A West New York man was arrested prompting an investigation into child sex abuse material being shared through social media, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. On January 10, 2023, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information that child sex abuse material was being created and shared through the social media platform Discord. The investigation allegedly revealed Joseph Suarez, 31, was in direct contact with a 13-year-old boy out of state and allegedly instructed him to provide images and/or videos of himself ..read more

West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez is urging residents to apply for the NJ Division of Taxation’s Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) property tax relief program. Governor Phil Murphy and the State of NJ recently extended the application deadline to February 28. The town along with the township of North Bergen and Mayor and State Senator Nicholas Sacco, a proponent of the program when it worked its way through the state legislature, have been promoting the program to residents since its inception in 2022. “We want residents to know that the application dead ..read more

Craig Guy has announced he has hired Julietta Vogt to serve as his campaign manager in the race for Hudson County Executive. Guy is the chief of staff of outgoing County Executive Tom DeGise, who will retire when his term is up. Guy cites Vogt’s extensive experience working as executive director of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, and the crucial perspective that she will bring to the team as a young millennial woman dedicated to the future of Democratic politics. “I am thrilled to announce that Julietta Vogt will be leading our campaign team,” said Guy. “Julietta is a highly skilled ..read more

West New York Public Affairs Commissioner and Mayoral candidate Cosmo Cirillo has announced the third member of his council ticket ahead of the May municipal election. Incumbent Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez is not seeking re-election, rather he is running on a slate for the new 33rd Legislative District with State Senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack and North Bergen Revenue and Finance Commissioner Julio Marenco. The “Moving West New York Forward Team” has declared that Hiram Gonzalez is the fourth member of their team in addition to Cirillo, Revenue and Finance Commissioner Margarita Guzman ..read more

All nine Hudson County Commissioner seats are up for re-election in 2023. Primary Election Day for the Democrats is June 6, and the winners would usually go on to handily defeat Republican candidates in the “deep blue” Hudson County. But this year a handful of progressive candidates will try to challenge the usual primary cakewalk for Hudson County Democratic Organization office holders. Alex Valdez has announced his candidacy for Hudson County Commissioner for District 9, comprising the West Hudson towns of Kearny, Harrison, East Newark, and parts of Secaucus and Jersey City. The seat is curr ..read more

Assemblyman Pedro Mejia of the current 32nd Legislative District has officially announced that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming June Democratic Primary. Appointed to the seat in 2018 following the resignation of former Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, Assemblyman Mejia of Secaucus is currently serving his third full term. According to Mejia, he is the first Dominican-American to serve in the New Jersey State Legislature. “Serving the people of the 32nd District in the State Assembly has been a wonderful honor and I am so proud of the difference we have made in the lives of the peop ..read more

The Hudson County Board of Commissioners elected Commissioner Anthony Vainieri, who represents North Bergen and Secaucus, as chairman again at its re-organization meeting on January 5. He is also the Chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization. The day after the meeting, Vainieri took to social media to post a statement: “Yesterday, I was sworn is as the Chairperson of the Hudson County Board of Commissioners. This is the 7th year in a row and I’m proud and honored to serve the residents of Hudson County. I’d like to thank all my colleagues for their vote of confidence in me and spec ..read more

Food pantries new schedule 2023 With the start of the new year, HealthierJC announced the new schedule for available food pantries for Jersey City families who are facing food insecurity. Learn Chinese brush painting in North Bergen The North Bergen Free Public Library is offering class on Chinese brush painting with artist Jane Chang. Classes take place every Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 17, 2023 and continuing for four weeks at the main branch. The class is for teens and adults ages 15 and older. Space will be limited. Pre-registration is required and can be done in-per ..read more

Fact versus opinion, real versus fake news, misinformation online versus finding verified sources. This has always been the job of a journalist. But now media literacy will be taught in New Jersey in classes K-12. Gov. Phil Murphy has signed off on a bill which would require the Department of Education (DOE) to incorporate curricula on information literacy. The primary sponsors of the bill include Senators Michael Testa and Shirley Turner, and Assembly members Daniel Benson, Pamela Lampitt, and Mila Jasey. “Our democracy remains under sustained attack through the proliferation of disinformatio ..read more

A Memorial High School basketball coach has been arrested for allegedly entering a girls’ locker room and sending inappropriate messages to three minors on social media, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. Ariel Alava, 41-years-old, is charged with one count of Attempted Invasion of Privacy, a crime of the fourth degree, and three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. All crimes fall under third degree charges, which carry a sentence of three to five years’ imprisonment if convicted. He was arrested at his residence in West New York and transported to the Hudson C ..read more