BOT introduces $36.8M budget

BOT introduces $36.8M budget

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Board of Trustees introduced the 2020 budget at its virtual May 11 meeting, passing the $36,873,694.78 budget, in which municipal taxes will be raised by 2.72 percent, on first reading with a 5–0 vote. The average increase between 2011 and 2020 has been 1.8 percent, while the average […]

Maplewood’s neighborhood Wi-Fi installation is in progress

Maplewood’s neighborhood Wi-Fi installation is in progress

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Eager to bridge the digital divide in town, especially at a time when closed schools created digital classrooms at home, Maplewood Township officials report that the town’s highly anticipated Wi-Fi Pilot program is finally being rolled out. The Wi-Fi Pilot, a community driven initiative that came out on top in the town’s […]

Scotland Road improvements begin this month

Scotland Road improvements begin this month

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Long-awaited improvements to Scotland Road, a county road in South Orange, will begin with the recent award of a contract to Colonnelli Brothers, who are set to break ground in late May to replace the water main that runs the length of the roadway. The South Orange Water Utility and its […]

TSTI takes entire congregational programming online

TSTI takes entire congregational programming online

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Houses of worship throughout the area have taken their services out of the sanctuary to online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the guidance and leadership of the clergy, led by Rabbi Daniel Cohen — Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel’s tech-savvy spiritual leader — temple staff, lay leaders and volunteers moved a […]

SO firefighters share donated PPE with neighboring towns

SO firefighters share donated PPE with neighboring towns

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Fire Department recently received a donation of 4,500 medical masks but needs only 900 of them. The other 3,600 were split evenly and donated to the South Orange Police Department, South Orange Rescue Squad, Livingston Fire Department and West Orange Office of Emergency Management. SOFD Chief Daniel Sullivan […]

Archdiocese announces closure of 10 Catholic schools

Archdiocese announces closure of 10 Catholic schools

NEWARK, NJ — The Archdiocese of Newark announced May 8 the consolidation of its school community and the closure of nine archdiocesan-operated elementary schools at the end of this school year, the result of archdiocesan strategic planning efforts to strengthen the overall school program and ensure a sustainable future for Catholic education in the Archdiocese. […]

Essex County superintendents respond to news of continued school closures

Essex County superintendents respond to news of continued school closures

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Teachers and students were holding out hope that they would be able to return to school and some semblance of normalcy before June, but on May 4 Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey schools would remain closed for the remainder of the school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Distance […]

County to continue COVID-19 screenings throughout May

County to continue COVID-19 screenings throughout May

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County has announced that testing for COVID-19 will continue in Weequahic Park throughout the month of May. The additional dates for May are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, excluding Memorial Day. Screenings are for Essex County residents and are by appointment only. Residents can exhibit symptoms or be asymptomatic. They will […]