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 […]

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 […]

Montrose School officially opens its doors

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE — The Montrose Early Childhood Center officially opened its doors with a ribbon cutting Dec. 4, roughly two years after the building was approved as a joint general-education and special-education school for the South Orange-Maplewood School District’s preschoolers. District officials joined school staff, parents and students to commemorate the school’s ceremonial launch, though classes […]

Dar Williams’ music serves as the voice of the times

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Writing is often thought of as a solitary occupation, but that has not been Dar Williams’ experience. Through the years the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter has collaborated with some of the music industry’s most respected names in writing and performing her work, from Joan Baez to Suzzy Roche to The Hooters. And while […]

Local Girl Scouts exemplify giving-back in service project

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Girl Scout Troop 20245 completed a monthlong service project, collecting more than 4,000 travel-size toiletries and assembling more than 230 kits for Bridges Outreach, a Summit-based nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing and basic necessities to thousands of homeless people in New York City, Newark and Irvington. The kits included items […]

‘Colorblindness’ is not the answer for adolescents

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Columbia High School graduate Joanna Lee Williams, a developmental psychologist and associate professor at the University of Virginia, returned to her alma mater Nov. 20 to discuss how ethnicity influences teenagers in forming friendships; Williams was the latest guest of the Hamingson Literary Showcase speaker series. In her speech “Finding a Place […]

SO designates Village Hall redeveloper, gives 20-year PILOT

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Village Hall renovation and repurposing took a giant step forward at the South Orange Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 23, when the board voted unanimously to designate 101 South Orange Avenue Urban Renewal LLC, a subsidiary of Landmark Hospitalities, as the redeveloper of Village Hall and to grant the redeveloper […]

Seton Village lights up the holidays with Christmas fun

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Village Committee is bringing “Light Up the Holidays in Seton Village” to the local community on Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. “As we mark the second year of focused work toward our mission in Seton Village, it is wonderful to celebrate with this event, which truly […]

With kindergarten enrollment up, schools may redistrict

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — It is never too early for budget discussions. At its Nov. 16 meeting, the Board of Education heard from business Administrator Cheryl Schneider, who delivered her annual baseline data budget report. Several variables — such as enrollment, caring for facilities, transportation, socioeconomic makeup, and salaries and benefits — factor into deciding a […]

Seton Hall professor examines deadly 1755 earthquake

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Though the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon, Portugal, hit almost exactly 260 years ago, the world is still feeling the aftershocks today. Seton Hall University professor Mark Molesky details the apocalyptic destruction brought by the Lisbon earthquake, as well as the responses and effects that truly changed the world, in his new […]