Fifty sixth-graders promoted at Watsessing Elementary

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Watsessing Elementary School held its annual Class Day in its gymnasium on Friday morning, June 15. Fifty sixth-graders were promoted to the middle school and in September will join students from seven other Bloomfield elementary schools to create what will become the Bloomfield High School Class of 2024. It was a day of […]

After 37 years at BMS, John Shanagher retires

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Retiring after 37 years as a middle school teacher, John Shanagher said he would stay if not for the commute from his Bridgewater home. “In all honesty, it’s killing me,” he said last week in his Bloomfield Middle School classroom. “It’s 40 miles each way. If I lived in Bloomfield still, I would […]

Upgrades at Brookdale Park Welcome Center are unveiled

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A ribbon cutting was held for the renovated Welcome Center in Essex County Brookdale Park on Friday, June 8. Work to modernize the bathroom building at the Brookdale tennis courts is nearing completion. The upgrades are part of the ongoing initiative of County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. to update the infrastructure of […]

Benitez has hearing before Judicial Conduct commission

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — An attorney for the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct has requested that Bloomfield Chief Magistrate Wilfredo Benitez be publicly reprimanded for his conduct during his 2016 arrest by NJ state troopers. Maureen Bauman, the disciplinary attorney for the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, made her recommendation at a May 23 committee hearing for […]

Teamwork and sunshine helped Beautification Commission’s workday

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — On Saturday morning, June 2, dozens of volunteers joined DPW workers in cleaning up the triangle at the border of Newark and Bloomfield at Bloomfield Avenue and 15th Street. This event was organized by the Bloomfield Beautification Committee, which leads various town cleanup events downtown and in parks every year. The Beautification […]

Demarest students reflect on their trip to Philadelphia

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Demarest Elementary School students traveled to historic Philadelphia last week for the day. The school’s fifth-graders have been making the journey for years, according to Principal Mary Todaro. “It’s a big trip that takes a lot of planning,” Todaro said. “For instance, getting tickets into Independence Hall. I don’t think a trip to […]

Patricia Carter looks back on 47 years at BHS

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — For nearly half a century, the first person students saw when entering the Bloomfield High School guidance department was its secretary, Patricia Carter — the daughter of an Olympian; wife to a former Bloomfield Recreation Department director; and mother of the current BHS football coach. Carter, who retired in December, recalled this past […]

County SummerMusic Concert Series returns

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The 2018 Essex County free SummerMusic Concert Series brings a diverse group of musicians and entertainers to perform at locations throughout the historic Essex County Park System and provides residents with an evening leisure activity to enjoy the parks. This year’s series features three concert and fireworks spectaculars, Friday night concerts […]

Talent, talent everywhere at display of student artwork

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A recent exhibit at Bloomfield High School had much for which a viewer could commend the instructors of fine arts and their students. On display in two third-floor galleries were works that effectively used practically all media while providing a glimpse into how teachers go about creating a foundation in art for their […]