Holiday Hudson Reporter editorial and advertising deadlines
The Hudson Reporter newspapers will be closed on Monday, July 4. Thus, some of the Hudson Reporter newspapers will have special advertising deadlines.
For the Wednesday July 6 edition of the Bayonne Community News, the display ad deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 30. The classified deadline is noon on Friday, July 1.
For the Thursday, July 7 edition of the Midweek Reporter, the display ad deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 30 and the classified deadline is noon on Friday, July 1.
The office will be closed on Monday, July 4 for the holiday. It will reopen on Tuesday, July 5. If you have questions about these deadlines or any other issue, please call (201) 798-7800. Also check www.hudsonreporter.com.
New Jersey Transit needs help identifying man found in river
The New Jersey Transit Police Department still needs help identifying a man that was pronounced dead on June 16 shortly after midnight after his body was pulled from the Hudson River near the downtown Hoboken NJ Transit terminal.
The Hispanic male is estimated to be in his early 30s, approximately 5 feet 3 inches, and weigh approximately 165 pounds.
The man was wearing a green button-front shirt with a yellow design, black cargo pants, black strap-front shoes, and a Figaro style gold link chain around his neck with a key hanging from it, according to a release.
He was carrying a Republica de Honduras picture identification card with the name Santos Aguirre Rodriguez, and his last known address is believed to be in Morristown, according to a release from NJ Transit.
Anyone with information is asked to call the New Jersey Transit Police at 1-800-242-0236, and refer to case No. 11-5583. Calls will be kept confidential.
9/11 memorial damaged; picked up by city for repairs
As planning for a permanent 9/11 memorial in Pier A Park in Hoboken continues, the “teardrop” glass memorial which lists the names of Hoboken residents who died on Sept. 11, 2001 has been damaged and taken down by the city for repair.
Although the issue has recently generated attention in the local news, some of the damages date back to at least May 3.
A police report from May 3 showed that the four-sided tear drop memorial was missing one side, which was displaced from the rest of the memorial.
Another glass side of the memorial was found in the grass, and a portion of it was held together by tape, according to a police report from May 3.
First Ward Councilwoman Theresa Castellano had recently brought up the issue at a council meeting.
Police say the damage appears to come from rough weather conditions, not vandalism.
On June 20, the Hoboken Police Department was about to do a detailed check of the memorial, but the memorial was missing. Police say the memorial was removed by the city of Hoboken for repairs.
A larger, permanent 9/11 memorial is currently being planned, and the original target date for completion was Sept. 11, 2011, but it doesn’t appear likely that the permanent memorial will be ready by that date, according to Director of Community Development Brandy Forbes, who discussed the matter at a recent council meeting.
Sinatra Drive North still under construction past target completion date
A portion of Sinatra Drive North in Hoboken, a county road, remains under construction more than eight months after the area between 13th and 14th streets on the waterfront road collapsed. But county spokesperson James Kennelly said the construction is “close to completion.”
An updated target date has not yet been announced. Original estimates called for the road to be open again in May, but officials have said that a blustery winter delayed construction and pushed the completion date forward.
The road collapsed on the afternoon of Oct. 8, 2010, and the subsequent construction caused the restaurant Lua to be shut down by officials in late January, citing fire exit safety concerns. No one was injured in the road collapse. The number for Lua has been disconnected, but management said when they announced their closure that they look forward to a grand re-opening.
Langan Engineering of Elmwood Park completed site analysis after the collapse, and in January, the Hudson County Board of Freeholders voted to approve a $2.1 million contract to Sparwick Contracting, Inc., of Lafayette, for the repair of the road.
Sinatra Drive North was originally built on wood pilings, but through the recent construction, those have been replaced by concrete pilings which are less susceptible to damage by the wood-eating sea creatures teredos navalis, more commonly referred to as shipworms, and the regular wear-and-tear that officials believe have weakened the old wooden pilings causing the road to collapse.
“All of the underwater work has long since been completed,” Kennelly said. “Now, they’re completing the deck work to bring the road back online.”
The county is expected to announce a new target date, but the road remains closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.