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JEFFERSON, NJ — Owning and operating TAPinto Jefferson is the perfect mix of two things that Aidan Mastandrea cares about very much — doing something he loves in a community he values.

Mastandrea, who grew up in nearby Sparta, knows Jefferson well, as it’s a place he spent a lot of time, from playing basketball and hiking the trails to supporting local businesses.

“Jefferson is an amazing town that offers a huge amount of tourism that I don’t think people realize,” Mastandrea said. “You have expansive hiking trails and Lake Hopatcong. People come from all over NJ to experience those things.”

Mastandrea said readers of TAPinto Jefferson, which launched in February 2026, will see a little bit of everything on the site, including town council meetings, events and sports.

“With my sports experience, people can expect a lot of coverage of the high school sports, especially once the spring sports season gets rolling,” he said. “As a former athlete, I know that coverage in the area is slim, so I think highlighting the amazing Jefferson athletes is very important.”

"We are thrilled for the launch of TAPinto Jefferson and are excited to provide original local news reporting every day for the Jefferson community,” TAPinto Founder and CEO Michael Shapiro said. “Under Aidan's leadership, TAPinto Jefferson is quickly becoming the go-to source for Jefferson news and information."

Mastandrea is a 2025 graduate of The College of New Jersey with a degree in Journalism and Professional Writing. While at TCNJ, he was the sports editor and news editor at The Signal.

He said he would bring what he learned there to TAPinto Jefferson, covering the stories that matter most to the area.

“Covering local news comes with a huge responsibility,” Mastandrea said. “It can be about events or achievements, but it is also making sure that residents know about where their money is going and how decisions are being made. Without that kind of coverage, there is no way for them to know.”

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HACKENSACK, NJ — Mayor Caseen Gaines and the City Council have honored the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, highlighting key community leaders that contributed to Hackensack's vibrant landscape.

“The City of Hackensack has been shaped, sustained, and defined by the vibrant history and integral contributions of Black Americans, whose brilliance, leadership, and cultural triumphs are woven into the fabric of our community's identity,” Gaines said at the latest Council meeting.

The team mentioned the first Black church in Bergen County, Varick Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located on Atlantic Street.

“Organized in 1864 as “Olive Branch Colored Mission Number Three,” a faith community that began in a humble lime shed on Railroad Avenue—later moved to its current site—growing into a spiritual fortress that has anchored the Third Ward for over 160 years,” Gaines read.

The Council then went on to celebrate its musical atmosphere, noting that Hackensack is the home of James “JT” Taylor, lead singer of Kool & the Gang, who started his career in the City's church choirs.

To honor more music, Gaines cheered on the City's contributions to Jazz history, recognizing the original Van Gelder Studio on Prospect Avenue, where the 1954 hit “Hackensack,” was created by Thelonious Monk. Following in his footsteps as a successful hometown leader is Matthew Whitaker, who recently achieved a 2026 Grammy Award with the 8-Bit Band for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella for “Super Mario Praise Break.”

Hackensack highlighted more civil servants from the community, like E. Frederic Morrow, who served as the first African American White House executive officer. He and his brother, Ambassador John Howard Morrow, were raised on Berry Street.

Their sister, Nellie K. Parker, served as the first Black teacher in Bergen County and the Hackensack Public School District, committing 42 years of hard work and selflessness bringing young students to success.

As part of Nellie K. Parker Elementary School, also celebrated was beloved principal Lillian Whitaker, who was also a music director at Mount Olive Baptist Church. She is remembered by the Council as “a visionary educator for whom Club Way was dedicated to in 2025 to commemorate her nearly five decades of service to our city's youth.”

Also remembered is former President of the Bergen County Community Action Program (BCCAP), Lois “Sissy” Braithwaite, who also founded the James Street Block Association in 1980 with a goal of fighting for equality and empowering neighbors through community unity.

Political pioneers of Hackensack were also highlighted. J. Herbert Leverett served on the Hackensack City Council in 1965 as the first African American elected. Marlin Townes, Jr., in 2005, went on to become the first African American Mayor of Hackensack.

The City of Hackensack proclaims February as a "landmark month of pride, excellence, and community celebration in honor of the Black Americans who have shaped our past and the visionaries who continue to inspire our future.”

HACKENSACK, NJ — Mayor Caseen Gaines and the City Council have announced plans to transform a 7,501-square-foot lot on Main Street into a municipal park at no cost to taxpayers.

A New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) Green Acres Program grant will help fund the green space. Vice President of the city's grant consultants Bruno Associates, Joseph DiFranco, commented on feedback received by taxpayers.

“What has stood out most to me throughout this process is the level of enthusiasm and engagement from the Hackensack community,” DeFranco said. “The feedback reflects a genuine desire for meaningful open space, and it's rewarding to work with a governing body that is in sync with its constituents and willing to take the steps necessary to turn a vision into a reality.”

The Mayor and Council will apply for state funding of up to $1,400,000. The amount is the maximum that the City qualifies for, as well as the estimated total project cost. Funds are subject to appraisal review and confirmation of eligible acquisition costs.

Located between The Woolworth Residences and Iconic Coffee, the next step of the pocket park project was for the Council to host a public hearing.

Held on Tuesday, Feb. 3, residents stepped up to the podium in City Hall to share their thoughts. Two residents were specifically concerned with the conditions of other Hackensack parks.

“I'd like to see some refreshing or updating of some of the other parks that are in the city as well, particularly Carver Park, which I believe is entitled to Green Acres grant money as well,” said resident Anita Rivers. “And then also the Anderson Street Park, that's right across from the Second Reformed Church. I think those two parks in the community, where there are a lot of children, would certainly benefit from an updated, refreshed green space.”

A Main Street resident, Patricia, agreed with Rivers's statement.

“My problem is that you are willing to spend money on a tiny park on Main Street, while the beautiful spaces we already have are severely neglected,” she said. “As my neighbor said, you know, I live within walking distance of the park on Anderson Street, for instance. It has mature trees and is nestled between two churches and a lovely school. It's off of Main Street, which makes it a lovely place for relaxation and enjoyment."

She further commented on the status of Anderson Street Park.

“However, there's a water fountain that’s almost never functioning during the warmer months," Patricia said. "It looks like a literal petri dish. There is almost no landscaping. The grass could use some help. More seating would also be welcomed. That little park deserves some TLC.”

Patricia said long-time residents seem to be ignored, and that the City is catering to newcomers that will reside in the luxury high-rise buildings being built in the area.

“They are welcome to walk down the street to one of our current parks,” she said. "…Don't neglect the structures and public spaces that have endured Hackensack evolution for something new and glitzy, just to look like we did something. It's an insult to the history and integrity of Hackensack."

Gaines emphasized that the new park aligns with the demand to bring people to Main Street. He believes many people are not spending time exploring the area by foot.

“I think it's important when people talk about a growing city, you can grow a city in lots of ways besides luxury apartments and thinking about opportunities to invite people to come,” Gaines said. “This pocket park is truly not something just for new residents. [It's] an attempt to get everyone to come to Main Street and have a reason to stay there a little bit longer.”

Another resident was concerned about the future cost to taxpayers for park maintenance.

“Yes, our maintenance is going to be a cost factor,” Carroll said. “But I don't think it's going to be that much of a cost factor, because we do have good existing DPW parks people that I believe can maintain that property, which is not large.”

Approving the resolution, Mayor Gaines will now apply for the NJDEP grant, which has a Feb. 27 deadline.

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HACKENSACK — Matthew Whitaker was on a cruise in the Caribbean when he won his Grammy, about 3,000 miles away from the awards show in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Feb. 1.

The 24-year-old music prodigy from Hackensack had finished a set with his band on a boat travelling from Puerto Rico to Florida, and was having dinner when his friend texted him a picture from the show of the Grammy stage with his name listed across the big screen announcing the category’s winners.

He and his band had been performing on the cruise boat for the past week and were in one of its restaurants when he got the text that he had won the award for best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella for his work on the song “Super Mario Praise Break.”

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“I got the picture and showed my bandmates and they were like, ‘You won!” he said. The band’s guitar player, Marcos Robinson, who also played on the song, shouted the news from their table, and the restaurant broke out in applause, he said.

“I was shocked — I still can’t believe it, honestly,” Whitaker said. “I’m really grateful and honored and blessed to have gotten the Grammy.”

Whitaker, who has been blind since birth, began playing the piano at age 3, when he taught himself some songs he had heard in nursery school on a toy keyboard given to him by his grandfather.

His first performance on stage was at the Apollo Theater in Harlem at 9 years old, where he won the Child Stars of Tomorrow competition during the theater’s amateur night talent show.

Whitaker, who grew up in Hackensack and still lives in the city, has released four studio albums and tours internationally and in the U.S. with other musicians and his own band.

Since last year, he has also been teaching at the Augustana University School of Music in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he was named the university’s inaugural artist-in-residence.

When he’s home in Hackensack, Whitaker plays organ at his family’s church, the New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack, where he also directs the choir.

His Grammy, the first in his career, is for his work with the 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz and pops orchestra that reimagines video game music as big band jazz, on “Super Mario Praise Break,” a medley of songs from Mario games in a gospel arrangement.

“To be nominated and win in the best arrangement category, it’s just amazing,” he said. “The style — it’s gospel mixed with video game music — it’s not something you see all the time. It’s pretty unique.”

Bryan Carter, one of the other musicians that was a part of the arrangement, was on stage to accept the Grammy award, with Charlie Rosen, the band’s leader, said Whitaker, who got back to New Jersey on Tuesday, and was going Wednesday to his university in South Dakota to start spring semester.

Whitaker is beginning to work on a new album he hopes to release next year and will tour with Rosen in June playing piano and keyboard in cities across Japan.

The Grammy win is a meaningful milestone for Whitaker in his already accomplished career.

“Honestly it means a lot to me — my very first Grammy,” he said. “I feel so grateful. It’s only up from here.”