Weehawken's Formula One Grand Prix race delayed again

Weehawken's Formula One Grand Prix race delayed again
northjersey.com, 24-July-2014
By John Brennan

A Formula One Grand Prix race in North Jersey once scheduled to debut in 2013 now won’t start its engines before 2016 at the earliest.

Carl Goldberg, whose Roseland Property owns most of the land that would be used for the 3.2-mile race in Weehawken and West New York, said Thursday there was “no possibility” of a race taking place next year.

Goldberg’s comment confirmed a report by Forbes that quoted Bernie Ecclestone, the chief executive of the Formula One racing circuit, as saying that 2016 would be “the soonest” that New Jersey could be added to an F1 calendar that features about 20 races per year all over the world.

"Somebody said to me the other day that New Jersey seem to have got their act together now and that they have got the money and are all in good shape,” Ecclestone told Forbes. “Whether or not that is true, I don’t know.”

Ecclestone did not refer to Weehawken specifically nor to race promoter Leo Hindery, who in the past has been a target of criticism by Ecclestone for supposedly being unable to raise tens of millions of dollars needed to run a high-end race that could attract an audience of more than 100,000.

On Thursday, Hindery said he was still committed.

“Our team is dedicated to bringing the inaugural Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial to the New York-New Jersey region as soon as possible,” Hindery said in a statement. “We are currently balancing the sport’s own timing demands with other considerations, like building our road course without tapping any public funds.”

The revelation of yet another postponement in the plan to bring open-wheel racing to the Hudson River waterfront comes on the heels of the emergence of a local potential competitor.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop recently said that a F1 auto racing track was part of a $4.6 billion proposal by Boston-based Fireman Capital Partners to build a 95-story casino and hotel complex near Liberty State Park. Fulop expressed reservations about whether he would support the track segment of the development, however.

The initial announcement of plans for the Weehawken race came at a major press conference put on by Governor Christie in 2011 at the Port Imperial ferry terminal. The course would run in a circle along the waterfront as well as on the higher ground of well-traveled Boulevard East, which was to receive a pre-race resurfacing to “table-top smoothness.” At that point, the inaugural race was to take place in June 2013. But a year later, Ecclestone announced the race would be postponed for a year. Hindery blamed in part the environmental permitting requirements of holding an event so close to the Hudson River.

Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel took media members on a high-speed ride along the proposed race course in 2012, but once again the race was postponed.

A spokesperson for Weehawken mayor Richard Turner said he is on vacation and a message left with West New York Mayor Felix Roque was not returned.

In the years since the race was first announced, the Weehawken waterfront has seen a flurry of real-estate development. It is unknown what, if any, obstacles that new construction poses for race planners.

According to Forbes, the Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial, as the New Jersey race is known, is the only event in the 64-year history of Formula One to be dropped from the race calendar more than once. But Ecclestone has long made it known that he greatly desires the opportunity to bring one of the world’s most popular sports to the largest market in the U.S.

Weehawken teen who climbed One World Trade Center appears in Manhattan court

Weehawken teen who climbed One World Trade Center appears in Manhattan court
NJ.com, 2-April-2014
By Mike D'Onofrio/The Jersey Journal The Jersey Journal    

The Weehawken teenager who dodged security and managed to climb to the top of One World Trade Center appeared in court on Wednesday.

Justin Casquejo, 16, was in a Manhattan courtroom today to face charges after climbing to the top of the 1,776-foot tall building on March 16, reported ABC Eyewitness News.

Casquejo now faces possible jail time after prosecutors additionally charged him with BASE jumping, which is related to climbing a building or hanging from a building, according to the report. The new charge is punishable by up to one year in jail, Eyewitness News reported. 

According to the Associated Press, Judge Felicia Mennin said Casquejo will be assessed in a program for youthful offenders.

Casquejo was originally charged with a third-degree criminal trespass and one count of trespass. The criminal trespass charge is a misdemeanor punished by up to three months in jail, while simple trespass carries a sentence of up to 15 days in jail.

Casquejo was ordered to return to court on April 30, according to the article. 

Casquejo posted an apology on his Twitter feed, @JustinCasquejo, on March 21. 

"I seriously apologize to anyone who may have been insulted or felt disrespected by my actions. It was not my intention to do so," Casquejo tweeted. 

Around 4 a.m. on March 16, Casquejo slipped through an opening in the barbed-wire fence around the tallest building in New York City and then wasn't questioned by a union elevator operator as he took a ride up to the 88th floor. 

Casquejo next walked up a set of stairs to the 104th floor, where he encountered a sleeping security guard.

The Weehawken teenager then was able to gain access to the roof and climbed the building's antenna, where he spent two hours hanging out and taking pictures.

A construction worker caught Casquejo on his way out of the building.

Weehawken in CSB "60 Minutes" But Indirectly

Weehawken in CSB "60 Minutes" But Indirectly

Check out 7:54 minutes for reference to Weehawken

Weehawken Board of Education Budget Hearing on Wednesday (26-Mar-14) @7:00PM

Weehawken Board of Education Budget Hearing on Wednesday (26-Mar-14) @7:00PM

A special meeting of the Board of Education will take place this Wednesday, 2 April 2014, at 7:00PM in the board office at Weehawken High School, 53 Liberty Place, to discuss the 2014-15 school budget

The public is invited to attend.

Weehawken High School to perform ‘Anything Goes’ on April 4 and 5

Weehawken High School to perform ‘Anything Goes’ on April 4 and 5

Hudson Reporter, 30-Mar-13

One of the most exciting events of the year in Weehawken is the Annual School Musical Theater Production, which this year is “Anything Goes.”

The show is sponsored by Mayor Richard Turner and the Weehawken Township Council, Weehawken Board of Education, and the Weehawken Municipal Alliance Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Students from grades seven to 12 work together to put on this artistic activity, whether on stage or behind the scenes.

"Anything Goes" takes place on an ocean liner headed from New York to London, and covers all of the happenings that go on during the voyage. It’s a classic musical that boasts famous Cole Porter songs such as “Friendship,” “You’re the Top,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.”

The student produced theater production is a highly anticipated part of every school year for the students and for community as well. Aside from the high level of energy showcased on the stage with the singing, dancing, and acting, the production also has sets, lights, and direction with total student involvement.

Weehawken High School is partnered with Inside Broadway, Inc. of New York City and Moore Productions, Sound & Lighting of Franklin Lakes, who supply professional instruction to the students.

Director Braddon Mehrten, Sound Engineer Bo Moore, Woodshop Instructor Paul Simons, Art Instructor Elizabeth McParland, Music Instructor Michael Lichtenfeld and Music Accompanist Heather Edwards add their expertise to help the students through every aspect of the play process.

This year, the show is dance heavy with tap numbers involving the entire cast, and an impressive replica of an ocean liner, designed by the student stage crew.

“It’s a lot of work, but it will be spectacular,” said wood shop teacher Paul Simons.

“Anything Goes” will debut on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weehawken High School Auditorium.  

‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ and benefit evening coming to Weehawken

‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ and benefit evening coming to Weehawken
by Joanne Hoersch

Theater group emphasizes community involvement, low ticket prices

Hudson Theatre Works, a not-for-profit regional group based in Weehawken, will launch its second production at the theater at Weehawken High School in early May.

Karen Brady, co-founder of the group and president of its Board of Directors, said, “ ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ – That’s the play we’ve chosen to do. It’s the right play at the right time.”

She should know. Last spring, HTW premiered its first play, John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” at Park Performing Arts Center in Union City, and it was a huge success. Guided into production by Brady, artistic director Frank Licato, and Board of Trustees Vice President Greg Erbach, as well as an active board of directors with seemingly boundless energy, they were able to gather technical and artistic talent “as good, or better,” says Brady, “than anything you’d see in New York.”

The work adheres to what the group calls a “rugged aesthetic,” keeping the actors in close proximity to the audience, favoring actor and text-driven plays over high concept ones, with themes that relate to contemporary social issues.

“But also,” Brady smiles, “it’s a commitment to affordable ticket prices. Theatre is for everyone.”

That meant, however, when “Of Mice and Men” finished its run, even with full houses almost every night, the bank account was nearly empty. And they had reached the end of their rental agreement with Park Performing Arts.

Low on money, with no theatre to perform in, they needed a white knight.

Enter the mayor

When one of his Township Council members reported back to Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner that she’d seen a terrific theatrical production of a John Steinbeck classic right on his doorstep, Turner decided to take a look himself.

The result was a question from the mayor: “What does your company need right now to keep going?”

He not only offered them one performance space, he offered two.

“You see, we have a playwright development arm of HTW,” Brady says proudly, “It’s called PlayWorks. It’s a series of readings for three weeks every year, where three area playwrights each present a reading of his or her unfinished play. The admission price is low, but the feedback from the audience on their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses in each play is invaluable.”

Mayor Turner opened up the water tower on Park Avenue for the reading series. It was the first time the restored building had been used in over 100 years. It became an event and a celebration in itself.

And then he made the Theatre at Weehawken High School available to them for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” for a three-week run in May.

Community is the operative word

Their original vision, which is in the company’s mission statement, was not only to present plays, but to educate people about theatre. To that end they have decided to offer a limited amount of stage craft and administration internships to local kids to help put together “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

The interns will help to build the sets, create the lighting, work on costumes and props and participate in administering the day-to-day operations of putting up a show every night.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for them,” Brady says, “Plus it’s such a great play. Here’s this man, this unique, charismatic character, McMurphy, who can’t conform to the usual rules of society. He just has to do things his way. And of course, society doesn’t like that; it can’t allow his level of individualism. They see it as destructive. So we have conflict. We have drama. And we are back to the rugged aesthetic. I think a contemporary audience will find many connections with McMurphy’s struggle with conformity in their own lives.”

She emphasized that reaching out to include interns during the development of the production will make this experience even more enriching than the last. Plays tell the story of all of us, and everyone, no matter what their income level, should be given the opportunity to see good theatre.

Brady is a driven and energetic individual. Clearly she loves her job, even though at this point, everyone works for free. Landing at HTW seems like a natural progression for her from being a dancer, singer and actor – known as a “Triple Threat” in theatre parlance – to working in development for non-profit organizations. With Hudson Theatre Works, she dovetails both of those skills seamlessly.

And it’s all taking place in a town that’s very dear to her. Her father, Ben Wisniewski, was born in Weehawken, and later moved his family out to the suburbs. But Karen came back, got married, and has lived her for 33 years.

Asked if there’s anything else in the “works” at Hudson Theatre Works, she said there is: a benefit evening of art and music at Park Avenue Grill, 3417 Park Ave., on March 26 at 7 p.m.

They’ve announced fabulous food, drinks, and music.

“Join us,” she said. “It’s for a very, very good cause.”

Check out hudsontheaterworks.org or call 201-401-3337 for more information, prices, and musical performers.

The play

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is scheduled to run Thursdays through Sundays, May 10-24, at the Theatre at Weehawken High School, 53 Liberty Place, Weehawken, evenings at 8 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 each, with senior and student discounts available.

 

Weehawken’s Boys Enjoy Dramatic Turnaround, Thanks to Mysterious Newcomer

Weehawken’s boys enjoy dramatic turnaround, thanks to mysterious newcomer
NJ.com;  16-Feb-14
By Jim Hague Hudson Reporter          

Coach McNish earns his 300th victory with the Indians

        

The high school basketball season was slipping away from the Indians of Weehawken High School.

Veteran coach Jake McNish was stuck with a major dilemma, as his team faced the crossroads of the season with a 4-8 record.

“We just lost to McNair Academic, a team we beat by 30 earlier in the year,” said McNish, who is in his 20th year as the head boys’ basketball coach at Weehawken. “We were halfway through the season with a 4-8 record. At that time, I thought it was time to start looking at the younger kids. I was ready to go with the underclassmen to give them experience and look toward next year.”

McNish wasn’t disappointed with the team, just the results.

“The kids were playing hard, but they literally couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” McNish said. “We lost 40 points per game [from graduated players like last year’s Hudson Reporter Male Athlete of the Year Damian Corredor]. I knew it was going to be a struggle. The kids played hard and gave it everything they had. They just couldn’t make a shot.”

But in mid-January, a mysterious stranger walked into the Weehawken gym and turned the Indians’ collective fate all the way around.

The stranger is 6-foot-7 junior forward McKay LaDuke.

“It all happened so fast,” McNish said. “We got him sight unseen. His father called Zach [Naszimento, the program’s athletic director] and said that he just moved back to Weehawken and could the kid try out for the basketball team.”

Because they were struggling, McNish gave LeDuke a look. After all, what could McNish lose?

“He came to the first practice with his father and I saw he made a couple of shots,” McNish said. “He ran around a little and looked athletic.”

By the second practice, McNish knew he just secured a secret weapon. LeDuke had been a junior on the Marist junior varsity squad.

“The father said he wasn’t playing much there,” McNish said. “One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. By the second time he was in the gym with us, I could tell he was a player. He knew what he was doing.”

LeDuke had to sit out the mandatory six practices when a new transfer comes in during the season. Since he didn’t have any varsity experience at Marist, he was able to play right away once he had those six workouts under his belt.

In his first game, LeDuke was nothing more than sensational. He came off the bench and scored 27 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had six assists, as the Indians defeated Wood-Ridge.

It was just the start for LaDuke. He scored 25 and grabbed eight boards in a win over Saddle Brook, had 17 points in beating Wallington, had 11 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Ridgefield and had 17 points and 16 rebounds in a win over North Arlington.

Notice the trend. The Indians haven’t lost a game with LeDuke on the floor. He’s instantly become the Indians’ good luck charm, as the team has improved to 11-8 by winning seven straight.

Monday night, the Indians’ 58-54 win over Secaucus, gave McNish the 300th win of his coaching career at Weehawken. The Indians followed up that win with a 41-34 win over St. Mary’s, giving the Indians seven wins in a row since LeDuke arrived.

“They said I was coming up on a milestone,” McNish said. “I had no idea. I had some good years and bad ones. I’ve been able to weather the storm. It makes me think back to all the kids I’ve coached over the years. Those kids become part of your life. For me, it’s hard to comprehend I could reach 300 wins.”

Getting a kid like LeDuke is a blessing that never happens. A talented kid just doesn’t fall out of the sky and totally turn around a struggling program. But it sure looks as if LeDuke has.

“He’s such a terrific team player,” McNish said of LeDuke. “He draws two guys to him and then he makes the nice pass to his teammate for a score. He’s not a selfish player at all. It’s really the most amazing thing I’ve ever saw. He comes in and changes everything. He just fit in with everyone right away. I think he went out of his way to fit in. That’s the kind of kid he is. The kid has been a pleasure to be around. He makes everyone else so much better.”

Now junior Alain Ravelo can move into the role of a secondary scorer. Ravelo was the main guy when the Indians were struggling. Now, with LeDuke, he compliments LeDuke’s play well, averaging 14 points per game.

“Alain wasn’t struggling when we were struggling,” McNish said. “He was playing hard. He just had to work extremely hard to get his shots. Now, he would rather pass than shoot. I yelled at him recently to shoot.”

Junior Oliver Molano, the quarterback on the football team, is the instant energy off the bench. Freshman Bryan Pedron “is fitting in nicely, with his nice size near the basket,” McNish said.

Senior John Paul Restrepo is the point guard.

“He gives us everything he has,” McNish said. “He’s always flying around the floor.”

Seniors Alioune Diana, a 6-foot-6 forward, and senior Mike Abad, come off the bench.

“Abad has done a nice job rebounding,” McNish said.

So the Indians, courtesy of a talented newcomer and a new lease on their lives, are alive and well at 11-8.

“I love it,” McNish said. “I love being around the kids. They keep me young.”

So does the winning, and the talented newbie and the milestone. They all manage to keep McNish going and on his toes.