South Orange flags fly at half-staff in honor ‘Babs’ Siperstein

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Barbra “Babs” Siperstein, an army veteran, small business person and New Jersey native, died Feb. 3 at age 76, prompting South Orange to lower its flags to half-staff to honor the longtime activist. Siperstein was known as one of New Jersey’s most prominent LGBTQ activists and was instrumental in securing protections […]

Man found guilty of setting fire at gentlemen’s club in Irvington

NEWARK, NJ — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced Feb. 7 that an Essex County jury has convicted Steve Cotto, 61, of Irvington, of aggravated arson following a trial before Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare. According to Assistant Prosecutor Sean Dickson, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Brian Olsen, on July […]

ECPO, West Essex police departments form Anti-Crime Task Force

NEWARK, NJ — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced Feb. 6 that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and nine police departments in the western part of the county have formed an Anti-Crime Task Force. The anti-crime partnership will allow police officers from Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona, […]

WOSEPAC to present ‘What is PerformCare?’

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Special Education Parent Advisory Committee will present “What is PerformCare?” at Liberty Middle School, 1 Kelly Drive, on Monday, Feb. 11, from 7 to 9 p.m. PerformCare provides access to the right care at the right time. PerformCare creates partnerships between parents, family support organizations, service providers and […]

Independent prosecutor bill signed into law

ORANGE, NJ — Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday, Jan. 30, signed Senate Bill 1036 into law, which orders the state attorney general to handle the investigation and prosecution of a crime involving a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in their official capacity or while the decedent was […]

WOHS celebrates Black History Month

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Janice Johnson Dias kicked off Black History Month at West Orange High School as the guest speaker at the WOHS Student Council’s annual Black History Month Scholarship Dinner on Feb. 1, talking about the importance of students learning about black history in school. Ticket funds from the dinner are funneled into […]

Village sees 3 power outages in just 2 weeks

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Three power outages affected 881 PSE&G customers in South Orange in the last two weeks and have now been corrected, according to the power company in an email to the News-Record on Feb. 1. Lauren Ugorji, the communications consultant for PSE&G, said that the first outage was caused by high winds. […]

Nationally recognized higher ed. leader appointed SHU’s 21st president

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall University board of regents has voted to appoint Joseph E. Nyre, a nationally recognized leader in higher education, as the university’s 21st president, effective Aug. 1. Nyre has served as president of Iona College, a Roman Catholic institution in New Rochelle, N.Y., since 2011. “The board is overwhelmingly […]

CHS helps students plan for future after high school

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Columbia High School will hold a College, Career, Gap Year and Military Night on Wednesday, March 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Main Gym, by the school’s Valley Street entrance in Maplewood. At this SOMA community event, which is sponsored by the CHS guidance department, students can meet with more […]