The 10th Anniversary of 9/11 is coming up and NYSC (New York Sports Club - Town Sports International) would like to honor all of the First Responder's who put their own lives in danger to help save the lives of others with a special "First Responder" membership.

Like many other New Yorkers and beyond, Town Sports International felt the September 11th attacks very close to home. Four of TSI's downtown NYSC locations were closed due to damage in the days following the attacks. The 30 Wall Street NYSC location opened as a 24-hour "Comfort Center" for World Trade Center rescue and relief workers. Many hundreds of workers took advantage of cots, food, water and medical supplies provided by NYSC and the Red Cross.

Our President and CEO Bob Giardina said recently in a press release "With the tenth anniversary of September 11th upon us, we continue to honor all first responders to let them know that we are truly grateful for all of their hard work and sacrifice. We hold them in the highest regard and will never forget the bravery they exhibited. We are appreciative of every first responder's daily commitment to keep us safe."

Ed Mecka's daughter is a smartie pants

Saturday June 28, 2008, 11:16 AM
by Carly - Hoboken Now NJ.COM

Ever read EdMecka.com? It's a well-respected insider's Hoboken political blog, written by the eponymous Mr. Ed Mecka himself.

And this isn't exactly breaking news, but Ed's daughter, Lauren Mecka, e-mailed Hoboken Now to announce that she was recently inducted into the National Society of High School Scholars, recognition given to high school students who have achieved academic excellence. (Inductees into the National Society of High School Scholars are chosen by the Nobel family -- yeah, that Nobel family.)

Lauren is a student at the Hudson School in Hoboken. Congratulations, Lauren! Dad must be proud :-)

And check out what Lauren thinks about Hoboken's pooper scooper laws.

A Long Day's Journey into Light

A Hoboken resident visits the 9/11 memorial at Pier A

By: Pamela Ross 

For the past few years, I have been a grateful resident of Hoboken. A refugee from the wrath of Sept. 11, I am still healing. Every day I spend in my adopted "hometown" is a welcome day. My favorite walks are up and down Washington Street or on the river walk. I have found my favorite stores and hangouts. I smile at people on the street. I nod to the denizens of this friendly town. I am beginning to feel like a denizen, myself.

Recently, I went into a local store to find out the exact place of the memorial. Somebody said "Why bother? nobody cares any more."

"What?!?" I wheeled angrily around to face this person. I saw sad eyes and a mournful mouth.

Hoboken City Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer has agreed to vacate the June election she won in the face of a court challenge to the results by Christopher Campos, whom she defeated, and the two will run against one another again in November.

The stunning announcement, made as both sides were gearing up for a trial, came today and leaves the Fourth Ward City Council seat vacant.

Yesterday's scheduled Puerto Rican Festival parade was delayed, then cancelled, and organizers and cops are each blaming the other.

The parade was supposed to kick off at noon in front of City Hall and march up Washington Street to 10th Street, then over to the festival, which also had been held Friday and Saturday on Sinatra Drive.

By 1 p.m., the assembled marchers were told they couldn't have the parade because there weren't enough police available.

Although parade organizers had a permit from the city, police officials said the organizers did not request additional cops be assigned to work that day.

Organizers said they followed the same procedures as they had in previous years - and held meetings with police to discuss how the parade would be managed - and blamed the last-minute cancellation on politics.

The March 7, 2004 newspaper headline said it all.... 'Our pool has floated to Brooklyn'   'Pols point fingers as free pool possibility passes'

October 17, 2006, pool construction has been completed and the "floating pool" embarks upon a 10 day voyage from Louisiana to its new home in NYC.

October 27, 2006, the barge is scheduled to arrive in New York Harbor for a "welcome party."

A Paterson tenement collapses and firefighters are unsure how many people are trapped inside. They do their best to get to possible survivors, but a paucity of search and rescue equipment hinders their efforts. They're forced to watch and wait helplessly as vital minutes pass before assistance arrives.

The scenario was a very real possibility for firefighters in the Silk City, in Hackensack, and in West New York -- pretty much all of North Jersey, with the state's search and rescue team based in Lakehurst.

But a fleet of shiny new rescue trucks unveiled Thursday at Liberty State Park in Jersey City will help change that, authorities said. The trucks -- neatly arranged in a crescent in what once was the shadow of the Twin Towers -- will be used by a new Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Strike Team aimed at responding quickly across the region.

Hoboken Italian Festival starts tonight

The Hoboken Italian Festival kicks off tonight in Sinatra Park, on the Hudson River waterfront between Fourth and Sixth streets.

All-girl rock band Broad Band plays at 6:30 p.m., followed by the band Spitroast Muppets at 7:30. At 8:30, the a pizza eating contest will be held, with prozes for the winner.

The festival continues throughout the weekend, with more bands and singers, as well as fireworks Saturday at 9 p.m. The festival will close Sunday night at 9 when actor Danny Aiello takes the stage with his six-piece band.

Tenants at Marine View Plaza face possible 30-plus percent rent increase 

Residents at Marine View Plaza face a possible rent increase of more than 30 percent, after having had their rent raised 6.5 percent in 2005.

In a letter to the tenants, the Empire State Management Co. based out of Brooklyn New York, cited maintenance and financial debt as the primary reasons for the proposed increase.

The request is currently being considered by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), who knocked down a similar request for a 33 percent increase the previous year when they found it was not needed and that the building could operate efficiently without it.

In a letter dated May 5, 2006 and postmarked May 16^th, the owners of MarineviewPlaza notified residents that they have filed an application with the (NJHMFA) New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency for a 39% rental increase.

A woman and her cat were trapped on the fourth floor of a burning building this morning in Hoboken, as 20-foot flames on the fire escape blocked her exit, officials said.

Officials are unsure how the fire started at the four-story apartment building on 11th and Washington streets but heavy flames, smoke and water damage left the tenants temporarily homeless, said Battalion Chief Joseph La Bruno.

Here is a video that Hoboken Police Officer Mike Depalma sent back home to the Hoboken Police Department while stationed in IRAQ.

Video

Hoboken detective arrives home from military service in Iraq
By: Michael D. Mullins , Reporter staff writer 

Michael DePalma's mission last May when he arrived with 42 men in Baghdad, Iraq was to seek out and capture enemy personnel and their supplies.

Last week, the Army Captain and Bronze Star recipient returned home to Hoboken to bagpipes and a Garden Street block party held in his honor.

Parents and students of Hoboken Catholic Academy were stunned to learn that school principle, Michael Massone, was fired yesterday by the Newark Archdiocese.

According to a published report, the Archdiocese refused to say why Massone was fired but did admit to passing some information about Massone to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said that his office "got a call from an Archdiocese lawyer about a concern they had, involving the Hoboken Catholic Academy" but would not elaborate further.  "Nobody at this point has been criminally charged," he said. "I don't know where this is going."

The school

Sybil's Cave has long been a part of Hoboken's local lore. Wealthy Manhattanites once picnicked outside, health seekers drank water with supposed medicinal powers from its spring, and Edger Allen Poe based a detective story on events there.

But for the better part the last century, the cave has been buried under brush, dirt, and rock, and has slowly seeped into Hoboken legend.

Last year, Mayor David Roberts, who has heard many stories about the famous but hidden landmark, set out to find Sybil's Cave, which is located in the mountainous side of Sinatra Drive at the base of Stevens Institute of Technology. He wanted to reopen it in time for the city's 150th birthday celebration next year.

Edger Allen Poe based a detective story on events that happened there, wealthy Manhattanites used to enjoy their recreation outside of it, health seekers drank its spring water for the supposed medicinal effects, and now Hoboken Mayor David Roberts wants to uncover this lost and nearly forgotten Hoboken treasure.

Sybil's Cave, at the foot of Castle Point, which is now hidden behind tangled bushes, layers of dirt and serpentine boulders might be given a new life. Roberts announced his plans Tuesday to dig up the cave, restore it, and open it to the public. While Roberts says he will pay for the renovation out of his own pocket, he plans on partnering with Stevens Institute of Technology, which owns the property, and the Board of Education, which can use the unearthing as a history and literary lesson. "This is going to be a really fun project to undertake," said the almost giddy Roberts Tuesday. He is particularly excited about the fact that Hoboken students will be able to watch as the excavation takes place and can study about Hoboken's history, the geology of caves and natural freshwater springs and read the literature of Edgar Allen Poe.