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; […]
Village, PD look for community volunteers to partner with them moving forward
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 […]
Davis Ford announces her intention to run for village pres.
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 […]
MAPLEWOOD / MILLBURN / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — During the weekend, from Jan. 11 to 13, the Green Teams of Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange joined together for Greener To-Go, a joint initiative made possible through a grant from Sustainable Jersey and funded by the PSEG Foundation. Through Greener To-Go, three participating restaurants made a […]
Adams and Lembrich each take oath of office for their second TC terms
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The Maplewood Township Committee reorganization on New Year’s Day was a joyous affair, with various musical performances, as committee members Nancy Adams and Greg Lembrich were sworn in for their second terms. Additionally, Vic DeLuca was again selected to be mayor, with a unanimous vote, though he did say that this will […]
‘The Force Report’ shows excessive racial disparities in police force in SO
MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — After investigating for 16 months, filing 506 Open Public Records Act requests, collecting 72,607 use-of force reports, and spending more than $30,000 for its investigation and data compilation, NJ Advance Media released “The Force Report,” a comprehensive database and analysis of how often municipal police departments in New Jersey […]