Past stories from Hackensack, South Hackensack, County and Region, Local Sports, Obituaries and Ed Flynn. Please contact hackensack@northjersey.com for articles not appearing here.
| Hackensack |
| | Speaking of summer safety 08/13/2008
Mother Nature’s unpredictability, particularly in spring and summertime, can result in a varying array of weather phenomena.
|
| | Body of popular waitress found 07/30/2008
A steady flow of customer traffic flowed in and out of Hackensack’s Arena Diner last Saturday night. Like clockwork, newcomers popped in for a quick meal while late night regulars filed in for weekend specials and friendly conversation over a cup of jav
|
| | Gas prices and summer vacation 07/24/2008
It is getting harder and harder to remember gas prices consistently less than four dollars a gallon, never mind three or two. A walk around town revealed that rather than go on vacation, some people in Hackensack may just stay home. Or walk.
|
| | Hot town, summer in the city 07/24/2008
Residents reach boiling point when it comes to heat, humidity
|
| | Take it inside 07/24/2008
A crowd of close to 50 demonstrators marched across the street from City Hall on Central Avenue into the July 8 City Council meeting to protest the potential loss of eight emergency medical technician (EMT) positions. Filing past a larger than usual polic
|
| | Serious fun 07/24/2008
On a scorching summer Monday, the Hackensack Fire Department turned their hoses on a group of teenagers while officers from the county sheriff’s department watched.
|
| | New schools chief named 07/24/2008
The Hackensack Board of Education, with a vote of 6 to 1, hired Edward Kliszus as Superintendent of Hackensack Schools at its last meeting on July 15.
|
| | Neustadter turns life into artwork 07/23/2008
For 19 years, Ruth Bauer Neustadter woke up every morning at 5:15 to teach special education at Eastside High School in Newark.
|
| | You say tomato… 07/10/2008
Can one of the city’s favorite fruits kill you?
|
| | Rally at HUMC 07/02/2008
The uphill battle by Hackensack’s city EMTs to preserve their jobs in the face of an agreement between the city and Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) literally went in that direction on June 30. Close to 250 supporters marched uphill from Hack
|
| | Fairmount's got talent 06/27/2008
If you didn’t know that the kids of Fairmount School had some talent, the signs were all there on June 18. What made watchers know that the school’s students were born to perform?
|
| | EMT issue: A long hot summer ahead 06/18/2008
Hackensack residents who went shopping for groceries at the Stop and Stop supermarket on West Pleasantview Avenue on June 14 encountered more than just an eggplant sale or a stray shopping cart.
|
| | Meet the 2008 HHS valedictorian 06/18/2008
Alissa Sasso remembers how during her time as captain of the Hackensack High School academic decathlon team, each year had a theme: one year it was the Renaissance, the next year China, the following year the U.S. Civil War. But next year, she has a new t
|
| | Hanging on by a thread 06/13/2008
After having to briefly close last week due to a lack of money, Gilda’s Club, a support group for families affected by cancer, announced on Sunday that it re-opened and will in operation for at least the next four to five months. Gilda’s was taken off
|
| | Hanging on by a thread 06/13/2008
After having to briefly close last week due to a lack of money, Gilda’s Club, a support group for families affected by cancer, announced on Sunday that it re-opened and will in operation for at least the next four to five months. Gilda’s was taken off
|
| | Oury's name echoes during meeting 06/13/2008
The June 2 Hackensack City Council meeting was held one day in advance so as not to potentially distract voters seeking to vote in the June 3 primary elections. In fact, several potential voters in attendance at the meeting seemed fully focused on voting
|
| | Heroes hailed 06/13/2008
Second Class Petty Officer Antonina Lobue of the U.S. Navy has seen the world. In the course of her seven years of military service, she has been to many far-flung locales, including, Malta, Turkey, Singapore, Bahrain and Spain. But when the Lodi native w
|
| | Childhood Mental Health 06/05/2008
There are several reasons why the New York University Child Study Center (CSC) opened a satellite office in Hackensack. For starters, the NYU program, only one of two in the country that provides assessment, treatment and clinical study of child and teena
|
| | Russ Berrie Awards 06/05/2008
For just a moment, the spotlight shone on a Hackensack woman who has dedicated her life focusing on others. Dianne Montuori was one of 19 recipients of this year’s Russ Berrie Awards, presented by the Russ Berrie Foundation to New Jersey residents that
|
| | Rhema Worship Center 06/05/2008
Under normal circumstances, William Lockwood II wouldn’t regard rain in a negative sense; however, his only desire last Saturday was for a clear, blue sky.
|
| | Taking it to the streets 05/28/2008
A green Jeep pulled up to the men in red shirts standing in front of the Stony Hill Inn in the early evening of May 22. The front-seat passenger asked what was going on. One crimson-clad man shouted out a reply.
|
| | Bishop pays homage to city 05/28/2008
Youngsters didn’t need a friend like Huck Finn to play in homemade forts, or ride railroad boxcars and sail down a river. They need not be rapscallions either or born in American literature.
|
 | Coming through in the clutch 05/21/2008
Charles McKnight’s season ended more than two months ago, but the head coach of the Hackensack High School girls’ basketball team still had another night of hoops left inside him. Only this time, he was the one in sneakers.
|
| | Senate Street Poll 05/21/2008
The June 3 Democratic primary will decide whether incumbent U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, 84, will withstand the challenge of U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, 50, who wants to take Lautenberg’s place as the Democratic standard-bearer in the November general elec
|
 | Trinity Scouts present 05/15/2008
Hackensack's Holy Trinity Scout organization held its annual pancake breakfast and tricky tray fund raiser last month at the school.
|
| | The future is now 05/15/2008
With a brand new blue and white reporter’s notebook in his hand, Paolo San Miguel was ready to go to work. A budding journalist, San Miguel, a fourth grader at Fairmount School, was hot on the trail of a news story that could have a vital impact on his
|
 | After the fire 05/07/2008
The family hadn’t seen the photo yet. In a hotel room in Rochelle Park, Dion Brown, his wife Jennifer Pearson and two of their three children sat on one of the beds and stared at a photo on the front cover of Hackensack Chronicle.
|
| | Glowing embers 05/07/2008
Dave Keller was fresh out of culinary school when he cooked up an idea at a local meat market. "I went into a local Italian butcher store on Hudson Street when I saw Ernest Allen behind the counter. He worked there part-time," remembered Keller, 54. Allen
|
| | Glowing embers 05/07/2008
Dave Keller was fresh out of culinary school when he cooked up an idea at a local meat market. "I went into a local Italian butcher store on Hudson Street when I saw Ernest Allen behind the counter. He worked there part-time," remembered Keller, 54. Allen
|
 | New Hope Baptist Church: Celebration 05/07/2008
Although the New Hope Baptist Church will offer its regular services this Sunday, May 11, it will also celebrate the leadership and contributions of one woman – Dr. Rev. Frances Manning. For 15 years, she has served as the first woman pastor (seventh ov
|
 | City Politics 101 04/30/2008
They came to Hackensack from the four corners of New Jersey.
|
 | Blaze displaces family from home 04/30/2008
An early morning blaze last weekend ripped through a two-family residence in the Fairmount neighborhood of Hackensack and displaced six residents from their home.
|
 | A lifetime of donating saves others 04/30/2008
Without the efforts of blood donors, Charlie Schneider might not be alive today. The Bergen County native was on the operating room table 40 years ago when his body needed blood; that’s when doctors tapped the bank to replenish Schneider’s lost supply
|
| | Hackensack earns ‘Tree City’ honor 04/30/2008
Going green is no longer just a trend to follow; thinking about Mother Nature is now a way of life.
|
 | 'I feel blessed' 04/23/2008
When Daniel Aguiar, a fourth grader at Hackensack’s Holy Trinity School, caught his first sight of Pope Benedict XVI as he rode in the Popemobile down New York’s Fifth Avenue last week, the spectacle made a strong impression on him.
|
| | Vote gives board two new trustees 04/23/2008
Hackensack voters elected two new members to the school board on April 15, with one incumbent failing to gain a second term. First-time candidate Jeanne Dressler was voted in with 668 votes, narrowly outpacing incumbent Francisco Rodriguez, who garnered 6
|
 | End of FAITH, but still hope 04/16/2008
Monday, April 14, was the final day that the FAITH (Faith Advocacy Impacting the Homeless) Foundation drop-in shelter at 86 State St. was open for business. But in many ways, it was business as usual.
|
 | Students thwart man’s sex ploy 04/09/2008
A Hackensack man posing as an ESPN sports analyst was arrested last Wednesday and accused of endangering the welfare of a child, after he roamed the halls of Indian Hills High School seeking an underage girl for sex.
|
| | 61-year-old man killed at construction site 04/04/2008
A Hackensack construction worker died of injuries sustained at his work site when an intoxicated driver backed a pick-up truck over him. Peter Toulson, 61, was pronounced dead at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center of severe head trauma on March 27.
|
| | Fire chief reflects back on career 04/04/2008
When Joel Thornton was growing up on Campbell Avenue in Hackensack, he witnessed something when he was 8 years old that stuck in his mind’s eye. He saw men working, and he saw his future.
|
 | Children scoop up Rhema's 6,000 eggs 03/27/2008
It took volunteers several hours to sprinkle Easter eggs on the football field at Hackensack High School last Saturday. The task took all morning, as the plastic eggs, more than 6,000 of them, completely covered the eastern half of the field.
|
 | City's dispute with fire department continues 03/27/2008
More than 200 people packed the Hackensack City Council meeting on March 18 to debate the fate of eight Hackensack emergency medical technicians (EMTs) whose jobs are now on the chopping block.
|
 | HPD steps up recruitment drive 03/19/2008
Michael Reo went to the Hackensack Civic Center behind City Hall in the first week of March looking for information. He was also looking for a job.
|
 | Fairmount’s day at dentist leads to beams 03/19/2008
Perhaps Dr. Ben Kershenbaum has missed his calling in life, for he is not just your friendly neighborhood dentist. Judging by the way that he interacted with the Fairmount School kindergarten class that visited his Linden Street office earlier this month
|
 | Chief Thornton to step down 03/19/2008
Hackensack Fire Chief Joel Thornton submitted his letter of resignation to city officials on March 12. In the letter, Thornton, a 31-year veteran of the Hackensack Fire Department, announced that his retirement will be effective as of June 1.
|
| | Known not by name, but by actions 03/19/2008
Hackensack resident Donna West celebrated an important milestone this month. The third of March marked the one-year anniversary of the birth of the Y.D.K.M.N. (You Don’t Know My Name) Ministry, a six-person organization that extends its giving arms to l
|
 | City, HUMC agreement leaves firemen, EMTs burning mad 03/12/2008
The March 4 Hackensack City Council meeting began with the usual roll call and the handling of basic municipal matters. But less than five minutes after the evening meeting started, more than 60 Hackensack firefighters rolled through the council chamber d
|
 | State hits Hackensack with 3 violations 03/12/2008
Sitting in his Main Street office in downtown Hackensack, Capt. Bill Sheehan was not amused. Sheehan, who in his role at the Hackensack Riverkeeper helps to watch over the health of the river that gives the city its name, had something in his hand that ma
|
 | One revaluation, two realities 03/05/2008
The state-directed revaluation effort is an attempt to update property values with an eye toward correcting long-time imbalances in Hackensack’s property tax system.
|
 | Where's the beef? It's in the trash 03/05/2008
Jacob Salerno, a first-grader at Fairmount School, was happy with how he did when he received his report card last week. But his smiling face flickered into a frown when it came time to grade the school cafeteria. Jacob knows what’s good for him. And re
|
| | Improvements set for heart of the city 02/29/2008
When Leo Pflieger looks out his office window at Main Street in downtown Hackensack, he likes what he sees. Almost.
|
 | Poets read for public, write for world 02/12/2008
Jose Melendez is a first grader in Ms. Miranda’s class at Fairmount School in Hackensack. The soft-spoken six-year old is also an artist. Sitting cross-legged on a classroom floor, he talked about why he likes to write poetry.
|
| | GOP rallies support in Hackensack; Virginia senator makes endors 02/05/2008
The heated Democratic presidential primary battle between Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama may be drawing a lot of attention. But on a gray Saturday morning on Main Street in Hackensack, a visit by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) speaking i
|
 | Bergen Democrats offer support to Clinton 01/29/2008
The days of carpetbagger Clinton are long gone; since moving to her lavish Westchester County, N.Y. home eight years ago, Hillary Clinton has become as much a Northeasterner as the average Bergen County Joe. “I was told if you say thanks to Joe in New
|
| | Prominent pastor endorses Obama 01/29/2008
When it came time for the Rev. Gregory Jackson, senior pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack, to decide between U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the Feb. 5 New Jersey Democratic presidential prim
|
| | Residents begin fund-raising effort 01/24/2008
Almost 20 years after the Hackensack community banded together to build the Fairmount Elementary School playground on Grand Avenue, the word has gone out again: the kids need a new place to play.
|
| | 41 year old slain in targeted attack 01/02/2008
City and county authorities believe last Thursday’s fatal shooting of a Hackensack man just outside the upscale Devonshire Apartments was a targeted act but one not connected to the victim’s long family history.
|
| | City, Teaneck strike accord 01/02/2008
The Township of Teaneck has taken several steps toward developing shared services with neighboring municipalities, and on Dec. 17 township officials met with met with Bergen County Administrator Bob Laux to discuss extending the initiative to the county.
|
| | Elks continues tradition, charity work 01/02/2008
Ever since Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and friends revived a skimpy pine tree and converted it into a symbol of hope and holiday, the art of selecting and decorating a Christmas tree has become a household tradition for many families.
In Hackensack, mem
|
| | Foundation's efforts benefit students 01/02/2008
If children are indeed the future, the Hackensack community is doing its part to ensure the town is in good hands decades down the road. Through vision, determination and grass-roots efforts, parents and other volunteers are giving the children every oppo
|
| | YCS: Converting from the charity stripe 01/02/2008
In sports and the basketball world, converting on free throw attempts has a direct correlation on the outcome of any hardwood game. The equation is simple; connect on the foul shots and the team, in most cases, will win.
Last Sunday, Youth Consultation S
|
| | Park restoration captures public eye 01/02/2008
Jump ropes, hopscotch, tag. Kickball, catch and board games.
There’s a laundry list of playtime activities to keep the bodies and minds of Fairmount School students stimulated, but the void created by the closing of their massive playground is still so
|
| | Calvary congregation marches forward 01/02/2008
Jose Torres ascended toward the heavens, or how ever high the spiral staircase led him and his visitors. Emerging inside Calvary Church’s steeple, Torres admits the lights there don’t work but offered the remaining late afternoon sunlight to illuminat
|
| South Hackensack |
| | Concerns might ease with deflector 05/15/2008
If installed, a new debris deflector at the bridge located at the intersection of Garfield’s Marsellus Place and River Drive would ease flooding concerns, particularly those raised by residents, businesses and commuters passing through South Hackensack.
|
| | School budget is defeated 04/23/2008
The South Hackensack governing body is expected to find ways to trim the 2008-09 Board of Education spending plan, which township voters rejected last week during the school district elections.
|
| | Computer crimes: Arrest made 04/16/2008
An investigation by members of the South Hackensack Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Task Force led to the arrest of a 56-year-old man, who was accused this month of attempting to establish a sexual relationshi
|
| | Keen observations 04/09/2008
Students from South Hackensack were lucky to be the first students to attend the new McDowell Observatory in Lyndhurst, which opened on March 26.
|
| | South Hackensack police, feds solve bank heist 04/04/2008
A 30-year-old Cliffside Park woman was being held on federal robbery charges late last week after a teller at a South Hackensack bank positively identified her through photographs.
|
| | Domestic dispute turns violent 03/05/2008
A verbal domestic dispute at a South Hackensack hotel turned violent and led to the arrest of a 26-year-man last Tuesday.
|
| | Bergen municipal mergers: Should towns stay or should they go? 02/12/2008
Bogota? Bye-bye. Demarest? Done. South Hackensack? Sayonara.
Under a plan announced by Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney on Feb. 7 at his State of the County address in Paramus, these towns and 32 others could disappear from the municipal map of Be
|
 | Romano, Maceri lead 2-party town 01/15/2008
South Hackensack Republicans had a grand old time last week when Gregorio Maceri was inducted to the municipal committee. The swearing-in of the 31-year-old resident gave the township GOP the voting edge at 3 to 2.
|
| | Maceri anxious to take position 01/02/2008
Though several years younger than most officials already on South Hackensack’s governing body, the majority of township voters believe Gregorio Maceri is ready to lead the community. Maceri was still beaming with excitement when he spoke with Hackensack
|
| County and Region |
| | For McCain, who will be his No. 2? 07/30/2008
There is considerable speculation that when John McCain takes the stage at the Glenpointe Marriott hotel in Teaneck on Aug. 12, he will not be alone, nor without hope.
|
| | Students have options in the Meadowlands 07/24/2008
Gov. Jon Corzine, along with state and Bergen Community College officials, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in celebration of the new Meadowlands campus located at 1280 W. Wall St. in Lyndhurst.
|
| | Giving confidence; making an impact 07/02/2008
Most of the words in Keith’s rendition of Luther Vandross’ "Here and Now" were slurred or muffled, yet his performance last month in Teaneck was nothing short of perfect. The lyrics might have been difficult to understand, but the singer’s emotion w
|
| | Price at the pump 06/27/2008
At the beginning of this month, the national average of fuel prices surpassed the $4-per-gallon mark, setting a new record high. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that diesel, the fuel used by shippers and a key component in the price o
|
| | U.S. Politics 06/27/2008
U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett recently called upon President George W. Bush to confront Sudanese government officials regarding the genocide in the Darfur region. The New Jersey Republican, whose offices are located on Route 4 in Paramus, wrote the letter with
|
 | Pampering our pets 06/18/2008
Jayme Benjamin watched as her 7-year-old son, Mark, raced around Little Ferry’s Indian Park with their chocolate Labrador retriever.
"They’re both going to need baths later," she said last Sunday, the day after torrential rains plummeted North Jer
|
| | Former CP deputy clerk indicted 06/18/2008
A Bergen County grand jury handed up a six-count indictment against suspended deputy municipal clerk Carol Lynn Palma for her part in what prosecutors consider a scheme to swindle money from the Cliffside Park Board of Education.
|
| | In Federal Courts 06/18/2008
Former Briarcliff resident Mark Brener admitted in Manhattan federal court last Thursday that he headed the prostitution ring that ultimately led to the downfall of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
|
| | St. Joseph's gets new principal 06/18/2008
Students at St. Joseph’s School in Bogota will see a new face in the halls come September. Jim Newman will take over as principal of the Catholic elementary school, replacing Linda Zelinsky, who is retiring after a 28-year career at the school.
|
| | PBA pancake breakfast 06/13/2008
It was like roll call at the start of the day shift only with a slight twist. Instead of describing suspicious vehicles or handing out sector assignments, Officer Joe Rella spoke about coffee and orange juice.
|
| | Landmark theater closes 06/05/2008
Main Street has had a sad look to it this month.
Ridgefield Park residents and movie goers throughout the county are slowly coming to terms with the loss of one of Bergen's oldest and most unique landmarks. The signs on the Rialto theater's doors alert
|
| | Feline Friends 06/05/2008
It was a day filled with whiskers, raffles and love at the Bergen County Animal Shelter. The FOCAS Annual Cat Show hosted more than 30 cat owners and lovers and offered a day to celebrate their feline friends.
|
| | GI Bill 06/05/2008
Members of the state Assembly introduced a new bill last month that seeks to expand higher education opportunities for New Jersey’s soldiers returning from active duty.
|
| | American Cancer Society fund raiser 06/05/2008
When cancer strikes, it’s not always a death sentence.
|
| | The incumbent vs. the insurgent, Part 2 05/28/2008
In this second of a series of exclusive primary campaign interviews with Hackensack Chronicle, incumbent U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) speaks about his record and makes his case for remaining the Garden State’s senior senator in Washingt
|
| | County finances 05/28/2008
On April 2, $72,000 was spent to produce an educational DVD for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. A little more than $217,000 was spent on animal food and nearly $12,000 spent on frozen rodents, mealworms and specialty diets for the zoo that same n
|
| | The incumbent vs. the insurgent 05/23/2008
The battle between current U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) and challenger U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D–Haddon Heights) has led to a war of words between the rival Democratic candidates, and perhaps to a renewed regional rift between North and
|
| | Abduction prevention 05/21/2008
The Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office received new printers that will enable them to print and circulate photographs of missing or abducted children from the AMBER Alert Safety Center last week in a presentation at the Par
|
| | New museum helps heal old wounds 05/15/2008
The creation of the first Holocaust museum in a New Jersey synagogue serves as a reminder that while time heals some wounds, it also washes away memories best not forgotten.
|
 | Holocaust recalled 05/07/2008
In 1940, the Nazis began to focus their attention on Poland's three million Jews, forcing them into overcrowded ghettos. The largest was the Warsaw Ghetto, which was home to about 400,000 people.
|
| | Sharif named to state commission 05/07/2008
Hackensack grassroots advocate Brownita "Sissy" Manning Sharif last week was appointed to the New Jersey Commission on Bullying in Schools.
|
| | Students face tougher road to graduation 05/07/2008
High School students statewide will face a tougher, more academically rigorous road to graduation if recommendations by a state task force are adopted.
|
| | An organization that is ‘always there’ 04/30/2008
Many people in northern New Jersey spend little time thinking about the Red Cross and how it serves the community. Those who have never faced the devastation of being forced from their homes due to a cataclysmic event would have little reason to.
|
| | Horror story ends with wagging tails 04/30/2008
Though litter is hardly forgivable, the severity of what one Route 80 motorist saw was far greater than the everyday debris that lines some of our busiest the highways. Instead of fast food wrappers or cigarette butts, the driver watched in horror as a pu
|
| | Political analysis: Pennsylvania primary 04/16/2008
The ongoing struggle between U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for the Democratic presidential nomination remains extremely close. According to CNNPolitics.com, Obama holds a slight edge in the all-important dele
|
 | Democrat vs. Democrat 04/09/2008
The scene inside the Trenton Marriott hotel on March 31 was meant to be an impressive display of Democratic Party unity. Prominent Democratic politicians from around New Jersey had assembled in the state’s capital to show support for U.S. Sen. Frank Lau
|
 | Rothman talks to locals 04/04/2008
As any parent would, Kathleen Smith was deeply saddened when her son was recently denied entrance into the United States Naval Academy. And she was just as confused and concerned by the reasons her son was declined.
|
| | More than 40 connected to gambling, drug ring 04/04/2008
They were hiding in plain sight. One person tended bar in East Rutherford. Another sold real estate in Carlstadt. One was a nanny in Rutherford. Others included a plumber, a carpenter, a municipal public works employee and a Bergen County parks department
|
 | Gov. Corzine signs Patricia's Law 03/27/2008
A bill named for a missing Bogota woman has given law enforcement officials specific instructions to follow when missing persons cases arise. With Gov. Jon Corzine’s signature, the state enacted Patricia’s Law, which requires authorities to immediatel
|
 | FOCAS volunteers maintain their focus 03/19/2008
Crystal, china, jewelry, household items – it sounds like a visit to one of the local malls. But instead of an overcrowded and overpriced shopping plaza, these are just some of the items offered at the upcoming flea market sponsored by FOCAS (Friends of
|
 | Creative minds use helping hands 03/12/2008
Hackensack University Medical Center and Bergen County Community Action Partnership (CAP) have long benefited from the efforts of a group of local knitters. For the past 17 years, the “Knitwits” of Ridgefield Park have been knitting and crocheting bla
|
| | Hackensack University Medical Center prevails 03/06/2008
In the more than three months since Pascack Valley Hospital (PVH) closed its doors, local residents and officials alike have kept their fingers crossed that acute-care services, namely an emergency room, would return to Westwood. By mid-afternoon last Wed
|
| | Air quality study deemed inconclusive 02/29/2008
Fumes from taxiing jets are responsible for air pollution, but a study released last month revealed that the air quality around busy Teterboro Airport isn’t much worse than it is throughout Bergen County’s other urban neighborhoods.
Paid for by the P
|
| | To locals, power change in Cuba means very little 02/29/2008
Benito Rivero, the man who some call the “unofficial Cuban ambassador to Hackensack,” slyly smiled when asked about the recent change at the top in his native land. Whether it’s Fidel Castro in charge in Cuba or his brother Raul, for Rivero, the mor
|
| | Booker honors history as he makes it 02/20/2008
Newark Mayor Cory Booker makes an impression when he walks into a room. As the chief executive of New Jersey’s largest city and as a young African-American politician with the potential for higher office, people tend to notice him. But when Booker, 38,
|
 | Life lessons learned through martial arts 02/20/2008
A word of advice: Lie on your back and start kicking as if you’re pedaling a bicycle.
It’s a simple move, perhaps many have repeated the motion as a strength training or cardio exercise. But to Sensei Melissa Bopp, the maneuver, though sometimes awkw
|
| | Results set stage for super struggle 02/12/2008
The results of the New Jersey Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 5 were not exactly what U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9th district) had hoped for. Garden State voters, participating in one of the 22 Democratic state primaries that comprised Super Tuesd
|
 | Obama rides momentum into Bergen 02/05/2008
High school classmates Abi Johnson, 14, and Catherine Schneiderman, 15, were the first two people waiting in line outside the Izod Center in East Rutherford the day before the closely contested Feb. 5 New Jersey Democratic presidential primary. Wearing ma
|
 | Junior Nets shoot hoops, show heart 02/05/2008
Kaitlyn Willard has the face of a prom queen yet she has no problem or objection to rolling with the boys. The teen-aged heartthrob from Havertown, Pa., was in Hackensack last Saturday strutting her stuff and showing everyone that she can hold her own.
|
 | Hillary hopes to appeal to Hispanics 01/29/2008
Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton didn’t speak a word of Spanish when she spoke to a packed crowd of Latino supporters inside the ballroom at the Schuetzen Park catering hall in North Bergen on Jan. 23. But she still got her me
|
 | Already best friends, dogs become healers 01/29/2008
Before she left the pediatric ward at Hackensack University Medical Center, Cassie gave youngster Kimberly a kiss on the cheek. The Paterson resident, a patient at HUMC’s Joseph Sanzari Children’s Hospital, giggled as any 2-year-old girl would and fon
|
 | Hillary: 'I'm not somebody who is just showing up' 01/29/2008
In an exclusive interview with Hackensack Chronicle after her Jan. 23 campaign rally in North Bergen, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made her case regarding why she should be her party’s nominee in November. With the Feb. 5 New Jersey
|
| | Standing on the shoulders of giants: Locals lifted by Giant win 01/24/2008
There are many factors that led to the New York Giants’ 23-20 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game last Sunday. Skill. Will. Luck. But ask Robert Egan what’s luck got to do with it, and he’ll set you straight: absolut
|
 | Corzine takes toll road to BCA 01/16/2008
|
 | Detour jams traffic on 17 01/16/2008
As many local motorists already know, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has begun work on the Essex Street crossing over Route 17, and the 73-year-old bridge is no more.
Preliminary construction deadlines originally penned the demolitio
|
| | Support for Obama grows 01/16/2008
Hackensack native Matthew Rozsa definitely knows what side he’s on in the highly contentious Democratic Presidential primary battle to be decided early next month in New Jersey.
“We are at a crucial point in the history of this nation, and we need an
|
| | Dumplings gives orphans taste of Chinese culture 01/02/2008
East Chinese Restaurant in Hackensack offers six dumplings for $4.25. They come in different varieties — vegetable, pork, fried or steamed.
To an outsider, dumplings are known as the small, delicate and savory pastries popularized by Chinese restaurant
|
 | Vandals fell tree in Borg's Woods 12/05/2007
Less than a month after school children and volunteers wandered through Borg’s Woods, ridding the county park of garbage and other unsightly debris, vandals wreaked havoc within the landscape’s wooded environment. In addition to dumping trash on the g
|
| Local Sports |
| | All North Jersey: Spring 2008 06/27/2008
|
| | 2008 All County 06/18/2008
|
| | Wall selected for Junior Nationals 06/18/2008
Hackensack High School basketball standout Romaine Wall was invited to participate in the USA Junior Nationals International Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. The event is scheduled from July 21 to 27.
|
| | State Sectionals: Track and Field 05/28/2008
Jermaine Boyd buzzed past in a flash, as did the Hackensack boys’ track team.
|
| | Around the NNJIL: May 30, 2008 05/28/2008
|
 | Magic on ice 05/21/2008
Hackensack’s Alexa Nazarko gained an edge on the competition for the girls’ Pre-Preliminary Freeskate category at the 2008 Morris Open at the Mennen Arena in Morristown.
|
| | Red Littler Track and Field Championships 05/21/2008
Debonair Clickscales was a double winner at last weekend’s Red Littler Bergen County Track and Field Championships at Old Tappan High School. Clickscales captured the shot put and discus events, leading Hackensack to a second place finish behind Divisio
|
| | Around the NNJIL: May 23, 2008 05/21/2008
|
| | Comets capture NNJIL A crown 05/15/2008
The Hackensack boys’ track team captured its second consecutive NNJIL Division A championship. The Comets outdistanced themselves from second place Kennedy 129-103.
|
| | Around the NNJIL: May 23, 2008 05/15/2008
|
| | Around the NNJIL: May 9, 2008 05/07/2008
|
 | Around the NNJIL, May 2, 2008 04/30/2008
|
 | Goode, Knights put Teaneck to sleep 04/23/2008
Kelsey Goode’s three-run homer highlighted a five-run fifth inning and powered Bergen Tech’s offense, and Stephanie Giordano pitched six scoreless innings to lead the Knights past visiting Teaneck, 10-3.
|
| | Hackensack: Hockeytown U.S.A. 04/04/2008
"Having four teams in the National Tournament is unique," Ice House staff member Glenn Carlough said, "because qualifying is not easy."
|
| | Local Selections: All-North Jersey 04/04/2008
|
| | Kudos To: Winter 04/04/2008
|
| | All-County selections are named 03/27/2008
|
| | All-League hoops, wrestling teams named 03/27/2008
|
 | Celebrating the season 03/12/2008
Everyone loves polls and top 10 lists. We like to make them and debate them. We argue over the decisions that are made and stand by our opinions.
|
 | Ready to stroll the Boardwalk 03/05/2008
Hackensack’s Anthony Raccioppi earned a trip to Atlantic City after his gold medal performance at last weekend’s Region 2 wrestling championship. Raccioppi captured the 112-lbs. title with a dominant 7-3 win over Demarest’s Nick Adamo.
|
| | Season ends one point shy of sectional finals 03/05/2008
In the world that’s judged on wins and losses, one point can separate greatness from immortality.
One point. One stinkin’ point.
|
 | George, Comets stun No. 1 Queen of Peace 02/18/2008
Keon Williams had the hot hand, and Ricky Carroll had been the money player in Hackensack’s previous Bergen Jamboree wins. With that in mind, who would’ve thought that the biggest shot of the Comets’ season would come from the hands of a sophomore w
|
 | Comets claim spot in Jambo Final Four 02/12/2008
Keon Williams has racked up nearly every accolade possible for a North Jersey player but 2008 marks his first appearance in the Bergen Jamboree Final Four. Hackensack advanced to the county tournament semifinals following its 50-43 win over upstart Saddle
|
 | Walcott signs with Virginia 02/07/2008
Star athlete Ausar Walcott was one of several of the best high school football players to have signed on to a major Division I college football program. On Thursday, the National Football Signing Day, Walcott officially gave his John Hancock to the Univer
|
 | Lady Knights lose grip, bow out of county tourney 02/05/2008
In the background and from the stands, Teaneck girls’ basketball star Tamiel Murray shouted simple instructions to her fellow NNJIL players.
“You have to give it to No. 10!”
|
 | Bergen Jamboree Second Round 02/04/2008
Uncharacteristically slow and sluggish in the first quarter of its second round Bergen Jamboree game, Hackensack never turned its back on its mantra of the 2007-08 campaign. With patience, the Comets turned their nerves into a 20-point, blowout win over 1
|
 | Bergen Tech offense revives in second half against RP 01/29/2008
Bergen Tech and Ridgefield Park shared similar game plans in their opening round match up of the Bergen County Tournament. Both teams executed the strategy through the course of the first half, but only the Knights maintained the same intensity in the sec
|
 | Comets cruise as team heads to Jamboree 01/29/2008
Before the start of the basketball season, Hackensack head coach Gordon “Scooter” Whiting predicted that his squad would be a second half team. The feeling was that if the Comets held their ground through the first seven to 10 games, they’d be in th
|
 | Carroll rouses home crowd 01/24/2008
Ricky Carroll’s home debut last Thursday was everything that Hackensack fans expected. The Comets’ senior put on a clinic from the swing position against Passaic, showing off his handling skills, defense and poise. And when his team needed him the m
|
 | Cheer teams just bring it to Hackensack 01/16/2008
Rarely does a competition feature teams that actually root for one another. Perhaps it’s just in their nature to cheer for others.
Girls from all over Bergen County and from as far south as Toms River made the trek to Hackensack High School last Saturd
|
 | Legendary Friars upend Comets 01/15/2008
Though it’s usually on the winning side of lop-sided games, Hackensack wasn’t at all disheartened by its 42-point loss last Sunday. The Comets’ players might have been disappointed, but when push came to shove, they were the only team willing to sta
|
| | Martial Arts: Students capture top prizes 01/03/2008
One dozen students from Tiger Schulmann’s Mixed Martial Arts in the Pathmark Shopping Center of Hackensack were recently crowded winners at the Challenge of Champions XXIII Mixed Martial Arts competition.
|
| | Williams leads Comets' blitz 01/02/2008
For the entire first half, Keon Williams showed off his complete arsenal as Hackensack built a 12-point halftime lead against Paramus in both teams’ season opener. Through the first 16 minutes, the Comets’ senior slashed to the basket, handled the bal
|
| | Comets prevail against rivals 01/02/2008
There’s a reason why Hackensack is considered one of North Jersey’s best teams, and that reason isn’t Keon Williams. Though the perennial All-State forward is the Comets’ top scoring threat, Hackensack stands with the elite teams because of its ab
|
| | Teaneck gets best of Comets 01/02/2008
As expected, Hackensack met Teaneck on the second day of the annual James Kay Holiday Basketball Tournament. As expected, the clash between NNJIL rivals went down to the wire.
What wasn’t expected was the fact that neither team hoisted the championship
|
| | Comets say they'd leave NNJIL 01/02/2008
Just days before the start of the winter sports season, 10 of the 14 public schools aligned with the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League dealt a major blow to the NJSIAA. And the schools could ultimately change the face of local high school sports
|
| After Thoughts |
| | Whatever happened to the old front porch? 08/13/2008
Time was when everyone would try to escape the hot breath of a scorching August evening by lingering outside as long as possible, awaiting the first hint of a cooling nighttime breeze once the sun’s fire had been banked below the horizon.
|
| | Small or large, possession is the same 08/05/2008
Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts announced a proposal to eliminate the federal penalties for the possession and not-for-profit transfer of small amounts of marijuana for the personal use "by responsible adults."
|
| | Among my many souvenirs 07/30/2008
Sometimes it seems that much of my life has been spent preserving things for posterity that posterity finds of little or no interest… memorabilia of magic moments long past; the flotsam and jetsam left behind in the murky backwaters of memory.
|
| | The summer I caused a financial crisis 07/23/2008
It was the summer of 1940, vacation time between my junior and senior years at Dumont High School. I was 17 and, like just about every boy in those days when the Great Depression still held the nation in its grip, I had a summer job.
|
| | The two faces of George Carlin 07/10/2008
As John Donne wrote, "Any man’s death diminishes me" and so I mourn George Carlin’s death at the too young age of 71. However, in the interest of honesty, I should point out that I wasn’t always a George Carlin fan so it would probably be hypocritic
|
| | Jimmy Carter had the right idea 07/02/2008
Sometimes I wonder who’s most to blame for many of our nation’s problems, the politicians who treat the voters like fools or we voters who prove them right by acting as if we really are.
|
| | Heat wave? What heat wave? 06/27/2008
One of the problems with writing a weekly column is that if you decide to comment on some current event the chances are that by time your column gets read the event won’t be current anymore.
|
| | Don’t quit smoking… just don’t light up 06/18/2008
I’m glad I don’t smoke anymore.
For one thing, with cigarettes now costing over $6 a pack in New Jersey and over $7 in New York where they have just tacked on another $1.25 tax increase, I don’t think I could afford it.
|
| | When is the last time... 06/13/2008
… you saw boys playing stickball in the street?
|
| | Readers’ ‘Moments to Remember’ 06/05/2008
|
| | Who’s that knocking at my door? 05/28/2008
The other evening when my wife and I had settled down in our favorite chairs in the family room to watch the evening news we heard the somewhat surprising sound of the front door chimes.
|
| | I have a secret but I forgot what it is 05/21/2008
When you get to be my age you tend to forget a few things like what you had for lunch yesterday or where you put the car keys or sometimes even to put your teeth in in the morning.
|
| | About a boy and a tree 05/07/2008
We planted the tree in the spring two years ago, my great grandson Carter and I.
|
| | Readers’ ‘Moments to Remember’ 04/30/2008
I recently invited readers to share one of their "Moments to Remember" with other readers. Here are a few of the first ones I received:
|
| | Do you know where your credit card is? 04/23/2008
When I received the phone call from someone who identified herself as a representative of my credit card’s Fraud Bureau I was immediately suspicious. After all, I wasn’t born yesterday. Far from it. And, I’ve heard on television how, in order to be
|
| | The Sunday drive gets expensive 04/16/2008
I hope that the price for a gallon of gasoline doesn’t reach the point where my wife and I can’t afford to fill the tank for our regular "Sunday Drive."
|
| | Taking electricity for granted 04/09/2008
It was about 6:30 in the evening when the electricity went off, just beginning to get dark enough to turn on a few lights.
|
| | A reader’s ‘Moment to Remember’ 03/27/2008
One of the fringe benefits of writing a column is the mail you receive. I try to answer every letter as long as the return address is readable and in the future I thought I’d occasionally share some of them with other readers.
|
| | ‘Idol’ not an American original 03/19/2008
I don’t watch "American Idol," but I couldn’t help but notice in the news that there’s a minor controversy concerning one of the current contestants on that popular television program.
|
| | Time for another Kennedy-like commitment 03/12/2008
Watching the shuttle Atlantis glide gracefully back to earth last week I couldn’t help but wonder how many Americans were aware that it had even been in space.
|
| | Wanna buy some dollars? 03/05/2008
Let’s face it, the “almighty dollar” isn’t as mighty as it once was.
|
| | An underdog becomes top dog 02/29/2008
I guess you could say an underdog finally won the dog show when a beagle named Uno garnered Best of Show last week at the Westminster Kennel Club’s competition in Madison Square Garden.
|
| | When Giants roamed the Polo Grounds 02/20/2008
Steve Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants, stood on the platform following the team’s victory in what will always rank among the most exciting Super Bowl games in history and shouted, “This win is for all Giant fans who for the past 30 years suppor
|
| | Be my Valentine 02/12/2008
Do they still exchange Valentine’s Day cards in school?
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that in this new age of enlightenment when every child apparently wins an award in every competition, the practice has either been discarded or drastically re
|
| | Turning a blind eye to segregation 02/05/2008
Once again this year as Martin Luther King’s birthday was observed I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. Each year it’s a reminder that I could have done more.
|
| | Snoopy had it right 01/29/2008
I doubt if you can tell the difference, but I’m writing this column on a new computer. It’s the third or fourth one I’ve had – I’ve lost count – and I’ve never understood how any of them work.
|
| | Taking the comics seriously 01/16/2008
Among the numerous childish things I failed to put away when I became a man were the comic pages in the Sunday newspaper. I still glance at them to see how things are going with “Popeye,” “Blondie,“ “Charlie Brown,” and all my other old frien
|
| | When winter was more visible 01/16/2008
Whenever there’s a bone chilling bite in the winter air I think of grandpa’s red flannel long johns and how they used to hang on the clothesline in our backyard in Bergenfield where I grew up; frozen like cardboard and dancing stiffly in the wind like
|
| | Don't look it up; Google it 01/03/2008
I know I write a lot about “the good old days,” but the truth is, of course, that they weren’t necessarily always that good and, for that matter, many things today are both better and easier. Consider, the search for knowledge.
|