Follow local news and events in Bloomfield with The Jersey Bee. Here is The Daily Buzz for Dec. 4, 2025 from The Jersey Bee.
LOCAL NEWS
Oakeside book club meeting planned with Bloomfield recreation on Dec. 11. Attendees will discuss “Brightly Shining” by Ingvild Rishoi at the Oakeside Cultural Center at 7 p.m. Registration available online.
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Bloomfield Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Department
Stage production of “Joy Meets Girl” planned with Skyline Theater Company on Dec. 13-14 and Dec. 20-21 in Bloomfield. Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center. Tickets are available online for purchase.
Skyline Theater Company.
Webinar discussing college financial aid planned with Maplewood library on Dec. 11. The free workshop is presented by My College Planning Team and begins at 6:30 p.m. It will discuss financial aid options, costs, and the admissions process. Registration is required. Library card not required.
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Maplewood Public Library
Coat distribution for children planned with Parents Engaging Parents Inc., a community organization based in Newark, on Dec. 13 in Orange. It is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Upper Field House Central Playground, 234 Lincoln Ave. First-come, first-served.
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Parents Engaging Parents Inc.
Healthcare enrollment assistance planned with New Jersey Citizen Action on Dec. 13 in Irvington. It is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Irvington library. Spanish interpretation available. Free admission.
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New Jersey Citizen Action
Dance fundraiser benefitting families affected by ICE planned with NJ Bomba Collective on Dec. 12 in Union City. Doors open at 6 p.m. There will be a know-your-rights training followed by a dance party. Training is free. Dance party begins at 7:30 p.m. Donations will be used to help families pay for rent, groceries, medical bills, and other expenses. Location available upon registration.
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NJ Bomba Collective
“Art in Nature” program for families planned at Essex County Environmental Center on Dec. 13 in Roseland. It is from 10-11:30 a.m. Participants will collect materials outdoors for an art craft. Admission is $15. Registration is required.
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Essex County Environmental Center
REGIONAL NEWS
Newark hotels will charge guests a $3 per-day tax to fund the city’s firefighter services under a state law that passed on Nov. 13. The law currently only applies to Newark because it affects municipalities with an international airport. Newark is required to use the hotel surcharge revenue to supplement additional funding for the fire department. According to 2024 and 2025 city documents, Newark fire department received about $90 million in city funding. Michael Giunta, president of Newark Fire Union, said training and gear costs are outpacing budgets. The law is modeled after Atlantic City’s $2 per-day hotel tax that funds its fire department. Funds will be collected by the state and revenue will be sent to Newark on a monthly basis, and are only available if firefighter costs increase year-to-year, according to the law.
TAPinto Newark.
