Photo courtesy of Hubby Milestones / Facebook.
The Hudson County community is coming together in different ways as the weather begins to drop to colder temperatures. Here’s this week’s news roundup.
Another Goodbye: Jersey City’s Former Christ Hospital To Close, Community Still Fights
The Heights University Hospital, better formerly known as Christ Hospital, must reportedly cease operations after months-long battles for financial support.
“Unfortunately, despite best efforts by the leadership at Hudson Regional Hospital, it was informed this afternoon that the State will not be providing the critical funding needed to sustain the operations of Heights University Hospital,” said Nizar Kifaieh, CEO of Hudson Regional Hospital, in an email statement to JC IN THE NEWS on Friday.
In a statement from Dalya Ewais, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Health via NJ.com, said, “Despite all of these efforts, Hudson Regional Hospital has failed to fund their payroll this week and failed to fully perform as it represented in its Plan of Restructuring, which was approved by the Bankruptcy Court as a condition of exiting bankruptcy. And it has not followed through on its commitments to the community it serves and to the State to turn things around after taking over the hospital.”
Hudson Regional Health had taken over the Heights hospital with leadership from Dr. Nizar Kifaieh, who said despite his efforts, the hospital continued to lose $1.5 million per week.
The hospital will continue to run its standalone emergency department and some other healthcare services, but many of its other departments will be depleted and evaporated.
The community is mourning the closure. A Facebook user began an album called “CHRIST HOSPITAL TRIBUTE” with photos of staff and more.
But still, there are other community members who are continuing the fight with a petition titled, “Save Christ Hospital. Stop the Land Grab.” You can check it out or sign here.
Spread Some Cheer By Writing A Letter
The Jersey City Letter Writing Club is participating in Global Refuge’s sixth annual “Hope For The Holidays” campaign, which will be distributed, across the country, to newly immigrated individuals and their families.
“The holidays can be a magical time of celebration for many, but this year, thousands of immigrant children and families are left without the resources they need and anxious about their futures in the United States,” the organization’s website states.
Originally, the letters were supposed to be sent to those in migrant detention centers, but due to government restrictions, the campaign will instead benefit newly immigrated individuals and families.
Cards can be handmade or store-bought with general messages of hope. It can be written in any language. It can also be unsigned or signed with your first name and city only.
All letters must be dropped off at WORD Bookstore in Jersey City, located at 29 McWilliams Place by Dec. 3.
For more information, you can check out the Letter Writing Club’s Instagram post. You can also make a donation here to Global Refuge help a family celebrate their first holiday season in the U.S.
How You Can Stay Warm In Hudson County This Cold Season
Hudson County officials are here to support homeless residents and others as it opened its warming center in Kearny this past weekend.
The Warming Center, which is meant to be used as a “last resort” and when other local shelters have ran out of space, opened Friday and will run through March 31, 2026, and may be extended if a Code Blue—temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below—is called or when the daytime temperature fails to reach above 32 degrees. In those cases, the Warming Center will remain open continuously.
All emergency shelter beds and overflow slots throughout Hudson County must be filled before a client can be transported to the Warming Center, located at 53 S. Hackensack Avenue. Alliance Community Healthcare will provide medical services and referrals at the Warming Center.
Prior to the Kearny Warming Center, people seeking shelter will be directed to one of the emergency shelters below:
- St. Lucy’s Shelter (619 Grove St., Jersey City): 24-hour; latest walk-in accepted at 11 p.m.
- PERC Shelter (111 37th St., Union City): 24-hour; open for dinner at 6 p.m.; no cut-off time.
- Hoboken Shelter (300 Bloomfield St., Hoboken): 7 days a week – from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; latest walk-in accepted at 8 p.m.
There are also other Hudson County shelters and Drop-In programs where residents can seek shelter during the day:
- GSCDC Hudson CASA Drop-In Center (514 Newark Avenue, Jersey City): Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Hudson County Integrated Services CSPNJ (422 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Jersey City): Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Hoboken Shelter (300 Bloomfield Avenue, Hoboken): 7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- PERC Shelter (111 37th Street, Union City): Open 24/7
- St. Lucy’s Shelter (619 Grove Street, Jersey City): Open 24/7
“Hudson County is committed to helping our most vulnerable residents throughout the winter,” said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy.
“As temperatures drop in the coming months, we are here to provide shelter, medical care, and nourishing meals to anyone who needs them. Our goal is simple: to ensure that every member of our community feels safe, supported, and cared for during the coldest months of the year.”
For those who are eligible to be transported to Kearny’s facility, transportation will be provided from the following locations at specific times. Residents should line-up at least 15 minutes prior to departure:
- CPSNJ Drop In-Center (422 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Jersey City): Pick-up at 5:30 p.m.
- Journal Square (JFK Boulevard and Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City): Pick-up at 6:00 p.m.
- North Bergen Town Hall (43rd Street and Kennedy Boulevard, North Bergen): Pick-up at 7 p.m.
- Hoboken Terminal (Observer Highway and Park Avenue, Hoboken): Pick-up at 7:30 p.m.
If you or someone is in need of emergency shelter, you should call NJ 211.
PATH To Improve Services! But It Comes At A Cost
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced fare increases for PATH riders as well as service improvements.
The Port Authority stated that for the first time in 25 years, all PATH lines will operate seven days a week.
Hoboken will service on weekends, which will eliminate the extra stop for commuters traveling to and from Jersey City. Additionally, weekday rush hours will see more trains on the Hoboken-World Trade Center and Newark-World Trade Center lines.
Officials noted that riders will see the first phase of these changes being put into action in March.
However, these improvements come with a cost.
PATH said they will implement a 25-cent fare increase starting next summer, as well as an additional 25-cent increase every year through 2029.
The plan also includes measures to reduce turnstile jumping/hopping by installing new gates.
PATH provided the following timeline for weekday service changes includes:
- March 2026: Hoboken-World Trade Center line frequency will improve to every six minutes during morning rush hour, a 33 percent service increase to 10 trains per hour.
- March 2027: Newark-World Trade Center line frequency will improve to every four minutes during morning and evening rush hours, a 25 percent service increase delivering 15 trains per hour.
And the timeline for weekend and off-peak service changes:
- March 2026: Service on the Journal Square-33 St via Hoboken line will double on weekends between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., with trains every 10 minutes instead of every 20 minutes.
- May 2026: Dedicated Hoboken service to World Trade Center and 33 St will resume on weekends for the first time since 2001, streamlining travel for Hoboken riders and eliminating an extra stop on the Journal Square-33 St line for Jersey City riders. The Journal Square-33 St and Hoboken-33 St lines will operate every 10 minutes and Hoboken-WTC will operate every 20 mins from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- May 2026: Enhanced late-night Friday service, with trains every 20 minutes instead of every 40 minutes between 11:30 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday on all lines.
- March 2027: Increased weekend service on the Newark-World Trade Center and Hoboken-World Trade Center lines from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with trains running every 10-15 minutes.
“Customers told us where they want shorter waits, more options, and better reliability across both weekdays and weekends. These proposed service increases are the direct result of that feedback and of years of focused investment in our infrastructure,” stated Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.
A Filipino Christmas Market Is Coming To Hudson County
Ring in the holiday season the Filipino way with Liwang ng Pasko, A Filipino Christmas Bazaar.
The Christmas Market will be held on Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel Church located at 99 Broadway, Jersey City, NJ.
They are looking for vendors! If you are interested, you can email [email protected] or call 516-315-8008.
On Saturday, Dahlia’s Ice Cream Served Its Final Scoop
After announcing the store’s closure, Dahlia’s Ice Cream Spot gave away free ice cream to all customers who visited between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate its great run.
The owner of Dahlia’s Ice Cream Spot announced its closure last week in an Instagram post.
“This journey has been nothing short of incredible, and it’s all because of you, our wonderful customers. Your support, smiles, and the sweet moments we’ve shared over the years have meant the world to me. Being a part of your lives has been an honor. I am deeply grateful for every single scoop we’ve shared. Thank you for being part of this amazing chapter. We love and will miss you all,” Dahlia’s post read.
Hudson County residents gathered to share a scoop together and thanked Dahlia’s for being such a tasty treat!
Wendy’s To Close Hundreds Of Locations. Here’s The Hudson County Towns That Could Be Affected
Fast food chain Wendy’s has announced its plan to shut down hundreds of locations across the country as part of an effort to “improve profitability and reverse declining sales.”
During a quarterly earnings call last week, Interim Chief Executive Ken Cook reported that the company will close a “mid single-digit percentage” of locations. With Wendy’s 6,000 locations across the nation, the closures would equal roughly 240 to 360 stores. The closures are expected to begin this year and continue through next year.
Wendy’s has 145 locations in New Jersey. Locations in Hudson County include:
- Bayonne
- Jersey City
- Secaucus
- North Bergen
- Harrison
- West New York
According to Patch.com, Wendy’s declined to provide a specific list of locations that will be shut down.
Know any local news we should include? Email Stella Accettola at [email protected]!
