Local girls keep Brownie promise with shoe project

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — One Maplewood Girl Scouts Brownie troop is gearing up for the finish line, but to reach their goal, instead of wearing sneakers they will be collecting them to send to the nonprofit MORE Foundation Group, which will either donate them to those in need in Ghana or sell the shoes to raise funds […]

Maplewood man helps lead today’s abolitionist movement

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — For some people today, slavery is a concept only found within the pages of a history book, a long-extinguished abomination from centuries past. Others correctly realize that slavery does still exist, but are reassured by their belief that it happens thousands of miles away as an unfortunate institution of developing countries they will […]

Blizzard dumps nearly 30 inches on towns

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — It was a crazy weekend. A state of emergency was declared in New Jersey, temperatures dropped and the snow forecast changed hour by hour — in most cases going up! The blizzard, which hit late at night on Jan. 22, and kept up until early morning on Jan. 24, dumped nearly 30 […]

Two towns’ girls learning to stand up and speak out

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — One local group of 7- to 10-year-old girls from Maplewood and South Orange proves the value of girl power each day through lessons learned from Stand Up Girls, an organization that empowers its young participants to stand up for both themselves and others. Entering its third season in February, Stand Up Girls, […]

MMS students embrace their diversity in peace march

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood Middle School students participate in the 16th annual Michelle Turner Martin Luther King Jr. Silent Peace March on Jan. 15. During this silent reflection on diversity and equality, students and staff from MMS — approximately 800 people — marched through Maplewood Village holding signs.

Two towns celebrate Dr. King’s legacy

Community Coalition on Race sponsors interfaith service of diversity, equality, respect, integration

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Equality and integration is hard work, but luckily South Orange and Maplewood have the Community Coalition on Race to light the way. On Jan. 18, the CCR sponsored the 15th annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of equality, tolerance and freedom. The event, held at Congregation Beth […]

Burns Night fundraiser for the schools

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A Burns Night dinner and dance fundraiser to benefit the Achieve Foundation will be held at the Woodland, 60 Woodland Road in Maplewood, on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 7 to 11 p.m. Burns Night is an annual Scottish tradition, celebrating the life of poet Robert Burns. It is usually held on or around […]

Donaldson tapped to spread YMCA Togetherhood program

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — When the YMCA of the USA launched “Togetherhood,” its social responsibility initiative, in 2014, longtime South Mountain YMCA employee Tommy Donaldson led the effort at the Maplewood-based branch. The South Mountain Y was one of only 50 out of more than 2,700 YMCAs nationwide chosen to pilot the program, according to […]

Fighting Maplewood’s fires

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Kevin Hayes is appointed deputy chief to the Maplewood Fire Department at the Jan. 5 Maplewood Township Committee meeting.