SOMA Board of Ed affirms commitment to educating all children

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — At the Feb. 27 South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education meeting, board members voted to affirm the South Orange-Maplewood School District’s commitment to educating all children. The board passed Resolution No. 3536, which states the district’s goal to education all children, regardless of ethnicity or immigration status. “The School District […]

Deer management program culls 89 animals from reservations

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County recently announced that 89 deer and 56 unborn deer were removed from South Mountain Reservation and Hilltop Reservation during the 2017 deer management program. The program, which was held on six days between Jan. 17 and Feb. 14, is geared toward revitalizing the forest ecology by reducing the number […]

Transgender Scout finds a home in Maplewood pack

Proponents, opponents sound off on recent BSA ruling

Transgender Scout finds a home in Maplewood pack

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The 9-year-old transgender boy who was asked to leave his Secaucus Cub Scout pack last year due to his gender identity is now a member of Maplewood’s Pack 20, following the Boy Scouts of America’s decision to enact a policy allowing transgender boys to join. Joe Maldonado became the first openly transgender […]

Skiing the winter away

Skiing the winter away

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — This winter season, Maplewood Recreation and Cultural Affairs had more than 250 participants in its Ski and Snowboard Club. The group took five action-packed trips to Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon, N.J. “Thank you to all of our student participants, awesome chaperones and the parents that made it all happen!” recreation Director […]

Seniors ‘Meet & Mix’ in SOMA

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A new community initiative devoted to seniors — SOMA Two Towns for All Ages — is holding its first public event on Sunday, March 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. All seniors from both towns are invited. Admission price is one canned good for the Our Lady of Sorrows food pantry. Participants […]

College and career night at CHS

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Columbia High School will hold its annual college and career night on Wednesday, March 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the main gym at Columbia High School, 17 Parker Ave. in Maplewood. Representatives from more than 120 colleges, technical schools, vocational schools, gap year opportunities, and military, civil service and other […]

DiVincenzo gives State of the County Address

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. presented his 14th annual State of the County Address on Monday, Feb. 27, in the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove. The multimedia presentation outlined county achievements and improvement projects completed in 2016, highlighted the services and programs offered by Essex County and announced […]

Register for SOMAS children’s summer program

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School children’s summer program offers more than 100 classes in creative arts, music, science and sports. Students get to choose their own classes — there are five periods in a day — and the day can be as long or short as they like. This […]

Mayor provides update on Avalon Bay reconstruction

Residents concerned over disturbances from construction

Mayor provides update on Avalon Bay reconstruction

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood is still working to bounce back from the six-alarm fire that tore through the Avalon Apartments construction site on Feb. 4, destroying approximately one-half to two-thirds of the site. The fire, which took approximately four hours and 120 firefighters to extinguish, destroyed the work already done on phases 2 and 3 […]