Podcast appearances and mentions of charlie kratovil

In this episode of the Lubetkin on Communications podcast, we have a conversation with Charlie Kratovil, a community activist and award-winning hyperlocal newspaper editor in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Kratovil started the local news website New Brunswick [Read more...]

New Brunswick's Lincoln Annex School, serving roughly 750 children in grades 4-8, may be shut down by the city and sold to Robert Wood Johnson to build a new Rutgers Cancer Institute building. Residents from across the community have expressed concerns about what the future could bring. At this point, the city has announced no contingency plan for the closing of the school. Students could very likely end up in a building over 2 miles away and outside of the fifth ward, in what has become locally known as the warehouse school, a rented warehouse structure that the school district has put to use during school renovations and other projects. If not the warehouse school, Lincoln Annex students could be relocated to the original Lincoln School, a building constructed in 1910 with no central air conditioning, limited technological capacities, and a school that is currently housing just four grade levels. James Boyle sits down with Charlie Kratovil of the Fifth and Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association to discuss how this fight over Lincoln Annex is situated against a larger backdrop of neoliberal redevelopment, the rise of an anti-democratic urban regime, and the strained relationships between the city's largest institutions and its most vulnerable community members.

Charlie Kratovil is running for mayor of New Brunswick, home to about 56,000  residents and Rutgers University. He has a chance at winning too. A Grassroots Base vs Dirty Tricks As a Journalist who helped found New Brunswick Today Charlie has been involved with community issues for years. He has seen those relationships grow into...

VFTB Political Plunge Part 4 hosted by RJ and special co hosts Allysa and Javahn Walker. Listen in as we interview special guest Charlie Kratovil as he runs to be the next New Brunswick Mayor against incumbent James Cahill.

Charlie Kratovil, the founder and editor of the New Brunswick Today newspaper, is running for Mayor of that city in the November election. Charlie has helped uncover corruption and won awards for his work at the newspaper, and now he has some big plans to lift up the community there, including launching a city bus...

Local Beat is the NJ News Commons’ weekly roundup of the best reporting by community news sources. BEYOND HATE: A CONVERSATION WITH A REFORMED, FORMER KKK MEMBER Chaplain Joe Bednarsky was once the head of the Ku Klux Klan. Today, he preaches love over hate for all at a church in South Jersey, Ahmad Graves-El of SNJ Today reports. ICE OFFICER IMPRISONED AFTER ABUSING POWER FOR BRIBES AND SEX Arnaldo Echevarria of Franklin Township was a deportation officer for ICE before he was convicted of demanding bribes and sexual favors from undocumented immigrants in exchange for shielding them from deportation, reports Charlie Kratovil of New Brunswick Today. Echevarria is now behind bars in a Michigan federal prison. SPARTA COUNCILMAN MURPHY STRIKES DEAL IN DWI CASE Sparta Councilman Jerry Murphy struck a deal with the Hopatcong Municipal Court to avoid conviction on charges of driving while intoxicated, speeding, and careless driving. Jennifer Derricks of TAPinto Sparta says Murphy instead pleaded guilty to a minor charge involving his license plate, nearly two years after he was first arrested. ACTIVIST OUTED BY FRELINGHUYSEN: 'THIS WAS A GOOD DAY' Saily Avelenda, the activist who resigned from her job at a bank after she was "outed" by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, says she was glad to learn that Frelinghuysen had announced his retirement on Monday, reports Kevin Coughlin of Morristown Green. NEWARK COUNCILWOMAN TO INTRODUCE SEXUAL HARASSMENT LEGISLATION Newark Central Ward Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins plans to introduce an ordinance next week that would allow victims of sexual harassment to come forward without fear of reprisal or retaliation, reports Mark Bonamo of TAPinto Newark. The ordinance would also require all Newark City Hall staff and elected officials undergo sexual harassment training and would form a five-member sexual assault and harassment policy task force. JACKSON MAYOR ATTENDS TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE MEETING Republican Mayor Michael Reina of Jackson was one of roughly 50 mayors who attended President Trump's recent meeting of mayors at the White House last week, according to Bob Vosseller of Jersey Shore Online. Reina, an avid Trump supporter, was the only Ocean County mayor to attend the meeting, the theme of which was municipal infrastructure.

December 8, 2017 Mostly cloudy with highs in the lower 40s. Expect light snow showers tomorrow morning. Local Beat is the NJ News Commons’ weekly roundup of the best reporting by community news sources. NEWARK'S EXECUTIVE PROTECTION UNIT RACKED UP MORE THAN $1M IN OVERTIME, RECORDS SHOW There are 27 Newark police officers assigned to the city's Executive Protection Unit, which provides 24-hour security for the mayor. Elana Knopp of TAPinto Newark obtained documents through an Open Public Records Act request that show those 27 officers racked up a combined total of approximately $1.12 million in overtime pay during the first eight months of 2017 alone. POLICE REPORTS CONTRADICT PROSECUTOR STATEMENT ON HIGHLAND PARK DEATH Documents released as part of a lawsuit filed against the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO) revealed inconsistencies in the official story of a man who died last year after an encounter with Highland Park police officers. Police found Daniel Nagahama, 28, alive when they arrived on the scene, but the man died just hours after he was taken to a hospital in New Brunswick by police. Charlie Kratovil of New Brunswick Today says the documents appear to confirm that instead of reviving the man, police instead punched the man and sprayed him with a "chemical/natural agent." MAURICE 'MICKEY' CARROLL, WHO COVERED JFK ASSASSINATION AND PUSHED FOR MORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, DIES AT 86 Longtime journalist and Morris Township resident, Maurice "Mickey" Carroll has died at the age of 86. Carroll covered everything from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to a range of local issues for seven different newspapers. Carroll also "taught generations of journalists at four universities and, for the last two decades, translated the Quinnipiac University Poll into plain English," writes Kevin Coughlin for Morristown Green. TAX BILL PROTESTERS GATHER IN WESTFIELD, FIND CONGRESSMAN LANCE IN AGREEMENT A "flash protest" against the Senate GOP tax bill brought dozens of Westfield residents to the office of Republican Congressman Leonard Lance on Monday. Jackie Lieberman of TAPinto Westfield says the protesters descended upon Lance's office, only to find themselves in relative agreement with the Republican congressman when it came to his opposition to the tax bill. MONTCLAIR HS FOOTBALL WINS 2017 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP The Montclair High School football team won the 2017 NJSIAA State Championship last week in the North 1 Group 5 category. The Montclair Dispatch says Montclair took home the trophy after defeating Union City, with a final score of 35-14. BADER FIELD IS NOW BEING USED FOR... STORAGE Atlantic City's Bader Field, once home to an airport, a minor league baseball team, and numerous Thanksgiving Day rivalry games has been vacant for years – until now. Elinor Comlay of Route 40 News says the city has finally found what they have determined to be the "highest and best use" for the property: a storage yard.

Local Beat is the NJ News Commons’ weekly roundup of the best reporting by community news sources. COST OF NEW BRUNSWICK POLICE CORRUPTION AND RACISM CASES TOPS $2M Taxpayers in multiple New Jersey counties are footing the multi-million dollar bill for the team of lawyers representing New Brunswick's mayor and top police officials in two court cases. Charlie Kratovil of New Brunswick Today says the cases represent two types of discrimination within the embattled police department: one based on race and another based on politics. GREATER MORRISTOWN CHURCH VANDALISM 'A CRY FOR HELP,' SAYS FAMILY OF DEFENDANT The family of a man charged with the vandalism of five African American churches in Greater Morristown over the weekend is coming out in the man's defense, according to Kevin Coughlin of Morristown Green. $36M PENNSAUKEN SCHOOL BOND TO IMPROVE ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, JOB TRAINING The Pennsauken Board of Education announced a $35.6 million district-wide bond measure this month, reports Matt Skoufalos of NJ Pen. The proposal would affect all 11 schools in the district, and would create an early childhood education center, a new neighborhood park and a magnet high school to attract high-achieving students looking for college credits in math and science. FORMER WESTFIELD GYMNASTICS INSTRUCTOR CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT OF CHILD Union County officials announced Wednesday that a former instructor at Surgent's Elite School of Gymnastics in Westfield has been accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old student over the course of more than six months. TAPinto Westfield says Jose Rodriguez has been charged with second-degree sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. UNIVERSAL ENROLLMENT CREDITED FOR DISTRICT-WIDE IMPROVEMENTS BUT DEBATE CONTINUES District officials in Newark say recent improvements to universal enrollment in the city's One Newark program have created more equitable access to schools while ensuring that 100 percent of the seats in each elementary school are filled with the children of families that live in the neighborhood or have a sibling in the school, reports Elana Knopp of TAPinto Newark. Others, however, view the program's effectiveness in a different light.

On this episode of the Lubetkin on Communications podcast, we present this year's "Meet the Media" panel, sponsored by the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The panel was held March 30, 2017 at Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ. The panelists were: Karin Price Mueller, writes the Bamboozled consumer affairs column and a money column for The Star-Ledger/NJ.com; and is Founder of consumer finance website NJMoneyHelp.com.    She lives in N.J. with her husband – Star-Ledger reporter Mark Mueller – their three kids and an English Mastiff, Mojo.    Whatever they don't eat goes into her retirement savings accounts. Nick Corasaniti, a reporter that covers politics for The New York Times, and is in his home state focusing on the governor's race and any other NJ story or interest, from infrastructure to crime to dining.  Before coming back to NJ, Nick covered the presidential campaign, spending his days on the road with Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and Donald Trump. Charell Star is a digital journalist who covers the latest styles, technology and trends as a contributor for Marie Claire, Fox5–Good Day New York, NBC New York Live, Second Look TV, and various broadcast and digital media outlets.  She also has her own lifestyle blog, Not Just A Girl In A Dress, plus blogs for Sister 2 Sister, eHow, VinePair, MommyNoire, and MadameNoire.  In 2015, she was awarded Black Enterprise Magazine's “Follow-Worthy Blogger of the Year.” Gwen Orel, Features Editor, The Montclair Local.  Gwen served as arts editor of The Montclair Times from 2013 to 2016 before joining The Montclair local.  She has won a variety of writing awards and has contributed to a range of publications including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and more.  She has a PhD in theatre, and when not doing her day job, is a playwrite, and runs the website New York Irish Arts.com.  The has three cats – one of which likes to unwind the toilet paper roll. Phil Alongi, Executive Producer, NJTV News and Director of Program Development.  He oversees all news operations for NJTV, including its flagship weeknight news program NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams, and is responsible for the network's program expansion in the areas of news, public affairs, arts and other genres.  He began his broadcast career at NBC News in 1997, and during his tenure, produced for the NBC Nightly News, Today Show, and more.  When he's not being a news junkie, he moonlights as a professional operatic tenor and has multiple televised performances and dozens of leading roles throughout the U.S. to his credit. Richard Cowen, a reporter for The Record.  He covers news, the courts, and Passaic County, covering N.J. for more than 25 years.  His focus is local reporting with deep knowledge and sourcing in Passaic County.  He's covered many big stories: from 9/11 to Bridgegate, fires floods, and various political corruption schemes.  He considers himself a citizen journalist whose advocacy is the public's Right to Know.  Richard lives in Montclair with with his firebrand wife, Gisela, who is teacher. Charlie Kratovil, is the Co-Founder & Editor, New Brunswick Today, a bilingual community newspaper that has been covering Middlesex County since 2011.  He graduated from Rutgers' School of Communication & Information in 2009 and subsequently launched Paterson Press, a successful hyperlocal news project in Paterson during his time working at The Citizens Campaign. Moderating the panel was Ken Hunter, APR, president of PowerStation Communications, Hillsborough, NJ, a member of the PRSA-NJ Board of Directors and Membership Co-Chair.