The Lava Beds/ Featherstone Gang of the late 1800s and Downtown Jersey City
By Maureen Wlodarczyk
Super Bowl Sunday did not disappoint this year as Big Blue did Jersey proud. For Gang Green fans, there’s always next year. Speaking of gangs, I want to tell you the story of a very different gang of men, the criminal kind, that roamed the streets of Jersey City in the 1800s.

While New York had its infamous gangs like those depicted in the memorable film, Gangs of New York, its neighbor was no different. In the 19th century, Jersey City was home to many gangs who claimed specific streets and neighborhoods as their turf. These hoodlums instilled fear in residents and business owners, committing robbery, burglary, assault, extortion and even murder. Those they victimized were afraid to testify against them, making it difficult for law enforcement to arrest and incarcerate them. One of the worst of these Jersey City gangs was the Lava Beds, also known as the Featherstone gang, which operated in what was then the Sixth Ward, a poor immigrant neighborhood. Continue reading Hudson Then…Again -The Gang that Terrorized Downtown Jersey City in the Late 1800s
Wedding dress designer and owner of La Belle Boutique, Virginia Calabrese of Jersey City says brides are going elaborately traditional and the hottest dress color for a 2012 bride is Ivory. For bridesmaids, the bright, bold “Tango Mango†is this season’s hottest color and for the maid of honor, it’s not the color but the style that’s hot. That elegantly simple yet divine dress Pippa Middleton wore as she carried her sister Kate’s train – and stole the spotlight — at the Royal Wedding is a big trend for 2012.
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Dionna Lenardo of Bayonne, who ranked in the top 2 of the 11-12 year-olds division of the NBA FIT Dribble, Dish and Swish competition was invited on Feb. 6th to see the Knicks play the Utah Jazz and before the game, Dionna met retired Knick John Starks and winner of the 10 year-olds division Monique Carrasco. The girls won free trips to Disneyworld and the chance to compete in the National Finals in Orlando, Florida.






 Tuesday was a great day for Giant Fans and for all New Yorker’s and New Jersyites when the NY/NJ Giants Celebration Team came to town and our photographer Steve Mack was there to catch all the action.