Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Since leaving office in 2004, the former governor finds a new calling in public service.
Former Gov. James McGreevey, who made international news when he resigned his office nearly a decade ago and simultaneously became the nation’s first openly gay governor, received the Pride of Essex award during a ceremony Monday in Newark. “I’d like to say thank you for your understanding that the best of human nature is built in kindness, is built in understanding, is built in human decency,” McGreevey said upon receiving the award, bestowed by the county’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Advisory Board and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. “I want to thank you for being a county that does something like this not just for the LGBTQ community but for every marginal community,” said the 55-year-old McGreevey, …
Monday, June 17, 2013
Already in use in other parts of the state, free service is due in North Jersey by the end of 2013.
A brand new smartphone application available to NJ Transit riders in South Jersey to let them know bus arrival times is coming to the northern part of the state, reports NJ.com. “MyBus Now” was unveiled in December in a pilot program for bus routes near Trenton and Princeton. used in South Jersey last December. By April, it had spread to Atlantic City and Camden. A version of the program has been in Morristown since 2010. Now it's North Jersey's turn: This area is expected to have the free service by the end of the year. The app uses GPS and some proprietary technology to tell users at bus stops the buses within 30 minutes of their location. "My Bus Now" may have been useful to rush hour passengers waiting for NJ Transit’s No. 113 Express…
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Councilmen criticize the project for taking too long.
Brookside Avenue will soon be repaved as Caldwell continues its $1.5 million water main project this summer. The Caldwell Borough Council is expected to award a contract at its Tuesday meeting for crews to mill and pave Brookside Avenue, said Mayor Ann Dassing. Construction on the roadway is expected to begin in early July and end on Sept. 6. Dassing said crews will repave Brookside Avenue in sections. Construction will extend on Brookside Avenue from Westville Avenue to Runnymede Road. The repaving is part of the borough’s $1.5 million project to replace water mains throughout The Cedars. The project began in the spring of 2011, which some council members critically recalled. Councilman John Coyle was quoted as criticizing how long …
Friday, June 14, 2013
The resolution honors the iconic musician on Jan. 11.
One of the Jersey Shore's most iconic figures will be honored annually with "Clarence Clemons Day" each Jan. 11. Gov. Chris Christie signed a resolution declaring the musician's birthday Clarence Clemons Day, according to a report on Philly.com. State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-11) proposed the resolution, which was passed by the state Senate in December 2012. The resolution memorializes the legendary saxophonist from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Clemons died last year at the age of 69 after suffering a stroke. “The New Jersey Shore would not be the same without the music of Bruce Spingsteen’s E- Street Band,” Beck previously said. Beck called Clemons was an “icon” and “an inextricable part of the shoreline’s cultural history.” Clemons …
Thursday, June 13, 2013
County executive said the boost reflects his administration's 'fiscal integrity' and 'successful budget management.'
Wall Street financial ratings agency Fitch Ratings, citing Essex County's stable financial outlook, raised the county to a AA-bond rating, County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. announced Wednesday. Fitch Ratings' report, released Monday, said the upgrade “reflects successful budget management” by DiVincenzo and that “measured recurring revenue increases and prudent spending adjustments over the last four years position the county well to maintain its adequate financial cushion.” DiVincenzo said the report shows the fiscal integrity of his administration. “Formulating our budget is the most important thing we do each year and my administration has remained vigilant to ensure our budgets are fiscally responsible," said the county …
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
The group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America wants to send a message to recently appointed Sen. Jeffrey Chiesa.
The group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is partnering with several New Jersey-area organizations on a grassroots petition urging incoming U.S. Sen. Jeffrey Chiesa to vote in support of what it calls "common-sense gun violence prevention legislation." The gun-control advocates are working with Garden State groups including Ceasefire New Jersey, the Bergen County Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, Joint Action Committee, Every Child Matters and Coalition for Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund to convince the government to expand criminal background checks for the purchase of firearms. “Sen. Frank Lautenberg leaves a long and enduring legacy of voting for gun laws that protect all Americans from gun violence, in …
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
County executive, sheriff, five democratic mayors and more than a dozen representatives from local churches back governor for re-election.
Five local Democratic mayors, joined County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Sheriff Armando Fontoura and more than a dozen area pastors in endorsing Gov. Chris Christie Tuesday, emphasizing bipartisanship in Essex County. The hour-long event was held at McLoone's Boathouse Tuesday afternoon where each local official and community leader explained the importance of putting aside political affiliations to better serve the residents of the state. "It's incredibly gratifying to me that mayors of longstanding and new mayors who understand this partnership that we've developed is one that helps the citizens of their individual communities," Christie said. DiVincenzo, an 11-year friend of Christie, praised the governor for his response to the …
Monday, June 10, 2013
Newark mayor benefits from name-recognition, Rutgers-Eagleton survey finds.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s high public profile appears to have contributed to a strong lead over his rivals for U.S. Senate, according to a Rutgers University -Eagleton poll released Monday. Booker announced Saturday he seeks to fill the unexpired term of Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died last week. Gov.Chris Christie called for a primary election Aug. 13 to be followed by a general election Oct. 16. The current Senate term expires in January 2015. Booker will run in the primary against Sheila Oliver, an Essex County Democrat and Speaker of the state Assembly, as well as two members of Congress, Rush Holt and Frank Pallone. Oliver, who filed her candidacy shortly before the deadline Monday, was not included in the polling. The …
Joseph DiVincenzo will endorse the governor's re-election bid officially on Tuesday.
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo will appear at a special West Orange event Tuesday to announce his endorsement of Gov. Chris Christie, according to NJ.com. DiVincenzo will state his support for the governor's re-election effort at noon Tuesday at McCloone’s Boat House in West Orange, NJ.com is reporting via anonymous sources. Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura reportedly is also backing Republican Christie, as will a number of Democratic mayors and African-American ministers, NJ.com reported.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Announcement that he is pursuing Lautenberg's Senate seat came late Saturday morning.
Cory Booker officially announced his candidacy Saturday for New Jersey’s United States Senator. The Newark Mayor will run for the seat left open by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg in the special election called by Governor Chris Christie in October. Former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley introduced and endorsed Booker at the headquarters of Audible.com in Newark. For months, Booker had been preparing to seek U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s seat in 2014. However, Lautenberg's death this week prompted Christie to call for an Aug. 13 primary and an Oct. 16 election for the remainder of the term, which expires at the end of 2014. The winner of the October election can also run for a full six-year term next year. In his announcement speech, Booker …
CJV
3:02 pm on Tuesday, June 18, 2013
So, for the record, DiVicenzo's record is to support a governor who has promised to continue to veto any marriage equality bills. Joe D is pure slime- he likes to jump in front of a camera ad pretend to care, but, at the end of the day, he only cares about one person- Joe D. more ›