By Raven Santana, Correspondent

Hoboken resident Christine Repella is just one of more than 100 people who showed up this week to receive the new updated Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at a free clinic hosted by the City of Hoboken Hudson Regional Health Commission.

Some New Jerseyans are finding it difficult to get access to the vaccine after a rocky start to the rollout, but Stephanie Silvera, associate dean at Montclair State University, said these challenges aren’t rare when rolling out new vaccines.“It is still relatively new, and there can be logistical challenges, one of which is the temperature the vaccines need to continue to be held,” Silvera said.

By Steve Lenox

Love won in Hoboken on Saturday as dozens of local families, none the same as the other, turned out in Church Square Park to celebrate the Hoboken Public Library’s Banned Book Read-a-Thon.

With Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Hoboken City Council President Emily Jabbour, Council members Michael DeFusco and Phil Cohen, and Jennie Pu, the Hoboken Public Library’s Director, standing up to nearly a week of attacks from mostly outside interest groups criticizing the nature of the event, a cavalcade of other public figures joined them one by one on stage, each using passages from books that have been banned in other states to remind all in attendance that it okay to be “different.”

By Teri West, The Jersey Journal

Emily Jabbour is Hoboken’s new city council president after a unanimous vote at Wednesday’s council reorganization meeting for 2023.

Jabbour, serving her second term as an at-large councilmember, replaced Councilman Michael Russo, who served as council president last year. He was elected council vice president Wednesday in a 7-2 vote.

“I appreciate everyone’s support and I will do my best to serve both the governing body as well as the residents to the best of my ability,” Jabbour said at the end of the council meeting.

By Mark Koosau, The Jersey Journal

In response to a nationwide push to ban books some deem inappropriate for children, Hoboken is hoping to go one step further by declaring the city a sanctuary for books in the crosshairs.

The Hoboken City Council is expected to vote Wednesday evening on a resolution declaring the Mile Square City a “book sanctuary,” where “no book shall be banned, endangered books shall be protected, and all types of books shall be made accessible to all without regard to their content.”

Joanna Gagis, Senior Correspondent

The Hoboken City Council voted unanimously Wednesday in support of designating Hoboken as a sanctuary city for books, meaning it will not ban or remove any books from the city’s library shelves.

“We want to embrace diverse books. We want to tell the stories of people who are otherwise marginalized, and make sure that we celebrate that in all places in Hoboken,” said Hoboken City Council President Emily Jabbour.

As Reported By News 4’s Checkey Beckford

The Hoboken City Council passed a resolution Wednesday evening that makes Hoboken a "book sanctuary" -- essentially a place that bans book bans.

This move comes after a public reading of books in June for Pride Month attracted online criticism.

Organizers say none of the material read was explicit or controversial -- and that the negative feedback mostly came from outside of New Jersey.

"Extremist right-wing kind of nature," Hoboken Council President Emily Jabbour. "And that is when we realized we were dealing with a different level of response."

By Caren Lissner - Patch NJ Staff

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla won re-election unopposed Tuesday night, and he also declared victory for his team of three council candidates, who were far ahead of seven challengers. The numbers are the most recent posted by 11 p.m. by the County of Hudson. As of late Tuesday evening, incumbent Councilwoman Emily Jabbour had amassed the most votes among council candidates, with teammates Councilman Jim Doyle and political newcomer Joe Quintero within a few votes of each other as of the end of the night.

The 2021 New Jersey election is taking place on November 2nd, 2021 — which includes the seats to several Hoboken City Council positions. Hoboken’s municipal election is rapidly approaching and in an effort to provide more information about the candidates for our readers, we’ve asked all of them the same questions, questions that readers have voiced in recent years.

Emily Jabbour: Anything Is Possible When A Community Unites

With the COVID-19 crisis on the rise in early 2020, the city of Hoboken, NJ was the first city in the US to implement a curfew and stay-at-home orders. It was a decision that required bold and decisive leadership—and an unprecedented team effort to care for the community's most vulnerable. In this conversation, Andrew sits down with Hoboken city councilperson Emily Jabbour. This conversation isn't about politics. It's a masterclass on how to get involved in causes you're passionate about, build consensus, and make an impact in ways you never thought possible.

Emily Jabbour: The Power of Networking and Shaking Up Politics

How did Emily Jabbour go from babysitting to a brave councilwoman representing one of Jersey’s busiest cities and a leading voice for families and children at one of America’s top federal agencies?

Hoboken Ordinance Proposes Limits on Short Term Rentals at Rent-Controlled Properties

By Chris Halleron

“There are a number of ways that local legislation hasn’t kept up with what’s happening in the world, especially with the increasing popularity of Airbnb and other apartment sharing applications,” said Hoboken Councilperson-at-Large Emily Jabbour, who is co-sponsoring an amendment to City Code Chapter 155 that would prohibit short-term rentals in rent-controlled properties.