Tag: featured
Nicholas J. Sacco Foundation Will Fund New Performances of NBHS Drama Sensation 'Alien'
The Nicholas J. Sacco Foundation, a non-profit founded by Mayor Nick Sacco, will fund additional performances of North Bergen High School’s production of ‘Alien.’ The show became an unexpected sensation in recent days, and the funding will allow students to perform the play again at a later date to be announced.
“All of North Bergen is proud of the incredibly creative and inventive play our students created, and it’s only right that they have the opportunity to perform it one more time now that it has gained such notoriety,” said Mayor Sacco. “I’m excited that our Foundation can play a role in making this happen and I can’t wait to watch ‘Alien’ and see our students shine.”
‘Alien’ premiered last week at NBHS and immediately became an online hit, with social media posts showing the elaborate sets and costumes created by students going viral and attracting attention from celebrities and journalists. The play has been written about in local and entertainment focused news outlets, who praised the students for the offbeat production. Mayor Sacco contacted Superintendent of Schools Dr. George Solter over the weekend and offered to cover the costs of new shows.
“We have all been absolutely floored by the positive attention this play has brought to our school and our students, and it is wonderful to see Mayor Sacco step up and provide funding so that our incredible cast will once again be able to showcase their months of hard work,” said NBHS Drama Teacher Perfecto Cuervo, who directed the play. “On behalf of our students I want to thank Mayor Sacco and invite everyone to come out and see the show.”
Mayor Sacco, Commissioners Introduce 2019 Municipal Budget
Mayor Nick Sacco and the Board of Commissioners introduced the township’s 2019 Calendar Year budget yesterday, which the township says “once again keeps property taxes stable while making many significant investments in services.”
“This year’s municipal budget continues our record of keeping property taxes stable, which helps make sure our community stays affordable for both homeowners and renters,” said Mayor Sacco. “This is a responsible budget that funds important priorities and services while staying within our means and protecting taxpayers. I’m proud of the work our finance team has done in putting this budget together and we look forward to passing the budget soon.”
The CY 2019 proposed budget of $98,267,655 is 2.6% greater than last year’s, with increases primarily attributed to rising costs for employee health benefits and pensions.
The township says despite this, “the proposed budget includes a tax increase of just 1.31%, which would only amount to an increase of $48 on a home assessed at the average value in the township. This continues the trend of the last five years of averaging below the rate of inflation.”
“Our finance team works hard every year to keep North Bergen affordable while making the investments our residents need, and this budget is another example of that,” said Revenue and Finance Commissioner Julio Marenco. “From our park improvements to our senior programs, from our new DPW Broom and Barrel program to our constantly expanding recreation offerings, we are continuing to improve all of our services for residents while budgeting responsibly.”
The township’s strong surplus and responsible budgeting lead to an increase in its bond rating from Moody’s to Aa2, one of the highest ratings available.
The History of Kennedy Blvd. (aka Hudson Boulevard)
Courtesy of the Jersey Journal
Kennedy Boulevard holds a special place in every North Bergenites heart. From Sunday drives up or down the Boulevard or getting stuck at 46th Street behind someone trying to make a left. Every person that called North Bergen home surely has a Kennedy Boulevard memory, some old timers can still be heard referring to it at Hudson Boulevard. Recently the Jersey Journal celebrated its 150th Anniversary and there was a highlight of the top stories the paper covered. One that especially stuck out to me was the article written by Carmela A. Karnoutsos and Patrick Shalhoub, a feature on the opening of Hudson Boulevard.
Hudson Boulevard officially opened on Thanksgiving Day of 1895. The roadway itself always existed but in sections. In North Bergen such as there was a time when the road was named Weavertown Road and Dollytown Road, respectively. The completion of the road from the Hudson-Bergen County Line to the tip of Bayonne took roughly 30 years to plan. The roadway itself was meant for pleasure driving, where the twists and turns of the Boulevard assumed a leisurely pace of travel. The Boulevard was also intended for only for pedestrians, bicycles, horseback riding, and horse-drawn carriages. It was completely closed to commercial traffic…if only still. The road opened with ceremony at Scheutzen Park and headed south toward Bayonne.
weehawkenhistory.us
As Karnoutsos and Shalhoub point out in their article only the lower half of North Bergen would see the festivities on November 28th 1895. Riders from the Cilo Wheelmen Bicycle Club would have started at Schuetzen Park in front of a grandstand filled with local town and county officials celebrating the finally constructed roadway. But by searching maps and postcard collections we can piece together what landmarks riders and spectators would have seen and visited on that crispy autumn Thursday.
Heading south the first major landmark would have been Floral Park. Located on New Street (26th St.) the park was an extension of Schuetzen Park just a few blocks up. Floral Park however would be a much quieter park used by families and for weekend outings by local societies as well as police and firefighters. Complete with two dances halls, a pond, ice house and 3 shooting ranges, the park would have hosted an all day event during the opening of the new boulevard. However, after the park there were a few dwellings also a few green houses along the boulevard. The next pit stop that day would be on Highpoint Avenue.
Courtesy of Lenny DiBrango
A short ride further south a lively crowd would have been found at the Dietz Hotel off of Highpoint Avenue (22nd St.) The hotel was owned by one Conrad Dietz, brother of future mayor Charles Dietz (1900-1913). The Dietz hotel proudly sat on Hudson Boulevard as the only hotel south of Schuetzen Park. It hosted visitors from across the nation and was known to a place of lively entertainment on weekend with a somewhat of a rough crowd at times. It is from the hotel and family in which Dietz Place gets its namesake.
Continuing on the ride through North Bergen would become much quieter and country-esque. After the Dietz Hotel and stretching down to Traphagen Street (14th St.) The Boulevard was home to an expansive greenhouse complex. However, there was one indicator you were still in town, perhaps the grandest home to grace Hudson Boulevard. The home was located between present day 18th and 19th Street. By 1910 the home is listed as “manager’s dwelling” for the greenhouse complex occupying the property. Unfortunately, at the time it is unknown who may have lived in the home at the time impart to how the 1895 State Census was conducted. Instead of addresses being record, the census taker own took a head count. However, there is some great information about the towns make up here, documenting that the town had roughly 1100 homes and 8400 residents.
The celebration would continue through North Bergen onto Bayonne. The last place of interest would have been Savoye & Adelina Streets (12th & 11th St). That block was home to several saloons both on the North Bergen and West Hoboken side of the street. After that riders would cycle down, crossing Paterson Plank Road and eventually Paterson Avenue (Secaucus Road) making there way into Jersey City. 1.5 miles is the total distance covered in North Bergen that day, but it was the first part of the newly created Hudson Boulevard to be used.
Originally posted on The North Bergen Time Machine
Michael Maring is a history buff turned history teacher based out of North Bergen, NJ. He has lived in North Bergen his entire life and enjoys spreading the unique history about our town. His goal with North Bergen Time Machine is to spark interest in the history of North Bergen.
Mayoral Candidate Larry Wainstein Files Ethics Complaint Against North Bergen Superintendent
On March 6th, 2019 Larry Wainstein filed a complaint with the School Ethics Commission of New Jersey against North Bergen Superintendent of Schools George Solter.
The complaint alleges that Dr. George Solter, North Bergen Board of Education Superintendent, used district money to send out a political mailer throughout the township to disseminate false political attacks against Larry Wainstein. The Wainstein camp says Solter is in violation of the School Ethics Act.
Wainstein’s complaint argues that the language in the letter was “political” and “not informative.”
The following language was specified in the complaint:
“While we continue to work toward implementation of the project, the project has been delayed by two individuals, Larry Wainstein and Diana Ortiz. Mr. Wainstein and Ms. Ortiz seek to block the project from moving forward.”
“Solter used his position as Superintendent to carry Boss Sacco’s water,” Wainstein said,” The fact of the matter is I am not a plaintiff in the lawsuit and I am not listed on the complaint. Furthermore, Solter fails to provide both sides of the issue at hand, instead choosing to reinforce Sacco’s political propaganda.”
While the the Wainstein camp says Larry is in favor of building a new school, they say he has concerns about the proposed location of 85th Street and Tonnelle Avenue.
“There is no traffic study, no environmental report, and no public meetings. Instead, there was a rush to bond for $60 million by holding a special election in December. There as record turnout in November for the U.S. Senate and Congressional races. Sacco intentionally held the election in December to suppress the Latino community,” Wainstein continued.
NBHS Drama Club Goes Viral with ‘Alien: The Play’
It was supposed to be just two performances for a few hundred parents and friends, and done. Instead the North Bergen High School Drama Club’s performance of “Alien: The Play” has become an overnight internet sensation, lavished with praise from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, Time Magazine, and The New York Times, with national media outlets rushing to the school to interview the makers, and millions of viewers worldwide watching and commenting on the snippets posted by amazed audience members, along with the no-budget trailer filmed by the cast and crew.
To put this in context, the high school does not have an established theater program. They don’t have a designated budget to put on a slick stage production like some other schools. What they have instead is imagination, audacity, driven students, dedicated teachers, and supportive staff and administration.
Three teachers led the production: English Teacher Perfecto Cuervo, who wrote and directed; Art Teacher Steven Defendini, who oversaw the creation of sets and costumes; and Music Teacher Brian Bonacci, who co-produced and handled lighting and sound. Together with a small crew of kids who worked tirelessly for about seven months behind the scenes, and a cast of nine student actors, they took a 40-year-old cult science fiction / horror movie about a monster stalking and killing the crew on a spaceship, and reimagined it into something that clearly resonates today on a massive scale.
NBHS has been quietly putting on phenomenal art shows for years, with Defendini and his students building meticulous life-size (or larger) tributes to cultural icons like The Avengers or Power Rangers, wowing attendees with incredibly detailed characters and action scenes, complete with atmospheric lighting and environments. The Drama Club has, under film geek Cuervo, eschewed traditional fare like “Rent” or even “Little Shop of Horrors” to feature self-written productions like last year’s “Night of the Living Dead,” based on the cult horror classic. Bonacci has for years helmed the township’s transformation of the pool complex into a virtual theme park for the annual end-of-season pool party, welcoming residents to a Winter Wonderland in the heat of summer, or sprawling Las Vegas complete with performing Elvis.
What the cast and crew accomplished together in “Alien: The Play” is itself a perfect Hollywood story: with nothing but ingenuity and resourcefulness – and about $3,500 raised by fundraisers like cookie sales – they built stunning sets and a fully articulated alien out of recycled and discarded materials. A close look at the astronaut helmets built to faithfully resemble the much-admired ambiance of the original film reveals the finely detailed surface is actually covered with bottle caps, water bottles, and toy soldiers glued on and spray painted. The iconic “chest-burster” and “face-hugger” scenes from the original film were recreated with puppets and a crew member hunkered down inside a prop.
The play was written in loving tribute to the classic film, with as many scenes as possible designed to match the original screenplay, including a few outtakes that were restored years later for the director’s cut. A few new scenes were added, mostly light relief to keep the audience entertained while behind the curtain the crew rushed to change the elaborate staging.
At the first performance on March 19, cast members had to improvise to fill time when set changes took longer than necessary. By the second performance on March 22, they had it down, and things went smoothly. And that was it. They began disassembling the components and tossing them in the trash. The show was over.
Or so they thought. A couple of online posts with photos and shaky video footage by parents led to an unexpected rave by noted special effects designer Adam Savage, co-host of the TV show “MythBusters.” And the internet exploded. By Saturday, reposts had led to international coverage and praise from film celebrities and even the owners of the original film franchise.
Based on the overwhelming response, Mayor Nicholas Sacco has pledged that the nonprofit Sacco Foundation will fund additional performances of the play. Tickets will be required, but be sure to get them early – everyone from Hollywood bigwigs to devoted overseas fans are already lining up to catch the encore performances.
Aimee Focaraccio Honored as One of Hudson County’s ‘Visionary Women’
Aimee Focaraccio, the coordinator of NB C.A.R.E.S., was the recipient of a highly prestigious honor when she received the North Bergen Woman Breaking Barriers Award on Tuesday, Mar. 19 at the historic Brennan Courthouse in Jersey City. Focaraccio was one of 13 “Visionary Women” honored at the county’s annual Women’s History Month celebration and award ceremony.
Amy DeGise, chair of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, presented the award to Focaraccio for her tremendous service to the local community, and read an impressive list of her accomplishments, including running NB C.A.R.E.S. for the past six years, coordinating North Bergen’s giveaways, drives, and events, and running the township’s relief center to assist fire victims and others.
Among the other recipients of the award was Guttenberg’s Rose Gunther, who just celebrated her 100th birthday and is still managing various real estate properties. She was presented with the Guttenberg Trailblazer of the Year Award by Guttenberg Mayor Wayne Zitt.
A large crowd of local officials, friends, family, and supporters attended the ceremony on Tuesday, Mar. 19 and gave standing ovations to the recipients. Some of the presenters included Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, Freeholders Caridad Rodriguez and Anthony Romano, and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner. Undersheriff Francine Shelton served as emcee.
North Bergen is NOT the 2nd hilliest town
If you be from North Bergen, you’ve probably heard this, accepted it as truth, and repeated the following, “did you know North Bergen is the 2nd hilliest city in America next to San Francisco?” If you so, we’re sorry to break it to you, but this is FALSE.
“If we don’t have an official list, than how can anyone say what city is No. 1?” says Jennifer Runyon, geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey, a federal science agency. She said there is no list, and trying to determine the hilliest city is a “logistics nightmare.”
At HudPost, we’ve done our research….
All mentions of this myth appear with no credible citations. NJ.com Hudson Reporter The Tab
In fact, North Bergen isn’t even the only town claiming to be the “2nd hilliest.” Some residents in Yonkers, NY might debate you or the good people up in Fitchburg, MA.
We’re not saying our hills aren’t massive, we’re just suggesting some of our imaginations are as well.
INVESTIGATORS SEEK DRIVER IN FATAL HIT-AND-RUN IN NORTH BERGEN
On Monday, March 4, 2019, an arrest warrant was issued for Monica D. Ippolito, age 49, of Paterson, for her role in the fatal hit-and-run collision which occurred on February 18, 2019, at approximately 8:15 p.m. in North Bergen. The collision resulted in the death of 34-year-old Darlene Westbrook who was found lying in the roadway on 43rd Street in the area of Tonnelle Avenue.
Ippolito is the suspected driver of the gold Chrysler Voyager Minivan observed on surveillance video recently released to the public by this Office. She has been criminally charged with Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Collision Resulting In Death in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5.1.
Investigators with the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the North Bergen Police Department are now asking the public for assistance in locating Monica Ippolito.
Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Monica Ippolito is asked to contact the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit at 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip on the Prosecutor’s Office official website at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.
All information will be kept confidential.
‘Who cares?’ Wainstein camp implies Mocco involvement
Early Saturday morning HudPost received another photo of Joseph Mocco, former township clerk who was sent to prison for official misconduct and illegal dumping, in front of the Larry Wainstein’s official headquarters.
In an earlier response, Larry’s spokesperson skirted Mocco’s involvement, “At the time of his [Mocco] arrest…Larry Wainstein was 14 years old.”
In a brief telling response Wainstein’s spokesperson replied with a simple “Who cares?” when we attempted to ask for clarification on whether Mocco is officially working with Wainstein’s camp.
It seems that Larry is done answering questions about the former township clerks involvement, and wants to stick to what he calls the “real issues in this campaign.”
So when it comes to Mocco/Wainstein- who cares?
Hudpost 