Heartwarming Good News Stories In Essex County: Year In Review – Patch.com

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The world can be a scary place. But it’s also filled with humor, inspiration and beauty. Let’s focus on that second part.

Give Siree Morris a vacant lot and there’s a good chance he’ll spin it into gold.

Bagels By Jarrett is working some of West Orange’s most dedicated foodies into a frenzy… and it’s not even open, yet.

She overcame domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness. Now, Allison James is changing the lives of Newark’s young women.

A NJ couple wanted their son to grow up in a town with a farmers market. Instead of complaining, they took matters into their own hands.

Chasing down criminals isn’t the only hat a Newark police officer is expected to wear while patrolling the streets.

Bloomfield resident John Zack is about to embark on an intrepid, 3,000-mile journey as part of a reality show dubbed “The Great Grass Race.”

When a Montclair High School student was told he was “too small” to play the sport he loved, he used it as fuel to chase his gridiron dreams.

The painting of the wall was coordinated by Athena Zhe, an artist who settled in Belleville after moving to NJ from her native Ukraine.

Residents and businesses are using Toni’s Kitchen as a rallying point to aid their neighbors during the COVID-19 crisis.

The man known as “Heartless Hellraiser Dracko” says his fight with leukemia gave him a new appreciation for the fragility of life.

A New Jersey zoo gave eco-minded residents a unique way to reuse their old Christmas trees: give them back to the animals.

A wave of 14 murals in downtown Newark are spreading powerful messages about social justice. Learn more about the artists and their work.

“Please don’t let yourself or your kids go to sleep with an empty stomach,” the owners of Calabria Restaurant and Pizzeria say.

WOHS Student Jonathan Roberson: “To me, it’s more than the rank. This is something that’s going to impact the rest of my life.”

A fire ravaged Kolby’s Place in Bloomfield. But now it’s back in business, and the community couldn’t be happier.

VIDEO: The Newark Nail Goddesses say they’ve endured numerous nasty comments for having extraordinarily long fingernails.

Garden State Equality did a supermarket run for New Jersey’s only LGBTQ youth homeless shelter. Here’s how YOU can lend a hand.

Watching your car get towed away can put a sinking feeling into your stomach. But for this teen, the experience ended with a smile.

The coronavirus has hit tragically close to home for Marquese Dukes, who lost his grandfather to COVID-19.

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