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WKD RECAP
It’s been another busy week in Montclair + Essex County and we’ve got all the headlines to get you up to speed. Among the highlights: construction on the Port Authority Midtown bus station will cause transit delays for commuters; a revolving sushi bar opens in Clifton; and South Orange bans gas-powered leaf blowers beginning in 2027.
You can read more at the links below, and always feel free to submit any news tips to [email protected]. Our twice-weekly newsletter shares more as well, which you can sign up for here (it’s so great, promise)!
–Seven Cafe and Matcha Bar, which serves Vietnamese coffee, specialty matcha, and Vietnamese food, will open at 42-48 Norfolk Street in Newark (The Montclair Girl).
–Shinjuku Station Revolving Sushi Bar opened at 850 Route 3 in Clifton, featuring conveyor-belt sushi and tableside robot service (The Montclair Girl).
– NoorHaus, a New Jersey beverage brand specializing in thoughtfully sourced matcha, coffee, and hojicha, is growing through local pop-ups while working toward an online shop and its first permanent location (The Montclair Girl).
-Montclair has installed a chicane with flexible traffic bollards on Upper Mountain Avenue in an effort to slow drivers and reinforce the road’s 25 mph speed limit (Montclair Local).
-The Maplewood Planning Board approved plans to expand Porta Rossa and add apartments above the restaurant (The Village Green).
-The South Orange Village Council voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers beginning in 2027 (The Village Green).
–Jersey City-based Varsity Pilates announced a second location in Fairfield opening in early 2027 (@varsitypilates via Instagram).
–The South Orange Village Council unanimously adopted a revised Valley Street Redevelopment Plan that adds stronger stormwater management requirements, historic preservation protections, and sustainability standards (The Village Green).
–The New Jersey Local Finance Board approved a $498 million, 30-year lease for Newark’s planned Riverfront Elementary School, which is expected to open in fall 2028 and help alleviate overcrowding in the city’s East Ward (New Jersey Monitor).
–The New Jersey Division of Taxation is hosting free in-person events throughout Essex County to help residents apply for property tax relief programs, including ANCHOR and Senior Freeze, ahead of the November 2nd deadline (Township of Montclair).
–Belleville business owners say a township ordinance limiting operating hours for smoke shops, liquor stores, and other businesses is cutting into sales and forcing some owners to reduce employee hours (News 12 New Jersey).
– Two Montclair chefs, Sam Stymest of Sam’s Table and Joseph Sergentakis of Boschetto, are finalists for Chef of the Year via the 2026 New Jersey Restaurant + Hospitality Awards (NJR+HA).
–A survey of nearly 50 crime scholars found that community violence intervention programs, pandemic recovery, and focused deterrence were among the factors most widely credited with contributing to the historic decline in U.S. homicides (New Jersey Monitor).
–Maplewood Library has launched a new “Library of Things” that allows local cardholders to borrow household tools, electronics, lawn games, and other items for up to 14 days (The Village Green).
–Newark Public Schools’ graduation rate reached a record 92% for the Class of 2026, up from 76% in 2018, with four district high schools achieving 100% graduation rates (Essex Times).
– Work on the Port Authority Midtown Bus Terminal began on October 15th, beginning several weeks of delays and schedule changes for commuters (Port Authority of New York + New Jersey).
–South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum’s annual birthday fundraiser will return on November 13th as a 1950s-themed “Party with a Purpose,” with proceeds helping the South Orange Rescue Squad purchase a new ambulance (The Village Green).
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