Latest news with #JerseyCity
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘It's a concrete eyesore': Locals and survivors rage over New Jersey's ‘unfinished' 9/11 memorial
Survivors of the September 11 terror attacks and locals have blasted New Jersey's 'unfinished' 9/11 memorial as a 'concrete eyesore.' Officials say the Empty Sky memorial is complete, but one of its designers and the families of those who perished say otherwise. The monument in Jersey City's Liberty State Park consists of two brushed stainless steel twin walls, 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center Towers. The names of more than 740 people who lived in or had ties to the state are etched inside the reflective steel but the exterior concrete walls are still bare and have become stained over the years. 'It's a concrete eyesore. It looks horrible,' Jessica Jamroz, one of the memorial's designers, told 'It gives a sense of abandonment and forgottenness.' Locals are not only upset over the aesthetics of the concrete walls, but the names of 18 New Jerseyans are still reportedly missing from the memorial, their families said. And out of the 65 cherry trees that were planted to frame the memorial and bloom each September to symbolize rebirth, only five remain – and are in poor shape, according to the news outlet. 'It feels like the memorial's spirituality is under attack and no one really cares,' Jamroz added. Michael Danatos, whose brother-in-law Brian Martineau died in the 9/11 attacks, called it 'a disgrace.' 'We're bumping up against 25 years and this is the best we can do?' Danatos, who approved the original design of the monument, asked. One of the electronic kiosks for looking up names on the interior panels was not working last week, according to the outlet. 'The risk of leaving the memorial unfinished, and the site neglected, is that it could become over time instead an emblem of forgetting; of the decay of memory,' John J. Farmer Jr., who served as senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission and is the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, added. New Jersey officials acknowledged that the memorial is in need of some restoration work, in a statement to but disputed the claim that the memorial is unfinished. 'Unable to secure additional funding for the project, the architect, project manager and the state determined that the memorial must be redesigned to fit the project budget so that New Jersey victims of 9/11 could be honored by the state,' officials said in response to the outlet. 'The architectural design team developed a new design that only included stainless-steel cladding on the interior walls.' Th Department of Environmental Protection manages the memorial and the Treasury funds the upkeep. The departments said the memorial 'is considered complete' in a joint statement. Officials added that the DEP 'is consistently working on longer-term projects to improve the condition of the memorial's trees, lighting, and to modernize the kiosks that assist in locating names on the memorial.' Danatos disagrees. 'It is an irrefutable fact the memorial remains incomplete, even though it was opened to the public in 2011,' she said.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘It's a concrete eyesore': Locals and survivors rage over New Jersey's ‘unfinished' 9/11 memorial
Survivors of the September 11 terror attacks and locals have blasted New Jersey's 'unfinished' 9/11 memorial as a 'concrete eyesore.' Officials say the Empty Sky memorial is complete, but one of its designers and the families of those who perished say otherwise. The monument in Jersey City's Liberty State Park consists of two brushed stainless steel twin walls, 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center Towers. The names of more than 740 people who lived in or had ties to the state are etched inside the reflective steel but the exterior concrete walls are still bare and have become stained over the years. 'It's a concrete eyesore. It looks horrible,' Jessica Jamroz, one of the memorial's designers, told 'It gives a sense of abandonment and forgottenness.' Locals are not only upset over the aesthetics of the concrete walls, but the names of 18 New Jerseyans are still reportedly missing from the memorial, their families said. And out of the 65 cherry trees that were planted to frame the memorial and bloom each September to symbolize rebirth, only five remain – and are in poor shape, according to the news outlet. 'It feels like the memorial's spirituality is under attack and no one really cares,' Jamroz added. Michael Danatos, whose brother-in-law Brian Martineau died in the 9/11 attacks, called it 'a disgrace.' 'We're bumping up against 25 years and this is the best we can do?' Danatos, who approved the original design of the monument, asked. One of the electronic kiosks for looking up names on the interior panels was not working last week, according to the outlet. 'The risk of leaving the memorial unfinished, and the site neglected, is that it could become over time instead an emblem of forgetting; of the decay of memory,' John J. Farmer Jr., who served as senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission and is the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, added. New Jersey officials acknowledged that the memorial is in need of some restoration work, in a statement to but disputed the claim that the memorial is unfinished. 'Unable to secure additional funding for the project, the architect, project manager and the state determined that the memorial must be redesigned to fit the project budget so that New Jersey victims of 9/11 could be honored by the state,' officials said in response to the outlet. 'The architectural design team developed a new design that only included stainless-steel cladding on the interior walls.' Th Department of Environmental Protection manages the memorial and the Treasury funds the upkeep. The departments said the memorial 'is considered complete' in a joint statement. Officials added that the DEP 'is consistently working on longer-term projects to improve the condition of the memorial's trees, lighting, and to modernize the kiosks that assist in locating names on the memorial.' Danatos disagrees. 'It is an irrefutable fact the memorial remains incomplete, even though it was opened to the public in 2011,' she said.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
‘It's a concrete eyesore': Locals and survivors rage over New Jersey's ‘unfinished' 9/11 memorial
Survivors of the September 11 terror attacks and locals have blasted New Jersey's 'unfinished' 9/11 memorial as a 'concrete eyesore.' Officials say the Empty Sky memorial is complete, but one of its designers and the families of those who perished say otherwise. The monument in Jersey City's Liberty State Park consists of two brushed stainless steel twin walls, 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center Towers. The names of more than 740 people who lived in or had ties to the state are etched inside the reflective steel but the exterior concrete walls are still bare and have become stained over the years. 'It's a concrete eyesore. It looks horrible,' Jessica Jamroz, one of the memorial's designers, told 'It gives a sense of abandonment and forgottenness.' Locals are not only upset over the aesthetics of the concrete walls, but the names of 18 New Jerseyans are still reportedly missing from the memorial, their families said. And out of the 65 cherry trees that were planted to frame the memorial and bloom each September to symbolize rebirth, only five remain – and are in poor shape, according to the news outlet. 'It feels like the memorial's spirituality is under attack and no one really cares,' Jamroz added. Michael Danatos, whose brother-in-law Brian Martineau died in the 9/11 attacks, called it 'a disgrace.' 'We're bumping up against 25 years and this is the best we can do?' Danatos, who approved the original design of the monument, asked. One of the electronic kiosks for looking up names on the interior panels was not working last week, according to the outlet. 'The risk of leaving the memorial unfinished, and the site neglected, is that it could become over time instead an emblem of forgetting; of the decay of memory,' John J. Farmer Jr., who served as senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission and is the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, added. New Jersey officials acknowledged that the memorial is in need of some restoration work, in a statement to but disputed the claim that the memorial is unfinished. 'Unable to secure additional funding for the project, the architect, project manager and the state determined that the memorial must be redesigned to fit the project budget so that New Jersey victims of 9/11 could be honored by the state,' officials said in response to the outlet. 'The architectural design team developed a new design that only included stainless-steel cladding on the interior walls.' Th Department of Environmental Protection manages the memorial and the Treasury funds the upkeep. The departments said the memorial 'is considered complete' in a joint statement. Officials added that the DEP 'is consistently working on longer-term projects to improve the condition of the memorial's trees, lighting, and to modernize the kiosks that assist in locating names on the memorial.' Danatos disagrees. 'It is an irrefutable fact the memorial remains incomplete, even though it was opened to the public in 2011,' she said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A sad day': Actor known for role in ‘Spiderman,' spaghetti westerns dies at 96
Actor Jack Betts, known for his role in Spider-Man and Gods and Monsters has died at 96 years-old. Betts died Thursday in his sleep at his Los Osos, California home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Betts was born in Jersey City, N.J., on April 11, 1929, according to IMDb. His long career allowed him to work in a number of films including Falling Down as the character Frank (Golfer) and was in Franco Giraldi's 'Sugar Coat,' where he played the role of Hunt Powers, which later led him to act in a series of Italian spaghetti Western films. In Spider-Man he played Henry Balkan, the chairman of board members of Oscorp Industries, who famously told Norman Osborn (played by Willem Dafoe), 'You're out, Norman.' The famous actor has won two awards and a nomination during his career. Betts was nominated in the male category for his 'outstanding' acting during the Brooklyn Film Festival in 2000, according to IMDb. He won awards both at the Actors, Awards, Los Angeles event in 2019 for 'best ensemble' and for 'lifetime achievement' in 2018 at the Borderlands Film Festival. After the news of Betts' death, Beverly Hills Playhouse shared a post on Instagram. 'Our beloved Jack Betts passed away peacefully at home. It is a sad day for the BHP as we have enjoyed his presence for so many years,' the acting school wrote. 'There are actors who credit him with their not giving up because of his encouragement. We were so fortunate to have enjoyed his great spirit, passion and true dedication to the work.' 'There was only ever one like this and we are the richer for having his presence in our theatre,' the caption added. 'Rest in peace, Jack.' Legendary musician boycotting Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction Chart-topping '60s pop singer dies at 82: 'He will be greatly missed' TV icon expecting 8th child at age 70 Chef and Food Network star Anne Burrell dead at 55 Rock singer calls brother's claims he sexually abused him 'wildly misleading' Read the original article on MassLive.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Lynn Hamilton, ‘The Waltons' And Sanford And Son' Actress, Dies At 95
JERSEY CITY, NJ - DECEMBER 02: Actress Lynn Hamilton attends the 40th Anniversary Reunion Of ''The ... More Waltons'' at Landmark Loew's - Jersey City on December 2, 2011 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by) Getty Images Lynn Hamilton, who is remembered as Verdie Grant Foster on family drama The Waltons and Donna Harris, Fred's (Redd Foxx) girlfriend on sitcom Sanford and Son , died Thursday of natural causes at her home in Chicago. She was 95. Born April 25, 1930, Hamilton began her career in community theatre in Chicago and debuted on Broadway in Only in America in 1959. She appeared in three other Broadway plays, several Off-Broadway plays and spent three years with the New York Shakespeare Festival, eventually segueing to television with guest appearances on series like Room 222 , Then Came Bronson , Mannix and Gunsmoke . Hamilton initially debuted as the landlady in the seventh episode of Sanford and Son before being upgraded to Fred's love interest. She appeared in 22 episodes through the six seasons of the Norman Lear sitcom and began an also recurring on The Waltons as the family's neighbor Verdie Grant, who John-Boy (Richard Thomas) teaches to read. Eventually Verdie marries Harley Foster (Hal Williams) and ultimately appears in 17 episodes through the nine-season run of The Waltons. SANFORD AND SON — "The Engagement/The Member of the Wedding" Episode 9 — Aired 11/9/73 — Pictured: ... More (l-r) Dorothy Meyer as Aunt Flossie, Esther Sutherland as Aunt Minnie, Redd Foxx as Fred G. Sanford, Lynn Hamilton as Donna Harris, Demond Wilson as Lamont Sanford, DeForest Covan as Woodrow 'Woody' Anderson, Mel Bryant as Uncle Jake, Bobby Johnson as Uncle Edgar — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank NBCUniversal via Getty Images LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 30: THE WALTONS Lynn Hamilton as Verdie Foster, left and Joan Pringle as ... More Esther on "The Illusion". Image dated August 30, 1978. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS via Getty Images Additionally, Hamilton was reunited with Hal Williams in five episodes of Marla Gibbs sitcom 227 , she played Cissie Johnson, one of the ex-cons on the 1991-92 syndicated nighttime soap Dangerous Women and appeared in multiple episodes of daytime drama Sunset Beach and legal drama The Practice. Other TV show guest spots included The Rockford Files , The Golden Girls , Murphy Brown , Sisters , NYPD Blue , Curb Your Enthusiasm and Judging Amy . Hamilton appeared in the reunion TV movies A Waltons Thanksgiving Reunion and A Walton Easter in 1993 and 1997, respectively. And her final on-air appearance was in an episode of the crime drama Cold Case in 2009. Hamilton was married to poet and playwright Frank Jenkins ( Driving While Black in Beverly Hills ) from 1964 until his death in 2014.
