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Neither COVID nor a hurricane can deter the perseverance of Highland Park’s restaurants, which are renowned throughout the area for their excellence and diversity. Show them all some love by satisfying your love of great food. Please go to Main Street Highland Park website for all the Restaurant Week deals!www.mainstreethp.org/restaurantweek

www.mainstreethp.org

Highland Park’s restaurants are open for takeout and delivery! Restaurant Week runs from July 31 to August 9 with the participating eateries:

418 BurgersBayleaf GrillBirnn ChocolatesKybele CafeMerey Venezuelan CuisinePino’s Gift Basket Shoppe & Wine CellarSushianaThe Sweet SpotMordy’s Kosher Bakery & Cafe

If you want to add your Highland Park eatery to this list, please email Main Street at mainstreethighlandpark@gmail.com today! Follow the Main Street Highland Park Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mainstreethp, and website, www.mainstreethp.org, for updates about Restaurant Week and everything happening in downtown Highland Park throughout the year. READ MORE

Children and Coronavirus: So Much Still Unknown as Schools Head for Reopening

NJSpotlight 3 August 2020

Despite some common misassumptions, research suggests young children do face certain risks with the novel coronavirus, and experts insist public health must remain the priority as New Jersey and other states consider how to reopen schools in the coming weeks. “We started this with a myth that we’re having a hard time shaking, and that myth is that COVID spares kids,” said Dr. Lawrence Kleinman, a professor and population health expert in the pediatric department of Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in New Brunswick. “And that desire to reassure creates harm,” he added. Individuals under 18 make up a small percentage of the overall COVID-19 cases nationwide, and an even smaller fraction of the hospitalizations and deaths. But those that get sick can be severely impacted and suffer long-term consequences. READ MORE

It’s all but impossible to calculate the number of postponed and canceled weddings because of Covid-19 and related lockdowns. While economists might measure the damage in dollars, couples across New Jersey and the nation feel a more personal sting: untold stress, the loss of their wedding date, and not knowing when they might finally get married. But a new business led by two career storytellers is trying to help couples tie the knot. Storyteller Weddings, a Central Jersey/Jersey Shore-based wedding officiant, planning, and music business, launched recently with the goal of organizing socially distant, budget-friendly ceremonies in a pinch, held via video chat or outdoors. Run by two musicians and former journalists, Storyteller Weddings relies on their interviewing, writing and management skills to deliver compelling, heartfelt wedding ceremonies uniquely suited for each couple. READ MORE

Resident Tara Canavera joins governing body after years of community volunteerism
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Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway wrote a note to the Rutgers community to announce a cut in student fees of 15 percent, a cut that is in addition to the the previously announced tuition freeze. Over the past week I have heard from many people in our community with thoughtful questions about tuition and fees for the fall semester. I have considered their input and today I am announcing a temporary reduction in fees for our students. In June, the Rutgers Board of Governors took the unprecedented step of freezing tuition and fees for the coming year in recognition of the financial strain so many families have felt as a result of the pandemic. Doing so has had consequences, as our budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year forecasts a shortfall of $160 million. READ MORE

Rutgers University to Join Harvard – MIT Lawsuit Against New ICE RulesWill file as amicus on Monday; first hearing on Tuesday

Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway today announced that the university will join as an amicus in the lawsuit filed by Harvard University and MIT to block the imposition of new rules that would be draconian for international students and devastating to colleges and universities across the country. RU will file as amicus on Monday, July 13, with the first hearing being Tuesday, July 14. The new guidance proposed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday would prohibit international students from taking course loads that are delivered entirely remotely and would require international students to immediately leave the United States if all of their courses are being delivered remotely. “Presenting these new policy proposals in the midst of the global pandemic, on the heels of announcements that universities across the country will be providing remote instruction, and only weeks before the start of the next semester is both revealing and troubling,” President Holloway said. “Our mission is to educate and improve the lives of our community locally and globally. READ MORE

Candidates should be prepared to present themselves for interview via Zoom. Interviews will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2020. READ MORE

Susan Welkovits, the three-term council member who championed pedestrian and bicycle safety, died early Friday morning. She was 59. READ MORE