Columnist dismisses challenge to Tea Party puppet

Utility work on River Street in Hackensack, near the mothballed headquarters of North Jersey Media Group and The Record, made driving difficult last week.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORStaff Writer Herb Jackson of The Record is a veteran who is assigned to Washington, where he writes the NJ/DC column, which you'll find on Page 1 today.In recent years, Jackson has mastered the art of slipping a dagger into any Democrat who challenges one of Congress' most...

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Law may bar Hackensack foes from getting on ballot

At the Hackensack Street Festival on Saturday, two women turned the Main Street pavement into their own private dance floor, above and below.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORThe 1923 law under which Hackensack's government was formed bars initiative and referendum, such as the proposal to return to partisan elections put forward by administration critics.In what appears to be an attempt by Democrats to regain the power and patronage they lost in 2013, a...

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New Hackensack reporter isn't asking hard questions

At first blush, a proposal to change Hackensack's form of government, hold City Council elections every two years and allow residents to vote on repealing ordinances belongs in the toilet.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORBuried in the Local section of The Record today is a long story on changing Hackensack's form of government that raises a lot of unanswered questions.Staff Writer Todd South reports opponents of the mayor and other City Council members --...

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Christie's own panel says he's failed on pension reform

With many businesses closed and residents off from work, the Jewish New Year effect was evident on Cedar Lane in Teaneck on Thursday afternoon, above. But some employers, including The Record, refuse to give Jewish employees paid time off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORThe Record's editors couldn't bring themselves to put the story on Page 1 today, but a panel named by Governor Christie says the GOP bully has failed miserably...

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Leave it to Christie to slow mass transit, not expand it

QNJ Transit adds cars to its trains to handle increased ridership, but many platforms are too short to accommodate them, such as this one in New Brunswick.If police are going to search commuters' bags, that would worsen an already agonizingly slow commute on weekday afternoons for North Jersey residents who catch buses at the Port Authority's antiquated midtown Manhattan bus terminal, above.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORWhen it comes to the overburdened...

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Seniors see sunlight, crime as local news and more

Gen. Enoch Poor, a Revolutionary War hero, died in Hackensack on Sept. 8, 1780, and was buried two days later at the First Reformed Church on Court Street, above, with full military honors and with Gen. George Washington, Lafayette and other senior military leaders in attendance. Today, his spirit lives on a couple of blocks away in General Poor's Tavern on Main Street, below.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORThe Record today publishes a rare photo of Senior...

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After shooting, Paterson officials won't talk to Mike Kelly

Traffic was tied into knots today at Main Street and Center Avenue in Fort Lee, where noisy utility work is driving people who live and work in the neighborhood crazy. Police positioned a patrol car to funnel motorists into a single Center Avenue lane. The engine was running, but the only occupant was a large teddy bear in the back seat.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITOREven the great Mike Kelly couldn't get Paterson Mayor Joey Torres and Police Director...

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Read all about Paterson's deadly present, glorious past

The Bergen County Courthouse, the fifth such building in Hackensack since the city became the county seat in 1710, has a dome modeled on the U.S. Capitol. Unfortunately, this grand building, a new Justice Center going up nearby and all other county property is tax exempt, shifting a crushing burden onto residents and business owners.By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORWhere is Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale, who grabbed headlines as Passaic County...

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Editors in no hurry to know what causes voter apathy

The First Reformed Church in Hackensack also is referred to as Church on the Green. The plaque notes, "Early records of this pioneer Dutch church, dated 1686, mark it as the second oldest in New Jersey."By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORThe front page today marks a new low in The Record's we-don't-know-what-else-to-write-about coverage of New Jersey.Three years and a month before the next election for governor, Columnist Charles Stiles does his best to bore...

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