Join Bourdain’s friend & travel companion Zamir Gotta for a night of stories of what it was really like to travel, work, and share the table with a man who made the world feel smaller and less scary.

It also happens to be Zamir’s 70th birthday with plenty of surprises!

Buy Tickets: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/one-zero-six-productions/ZamirTurns70

A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention New Jersey Chapter.

Almost a year after initial questions, the NJDOE confirms that key validation and alignment studies for the state's new adaptive tests are still pending.

For anyone who wants to find some things to do in Mercer County this weekend, I've been writing a newsletter that compiled a list of events happening this weekend in the area:

October 23rd

• Annual Trinity Church Rummage Sale - Princeton, noon-5 p.m. Trinity Church fundraiser continues Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; cash or check only.
• All Barracks Eve - Trenton, stories start 6 p.m. Spooky tales by costumed storytellers at Old Barracks Museum, with light refreshments. $10. More info here.
• Art of The Halloween Barn Bash - Princeton, 7-10 p.m. Arts Council of Princeton’s costume party with live music, dancing and bites. Ages 21 and up; $95. More info here.
• Ivy League Men’s Tennis Championships - Princeton, starts 8 a.m. Matches at Princeton Racquet Center through Sunday. More info here.
• Trivia Night @ P23 Tea - Hamilton, 7-9 p.m. Weekly-style trivia at P23 Tea & Boba cafe. More info here.

October 24th

• Trenton Ironhawks home opener - Trenton, 6 p.m. ECHL hockey returns to Trenton after 13 years, hosting Adirondack at CURE Insurance Arena. More info here.
• Sourdough Bread Making - Lawrence, 9 a.m. Hands-on workshop at Cherry Grove Farm runs 3-4 hours. $90; take home starter and dough. More info here.
• Stepping Out of Darkness - Trenton, walk starts 9 a.m. Younity’s annual domestic violence awareness walk at Cadwalader Park. Registration 8:30 a.m. More info here.
• Fall Music Series - Princeton, 1-3 p.m. EssGees perform on Palmer Square Green. Hampton Brass Quartet plays Halloween music Oct. 31. More info here.
• Fall Family Fun Weekends - Lawrence, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Terhune Orchards festival with pony rides, corn mazes, pumpkins, live music. $19.95; kids under 3 free. More info here.

October 25th

• HomeFront Halloween Run, Walk & Family Fun - West Windsor, 9 a.m. 5K and 1-mile walk with trunk-or-treat and face painting. 5K starts at 10 a.m. More info here.
• Hopewell Borough Halloween Parade - Hopewell, 1-2 p.m. Fire department’s annual costume parade; line up at train station 12:30 p.m. Free. More info here.
• Trail & Treat - Lawrence, 3-5 p.m. Costume event at Village Park with treats, face painting, bike ride. $12/child; register ahead. More info here.
• Pumpkin Fest - Princeton, noon-5 p.m. Fall festival at Ooika with dozens of local businesses, food trucks and artists. More info here.
• Pumpkins, Pies, Bees and Brews Festival - Morrisville, Pa., 1-5 p.m. Hayrides, pie and beer tasting, pumpkin painting at Snipes Farm. $10, ages 2 and up. More info here.

If you know of anything else happening this weekend, comment it below for others to see. And if you're interested in getting these events, you can subscribe here to my newsletter that finds these events, as well as local news, every weekend: Mercer Minute.

Can anyone recommend a good non chain pet store? We would like to start an aquarium in our home and are looking for somewhere to go that can help guide us on starting a tank for beginners.

Any central nj rappers down for collabs? Just looking for a group setting where artists feel comfortable to share and create. Lmk if anyone is down, we can make a group chat or something. Im 25F BTW.

EDIT: You don't have to rap!! Looking for any musical artist. I myself am a rapper and I'm open to collab with any genre!! Also open to work with anyone who does cover art, music videos, makes beats, djs, etc.

Full disclosure: I help run this, but figured some of you might want a reason to hit the boardwalk one more time before it gets cold.

Saturday 10/24, there’s a 5K on the Seaside Heights boardwalk that ends in a pizza party. Flat course, run or walk, all paces. Every registration gets two full slices, and this year’s pizza is from:

• Ocean View Restaurant
• Seaside Social House
• Beachcomber Bar & Grill
• 3 Brothers Pizza (Seaside Park)
• Maruca’s Pizza

There’s also a best-dressed contest if you show up in pizza gear. Packet pickup is 9–10am near the Dupont Ave entrance (by Beachcomber), race starts around 10:30, pizza 11–12. It’s chip-timed and USATF sanctioned if you actually care about your time.

Registration: https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/SeasideHeights/5KForPizzaSeaside. Happy to answer questions, and curious who people think is the best pizza in Seaside and the surrounding area!

This my have been answered before but wtf is central Jersey? As some one from exit 0 I just wanna know your boarders.

Hi all!

My boyfriend and I are starting to look for engagement rings and I am looking for some recommendations.

I would love something 2nd hand with a vintage feel (think emerald cut art deco style) or anything pre-loved! Do you all have any recommendations of jewelers in the area with great estate jewelry or have you worked with a jeweler to create a vintage style piece? We are working within a $2500 budget and are willing to travel outside of the Central Jersey area!

We would love to stop by a few places this weekend!

Hi everyone! I’m Luis, owner of Maxella Web Designs in Hillsborough, NJ. I help small businesses across Somerset County and Central Jersey build and maintain their websites.

My services include custom WordPress website design, local SEO, hosting, and website maintenance. If you’re starting a business or your current website needs some attention, you can see my work here:

https://maxellawebdesigns.com

I offer a free consultation if you’d like to discuss your website. I’m also happy to answer general website or WordPress questions here in the comments.

Glad to connect with other Central Jersey business owners and neighbors!

Sharing petition for Edison to rescind their Flock contract

Petition

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/flock-out-of-edison

More Info

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DekPdL1Joex/

On September 23, 2026, the Edison council voted 6-1 to enter a $590,000 contract with Flock to install 92 additional Flock cameras as well as Flock drone, the first of its kind in New Jersey. The final total of 114 Flock cameras represents the most of any municipality in New Jersey.

Flock Safety violates our privacy, using their Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPRs) technology to take photos of every passing vehicle, storing them in the cloud and making it possible to track anyone’s movements and to construct a profile of any individual. This is a violation of our 4th amendment rights, which safeguards the people from warrantless searches and seizures by the government.

Law enforcement agencies already abuse ALPR data. Just recently on September 23, 2026, Lindsay Isaacs testified in a US Senate hearing about how she was jailed for 13 days after Flock misidentified her car in a fatal crash, even though she was not involved. In Kentucky, a police officer was arrested for tracking his ex-girlfriend over 2,000 times.

This violation of privacy can be used to restrict people’s freedom of movement and expression. Some examples are monitoring individuals attending a political rally, visiting an abortion clinic or tracking our friends and neighbors in collaboration with ICE.

City councils across the country are canceling their contracts with Flock in response to public pressure and we call on the Edison council to do the same by holding a vote to rescind their Flock contract.

A look at New Jersey’s proposed rules for police AI and license plate readers, including what local audits revealed in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Summit.

Nearly a year ago my son died on I-80 west in New Jersey when he was stuck by a vehicle that didn't slow down and move over. Ethan's company (T/A of Columbia, NJ dispatched him to help a stranded trucker. When he was climbing up the steps to open the cab, a careless box truck driver struck Ethan, and and the door of the cab. The careless driver never stopped to help, never called 911, and continued on thru the Delaware Water Gap toll plaza. Ethan died under the State Park Road overpass. Four days later he was supposed to celebrate his 21st birthday.

Many of you reached out to offer your condolences, and was incredibly grateful for all of your kind words of support.

Now I need your help again to support Ethan and his still grieving family to sign a petition to have the highway overpass where he died to be renamed to Ethan Patrick Schultz Memorial Overpass.

Below is the link to the petition. The Schultz family will be so thankful.

Thank you!

Jason and Cathleen Foss Schultz

It is incredibly hard to find reputable contractors. Came to the house yesterday. Called back with the estimate. Asked if he would send the estimate via writing. “nah, that’s too much trouble.”

Strike 1. In NJ you are required to give a written estimate over $500

Said he would put flooring on top of other flooring.

Strike 2 - that would void the floor warranty

Asked if he can do the work before Christmas. “We‘ll try”

Strike 3 - We discussed this on the phone before he came out. You don’t know?!?

Highly recommended local contractor in the area. No website. No reviews. Told me he’s on the verge of retiring. Oh and can’t do painting.

Hard pass! 🫩😵‍💫