It’s finally starting to feel like spring as we’ve sprung into May this week. It’s been another busy week in Essex County and we’ve got all the news to keep you up to date. Among the highlights: A new Nutley restaurant announces its opening date; Houss Freya is moving to Glenridge Avenue in Montclair; and Montclair’s Java Love is opening a third location. Read on for all the news in Essex County for the week ending May 5th, 2024.
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Among the Headlines:
- Houss Freya Moving to Glenridge Avenue in Montclair
- New Nutley Restaurant + Banquet Space, The Hudson Rose, Plans for July Opening
- 8 Essex County Non-Profit Organizations Awarded $197,500 in Grants
- Montclair Center Art Walk Mural Auction 2024 Now Live
- Newark Launches ‘Justice Hub’ to Help Keep Youth Safe
- New Stew Leonard’s Location Opening in Clifton
- Montclair High School Students Participate in Campus Beautification Project
- Newark Curfew Sets Enforcement Date
- Out Montclair Announces Montclair Pride Festival Date
- Java Love to Open Third Montclair Location
Houss Freya Moving to Glenridge Avenue in Montclair
Houss Freya is the shop for all things energy healing. Previously located at 547 Valley Road in Upper Montclair, Houss Freya recently announced that its current space has closed and that the store will be moving to a new, larger space at 205 Glenridge Avenue in downtown Montclair in the upcoming weeks. Click here to learn all about the upcoming move.
Jared’s Fund Youth 2024 Fellowship Application Now Open
The sixth annual Jared’s Fund Youth Fellowships (JFYF) has begun its application period for Montclair High School juniors and seniors as well as recent MHS alumni. The fellowship awards a $2,500 stipend for mental health projects or internships, a bi-weekly speaker series, and training for four individuals or small groups of up to three people in the field of mental health. The fellowship runs six weeks from July 1st through August 7th, 2024. According to Montclair Local, JFYF is an initiative started by the Zimmerman-Baillargeon family in honor of their son, Jared Zimmerman, who died in 2016 as a “direct result of mental illness.” Applications close on May 10th.
New Nutley Restaurant + Banquet Space, The Hudson Rose, Plans for July Opening
Photo Credit: Gail PR
The Hudson Rose, a new restaurant and banquet space in Nutley, plans to open its doors at the former Franklin Steakhouse address at 238 Franklin Avenue in July. In addition, The Harlow Room is the set name for its private event space. Chef Andrew Riccatelli (formerly of Tao Group) is set to be at the helm and is an experienced New York City professional per an announcement from the restaurant’s team. Read more to find out what MG has the scoop on so far.
Late Montclair Native Honored at Montclair BOE Meeting
Friends and family of the late Elizabeth “Betsy” Joan Smith, a Montclair native known for her advocacy for inclusion, gathered at the Montclair Board of Education meeting on April 17th to honor her. Betsy worked at the Montclair YMCA for over 25 years and actively participated in 12 productions with Montclair’s SVPA. According to Montclair Local, she was the first person with Down syndrome in New Jersey to graduate as a member of the National Honor Society. The tribute included a slideshow celebrating Betsy’s life and contributions and guests took home a knitted pink heart in honor of Betsy always “wanting to add more pink to everyone’s life.” Betsy passed away unexpectedly on October 18th, 2023, at 46 years old.
8 Essex County Non-Profit Organizations Awarded $197,500 in Grants
The Schumann Fund for New Jersey’s Board of Trustees approved $197,500 in grant awards to eight Essex County non-profit organizations at its March 2024 quarterly meeting. The goal of the funds is to support the advancement of three of its priorities, per a statement from the Fund’s website: affordable homes and healthy communities, early childhood and education, and child welfare and youth justice programs. The eight grantee partners include CASA of Passaic and Union Counties, the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, Early Childhood Funders Collaborative’s Raising Child Care Fund, Imagine: A Center for Coping with Loss, the Legal Services of New Jersey, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, the Newark Community Impact Fund, and Turning Point Community Services.
Walnut Street Fair in Montclair Postponed to 9/29
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The 2024 Walnut Street Fair was recently postponed from Sunday, May 5th from to Sunday, September 29th due to the weather forecast. The event in September will take place from 11AM-4PM on Walnut Street from Grove Street to Forest Street in Montclair. The Walnut Street Fair is hosted by the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, and the presenting sponsors are BDP Holdings LLC and Optimum. Click here to learn more about this year’s Walnut Street Fair.
Newark City Council Denies Tax Break for Developer
The Newark City Council declined to grant a project a 25-year tax abatement to expand the Newark Museum of Art and build 250 surrounding apartments during a meeting on April 17th. According to NJ.com, the grant was rejected due to a history of complaints about rodents, water leaks, and other issues from residents of Georgia King Village, a complex in the city’s West Ward owned by the same developer, L+M Development Partners of Larchmont, New York. Council President Lamonica McIver said she was setting aside the ordinance until L+M demonstrates further improvements at the apartment complex.
Bond from Montclair Board of Education Projected to be Under Budget
The Montclair Board of Education reported on April 17th that its ongoing projects to upgrade and repair the district’s schools are progressing under budget. Business Administrator and Board Secretary, Christina Hunt, stated that the district has saved $3.7 million under the projected budget across 20 awarded projects, per Montclair Local. The Montclair BOE expects to significantly complete 16 of the total projects by August 30th of this year. In addition, the district is also ensuring inclusivity and equity in its contracting process by awarding 20% of the projects to small, minority- and women-owned businesses.
Montclair Center Art Walk Mural Auction 2024 Now Live
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Three local artists have their works displayed in the Montclair Center Art Walk Mural Auction 2024. Half of the proceeds from the sale of each piece will be donated to the non-profit of the artist’s choice, per the organization’s website. The three muralists include HiCoup, Chris “Cent” Reyes, and CHRISTIAN.
Montclair History Center Launches Scholarship for High School Students
The Montclair History Center has announced the launch of the Hortense Tate Scholarship. According to Patch Montclair, high school seniors who live in Montclair are eligible to apply for the $1,000 scholarship. The scholarship honors the late community leader Hortense Ridley Tate, who worked at the Glenridge Avenue YWCA throughout the 20th century.
Newark Residential Building Fire Displaces 6 Families
Six families had to be relocated after a multi-family home located at 729 South 13th Street in Newark went ablaze on April 22nd. Firefighters responded around 10:30AM and couldn’t get it under control until an hour later, per Patch Newark. Mutual aid was provided by the Irvington Fire Department, the Maplewood Fire Department, and the West Essex Fire Department. There were no injuries reported and the Newark Department of Public Safety’s Arson Unit is still investigating the cause of the fire.
Newark Symphony Hall Honors Local Legend Sarah Vaughan at Gala
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The Newark Symphony Hall honored Newark legend, Sarah Vaughan, with the inaugural Sarah A’Vaughan Garde Gala on April 18th. The celebration commemorated her 100th birthday and presented awards to her sister, Donna, as well as the Prudential Foundation for their excellence, respectively. According to Patch Newark, black-tie event was hosted by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Estelle and featured DJ Aktive along with performances from Patti Labelle, Gabby Samone, and others. It was also announced that the Hall would add a 30,000-square-foot Arts + Education Lab, a multi-year $75 million capital investment plan, aimed to serve the community.
Newark Launches ‘Justice Hub’ to Help Keep Youth Safe
Jacqueline Henry, senior director of youth education and employment services for the nonprofit organization United Community Corporation, is overseeing a pilot program in partnership with Essex County to guide young individuals onto a path away from crime. According to TapInto Newark, the Restorative and Transformative Justice Hub will have young people participating in education and relational activities and employment, as well as mental health and well-being programming. The program is funded by a $1.4 million grant from New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice Commission and is accepting referrals from public and charter schools in Newark along with the criminal justice system. It plans to serve about 300 young people over the life of the two-year grant with up to 40 participants at one time.
New Stew Leonard’s Location Opening in Clifton
The second Stew Leonard’s Farm Fresh Food and Wine location in New Jersey is set to open its doors on May 17th in Clifton’s Styertowne Shopping Center. It will move from its current location at The Promenade Shops At Clifton to 467 Allwood Road. According to a press release from the business, the new 56,000-square-foot open-concept grocery will employ more than 300 team members to start and another 200 team members to support seasonal sales later in the year. The food store will be open seven days a week from 8AM-9PM. Stew Leonard’s Wines + Spirits will be open Monday through Saturday from 8AM-9PM selling beer and wine, with the sale of liquor beginning daily at 9AM. Beer, wine, and liquor will be sold from 11AM-9PM (subject to New Jersey Alcohol Beverage Control approval) on Sunday.
Charges Follow in Abandoned Gun Incident in Montclair
Montclair Police has arrested an individual, 30-year-old Anthony Anderson, for allegedly abandoning a loaded firearm on a bench earlier in the month. The incident occurred on April 19th when a 9mm Sig Sauer containing seven rounds of ammunition was found in the 500-block vicinity of Bloomfield Avenue at 5:15AM on April 19th. He faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, per TapInto Montclair.
Montclair High School Students Participate in Campus Beautification Project
More than 30 Montclair High School students participated in a “Clean and Dream” event to help a long-term effort of beautifying the campus on April 27th. Co-leaders of the project, Donna Montague and John Sullivan, noted that the goal is to fix up the underutilized outdoor spaces surrounding the high school while creating more opportunities for connection between students and the community, per Montclair Local. The Montclair Garden Club provided design ideas and gardening advice while the high school’s shop classes made new benches, tables, and planters.
Newark Curfew Sets Enforcement Date
The Newark curfew that MG has reported on in recent weeks has set an official enforcement date after an uptick in crimes has surfaced involving suspects under the age of 18. According to CBS News, no underage minor will be allowed more than 100 yards away from their home without a guardian from 11PM-5:30AM on weekends starting May 3rd and will extend to seven days a week once school is back in session. There are no exceptions for work or community programs. There will be no fines or penalties for anyone breaking the rule as the goal is to “get kids home safely and help those who need it most.”
New Book Highlights Experiences of Newark Immigrant Teens
We Were Strangers Once, Too is a “first-of-its-kind” book from Newark Public Schools that tells the individual immigrant experiences of 58 students. Each story depicts a first-person account of the journey to the United States or an immigration experience, representing 24 countries, five continents, and told in over a dozen languages. One hundred percent of profits from the sale of the book will go right back to the authors through student fund accounts at Newark Public Schools and Science Park High School to provide resources for students who are experiencing food or financial hardships, per PR Newswire. The book is available for purchase on Amazon.
Out Montclair Announces Montclair Pride Festival Date
Out Montclair, the nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and celebrating LGBTQIA+ individuals across northern New Jersey, announced the date for the third annual Montclair Pride festival. It will take place on June 8th, sponsored by Audi Tristate Dealers. A sponsor village filled with more than 150 local vendors, LGBTQ+-owned businesses, artisans, crafts, and community organizations will be featured along with food trucks, family-friendly activities, and other vendors. Click here to learn more about this year’s festival.
Montclair Residents Alerted About Compromised Information in 2023 Cyberattack
A significant number of Montclair residents and employees received letters last week warning that their personal information had been leaked due to a cyberattack on the township’s servers that took place last year. According to NorthJersey.com, the information included financial account numbers, driver’s license numbers, and social security numbers that had been either “accessed and/or acquired.” It is being conspired that the breach might have been targeted since residents who have previously paid property taxes and utility bills with checks or bank cards received no letter. Manager Michael LaPolla, legal counsel Paul Burr, and IT Director Tony Fan have not yet responded to questions regarding how many people were affected and what corrective actions were being offered to those affected as of April 26th.
Java Love to Open Third Montclair Location
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The power duo behind Java Love has announced that a third Montclair location is in the works. The newest Java Love is taking over the former Diesel and Duke outpost, a burger joint relocating to Church Street later this spring. Click here for what MG knows about Java Love’s third location, coming soon to Montclair.
Late Senator Ronald L. Rice, Sr. Honored by Essex County College
Essex County College (ECC) commemorated the late New Jersey Senator Ronald L. Rice, Sr. during a ceremony held on March 21st. The college also renamed the college’s Public Safety Department in honor of Senator Rice, who is an alumnus of ECC’s Class of 1974. Many staff members of the college shared their sentiments acknowledging the impact Senator Rice had on the school and overall community, per TapInto East Orange/Orange. Senator Rice began his career as a Newark Police Officer and then spent a tenure as a Newark City Council member leading him to ultimately becoming a New Jersey State Senator for 36 years.
