Bank, Family Dollar coming to the Hub
A Newark-based African American-owned bank may soon open an office on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the development known as “the Hub.”
Hudson County Freeholder Bill O’Dea announced last week during a freeholders’ meeting that City National Bank of Newark will open a branch on MLK Drive, provided certain deposit goals are met. O’Dea said this would mean a substantial deposit of funds from the city of Jersey City and some deposits from Hudson County.
“Bank representatives spoke to me, hoping that the county might put some of our deposits in the branch. I also spoke with Senator [Sandra] Cunningham about possibly putting some state funds into the bank,” O’Dea said. “They also asked some technical questions about financing.”
Freeholder Jeff Dublin said the new bank has a good track record for providing loans and other investments in the community, and would serve an area that was abandoned when Bank of America closed its offices there on short notice.
Dublin said City National Bank has been doing business in Newark for more than 20 years.
“It would be great to have a bank back in the area,” he said.
The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency also announced last week that Family Dollar, a national chain has signed a 10-year lease for an 8,600 square foot site at the MLK HUB.
“At Family Dollar we strive to be a good community partner. We’re excited to join the HUB business community as a cornerstone in the renaissance of the Jackson Hill neighborhood. Our goal is to be a long-term partner in the continued growth of our new community,” said Josh Braverman of Family Dollar.
“We’re delighted to have Family Dollar join us at the Hub. Family Dollar represents a continuation of national brands who are finding the Hub at Jackson Hill a great place to do business,” added JCRA Executive Director Robert Antonicello.
School board leadership changes hands, new trustees join
Three new school board trustees attended their first meeting since being elected earlier this month.
Marilyn Roman, Vidya Gangadin, and Sangeeta Ranade, who ran together on a slate for the Board of Education won three-year terms to the school board on April 17 and attended their first meeting as board trustees on April 25.
At the meeting the women joined the six other board members in electing a new board chair and vice chair. Longtime Board of Education member Suzanne “Sue” Mack was elected as board chair. Marvin Adames was elected as vice chair. Mack and Adames replace Sterling Waterman and Carol Lester, respectively.
Healy Announces Project 365: Jersey City Green Week
Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, in collaboration with the Environmental Commission, the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, the Jersey City Parks Coalition, the Planning Division, the Law Department, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the Division of Cultural Affairs, will kick off Project 365: Jersey City Green Week, which will run from Tuesday, May 1through Saturday, May 5.
“Jersey City has been at the forefront of sustainability since 2009 when the administration presented the City Council with a package of four ‘green’ ordinances,” said Mayor Healy. “And last year we adopted the 365 Days of Green campaign from which the Project 365: Jersey City Green Week evolved. We want to continue our efforts to make Jersey City one of the greenest cities in the nation and provide opportunities for our residents to lead sustainable lifestyles.”
A full event calendar of events can be accessed through the official Project 365: Jersey City Green Week website, www.wix.com/jc365daysofgreen/365-green-week and on the city’s web site.
All week long, from May 1 through May 5, using a “green pass” available on the Project 365: Jersey City Green Week website residents can receive discounts from participating merchants for dining and shopping locally – one of the basic principles of sustainability.
Atlantic City man found guilty of murdering North Bergen resident
Atlantic City resident Craig Arno was found guilty Thursday in the murder of a North Bergen resident following a fatal carjacking in an Atlantic City casino garage roughly two years ago, according to a Fox News report.
According to the report, Arno, who was cleared of one count of attempted murder, was found guilty of murdering Martin Caballero, who was 44 at the time of his death. Arno and his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Kisby, cornered Caballero in the garage of the Trump Taj Mahal casino in May 2010. Kisby pleaded guilty to murder in February.
According to the report, Kisby testified the pair took Caballero to a rural area about 20 minutes away where they stabbed him to death, then used his ATM card to withdraw money from a bank. Arno could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Caballero’s death sent shock waves through the North Hudson community, where he was well know. A vigil was held at Pershing Field, Jersey City, across the street from the Central Avenue supermarket where he worked as produce manager.
Space shuttle Enterprise passes over Hudson County waterfront
After rainy weather delayed the flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise to the New York area for the past two days, the spacecraft, piggy-backed on a specially-outfitted Boeing 747, made two flights up the Hudson River and back on Friday morning between 10:30 and 11 a.m.
Crowds of spectators lined the west bank of the Hudson from Bayonne to Weehawken holding cameras and cell phones aloft into the bright sunny sky to capture the historic moment.
The shuttle was supposed to arrive Monday, then Wednesday, but was held up due to bad weather.
But Friday morning the spacecraft atop the 747 took off from Dulles International Airport near Washington, headed for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
The aircraft flew near a variety of landmarks, including the State of Liberty.
Actually, this Enterprise, named after the spacecraft in the ‘Star Trek’ films, never flew in outer space. It is a test orbiter, used to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for the flights that began with the space shuttle Columbia.
In June the shuttle heads to its new home at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum this summer in Manhattan, by a less dramatic conveyance, on a barge upriver.
The Enterprise will be hoisted to the deck of the Intrepid, where it will become part of the museum’s permanent exhibit.
York Street Project to hold fundraiser
York Street Project will host its annual spring fundraiser on Thursday May 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Liberty House in Jersey City, 76 Audrey Zapp Drive, inside Liberty State Park. Individual tickets are $150 per person and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Sixty percent of the ticket price is tax deductible and all proceeds will go towards York Street’s programs.
The York Street Project is a Jersey City-based social service nonprofit organization launched in 1989 that helps homeless women and children break the cycle of poverty. The annual spring fundraiser is the organization’s oldest fundraising event, which is a cocktail reception featuring entertainment, an open bar, and heavy hors d’oeuvres.
The night will include remarks from York Street “alumnae” Saundra Ellis and her daughter Deanna Ellis. Currently a Jersey City homeowner, Saundra Ellis left the York Street shelter in 1994 to earn B.S. in Urban Studies and Public Policy from St. Peter’s College and an MA in Education. She also holds a P-3 Certification from New Jersey City University. At present, she is an Abbott Pre-K teacher for the Jersey City Child Development Centers’ Head Start programs.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. For tickets or for more information, call Bonnie Davis at (201) 451-8225 or visit www.yorkstreetproject.org.