Home COVID-19 22 Hoboken + Jersey City News Stories You Missed This Week

22 Hoboken + Jersey City News Stories You Missed This Week

by Hoboken Girl Team
Attain Medspa
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Another news-filled week behind us, but we’ve got you covered on anything missed in our area. Among the headlines, Hoboken announces green-businesses and approves a $177 million dollar budget, Jersey City establishes Quality of Life Task Force and announces the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour goes virtual — along with other stories happening throughout the week. All that and more below — keep reading for all the news you missed this week in Hoboken and Jersey City:

The Hoboken Wellness Crawl Has Kicked Off!

hoboken wellness crawl

Our 30-Day Hoboken Wellness Crawl event kicked off September 13th and is going strong through October 13th — with all-access passes available through September 30th. Over 100 businesses are participating, and crawlers can take advantage of exclusive deals and giveaways at each one throughout the 30-day event. Hoboken Girl will donate a portion of the ticket sale proceeds to the Hoboken Relief FundPurchase tickets hereYou must purchase by September 30th to participate!

Snap Fitness JC

Hoboken Announces 25 Green Businesses For 2020

hoboken green businesses 2020

sojo spa

In a press release that went out earlier this week, Mayor Bhalla announced the 25 businesses that are being recognized as advancing sustainability and environmental responsibility. The Hoboken Green Team launched the Green Business Recognition Program in 2017 and in order to qualify for the Green Business Recognition Program, businesses must complete an application on the Hoboken Green Team website.

Hobbs Inc

For more information about the Hoboken Green Business Recognition Program, please visit www.hobokennj.gov/greenbusiness, follow the Green Team on Facebook @HobokenGreenTeam and on Instagram @Hoboken_Green.

The 25 businesses are:

  • Alfalfa 
  • Avocado Green Mattress 
  • Bone-In Food 
  • bwè kafe 
  • Choc O Pain French Bakery and Café 
  • Christina Andersen Floral Design 
  • Hoboken Power Wash 
  • Hoby Dogy Pet Care 
  • Hudson Table 
  • Lorraine’s House of Styles 
  • Makeup Artist Mama 
  • Matter of Earth 
  • Mint Market 
  • My Conscience, My Choice 
  • Nurturing Life Acupuncture & Wellness 
  • PAYARU 
  • Pilsener Haus & Biergarten 
  • Purely Juiced 
  • Sports Acupuncture & Family Wellness 
  • Stevens Institute of Technology 
  • The Cuddly Boutique 
  • The Little Grocery 
  • The Salon at Hoboken 
  • Urban Souls  
  • Vintage on First

Mayor Fulop Establishes Quality of Life Enforcement 100% Guided by Residents’ Concerns

jersey city quality life enforcement

yoga renew hoboken

On September 24th, a press release stated that Mayor Fulop established a new progressive and proactive division to address quality of life issues known as Division of Quality of Life (“QOL”) that will operate within the Department of Public Safety. The division has come to fruition in the wake of residents calling for more progressive approaches to enforcement by confronting challenging quality of life issues with a team of code enforcement rather than a traditional police emergency response.

The division will be guided by a progressive approach of “education before enforcement” to proactively encourage compliance rather than reactively respond to violations.  Inspectors will lead with the conversation, with court summonses as a last resort, according to the release.

“This falls in line with conversations taking place nationwide surrounding enforcement, by using civilian inspectors and giving them more tools to address quality of life enforcement rather than defaulting to traditional police officer response,” said Mayor Fulop via the press release. “We want to give these violators the opportunity to correct the issues before bringing them to court, that way we can get more positive results for the residents and everyone is happier in the end.”

Hoboken City Council Approves $177 Million Dollar Budget, Sets City Tax Levy at 7.5%

hoboken approves hundred million dollar budget 2020

Hoboken City Council approved a $117 million budget Wednesday {8-1}, ending a months-long stalemate between lawmakers over the direction of city finances. Lawmakers set the city’s tax levy at 7.5% in time for an October 1 tax deadline.

“Thank you to the County of Hudson and the Hoboken City Council for working collaboratively with my administration to overcome the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic to pass the 2020 budget,” Bhalla said. “I’m proud that this budget maintains city services and invests in our future, while delivering one of Hoboken’s lowest overall tax increases in the last decade, at only .75% or an average of $70 per household.” For more details on the budget meeting, see here.

New Jersey Ranked as Top 5 Happiest States in America by WalletHub

new jersey ranked happiest states

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 32 key indicators of happiness. The data is based on 32 key metrics including the depression rate and the positive COVID-19 testing rate to income growth and the unemployment rate. New Jersey landed at number four for the happiest states in America, number one for lowest adult depression percentage, number one for lowest suicide rate alongside New York, 49th place for highest long-term unemployment, and in third place for lowest divorce rate.

Hoboken Completed 15 Blocks of New Water Mains

The City of Hoboken announced the completion of new water main across 15 blocks in town.

The last water main was installed on September 23rd as a part of the water infrastructure project, that replaced almost 7,000 linear feet of Hoboken’s water mains over the past year. The project also included the installation of new service lines, road repaving, Vision Zero roadway improvements, and infrastructure to help combat localized flooding. The project used low interest and interest-free loans from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank, according to the press release, with no funding from the 2020 municipal budget. In 2019, the City entered into a contract with SUEZ that now provides for $33 million in water main upgrades through 2034, with an average of $2.2 million invested every year.

As of today, nearly 7,000 linear feet of new water mains were installed on the following streets:

  • Garden Street {Observer to 2nd, 3rd to 5th Streets}
  • Jefferson Street {8th to 9th, 10th to 11th Streets}
  • Bloomfield Street {2nd to 4th Streets}
  • Monroe Street {3rd to 4th Streets, 8th to 11th Streets}
  • Garden Street {12th to 14th Streets}

Liberty Science Center Held its 2020 Genius Gala “I Stand For Science”

liberty science center genius gala

The gala that took place on September 21st, was a celebration of visionary scientific achievement in support of LSC’s mission to inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers. The event honored the creativity and ingenuity of women and men of science who have made breakthrough innovations in applied science. The honorees included world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, 3D bioprinting pioneer Jennifer Lewis of Harvard, and food chemist William Conan Davis of Instant Mashed Potatoes and Soft-Serve Ice Cream Fame to name a few. The event also highlighted the “COVID Challengers,” scientists and public health experts that are working to defeat the pandemic, as well as teen scientists making remarkable discoveries. The night also featured a number of prominent speakers and guests, including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, and reigning Miss America, Camille Schrier, who earned the title on the strength of her expertise as a biochemist and her advocacy for women in science and engineering.

The Dog Run at Hoboken’s Maxwell Park Has Reopened

Dog Run at Hoboken Maxwell Park

Last week, the city reopened the dog run at Maxwell Park to the public after months of renovations. The project included expanding the area of the dog run, adding new benches, a dual water fountain, pet waste stations, and new fencing. The new dog is the third of its kind to undergo renovations this year including upgrades at Stevens Park and Church Square Park.

“I’m very pleased that Hoboken now has a new, modern dog run at Maxwell Park,” said Mayor Bhalla said via the press release. “I’m confident that these new features will be well utilized by our dog owners, and I’m thankful to all of the residents who have provided continued feedback to my office. Thank you also to the Maxwell Park Board for funding these improvements.”

Jersey City Art & Studio Tour Goes Virtual

jersey city arts studio tour JCAST

The anticipated Jersey City Art & Studio Tour (JCAST), will be going virtual via Zoom to comply with COVID safety regulations. The event is scheduled to take place from October 1st to the 4th. This will be the 30th anniversary of the beloved tour. Viewers can experience gallery exhibitions, talks, demonstrations, and performances from the comfort of their own home. The tour is hosted by JCAST partner, Art House Productions. For more information, visit the JCAST website.

3 Positive COVID-19 Tests at Stevens Institue of Technology

covid tests hot spots stevens tech

A representative at Stevens Institute of Technology released a statement that Student Health Services was informed that three Stevens individuals have tested positive for COVID-19, including two students, and one faculty member, all of which are in isolation at home and two are asymptomatic. The statement explained when each person was last on campus, stating that one student is a commuter, one is a graduate student, and the faculty member was only on campus once last week. All 1,350 test results for on-campus testing on September 16th and 17th have been received and two were positive. There was also an additional positive test result from an off-campus test site. Stevens is monitoring the cases.

Hoboken Policing Policy Task Force Released a Survey

hoboken police department community survey

According to an article on Tap Into, the Hoboken Policing Policy Task Force has released a survey asking for feedback from the community about an oversight committee review board.. The task force was created in the wake of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests that called for changes within law enforcement strategies. The Hoboken Police Department is one of the few cities in the area to have departments that committed to all eight of the “8 can’t wait” pledge. The eight policies include banning chokeholds, requiring de-escalation, requiring warnings before shooting, exhausting all alternatives before shooting, duty to intervene, banning of shooting at moving vehicles, requiring the use of force continuum, and the requirement of comprehensive reporting. Click here to take the survey.

COVID-19 School-Age Tuition Assistance for Working Families

covid assistance school program nj

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state announced plans to dedicate $250 million in funding from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, which will provide additional support to children and their families as well as for thousands of child care providers with resources. The New Jersey School-Age Tuition Assistance Program can help you pay for care for your school-age child in need of child care as a result of COVID-19 remote learning school schedules. This assistance is available until December 30, 2020, and applications will be accepted until funds are exhausted. Apply here for the New Jersey School-Age Tuition Assistance Program.

To be eligible for this assistance, you must be:

  • your child must be attending school remotely, either part-time or full-time
  • your annual gross household income must be $75,000 or less.
  • NJ resident

JC Women’s Collaborative Hosted Event in Jersey City’s Lincoln Park

cut paste face collage jersey city

{Photo credit: @cutpasteface}

The JC Women’s Collaborative hosted a paper-collage workshop taught by Kiki of @cutpasteface who made collage packs for each person in attendance so that supplies didn’t have to be shared. Women created circled together on the grass to create gift collages to send out to DV survivors. Kiki included uplifting images in each collage kit, and the rest was left to the participants. They created 40 collages, which will be split between @justhumaninc and @womenrisinginc, two local organizations that help and support women in the community.

Hudson Hound Hosts Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony in Jersey City

hudson hound jersey city

{Photo credit: @hudsonhoundjerseycity}

Hudson Hound, a new Irish restaurant and bar opened their doors in Jersey City one week ago and had their ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Fulop in attendance on September 23rd. Hudson Hound is bringing contemporary touches to traditional fare and creating new, innovative dishes, our goal is to serve you high quality, in season, fresh ingredients, using as many local producers as possible, according to their website. They chose small craft brewers, to support small business and to offer fresh brews that will be rotated on a seasonal basis.

Cake Boss Star Buddy Valastro Injured in In-House Bowling Alley Accident

 

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A post shared by Buddy Valastro (@buddyvalastro) on

Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss was injured in his in-house bowling alley, according to E! News. “After trying to release the bowling pin from the cage mechanism, his right hand became lodged and compressed inside the unit,” they explained to E! News, continuing, “Unable to remove his hand, he can see a 1-1/2″ metal rod slowly and repeatedly impale his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger.” After five minutes, the baker’s sons {16-year-old Buddy Jr. and 13-year-old Marco} used a saw to cut through metal rods. Buddy underwent surgery and is recovering.

New Jersey’s Attorney General Wants all Cops Wearing Body Cams

nj cops body cameras

After a deadly shooting in Asbury Park involving police, New Jersey’s Attorney General Gurbir Grewal is pushing for all New Jersey police officers to wear body cameras, according to News 12. Hoboken’s Chief Ferrante says that he would like to see his officers outfitted with cameras, according to the article, and that they are a tool to help in all types of investigations and promote accountability, but he warns that the videos have to be released and viewed properly and in full. The Hoboken Police Department is among the 55% of law enforcement agencies in the survey that does not have body cameras.

Jersey City Mother-Daughter Duo Publish Book

jersey city residents a girl and her curls book

Mom and daughter, Jenna and Jasia, wrote “A Girl and Her Curls” to empower and inspire. Jasia used to come home every day from school wishing she had straight hair like her friends. Being a mom and diversity, equity, and inclusion professional, Jenna set out to teach her daughter to love her curls.

“This is why representation matters, but also important to love being you no matter what environment or space you are in! As a mom, it did break my heart to hear her say these things and it was a struggle I knew about all too well. I wanted to remind her of how special she is and her curls too. I wanted to empower her. And together, we want to empower other little girls and boys with this book,” Jenna shared with Hoboken Girl. Shop the book on Amazon here.

Jenna also sells non-toxic, and clean-burning candles. “I have integrated sustainability in my business model because Mother Earth and our community are always on the top of my mind. My goal is to transport our customers through a paradise filled with peace, renewal, and hope — the healthiest way,” she said. Shop her collection here.

Gallery at the Park in Union City is Re-Opening

Cara London gallery at the park uc

 ^ Nike, by Cara London – Oil on Canvas

The Gallery at the Park, a new art gallery at the newly renovated Park Theatre in Union City, NJ, will re-open beginning September 30th. It will feature an exhibition of paintings by New Jersey artist Cara London, that had opened in March, days before COVID-19 shut everything down. The gallery is located at 560 32nd St in Union City, on the 2nd floor at the Park Theatre {also known as the Park Performing Arts Center}.

Gallery hours during the first week are as follows: Wed. Sept 30, 3-8 PM; Thurs. October 1st, 3-8PM and Friday, October 2nd, 12-5PM. For the time being, specific days and hours will be posted and updated on the website. Entrance to the gallery is by appointment only, so please call ahead at 201-565-3630, or email gallery@ParkTheatreNJ.org. Face masks must be worn, and social distancing guidelines will be followed.

Baking Mama is Raises Money for a Cancer Charity

baking mama satya singh cancer fundraiser

{Photo credit: @iambakingmama}

Baking Mama dropped a new cookie flavor, Satya’s Monster Cookie, on Saturday, September 26 through a collaboration between Baking Mama and 6-year old Satya Singh. The new cookie was only on available Saturday.

Satya is a fierce cancer survivor and a friend of Baking Mama. All proceeds of the cookie will be donated on behalf of Satya to the Tomorrow’s Children’s Fund @tcfkid, a local pediatric cancer charity. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and 100% of the money raised will be used for patient assistance.

Jersey City’s Moffle Bar Introduces New Mochi Pancake Mix

moffle bar pancake mix

{Photo credit: @mofflebar}

Moffle Bar has announced that it is launching a brand new shelf-stable product, Mochi Pancake Mix. It is now available as of Saturday, September 26 at Baonanas’s headquarters on Monticello Avenue in Jersey City. Moffle Bar specializes in fun sweets and street food dishes.

The Blow Job Beauty Bar Opened in Hoboken

 

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A post shared by The Blow Job Beauty Bar (@theblow.job) on

A hair salon called ‘The Blow Job’ Beauty Bar has opened in Hoboken, offering Brazilian blowouts, weft extensions, keratin treatments, makeup service, eyelashes services, and more. The salon is hosting a grand opening party on Thursday, October 1st from 6PM – 9PM. There will be champagne and raffles for hair services.

Shell N’ Tail in Jersey City Launching Brunch

shell n tail brunch

{Photo credit: @shellntail}

Following an early August opening, Shell ‘N Tail, located at 150 Bay Street, is now ready to launch weekend brunch service, and Chef Darryl Harmon is taking this opportunity to introduce several foods that trace back to his childhood in Gouldtown, NJ.

Brunch service will begin on Saturday, September 26th at 11AM, and Harmon is introducing a “Friends with Benedicts” menu, which will feature four Benedict dishes including “Gouldtown Morning Benedict” with poached eggs, grilled chicken apple sausage, and cheese fondue over southern-style skillet cornbread, a “Lobster BLT Benedict”, a “Crab Cake Benedict”, and a classic benedict with Taylor ham. The final three benedicts will all be served over buttermilk biscuits. In addition to the benedicts menu, as well as several other classics, typical brunch dishes, Harmon is most excited to introduce foods that trace back to his native roots, which include foods that he says represent where he came from.

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