WEST ORANGE, NJ — On Feb. 13, it was announced that Essex County will administer a $414,000 grant to West Orange as part of the Community Development Block Grant program; this is the largest award to any individual municipality in Essex County. According to the county, approximately $5.5 million will be distributed to 12 county […]
NEWARK, NJ — On Wednesday, Feb. 13, New Jersey’s five Roman Catholic dioceses released lists of priests who have been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors in the past several decades. The Archdiocese of Newark released a list with 63 names on it; all of the priests listed had either died or been removed from […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — On Feb. 5, the Maplewood Township Committee unanimously voted to introduce an ordinance to adopt the redevelopment plan for 104 Baker St., the former site of Toomey’s Automotive. The redevelopment plan, created by planner Paul Grygiel of Phillips Preiss Grygiel Planning and Real Estate Consultants LLC, has gone through several revisions following […]
MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Maplewood and South Orange communities mourned the recent loss of Barbra “Babs” Casbar Siperstein, the Edison woman who crusaded for LGBT rights in New Jersey and nationally. Siperstein died of cancer at age 76 on Feb. 3, just two days after the “Babs Siperstein Law” went into effect; […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Many members of the South Orange community gathered at the Jan. 28 Board of Trustees meeting for a presentation from police Chief Kyle Kroll on the disheartening statistics about police use of force released in New Jersey Advance Media’s “Force Report” this winter. While the presentation, which was followed by a […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — 2018 was a banner year for South Orange, as the village saw redevelopment, popular events and environmental initiatives that are leading the way in New Jersey. The village also saw various community members honored through site dedications. On Sept. 29, South Orange dedicated its new tennis courts to Kenneth Graham, a […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — As we head into February, the 2019 SOMA Board of Education is all set up and ready to go. On Jan. 3, new members were sworn in and board leaders were chosen, and on Jan. 28, board members were assigned to committees. At the Jan. 3 reorganization, the business […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — In 2018, Maplewood saw a lot of growth, both in its culture and physically. In addition to new businesses and residents coming to town, Maplewood upgraded infrastructure, invested in safety and showed pride in its diversity. Maplewood made national news on June 7, when it installed New Jersey’s first permanent rainbow-striped crosswalks […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange should be prepared for a contested election this May, when incumbent village President Sheena Collum will be vying with Trustee Deborah Davis Ford for the position of president. On Jan. 17, Davis Ford announced to a room full of supporters at Bunny’s in South Orange that, rather than run […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — As 2018 gave way to 2019, a big change took place in Maplewood. The administration created two “super departments” — the Department of Community Services and the Department of Community Development. The new Community Services Department, which covers the Recreation, Health and Welfare divisions, will be headed by new Community Services Director […]