News & Press Releases
Jersey Journal - UEZ funds iced by gov leave towns with budget gaps and fears for the future of sales tax program
March 6, 2010
More than $16 million in Urban Enterprise Zone revenue for Hudson County municipalities has been frozen since last month.
The seven cities that qualify as UEZ zones - Bayonne, Guttenberg, parts of Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, Union City and West New York - were notified last month of the freeze in funds that were generated from the 3.5 percent sales tax the cities charge, which is half the normal state tax.
So far, $78,111,000 UEZ funds have been frozen for the 2010 fiscal year throughout the state, according to Mike Drewniak, spokesman for Governor Chris Christie.
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The Record - Less affluent downtowns in North Jersey are faring better in the recession
February 7, 2010 As downtowns across the country are reporting alarming numbers of store closings, the bad economic news is bringing opportunity to some Main streets in North Jersey.
Despite the financial turbulence, Paterson, Rutherford, Edgewater and Maywood have had more businesses move into town than move out this year. Paterson gained 18 stores and lost seven. Rutherford welcomed 14 businesses and saw two shuttered. Eight new businesses moved into Edgewater and three left; six moved into Maywood and two closed.
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Haiti Relief Efforts Inspires Many in Jersey City
January 18, 2010The CASID and the Jersey City Heights business community joins the world in extending our thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected by the earthquake in Haiti. The hearts of Jersey City are with
the people of Haiti as they rebuild their country.
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21 Central Ave Businesses "Rep" Heights
December 22, 2009
Twenty one Central Avenue merchants came together through the efforts of the CASID to become the face of the Jersey City Heights for six months (December 2009 through May 2010) on Comcast Cable. The annual commercial campaign can be seen on TV by Comcast’s 44,000+ household subscribers in Jersey City. Each merchant will air approximately 350 times during that period on networks such as ESPN2, USA, Lifetime, MUN2, Comedy Central, VH1, The History Channel, Galavision, and the Food Network between the hours of 8 am and 12 midnight.
Participating businesses use their face to invite new and veteran shoppers to the Central Avenue Business District for a variety of shopping experiences. The CASID wishes to thank those participants for taking the lead and proving why the Jersey City Heights is a great place to live, work, dine, and shop.
Click on a link below to view this year's commercial campaign.
- Video 1 - Dr. Discepola & Wiel/ Eye Contact Vision Center/ Hudson Medical Group
- Video 2 - Hauptman Carpets/ King's Son/ Renato's Pizza Masters
- Video 3 - All American Gold Buyers/ Central Avenue Liquors// Kennedy Dept. Store
- Video 4 - Garden State News/ Goldstone Jewelry/ El Sabroso Restaurant
- Video 5 - Hudson Wellness/ Lovely Laundry/ DC Trave
- Video 6 - Rene Angelo Store/ Central Wireless/ Jang Star Taekwondo School
- Video 7 - Diva's Spa and Salon/ State Farm Insurance// Geohrigs Bakery
The Distillery: call for work
December 22, 2009CALL FOR WORK: The Distillery, a new gallery opening early 2010 in the Jersey City heights, seeks work from contemporary artists of all disciplines for consideration in its upcoming group exhibition cycle. These submissions will be kept on record and automatically consulted when planning future programming. The gallery is equipped to handle large-scale sculpture, installation, projection and light pieces--artists working in these mediums are encouraged to apply. You need not reside in the New York metro area, but please be aware that, at this time, the Distillery does not subsidize the transportation and/or shipment of work. Submissions are only accepted by email. Please send up to five images including work title, medium, and dimensions (web-quality ok), contact information, and an artist statement to: theDistilleryJC@gmail.com.
WHAT WE DO: The Distillery is a contemporary gallery and community artspace dedicated to producing curated shows, arts programming, and installations by artists of all stripes. Located in a diverse neighborhood on the edge of the Palisade Cliffs, the gallery is founded on the belief that it’s important to recognize and support innovative artists at all career stages. We are currently taking steps towards becoming a New Jersey non-profit.
KEEP IN TOUCH: Join our Facebook group for updated calls for work, important dates, and to learn about the pending launch of our new website. If you'd like to be added to our email list or are willing to help out, please contact Irene at theDistilleryJC@gmail.com
Beware Counterfeit Currency in the Heights
December 4, 2009
Recently on Central Avenue merchants have noticed a few counterfeit $100 bills trying to be passed for good use. Business owners should not assume that customers know they are in possession of counterfeit money but should be made aware they are when spotted with one.
To best address the situation and know how to tell the difference from an actual and a fake bill, here are some clues to better assist you:
* On a genuine bill, the portrait stands out from the background. The counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat.
* On a genuine bill, the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct, and sharp.
* On a genuine bill, the borders are clear and unbroken. On the counterfeit, the lines may be blurred and indistinct.
* On a genuine bill, the currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout. On the counterfeit note the lines are printed on the surface, not embedded in the paper.
To read more click here
True Spirit of Neighborly Love
November 25, 2009
On Saturday November 21st, 2009 Jersey Journal printed a heartbreaking article “One Family’s Agony” about a Jersey City Heights resident Jacqueline Kelly and her struggling family to afford her chemotherapy payments. Fearing the end is near the family have no monetary funds to make funeral arrangements. Professional wrestler promoter James Carullo, and Jacqueline’s daughter, Sandra Kelly contacted Michael Yun, president of Central Avenue S.I.D. with a lavish fundraiser event sure to attract the community support.
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Central Avenue Locks
November 24, 2009
On Saturday November 21st 2009 Diva Spa & Salon closed out the Locks of Love week event on Central Avenue. With numerous hair donations from local residents, students, and Hudson County supporters the event produced over a dozen ponytails for the Locks of Love organization. These donated hairpieces will be sent to the national headquarters of the organization and be made into early Christmas gifts for children in need of wigs. Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Although providing hairpieces does not cure these children it does restore some sort of normalcy in their everyday lives.
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NY Daily News - Jersey City Heights' star is on the rise
November 13, 2009The wave of gentrification that leapfrogged the Hudson a few years back has reached new heights - Jersey City Heights, to be exact.
When banker Yvonne Thevenot saw her family's future home in Jersey City Heights five years ago, the house and the friendly neighbors immediately won her over.
"We just saw ourselves there," said Thevenot, 39, who lives in the Ogden Ave. home with her husband and 5-year-old son. "It has a great view of Manhattan, and there's a lot of space for us."
The Thevenots are part of a wave of young urban professionals sweeping into the Heights, a historically working- and middle-class neighborhood perched on the Palisades just west of Hoboken, once the hot across-the-river destination for folks priced out of the West Side and Brownstone Brooklyn.
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Korean Art Gallery
November 12, 2009
Jersey City is home to various cultures and nationalities. It is a location that invities people from all over the world to live, work, and express their artistic skills. Which is why it comes with no surprise that Jersey City graciously played host to traditional fine Korean art and welcomed a world renowned Zen Master Gae San HyeSeong this past week. This marks the city's first time experience with Korean fine Art and in celebration held an open reception on November 10th, 2009 at City Hall for the public.
CASID president, Michael Yun introduced Zen Master Gae San HyeSeong to the public and stated "Only a few people in the world have the capability to demonstrate such exceptional artistic beauty as Zen Master Gae San HyeSeong has. His powerful brush stroke trangresses his good energy he brings to all who come in contact with him and instills peacefulness into people's hearts".
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RNA - Halloween Is for the Dogs!
November 7, 2009
Dozens of dog owners and their well-costumed pets came to Riverview Park on Halloween to celebrate the holiday. RNA sponsored this event with local business Riverview Bark. Odd Box Video offered professional dog portraits for a nominal fee for those who participated. All of the dogs were well-behaved and seemed to enjoy dressing up. There were "hot dogs," "devil dogs," a princess and a flapper, a Yankee fan, and a fireman dog, among others.
If you missed it, you can view wonderful photos taken by the Jersey Journal or local photographer extraordinaire, Pat Marella, on RNA's website.
Riverview Bark, a self-service doggie wash and boutique owned by Melissa Cullen and Frank McMonagle, will be opening at 479 Palisade Avenue in mid-November. In addition to the dog wash, they will offer dog walking, overnight sitting (in your home), feeding services, and pet food delivery.
2009 Halloween on Central Avenue Photos
November 5, 2009
See our Facebook page for Central Avenue Halloween 2009 pictures!
Heights Catch of the Day
October 26th, 2009
The Jersey City Reservoir is one of Jersey city's hidden treasures. It is a place where residents and visitors can fish and be one with nature. On October 10th, local resident, Joseph Tizio, was fishing in the Reservoir and to his surprised caught a jewel out of the water.
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Jersey City Ranks Among 100 Best Places to Raise Kids
October 20, 2009
Children's Health Magazine Ranks Jersey City in the Top 100 Least Accident-Prone Cities in the USA—yet another great reason to live and work here (Jersey City ranked #13)! Evaluation criteria included: fatal workplace accidents (Bureau of Labor Statistics); accidental deaths from car crashes, poisoning, drowning, falls, and fires (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); emergency-room visits (American Hospital Association); and bandage sales (SimplyMap). pariatur.
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Jersey Journal - Back to 1939 as White Mana Diner celebrates 70 years
October 15, 2009 
White Mana Diner in Jersey City, which was built as the "diner of the future" for the 1939 New York World's Fair, is celebrating its 70th anniversary on Sunday Oct. 25.
Owner Mario Costa is offering 1939 prices to celebrate. On Oct. 25, Costa is selling $.15 hamburgers, $.10 fries and sodas for a nickel to 70 of his customers.
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The Art of Window Shopping along Central Avenue
September 30,2009
Jersey City, NJ – Central Avenue Special Improvement District (CASID) in partnership with Pro-Arts Jersey City and The Heights Artist Initiative is pleased to debut the extension of the Pro Arts Contemporary Art Spaces (PACAS) and first installation project on Central Avenue! This is a milestone for the Jersey City Heights and it serves as a continuation of the outdoor art gallery emerging out of Central Avenue.
The PACAS program was designed to transform available spaces located in the Hudson County region into temporary exhibits. Selected for this first installation was well respected photographer E. Jan Kounitz exhibiting his photographic project entitled “Mo Me-Hood””. This project was started ten years ago and now sits on display in the storefront windows of 311 Central Avenue, Jersey City. The photos capture the evolving faces of the Heights emphasizing on the residents, merchants, places, and things.
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Jersey Journal- Golf Tournament filled hotels but not restaurants
September 14, 2009The Barclays Golf Tournament brought thousands of visitors to Jersey City last month to watch stars like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson tee off at the Liberty National Golf Course. But as far as the tournament being a hole-in-one for the local economy, businesses are reporting both birdies and bogeys.
Hundreds of visitors crashed at area hotels, many of which were at full capacity during the four-day tournament held Aug. 27 to Aug. 30. The W Hotel in Hoboken, as well as the Hyatt Regency and the Courtyard Marriott in Jersey City were at 100 percent capacity every night, hotel officials said.
"It certainly had a great impact," said Deborah Wanko, director of sales at the Courtyard Marriott, which has 187 rooms. "The tournament brought us into the sold-out status. It was fabulous."
But some restaurants were apparently too far from the fairway to attract tourist dollars.
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Jersey Journal - Drop tix-fix charges against Rosen
September 04, 2009The CASID is happy to announce that Irwin Rosen has been cleared. According to the Jersey Journal, the state attorney general has dropped all charges filed against former Jersey City Municipal Court Judge Irwin Rosen, who was swept up in a ticket-fixing scandal that resulted in five Jersey City municipal judges leaving the bench; including the chief judge at the time, Wanda Molina.
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New "Barclays 2009" PGA Banners on Central Avenue
August 2009
The Barclays™ 2009— the first event in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup—will be held at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City from August 24th through August 30th. It is the only event that the PGA has scheduled in New Jersey for 2009. It is expected that 120 of the Tour’s top players will compete, including Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, and defending champion Vijay Singh.pariatur.
The excitement of the PGA can now be felt on Central Avenue as 20 new PGA banners have been installed with the business district.
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Jersey City Mourns the Loss of a Fallen Hero
August 4, 2009 
On behalf of the Jersey City business community, the Central Avenue S.I.D. Management Corp sends its sincere condolences to the DiNardo Family for their loss. We thank Detective Marc DiNardo, Officers Michael Camacho, Frank Molina Jr., Marc Lavelle, Dennis Mitchell, and all Jersey City Police Officers for the job they do to guard our City. You are all in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
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Star-Ledger: Thousands mourn Jersey City Detective Marc DiNardo at funeral
Jersey Journal - UEZ demand cut by half
Friday, June 05, 2009The collective sigh of relief could be felt from Plainfield to Bayonne. Mayors across the state are breathing a bit easier after Gov. Jon Corzine agreed today to take only half the $40 million the state Treasury had demanded from their Urban Enterprise Zone accounts.
At a meeting at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton, Corzine told mayors municipalities have to return only $20 million to the Department of Treasury instead of the full amount with the condition the funds be used for projects that will result in property tax relief, said Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage, chairman of the UEZ Mayors Council.
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Jersey Journal - Hudson loses $10M in UEZ $$$
Thursday May 21, 2009To help fill New Jersey's yawning $1.2 billion gap, state officials have commandeered nearly $10 million from a fund that was supposed to be for beautification and other projects in several Hudson County municipalities.
The fund concerns the state Urban Enterprise Zones that are areas in which businesses are allowed to charge customers half of the state's sales tax, currently 7 percent. The 3.5 percent sales tax collected is returned to the localities for facade improvements, road repaving, and a variety of other projects.
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"Streetscapes" Beautification Art Project
June 2009
Public art - love it or hate, it if it starts a conversation and captures one’s imagination it has fulfilled its purpose. For the first time in Hudson County, a neighborhood main street community makes art accessible to the public by developing an outdoor gallery. The Central Avenue shopping district in the Jersey City Heights welcomes professionally produced public art as a way to beautify its Streetscapes while showcasing the talents of our growing artist community.
RNA Launches Website
May 7, 2009RNA is proud to announce the launch of its new website at www.riverviewneighborhood.org! The website features information on RNA and its history, an RNA and Community Events calendar to keep you abreast of the latest activities in our area, and a "campaigns" section that will keep you up-to-date on our latest grassroots efforts and calls to action. It also contains an archive of RNA newsletters, historical information about our neighborhood, and a large selection of links to other valuable sources of information.
Jersey Journal - Face off on crime, taxes
April 03, 2009All five Jersey City mayoral candidates faced off last night in the second forum for the 2009 municipal election. More than 100 people attended the event, sponsored by the Heights Coalition, at Christa McAuliffe Elementary School, at 167 Hancock St.
The candidates - Jersey City Police Detective Phillip G. Webb, 60; Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith, 60; former Assemblyman Louis Manzo, 54; civic activist Daniel Levin, 46, and Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, 58 - agreed on several issues, such as the need for more parks and more community policing. But they clashed on tax abatements and crime prevention.
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Jersey Journal - School Pride at SCI Fair Awards
April 2, 2009Two young scientists from Dickinson High School in Jersey City were named the top winners last night in The Jersey Journal's 51st annual Hudson County Science Fair.
Prachi Agrawal and Joseph Katigbak go on next month to represent the county at the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Reno, Nev.
Prachi, 16, a sophomore, also won the high school gold medal for Behavioral Science, while Joseph, 18, a senior, took the gold in Chemistry.
The event, which was held in the Margaret Williams Theatre at New Jersey City University, drew more than 400 enthusiastic students, family members and guests.
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"Must Be Wary of Square Plan" by RNA
February 17, 2009After decades of neglect, Journal Square is to be "improved." Mayor Jerramiah Healy and the Redevelopment Agency are expecting the City Council to approve a redevelopment plan for the area. The plan encompasses 244 acres with the Square as its hub. While no one who has traveled through the Square can argue that improvements need to be made, the Journal Square Redevelopment Plan will benefit a few developers at the expense of the majority of Jersey City's residents.
It is easy to overlook any drawbacks when the words and pictures presented by the city at its "visioning meetings" sound so right: transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly, sustainable, green with "signature" buildings and a new PATH station. So what is the problem?
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Jersey Journal - Won their nabe back from drugs and thugs
January 10, 2009It wasn't hard to tell when the New York Avenue Block Association began winning the war against the drug dealers and crackheads in their Jersey City Heights neighborhood.
Ross London, who founded the group in 2002, said on two occasions bricks came flying through windows of his home. His car was repeatedly damaged and one time they even left a dead bird on his windshield as a warning.
But he wasn't alone. The properties of other residents were also damaged and one was threatened with
death if he attended another association meeting, London said. "We went through hell. It was rough," London said.
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Oritani Bank Foundation Donates $10,000 to CASID at November 15th Grand Opening
November 17, 2008 
Oritani Bank, a 97-year old community bank serving Bergen, Hudson and Passaic Counties, celebrated the grand opening of a new branch office located at 348 Central Avenue in the Heights section of Jersey City on Saturday November 15, 2008.
The Oritani Bank Charitable Foundation also make a $10,000 donation to the Central Avenue Special Improvement District Management Corporation (CASID) to further the CASID's mission to guide and promote positive social growth and economic revitalization in Jersey City by providing supplemental management, maintenance, and improvements to the Central Avenue business district. The grand opening was open to the public, with fun for the whole family!
Click for event times and more info.
Jersey Journal - Art work is big and shiny, and takes a place of pride in park
October 16, 2008
A crowd of curious onlookers gathered this morning at Washington Park in Jersey City to check out what was underneath a giant piece of blue tarp.
An avalanche of "oohs" and "aahs" burst through the park after workers removed the tarp to unveil "Wave," the first-ever county-funded piece of public art.
Created by noted artist Chakaia Booker, a Jersey native, the brushed stainless steel sculpture piece -- 14 feet high and 35 feet wide -- represents the first effort to install public art in Hudson's parks through funding from 1 percent of the county's capital budget. In all, the county spent about $175,000 to commission the art piece.
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Jersey City Reporter - New arts center brings 'Hope'
October 10, 2008 
Since it opened in 1996, the Hope Center has been primarily known as a church on Charles Street in the Jersey City Heights section. But since 2000, it also has served as an arts academy, and now it contains a new arts center as well.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, the Hope Center took the next step in establishing their arts-influenced ministry with the grand opening of The Hope Center for Visual and Performing Arts, a 10,000 sq. ft. building that includes a 5,000 sq. ft. gallery and theater space. The facility, which was once a warehouse, now can hold music and dance concerts, art exhibitions, and visual presentations.
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For the Dogs: "Dodger Stadium" Opens in Washington Park
September 19, 2008 
A new county-funded barking lot has come to Washington Park, which straddles the border between Union City and Jersey City.
The 80-by-120-foot gated area, which cost the county $160,000, includes sand, benches, and water fountains for humans and dogs alike. There is also a new walkway leading to the run.
Read the full Jersey Journal article.
Read the Hudson Reporter article.
Jersey Journal - Two schools, not supermart slated for Heights lot
July 14, 2008
Bolstered by renewed state funding for building schools in poor, urban districts, the site of an old turf battle
in the Heights is set to be transformed into two new schools.
The 2.2-acre plot of land at Laidlaw and Summit avenues is to be shared by a 22-room early childhood center for 324 tots and an elementary school for 469 students, kindergarten through grade 5.
The Jersey City Board of Education had been in a tug-of-war over the land with local residents, many of whom preferred having a new Stop & Shop supermarket built on the property. Stop & Shop's developer had purchased the land.
But store owners along Central Avenue contended that the Stop & Shop mega-store would kill off
mom-and-pop businesses along the avenue.
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Jersey Journal - Jersey City hires 30 new cops
July 11, 2008Jersey City has hired 30 police officers, who will begin patroling in January after graduating from the police academy, the city announced. The money to hire the cops comes largely through the state Urban Enterprise Zone program, which granted the city $1.7 million. Jersey City will come up with $532,000, according to a press release from Mayor Jerramiah Healy's office.
"This is one of the most effective ways that our Urban Enterprise Zone dollars can be used," Healy said in a statement. The new cops will be assigned within UEZ areas, including Central Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Exchange Place, Monticello Avenue and other locations.
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Jersey Journal - Saving the House Syrup Built
June 26, 2008Some works of architecture are merely remembered, eventually forgotten - others are etched and burned in our memory, taken with us wherever we go.
At the northeast corner of Summit and Manhattan avenues in the Jersey City Heights across from Pershing Field Park, the Joseph H. Rudiger Mansion has made itself known to citizens and passersby for well over a century. If you are from Hudson County, you might even know it as well as you know the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Journal Square or the old Jersey City Medical Center in Bergen Hill.
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State Approves UEZ Extension for Jersey City
January 2008Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy recently announced that the State of New Jersey Commerce Commission has approved the extension of Jersey City's Urban Enterprise Zone program for another fifteen years. "We appreciate the vote of confidence we received from the New Jersey Commerce Commission with this renewal, and look forward to continuing our partnership with them in making Jersey City New Jersey's premier city," Mayor Healy said.
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Jersey City's Supplement in NJBIZ
January 2008 
Read about the CASID in Jersey City's Supplement featured in NJBIZ.
As you explore the pages, you will recognize many visible signs of Jersey City's economic and physical rebirth and the evidence of its cultural renaissance. It’s no surprise that Jersey City has become the top city in the state to work, live and do business.With Fortune 500 companies and small and mid-size businesses and residential developers flocking to Jersey City, great things are happening.
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Watch "Discover the Jersey City Heights!"
November 2007The CASID is proud to present its TV commercial, "Discover the Jersey City Heights." The ad promotes the many reasons to live, work and play in the Heights and is the first of its kind to be produced by a local Jersey City organization. Look for it on Comcast cable channels this fall.
Read the Jersey Journal's coverage of the commercial here.
Model of urban future: Jersey City?
April 15, 2007 
Jersey City made news in USA Today. Rick Hampson takes a closer look at what Jersey City has become and what it could potentially be.
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