Photo courtesy of Pokémon GO Fest / NJ.com.
This week, there was some political news concerning a list made by the Trump Administration, a chance to help a local location manager pick a spot to shoot a Peacock TV show and more in this Hudson County News Roundup.
Here’s what’s been happening.
Pokémon GO Fest Is This Week! Here’s A Traffic Heads Up
Liberty State Park is hosting Pokémon GO Fest from Friday, June 6 until Sunday, June 8. This annual event is expected to attract thousands for all three days.
Commuters and park visitors should expect heavy traffic in and around Liberty State Park for the majority of the day each day, which would likely result in delays and limited parking availability. High traffic areas include:
- Freedom Way
- Phillip Street
- Morris Pesin Drive
- Audrey Zapp Drive
To help minimize travel disruptions, people can:
- Consider public transportation (including Light Rail and Liberty Landing Ferry).
- Allow for additional travel time when commuting in the area.
- Follow all posted signage and directions from law enforcement and State Park Police.
- All vehicles visiting the park must enter through Audrey Zapp Drive only.
Parking within Liberty State Park is limited to park visitors not attending Pokémon GO Fest. Parking for Pokémon GO Fest is available at the Newport Mall Garage (561 Washington Blvd, Jersey City). The discounted rate is $7 for the day.
A free dedicated shuttle for the Fest will be on the corner of 11th Street and Mall Drive East, running to and from Liberty State Park’s Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal building every 20 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for all three days.
There will also be a free internal park shuttle at Liberty State Park. It will run throughout the event from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The internal park shuttle is marked with “EZ Ride” and will arrive at each stop approximately every 20 minutes.
Stops for the internal Liberty State Park Shuttle include:
- Liberty Science Center
- Statue of Liberty & New York City ferries
- Liberty Landing Marina
- North Picnic Area & Playground
- Nature Center
- South Picnic Area & Park Office.
More information about the Liberty State Park shuttle can be found here: https://dep.nj.gov/revitalizelsp/shuttle/.
For more information on the Pokemon GO Fest, you can visit here: https://pokemongo.com/en/gofest/jersey-city.
Commuters Beware! This Newark-Jersey City Turnpike Will Be Closed
The Newark-Jersey City Turnpike/CR 508 eastbound ramp to Route 7 northbound is closed for approximately two weeks. The closure, which started on May 28, is for the construction of a new overhead sign structure.
The ramp will reopen sooner if the construction is finished earlier than anticipated.
The following detour will be in place:
- Commuters on the Newark-Jersey City Turnpike/CR 508 eastbound looking to take the ramp to Route 7 northbound will be directed to continue on the Newark-Jersey City Turnpike/CR 508 eastbound, which becomes Route 7 eastbound
- Take the exit for Fish House Road/CR 659
- Stay left to make a U-turn onto Route 7 northbound
- Stay right for Route 7/CR 506/Belleville
Fifty Bayonne Families Can Get A Weekend Meal Bag
Bayonne is providing food packages for 50 families every weekend in June.
The program will include weekly food packages like dinner for Fridays plus breakfast and lunch for Saturdays and Sundays. To be eligible, you must apply for the program and go through an interview process.
You can apply here.
Pickups will be every Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 170 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ.
For more information and updates, you can check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HungerFreeUIC/.
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You Can Help Send Off Kearny High School Graduates
Kearny High School is looking for volunteers for their Project Graduation Night.
“This is not just another school event. Project Graduation is a cherished tradition—a safe, exciting, and unforgettable way for our seniors to celebrate their achievements with their classmates. But without the support of adult volunteers, this night can’t happen the way these students deserve,” said Kearny High School in a statement.
They are looking for:
- Parents of graduates
- Alumni who are now 21+
- Any adult who wants to make a difference
Volunteers can help make memories and ensure the graduates have a fun and safe environment to celebrate their milestone.
You can sign up to be a volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/.
The Trump Administration Is Targeting 21 ‘Sanctuary’ Towns In New Jersey
President Donald Trump’s administration is targeting cities across the country who they view is interrupting immigration enforcement and deportations.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a list of 500 “sanctuary jurisdictions” that includes 21 places in New Jersey. The department said that these places received notification that the government has labeled them as “noncompliant” and whether or not they’re in violation of any federal criminal statutes.
Here are the 18 jurisdictions and 3 counties in New Jersey:
- Burlington County
- Cumberland County
- Warren County
- Asbury Park
- Bloomfield
- Camden
- East Orange
- Jersey City
- Hoboken
- Leonia
- Linden
- Maplewood
- Montclair Township
- Newark
- North Bergen
- Paterson
- Plainfield
- Prospect Park
- South Orange
- Trenton
- Union City
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a press release.
According to the department, the list was made by considering:
- Whether the cities or localities identified themselves as sanctuary jurisdictions
- How much they complied already with federal officials enforcing immigration laws
- If they had restrictions on sharing information with immigration enforcement or had any legal protections for people in the country illegally
Additionally, last week, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against four New Jersey cities: Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken, accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement authorities.
The lawsuit was filed last Thursday in federal court in Newark.
The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) called upon the newly listed fourteen municipalities, along with the three counties “to follow the leadership of Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Hoboken who are standing firm in their values and not backing down to hollow intimidation tactics.”
As of June 1, the full list of sanctuary jurisdictions was “moved, deleted or is otherwise unavailable” on the Department of Homeland Security’s official website.
For resources from the NJAIJ, you can visit: https://www.njaij.org/kyr.
Lights, Camera, Action! This Location Manager Is Looking For A Retro Office In New Jersey
Jason Minter is a Location Scout working on a new A24 horror series for Peacock called “Mama’s Boy.” This series will shoot entirely in New Jersey and takes place in 1972.
Minter is scouting for a high end retro executive office, preferably a space that has not undergone any major renovations since the 1950s.
“The vast majority of NJ office building spaces have been gutted and renovated again and again, so I’m thinking that this location might be found in an older family business, maybe an industrial complex where the office space has just been sitting frozen in time,” said Minter in a post on Facebook group Bayonne Talks.
Minter says the location would prep, shoot and wrap for a few days in August, and would pay “generous” location fees as well as provide insurance to any utilized space.
Minter’s IMDB profile can be found here.
Jersey City Council Holds Off On Funding Barrow Street Playground
Last week the Jersey City Council made the decision to not vote on three plans that would have helped fund a Barrow Street playground as part of the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza.
Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano made a motion to withdraw the plans that approved turf, playground equipment and a fence for the projects.
“I think the street should [be] opened,” Boggiano noted.
Ward E Councilman James Solomon added:
“… Over a year ago I met with some members of the Administration and I made the point that, if we as a city do not solve the legitimate issues that businesses and residents on the pedestrian plaza see, there’s not going to be appetite for more investment, for more of these types of projects and to date we have not done that…
I’m asking the Mayor and the administration to put together a real plan … for us to accomplish that goal. I would love to see a playground in that location … We haven’t done enough to maintain the original $7 million investment that was put in place.”
The Jersey City Council passed the motion to withdraw the resolutions unanimously (9-0).
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said on X it’s “unfortunate” the project did not appear to have the votes.
“I think it is unfortunate but we will leave it on the council agenda so that it gets a vote as deserved and the public can see where people stand,” he wrote.
Know any local news we should include? Email Stella Accettola at [email protected]!
