Countywide primary election results

It’s going to be Hoboken resident Jon Corzine vs. former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie in November for the governor’s race. Both got their parties’ nominations Tuesday in the primary election statewide.

Meanwhile, Hudson also turned out to re-elect (or elect) some of their Assembly representatives. Winners include Anthony Chiappone and Charles Mainor, Joan Quigley and Vincent Prieto, and Ruben Ramos Jr. and Caridad Rodriguez for the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd districts respectively.

Dennis Elwell has the Secaucus Democratic nomination to run for mayor in November, and Gerald Drasheff for Guttenberg mayor.

Budget-cut pool to open

City budget cuts have threatened to close the Boys and Girls Club swimming pool, the only outdoor swimming pool in the city.

But after the public raised concern at the City Council meeting this week Mayor David Roberts “guaranteed” that the city would open the pool this summer.

The pool costs the city $20,000 per year, and the city may be able to find a match of $10,000 from local charities and personal donations.

Another city official said a guarantee might have been premature and said the city “will work to the best of their capacity to fund it.”

Mayoral candidate Peter Cammarano donated $1,000 this week and fellow candidate Dawn Zimmer followed suit with a pledge to donate.

65 students with swine flu symptoms in Union City

Two more Hudson County schools were closed this week due to the H1N1 influenza (swine flu) outbreak, announced Union City officials.

Veterans’ Memorial School, at 1401 Central Ave. in Union City, and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, at 80 Hauxhurst Ave. in Weehawken (but part of the Union City school system), were not open from Tuesday, June 2 through Monday, June 8. Class will resume on Tuesday, June 9.

Two cases are suspected but not yet confirmed at the Union City school, where officials said 65 students have symptoms such as high fever, headache, and cough.

Health professionals will be available at Veterans’ Memorial School starting tomorrow until Friday to answer any residents’ questions about the virus.

Hudson Reporter wins awards in statewide contest

The writers (and a writer/photographer) at the Hudson Reporter newspaper group won several prestigious awards in the annual New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists contest whose results were announced on the SPJ website over the weekend.

For what amounts to the second time in three years, one of our reporters claimed first place in the Wilson Barto Awards for First-Year Reporters, beating out many other newbies at weekly newspapers. And for the first time ever, the second place winner was also one of our reporters.

Hoboken beat reporter Timothy J. Carroll won first place as first-year reporter of the year for his investigative story, “Whatever happened to those election investigations.” In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of previous Hoboken beat reporters Michael J. Mullins and Tom Jennemann, who also won first in that category during their rookie years as journalists.

Second place in the category went to up-and-comer Tricia Tirella, whose reporting on North Bergen and Guttenberg has produced several scoops this year, including two that were later reported by the Associated Press. Both Tirella and Carroll beat out the third-place winner, a writer from the Leader Newspaper group in Bergen County.

Meanwhile, the Reporter’s special publications and magazines nearly swept the feature category, one of the most competitive categories. Kate Rounds, the editor of Palisade Magazine, won first place in feature writing for “Terry & the Pirates: The saga of the Golden Cicada.”

Third place was awarded to Rounds’ predecessor at Palisade, Theta Pavis, for “The Portal of the Future.”

It doesn’t stop there. Prolific political columnist and Bayonne beat reporter Al Sullivan, who published a book of his Reporter feature stories through Rutgers University press some years ago, proved that he has photographic chops to match his writing chops. He took two first-place photography awards: One in feature photos for “Rose for a Memory,” and also the best spot news photo for “A Real Nightmare.” His spot news photo ironically beat out a second-place finisher from The Leader regarding a fire in the Meadowlands, which used to be Sullivan’s own reporting turf.

Sullivan had also won several first-place photographic honors in a statewide contest announced last month, the Garden State Journalists.

There was another repeat winner besides Sullivan. The aforementioned Tim Carroll also won yet another investigative reporting award – this time, third place in that category – for the investigative story “Whatever happened to those election investigations,” which had also won a similar honor from the Garden State Journalists earlier this year.

The story followed the aftermath of several heated council elections in Hoboken two years ago, elections whose charges of fraud were never completely investigated.

The winners in the SPJ contest will be honored at a luncheon at Rutgers University on Sunday, June 28.

Bicycle registration program

The Hoboken Community Policing Bureau will host a bicycle registration program for residents starting Saturday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Maxwell Park, 11th Street and Sinatra Drive North.

The registration program will assist police with bicycle theft prevention and identification of stolen bicycles.

Police will also conduct a Helmet Safety Program on the same day, including a reward program where police will issue “tickets” to kids properly using helmets throughout the city. The “tickets” will entitle the child to a free water ice at Rita’s or an ice cream sundae at Johnny Rockets. The program will run until October.

Movies under stars

Mayor David Roberts, the city of Hoboken, Projected Images of Hudson County, and the Hudson County Division of Cultural Affairs present “Movies Under the Stars” at Pier A Park. The films are shown for free every Wednesday night and begin at sunset. In June and July, sunset is approximately 9 p.m.; in August, approximately 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bring a blanket or low chair, but snacks can be purchased at the new concession booth.

Schedule: June 10, “Frost/Nixon”; June 17, “Doubt”; June 24, “Man On a Wire”; July 8, “Get Smart”; July 15, “Mamma Mia” (sing-a-long version); July 22, “The Dark Knight”; July 29, “Ironman”; August 5, “Kung Fu Panda”; August 12, “Horton Hears a Who”; August 19, “Madagascar 2”; and August 26, “Coraline in 3D.”

Cabaret Sundays in Shipyard Park

On Sunday, June 7 and Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m., the Theater Company, in association with the city of Hoboken and Geraldine Fallo, director of cultural affairs, will present Caberet Sundays in Shipyard Park, Sinatra Drive North between 13th and 14th streets. Margaret Leone and Judy Moss, accompanied by Fallo on keyboard and Jerry Ficeto on percussion, present an afternoon of cabaret music, featuring standards, jazz, Broadway, and pop. Bring your blanket, lawn chair, friends and family.

The performance is free for all. For more information, visit www.thetheatercompany.org. For more summer events, visit www.hobokennj.org or call Fallo at (201) 420-2207.