Bloomfield Daily Buzz: Feb. 3, 2025

LOCAL NEWS

Bloomfield residents can register for a community garden bed starting Feb. 3. Garden beds are available at Pulaski Park, Oakeside, and Milbank Park. Registration is required online. Annual fee is $50 and waived for veterans.
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Bloomfield Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Department

Performance of production “Chapter Two” planned at Nutley Little Theater on Feb. 7-22. Admission is $25. Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets available online.
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Nutley Little Theater

Children ages 6-12 can register for Montclair History Center’s summer farm camp on Feb. 7. It is designed for people interested in nature, history, and agriculture. Camp is available in four weeklong sessions in August with a $450-700 fee. Attendees will learn about food, animals, and gardening. Registration available online.
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Montclair History Center

Screening of “Stronger Than Steel: The Senator Wynona Lipman Story” planned by Montclair Art Museum on Feb. 9. It begins at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a discussion with filmmaker Celeste A. Bateman and public policy specialist Richard Roper. Sen. Wynona Lipman was N.J.’s first Black female state senator. Lipman represented most of Newark for 27 years. Admission is $5 for students and members, and $15 for non-members. Registration is available online.
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Montclair Art Museum

Community members can share input on N.J.’s oversight of the state’s corrections department with N.J. Corrections Ombudsman Terry Schuster on Feb. 5 in Paterson. An ombudsperson is an appointed official who investigates complaints of malpractice. The listening session is co-hosted by Paterson Healing Collective and will take place at 100 Hamilton Plaza, Suite 145, from 6-8 p.m. Registration is not required.
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New Jersey Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson

Family day event planned by Newark Museum of Art on Feb. 9. The free event is from 12-4 p.m. There will be a planetarium show and an exhibit of Black artists whose work is shown at the Arts of Global Africa gallery. Registration is required.
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Newark Museum of Art

North Jersey Community Research Initiative offers a syringe exchange program in Newark that provides sterile syringes and safe disposal options for used needles. The program is authorized by N.J. Syringe disposals and exchanges are located at 393 Central Ave. Appointments are not necessary.
North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI)

Online discussion of N.J.’s affordable housing crisis planned by NJPAC on Feb. 10. It begins at 7 p.m. and will include panelists N.J. director of the office of homeless prevention Michael Callahan, president of nonprofit New Beginnings Amir Khan, vice president for integrative services at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Julia Orlando, and Newark’s director of homeless services Luis Ulerio. The panel will be moderated by Linda McDonald, an attorney and educator who grew up in Newark’s Central Ward. Attendees must watch “Poverty, Politics and Profit” film in advance of the event. Registration is available online.
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New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

Businesses and individuals can donate an item for auctioning at Isaiah House’s “House of Love,” scheduled for Feb. 22. Donors must complete an online form to be considered. The annual event supports Isaiah House’s programming and social services.
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Isaiah House

New Jersey families earning $60,000 or less are eligible for free tax preparation services by the Urban League of Essex County’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, sponsored by the IRS. Services are available weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The last day to file taxes is Apr. 15. Appointments can be made by phone. A list of required documents is available online.
Urban League of Essex County

New Jersey residents ages 21+ can apply for a scholarship to the Garden State Tree Foundation Conference by Feb. 10. Eligible applicants must show an interest in tree stewardship. The conference is in Atlantic City on Feb. 27-28. Scholarships pay for registration, travel, and hotel.
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NJ Tree Foundation

Youth in grades 5-8 can attend Essex County 4-H’s Computer Science Club at Rutgers-Newark on Feb. 10. There will be hands-on activities to explore coding from 6-8 p.m. Registration is required online. Pizza will be provided.
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Essex County 4-H

REGIONAL NEWS

New Jersey is seeing high levels of three viral infections, with RSV cases low and decreasing, according to CDC data. Across the state, COVID activity is high, and influenza A, or flu, activity is very high and increasing. Norovirus infections jumped 350% in N.J. since 2023, according to health officials, and activity is high across the country.
New Jersey Patch

New Jersey seniors ages 65+ and disabled homeowners will be able to apply for three separate property tax relief programs in a single application form, known as PAS-1. The new form combines applications to Anchor, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ programs, with a filing deadline of Oct. 31. Applications will be available online in February and sent by paper with instructions in early March to more than 1 million households, according to the state Department of the Treasury. State officials will review PAS-1 forms and notify residents of program eligibility by mail.
New Jersey Division of Taxation