Hudson County News

Top local news stories from The Jersey Journal

• Bayonne cops say man stabbed in hand by 'pal'
A Bayonne man was treated for cuts to his hand yesterday after an early-morning dispute with an acquaintance, officials said.

• Weekend closing for Wittpenn Bridge
The Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge will be closed tonight through tomorrow for emergency repair work.

• Health expo today in Secaucus
SECAUCUS - Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center will host a free health expo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in the Imperial Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2 Harmon Plaza.

• 2 busted on drug charges in Hoboken
HOBOKEN A city man was charged with possession of five drugs - marijuana, cocaine, Percocet, Endocet and Xanax - and a second man was charged with having marijuana after an undercover police officer spotted them in the Washington Street CVS, police said yesterday.

• 2 Hoboken women's rings - gone!
HOBOKEN - Two diamond rings belonging to Hoboken women - one worth $10,000 and another worth $24,000 - went missing in the past two weeks, police said yesterday.

• Admits raping niece, 10, a victim of earlier abuse
A North Bergen man pleaded guilty yesterday to sexually assaulting his 10-year-old niece, a girl who was in the process of recovering from being molested by another man when she was much younger.

• Boy struck on Boulevard driver is facing charges
UNION CITY - A 17-year-old Philadelphia boy was critically injured Wednesday when he was struck by a van while crossing Kennedy Boulevard, and the driver later surrendered to face hit-and-run charges, police said yesterday.

• Cops: Driver had 178 heroin bags
A Jersey City man busted with 178 bags of suspected heroin punched a cop and knocked him to the ground before several officers subdued him Wednesday night, officials said yesterday.

• Cunningham checks Doria's old agency
State Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Jersey City, will head the Department of Community Affairs subcommittee on Gov.-elect Chris Christie's transition team, Christie announced yesterday.

• GPS in loot helps cops nail a burglary suspect
NORTH BERGEN - A Jersey City man was arrested on burglary charges early yesterday when he spotted Street Crimes cops on patrol and threw a backpack to the ground, police said.

• National Adoption Day brings new moms and dads for 25 kids
Audrey Rice has been a foster parent for more than 10 years, but yesterday she became an adoptive mom for the first time.

• New liquor store in Jersey City to be state's largest
THE JERSEY JOURNAL

• ONE FAMILY'S AGONY
Jacqueline Kelly worked her whole life without ever receiving a paycheck.

• Postpone Chiappones' arraignment to Dec. 1
STAR-LEDGER

• Stole bike when owner was using ATM
HOBOKEN - A 17-year-old Jersey City boy was arrested on theft charges after cops saw him riding a bicycle that had been reported stolen, police said.

• SWINE FLU SHOTS TO START MONDAY IN JERSEY CITY
Jersey City officials are rolling out the first round of swine flu vaccinations next week when shots will be administered at two clinics and to students whose parents signed consent forms at Schools 8, 12, 31, 34 and 39.

• Turkey deliveries start today
UNION CITY - Everyone is wondering if it's true - if Mayor Brian P. Stack and his Civic Association can really hand out 15,000 Thanksgiving turkeys today through Wednesday.

• Uncle is convicted of molesting girl when she was 6
A Jersey City man has been found guilty of molesting his niece, a little girl who was so scared when she was subsequently placed in a foster home that she jumped from a second-floor window.

• 'Dry' life for Bayonne family - home's water pipe broken
Jason and Priscilla Camacho couldn't wait to move into their spacious duplex apartment at 318 Avenue A in Bayonne at the beginning of November.

• 'Shocking' audit of Hoboken school spending, operations
HOBOKEN - The Hoboken Board of Education released a scathing audit Tuesday that cited more than two dozen irregularities.

• 2 ed board officials resign
HOBOKEN - Two top officials at the Board of Education are quitting in light of a damning financial audit that found more than two dozen irregularities.

• Rape was part of plan for big heist
The Jersey City woman who was beaten and sexually assaulted Wednesday in a Gardner Avenue apartment was abused by armed robbers in an attempt to get her to tell them where money was hidden in the residence, officials said yesterday.

• Oprah show will end in 2011
CHICAGO - Oprah Winfrey's iconic television talk show will end in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air, her production company said yesterday.

• Glitch snarls air traffic in latest woes for FAA
ATLANTA - For the second time in a little more than a year, a glitch at one of the two centers that handle flight plans for the nation's air travel system set off delays and cancellations for passengers around the country.

• Arrest suspect in June slaying at playground
Dogged detective work is being credited for the arrest of a Jersey City felon charged with murdering a man in a city playground in June.

• 'Cake Boss' serves up memories, and wisdom, during HCCC appearance
Buddy Valastro, star of the TLC television show "Cake Boss" and owner of Carlo's City Hall Bakery in Hoboken, speaks to 2.5 million viewers every week.

• Chiappones' arraignment set for today
Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone of Bayonne is due in court today for his arraignment on charges that he and his wife pocketed paychecks meant for his legislative aides.

• FOR LITTLE KENNETH
Police officers, firefighters and civilians will battle it out on soccer fields on Sunday to benefit a Jersey City single mother with a very sick child.

• Mom pleads guilty to scalding tot's face
A Jersey City woman pleaded guilty yesterday to intentionally pouring boiling water on her 21-month-old son's face, causing second-and third-degree burns that required weeks of hospitalization.

• N. Bergen men face charges
NORTH BERGEN - Two township men were among nine people arrested Wednesday as a result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Gang Unit.

• Robbery suspect had been free on bail
A Jersey City felon charged in Wednesday's armed robbery of a city gas station got out of prison earlier this year after serving a three-year prison term for death by auto, officials said.

• Stack Civic Assn. to hand out turkeys
UNION CITY - The city is giving away 15,000 turkeys to any resident who needs one tomorrow.

• Asking input on spending HUD money
Jersey City officials are seeking public input on how to spend federal Housing and Urban Development money.

• At Memorial, volunteering is very cool
WEST NEW YORK - In between classes, athletics and nightly homework, the students of Memorial High School still find time to volunteer to help the needy.

• Bayonne man in mob sweep
Bayonne resident Vincent Alessi, 42, was among 22 people arrested in Staten Island stemming from investigations into mob-controlled loansharking and gambling that have revealed connections to city and state officials, New York police and prosecutors said yesterday.

• BYE, BYE, TOLL PLAZA TURKEY
A wild turkey that spent its days hanging out in Jersey City at the Turnpike's Exit 14B toll plaza was captured yesterday morning by wildlife experts and will be relocated to a zoo in Ocean County.

• Calls for penalty, cites no admission of wrongdoing in Bradley Beach incident
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy should face discipline as a lawyer in part because he never accepted responsibility for his actions during a 2006 scuffle with Bradley Beach police and he tried to throw his political weight around when he was arrested, a state attorney ethics panel says in a brief.

• Hard work pays off when
he gets Eagle Scout salute

• Health fair is Sunday at N. Bergen gym
NORTH BERGEN - The Palisades Medical Center's Women's Health Fair will be this Sunday.

• Liberty Harbor to WFC ferry run is new
A new ferry route, from Jersey City's Liberty Harbor to the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan, is scheduled to open next week.

• Loot gas station store at gunpoint
Gunmen got away with $2,160 worth of cigarettes, cash and other merchandise when they held up the convenience store at a Jersey City gas station early yesterday, officials said.

• Man whose body was pulled from river was New Yorker
WEST NEW YORK - Police have released the identity of the man found floating in the Hudson River on Friday, following notification of his next of kin, officials said yesterday.

• Museum is making do with fewer $$$
Corporate donations have plummeted. And now the Jersey City Museum faces another sharp reduction from its biggest supporter: The City of Jersey City.

• On Saturdays, admission is free
The Jersey City Museum, housed at 350 Montgomery St., is open Wednesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Peninsula roads to open in Jan.
Two new roads to access the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor should be ready to open early next year.

• Plunges in test scores shock Hoboken public school parents
HOBOKEN - Parents of Hoboken's public school students received the results of the 2009 standardized testing Tuesday night, and the results weren't good.

• Rape and beating puts woman in hospital
A Jersey City woman was hospitalized after being raped and beaten in an apartment building yesterday afternoon, officials said.

• Robbed, threatened by 2 near Square
A robber punched a Jersey City man in the head, saying "Give me everything you got or you're going to die" before taking his iPod and $4 in cash early yesterday, officials said.

• Ruane returns $1G local organized Dems gave to his campaign
Bayonne Postmaster and new Councilman Terry Ruane has returned a $1,000 campaign donation he received from the Bayonne Democratic Organization to avoid possibly violating a federal law that prohibits federal employees from taking part in partisan elections.

• Union City creates panel to develop arts
UNION CITY - Art is alive and well in Union City.

• Woman's body is pulled from Newark Bay
Authorities are seeking the public's help to determine the identity of a woman found floating in Newark Bay off Bayonne yesterday morning.

• ANOTHER 2 INDICTMENTS
Former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and political associate Ronald Manzo were indicted yesterday on corruption charges as part of the massive federal probe that resulted in the arrest of 44 people in July.

• Bayonne cops make 2 narcotics arrests
Bayonne police busted two men on drug-related charges on Monday, and one was allegedly carrying seven bags of heroin, reports said.

• Bayonne shops for break on insurance
Facing a double-digit hike in health insurance premiums next year, the City of Bayonne is seeking alternatives and encouraging its 600 employees to sign up for the least expensive plan offered by the state.

• Cops: Held as thief after he takes heap from car pound
A Bayonne man stole a car with a smashed windshield, deployed airbags and a missing radio from the Jersey City car pound yesterday morning, but he was quickly captured by police and the vehicle was back a short time later, officials said.

• Cops: Snoozing at wheel, and not his car
NORTH BERGEN - A Jersey City man who fell asleep at the wheel with the engine running was arrested early Monday morning.

• Dwyer to speak on saving energy
The Gary La Pelusa Association meets tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Catholic War Veterans Post 1612, at 18 W. 23rd St.

• Housing experts at library today
HOBOKEN - More than a dozen experts on housing, mortgages, tenant rights, foreclosures and other topics will be at the Hoboken Public Library today for a housing fair.

• Immigration reform is topic tonight
Residents of West New York and Union City will have an opportunity to take part in a national conversation about immigration reform tonight.

• King of Pop's accuser found on bed in his waterfront apt.
DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

• Lie detectors help sex offenders avoid temptation: study
THE STAR-LEDGER

• Nab 'friends' in home theft in Union City
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

• Pinning his heart hopes on stem cells trip
Every day is a struggle for Jersey City resident Jonathan Fields.

• SPENT DAYS TIED UP IN LEMBECK AVE. HOME
A Jersey City man tied up in his Lembeck Avenue house - possibly for as long as three days - gained his freedom last night after a neighbor found him bound, police said.

• Stabbed in face during fight over radio
UNION CITY - A bloody dispute between two men ended with an arrest Sunday night.

• Steals car, crashes it, fall off roof ends chase
A Newark man fleeing Jersey City police in a stolen BMW climbed onto a Downtown roof after crashing the car and was injured when he fell to the ground between two buildings, officials said.

• Still smoking? Tomorrow might be just the day to stop
Think twice before you light one up tomorrow. Hudson County is participating in the Great American Smokeout Challenge, a national initiative to persuade smokers to quit the unhealthy habit.

• Union City woman is charged with DUI after Tonnelle collision
NORTH BERGEN - An 18-year-old Union City woman was charged with driving under the influence after leaving an accident Saturday morning, police reports said.

• Smith cancels
Bayonne Mayor Mark A. Smith's evening office hours have been canceled tonight. The next Tuesday office hours be at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 24.

• Correction
An item in Saturday's Political Insider column should have said Union City Mayor and state Sen. Brian Stack is the only Hudson County lawmaker on the state Senate Judiciary Committee and that state Sen. Sandra Cunningham of Jersey City has a good shot at being assigned to the panel after Gov.-elect Chris Christie takes office.

• Altitude rules
aiming to keep

• DUI charge for woman after Tonnelle collision
NORTH BERGEN - An 18-year-old Union City woman was charged with driving under the influence after leaving an accident Saturday morning, police reports said.

• Entrepreneurs gather for week of learning
Thousands of entrepreneurs will visit Jersey City this week to network and learn.

• Flu shots for some Hudson kids
Several cities in Hudson County have begun to distribute free H1N1 flu vaccinations to local schools, officials said yesterday. But that's not the case in Jersey City, the county's biggest municipality with over 30,000 school children.

• Hoboken council works
on filling 4th Ward seat

• Marist High School Hall of Fame will induct new alumni on Saturday
A judge, a dentist and an all-star athlete are among the all-star alumni to be inducted in Bayonne's Marist High School's Hall of Fame this Saturday at 6 p.m. at the school gymnasium.

• 'Not guilty' in slash murder
- Bayonne man will go free

• No use chasing that wild turkey at 14B toll booth
TRENTON - Authorities have stopped trying to capture a wild turkey that calls Interchange 14B, the Jersey City Liberty State Park exit, on the New Jersey Turnpike home.

• 'ONLY ACTING,' BUT PERV STILL GETS 20 YEARS
NEWARK - A small-time actor from Union City gave his last performance yesterday in a bid for mercy before being sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing child porn and having sex with young boys in Thailand.

• Scouts to collect food for pantries
The Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of Bayonne will be collecting nonperishable foods this Saturday morning to help stock local food pantries for the holiday season.

• Swine flu epidemic hits - 1 case confirmed at Prep just as absences zoom
Saint Peter's Preparatory High School in Jersey City has a bad case of the sniffles - and one confirmed case of swine flu.

• WHAT'S THE PLAN?
UNION CITY - Details regarding the future of the historic Blue Chapel and monastery will be revealed at a meeting tomorrow night.

• WNY mayor donates
for Women's Club

• Woman, 77, hit crossing Ave. C
A 77-year-old Bayonne woman struck by an SUV as she crossed Avenue C Saturday evening is in critical but stable condition, officials said.

• 1,280 buy Bayonne 9/11 memorial pavers
Hundreds of engraved pavers have been placed at Bayonne's Sept. 11 Harbor Memorial in Harbor View Park to honor victims of terrorist attacks, veterans and other loved ones, officials said.

• 2-alarm fire damages repair garage
An auto repair garage was heavily damaged by a two-alarm fire in Jersey City early Saturday evening, fire officials said.

• 8 apts. planned for homeless
UNION CITY- For years the Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation has operated a 40-bed shelter for the homeless on 36th Street, off Park Avenue.

• BUSY FIREFIGHTERS
Hudson County's firefighters were the busiest in the state in 2008. It also has the fewest female firefighters.

• Ellis Isle museum evacuated after powder found
NEW YORK - A white powder that was found at Ellis Island and caused a brief evacuation at the immigration landmark in New York Harbor Saturday afternoon has been deemed harmless.

• Firefighter victim of 'bias crime'
Seeking quiet, safety and good schools, Jersey City firefighter Michael Harris moved his wife and their five children into a newly-built home in Manchester Township two years ago.

• Gunmen rob man in driveway
A 25-year-old Jersey City man was held up at gunpoint in his driveway early Saturday morning, police reports said.

• LINCOLN PARK TO GET WI-FI AND CAMERAS
Lincoln Park is going hi-tech.

• New $2M park to go up at Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor
With a commitment from the state to put up half the money, Bayonne officials plan to open a $2 million park at the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor next October.

• Union City pedophile to be sentenced
UNION CITY - Child porn maker and pedophile Wayne Nelson Corliss, 60, faces from 10 to 27 years in prison when he's sentenced today in federal court in Newark, officials said.

• Zimmer plans a City Hall more up-to-date, online
HOBOKEN - One week after being elected permanently to the position she's held temporarily since August, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer seemed both more relaxed than she's been in months and rearing to charge ahead with modernizing City Hall.

• Defensive driving course at hospital
SECAUCUS - Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center is offering a defensive driving course to all New Jersey residents from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow and Wednesday sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons.

• ETHICS SLAP?
The state Office of Attorney Ethics has recommended that Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's law license be suspended or that he face other disciplinary action because of his disorderly persons convictions after a 2006 scuffle with Bradley Beach cops, officials confirmed last night.

• Air gun causes stir at Jersey City Catholic school
Jersey City police were called to Parish of the Resurrection School, the old Holy Rosary Elementary School, yesterday when it was discovered that a 12-year-old student had brought an air pistol into the building, officials said.

• Air pistol causes stir at Jersey City Catholic school
Jersey City police were called to Parish of the Resurrection School, the old Holy Rosary Elementary School, yesterday when it was discovered that a 12-year-old student had brought an air pistol into the building, officials said.

• 8 arrests
after shots

• Court upholds penalties for triple killer
THE STAR-LEDGER

• DWI charge, not hit-run, after driver hits woman
A drunken driver took off after hitting a woman with his van on Monday and was arrested after a witness followed him in his car and led police to his location, police said.

• Fled because he had heroin on him, sheriff's officers say
Hudson County sheriff's officers weren't looking for James Baisden when doing a warrant sweep in Jersey City on Thursday.

• Jersey City official charged in kiddie sex chat sting
A Jersey City employee was arrested yesterday and charged with engaging in sexually explicit Internet chat with what he believed were children, officials said.

• LOVES HIS TOFU CHICKEN NUGGETS
Getting Perry Martijena to eat his vegetables is not a problem.

• Mobile post office won't return
Despite residents' complaints, the mobile post office will not return to Jersey City's Lafayette section.

• Power line to N.Y. gets OK
The New York portion of a power line under the Hudson River for a planned power plant in Bayonne was approved by New York regulators on Thursday, according to a Reuters report.

• Quick action foils robbery at gas station in Bayonne
Two men fled empty-handed after trying to rob a 31-year-old man at gunpoint at a Bayonne gas station Tuesday night, police said.

• Reappraisal needed before city spends
The Jersey City Parking Authority will have to wait to purchase the Central Avenue building it occupies.

• Robbed in less than a minute
Three men in ski masks held up a delicatessen across the street from Marist High School at gunpoint Thursday evening in a robbery caught on surveillance tape.

• Rutgers honors for Jersey City native who's led in many fields
THE STAR-LEDGER

• Seize murder suspect and credit witnesses
A Jersey City felon has been charged with the murder of a city man who was gunned down last weekend outside a Communipaw Avenue bar, officials said.

• Three charged in string of Hoboken street heists
HOBOKEN - Two men and a 17-year-old boy were charged in a string of robberies this week, officials said.

• City's 'pay-to-play' law being properly enforced?
An allegation that an engineering firm may have violated Jersey City's pay-to-play law has raised a larger question about enforcement.

• Cops: Man stabbed after
giving pal a ride home

• Expired drugs disposal drive in Hudson Sunday
Residents in five Hudson County municipalities can dispose of their expired prescriptions drugs Saturday.

• Last day to sign up for city's Toy Drive
Parents or guardians who are experiencing economic difficulties this year are encouraged to register their child for Jersey City's 13th annual Toy Drive.

• Mom who took girl to Spain convicted, may face 10 years
HACKENSACK - A former West New York woman accused of hiding her Secaucus-born daughter in Spain to evade a custody judgment has been convicted by a jury here of custody interference and ignoring a court order to return the girl to the U.S.

• National recognition for Bayonne school
Washington Community School of Bayonne has achieved a national level of excellence.

• Nearly 1,000 flock to Union City job fair
Nearly 1,000 job-seekers patiently waited for their chance to meet with employment recruiters Tuesday night at the Union City job fair at Union City High School.

• North Bergen gets grant for housing
North Bergen was recently awarded a $738,535 Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to build more affordable housing.

• Power cut to thousands when truck breaks off pole
More than 2,000 PSE&G customers in Jersey City were without power for several hours yesterday after a tractor trailer collided with another truck at Route 1&9 and Duncan Avenue and plowed through a utility pole, officials said.

• Provocative photog appears at museum
Internationally acclaimed photographer Andres Serrano, best known for "Piss Christ," a photograph of a crucifix in a clear vessel of urine, and filmmaker Adam Kahan, who made a documentary about him, discussed their respective works yesterday at the Jersey City Museum for an audience of about 60 people.

• QUESTIONS VEGA REPORT
Jersey City Councilman Mariano Vega's campaign finance reports have come under fire.

• Shot in arm by muggers
A Jersey City man was shot in the arm while fighting off robbers who attacked him on Kennedy Boulevard early yesterday morning, officials said.

• Three car burglaries in Bayonne
Three vehicles were burglarized this week in Bayonne, police said.

• WILL DIE IN PRISON
FOR MURDER OVER KISS AND HUG

• Bayonne VFW post's museum fulfills its mission: Education
Joseph Kennedy has nothing against the textbooks and documentaries that detail the history of war.

• Bayside Park upgrades aim for June finish
The usual sporting events and children playing are missing from Jersey City's Bayside Park.

• Burke Hall renovation is first project at Prep
St. Peter's Prep is transforming Burke Hall into a state-of-the-art science education building.

• Cunningham one of 2 Dems named to team guiding Christie's transition
State Sen. Sandra Cunningham is joining Gov.-elect Chris Christie's transition team.

• CWV sets blood drive Nov. 21
Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic War Veterans Post 1612, the Bayonne chapter of UNICO and the American Red Cross will host a blood drive on Nov. 21.

• Duncan Ave. senior beaten by young thugs
A 71-year-old Jersey City man was hit over the head with a bicycle in a vicious attack Tuesday night by young thugs who then kicked and punched him as he lay on the ground, authorities said.

• Jail worker indicted in smuggling
A civilian employee of the Hudson County Corrections Department was indicted this week on charges she smuggled drugs into the Hudson County jail in Kearny, and she could face more than 10 years in prison if convicted, officials said yesterday.

• Man's body pulled from river off WNY
A body found floating in the Hudson River off West New York yesterday afternoon may be that of a New York man, and was in the water for some time, authorities said.

• Mass. detectives take 'killer' home to face rap in roommate's death
A man arrested in Harrison last month on charges he killed his roommate in Massachusetts during an alcohol-fueled argument over a televised soccer match was returned to New England Tuesday to face murder charges.

• Park with soccer fields for Peninsula
The Bayonne City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to accept a $1 million Green Acres grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection to develop a park with two soccer fields, restrooms and other facilities near the western end of the Peninsula on the Harbor.

• Power plant gets its abatement deal will bring Bayonne $100M
The Bayonne City Council unanimously approved a tax abatement Tuesday night for a power plant that is expected to generate $100 million in revenue over three decades for the city and its Municipal Utilities Authority.

• Proud to share memories and love of country
From North Bergen to Bayonne, and everywhere in between, Hudson County residents honored fallen heroes and veterans yesterday with the laying of wreaths, the recitation of prayers, and moments of silence.

• Vega updates finance report to add $10G feds tied to 'bribe'
Jersey City Councilman Mariano Vega Jr. has updated his campaign finance reports to include $10,000 of the $30,000 he is accused of receiving from a federal informant.

• Meeting tonight
The Concerned Citizens of Bayonne will hold its regular monthly meeting tonight at 8:15 at the Catholic War Victims Post 1612, 18 West 23rd St. For more information call (201) 858-1623 or (201) 823-4890.

• 7 year sentence for Jersey City swindler
A Jersey City man who stole nearly $1 million from people who invested in a shuttered garment and textile business was sentenced to seven years in prison yesterday, Attorney General Anne Milgram said.

• Add left-turn lanes on Boulevard at 70th and 76th in N. Bergen
North Bergen has added turning lanes in two places on Kennedy Boulevard in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion.

• Approves buying 34 acres of PJP land for new park
A former landfill is one step closer to becoming a public park.

• Bayonne rockers robbed in Nashville, still make audition
A Bayonne rock band's trip to Nashville to perform for record company executives got off to a horrible start when thousands of dollars worth of their equipment was stolen from their van.

• Cash 5 winners sold in Hudson, first in Hoboken, then Bayonne
Hudson County enjoyed a two-day Jersey Cash 5 win streak with nearly $340,000 in winnings Sunday and Monday.

• Cop shoots self in hand in Weehawken mishap
A Weehawken police officer accidentally shot himself in the hand yesterday morning at police headquarters and underwent surgery last night.

• Hoboken Boys & Girls Club annual dinner tomorrow at 5:30
Hoboken's Boys & Girls Club will be honoring its Youth of the Year at its annual Steak and Burger Dinner at the club tomorrow.

• Lopez uses campaign $$
to pay residency defense

• Rob shopper on
Hoboken street

• Unanimous for Bayonne shakeup
The Bayonne City Council last night unanimously approved Mayor Mark Smith's shakeup of municipal government that aims to make the city more efficient and accountable to the public.

• Veterans Day events in Hudson
BAYONNE

• WANTED TO BE WHERE ACTION WAS
Robert Button calls his military career a "hat trick."

• YOUNG VISITORS BARRED
In local hospitals' battle against the spread of swine flu, children and teens are being barred from the facilities unless they're hospitalized.

• Coaches' picks for Hudson County all-league soccer teams
TRI COUNTY HUDSON SMALL SCHOOL DIVISION BOYS SOCCER ALL LEAGUE TEAM

• 2nd time robber hears judge say: Do 18 years
A West New York man given a glimmer of hope for a reduced sentence by appellate court judges was again sentenced yesterday to 18 years in prison for a robbery in which he stabbed a woman who defended herself with a birthday cake.

• 3 artists' works will be shown in Union City
Union City will host its monthly art exhibit Thursday at the City Hall art gallery.

• Bail set in stolen car smashup
A Bergen County man who Jersey City police say slammed a stolen vehicle into two cars, fled on foot and assaulted a police officer on Sunday could not attend his hearing on the charges yesterday because he remained hospitalized.

• Council splits
on size for

• Fund-raiser slated for hospice vols
The nonprofit Hudson Hospice Volunteers, Inc. will hold its annual "Casino Night" fund-raiser at the Casino In The Park in Jersey City's Lincoln Park on Nov. 20. Tickets are $100.

• Hobokenites have first in New Jersey
Hoboken has become the first home in New Jersey of what may soon become a trend for apartment living: the Video Doorman.

• Hudson will mark Veterans Day
BAYONNE

• It was rock, not a gunshot
The windshield of a private bus was smashed yesterday morning in a freak accident in Lincoln Park in Jersey City, spurring a quick response from police and helicopters from media outlets in New York, a spokesman for the Hudson County Sheriff's Office said.

• PLEA DEAL NIXED
A reputed Latin Kings gang member charged with murdering a man in front of a barber shop in the Jersey City Heights in 2005 turned down the prosecution's current plea offer - up to 25 years in prison - at a hearing in Superior Court yesterday.

• Rabies shots for pets on Saturday
Bayonne will hold a free rabies vaccination clinic Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the firehouse at 16th Street and Avenue A.

• Reshaping government, power plant on agenda
The Bayonne City Council tonight is expected to approve Mayor Mark Smith's plan to reshape municipal government and slash the number of department heads by more than half.

• Ruane being sworn in
Having beaten five other candidates last week for the City Council seat he was appointed to in the spring, Terrence Ruane will be sworn in tonight as Bayonne's freshly elected councilman at large.

• TD BANK IN UPTOWN BAYONNE
The newest branch of TD Bank, in Bayonne, will hold its grand opening Saturday at 10 a.m.

• Autocalls to residents will be 911 in reverse
KEARNY - The town is poised to launch an automatic calling system to alert residents to emergencies in the area.

• 2 HIT DRIVER WITH GUN, STEAL CAR
Two men carjacked a new Nissan and pistol-whipped its 49-year-old driver yesterday afternoon in Jersey City, police reports said.

• 2 students win college scholarships
Sheyla Mejia of North Bergen and Crystal Ramirez of Jersey City have received $2,000 each toward their college education from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation.

• Bigger ShopRite slated for December opening
Bayonne's new 70,000 square-foot ShopRite on Avenue C is slated to open on schedule early next month - nine months after the old store closed.

• 'Cake Boss' to speak at HCCC
Buddy Valastro - known to the locals and fans of his television show as the "Cake Boss" - will be the first speaker in this season's free Lecture Series at Hudson County Community College, the school announced.

• Car crashes; driver charged in DUI
A Jersey City man was hospitalized and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after his car smashed into two utility poles Friday night, police reports said.

• Cops: Boyfriend stabbed and hit
A drinking binge ended with a Jersey City woman being arrested for stabbing her 63-year-old boyfriend and hitting him with a flower pot Saturday, according to police reports.

• Cops: Car thief led chase
Jersey City cops said they arrested a car thief after he tried to flee from an intersection where he crashed a stolen Volkswagen Jetta into two other cars yesterday morning, reports said.

• Ellis Island reopens after one-alarm fire
The Jersey City Fire Department responded to a one-alarm fire on Ellis Island in an elevator room at one of the buildings, Saturday afternoon fire officials said.

• Jersey City water and sewer bill will go up 24% in Jan.
Jersey City water and sewer bills are increasing 24 percent starting Jan. 1.

• Kitchen fire
incites jump

• Prosecutor: She took $100G from accounts
An employee of Provident Bank in Jersey City has been charged with using her bank access to steal more than $100,000 from the accounts of senior citizens and bank customers who had recently died, officials said.

• Reporter still optimistic despite horrors
Byron Pitts has witnessed crises first hand.

• Shot in the thigh fatal for man outside bar
A 29-year-old Jersey City man died in the hospital after being shot in the thigh outside a tavern early Saturday morning, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said today.

• Townhouse fire displaces five
HARRISON - A fire ripped through the rear of two townhouses in a group of four attached homes and displaced five people yesterday, Harrison Fire Department officials said.

• Fund-raiser to aid hospice
The nonprofit Hudson Hospice Volunteers, Inc. will hold its annual "Casino Night" fund-raiser at the Casino In The Park in Jersey City's Lincoln Park Nov. 20. Tickets are $100.