District personnel says bon voyage to 433 CHS graduates at June 22 commencement ceremony
NEWARK, NJ — The air in the Essex County College Athletic Center in Newark on June 22 was filled with excitement, nervousness, joy, relief and more as Columbia High School graduated the Class of 2017. In many of the commencement speeches, the 433 graduates were encouraged to move forward and do great things, whether they […]
Village stays under 2-percent tax cap for 7th straight year
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Board of Trustees introduced the village’s proposed 2017 budget at a June 12 meeting. The 2017 budget comes in at $35,588,094.13. The board voted unanimously, 6-0 to introduce this budget, which maintains current levels of service and budgets for agreed union contracts, village administrator Barry Lewis Jr. said […]
Badlani: FSSNJ’s goal is to end ‘traffic violence’ in state
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Many kinds of violence draw attention in our society and yet traffic violence is often overshadowed, reduced to being called “accidents.” West Orange resident Sangeeta Badlani’s son, Nikhil, did not die from an accident; his death was preventable — he died from a careless driver disregarding a stop sign in South […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The school district retested the Seth Boyden drinking fountain that was found to have lead levels approximately 30 times greater than the actionable limit and and found it to be well within state guidelines. Superintendent of Schools John Ramos Sr. sent out an update on June 23, saying that the fountain in […]
District officials, experts discuss risks of lead ingestion, plans to remediate issue, communication
MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange-Maplewood School District announced June 12 the results of testing for lead in school buildings’ water, which showed that nine sources out of 223 had a higher lead action level than that established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for lead in drinking water, news that upset […]
DeNova: Seniors survey will be tailored to West Orange
WEST ORANGE, NJ — In an effort to ensure the township is providing the services necessary for older residents to age in place, West Orange will be putting out a senior survey to learn where the town is succeeding and where it needs improvement. At the June 13 Township Council meeting, the council voted 5-0 […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education unanimously agreed to name Thomas Ficarra as interim superintendent of schools at its June 7 meeting. The board voted 8-0, with board member Johanna Wright absent, to appoint Ficarra to the position; he will take charge Aug. 1, and stay for up to […]
Mayors want better equity, communication from NJT
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — After weeks of being sidelined, municipal officials from several towns finally met with NJ Transit representatives June 7 to discuss the burden local communities will shoulder this summer as the Morris & Essex Midtown Direct trains to Penn Station are diverted to Hoboken. The diversion will last for approximately eight weeks […]
Officials pleased with concessions, angered by treatment
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Following Gov. Chris Christie’s May 23 announcement that the Morris & Essex Midtown Direct trains to Penn Station will be diverted to Hoboken for approximately eight weeks this summer while Penn Station is upgraded to repair tracks and switches, officials from the many towns affected called for a meeting with NJ […]
Synagogue employee Jodi Rotondo has alter ego who writes best-selling historical romance novels
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — When you meet Jodi Rotondo around town, it can be quite difficult to see what lies underneath the surface. It’s easy to see that she is a devoted wife and mother, and the communications coordinator at Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange. But you may not realize she is the bestselling […]