuals, the officers found the victim to have an injured eye and placed High under arrest for the above offenses.
When the officers searched High, they found 16 small Ziploc bags of marijuana allegedly on his person.
High was released and given a summons with a court date appearance.
Officers responding were Michael Losurdo, Tyrone Huggins, and Nicklas Valerius.
Raise your voice: join Hoboken and Jersey City’s women’s choir
Cantigas Women’s Choir seeks skilled and committed singers for its upcoming 2016-2017 season.
The Hoboken-based women’s chorus brings a diverse community of women together — from all ages and all backgrounds — to explore the rich tradition of women’s singing and perform a broad spectrum of global music, both classic and contemporary.
Cantigas is seeking women of all vocal ranges. Sight reading skills are strongly desirable, but not required. Ability to sing in tune and blend in classical style is essential.
The group rehearses on Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Mustard Seed School at 422 Willow Ave. in Hoboken
Interested singers should contact Artistic Director Joan Litman by e-mail at joanlitman@gmail.com to visit one of the open rehearsals on Sept. 8, Sept. 15, or Sept. 22.
For more information on the choir go to www.contigas.net