Irvington opens STEAM academy

Irvington opens STEAM academy

IRVINGTON, NJ — The Rita L. Owens STEAM Academy staff and community participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new school on Sept. 15. The Irvington school is dedicated to and named after Rita L. Owens, a beloved art teacher in the Irvington School District for more than two decades. The academy is a […]

Orange BOE member creates space for community engagement

Orange BOE member creates space for community engagement

ORANGE, NJ — Orange Board of Education member Fatimah Turner, a licensed clinical social worker, has created a community center for residents of Orange and surrounding communities in her cafe on South Essex Avenue. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Turner realized the community was lacking a space where all members of the community […]

Essex County addresses monkeypox concerns

Essex County addresses monkeypox concerns

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — On Sept. 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the United States’ first monkeypox death, that of a man in Los Angeles County, Calif. Here in New Jersey, health officials are urging residents to learn the facts about monkeypox and to protect themselves accordingly. The Essex County Health Department […]

Mental Health Day in East Orange provides skills, supplies to students

Mental Health Day in East Orange provides skills, supplies to students

EAST ORANGE, NJ — The Darren Clark Jr. Memorial foundation hosted a Back-to-School Mental Health Day at Watsessing Park in East Orange on Saturday, Aug. 27. The event served more than 100 underserved students from Essex County, providing backpacks or messenger bags filled with age-appropriate school supplies to students who participated in the four activities […]

Orange jams out at sesquicentennial celebration

Orange jams out at sesquicentennial celebration

ORANGE, NJ — The city of Orange Township hosted “150 Years of Orange” on Thursday, Aug. 18., in celebration of the city’s sesquicentennial. Initially known as “Newark Mountains,” Orange was originally incorporated in 1806. In 1872, Orange was reincorporated as a city, and in 1985 it became the city of Orange Township. The community health […]

‘America’s Best Girl’: learning more about Maplewood hometown hero

‘America’s Best Girl’: learning more about Maplewood hometown hero

UNION, NJ — The Union Public Library hosted an Aug. 9 lecture, “‘America’s Best Girl’: The Life and Times of Maplewood’s Gertrude Ederle,” about the famous swimmer from the 1920s. The lecture was held via Zoom in collaboration with the New-York Historical Society, which was New York City’s first museum and the second museum in […]

West Orange native displays her ‘home’ in Philadelphia museum

West Orange native displays her ‘home’ in Philadelphia museum

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Ellen Hanauer, a West Orange native, was selected from artists across the country to participate in “This Is My Home,” an exhibit at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, Pa. The museum chose five artists to share their personal histories, experiences and hopes. “Each immersive ‘home’ explores an issue critical to liberty […]

Nutley High bids farewell to the Class of 2022

Nutley High bids farewell to the Class of 2022

NUTLEY, NJ — Nutley High School’s Class of 2022 graduated at Park Oval on the evening of June 23. At the ceremony, high school seniors received their diplomas, took photos and moved their graduation tassels from right to left while a standing-room–only crowd applauded. Following the Pledge of Allegiance and “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by […]