River Street resurfacing postponed until Monday, May 14
HOBOKEN – Due to the weather forecast for this week, on or about Monday, May 14 the postponed milling and resurfacing of River Street from Hudson Place to 4th Street is scheduled to begin, according to a release from City Hall. Due to the high traffic and pedestrian volume in this area, the work must be performed at night between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Boswell Engineering anticipates the milling and resurfacing work will take place Monday and Tuesday nights, weather permitting. All work is anticipated to be completed by Thursday, May 17.
There will be some inconvenience for access to and from the residences. Every effort will be made to assure that the inconveniences are minimal, according to the release. All work will be completed as quickly as possible.
Free acting workshop offers kids a chance to hone dramatic skills
JERSEY CITY – David Neustein, a certified drama teacher, licensed talent and model agent, producer and director will be conducting two free acting workshops. The workshops will be held at the Kennedy Dancers studio, 79 Central Avenue, Jersey City. The first is on Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m. for children seven and older and their parents. The other for tweens and teens on May 17 at 6:30 p.m. Space is limited, so sign up soon. To reserve your spot, call today at (201)-659-2190 or email us at kennedydancers@aol.com. Refreshments will be served.
Mr. Neustein is a certified drama teacher with over two decades of experience. His specialty is teaching young actors improve their confidence on stage, in front of the camera and for public speaking by offering a non-threatening, fun learning environment. His current students can be seen on TV, in movies and on Broadway. Neustein’s management company has successfully placed young actors in television series, commercials, in movies, and on Broadway. Neustein’s production company, Neustein Entertainment, is in pre production of a feature film, and in development or two television shows.
If you are ready to improve your confidence and have fun, sign up for these acting workshops. To reserve your spot, call today at (201)-659-2190 or email us at kennedydancers@aol.com and ask for Diane or Priscilla.
MagnaCare, JCMC unable to complete agreement
HUDSON COUNTY – As many as 15,000 clients of MagnaCare health insurance in Hudson County will no longer be able to obtain health care at Jersey City Medical Center except for emergency conditions, according to published reports.
The New York based company and JCMC announced last weekend they were unable to agree on new rates despite protracted negotiations.
Executives at the company and the hospital each blamed the other for the failure to agree.
MagnaCare CEO Joseph Berardo Jr. said JCMC requested a 100 percent rate increase. Mark Rabson, spokesman for JCMC, said MagnaCare reimburses the hospital below the rates other insurance companies offer. He also claimed JCMA served a very small number of MagnaCare clients.
A MagnaCare official said Hoboken University Medical Center, Christ Hospital, and Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center will continue to accept their clients.
Menendez backs Payne for 10th Congressional seat
JERSEY CITY AND BAYONNE – In a release issued late on Friday, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez endorsed Donald Payne, Jr. for Congress in a hotly contested 10th congressional district that includes a large portion of Jersey City and Bayonne, praising Payne’s strength of character and his experience.
Already seen as the power behind the Payne for Congress movement that has won endorsements from other powerful political people in Hudson County, including Jersey City Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop, Menendez enthusiastically endorsed Payne to fill the seat vacated by Payne’s father’s death earlier this year.
This move comes at a time when Hudson County is already split between candidates that include Newark Councilman Ronald Rice Jr., who is also seeking this seat, and State Sen. Nia Gill, who is backed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization.
Menendez’s move puts him at odds also with powerful Union County state Senator Ray Lesniak, who is reportedly behind the Gill for Congress movement.
“Donald has the skill, the passion and the commitment to make a difference in Congress,” Menendez said. “Whether it is working on innovative public/private partnerships to create jobs, helping young people get the skills they need to compete in the job market or working with Planned Parenthood to provide affordable women’s health care, Donald Payne, Jr. lives up to his slogan: The guy who gets things done.”
Menendez noted that he rarely endorses in special elections, but he explained, “The stakes in Washington are higher than ever. While the extreme Republicans in Congress look to turn the clock back on families, on women and on seniors, Donald Payne, Jr. will be an unwavering advocate for the people he presents. Donald has the strength of character and the experience to stand up to the House Republicans and their Tea Party allies.”
Menendez said he had worked with Payne’s father in the past.
“I was proud to work with Congressman Payne and to call him a friend. His passing leaves us all poorer. While I have enormous respect for all three candidates, I am strongly endorsing Donald Payne, Jr. to carry on the work of Congressman Payne, not because he is his son, but because he has the skills and the vision to carry on that record of outstanding public service,” Menendez said.
Petition calls on city, county to address polling site problems for senior housing residents
JERSEY CITY – A local activist is circulating a petition calling on the City Council and Hudson County Board of Elections to allow recently redistricted senior citizens to vote in their old polling station.
As a result of recent redistricting in Jersey City following the results of the 2010 U.S. Census, several elderly residents at the Lafayette Senior Living Center were shifted from one district and placed in another one. This redistricting, completed in February, also meant these seniors were assigned new polling sites at which to cast their ballots.
Last month, during the April 17 Board of Education election, several Lafayette residents were unpleasantly surprised to discover that their new polling site is nearly a mile away from the senior center. The reassignment was particularly ironic given the fact that the Lafayette Senior Living Center is itself a designated polling site – and had previously been the polling station for the residents who were now being told to vote elsewhere.
Angela McKnight, president of AngelaCARES Inc., a Jersey City-based elder care organization, is now circulating a petition throughout the city asking that changes be made so these residents can go back to voting at the senior center.
“Allowing current voting rules to stand will result in considerable suppression of the senior voting populations’ vote,” the petition reads in part.
Problems with the Lafayette residents were among several redistricting-related issues that were reported by voters last month during the Board of Education election. The Hudson County Board of Elections has promised to address the problems in time for the upcoming statewide Democratic and Republican primaries, scheduled for June 5.