Local news
Newark city council voted 8-0 to lower voting age for school board election to 16 in advance of April 2024 election. A final vote on the ordinance is planned for Jan. 10. If passed, it will partially enfranchise 7,200 Newark residents age 16-17. The 2023 school board election turned out just 3 percent of registered voters.
TAPinto Newark
Newark marks 100 years of reporting weather data to National Weather Service. The city’s reservoir watershed in West Milford recently received awards from the World Meteorological Organization and the National Weather Service celebrating its centennial. The facility measures precipitation and temperatures to manage the dam and reporting findings to state and federal weather offices.
TAPinto Newark
New Jersey Citizen Action to host “Health Insurance Open Enrollment Period Assistance” from Dec. 21 to Jan. 31 at their 165 Halsey St. in Newark location. Free virtual and in-person appointments are available. Walk-ins welcome. Assistance is available in English and Spanish. Preregistration can be completed by phone, email, or through an online form. Add to 📅.
New Jersey Citizen Action
Brookdale ShopRite receives $250K grant from state economic development authority to open grocery pick up location at Shani Baraka Women’s Resource Center in South Ward. The location is intended to expand grocery access in the food desert with the installation of refrigerated lockers that could more safely store deliveries for local pickup. Residents will be able to place online orders with ShopRite for free delivery to the location.
NJ BIZ
Newark’s affordable housing units can be found and listed on NewarkHousingSearch.com. Property owners and developers are required to post all available listings online, giving residents priority access under the city’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance.
Newark City
Edna Hill, a resident at New Community Extended Care Facility in Newark, recently celebrated her 100th birthday with her family, nursing home staff, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and city council members. Hill was celebrated for her public service as clerk and to her church community.
Patch Newark
Newark council members expressed concerns about the micro-transit rental program NewarkGo during a discussion with bike and scooter vendors, citing safety risks and crashes. Community members can call the city’s 4311 number to request a bike or scooter be picked up by Newark’s engineering department if it’s in an inappropriate location. Vendors Bird and Veo said they issue warnings, fines, and suspensions for riders who park improperly.
TAPinto Newark
Rutgers-Newark creates new Chair in LGBTQ+ Public Health at its School of Public Health with gift from alumnus James F. Dougherty. The endowed chair help establish the Rutgers Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health.
Patch Newark
Essex County declares a “Code Blue Activation” from Dec. 21 through the morning of Dec. 22 due to forecasted temperatures below 32 degrees. People seeking shelter can visit participating facilities at St. Mark’s Church at 51 Elm St. and Office Restaurant at 619 Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair, and Irvington Neighborhood Improvement Corp. located at 346 16th Ave. in Irvington. All locations accept single men and women.
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
Isaiah House, an East Orange non-profit that supports unhoused and at-risk families, seeks holiday lunch and dinner catering sponsors for its residents. Contact Isaiah House by phone or email.
Isaiah House
NJPAC to host a holiday circus from Cirque Dreams Holidaze Dec. 26 in Newark. The performance begins at 7 p.m. at 1 Center St. It features aerial acts, jugglers, dancers, and other performers in a Broadway-style production. Tickets are available online for purchase. Add to 📅.
NJPAC
Seton Hall University to host the 2023 “New Jersey Higher Ed Mental Health Summit” on Jan. 10 in South Orange. The event, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature a keynote address by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and various breakout sessions led by experts. Attendees will develop strategies together to support students’ well-being. Preregistration is required. Add to 📅.
ROI NJ
Essex County Prosecutor’s Office charged Bloomfield firefighter Walter Coffey with “harassment with a purpose to intimidate” after giving a Black co-worker a rope noose, according to a filed complaint. Patrick Thomas has hired attorneys and obtained a temporary restraining order against Coffey, who has been suspended without pay. Attorneys are investigating the fire department to determine if they had prior knowledge of Coffey’s actions, and a permanent restraining order is pending.
NBC News
