Check, or checkmate?
Hudson County native teaches children about chess, life

He’s Hudson County’s Pied Piper of chess, drawing young children out of their shells and then inspiring them to learn one of the world’s most challenging games. It’s a second calling for semi-retired Union City native Peter Croce. For the last 15 years, he’s taught kids from Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City, Secaucus, and …

Hudson County native teaches children about chess, life

Hudson may get female prosecutor
Esther Suarez, nominated by Christie, would be first woman and Hispanic in post

Superior Court Judge Esther Suarez, a resident of Secaucus, has been confirmed as the new Hudson County Prosecutor by the state Senate this week. She was nominated as the new Hudson County prosecutor by Gov. Christopher Christie. If approved by the state Senate, she will become the first Hispanic and female prosecutor in Hudson County …

Esther Suarez, nominated by Christie, would be first woman and Hispanic in post

Cruising through history
How to take an environmental boat ride into wetlands

“See the railroad trestle over there? We used to jump off that into the river when we were kids,” recalled John Jandreau, who has lived in Secaucus for 65 years. He was one of a number of Hudson County residents who took a Riverkeeper Environmental Boat Ride on June 22. Passengers got some river history …

How to take an environmental boat ride into wetlands

BRIEFS

Student Summer Meal Program kicks off in Union City New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher and USDA Food and Nutrition Service Deputy Regional Administrator Diana Limbacher helped serve lunch to 240 students in the Union City recreation program participating in the Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program last week. The event, highlighting …

Teach your students – don’t text or ‘friend’ them
Some schools serious about social media bans; others duck the question

Teachers may be people like everyone else, but writing casual comments on social media just like a regular person can get them into hot water pretty quickly if they’re not careful. For instance, this past February in Jersey City, a teacher was accused of sending out inflammatory emails about her students, allegedly referring to pupils …

Some schools serious about social media bans; others duck the question

‘You will be missed by everyone!’
Locals react to 19 year-old man’s murder in West New York

One week after 19-year-old Jose Lazaro Urias-Hernandez was fatally shot in the head on his stoop in West New York, local residents are still in shock._____________ “He was just starting life.” – Ledia Ramos____________“I have children that are 17 years old, and for me this is terrible,” said Ledia Ramos, a Union City resident. “He …

Locals react to 19 year-old man’s murder in West New York

American Dream rises from the wetlands
Construction underway on massive mall and entertainment complex

As the joke goes, the “crane” is the new official bird of the Meadowlands. Numerous construction cranes tower over the property around the megamall once known as Xanadu near MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. After several attempts to bring Xanadu to life over the past decade, the project was reincarnated last year as American Dream, …

Construction underway on massive mall and entertainment complex

BRIEFS

Free movies in county parks available in July and August Enjoy free family-friendly movies and popcorn on Wednesday and Friday nights this July and August at six different Hudson County parks. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy an evening in the park. Movies start at sundown each evening (approximately 8:30 p.m. in July …

Fought to open shelter after ‘boat people’ arrived
Pastor Gary Kugler was tireless advocate for the homeless

When Reverend Horst Gerhardt “Gary” Kugler died last month at age 76, Hudson County lost both a loving neighbor and a fierce advocate for the homeless. Kugler had to put up quite a fight to establish a shelter for the homeless in the mid 1980s in the basement of St. John Lutheran Church in Union …

Pastor Gary Kugler was tireless advocate for the homeless

Farm fresh at your table
New farmers markets add healthy options to local fare

Nowadays residents of North Hudson can hardly toss a tomato without hitting a farmers market. New markets have cropped up in Union City and North Bergen, joining existing ones in neighboring communities, and many people are taking advantage of the opportunity to purchase fresh, locally grown produce and other edibles. The most recent to launch …

New farmers markets add healthy options to local fare