Hudson County Restaurant Week discounts and specials start Monday
Hudson County Restaurant Week will feature great deals at local places to eat. The week-long extravaganza lasts from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6. The event features eateries in Jersey City, Bayonne, Hoboken, Weehawken, Edgewater, Guttenberg and North Bergen. As in the past, the week features culinary lunch specials from $15 to $20 and dinner specials from $24 to $40.
Some of the participating restaurants for lunch and dinner specials include: Amelia’s Bistro, 187 Warren St., Jersey City; Arthur’s Tavern, 237 Washington St., Hoboken; Battello, 502 Washington Blvd., Jersey City; Bistro La Source, 85 Morris St., Jersey City; The Brass Rail, 135 Washington St., Hoboken; City Bistro, 56-58 14th St., Hoboken; The Clinton Social, 700 Clinton St., Hoboken; Edward’s Steakhouse, 239 Marín Blvd., Jersey City; Elysian Café, 1001 Washington St., Hoboken; Fire & Oak, 479 Washington Blvd., Jersey City; Hamilton Inn, 708 Jersey Ave., Jersey City; Liberty House Restaurant, 76 Audrey Zapp Dr., Jersey City.
Also Liberty Prime Steakhouse, 111 Montgomery St., Jersey City; The Madison Bar and Grill, 1316 Washington St., Hoboken; Max’s of Manila, 687 Newark Ave., Jersey City; McLoone’s Pier House, 1300 Sinatra Dr., Hoboken; Molos, 1 Pershing Rd., Weehawken; Porto Leggero, 5 Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City; Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, 1000 Harbor Blvd., Weehawken; Son Cubano, 40-4 Riverwalk Pl., West New York; Skylark on the Hudson, 25 River Dr. S, Jersey City; Trinity, 306 Sinatra Dr., Hoboken; Waterside Café, 7800 River Rd., North Bergen; White Star Bar Warren, 179 Warren St., Jersey City; and Zylo, 225 River St., Hoboken.
Some of the restaurants offering dinner specials include: 6th Borough Market, 360 Marin Blvd., Jersey City; A&W Steakhouse, 456 Avenue C, Bayonne; Amanda’s Restaurant, 908 Washington St., Hoboken; Bistro at Grove St., 116 Newark Ave., Jersey City; Chart House, Lincoln Harbor Pier D-T, Weehawken; Court Street, 61 Sixth St., Hoboken; Dino & Harry’s, 163 14th St., Hoboken; The Fig Tree, 306 Park Ave., Hoboken; GP’s Restaurant, 236 Pavonia Ave., Jersey City; Hoboken Gourmet Company, 423 Washington St., Hoboken; KP Sarelli’s, 241 Broadway, Bayonne; Laico’s, 67 Terhune Ave., Jersey City; Light Horse Tavern, 199 Washington St., Jersey City; Maritime Parc, 84 Audrey Zapp Dr., Jersey City; Port-O Lounge, 286 First St., Jersey City; Satis Bistro, 212 Washington St., Jersey City; The Stewed Cow, 400 Adams St., Hoboken; Sushi Lounge, 200 Hudson St., Hoboken, and The Turtle Club, 936 Park Ave., Hoboken.
For more information go to www. HudsonRestaurantWeek.com.
Zimmer chief of staff jumping to private sector
Daniel Bryan, the chief of staff to Mayor Dawn Zimmer, will resign to pursue a new position as a senior member of the public affairs team at Beckerman Public Relations in Hackensack.
After serving on Zimmer’s mayoral election campaign in 2009, Bryan was hired as her confidential aide, and later became her chief of staff. His raises were a source of controversy before the Hoboken City Council. In five years at City Hall, Bryan’s salary jumped from $35,000 to $65,000.
Prior to entering politics, Bryan was a Technology Communications Manager at Hackensack University Medical Center.
“Dan has been a key member of my team from the beginning and has played an important role in all that we have achieved,” said Mayor Zimmer. “I am confident that he will be as much of an asset in his new position as he has been to the City of Hoboken. Dan has played a critical role both in the day to day business of the city and in helping to manage the many crises our City has faced. He has become a good friend both to me and to his colleagues in City Hall. We wish him the very best in his new career.”
“I want to thank Mayor Zimmer for putting her trust in me to serve as Chief of Staff to her and her administration over the past five and a half years,” said Bryan. “I’m proud of all that we’ve achieved, and I know that the Zimmer administration has many great accomplishments still on the horizon. I’d also like to thank the entire Hoboken community for the ability to work together to make our city better.”
State ruling on Hoboken’s HoLa charter school expansion expected in early February
The New Jersey Department of Education will deliver its final ruling “shortly after” Feb. 2 on whether the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School (HoLa) can expand to seventh and eighth grade, according to correspondence between the state and lawyers for HoLa and the Hoboken Board of Education.
Following a controversial legal challenge filed by the Hoboken school board in state appellate court – seeking to block the school’s expansion – state education commissioner David Hespe was granted another chance to review his agency’s March 2014 approval of HoLa’s expansion.
Hespe had asked in November that the case be remanded to his office “so that additional evidence and data may be reviewed regarding issues related to HoLa’s enrollment demographics and the relevant community population.” The school board has accused HoLa of causing de facto segregation in its schools.
In a Jan. 16 letter obtained by The Hoboken Reporter, the DOE said that HoLa’s renewal and expansion application “remains pending” until it finishes its reconsideration.
HoLa held its enrollment lottery for the 2015-16 school year on Jan. 9. The presumptive newly created seventh grade was included in it.
Eric Harrison, the lawyer for the school board, had filed a motion to stay the seventh grade expansion pending DOE’s ruling. Last week, HoLa board president Barbara Martinez stated that she believed Harrison’s motion to stay had been denied, allowing HoLa’s seventh grade expansion to go forward.
Hoboken police bust alleged forgery ring at Shop-Rite
Four individuals were recently arrested on charges of forgery by the Hoboken Police Department, according to Sgt. Edgardo Cruz. On the afternoon of Jan. 16, an employee at the Hoboken ShopRite at 900 Madison St. notified his or her manager that an individual, later identified as 19-year-old Jersey City male Shaquan McPherson, was allegedly trying to buy $200 worth of gift cards, Cruz said.
Off duty Hoboken police officer Patrick McNamara was working as a loss prevention officer at ShopRite, according to Cruz, and when he approached the register, McPherson began to walk out of the store. He got into a Nissan Maxima, which departed the lot, according to Cruz. The car was stopped at 6:57 p.m. at 500 Monroe St. by police officers Cahill, Bates, and Arocho.
McPherson was identified based on a description given by the ShopRite employee, said Cruz, and police found $910 of allegedly forged money in his possession. According to Cruz, several twenty and hundred dollar bills allegedly had the same serial numbers, and all of the money had no security stripe and the wrong texture.
McPherson and the vehicle’s three other occupants—27-year-old Jersey City resident Davaughn Hopson, 45-year-old Bronx resident Willie Harris, and 20-year-old Bronx resident Kashmere Davis—were arrested and charged with forgery. Cruz said police have seen a recent trend of male defendants using stolen credit cards or forged money to buy gift cards. According to Cruz, McPherson was also charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, under 50 grams of marijuana.
The Hoboken Police Department is asking local business owners to be on the lookout for scams involving fraudulent or stolen credit cards. Cashiers should be on watch for individuals seeking to purchase large amounts of gift cards, totaling in the thousands of dollars, individuals who attempt to use several different credit cards if one is declined, and credit cards on which the first four digits of the card number are not printed below the first four embossed digits.
Suspicious business people should call the Hoboken Police Department at 201-420-2100.
Free citizenship application help available on Jan. 31
We Are One New Jersey will host a Citizenship/DACA clinic on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 830 Bergen Ave. Jersey City. They will provide pro-bono lawyers to assist people with their citizenship and deferred action applications at no cost.
Priority will be given to those with an appointment. To reserve your spot now, call (201) 209-2839 or email info@weareonenj.org.
Documents you must bring with you, if you have them, include:
• Legal Permanent Resident card (Green Card)
• Driver’s license or other identification with photo
• Social Security card
• List of all your places of residency over the past five years and the dates you lived in each place of residency
• List of all employers and their addresses over the last five years and the dates of employment
• List of all travel outside the U.S. since the date you obtained your Green Card, including destinations and dates of travel
• Current and expired passports, and travel itineraries/boarding passes (if you have them)
• List with the complete names, dates of birth, home addresses, and Alien Number (if applicable) of all children
• Copy of each child’s birth certificate (if available)
• Certified court disposition and arrest report from police (if applicable)
• Most recent tax return
If you are seeking U.S. citizenship based on marriage, please bring:
• All marriage and divorce certificates
• Proof that your spouse has been a Legal Permanent Resident for at least three years
• Proof that you and your spouse share the same address (bank statements, etc.)
• Lease agreements or mortgages and tax returns of the past three years
• Court order authorizing name change (if you have changed your name through the courts)
Lucas Dental Associates offering free dental services for kids Feb. 6
For the fifth year running, Lucas Dental Associates will perform dental services at no cost for children up to 14 years old. The event will be held on Feb. 6 at from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lucas Dental offices at 232 Bloomfield St.
The day of dental donations is part of Give Kids a Smile Day, an annual national effort sponsored by the National Dental Association and the NJ Dental Association. There are limited spots available at Lucas Dental Associates, so interested parents should call (201) 798-8899 to make an appointment for the day. The event is aimed at the uninsured and underinsured, but no questions regarding insurance status will be asked.
The services covered include sealants, x-rays, fluoride treatments, cleaning, fillings. Lucas Dental Associates will also provide lunch to attending children. Robin Lucas said she hopes the day will help bring awareness to the need for early intervention in dentistry.
Donations still needed for displaced victims of Edgewater inferno
There are a number of ways Hobokenites can help the more than 1,000 residents displaced by the massive fire at the Avalon apartment complex in Edgewater this past Wednesday.
A clearinghouse website, edgewaterstrong.com, has been set up to organize donations of money, volunteer time, and needed items.
Items for donation can be brought to the Edgewater Strong Support Store at 225 River Road in Edgewater. Among the most needed items are new undergarments, new socks for all sizes, new baby pajamas, Visa and American Express gift cards, phone chargers, and old cell phones.
Displaced pets are being housed at the Bergen County Protection and Rescue Foundation at 302 Second St. in Cliffside Park, which seeking donations of food, blankets, towels and calming toys.
Century 21 Innovative Realty in Hoboken is still accepting donations for those affected by the fire. The items they currently see the most need for are toiletries, feminine products, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and baby products. Century 21 can take donations in their office at 220 Washington St. from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Liberty Realty has also made all of its offices drop-off locations for donations for the Edgewater victims. Its Hoboken offices are located at 131 Washington St., 525 Washington St., and 1 Marine View Plaza.
Zimmer endorses DeGise for Hudson County Executive
Dawn Zimmer is the latest Hudson County mayor to line up behind Tom DeGise’s incumbent candidacy for the Hudson County Executive position. On Thursday, she endorsed DeGise in the new open space underneath the 14th Street Viaduct in Hoboken. The choice of venue may have been symbolic—the parklet was funded with county dollars and designed and built by a county contractor with input from Zimmer and neighboring residents in northwest Hoboken.