JERSEY CITY  – Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, and the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management, are asking that the residents of Jersey City take the necessary precautions in the event of dangerous weather conditions.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area from tonight at 6 P.M. through 6 P.M. EST Thursday evening, with snow accumulations expected between two to four inches, and an additional one to three inches on Thursday night through Friday evening.

This storm is also expected to produce a heavy mix of rain and snow, which combined with strong winds, could lead to downed tree branches and power lines. Wind gusts can possibly reach up to 50 mph along the immediate coast this evening through Thursday morning.

“We are urging all residents to eliminate all non-essential driving tonight and to avoid double parking and parking close to corners,” said

Mayor Healy. “This will greatly assist us in the clean-up of this storm and the passage of plows, if necessary; as well ensure the safety of other drivers and pedestrians.”

The city snow team, which is comprised of representatives from the

 Mayorâ€s Office, the Jersey City Incinerator Authority, the Department of Public Works, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Parking Authority, has been meeting regularly in advance of the winter weather to fine tune the cityâ€s snow plan.

Garbage collection has been suspended for this evening, however street sweeping and parking enforcement will remain in effect until further notice.

The post Jersey City Posts Storm Warning for March 5th and 6th, 2013 first appeared on River View Observer.

Razza is located at 275 Grove Street (across from Jersey City’s City Hall)- (201) 356-9348

Open: Mon: 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm-Wed – Thu: 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm

The post Razza Pizza Artigianale Now Open in Historic Downtown Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.

A weeklong celebration honoring the African heritage and culture

– Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy and members of the Municipal Council, along with the Division of Cultural Affairs, will celebrate Kwanzaa from 6:00 p.m. through 9:00 p.m., tomorrow, Thursday, December 27, 2012 at the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center, at 140 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.

“The seven principles of Kwanzaa are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith,” said Mayor Healy. “These are the fundamental strengths of building a great city and I am proud to celebrate the rich African-American culture and traditions, and their contributions to Jersey City.”

Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration observed each year from December 26th  through January 1st. The event features a candle lighting ceremony which seven candles (Mishumaa Saba) are placed in a kinara, a special candle holder. Each candle represents one of the Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba) of Kwanzaa. The lighting of the candles will be performed by Daniel Wiley, a former African-American studies professor at New Jersey City University.”

Tommorrow’s event, “Matunda Ya Kwanzaa -The First Fruit”- will feature expressionsof thanks, music, poetry and the candlelighting ceremony.

“As we gather to commemorate this seven day celebration,” continued Mayor Healy. “May we be reminded that Kwanzaa is an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions of our African American citizens and I encourage everyone to partake in the events of Kwanzaa.”

About Kwanzaa

The historical legacy of Black Americans is best reflected in the Kwanzaa Holiday, a “first fruits” celebration created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 California.

Kwanzaa introduces and reinforces seven basic values of African culture that contribute to building and sustaining family, community and culture among African American people. The values, commonly referred to as the Nguzo Saba, which is Swahili for seven principles, are at the heart of the origin and meaning of the celebration.

The seven principles Kwanzaa are:

umoja (unity) to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race; kujichagulia (self-determination) to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves; ujima (collective work and responsibility) to build and maintain our community together and make our brotherâ€s and sisterâ€s problems our problems and to solve them together; ujamaa (cooperative economics) to build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together; nia (purpose) to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness; kuumba (creativity) to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it; imani (faith) to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

For more information regarding Kwanzaa, please call the Division of Cultural Affairs at 201-547-6921 or visit jerseycitynj.gov

The post Jersey City to Celebrate Kwanzaa first appeared on River View Observer.

The foot patrols, which are being made possible with the additional 22 officers who are set to be sworn in Friday, will be added in areas throughout the city where needed, the Police Department. In addition, the Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security will unveil a new piece of equipment that will add to crime deterrence capabilities. 

“Public safety has always been mission number one for this administration,” said Mayor Healy. “One of our goals this year was acquiring grant funding to hire new officers and we have done that. We will continue to seek funding to hire more officers so thereby adding to our police presence throughout the city.”

In July, the U.S. Department of Justice awarded the City $1.85 million through the COPS hiring program to hire 15 new officers. The additional seven officers in the new class are paid for through the municipal budget. Additionally in April, the City hired 13 officers through lateral transfers from other police departments.

With the 22 new recruits, the Police Department will have a total of 806 sworn personnel. When Mayor Healy took office in 2004, he quickly worked to hire new police officers as the Department was at an all-time low with only 789 officers. By 2008, under the leadership of Mayor Healy, ranks in the department had risen to 905 sworn officers, but that number has dropped with massive retirements taking place in recent years and due to the fiscal challenges that have faced municipalities across the state.

“We suffered a significant reduction in staff due to retirements over the past two to three years,” said Police Chief Tom Comey. “We have been working with the administration to identify funding, including federal grant funds, to hire additional officers to replenish our ranks. We are pleased to be able to add these officers in the areas where they will be needed.”

 The “Eye in the Sky” surveillance tower, which is a $100,000 piece of police equipment, was acquired by the Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security through the state Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program. Used by Police Departments around the nation, including the NYPD, this piece of technology allows law enforcement to rise above a second story roof line. It is used for crowd management, emergency response, port security, and is widely considered a successful crime deterrent apparatus.

“Having an ‘Eye in the Sky†allows our Police Department to have a 360 degree vantage point for surveillance,” said Greg Kierce, Director of OEM & Homeland Security. “We know this is an effective deterrent and are pleased to be able to have this valuable tool as part of our crime fighting arsenal.”

The post Jersey City Mayor Healy & Police Chief Comey to Announce Two Crime Fighting Initiatives first appeared on River View Observer.

The Jersey City Fund at City Hall this Thursday, December 6th,2012

“Jersey Cityâ€s small businesses are the backbone of our community and securing the

Corporationâ€s partnership with New Jersey Community Capital and Goldman Sachs Gives is

a big step in helping Jersey Cityâ€s small businesses — and our community — and we are

Development Corporation (201-33-7797) or the Mayorâ€s Action Bureau (201-547-4900 or

Sachs Gives, a contribution that aligns with the goals of the firmâ€s 10,000 Small Businesses

through the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation at 201-333-7797 or the Mayorâ€s

=

The post Jersey City Hurricane-Affected Small Businesses Urged to Attend Open House for REBUILD New Jersey – first appeared on River View Observer.

JERSEY CITY

“The Junction will surely improve the aesthetics and quality of life in the community,” said Mayor Healy. “The improved attractiveness of the Junction will make the area more enticing and will attract more pedestrian traffic and more pedestrian traffic means more business for local merchants.” 

The Junction project will provide 3,200 square feet of new, passive recreation and open space and roadway upgrades such as new tree plantings, decorative street lighting, sidewalk, curb and ADA compliant ramps and decorative crosswalks. A JC logo imprint within the roadway intersections serves as an additional identifier for the area. The open space design features brick and concrete pavement materials arranged in a concentric, circular framework that evokes the radial function of the roadway system in and out of the Project area.

The Junction project has been selected to receive the Project-of-the-Year award under the construction management category by the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers. The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, December 5th at Noon at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The Junction project was funded in part by money from the stateâ€s Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Program. Urban business districts can charge 3.5 percent sales tax rather than 7 percent, and can use that money for beautification. The Junction project received $800,000 from the UEZ and $500,000 from the NJDOT.

Communipaw Junction, or simply, The Junction, is where Communipaw, Summit Avenue and Garfield Avenue, and Grand Street meet. The Bergen Hill Historic District is centered around Summit Avenue as it ascends from the Junction. The district is not on the National Register of Historic Places, but has a state designation; a prominent landmark being St John’s Church.

The post “The Junction” Project in Jersey City -Grand Opening Ceremony first appeared on River View Observer.

JERSEYCITY – Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy and officials from the Office of Emergency Management has expanded their hot meal distribution sites for today, Saturday November 3, 2012.

Free hot meals will be distributed at the Hudson County Boys and Girls Club, 1 Canal Street and the Ercel Webb Park Public Swimming Pool (Johnston Avenue entrance) from 5-7 p.m.

 “Weâ€ve opened these types of centers across the city because we want to ensure that no one is forgotten in this crisis and we will be responsive to your needs,” Healy said from OEM Headquarters.

Officials are still counting the number of hot and cold ready-meals that have been distributed since Hurricane Sandy landed on Monday. The total is estimated that the number may be as high as 100,000 meals in the six days since the historic and devastating storm struck.///

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The 2012 Jersey City Artists Studio Tour will take place this weekend, Saturday, October 13^th and Sunday, October 14^th from Noon – 6:00 p.m. This FREE self-guided art tour will feature galleries, artist studios and ad hoc exhibition sites citywide.

Presented by Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, the Municipal Council, and the Jersey City Dept. of Health & Human Services/Division of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with ProArts, and the Hudson Reporter the tour is in its 22^nd year, the Annual Jersey City Artists Studio Tour is a weekend celebration of the East Coastâ€s fastest growing art scene that features hundreds of artists, dozens of exhibitions, galleries, museums, live music and performances, food, drink and parties – all located just five minutes from Manhattan.

The Jersey City Artists Studio Tour features a diverse selection of styles and artistic disciplines, from avant-garde video and sculpture to traditional oil painting. Tour goers will have the opportunity to meet and talk to the artists themselves, including interaction with the artists in their working environments.

From a diverse art scene, to the eclectic shops and boutiques, indulging in multi-ethnic cuisines at local restaurants along the tour route, or simply enjoying the lively atmosphere strolling from one studio to the next, for visitors and tour goers, this is a wonderful way to spend the weekend exploring all that Jersey City has to offer.

The post Mayor Healy to Kick-­Off Jersey City’s 22nd Annual Artists Studio Tour first appeared on River View Observer.