**Get ready for another fare hike. Starting Sunday, December 6th cash-paying drivers will have to hand over $15 to cross the George Washington Bridge, Holland Tunnel, or Lincoln Tunnel. (That’s a $1 increase from the current toll price.) If you’re an EZ-Pass subscriber, you’ll see your fare rise 75 cents during peak hours, for a total of $12.50. On the bright side, this should be the final increase we see for awhile, since it’s the last part of a controversial package that was approved by the Port Authority back in 2011. —Port Authority via NorthJersey.com
**Today, December 2nd, is the annual Newport Tree Lighting at Newport Town Square, which is located at 100 Town Square Place. The lighting of the 30-foot tree will be led by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop starting at 6pm. The event will also feature a meet-and-greet with Santa and a trackless train ride for children. —NJ.com
**Zeppelin Hall’s Beer & Cheese Festival will kick off this Thursday, December 3rd. As part of the festival, Executive Chef Franco Robazetti has curated a special menu that includes over seven grilled cheese sandwiches and seven kinds of poutine dishes. Highlights include the Pizza Melt Grilled Cheese ($10.95), the Chicken Diablo Poutine ($9.50), the Jalapeño Popper Melt ($10.95), and the Sweet Poutine Dessert ($7.95) — the latter of which is made with sweet potato fries that are seasoned with spicy cinnamon and homemade Nutella gravy. The festival and special menu will be available through December 23rd. —Zeppelin Hall
**The City Council has voted unanimously to provide food truck parking at the end streets of Sussex, Grand, and York along the waterfront. In addition, downtown’s food trucks will have a digital page to show vendor schedules and locations. —IncrediBalls Food Truck
**Jersey City’s 9/11 memorial fountain at Journal Square may be replaced by developers Kushner Companies and KABR Group, as they begin construction of One Journal Square. The fountain, which dates back to the 1990s, was re-dedicated in 2002 with the names of 37 Jersey City residents who were killed on 9/11. The fountain itself hasn’t worked in about five years, but some fear that if Kushner builds on top of the fountain, they may never get around to building the new memorial that they promise they’ll build. —NJ.com
**New York City’s fast food restaurants have started displaying salt/sodium warnings in their food. The first-of-its-kind law was passed by New York Mayor Bill DiBlasio in an attempt to get New Yorkers to cut down on their sodium intake. According to experts, most Americans consume about 3,400 mg of salt per day, which is considerably higher than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 mg. With the new law, consumers will be able to make wiser choices when it comes to the foods they order. For instance, a TGI Friday’s New York cheddar and bacon burger will be labeled as containing 4,280 mg of sodium, whereas a Chili’s boneless Buffalo chicken salad will display 3,460 mg of sodium. —Yahoo News
(Image: NorthJersey.com)
