The word is out about the new Riverwalk Outdoor Market at Port Imperial and folks who love a bargain are discovering this “All in One” waterfront market.
If you live in Hudson County or the surrounding communities visit Riverwalk and discover what others have-there are plenty of vendors with all kinds of merchandise and it really is a nice way to spend an afternoon
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Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that grants and loans are available for qualified businesses and non-profit organizations that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Smith said, “I urge businesses and non-profits that qualify for these programs to apply, so that they can continue to rebuild and recover from Hurricane Sandy. The City of Bayonne would like everyone eligible in our community to benefit from these helpful grants and loans.â€
           The first program is called Stronger NJ Business Grants. This $260 million program is available to help small businesses and non-profits that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Under this program, grants and forgivable loans of up to $50,000 per impacted location are available. Businesses with multiple impacted locations may be eligible for an award of up to $250,000. Eligible costs for reimbursement under this program may include: working capital (operating expenses), inventory, equipment, machinery, furnishings, and prospective construction.Â
           To be eligible for a Stronger NJ Business Grant, a business must meet at least the following conditions: 1.) It must have been in existence on the date of Sandy in New Jersey, October 29, 2012. 2.) It must have at least one location in New Jersey and be registered to do business in New Jersey. 3.) The business must have less than $1 million in liquid assets. 4) It must be a small business with annual revenues of at least $25,000. 5) The business must have sustained a minimum of $5,000 in Sandy-related physical damage per location seeking assistance, which may include damage to real property or non-perishable, non-consumable inventory.Â
           The second program is called Stronger NJ Business Loans. This $100 million program is available to help small businesses and non-profits that were impacted by Sandy, as well as businesses looking to expand within storm-impacted communities. Low-cost loans up to $5 million per eligible location, with 0% interest for the first 24 months and no principal payments for up to two years, are available for renovation, new construction, or equipment. Loans up to $500,000 are available to support working capital needs for eligible businesses.
           To be eligible, businesses within the nine most storm-impacted counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union) must: 1) be a small business with annual revenues of at least $25,000; 2) evidence a minimum of $5,000 in physical damage to real property or non-perishable and non-consumable inventory, and/or 3) positively impact the economy of their community through either capital investment or the creation or retention of jobs. Continue reading Grants and Loans Available for Bayonne Businesses, Non-Profits Damaged by Sandy
River View Observer: “Your Source for Fine and Casual Dining in Hudson CountyÂ
By Sally Deering
 
During the summer months, River View Observer likes to slip into the kitchen of some of Hudson’s best restaurants and shine a spotlight on the chefs who create the delicious dishes on their menus. This week, RO visited Casa Dante restaurant a few blocks north of Journal Square on Newark Avenue. Casa Dante opened 40 years ago and changed hands about 8 years ago just around the time Chef Gregg Freda came on board as Executive Chef.
Newark Ave. could use a little fixing-up, that’s for sure, and it appears the street outside Casa Dante will be going through some demo to put in new street lights, but that shouldn’t deter a visit to Casa Dante. Once you step inside the restaurant’s foyer, you are immediately transported to an extremely tranquil setting where a visitor can easily relax and enjoy the traditional Italian cuisine. Another good reason: Casa Dante has its own parking lot, a rarity in Jersey City.
Casa Dante’s menu includes Antipasto dishes like Mozzarella in Carrozza, mozzarella, parmigiano encrusted bread, lightly fried; served with a size of the house marinara sauce; Clams Oregnata, Little Neck clams baked with oregano-seasoned bread crumbs; and Fried Calamari, tender fresh calamari lightly fried and served with lemon and a choice of sweet or hot marinara. Salads feature the Insalada di Avocado, avocado, hearts of palm, fresh mozzarella and diced tomatoes with lemon and olive oil dressing; and Crabmeat Salad, tangy arugula, colossal crabmeat and asparagus in garlic and lemon dressing. And the House Specialty, Seafood Salad ala Dante, chilled shrimp, scungilli, calamari, diced tomato, lemon, garlic and olive oil. There are Pasta, Chicken, Veal, Seafood and Steak entrees, all traditional Italian cuisine. Chef Freda also creates daily specials, some with a flavorful twist.
Let’s meet Chef Freda!
RVO: Chef Freda, what is your background and how did you get interested in cooking?
CF: I was born in Newark and raised in Verona. I’m the middle-child. My mother’s side of the family has always been into food. My grandfather Frank Panico was a butcher and had his own shop in Newark. My first job was in King Supermarket where I worked as a cashier while I was still in high school. I was always around food. Then my uncle Frank opened Panico’s restaurant and I started out as a cook, worked my way to sous chef and chef. That was in the 90s. Continue reading Ten Ingredients: At Casa Dante, Chef Freda Creates Italian Dishes a Traditional Grandmother Would Love
 By Sally Deering
 Artist Meredith Lippman seems the perfect fit for her position as Program Development Specialist for the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development. Lippman empathizes with the artists she advocates for and she works diligently to help them connect with the Hudson community and grow their careers through workshops, newsletters and updates on venues where they can exhibit works.
Hudson’s Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs provides advisory services, technical assistance, grant programs, audience development initiatives, artist round tables and networking events for artists in the community. The Office also hosts tours and lectures on Hudson’s history, promotes historic preservation and presents events that celebrate Hudson’s cultural diversity. Joining Lippman on staff are Eileen Gaughan and Robert Kakolewski, and director William LaRosa. Continue reading Artists’ Advocate-Meredith Lippman, Program Development Specialist for Hudson County’s Office of Cultural Affairs Bridges Artists and Community
By Sally Deering
 The 17th Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIFF) takes place Tues, Aug 6 and runs through Sun, Aug. 12, and one of the short films on the festival’s schedule is MANIAC directed by Sam Borowski and starring Bill Sorvino of Jersey City. Borowski, whose films have competed at the Golden Door International Film Festival in Jersey City – which is produced by Sorvino – will premiere MANIAC at RIFF for the chance to be an Oscar contender in the Best Short Film category.
MANIAC makes its world premiere on Sunday, the closing night of the festival. In the short film, Sorvino plays ‘The Man’ a good guy who does bad things for good reasons.
“It’s about a man who turns to vigilantism after being pushed over the edge,†Borowski says. “Something happens that makes him turn. It’s like violent philanthropy. He’s trying to rid the world of bad people. It’s a socially relevant film. The last few years have been a sort of Depression. If you look at the social and economic climate of the country, somebody who’s not right is affected even more by the fact that things are really tough out there.
“The character of ‘The Man’ played by Sorvino believes in doing what’s right but he breaks the law,†Borowski continues. “We’re trying to look at what pushes people over the edge. It will get people talking on both sides. That’s why I know it’s relevant. It’s very shades of gray; not all bad, but not all good.â€
MANIAC was written by Nihad Shalabi, an Intern at Borowski’s The Naoj Company. Shalabi came to Borowski with a story he wrote, Borowski says he liked it, did a rewrite and put it on his immediate ‘to do’ list.
Recent acquisitions bring the number of works in the collection to more than 500.
 JERSEY CITY, N.J. / August 7, 2013 — Although it was founded just seven years ago, the Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Foundation Art Collection now includes more than 500 works of art. The Collection includes highly respected paintings, sculptures, photographs, limited edition prints and American craft pottery and ephemera from some of America’s and New Jersey’s finest artists.
The works, which have been acquired as a result of the generosity of many donors and the astute direction of the HCCC Foundation Fine Arts Acquisition Committee, are permanently installed throughout the public areas of the College’s buildings in Jersey City and Union City. Continue reading Hudson County Community College Foundation Art Collection Marks Major Milestone
JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop and Jersey City Police Department officials announced today the arrest of 47 individuals on a variety of charges, including a range of narcotics offenses, that resulted as part of multi-agency overnight operation – the second of its kind in two weeks.
The Jersey City Police Department was the lead agency, with cooperation from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
More than two dozen municipal ordinance and motor vehicle summonses were also issued as part of the operation. In total, 82 individuals have been arrested during the recent Jersey City Police Department sweeps.
“For the second week in a row, the Jersey City Police Department has targeted the areas that historically have been the source of ongoing crime problems and used the intelligence gathered to arrest those offenders involved in the drug activity which leads to violence on our streets,†said Mayor Fulop. “By working with other law enforcement agencies, we have been able to combine our resources to send a strong message that we will not tolerate drugs and violence in our neighborhoods.†Continue reading JCPD Leads Second Multi-Agency Operation in Two Weeks; Nearly 50 Arrested on Numerous Charges
Police Department & Community to Join at Four Parks
 JERSEY CITY — Mayor Steven M. Fulop and the Jersey City Police Department will host the 30th Annual National Night Out (NNO), a crime prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) and Target, NNO’s national sponsor. Events will take place simultaneously, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Pershing Field, Arlington Park, Audubon Park, and Hamilton Park.
 The two police unions, the Police Superior Officers Association (PSOA) and the Police Officers Benevolent Association (POBA)and the Jersey City Police Foundation are helping to sponsor two of the locations.
National Night Out encourages neighbors and communities to come together, get acquainted with one another, and have a fun-filled safe night that fosters neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships. There will be balloons, refreshments, plenty of entertainment and activities, games, and giveaways in each park. Various community and service organizations will be on hand to provide information to the public.
“Addressing the public safety issue in our city has been the first priority for my administration,†said Mayor Fulop. “We are redeploying personnel to where they are needed most, increasing police presence in our communities, and restructuring the department to provide more accountability and
Mayor Fulop will visit National Night Out locations to commend and acknowledge those individuals and groups who are providing invaluable services and resources to their community. Continue reading Jersey City to Celebrate 30th Annual National Night Out Against Crime Tuesday, August 6th
 
Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the Shop Bayonne Property Tax Reward Program will be launched in early August. The program will encourage people to shop locally by providing property tax credits for homeowners and rebate checks for renters, every time they patronize local participating merchants. Mayor Smith said, “Bayonne stores and professional services need to increase their numbers of customers, and Bayonne property owners want to reduce their tax bills. The Shop Bayonne Card will achieve both goals. We are very excited about this program, which will be a win-win for the people and the businesses of Bayonne.  It is also important to mention that this program has no cost to our City. Bayonne Community Bank has sponsored this initiative.â€
In early August, the City of Bayonne will mail 11,000 Shop Bayonne swipe cards Continue reading Shop Bayonne Card to Launch in Early August,Will Boost Local Business, and Reduce Participants’ Property Taxes
Consolidation Will Save City Thousands and Foster Better Communications Between Police and Fire Divisions While Enhancing Public SafetyÂ
JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop announced that his administration  introduced at Monday July 29th City Council Caucus meeting four major consolidation measures to cut costs and streamlines services within municipal government.
The first ordinance establishes a Department of Public Safety and merges the Police and Fire Departments, as well as the Office of Emergency Management, into one central department. The day-to-day operations of each division will continue to be overseen by their respective chiefs, with a Director of Public Safety heading the department.
 This consolidation will eliminate the cost of two directors, as well as numerous other administrative costs, with initial anticipated savings of $343,112. The merger will also facilitate better communication between the police and fire divisions as well as enhanced public safety for residents.
“For years, there has been abundant waste and duplication of services across all departments, which is something we identified during the transition,†said Mayor Fulop. “Making municipal government more efficient is one of the top priorities of my administration and tonight we are beginning the process of eliminating waste and creating a government that works for the taxpayers.†Continue reading Mayor Fulop Announces Creation of Department of Public Safety; Consolidation of Divisions Within Three Additional Departments to Cut Costs & Streamline Services
