Two Chabad parties coming up this week in Hoboken
Chabad of Hoboken’s annual grand international Purim Party will be held Thursday, March 5, at The Multi-Service Center, 124 Grand St., in Hoboken. This year’s theme, “Celebrating Purim a Paris,” will feature a Parisian dinner and Parisian décor, and great entertainment for all ages, including a caricaturist, air brush art, face paint, balloon shaping, a bar for adults, and more.
Doors open at 4:45 pm. All are welcome to join regardless of affiliation or background.
Chabad will also host an exclusive party for young Jewish Professionals on Wednesday night, March 4 at 8:30 pm at Lulu’s at the W Hotel, 225 River St. Light refreshments will be available, including sushi and Hamantashen, premium top shelf open bar, and more.
For more information and to RSVP for either of these programs, check out the website www.JewishHoboken.com, or call (201) 386-5222.
Six sergeants selected at Hoboken PD after legal challenges to state test clear
Seven members of the Hoboken Police Department will be promoted at a ceremony this coming Tuesday, March 3, at 3 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of Hoboken City Hall, 94 Washington St. All members of the public are invited to attend.
Sergeant John Petrosino will be promoted to lieutenant, and Police Officers Saverio R. Binetti, Jonathan Butler, Arbend Drishti, Edward M. Sellick, Steven C. Kranz, and Robert Fulton will be promoted to sergeant. Retiring Lieutenant Kevin Cruz will also be honored at the ceremony.
Sergeant promotions in Hoboken had been on hold for years after the state-wide civil service exam for the position was successfully challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2010 for having a discriminatory impact on African-Americans and Hispanics.
New Jersey wrote and administered a new sergeant examination in 2013 as part of a legal settlement with the Department of Justice, but the new test was also challenged as unfair, and its results were not officially certified and released until Jan. 29 of this year, according to Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante.
As another condition of the settlement, explained Ferrante, Hoboken gave priority promotions in November to the three Latino officers with the highest scores on the 2013 sergeant test.
Hoboken was one of 11 New Jersey municipalities required to give priority promotions to black or Latino officers under the DOJ Consent Decree. Some Latino sergeant candidates in Hoboken were also eligible for back pay.
The six officers being promoted on Tuesday received the six highest scores among those remaining on the sergeant list, according to Ferrante. The unexpected retirement of Lt. Cruz allowed the police department to promote one more officer to sergeant than originally planned.
The new test results will serve as the list of officers eligible for promotion to sergeant for the next three years.
Sergeants are responsible for squads of five to ten officers, while lieutenants manage whole shifts or units of the Police Department.
Hoboken considering performing arts center as part of Rail Yards development
As negotiations with New Jersey Transit over the Rail Yard development project unfold, the administration of Dawn Zimmer is considering including the construction of a large performing arts center near Hoboken Terminal as one of its demands. The Hoboken Yards Redevelopment Plan approved by the City Council in December requires that NJ Transit or its designated developer to build 23,000 square feet of indoor public space along Observer Highway between Hudson Street and Park Avenue, but does not specify its intended use.
According to a Feb. 18 city press release, Zimmer will include the construction of an arts center in the negotiation of the Redevelopment Agreement with NJ Transit if the idea has community support and is deemed to be economically feasible.
“With almost unparalleled access to mass transit, southeast Hoboken could be the ideal place for a regional performing arts center for music, theater, dance, and more,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “Along with the resurgence of the Monroe Arts Center, the preservation of Neumann Leathers through a proposed Rehabilitation Plan, and the construction of Mile Square Theatre’s new facility next to the Viaduct, the Hoboken community is demonstrating its commitment to artists and the arts.”
Hoboken currently has a number of small-scale venues but no large-scale performing arts space, and residents seeking entertainment options must often travel outside of Hudson County. The Hudson County Master Plan calls for “the development of a performing arts center to provide a source of entertainment and to meet the needs of local performing artists.”
The potential location of an arts center at the southern end of Washington Street where it meets Observer Highway was a topic of discussion when the Hoboken Planning Board reviewed the Hoboken Yards plan in early December. Some commissioners suggested that placing a building in that location would be a detriment to the Washington Street’s view corridor when looking south towards Jersey City.
Aetna, Barnabas reach a deal, averting health care coverage disruption
The health insurer Aetna and Barnabas Health, New Jersey’s largest health care provider, announced Thursday they have reached a new, two-year contract, effective March 1, averting any disruption for Aetna members who use the Barnabas system, according to a story in NJBIZ.com.
The only Barnabas hospital that is not part of this new Aetna deal is Jersey City Medical Center, which Barnabas acquired on June 1, 2014. Barnabas spokeswoman Ellen Greene said Jersey City Medical Center is expected to become part of the Aetna network in June 2015.
Earlier this month, as negotiations came down to the wire, Aetna started notifying New Jersey customers that they would need to find new health care providers if the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement before the current contract expired March 1. Aetna said about 18,000 of its New Jersey members receive health care from Barnabas.
Thursday’s announcement said Aetna members who use Barnabas Health hospitals and facilities, or receive care from physicians of the Barnabas Health Medical Group, will continue to be covered at the in-network level of benefits.
It’s not unusual for contract talks between hospitals and insurers to hit a snag.
New Jersey’s largest health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, announced earlier this month that Christ Hospital in Jersey City, part of CarePoint Health, had terminated its relationship with Horizon and would exit the insurer’s network June 1. However, top executives of Christ and Horizon said they hoped to reach a deal before the current contract expires May 31.
CarePoint spokesman Jarrod Bernstein said Thursday that “we are hopeful we are come to a resolution before the deadline.” He said CarePoint’s two other Hudson County hospitals, Bayonne Medical Center and Hoboken University Medical Center, will remain in-network with Horizon “regardless of the outcome of the negotiations” between Christ Hospital and Horizon.
The new agreement with Barnabas applies to all Aetna health plan products, including Student Health and Medicare.
The Sixth Annual Hoboken Volunteers Chili Cook-Off is here
Happiness comes in many forms—in the company of friends, family, good health, and most important—chili and beer, of course! Hoboken Volunteers Annual Chili Cook-Off & Homebrewing Contest will be heating things up again for the sixth year in a row.
On Sunday, March 1 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Grace Gym, 422 Willow Ave., the hottest chili and tastiest beer in Hoboken will be battling it out for the number one spot in your hearts, and stomachs.
While guests eat, drink, and groove to live music by the band Gravy Train, a panel of esteemed judges will set out on a culinary quest to find best chili and beer in town. This year’s panel includes the discerning palettes of Adam Poch, Hoboken resident who made it to the final three on Big Brother 13; Abbey Bell, a Hoboken resident who launched her Hoboken catering business in January 2011, which includes a former Hoboken Volunteers Chili Champion; and Frank Bilotti, an executive chef and contestant on Hell’s Kitchen Season 13.
Winners of Best Judged Chili, Best Judged Beer, Fan Favorite Chili and Fan Favorite Beer will receive gift certificates from various local businesses. The top prize is a $200 gift certificate from Dino & Harry’s for Best Judged Chili. Best Judged winners will be provided a trophy by Freeholder Anthony Romano. This year’s sponsors include Inserra Shoprite, The Rockefeller Group, 902 Brewing, Hoboken Ben & Jerry’s, hMag, and Hoboken Grace.
Thanks to everyone’s support and appetites last year, Hoboken Volunteers raised $11,000 for the Jubilee Center, and they hope to exceed that this year for In Jesus’s Name Charities.
In Jesus’ Name Charities operates an ongoing emergency food response, and verifies needs and coordinates a network of volunteers and donors to meet those needs.
For businesses interested in sponsoring this event, please email Amanda at dontsithome@gmail.com.
Tickets are available on-line for $40 and include chili and beer samplings and a commemorative glass. A very limited quantity of tickets will be available at the door and are not guaranteed. For more information on the event or the organization, please visit www.hobokenvolunteers.com.
Children under direct supervision are welcome at the event. We kindly ask that no strollers be brought into Our Lady of Grace Gym.
Tickets can be purchased at https://hvchilicookoff2015.eventbrite.com.
Hoboken seeking vendors for Fourth Annual Green Fair in May
The City of Hoboken Green Team invitees vendors to participate in the Fourth Annual Green Fair on Saturday, May 16 (rain date: May 23) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Church Square Park.
The Green Fair will feature live music and organic food vendors and is intended to introduce sustainable lifestyle choices to the community, raise awareness regarding environmental issues, and demonstrate how consumers can reduce their impact on the earth by selecting sustainable, eco-friendly products and services.
Green businesses or non-profits whose mission aligns with environmental sustainability are invited to participate in the Green Fair. The Green Team is also reaching out to involve the local arts community. Interested vendors can submit the online registration form at www.hobokennj.org/greenfair and contact Christopher Brown at cbrown@hobokennj.gov with any questions. The final day for registration is Thursday, May 14, 2015.
Kids invited to enter Hoboken’s Earth Day Poster Contest
Students in grades K-6 who reside in Hoboken or attend any Hoboken school are invited to participate in an Earth Day poster contest. Students should design a poster that shows how they, their friends or family help protect our local environment. They may also draw about any new plans to celebrate Earth Day in our community.
Entries must be original artwork by the student and can be submitted on any size paper or poster board. Posters must be received by 5 p.m. on April 6, 2015 and dropped off at the mayor’s office on the second floor of City Hall, 94 Washington St. The back of poster or attached paper should include a brief description (one or two sentences) of the drawing along with the student’s name, grade, school, address and parent’s phone number.
The winning student will have his/her artwork displayed in City Hall and on the official Hoboken website (www.hobokennj.org). The student will also receive official recognition as the winner of the contest from the City of Hoboken.
Brave the shave for kids’ cancer at Willie McBride’s March 14
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation will host its fifth annual fundraising event – “Wigs on the Green: A Celebration of Life With Music” – to fight kids’ cancer on Saturday, March 14, from 2 to 6 p.m., at Willie McBride’s Irish Pub, located at 616 Grand St.
Hoboken barber Nicole Appice returns this year and will try to help the team break last year’s record take of $7,968. Participants are challenged to have their heads shaved bald and raise money for childhood cancer research.
“It’s a cause that brings everybody together,” said event coordinator Jim O’Brien. “Think of what the kids and their families deal with each day against this enemy.”
Inspired by the story of a courageous 6-year-old boy who died of cancer five years ago, O’Brien first brought St. Baldrick’s to Willie McBride’s in 2011 as an offshoot of an annual St. Patrick’s Day party he and his buddies have hosted since college. A total of $21,903 has been raised by the local event over the years.
There will be live music, food and drink, and crafts for the kids. Anyone who sings or plays an instrument is encouraged to join in the Fireside Jam as a way to show solidarity with the brave kids who are fighting this terrible disease.
The national St. Baldrick’s Foundation, established in 1999, has raised more than $100 million to fight the scourge of kids’ cancer.
Interested shavees or donors are invited to go to www.stbaldricks.org/events/WillieMcBride2015.