Grant application help available for businesses near I-80
NEW JERSEY (PIX11) — For three days, New Jersey's Economic Development Authority is hosting informational sessions about possible grants for small businesses impacted by the I-80 sinkholes.
Monday's meeting will be in person, with virtual sessions being held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
More Local News
The Route 80 Business Assistance Grant Program will provide grants ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 to businesses and non-profits within a 5-mile radius of the sinkhole. To apply, businesses cannot have more than 50 full-time employees and must be able to show at least $1,000 in negative financial impact for the first quarter of 2025.
Arledy Arroyade, the owner of Colossal Restaurant in Wharton, is hoping to take advantage of the EDA's grant money to help pay her bills.
'We have a lot of people waiting for payments and don't have that money,' said Arroyade.
'It definitely means a lot,' said Yazan Muheisen, owner of Pop's Bagels in Wharton. 'Our losses are a lot greater than that, but every little bit helps. Payroll has been really tough during these couple of months,' said Muheisen.
NJ businesses around I-80 sinkhole get creative to get customers in
The maximum $15,000 wouldn't be nearly enough to entirely cover a business's losses, but it would certainly help.
'I know I just got my gas bill and it was $5,200,' said Peter Sedereas, owner of Townsquare Diner in Wharton. 'My water bill was $1,800. My electric bill just came in. It was $3,900. So that $15,000 will go pretty quickly.'
What business owners need most is a steady stream of customers – something they can only achieve once I-80 is back open.
'We need the highway to reopen,' said Sedereas. 'Once the highway reopens, we'll be fine.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Gottheimer: The five-term Congressmember running for NJ governor
The Brief Representative Josh Gottheimer is running for New Jersey's gubernatorial office. Gottheimer won the seat of Representative of New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District in 2016, and is currently serving his fifth term in office. His campaign is focused on lowering taxes for New Jersey residents, citing the affordability issue many residents are facing. NEW JERSEY - Representative Josh Gottheimer represents New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District, but he's currently eyeing a larger constituency: the entire state. The backstory Gottheimer was raised in North Caldwell, New Jersey, and attended West Essex High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, with a degree in political science, the University of Oxford in 1999 and Harvard Law School in 2004. Before pursuing law, Gottheimer went on to become a presidential speechwriter for former U.S. President Bill Clinton, serving from 1998 to 2001. He also served as Senior Advisor to the Chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights for about a year, in 2001. He then pivoted to the private sector, serving as Ford'sDirector of Strategic Communications for about a year, then the Executive Vice President, Worldwideof Burson-Marsteller for four. In 2010, Gottheimer was appointed as the Senior Counselor to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he stayed for two years. The backstory Gottheimer won the seat of Representative of New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District in 2016, and is currently serving his fifth term in office. He is also Vice Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group created with the goal of encouraging bipartisan cooperation among members of Congress. He launched his gubernatorial campaign on November 15, 2024. You can find an entire list of New Jersey gubernatorial candidates here. What we know Gottheimer's campaign is focused on lowering taxes for New Jersey residents, citing the affordability issue many residents are facing. This plan includes a nearly 15 percent cut to New Jersey property taxes, a "renter rebate" of $500 per year and an annual $1,000 credit on the state income tax returns of residents over the age of 70 who have lived in the state for at least 10 years. This plan can be read in its entirety below: Click to open this PDF in a new window. Gottheimer is also against New York's congestion pricing program – "Nine dollars a day is a huge hit for that nurse, cop, firefighter or teacher who's really struggling," he told New Jersey Now. By the numbers A survey conducted by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill revealed that 11 percent of registered New Jersey Democratic Primary voters plan to support Gottheimer, leaving him tied for second place with Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. The Source This article includes reporting from Representative Josh Gottheimer's campaign website, a survey conducted by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill and information from several New Jersey government websites.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Col. Co. leaders start plans for new data center and technology park in Appling
APPLING, Ga. (WJBF) – With a rise in cyber technology, Columbia County leaders are starting to work on plans to bring a data center to Appling. After recent discussions about ways to improve the county, Economic Development Authority Director Cheney Eldridge says they saw the need for a data center. 'Anything you do on the internet runs through a data center, so they're very important to have—not just for the country, but here in this community,' said Eldridge. County leaders have sent a rezoning application for almost 2000 acres near Morris Callaway Road. They're working with Trammel Crow, a commercial real estate firm out of Atlanta. 'They came to us when we were looking at this piece of property, and have really been with us the whole time working together through a public-private partnership. They're simply an intermediary between us and whoever would come in and locate within this park,' said Eldridge. She says they strategically picked that location, as nearby White Oak Business Park hosts operations for Club Car and Amazon's fulfillment center. 'I think it's important to keep all of these together, because the last thing we want is a splattered amount of projects all over. Industrial, a data center, or even an office park. You want to keep things together just like you want residential together,' Eldridge said. They are not planning on the data center to be an extension of White Oak Business Park, but workers will use that area to access the building. 'Access will come through the business park, and they'll access the property that way,' the director added. 'They'll come off of the highway as opposed to coming off of Morris Callaway.' The idea is to hire network engineers to operate at the center—what the authority hopes is a golden opportunity to create more jobs for those coming from Augusta University and Fort Eisenhower. 'Right now, a lot of the folks that are coming out of Fort Eisenhower are not able to find the right job that meets their skills. What we will have with this data center park is plenty of jobs that are exactly what we have coming out of Fort Eisenhower, and through the pipeline that we're building,' Eldridge said. The county is still working on costs and timelines with Trammel Crow. But with more jobs and generated tax revenue expected, they see it as a win-win. 'Any time you go on Facebook to look at pictures of your grandchildren, or you want to send a photo of your dog to a friend—you need a data center. It's integral for this country to have this type of infrastructure in place. I see it as an opportunity for this community to benefit from a necessary infrastructure that's going to have to go in any way,' said Eldridge. The county is now waiting on next steps with the developer. The construction timeline will take place over the next several years. 'I think you might see things start in the next few years. But for this size of a piece of property, for it to be fully built out will probably take 20 to 30 years,' Eldridge said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
New Yorkers with immigrant families to be hit hard by tax on money transfers
NEW YORK (PIX11)—Many countries, including the Philippines, Nigeria, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, rely heavily on financial support from family members in the U.S. each year to help support their loved ones back home. Now, a new tax proposed by the Trump administration threatens future support. Known as part of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' the House of Representatives has approved a 3.5% tax on international money transfers sent by non-citizens to their loved ones in foreign countries. It's now waiting for action in the Senate. The proposed remittance tax has raised concerns among low-income immigrant families who depend heavily on sending money back home. Numerous money-transfer services are available throughout the city. One facility in the Bronx found that most of its transfers go to Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Community activist Fernando Mateo is worried. 'When you boost tariffs on people sending money to loved ones, people that need it in third world countries, you're going to create a disaster.' An activist in the Hispanic community, Mateo, says that if the tax is implemented, it will impact every household that depends on money sent from the United States back to their country. He contends, 'They're not going to send the same amount of money, so the people in third world countries are going to suffer, that's the bottom line. It's cab drivers, Bodega owners, people that work seven days a week that send $100 back home. Now they're going to send $95. $5 may not mean much to you and me, but to them it means a lot.' One woman at the cash service in the Bronx said she sends money each month to family members in the Dominican Republic, and if those transactions are taxed, it'll impact her financially. Domingo Carrion also says it will impact his monthly payments to his father in the DR. 'It's going to force me to send a lesser amount of money on a monthly basis because of the increase. $100 a month, but now between $85 and $90 a month because of the increased fees I have to pay. It will be more difficult for me.' The Rite Check Cash service processes between 40 and 50 money transfers each week. While it charges a minimal fee, the addition of the 3.5% tax to each transfer could impact the business. Manager Mary Gutierrez believes customers will transfer as much cash as they have been. She feels there will be a sharp cutback Legal experts have flagged possible challenges to the bill, questioning its fairness and implementation. It is now awaiting a Senate vote, which is expected within a month. If approved, the remittance tax could go into effect by the first of the year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.