Nick Acocella Explained

Nick Acocella
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Birth Name:Nicholas Acocella
Birth Date:7 February 1943
Birth Place:Jersey City, New Jersey, US
Death Place:Hoboken, New Jersey, US
Occupation:Journalist

Nicholas Acocella (February 7, 1943 – June 20, 2020) was an American political journalist and author. He was the editor and publisher of Politifax, a weekly newsletter about New Jersey politics. From 2015 he was the host of the NJTV show Pasta & Politics.

Personal life

Acocella was born on February 7, 1943, at Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey, and grew up in West New York, New Jersey.[1] [2] He graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School, went to La Salle University in Philadelphia, and spent a year studying in Vienna. He then studied English literature at the University of California, Berkeley before taking a teaching job at Indian Hills High School in Oakland, New Jersey. He also went back to graduate school, attending Stony Brook University and the University of Delaware.

He was married to Laura Eliasoph Acocella, with whom he hasa daughter, Francesca Rebecca Acocella, and previously married to New Yorker writer Joan Acocella (née Ross), with whom he shares a son, Bart Acocella. He died of cancer at his home in Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 20, 2020.[3]

Career

In 1997, Acocella started Politifax, a weekly newsletter about New Jersey politics,[4] and was its editor, publisher, and sole writer.[5] Initially a fax service before transitioning to email, an annual subscription cost $400 for 46 issues. The newsletter's design comprised a white background with letters in a simple black font. He initially covered statewide politics but later covered local politics as well.[6] The large number of governmental authorities in the state, with 566 municipalities in 21 counties, led to a need for coverage outside of the state's daily newspapers covering the "little battlefields" at the county and municipal level.[7] Acocella also wrote twenty books about baseball, of which he was a lifelong fan, with one book, The Ball Clubs, comprising a history of every major league team.

In 2015, Acocella started hosting a television show, Pasta & Politics,[8] on NJTV,[9] where he would interview various New Jersey politicians while making pasta dishes;[10] the show ran for five seasons.[11] Guests included Thomas Kean, Cory Booker, Chris Christie, and Stephen Sweeney.

Published works

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Johnson . Brent . June 21, 2020 . Longtime Politifax editor and N.J. politics expert Nick Acocella dies at 77 . NJ.com . live . June 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210628014852/https://www.nj.com/politics/2020/06/longtime-politifax-editor-and-nj-politics-insider-nick-acocella-dies-at-77.html . June 28, 2021.
  2. Web site: 2020 . Nicholas Acocella – June 20, 2020 . June 19, 2023 . Lawton-Turso Funeral Home.
  3. Web site: June 21, 2020 . Political And Baseball Writer Nick Acocella Of Hoboken Passes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200627013352/https://patch.com/new-jersey/hoboken/political-baseball-writer-nick-acocella-hoboken-has-died . June 27, 2020 . June 17, 2021 . Hoboken, NJ Patch.
  4. News: Stile . Charles . June 28, 2020 . The political wisdom of Nick Acocella . 12A . Courier-Post . Camden, New Jersey . live . March 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230323194639/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121490386/the-political-wisdom-of-nick-acocella/ . March 23, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  5. Web site: Peterson . Iver . March 23, 2003 . ON POLITICS; Politics in His Blood? Must Be From Jersey City . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211010064005/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/nyregion/on-politics-politics-in-his-blood-must-be-from-jersey-city.html . October 10, 2021 . June 17, 2021 . The New York Times.
  6. News: Arnold . Laurence . March 7, 2000 . Hardball politics: Hoboken baseball writer publishes political newsletter . B1, B4 . The Jersey Journal . Associated Press . March 23, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  7. Web site: Peterson . Iver . March 23, 2003 . ON POLITICS; Politics in His Blood? Must Be From Jersey City . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211010064005/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/nyregion/on-politics-politics-in-his-blood-must-be-from-jersey-city.html . October 10, 2021 . June 17, 2021 . The New York Times.
  8. Web site: Haddon . Heather . April 7, 2015 . Pasta and Politics: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Debuts on New TV Show . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201025/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-METROB-22858 . June 24, 2021 . June 17, 2021 . The Wall Street Journal.
  9. Web site: February 21, 2018 . Breaking Bread and Talking Shop on Pasta and Politics . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190937/https://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/pasta-and-politics-njtv-nick-acocella/ . July 9, 2021 . July 9, 2021 . New Jersey Monthly.
  10. Web site: June 15, 2021 . NJ PBS to air special memorializing Nick Acocella Wednesday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210616041257/https://newjerseyglobe.com/fr/nj-pbs-to-air-special-memorializing-nick-acocella-wednesday/ . June 16, 2021 . June 17, 2021 . New Jersey Globe.
  11. Web site: June 15, 2021 . NJ PBS to air special memorializing Nick Acocella Wednesday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210616041257/https://newjerseyglobe.com/fr/nj-pbs-to-air-special-memorializing-nick-acocella-wednesday/ . June 16, 2021 . June 17, 2021 . New Jersey Globe.
  12. Edwards . R. A. R. . March 17, 2017 . Saying It Was So: Exploring the Black Sox Scandal . Reviews in American History . 45 . 1 . 117–119 . 10.1353/rah.2017.0016 . 152179530 . Project MUSE.

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