State report says Hudson County hospitals should consolidate services
A recent report from the state’s Health Care Facilities Financing Authority said that the three Hudson County hospitals that receive millions in state aid should consolidate services – however, two of those facilities will probably be sold to for-profit companies in the near future, changing their status.
Jersey City Medical Center, Christ Hospital, and Hoboken University Medical Center were part of the study commissioned by the state.
The report states that many of the patients’ beds in the hospitals are empty, and the hospitals aren’t performing well.
Two of the hospitals, Christ Hospital and HUMC, are currently in the process of being sold to private owners. In addition, two other hospitals in Hudson County already have been sold. That leaves Jersey City Medical Center and Palisade in North Bergen as the only Hudson County hospitals that will be running as non-profit organizations.
For more on this issue, visit HudsonReporter.com.
Three Hoboken post offices may be stamped out
Three post offices in Hoboken may be doomed for closure. Last week, the United States Postal Service published a list of offices that would be affected by a study to downsize or close over 3,000 offices across the country as a cost saving measure.
The uptown Hoboken Post Office (on 14th Street between Washington and Hudson), the Post Office located at 734 Washington St., and the post office on the 500 block of Grand Street are a part of the study.
Hoboken has big events planned for ‘National Night Out’
On Aug. 2, Police Chief Anthony Falco, the Hoboken Police Department Community Policing Unit, and Mayor Dawn Zimmer will host “National Night Out,” an evening of crime prevention awareness.
The city’s celebration will take place between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. between Second and Fourth streets on Harrison Street, and is open to all residents.
Many acts are scheduled to perform, including a magician at 5:30 p.m., an onstage performance by the Fire Dance Squad at 6:30 p.m., and an onstage Zumba presented by Sky Club Fitness at 7:30 p.m.
There will also be giveaways from local sports teams, water slides, miniature golf, free BBQ food, Rita’s Ice’s, as well as support from local businesses.
Earlier in the day, children’s fingerprinting will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hoboken Business Center located at 50 Harrison St. The event will also feature free face painting from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and balloon sculpting from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Michele Russo, wife of ex-Hoboken mayor, lands county job
Michele Russo, the mother of current 3rd Ward Councilman Michael Russo and the wife of former Hoboken Mayor Anthony Russo, has been hired for a county job replacing the outgoing head of housekeeping at the County Plaza building in Jersey City.
Russo is one of the key political people behind the 3rd Ward councilman and has served as the chair of the Hoboken Democratic Committee in the past. She is currently allied with those who criticize current Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
County sources confirmed on Tuesday that she was hired to fill a manager-level post at the county.
Russo was ordered by the state Board of Education to be censured when she was on the Hoboken school board in 2002, and her name was brought up in an FBI investigation into local towing contracts in 2006.
For more on the story, read hudsonreporter.com.
Will the public decide on Hoboken’s municipal election change?
A group of politically involved residents is collecting petitions in Hoboken for a referendum that would ask the voters if they think municipal elections should be held in May or November.
Recently, the City Council narrowly voted to move council and mayoral elections from May to November to align Hoboken’s elections with election days for higher offices. Hoboken’s elections would remain non-partisan, meaning that no council or mayoral candidate could be in the same column with a Democrat or a Republican running for higher office on the ballot.
Allies of Mayor Dawn Zimmer voted in favor of the move earlier this month, while her four opponents on the nine-member council voted against moving the elections.
Signatures were being gathered at the St. Ann’s Feast last weekend for a referendum to let the public vote on the matter. The petitioners need approximately 2,100 signatures.
The members of the petitioner’s committee include Jamie Cryan, the chairman of the Hoboken Democratic Committee, Franz Paetzold, a former council candidate (see today’s letters page), and Frank Raia, a former mayoral candidate and school board member. The other two members of the petitioners committee are Jennifer Wadsworth and Jennifer Grace.
Councilman Ravinder Bhalla, an ally of Mayor Zimmer and the sponsor of the legislation to move the elections, has said moving elections to November would increase voter turnout in the city.
The change also allows all nine council candidates and the mayor to receive a one-time six-month extension of their terms, as the next mayoral and council election would be in November 2013 instead of May 2013. The one time extension is permitted by state law.
The issue has quickly become political among insiders in Hoboken. Zimmer’s allies are perceived to appeal to the newer residents of the city, who may be more inclined to come out and vote in November when selecting a governor, instead of in May when council candidates run on their own. Zimmer’s opponents have a solid base of voters who will likely come out to vote whenever the elections are held.
b>Hudson Restaurant Week underway
As New Yorkers celebrate Restaurant Week in Manhattan, Hudson County has its own Restaurant Week underway in cities like Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, West New York, and North Bergen.
Tamara Campbell, the organizer of Hudson Restaurant Week, said the promotion, which lasts from July 25 to Aug. 5, attracts between 10,000 and 15,000 people to eat at Hudson County restaurants.
For a list of restaurants taking part, take a look at our article in The Midweek Reporter from July 21 at http://www.hudsonreporter.com/pages/current.
Manchester United stayed at Hoboken’s W Hotel
Players from one of the most popular soccer (or football) teams in the world stayed right here in Hoboken last week.
The Manchester United team bus was spotted on Tuesday morning outside of the W Hotel in Hoboken, and players exited the W on Tuesday on their way to various events throughout the metropolitan area.
Many visiting teams in Major League Soccer that play against the New York Red Bull (based in Harrison, N.J.) often stay at the W Hotel.
Manchester United defeated the Major League Soccer All-Stars on Wednesday by a score of 4-0 at Red Bull Arena in nearby Harrison.
The headliner for Manchester United is Wayne Rooney, whose younger brother John plays for the Red Bulls.