Education

Hudson County Community College Receives  ‘2023 Most Promising Places to Work in  Community Colleges’ National Award   

Pictured from left, Dr. Christopher Conzen, Executive Director, Secaucus Center and Early College Programs; Elana Winslow, Associate Professor, Business; Raffi Manjikian, Instructor, Chemistry; and Anna Krupitskiy, Vice President for Human Resources.  

The College is one of only 20 U.S. community colleges to earn this recognition.    

For the second year in a row, Hudson County Community College  (HCCC) has received the national “2023 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges”  

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Bayonne News

State to Launch Arrive Together Program for Sherif’s Officers and Mental Health Professionals in Bayonne

          Speaking at a press conference at the Bayonne Community Museum on April 20, state, county, and municipal officials discussed the start of Arrive Together in Bayonne, a joint program for law enforcement officers and mental health professionals.  Started as a program in Cumberland County, New Jersey in 2021, Arrive Together is expanding gradually to other parts of New Jersey.  The program pairs mental health professionals with law enforcement officers to respond to emergency calls for service involving persons with mental health issues. 

          Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said that she was “very excited” about this pilot program, which will operate initially two days a week in Bayonne with Hudson County Sheriff’s Officers and mental health professionals. 

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General

Hudson County’s Roger Muller -Taking The Bite Out Of Lionfish

Roger Muller Lionfish Hunter
Roger Muller

By Scott Murphy

How a group of passionate divers are trying to create essential awareness about a growing ocean threat…

By day, Roger J. Muller Jr. can usually be found overseeing Muller Insurance – his longstanding insurance agency in Hoboken, New Jersey. At night, friends often seek him out on the ice, where he can be spotted either captaining the Hoboken Rockets hockey team, or watching the New Jersey Devils pursue a hopeful Stanley Cup.

But every few months, as he stares at the exotic fish in his massive office tank, Muller gets the itch to go deep sea diving. “It’s like a mission,” he says. For the past 25 years, he has dived in places as varied as Cuba, Italy, Panama, Bonaire, Curacao, Jamaica, St. Croix, Grand Cayman Islands, Aruba, the Florida Panhandle, Rangiria, Mo’oria, Bora Bora, the South Pacific  and Hawaii. He’s accumulated some noteworthy stats and achievements during that time: over 2,500 dives and 132 major diving certificates. “I love it,” he says with a clear passion in his voice. “I started in 1998 in Aruba, and just kept going. I’ve gotten every certification from Open Water Diver to instructor.”

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General

Jersey City Awarded $8.1 Million for Traffic Safety Improvements at 33 Intersections along Summit Avenue  

Over $8.1 million in federal funds has been approved for safety improvements in Jersey City, specifically involving 33 intersections along Summit Avenue from Route 139 to Secaucus Road. 

The project, funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), will include upgraded traffic signals at 19 intersections, pedestrian signal upgrades, high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, and other improvements along the 1.5-mile corridor.  

The Summit Avenue project, which is one of 19 safety improvements totaling $188.3 million across the NJTPA region, was approved by the NJTPA Board of Trustees at its March 13, 2023, meeting.  Summit Avenue is identified on the High Injury Network in Jersey City’s Vision Zero Action Plan.   “Modernizing the intersections to be safer and operate more efficiently will build upon our broader Vision Zero efforts citywide, furthering our commitment to reach zero pedestrian and cyclist fatalities,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop, the City’s representative to the NJTPA Board.

 “With two nearby parks and several schools in the vicinity, these improvements are especially important to help keep residents of all ages safe.”   As has become the Fulop Administration’s standard policy, the project’s preliminary and final design phases will include multiple public engagement sessions to solicit community feedback.  The design phase is expected to begin later this year.  

The Local Safety Program funds high-impact, cost-effective solutions to reduce crashes and improve safety for all travelers. 

More information on the programs is available online at www.njtpa.org/LocalSafety.  Project factsheets are available at https://www.njtpa.org/2022LocalSafety.  

Funding approved for the programs doubled from the previous program cycle in 2020.  “The increases are the result of highly successful partnerships between the NJTPA and its member county and city governments to deliver vitally important projects on our local roads,” said Passaic County Commissioner John W. Bartlett, the current Chair of the NJTPA.  

“This federal support helps free up local dollars, state aid, and municipal aid for other priorities.”  

The NJTPA is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for 13 northern New Jersey counties.  Under federal legislation, MPOs provide a forum where local officials, public transportation providers, and state agency representatives can come together and cooperatively plan to meet the region’s current and future transportation needs.  

It establishes the region’s eligibility to receive federal tax dollars for transportation projects.  

The NJTPA Board consists of one local elected official from each of the 13 counties in the region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren) and the cities of Newark and Jersey City. The Board also includes a Governor’s Representative, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the President & CEO of NJ TRANSIT, the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a Citizens’ Representative appointed by the Governor.  

General

Hudson County Community College Earns Campus Prevention Network (CPN) Seal of Prevention (TM)

Caption: Pictured here, the Campus Prevention Network (CPN) Seal of PreventionTM.  

HCCC is one of 11 New Jersey colleges and universities recognized for exceptional commitment to digital student wellness, safety and inclusion endeavors.   Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has been awarded the Campus Prevention Network (CPN) Seal of PreventionTM. Vector Solutions for Higher Education presents the Seal of PreventionTM to colleges and universities with extraordinary leadership in digital prevention programming focused on student safety, well-being, and inclusion. HCCC is one of 11 New Jersey educational institutions to receive the honor.  

CPN Seal of Prevention TM  institutions like HCCC have created safer, more inclusive campuses through comprehensive, evidence-based preventive education on discrimination, mental health,  alcohol misuse, and sexual assault. Of the 850 higher education institutions in the United States evaluated, fewer than 12% earned this distinction.  

“Hudson County Community College is committed to creating a safe, nurturing environment where students feel cared for, develop confidence, cultivate friendships, flourish academically, and achieve their dreams and life goals,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “The CPN Seal of PreventionTM is a testament to the College’s commitment – and our success – in producing a culture of care that leads our students to say, ‘Hudson is Home.’”  

The criteria for the CPN Seal of PreventionTM are based on the American Psychologist â€œWhat Works in Prevention: Principles of Effective Prevention Programs.” Characteristics of such programs show that they were comprehensive, included varied teaching methods, were theory-driven, provided opportunities for positive relationships, were appropriately timed, had sociocultural relevance, included outcome evaluation, and involved well-trained staff.  

“The CPN Seal of Preventionâ„¢ recipients reflect the top 12% of colleges and universities nationwide, further highlighting their commitment and investment not only to academics, but also the well-being of their students and the overall college experience,” said Jonathan Cherins, CEO at Vector Solutions. “Our team at Vector Solutions is proud to recognize the great value these leading institutions and organizations are providing to students and the commitment we share to making higher education communities safer and more inclusive.”  

HCCC programs assist in ensuring academic success and helping build the competencies and capabilities essential to becoming conscientious global citizens. Among these undertakings are the HCCC President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (PACDEI), which provides leadership and counsel in fostering a welcoming, diverse, equitable and inclusive environment; â€œHudson Scholars,” the College’s innovative, national award-winning program that utilizes proven best practices and provides proactive advisement, financial stipends, and early academic intervention to ensure that a greater number of students facing financial challenges, language barriers, employment concerns, and family responsibilities complete their college education, achieve their goals, and realize their dreams; and the “Hudson Helps” program, a compendium of wraparound services, programs, and resources that focus on basic needs beyond the classroom and result in greater student success.  

General

Former Downtown Jersey City Resident, The Late Sal Piro, The Rocky Horror Picture Show Superfan

By Tris McCall

Sal Piro Rocky Horror Superfan
Sal Piro
Brother and Sister Sal and Lillias Piro
Sal and Lillas Piro

Richard O’Brien, Tim Curry, and Susan Sarandon made the Rocky Horror Picture Show a hoot.

Sal Piro made it a phenomenon.

He did not do it from the screen, or from the director’s chair, or from behind a camera, or from the offices of a movie studio. The Jersey City native did it from the audience. Piro, who died at 71 after a highly unusual and consequential career in show business, spent decades as the president of the Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club. In that role, he helped transform fandom from the passive activity it had been into the creative act that it is today — something akin to artistry.

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Events

HUDSON COUNTY HONORS IRISH-AMERICAN COMMUNITY WITH ANNUAL IRISH FLAG RAISING HELD AT COUNTY COURT HOUSE

Wednesday’s event will include traditional music and presentations of citations from the County Executive for honorees from throughout Hudson County.

County Executive Tom DeGise will honor a bevy of proud sons and daughters of St. Patrick from throughout Hudson County at the County’s Annual Irish Flag Raising, to be held in the rotunda of the historic William J. Brennan Court House (583 Newark Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07306)  this Wednesday evening (3/1) at 5pm.

Traditional bagpipe music and a performance by the Keri Smith Academy of Irish Dance will highlight this event, celebrating Irish-American’s contribution to Hudson County in advance of St. Patrick’s Day. Fr. Brian Emerson Page will conduct the invocation and benediction. Honorees of St. Patrick’s Day Parade committees from throughout the County will receive citations from the County Executive, who is half-Irish.

“I’m always pleased to take part in this annual celebration of Irish heritage, one I proudly share—on my mother’s side—with our honorees from across Hudson County,” said County Executive DeGise. “I know it will be a wonderful event.”

The County Executive’s Chief of Staff, Craig Guy, will receive a citation this year, for being selected Grand Marshal of the Jersey City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“I’m so thankful for this honor,” said Chief of Staff Guy. “It will mean even more receiving my citation from the County Executive, who I have been so proud to serve the people of Hudson County with for more than twenty years. My thanks of course also to our Jersey City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, and our fantastic Committee Chairperson, Maureen Hulings.”

Here is a list of the citation recipients, by municipality:

BAYONNE:

Bridget Antczak – Parade Chair, Bayonne St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee; Gabrielle Figueroa, Parade Coordinator and Grand Marshal; Aide to the Grand Marshal for the County Donegal Association; Melanie McBride; Aide to the Grand Marshal for the Irish American League Patrick Donovan; Aide to the Grand Marshal for the Shamrock Society, Mary Ellen (Calverley) Page; Aide to the Grand Marshal for the County Corkmen’s Association, Allison Conway; Irish American League’s Irishwoman of the Year, Jennifer Shea Tarantino; Irish American League’s Irish Business Owner, Rosemary (Donovan) Kellner; Irish American League’s Irish Educator of the Year, Colleen Byrne; 2023 Mary from Dungloe,  Shannon Neary.

HOBOKEN:

Irishwoman of the Year – Linda Milne; Irishman of the Year- Joseph Caufield; Irish Police Officer of the Year – Connor Milne; Irish Educator of the Year – Michelle McGreivey; Honorary Irishman of the Year – James Farina; Honorary Irishwoman of the Year – Nora Debenedetto; Irish Business of the Year – Paul Dawson of Mulligans Pub; Irish Senior of the Year – Noreen Stapleton.

JERSEY CITY:

Maureen Killeen Hulings – Chairwoman, Jersey City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee; Grand Marshal – Craig Guy; Irishwoman of the Year – Kim Scalcione; Irishman of the Year – Sean Patrick O’Leary; Irish Police Officer – Sgt. Gary Griffin; Irish Firefighter – Deputy Chief Bill McClintock; Irish EMT – Edana RahbariI; Irish Educator – Terry Matthews; Honorary Irishwoman – Joyce Watterman; Honorary Irishman – Joe Cunha; Miss Colleen – Juliana Peters.

WEST HUDSON

Kevin Quinn – President, United Irish of West Hudson; Grand Marshal – Jimmy “Lucky” Lawless; Deputy Grand Marshals – Marybeth Kennedy & Lisa Steiner Schalago.

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