Orange police officer is charged with sexual contact

ORANGE, NJ — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced on Thursday, Dec. 3, that Orange Police Officer Ricardo A. Arias-Vasquez, 34, of Hampton, has been charged with criminal sexual contact and witness tampering for touching a woman during a routine traffic stop. The alleged incident occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 18. While on duty, […]

St. Rose welcomes new principal

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — St. Rose of Lima Academy in Short Hills got to know a new principal, Tina Underwood, in the first half of the school year. Many students from around Essex County attend St. Rose. Below is an interview conducted with Underwood by sixth-grader Mia Henrich, a member of the editorial staff for […]

First Baptist Church of SO celebrates 120th anniversary

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — First Baptist Church of South Orange celebrated its 120th anniversary at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel on Nov. 28 with special guest CeCe Winans, the 10-time Grammy Award winner of Gospel and R&B fame. The event emcee was Liz Black, the host of radio station WBLS Sunday morning Gospel hour show […]

Patented invention parked on Broad Street

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The United States Patent Office must have forgotten to padlock all the windows or pat down its agents at quitting time because on Saturday afternoon, something from its files had escaped and was parked on Broad Street. Er, excuse me? No, a Scootus. That’s right, a Scootus — a first-ever, vehicular rearrangement, which […]

EO mosque celebrates 20th anniversary

EAST ORANGE, NJ — The Muslims of Masjid As-Haabul Yameen mosque in East Orange gathered at the Atrium Country Club in West Orange on Sunday, Dec. 6, to celebrate 20 Years of Spiritual and Civic Engagement. The gathering’s theme was “The Journey Continues.” Unfortunately, the event, which had been planned months in advance, happened the same […]

Girl Scouts give back to keep neighbors warm this winter

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Two West Orange Girl Scout troops collected a total of 180 coats, as of press time Dec. 8, for the 20th annual Jersey Cares Coat Drive, a program that will now distribute them to approximately 200 nonprofits throughout New Jersey. Coat-drive coordinator Clare Silvestri said troop 20016 from Mt. Pleasant Elementary School […]

Demarest implements new attendance program

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Demarest Elementary School last week embarked on a new program to improve student attendance, decrease tardiness, and generally, teach students to focus on coming to school, prepared to to learn. Principal Mary Todaro calls the program “Ready Every Day.” She introduced “R.E.D.” in a Nov. 25 assembly. Basically, the program is a friendly […]

Holidays to offer many activities

IRVINGTON, NJ — Elected officials and others in town say there are plenty more holiday events scheduled to take place in Irvington in coming weeks, now that the holiday season officially opened with the annual Holiday Tree-Lighting Ceremony in Civic Square on Thursday, Dec. 3. Mayor Tony Vauss is scheduled to have another toy giveaway on […]

Three SOMA schools to receive Sustainable Jersey grants

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Creating a positive and long-lasting impact in both their schools and their community is the goal of three schools in the South Orange-Maplewood School District that will receive funding from Sustainable Jersey for Schools to host sustainability projects. Eleven $10,000 grants and 35 $2,000 grants funded by the New Jersey Education Association […]

Golda Och’s ninth-graders create strong ties to Israel

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Golda Och Academy’s ninth-graders set out Nov. 8 for the annual Na’ale program to Israel. The 10-day journey allowed them to explore Israel’s culture, history and language while celebrating and strengthening their Jewish identity. Led by GOA teachers Lev Metz and Bethany Watson and a team of experienced counselors, students experienced […]