From the desk of City Council President Ravi Bhalla:

As you may know, a historic opportunity is before us to address flooding in Hoboken. Through the advocacy efforts of Mayor Zimmer, last year Hoboken received $230 million in federal funding to implement a plan to keep our City safe from the massive flooding we have seen in the past, including the terrible damage stemming from Hurricane Sandy.  Read More...

 Turn out the lights, the party’s over. The obstruction, the grandstanding, the attempt to keep Hoboken government operating in the dark ages of its On the Waterfront past.

Tonight, mostly housekeeping on the agenda with a public portion should someone get up to offer thanks for political operative pay or a personal favor offsetting the wretched attempts in 2011 to undermine the finances of the City of Hoboken and shut down Hoboken University Medical Center.

Many people are already in holiday mode and will quietly await the changing of the Old Guard council as its time expires. Read More...

This video report comes courtesy of Jeannette Josue at the Hudson County View:

For the full report, please see the Hudson County View:

http://hudsoncountyview.com/5-latest-rebuild-by-design-concepts-put-display-weehawken/

Office of the Mayor announces:

I fought hard to win the Rebuild by Design competition in 2013 so that our City would never again face the devastation of Sandy that destroyed so many of our homes and businesses across 80 percent of the City. I truly appreciate how Hoboken came together after Sandy. As a community we made it through the storm because thousands of residents volunteered and opened up their homes and helped out neighbors in need. Read More...

The meeting on the five design concept plans for the Rebuild by Design on Hudson River project held last night at the Hoboken Historical Museum is off to a rough start.

According to one witness, over 100 people showed up with many sharing anxiety over aspects of the plan featuring walls in various guises.

Describing the tension as “palpable” the opinions and misinformation about the concept plans were reportedly as varied as the number of people in attendance.

Talking Ed Note: MSV was not in attendance last night due to a conflicting Christmas celebration. One could and should expect this reception being that perspectives on how to best protect Hoboken in a future Sandy type event will vary widely. Part of the factors driving those views will come from location. Two more meetings are set in Weehawken and the Hoboken Housing Authority. Read More...

Hoboken is seeking public input on five proposed concept plans as part of the major infrastructure effort for the Mile Square City, Jersey City and Weehawken in the Rebuild by Design’s Hudson River project.

The effort is of major importance and public feedback is sought. Here’s the meetings set for this week for a first hand look and discussion with your neighbors:

The summer breeze came and went across the sea and the Hudson last summer with the unofficial celebration of Frank Sinatra’s birthday.

Today is the real deal. 100 years to this day, Frank Sinatra was born.

For many, this is no whimsical celebration. In their hearts are memories, traditions and celebrations from many days and decades past. Today, there are new Sinatra fans born and converts who learn the mastery of phrasing Frank Sinatra is so well known.

Not gifted with the greatest range, Sinatra was a craftsman of the art of phrasing and viewed his voice the instrument. He learned his craft in the back rooms across Hudson County as a boy, eventually becoming one of the biggest American celebrities over the past century. Read More...