Civil Union rally in Jersey City

As posted on the online independent news site, City Belt.

CIVIL UNIONS: ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Jersey City’s civil unions rally is a tempered celebration, but a celebration nonetheless.
By Lani Buess

A little before 7 pm on Feb. 19, the sign at Jersey City’s City Hall reads: “Civil Union Rally, Second Floor.”

“I’m so nervous,” one woman says to her female partner, as they join the droves of coupled women and men hurrying up the stairs.

“Excuse me,” I ask, “are you here to file for your civil union license?”

“No,” she quips, pointing to her girlfriend. “She won’t let me.”

Even those couples not taking advantage of their newfound right knew the significance of the evening. When Gov. Jon Corzine signed the civil union bill into law 60 days ago, he made New Jersey the third state in the nation, after Vermont and Connecticut, to allow civil unions. The license offers a couple the legal benefits of marriage in the state, but not the title or federal benefits. Massachusetts is the only state to permit same-sex marriage. Many other countries, particularly in Europe, allow same-sex marriage as well.

Continue to read in City Belt

Keith Urban, a Wayne resident?

Apparently, Keith Urban lives in my hometon of Wayne.

Ok, so it's not the Country star known for marrying actress Nicole Kidman, but a 37-year-old oil painter who shares the same name.

Sharing the identical moniker wouldn't be a problem for the Country crooner, if our Wayne native wasn't attempting to capitalize on the performer's name. At least that's what the musician is claiming, with a federal lawsuit to back up such claim.

On Feb. 6, The Record reported that the oil painter's site "displayed links to the singer's official Myspace page, as well as ticket outlets for his upcoming concert tour." However, as of Feb. 7, it looks as if those links have been taken down. If you happen to find them, give me a holler.

The painter's site still blatantly leads with:

" You have reached the site of Keith Urban: To Those Who Don't Know, Oil Painting Is One of My Hobbies."

Misleading? The Country crooner believes so. The painter is also offering signed limited edition prints. Not signed from the hubby of Kidman folks, clarification for those who are a bit slow.

What the suit entails, according to The Record:

"The lawsuit specifically accuses Urban of infringing on the recording artist's name and celebrity. It also alleges dilution of a federally registered trademark, unfair competition and violation of both the federal anti-cybersquatting consumer protection act and the Tennessee consumer protection act.

It seeks unspecified monetary damages, as well as the transfer of the domain name, and an injunction barring the painter from operating a Web site that suggests any relationship to the singer."

Moral lesson: Assume the identity of someone who doesn't have the means and money to make your life a living hell.

Jersey City cop out on bail

I previously posted a blog with regards to Jersey City cop Kevin Freibott, who was accused of drunk driving on Pulaski Skyway. Apparently, one of the victims in the car collision, a two-year-old boy, died from the incident. Freibott is currently out on $350,000 bail.

In my original post I questioned the dismissal of Freibott from his former position in Middletown after a minor car accident. Why would such a minor misshap lead to his firing?

Apparently, Freibott has a very muddled past. The Jersey Journal reported that he "has a previous DWI and a long list of moving violations and three license suspensions." Whether that DWI stems from Freibott's minor car incident as a Middletown police officer is not know.

Compelled to ask: Why would someone hire him after learning of his previous DWI and string of moving violations? Apparently, I was.

Did I mention he's also the son of Jersey City's mayor's first cousin?

An interesting tidbit, no?

P.S. I don't know how accurate this case law is regarding the Middletown incident, but by clicking on this sentence you can read it for yourself.

Star and BucWild: Fallen DJ Troi "Star" Torain talks

Check out my Q&A interview with Scotch Plains native Troi "Star" Torain in The Hartford Advocate, Connecticut's alternative weekly. The former DJ of NYC's Power 105 was kicked off the air by Clear Channel for threatening to do "an R. Kelly" on his rival DJ's "seed." Oh, Star.

CLICK HERE TO READ: Star Power

JC officer with sordid past, perhaps

Off-duty Jersey City cop Kevin Freibott, 38, was arrested on DWI charges after slamming his Jeep Cherokee into a Grand Am on the Pulaski Highway on Jan. 23.

Two of the four people in the Grand Am -- 37-year-old Ruth Zelaya and her 2-year-old son Jose Carlo -- suffered serious head injuries.

The fact that an officer of the law was nabbed committing such flagrant acts doesn't make this story so interesting. It's not the first time a cop was caught doing wrong: Recall Sean Bell anyone?

Freibott's background info makes the story so compelling: He's the son of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's first cousin and, according to The Independent, he was fired mysteriously in 2001 after serving five years as an officer in Middletown.

According to 2001 Independent article:

The action purportedly stemmed from an incident on Feb. 20 in which the off-duty officer was involved in a minor accident in Atlantic Highlands and was later found to have been without a valid license and expired registration at the time.

Freibott’s license was found to be invalid for 88 days when the accident occurred. But what has [Detective Wayne] Bradshaw [ president of Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 124] most baffled about the resulting disciplinary action is that, he claims, "Patrolman Kevin Freibott just neglected to renew his license. That he should be terminated from his employment for that reason is not only extreme but not in keeping with past disciplinary measures."

Freibott's supervising officer was also suspended for 11 days following the disciplenary hearing, reported The Independent.

So why were such harsh measures taken after a seemingly minor 2001 car accident involving Freibott?

Was there more to that incident no one knew about? Hmm...

Shaky fate for NJ pubs? NJ Observer to save the day, maybe.

It isn't the first time a publication mentioned New York Observer owner Jared Kushner's plans to commence a new free weekly publication in New Jersey. But, it's the latest ... with the latest news.

The NY Post mentioned that Kushner is just "weeks away" to making a decision as to whether or not he will start a 200,000-circulation pub in NJ that's expected to cover politics, business and entertainment. Howard Rubenstein, spokesman for Kushner, said the decision will be made "at the end of February or early March."

While I'm anxiously anticipating the announcement -- hoping on a thumbs up -- others (namely the scared shitless at the notion of new competition) aren't so eager to see the creation of a new publication.

Chaunce Hayden, editor of Steppin' Out, said in the article he feels there will be no demand for the publication. [Translation: he desperately hopes there won't be.]

Though Hayden didn't directly make the parallel, the demise of North Jersey Media Group's Exit Magazine, where I served as staffer, could have been the basis for his statements.

Indeed, NY Post staffer Keith Kelly mentioned the demise of Exit, North Jersey's first ever alternative weekly publication. North Jersey Media Group CEO Malcolm A. Borg told the Post that Exit folded because it was "not a viable property," since it lacked a constant advertising revenue stream. The 15-month-old pub lost $2 million since its inception.

Personally, I hope Kushner makes a killing off his new pub, speculated to be called The Jersey Observer. I do beleive there is a viable market in NJ for an entertaining, intelligent and insightful read. To say that "New Jerseyans read the same thing New Yorkers read," according to Hayden, is true. However, the fact that City Belt, an independent news publication, is making its mark online and Steppin' Out has been succcessful for 20 years publishing ... uh, er, advertisements is just proof that a publication geared to New Jersey residents cannot only survive, but thrive amongst readers, and those who like to look at the pretty pictures.

Kushner ... I'm waiting.

National Guard left out of the loop

As was heavily reported of late, President George Bush intends to send over 21,000 American troops into Iraq to assuage the increasing violence overseas. A part of this measure entails extending the stay of 148 New Jersey National Guard soldiers by four months. Unfortunately, as The Record learned, these soldiers were told by family members and the media of their new orders. Talk about a backward bureaucracy and leaving those willing to give their lives to our country--and others-- in complete darkness. What a slap in the face.