What Books are Hot in Hudson County?

 

by Tom Dwyer

From chilly spy thrillers to sultry romance novels to warm and fuzzy children’s books, a great summer read is always a real cool thing.  And this summer, Hudson County residents of all ages are discovering both new and old favorite books that will entertain, educate and even transport them to faraway places and times.   It’s probably no surprise that Hudson County Executive, Tom DeGise, has a love for political history.  Right now, he’s immersed in the best-seller “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin, about the inner workings of Lincoln’s cabinet.  And he just finished “Bookends” by rock and roll disc jockey, Pete Fornatale, which describes the story of what DeGise calls “one of my all time favorite albums by Simon and Garfunkel.”  Next up on his book list, the highly acclaimed memoir “The Tender Bar.”   Here’s what other Hudson County book lovers are up to…
Continue reading August Cover-Summer Reading-The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer & More →

…Friendly Homes Needed
By Tom Dwyer

 It’s a dog’s life…and a cat’s life too for that matter …here in Hudson County.  Over the last decade, a whole new industry dedicated to pet comfort has sprung up: a boutique industry of dog and cat spas, professional dog walkers, holistic veterinarians, and even a special Mass in Hoboken that bestows yearly blessings on pets. But for every lucky pet that has a home, there are still those unfortunate creatures living on the street or in a shelter.   Thankfully many Hudson County shelters and animal lovers are working hard to make sure every home finds the pet that’s right for them.  It’s not just good for the animals; after all, it’s a medical fact that having a pet is good for one’s body and spirit.      

Tragedy Not To Be Repeated
 On June 20th a grisly discovery was made when 15 animal carcasses were found in an unplugged freezer in the recently closed Hudson County SPCA located on Johnson Street in Jersey City.  This horror not only took the lives of innocent animals, it also cast a shadow on other well-run organizations that care for animals in Hudson County, including two of the most respected, the Hudson County Animal League www.hcalnj.org  and the Liberty Animal Shelter www.libertyanimalshelterpetfinder.org  both located in Jersey City.  Aurora Piacenpino, the manager of the Liberty Animal Shelter, admits that the incident at the SPCA shelter initially damaged the reputation of other shelters. “A lot of the public is unclear exactly which shelter the incident happened in.  And when a story like this comes to light it makes our job harder. But in respect to this SPCA incident we have had an overwhelming positive response from the public with donations and adopting pets—a huge response.”  

Continue reading July Cover Story-Hudson County Cats and Dogs →

                                                                                                                

Mid -Day Host WQXR

by Tom Dwyer

When Annie Begrowicz’s career as a radio host and announcer took off more than 20 years ago, she decided to change her hard to pronounce last name to something more radio-friendly. After a few failed combinations, she found a name with a nice ring to it: Annie Bergen, after Bergen Avenue, the street where she lived as a child in Jersey City.  Today, Annie Bergen still lives in Jersey City and she’s now the mid-day host on the most listened to classical radio station in New York City, WQXR, owned by the New York Times.  Every weekday from 10 am to 3 pm, Bergen is the host of “The Mid-Day Show” where she treats her listeners to a cornucopia of classical music. She also hosts the Saturday morning show, “People in the Arts”, where she interviews artists from every corner of the art world.

Before joining WQXR in 2004, Ms. Bergen was the Chief Arts and Entertainment Reporter for Bloomberg Radio, WBBR.   She has also worked at Bloomberg Television, as well as a number of other radio stations including WBGO–the great jazz station located in Newark — where she hosted her own show called “Annie in the Afternoon.”    Bergen has won many prestigious awards for her reporting, including a “Gracie” from American Women in Radio and Television and two awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association.

Continue reading June- Jersey City’s Anne Bergen →

 

…coming to a town near you

                                                            Tom Dwyer

 What do Frank Sinatra, Meryl Streep, Yogi Berra, Bill Bradley, Thomas Edison, Toni Morrison and Bruce Springsteen all have in common? They are part of the first group of New Jerseyans inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.  On May 4^th, fifteen men and women became the inaugural class of inductees at a ceremony at NJ Pac.  In order to be considered as an inductee for the New Jersey Hall of Fame, one needs to have lived in New Jersey for at least five years.

 There are five categories—Historical, Enterprise, Arts & Entertainment, Sports
and the General category.  The Historical category is open for deceased New Jerseyans whose contributions transcend any one particular category.  Clara Barton, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein were picked in this category.   The Enterprise Category is open to scientists, business leaders, inventors, leaders in medicine, entrepreneurs and philanthropists.  Buzz Aldrin, Malcolm Forbes and Robert Wood Johnson were picked in this category.   The Arts & Entertainment Category includes musicians, singers, songwriters, actors & actresses, artists, dancers and those who work in the related fields. Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen and Meryl Streep were inducted in this category.  
Continue reading MAY-New Jersey’s Hall of Fame →

                                                By Tom Dwyer

In a recent article in USA TODAY, Jersey City was picked as a model of smart growth for the rest of  America to follow.    Bob Leach, who is the director of the Jersey City Historical Project, a program of the Jersey City Public Library and the Jersey City Division of Cultural Affairs, remembers when Jersey City was written off as a wasteland back in the 60’s and 70’s.  He believes that the revitalization of the city is a great thing, but he also wants the people of Jersey City, old and new, to remember the very important and sometimes colorful past of Jersey City.

Continue reading Bob Leach-Director Jersey City Historical Project…the story teller →

 

By Tom Dwyer

These days, running a business is not easy.  The volatile stock market is creating heartburn for many and shoppers are holding on to their money. One thing that business people in Hudson County are doing to get a leg up, is networking with other business people at events promoted by the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce. It’s a smart way to find out what’s working and not working for other businesses and a great way to pitch one’s own company.  The Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, located at 660 Newark Avenue in Jersey City, has been a center of networking for businesses since 1888 when it started as the Jersey City Chamber of Commerce.  With close to four hundred members, the organization provides support for Hudson County businesses.
Joanne Vandorn, the president of HCCC has been with the organization since 1992 and the president of the organization for the past five years.  Before joining the chamber, she was the assistant executive director for the Jersey City Economic Development Association.  “We’re here to help companies in Hudson County who are interested in growing. We are an advocacy group that helps with certain legislative concerns that companies might have, and, are a countywide resource when it comes to running a business,” Vandorn said. Continue reading HUDSON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE →

…music history being made here

By Tom Dwyer

                                                                                                   

Rock, jazz, blues, hip-hop, country and everything in between has been recorded at Hoboken’s famed music recording studio (Water Music Recorders) over the past twenty-seven years. Music legends and international stars like Dave Mathews, the Allman Brothers, Joey Ramone, Spyro Gyra, U2, Sarah McLachlan and even Nancy Sinatra have recorded at this residential music studio.

The creator behind this worldwide-known recording studio is Rob Grenoble, a musician in his own right who back in the late 1970’s and 1980’s played with a group called Cries. He was signed as a recording artist with RCA Records in 1989. But it was in 1980 when he created Water Music studio solely for his band to record that things really got interesting. No sooner did the recording studio get up and running, that Steve Fallon, the owner and visionary behind Maxwell’s–the famed rock club in Hoboken—asked Rob to record a solo album for songwriter Chris Stamey (who still records at Water Music). The original studio was located at 201 Grand Street and before long, a line of extraordinary musicians like Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, the Feelies, Chris Stamey, Marshall Crenshaw and dozens of other bands made Water Music their home.

Continue reading November Cover Story-Hoboken’s Water Music Recorders →

“It’s very important that people understand that this is not set up to be an island. This is Bayonne” 
-Nancy Kist, Executive   Director BLRA By Tom Dwyer

Sometimes a development project can be so massive it’s hard to wrap one’s head around it. You know that it’s moving forward, but where’s the end?  The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor fits this category. The Riverview Observer spoke with Nancy Kist, the Executive Director of the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority, to get an update on the ongoing project.

SOME HISTORY
In 1999 the US Army lowered the flag at MOTBY—the Military Ocean Terminal, a 430-acre former military base that jaunts out into the Hudson River off of Rt 440.  In 2002, the city of Bayonne took over complete ownership of MOTBY through the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority and renamed the property The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor. Since then the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority has been working to transform the old base into a world-class mixed-use waterfront community of residential, light industrial, commercial and recreational space. The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor is currently the largest redevelopment effort underway in the metropolitan region. 

Continue reading The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor →