The Jersey City Independent "

There’s a new theater kid in town fighting to make an impression on the local arts scene. Ever since he was a young boy in India, FITR Productions founder Priyank Rastogi has been in love with the stage. “I remember the first play I saw back in India…I was blown away by the power of live performance. I always wanted to be involved in theater. I still remember thinking, ‘I would like to create something magical some day.’”

It wasn’t quite the “dream” number, but with 38,583 votes cast for mayor in Jersey City’s election on Tuesday, it was close enough — and more importantly, more than enough. And so with 6,000 more votes, mayor-elect Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop unseated Mayor Jerramiah Healy, taking 52% of the vote on Tuesday, May 14. [...]

Kidney disease is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, with chronic kidney disease affecting about 31 million in 2012, according to the American Kidney Fund. But people like Downtown Jersey City resident Melissa Arlio Andersen are working to help bring that number down by literally giving of themselves.

Updated as of Friday, May 10, 5:20 pm. With all of the controversy and dirt-shoveling, it’s easy for the distraction to turn into disenchantment, and a disenchanted resident is less likely to vote. Instead, we at JCI think the opposite is in order. Unhappy with the tenor of the conversation? Focus on the candidate who [...]

Even though “crowdfunding” did not make the list for the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s 2012 words of the year, it stands a good chance by the end of this year. The buzzword refers to the raising of funds directly from the public, mostly to finance smaller independent projects, through the use of social media and websites such as IndieGoGo and Kickstarter.

Ward F has had three different Councilwomen in the past three years, and might soon take on a fourth if current Ward F Councilwoman Diane Coleman is unable to repeat her surprising showing at the polls when she defeated mayoral-appointed Michele Massey in late 2012. Massey was seen as someone who might hold the seat [...]

Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan’s retirement from the City Council was first announced in January, which meant an end to a record-setting twenty years – or 5 terms – of holding office. It also means that anyone in Ward D under the legal drinking age would see a new Council person for the first time [...]

Jersey City’s downtown has seen the biggest revival in the city. Long-time downtown residents such as At-Large Council candidate Sean Connelly say its new sheen is deceiving: growing up in Ward E was no easy thing in the ’60s and ’70s. More recent residents — say, from the 1990s — can remember an affordable hub [...]

Jersey City’s strength and ability to come together will be front-and-center on Friday when four local bands take the stage at the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre in a benefit concert to help rebuild a JC icon, the Riverview-Fisk Park gazebo, which was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy’s fierce gusts last year.

Mana Contemporary opens three new exhibits this weekend. Famed Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, best known for his erotically charged work, headlines with a self-titled show. Also opening this weekend is a video exhibit featuring pieces by six Palestinian women from Israel and a showcase of select works from the collections of five prominent art lovers.