Lawmakers: NFL Has Completely Ignored N.J. During Super Bowl Ramp-Up
Say East Rutherford, Towns Near MetLife Not Allowed To Use Words ‘Super Bowl’ In Ads January 27, 2014 6:05 PM
Lawmakers: NFL Has Completely Ignored N.J. During Super Bowl Ramp-Up
Say East Rutherford, Towns Near MetLife Not Allowed To Use Words ‘Super Bowl’ In Ads January 27, 2014 6:05 PM
New Jersey officials feel snubbed by a lack of official Super Bowl events being held in the towns surrounding Metlife Stadium. (Credit CBS 2)
SECAUCUS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — With the Super Bowl XLVIII just days away, you’d never know it from the New Jersey side of this two-part equation.
Some lawmakers say the NFL hasn’t endorsed any of its events, leaving New Jersey out of the spotlight and in the cold, CBS 2’s Emily Smith reported Monday.
While the big game is being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., some Jersey leaders said they are worried that the league hasn’t gotten the memo that this is not New York City’s Super Bowl.
“It’s just not a feeling of … it’s almost like not wanting to be here,” Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli said of the NFL.
With the Super Bowl just days away, New York City is clearly ready, turning Times Square into an official NFL-sanctioned Super Bowl zone.
Meanwhile in New Jersey you can’t find a banner or sign with the words “Super Bowl” on it. New Jersey lawmakers say it’s because the NFL hasn’t recognized their events, and therefore they can’t use the official name “Super Bowl.”
Plan for Super Bowl safety covers stadium, entire region
Sunday January 26, 2014, 12:08 AM
BY KAREN SUDOL
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Behind the glamour, fanfare and excitement of the first Super Bowl to be played in New Jersey stands one of the largest coordinated law enforcement efforts ever assembled in the region to ensure that nothing — not a terrorist, a shooter or a bomber — disrupts the fans’ experience.
Some 100 law enforcement agencies have been working for two years to develop a comprehensive security plan for the game, which will draw an estimated 80,000 fans to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford next Sunday.
Ridgewood offering a run-up to Super Bowl
MONDAY JANUARY 20, 2014, 3:02 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Ridgewood will celebrate the arrival of the Super Bowl with waterside bonfires, chili cook-offs, live music and discounts galore — family-fun events designed to attract out-of-town visitors.
Ridgewood’s Pre-Game Celebration will run for a week before the big game and was organized by the Chamber of Commerce with involvement from various other village organizations.
The village had initially been singled out as a destination for Super Bowl attendees by the game’s local host committee, but “frankly, things didn’t work out,” according to Mayor Paul Aronsohn.
Ridgewood remained determined to do something to commemorate the Feb. 2 game in East Rutherford.
Security for Super Bowl in place
Updated: January 15, 2014, 7:52 PM ET
By Jane McManus | ESPNNewYork.com
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Law enforcement officials will use radiological detection devices, metal detectors and police dogs for a full-fledged anti-terrorism effort at Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2.
“Nobody at this table needs to be reminded, in the shadow of the World Trade Center, how important this event is to make people safe in our region,” New Jersey Transit police chief Christopher Trucillo said.
Eight officials from various New York, New Jersey and national agencies were part of a news conference on security issues on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium. Their comments are the culmination of two years of planning for the first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather climate.
The Super Bowl has been a Level 1 national security event since 2002, after the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. This is the first year the Super Bowl has been held in the New York and New Jersey region. The FBI agent in charge of Super Bowl security, Aaron Ford, detailed the kinds of threats the group was preparing to address.
“We are fully integrated and unified with the New Jersey State Police and our law enforcement partners,” Ford said. “Our tactical teams have been training throughout the year for different scenarios to include active shooter, bomb threats and casualties related to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats. We have a number of agents and professional staff prepared to respond.”
Although these efforts have been part of the planning and will continue on game day, NFL chief security officer Jeffrey Miller said it was being done so the fans could worry about the game, not safety.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Law enforcement officials will use radiological detection devices, metal detectors and police dogs for a full-fledged anti-terrorism effort at Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2.
“Nobody at this table needs to be reminded, in the shadow of the World Trade Center, how important this event is to make people safe in our region,” New Jersey Transit police chief Christopher Trucillo said.
CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION SET TO WELCOME FANS TO THE FIRST ‘MASS TRANSIT SUPER BOWL’
Extra NJ TRANSIT trains, buses and light rail service planned for Super Bowl events during the week, including Game Day
January 6, 2014
NEWARK, NJ — With just 27 days to go until Super Bowl XLVIII kicks off in East Rutherford, the Christie Administration today outlined NJ TRANSIT’s service plans for transporting hundreds of thousands of fans and spectators to major events throughout Super Bowl week, including the first ever “Mass Transit Super Bowl” on February 2, 2014.
“Our goal at NJ TRANSIT for Super Bowl week is to ensure a world-class, seamless travel experience for visitors to the region who will be riding public transportation to the big game and other Super Bowl events,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein. “We have put together a plan that offers expanded service and additional capacity to ensure that both Super Bowl guests and regular NJ TRANSIT customers can travel with ease during the entire week.”
NJ TRANSIT will add service to train, bus and light rail lines to accommodate customers traveling to events such as Media Day in downtown Newark and Super Bowl Boulevard in New York City. On Super Bowl Sunday, NJ TRANSIT will operate full service on the Meadowlands Rail Line, which brings customers within steps of MetLife Stadium.
Service during Super Bowl week will operate as follows:
Rail Service During Super Bowl Week
From Wednesday, January 29 through Friday, January 31, to accommodate visitors traveling to Super Bowl Boulevard in New York City, NJ TRANSIT will operate additional late morning service on the Northeast Corridor and Morris & Essex Lines inbound to New York, as well as additional late evening service outbound from New York.
On Saturday, February 1, NJ TRANSIT will add trains throughout the day between Summit and New York on the Morris & Essex Lines, between New Brunswick and New York on the Northeast Corridor, and between South Amboy and New York on the North Jersey Coast Line.
Throughout Super Bowl week, NJ TRANSIT trains will operate with extra cars as needed to accommodate increased ridership demand.
Rail Service on Super Bowl Sunday
On Super Bowl Sunday, February 2, NJ TRANSIT will operate Meadowlands Rail Line service from Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station at Secaucus Junction to MetLife Stadium starting at 1:40 p.m. and continuing up to game time, using 10-car multilevel trains to provide additional capacity. NJ TRANSIT will also operate special shuttle trains between New York Penn Station, Newark Penn Station and Newark Liberty International Airport to Secaucus Junction.
Following the game, NJ TRANSIT will offer frequent service from MetLife Stadium to Secaucus Junction as well as extra rail service between New York Penn Station and Secaucus Junction.
Direct Meadowlands Rail Line service between Hoboken Terminal and MetLife Stadium will not operate on Super Bowl Sunday. Hoboken customers traveling to and from MetLife Stadium must transfer at Secaucus Junction.
Customers seeking to board trains to MetLife Stadium from Secaucus Junction are subject to enhanced security screening. In addition to purchase of round-trip rail fare to the Meadowlands, customers must present their game ticket in order to travel between Secaucus and MetLife Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday. Customers boarding trains will also be required to adhere to the NFL’s Stadium Bag Policy. For further details on the NFL’s policy, visit www.nfl.com/allclear.
Bus Service
From Wednesday, January 29 through Saturday, February 1, NJ TRANSIT bus routes will offer expanded service options at various hotels throughout northern New Jersey—guests should check at their hotel desks or visit njtransit.com for more detailed service information during that time.
From Wednesday, January 29 through Saturday, February 1, NJ TRANSIT buses will offer expanded service at North Bergen Park & Ride in North Bergen, Vince Lombardi Park & Ride in Ridgefield, and Mother’s Park & Ride in Wayne.
From Wednesday, January 29 through Saturday, February 1, NJ TRANSIT will offer expanded midday, afternoon peak and evening service on selected bus routes to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York. Some bus routes will have their PABT departure gates changed from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. Visit njtransit.com for more detailed service information during that time.
From Wednesday, January 29 through Saturday, February 1, NJ TRANSIT will offer expanded midday, afternoon peak and evening service on selected bus routes to and from the Newark Liberty International Airport and downtown Newark/Newark Penn Station.
Some bus routes will be subject to service adjustments and detours during Super Bowl week, including on game day. Details will be posted on njtransit.com during that time.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Service
From Monday, January 27 through Friday, January 31, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service will operate double-car trains until midnight, as well as two extra trips per hour between 2 p.m. and midnight.
On Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service will operate on all three branches (West Side Avenue-Tonnelle Avenue, 8th Street-Hoboken Terminal, and Hoboken Terminal-Tonnelle Avenue), with double-car trains operating until midnight. Additional trains will operate between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m. on these days.
Additional service may be operated to serve major events that are scheduled along the system.
Newark Light Rail Service
On Media Day, which will take place on Tuesday, January 28, at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark, Newark Light Rail will operate additional trains between Newark Penn Station and Newark Broad Street Station to provide service every 15 minutes in each direction through most of the day.
Access Link Paratransit Service
Access Link paratransit service will be accessible on Super Bowl Sunday, as well as throughout Super Bowl week. Advance reservation of one to seven days in advance are required for certified Access Link customers or certified, out-of-state ADA paratransit service customers.
Super Savings
SUPER PASS: NJ TRANSIT is offering a commemorative, unlimited ride SUPER PASS to speed travel for customers and offer the flexibility to utilize the entire NJ TRANSIT system throughout Super Bowl Week. SUPER PASS is now available to the general public via online orders only at njtransit.com/superbowl through January 20.
Family Super Saver Fare: NJ TRANSIT is offering a special extension of the Family Super Saver Fare, which allows up to two children 11 and younger to travel free with each fare-paying adult. The Family Super Saver Fare will be in effect all through Super Bowl week.
Championship Dining
From now through February 9, NJ TRANSIT’s Championship Dining program will offer exclusive, discounted dining and shopping experiences at more than 50 locations across the state. For a complete list of participating restaurants and their exclusive offers to NJ TRANSIT customers, please visit: www.njtransit.com/superbowl.
NJ TRANSIT customers are advised to check njtransit.com/superbowl for complete Super Bowl-related service information, updates and travel tips
The Valley Hospital Named Major Sponsor of Big Game 5K
November 25, 2013 — The Big Game 5K Committee today announced that The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood (N.J.) was named the first Platinum sponsor of the inaugural Big Game 5K race, a lead in to the Big Game at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The event will take place on Sunday, January 26, 2014 at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus. Proceeds from the Big Game 5K will benefit several area non-profit organizations throughout the N.Y./N.J. metropolitan area.
”We are thrilled to be partnering with so many area non-profits for the inaugural Big Game 5K,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System. “When area businesses and charities pool their efforts, that impact is amplified and it makes us all better community partners. As one of the event’s primary sponsors, Valley Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of services in our community. We recognize and applaud the critical work of the other non-profits involved in this great event.”
Sponsorships for the Big Game5K are available by contacting Bruce Silberman at 973-202-0400.
Interested participants in the Big Game 5K can register at (www.raceforum.com/biggame5k) and get more information about the Big Game 5K on the event web site (www.thebiggame5k.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/biggame5k) and on Twitter (@biggame5k).
Expected to draw more than a thousand participants, The Big Game 5K is open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. For the $25 entry fee, each participant will receive a t-shirt, a medal and a swag bag. The Big Game 5K is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on a timed course in the mall parking lot. In addition, starting at 9:30 a.m., a one-mile leisure walk will get underway inside the mall. Immediately following the 5K run there will be an award ceremony, followed by live music and a tailgate party.
Organized by The Big Game 5K Committee, the event was developed as a fun event to raise funds for local charities and non-profit organizations. Among the organizations on the committee are the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Children’s Aid and Family Services, Adler Aphasia Center, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bergen County, Hawthorne and Northwest, N.J., and Heroes and Cool Kids.
Ridgewood falls to Montclair in North 1, Group 5 final
Sunday, December 8, 2013
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
The Record
EAST RUTHERFORD – For a full year Ridgewood has been waiting and anticipating a rematch with Montclair. After a 24-0 playoff semifinal loss in 2012, the Maroons and their 31 seniors wanted another crack. Be careful what you wish for.
The Mounties won last year by being more physical than Ridgewood. They won the North 1, Group 5 final again this year using the same formula. The most surprising aspect of the 33-0 Montclair win Saturday was the zero on the Maroon side of the scoreboard.
Two early turnovers didn’t help the Ridgewood cause, but this was a game that saw Montclair dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On a handful of occasions, Montclair running back Shaquan Oliver and quarterback Elijah Robinson could be seen moving a pile four and five yards after contact.
“We didn’t play our game,” Maroon quarterback Jamal Locke said. “There’s not much we can do about it now. They took it to us.”
‘Modified’ tailgating at MetLife for Super Bowl
Monday, November 25, 2013 Last updated: Monday November 25, 2013, 6:24 PM
Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD — Tailgating will be allowed in the parking lot at MetLife Stadium for February’s Super Bowl, in a modified capacity.
In other words, don’t expect to bring your deluxe grill to the festivities. In fact, don’t bring any kind of grill unless you want to be turned away at the entrance.
The National Football League won’t allow grills in the parking areas at the Meadowlands sports complex on game day. League spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday that’s a standard rule that’s been employed at previous Super Bowls.
Published reports last week suggested tailgating might not be allowed. But McCarthy said fans can bring their own food and beverages as long as they don’t bring a grill or spread out taking up empty parking spots as many fans do at New York Giants and New York Jets games.
The complex has more than 25,000 parking spots available for a typical Giants or Jets game, but more than half of those will be taken up by security and television equipment, organizers have said.
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For North Jersey homeowners, rentals may be ticket to Super Bowl windfall
Saturday November 16, 2013, 11:54 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
With the Super Bowl less than three months away, more North Jersey homeowners are trying to rent out their homes to out-of-town football fans — asking as much as $10,000 a night.
“Not many people have this opportunity, so I’m jumping on it,” said Bobby Adamo, 31, of North Arlington, who is asking $30,000 rent for a week for his home 5½ miles from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where the game will be played on Feb. 2. “It’s kind of an honor to have the Super Bowl around the corner from your house. When I heard the Super Bowl was coming, I thought, ‘I am SO doing this.’ ”
Adamo and other homeowners are hoping that fans who can’t find a hotel room — or want more space — will choose to rent homes in North Jersey. The number of short-term Super Bowl rentals listed on Internet sites has been on the rise as the game draws closer.
Former Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy fatally shoots himself along Route 17 in East Rutherford, authorities say
Former Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy, a prominent attorney who has made frequent television appearances as a legal analyst, apparently shot himself to death with a handgun Wednesday on a sidewalk along Route 17 south in East Rutherford after walking there from his Rutherford home, authorities said.
His body was found under an NJ Transit railroad trestle around 5 p.m. by two boys who were walking in the area, said Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli. The death of Fahy, 58, who also served as an assistant U.S. attorney, shocked politicians and law enforcement officials who knew him. (Koloff, Maag & Norman/The Record)
Tri-state area coaches gather for football safety conference
Saturday June 1, 2013, 7:49 PM
BY JEFF ROBERTS
STAFF WRITER
Neighbor News (Montville Edition)
EAST RUTHERFORD — There were no helmets. No shoulder pads. No cleats.
The grown men instead wore shorts, T-shirts and sneakers.
But they still lined up inside the Giants’ Timex Performance Center on Saturday to perform fundamental tackle drills, not as the middle-age youth football coaches they are but as the players they once were.
And they did it to improve the safety of their young players — and the future of their game.
About 50 tri-state area coaches attended USA Football’s Heads Up safety clinic, which covered concussion protocols and proper tackling instruction amid heightened concerns about head injuries that are sweeping the sport from the NFL to Pop Warner.
“The first action towards dealing with an epidemic is educating people,” said Heads Up instructor Gabe Infante, a former Paramus Catholic head coach who also served at Bergen Catholic and Queen of Peace. The West New York native is now the head coach at a Philadelphia high school-power, St. Joseph’s Prep.
USA Football, a non-profit organization endowed in 2002 by the NFL and NFLPA, nationally rolled out the Heads Up program last month in part to counter the health and PR crisis vexing the sport.
North Jersey school districts overwhelmingly approve budgets
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 Last updated: Tuesday April 16, 2013, 11:15 PM
BY JIM NORMAN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Voters went to the polls in 23 North Jersey school districts Tuesday, and, in large part, gave approval to proposed tax levies and spending ranging from spending on security to expansion of a gymnasium.
Unofficial results from Englewood, Hackensack, East Rutherford, Emerson, Norwood, Midland Park, Ridgewood, Oakland, Garfield, Fairview, Wood-Ridge, Ramsey and Harrington Park – all in Bergen County — showed voters approving the tax levies.
Mayor Aronsohn’s 3.1% Tax Increase last year ranked among Highest in Bergen County
Tax talks come to forefront in Ridgewood
Monday January 7, 2013, 1:03 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Ridgewood’s 3.1 percent municipal tax increase last year ranked among the highest of all Bergen County towns, based on information released by the county Board of Taxation.
Of the 69 municipalities included in the tax board’s report, the village’s tax percent change from 2011 to 2012 was higher than figures from 50 other Bergen towns. East Rutherford, which at press time had not set its tax rate for the past year, was not included in the report.
The news came as an eye-opener to Village Council members, some of whom have expressed the need for alternate ideas during the budget process in an effort to reduce the financial burden placed on Ridgewood taxpayers. The council is hoping that inventive thinking trickles from the top brass in each department to those working on the ground level.
“I think it’s time that we need to be innovative and push ourselves to think creatively and make some difficult decisions,” Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck said last month. “We can’t be in the top third of highest tax rates in Bergen County.”
North Jersey towns acquiring high-tech surveillance gear
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2012, 12:03 AM
BY ZACH PATBERG
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
A federal anti-terrorism program has drawn North Jersey deeper into the practice of hidden surveillance, equipping police departments with high-tech cameras, infrared technology and automatic license plate readers to keep tabs on people as they travel to local reservoirs, financial hubs and malls.
The stepped-up security around potential terrorist targets links the region into a network of clandestine monitoring. Some of the departments are already putting to use the equipment provided by Homeland Security; others are gearing up.
Oradell, Emerson, Closter and Harrington Park police have car-mounted night-vision technology and video and recording equipment that can watch over the Oradell Reservoir and dam — and the hikers and anglers entering it. West Milford can do the same around the Newark watershed. Wayne police are scanning scan the license plates of vehicles outside the Willowbrook Mall, while East Rutherford officers patrol hotel parking lots near the Meadowlands and the Federal Reserve building off Route 17.
Local police signed onto the Homeland Security network have broad discretion in deciding what to monitor and when to share surveillance feeds with federal agents. And when national security isn’t calling, they can use the equipment for day-to-day police work, such as enhanced tracking systems to catch suspects and better radio communication among officers.
Donovan Will Not Allow Giants/Jets to Put Bergen County’s Economy at Risk
Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan said today that she will take immediate steps to review tax breaks given to the New York Giants and New York Jets to make certain that the teams which are attempting to create a business monopoly at the Sports Complex “no longer continue to rip off Bergen County taxpayers.”
Donovan said that her administration will explore with East Rutherford officials their ongoing litigation against the Sports Authority and also review independent action to require the teams to pay taxes on the sale of Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs). The County Executive said that she will consider taking legal action against the tax breaks given to the New York Jets in Florham Park in Morris County as well. “Everything is now back on the table,” according to Ms. Donovan.
Since 1976 the Giants and later the Jets have not paid a dime in taxes to Bergen County. Now they have built and own a $1.6 billion building and they still don’t pay any taxes to Bergen County. “That’s wrong and it needs to be corrected,” stated Donovan.
In addition the County Executive has directed the County Police to take steps to assure the safety of fans arriving and departing MetLife Stadium on game days. According to Ms. Donovan, “the New York Giants and New York Jets cite the safety and convenience of their fans as a veiled excuse for their frivolous lawsuit designed to give them a monopoly at the Sports Complex. The County Executive cited increased enforcement of traffic laws with special attention to pedestrian safety as a priority.
Donovan continued, “in their lawsuit the New York teams rely on what they call a ‘cooperation agreement’ which was agreed to, not negotiated, by former (acting) Governor Codey. I described that so-called agreement as a give-a-way then and do so again today. According to the New York teams, that agreement allows them to hold development rights ‘to build themed dining and team and other stores…’ The New York teams admit that this isn’t about the convenience of their fans. It’s about their greed and their effort to monopolize a public space to the detriment of every East Rutherford, Bergen County and New Jersey taxpayer.
She concluded, “The New York Giants and New York Jets have put Bergen County’s economic growth at risk. Unemployment in Bergen is over 7 percent, a slight decline since I took office. We still have 40% unemployment in the building trades. American Dream Meadowlands will put some 9,000 construction workers back on the job and employ an additional 15,000 full time workers. It will create an economic ripple with service jobs and venues including hotels, which pay additional taxes and reduce local burdens.”
“The New York teams have gotten their way for four decades. They have once and for all abused their free ride. It’s time they not only paid their fair share but participate as full contributing members of the business community. Our Meadowlands property is some of the most valuable real estate on the east coast and as County Executive I owe it to my constituents to protect their economic interest, not the Giants and Jets.”
