Photo courtesy of City of Hoboken.
People and places around New Jersey have been working this past week to pass a bill to promote safety, encourage college students to apply for free financial aid and even help residents clean up their Christmas decorations.
Let’s get into it.
Potential New Bill Promises To End Daily Deaths On NJ Roads
The New Jersey state legislature is promising New Jersey residents to remove roadway fatalities and serious injuries across the state by 2040.
This promise is seen in the Target Zero Commission Bill (A1476/S361), which was passed unanimously last week by both the Senate and the Assembly. It now heads to State Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk for a signature, which would finalize Jersey’s step forward towards better traffic safety.
The Vision Zero NJ Alliance is a strategy to end traffic deaths and severe injuries, and improve mobility for all. The alliance is asking Gov. Murphy to organize signing the bill into law without delay as 2025 is just days away.”
In 2024, New Jersey families lost 674 loved ones to road deaths.
Once Gov. Murphy signs the bill, this legislation will be the first in the entire country to bring together 13 state agencies to develop a data-driven action plan using evidence-based strategies to get to zero roadway fatalities and injuries by 2040, according to Vision Zero NJ Alliance.
The bill will examine physical transportation designs at the most dangerous locations. This will make sure that the most vulnerable people such as children, senior citizens, pedestrians, cyclists and communities disproportionately impacted are prioritized and taken care of.
Gov. Murphy has called for a collaborative approach to improving school zone safety to ensure the protection of crossing guards and children throughout New Jersey especially after the most recent death of a crossing guard who was struck by a car while on the job in Burlington, New Jersey.
With the Target Zero Commission, New Jersey can take a collaborative approach toward safeguarding everyone across the state’s intersections.
Listen Up College Students! Apply For Your Free Financial Aid
College students in the U.S can now apply for free financial aid, or FAFSA, which comes in the form of loans and grants from the government. This offers support to students paying out-of-pocket for their college education.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA, has been available since Nov. 21 for the 2025-2026 period.
Last year, the application had a glitch which resulted in a decrease in submitted FAFSA applications and rushed college acceptances. But after a government testing period to a limited group of students and schools, including some Newark Public Schools students, it seems to be fixed.
“After months of hard work and lots of feedback from students, schools, and other stakeholders, we can say with confidence that FAFSA is working and will serve as the gateway to college access and affordability to millions of students,” U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a statement.
How To Apply
This year’s FAFSA form is available both online and on paper.
Filling out the FAFSA application is always an important step for incoming and returning college students because it provides access to federal aid programs such as grants, work-study and student loans. High school and college counselors have already begun informing parents and students of FAFSA’s availability, urging them to fill out the application as early as they can.
New Jersey high schoolers graduates in 2025, 2026 or 2027 are required to fill out and submit the FAFSA, or be exempted from the law with a suitable waiver signed by their guardians. This comes after a law was signed earlier this year by Gov. Murphy requiring the applications as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma.
New Jersey is also offering data-sharing agreements and other assistance to high school counselors to help keep up with assisting senior students in submitting the FAFSA form to comply with the law.
Additional information and assistance for New Jersey students filling out the form is available through HESAA at hesaa.org/Pages/financialaidhub.aspx. The agency provides free webinars, in-person workshops at community sites such as schools, and written resources.
New Jersey student applicants can contact customer support at 609-584-4480 and CustomerCare@hesaa.org.
These Hudson County Cities Just Banned Drones
Recently there has been a lot of speculation and stories circulating the sightings of drones in New Jersey.
Because of these reports and findings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily put a ban on drone flights in certain areas of the state including Kearny, Harrison, Bayonne and Jersey City.
The ban comes as an attempt to assist the federal and state authorities as they work to determine what exactly the drones are being used for and why. However, federal and state officials have already assured people that there is no threat to public safety or national security associated with the drones.
The drone ban will last until Jan. 17, 2025. After this the FAA will provide further updates on the case.
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Getting Rid Of Christmas Trees? These Hudson County Towns Can Help
The City of Hoboken is letting residents dispose of their Christmas trees by putting it out on their curb starting the week of Dec. 30 after 7:30 p.m., or 9 p.m. for Washington Street, on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Christmas trees will be picked up the next morning by a separate crew from those who pick up regular garbage and recycling. All Christmas trees must be completely bare for disposal with no lights, ornaments, or tinsel on them and are not to be placed in plastic bags.
Up in North Hudson, North Bergen Earth Talks is offering a free compost option to get rid of your holiday tree on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 9 a.m.
To avoid the tree from being mistaken as garbage, the tree must be put outside of your home on the morning of pickup and not the night before. The tree must be tripped from all decorations and be put on the sidewalk of your home at 9:00 a.m.
Pickup is available for:
📍North Bergen
📍Jersey City
📍Hoboken
📍West New York
📍Union City
📍Weehawken
📍Guttenberg
📍Secaucus
Because there is limited free pick-ups available, the Neighborhood Compost is offering a $25 tree pick-up option for those with the means to afford this option.
If you are a local, Hudson County farm, garden, or environmental team in need of full trees, you can also sign up for a delivery.
Jersey City Offers Free Space For Artists
Project 14C is offering a special project mini residency program for free.
The two and a half month residency would offer a free studio space to individual artists or groups of collaborative artists from Feb. 1 up until April 13, 2025.
This is designed for artists who need extra space to complete a project, and all projects must be completed by April 11.
The completed projects will then be shown to the public during the Art Crawl Downtown on Friday April 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.,and Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The deadline to apply is Sunday Jan. 10, 2025 at 11:59 ET p.m. Artists will be notified no later than Jan. 17.
For more information about the program and the free application, visit the official Project 14C website.
Project 14C also already has a packed 2025:
- Art Crawls (1st two dates: April 11, 2025 and May 9, 2025, both in Downtown Jersey City)
- The 6th Edition of Art Fair 14C (applications due Feb. 3, 2025)
- Gallery 14C will have programming, including more art fairs
- Partnerships will be announced, including with the Canopy by Hilton Jersey City Arts District
- An in-person community planning meeting in January for the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour
Three Hudson County Diners Named The Best
If there’s one thing that Jersey’s got, it’s iconic diners. And according to NJ.com, three of them reside in Hudson County.
Tops Diner, White Mana Diner and Miss America Diner all made the list for the website’s top 41 greatest diners for 2024.
“We take our Diners very seriously here in New Jersey, we are the diner capital after all 🍽️ That’s why we were thrilled to see 3 Hudson County Diners make the Top 41 of 2024 list by @njdotcom. So close your eyes, dream up your go-to diner meal and head out and make it happen! Congrats to @thetopsdiner @whitemanadiner and @themissamericadiner,” read @visithudsonnj’s Instagram post.
The White Mana Diner is located at 470 Tonnelle Ave in Jersey City and has been open since 1946. It’s often dubbed as the “Best Burger in NJ.” Many celebrities have frequented the diner including singer Akon, boxers Mike Tyson and Terrence Crawford and more thanks to owner Mario Costa, who is deeply embedded in the community.
The diner was recently one of the shooting locations in the new Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chamelet.
The Miss America Diner, located at 322 West Side Avenue, has served breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert for almost 85 years.
The restaurant was founded in 1942 by Joe Cherico, the original owner, and was initially named the Joe Cherico Diner. Shortly after opening, Fritz Welte, a German immigrant, bought the diner from Joe and re-named it Miss America in honor of his new home, according to research conducted by New Jersey City University Library.
Since then, the diner has been sold multiple times to various families. In 2014, Tony and Stella Margetis bought the diner and have since been the owners. Tony was familiar with diner operations—he and his family owned and operated Lou’s Diner in Jersey City in the 1970s.
If you’ve been around Hudson County or New Jersey for a long time, you’ve probably heard nothing but good things about Tops Diner in East Newark, though it’s sometimes confused with being in Harrison.
Tops Diner opened in 1942 and was owned by brothers Van, John and Jimmy.
“Our focus has always been to serve what our customers want, exactly when and how they want it. As the American dining culture shifts, we recognize we must strive to recreate the 1920’s renaissance that birthed the diner as we know it today, all the while preserving the historical and cultural identity that made Tops Diner the model all others hope to emulate,” read the diner’s website.
