Category Archives: General

3rd Annual Day of Community Service in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

All Saints Episcopal Day School, Stevens Cooperative School and Mustard Seed SchoolDr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Come Together to Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with 3rd Annual Day of Community Service

 Photo source: Bing.com

Prepared by Mary Anne Sullivan for River View Observer

Hoboken & Jersey City, New Jersey – January 18th, 2013 – There may not be any classes on Monday, January 21, but over 200 students from All Saints Episcopal Day School, Mustard Seed School and Stevens Cooperative School will spend the day learning what Dr. King meant when he said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’”  This “Day of Service” will include children from Kindergarten through 8th grade working alongside teachers and parents in a wide range of activities.

 “This is a ‘day on,’ not a ‘day off’” remarked one 8th grader.  “A friend from another school was surprised I would come to school when I didn’t have to.  But it’s the perfect way to spend MLK Day, and I told my friend I wouldn’t miss this.” Continue reading 3rd Annual Day of Community Service in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

City of Bayonne to Start Curbside Pick-Up of Certain Electronic Items January 14

 

            CITY OF BAYONNE SEALMayor Mark A. Smith announced that the Bayonne Department of Public Works will start curbside pick-up of certain electronic equipment (e-waste), effective Monday, January 14, 2013.  These items include computers, laptops, monitors, televisions, electronic tablets, electronic notebooks, and e-book readers.  Under federal and state regulations implemented a year ago, it has been illegal to dispose of e-waste with regular garbage.  In 2012, the City of Bayonne designated its recycling yard on Hook Road as the drop-off site for designated electronic items.  Mayor Smith said, “Although the City instituted longer hours of operation at our recycling yard to accommodate the drop-off of electronic items, I believe we can serve the public better by having our Department of Public Works pick up these e-waste items at curbside. The convenience of curbside pick-up will encourage more people to participate in the electronic recycling program.” Continue reading City of Bayonne to Start Curbside Pick-Up of Certain Electronic Items January 14

Hoboken’s New Reality Stars – A&E’ “Storage Wars: New York” stars Chris Morelli and Tad Eaton of The Frayed Knot

By Sally Deering    

Photo of Tad Eaton and Chris Morelli in front of  The Frayed Knot by Sally Deering

Tad Eaton  and Chris Morelli in front of thier furniture and bric-a-brac emporium in Hoboken, NJ
Tad Eaton and Chris Morelli in front of thier furniture and bric-a-brac emporium in Hoboken, NJ

Move over “Cake Boss”! Chris Morelli and Tad Eaton, owners of The Frayed Knot, a vintage furniture and brick-a-brack emporium in Hoboken are fast becoming the new darlings of reality TV. Friends and business partners, Morelli and Eaton star in “Storage Wars: New York” an A&E TV reality show that follows an eclectic group of ‘treasure hunters’ from the Metropolitan area who search for hidden bounty in repossessed storage units. It’s like a twist on that old game show “Let’s Make a Deal”. You get to see what’s behind Door No. 1 but you don’t know the true value of your deal until you rip open the boxes and pick through the spoils.

 

The cast of Storage Wars: New York
The cast of Storage Wars: New York

Photo Courtesy of A & E TV

Making its January 2013 debut with six episodes, “Storage Wars: New York” is a spin-off of the “Storage Wars” franchise which also includes “Storage Wars: Texas.”  The New York cast features Joe Pauletich of Queens, Candy Olsen and Courtney Wagner of Brooklyn, Mike Braiotta of the Bronx and Morelli and Eaton of Hoboken. Auctioneer is New Yorker John Luke. 

In the debut episode, “Beg, Borough and Steal” several cast members including Morelli and Eaton bid on and buy goodies inside three separate storage units. The girls unearth several pairs of high-heeled shoes and possibly a pole dancer’s costume; Joe ‘P’ discovers some interesting art and photography; and Morelli and Eaton excavate a brand new gas grill and two French chests called commodes they bring back to their shop, paint bright red and put out for sale in one of The Frayed Knot’s splashy showrooms. Continue reading Hoboken’s New Reality Stars – A&E’ “Storage Wars: New York” stars Chris Morelli and Tad Eaton of The Frayed Knot

Former Hudson County Resident Russel Kirk Dedicates Latest Album- To Journal Square, to the Journal Square Community

Russell Kirk's second album
New album by Russel Kirk dedicated to Journal Square community in Jersey City

Baltimore native and Jazz Saxophonist Russell Kirk compose a suite in four parts titled The Path Suite, referencing New Jersey’s train system, featured on his latest album, one he dedicated to the Journal Square community.  The album, Kirk’s second is titled To Journal Square and the name of his band – The Path, the pedigree ensemble that joins Kirk on this musical journey adds lyrical balance to each track, and Kirk unselfishly allows them to shine.   Among them are Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer/composer Terri Lyne Carrington, fusion guitarist Wayne Krantz, concert & film composer Jacob Yoffee on tenor Saxophone, the extraordinary Dontae Winslow on trumpet/vocals and Cuban export, award-winning keyboardist Aruán Ortiz.

 Kirk, who studied at Townson Unviersity and the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland left his home town immediately after graduating and began touring – he traveled with the USO and Indie pop rock singer/songwriter Jenny Boyle playing in a number of European countries, Africa and the Middle East and joined Gary Thomas, founder of jazz studies at Peabody, on tour in  Japan, before returning to work on his Masters at NYU.  While at NYU he met and played in essembles with John Scofield, Chris Potter, Kenny Werner and Lenny Pickett.  He was an adjunct faculty member in the Steinhardt Music School at NYU and headed a music outreach program for inner city youth in Harlem and the east Village.  It would begin his passion for bringing music to underserved communities which he continues to do through the OrchKids initiative in Baltimore.

Russell eventually moved from New York to Jersey City’s Journal Square Community and it was there during a difficult period in his career that he began to construct this current album. The vibrancy, diversity and hub nature of the community gave him inspiration.  He locked in on the rhythm of the community, captured the musicality in the energy that it gave off.  The album has a mashable construct, similar to the construct of the community he has dedicated it to. Continue reading Former Hudson County Resident Russel Kirk Dedicates Latest Album- To Journal Square, to the Journal Square Community

Tachair Bookshoppe -Jersey City’s new Go-To Spot for Book Lovers, Writers and Serious Coffee Drinkers

By Sally Deering

TACHAIR BOOK STORE PHOTO 1
Tachair Bookshoppe’s Carol and Aleta Valleau and Aleta’s son Paul inside their hip new book store.

 When they opened Tachair Bookshoppe last July, Carol Valleau and her daughter Aleta Valleau took a gamble that local book lovers wanted something more than downloading a book to their Kindles and Nooks. The mother/daughter booksellers gambled on the idea that book lovers want a place to browse new books, thumb through old classics and maybe read a chapter or two while sipping a fresh brewed coffee. It seems their gamble paid off – big time.

 “To have the ability to walk down the street and find a bookstore, it’s nearly impossible,” Carol Valleau says between trips to the counter to help customers with their purchases. “We’re the only book store in Jersey City.”

 “We’re an independent bookstore to the ‘T’,” Aleta Valleau says.

 Tachair Bookshoppe offers new and used fiction, non-fiction, biographies, textbooks, and a warm and friendly atmosphere to browse the shelves. There are tables, too, where you can grab a seat to read, relax and strike up a conversation.  The coffee is delicious too. Continue reading Tachair Bookshoppe -Jersey City’s new Go-To Spot for Book Lovers, Writers and Serious Coffee Drinkers

Jersey City Homicide Rate Drops 28% to Record 43-year Low

JERSEY CITY SEAL LOGOJERSEY CITY – Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy and Police Chief Thomas Comey announced today that homicides last year dropped to a more than four-decade low as crime trends continue to decline year after year in New Jersey’s second largest city.  Continue reading Jersey City Homicide Rate Drops 28% to Record 43-year Low

FEMA to Close Office In Bayonne on Saturday, December 29

        

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has advised the City of Bayonne that it will close the Disaster Recovery Center it has been operating at the Bayonne Community Museum, which is located at 9th Street and Broadway.  FEMA will have its last day at that location on Saturday, December 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.   After that date, Bayonne residents and property owners in need of a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Hudson County should go to either the Jersey City location at 350 Montgomery Street, or the Hoboken location, City Hall, at 94 Washington Street.  Those facilities will have half-days on New Year’s Eve, Monday, December 31, with hours from 9:00 a. m. to 1:00 p.m.  They will both be closed on New Year’s Day, Tuesday, January 1, and will reopen with regular hours of 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 2.

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Newtown Connetiticut Memorials from Steveamack.com

Our photographer Steve Mack recently went up to Newtown Ct. and took these photos of the many memorials placed by the Newtown community and heartbroken people from around the world for the senseless tragedy that took place on December 14th, claiming the lives of 6 adults and 20 children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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