SOUTH ORANGE / WEST ORANGE, NJ — Philip Kayal and Abe Kasbo had no filmmaking experience prior to producing their first documentary. What they did know was that Arab-Americans are not the evil terrorists that national media often makes them out to be. They knew, though most Americans did not, that Arab immigrants and their descendants […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange School District’s arts department will once again put its talent on display for a good cause during the 15th annual Music Faculty Scholarship Concert at the Liberty Middle School Auditorium on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Approximately 20 district music educators will perform selections from a variety of genres ranging from […]
After uproar following BOE meeting, superintendent clarifies: students not required to take test
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Rutzky told the West Orange Chronicle that district students will be allowed to refuse this year’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exam, clarifying statements he had made during the last Board of Education meeting which some parents had interpreted to mean that refusing PARCC […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Listeners who thought the Jan. 19 Township Council meeting seemed easier to hear were not mistaken. After more than a year of complaints from residents upset about the sound quality inside Council Chambers, the township added two microphones to the speaker’s podium and council dais last month. Township Chief Financial Officer John […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The volleyball round robin that had been scheduled for Jan. 29 was canceled after damage to Roosevelt Middle School Gym made the space unsafe. “The gym roof leaked, causing a small area of the gym floor to buckle,” Superintendent of Schools Jeff Rutzky told the West Orange Chronicle in a Feb. 2 […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Mayor Robert Parisi has nominated West Orange public defender Joseph Wenzel for the position of municipal prosecutor, replacing Bryn Whittle, who recently resigned. In a Jan. 21 statement to the West Orange Chronicle, Parisi said he has asked the West Orange Township Council to approve Wenzel for the role at its Feb. […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — On Feb. 6 and 7, the West Orange High School cheerleaders will be competing at the UCA National High School Championship for the second straight year and participating in the Varsity Large Non-Tumbling and Gameday divisions. As part of the family and friends send off, the cheerleaders will hold a special final […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Township Council approved a bond ordinance on first reading at its Jan. 19 meeting appropriating $375,000 to cover the cost of traffic and parking improvements at Gregory Elementary School. The ordinance, passed by a 4-1 vote with Councilman Joe Krakoviak voting against it, specifies that $357,140 of the total […]
Concerned residents, architects worry for fate of historic church following New Year’s Day fire
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The engineering firm hired by the owner of the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church building inspected the remains of the fire-damaged structure and, on Jan. 22, submitted a preliminary stabilization report to the township. Township business administrator Jack Sayers said the report from the Union City-based Optimized Engineering Associates Corp., which was submitted […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Pleasantdale Elementary School students made West Orange history with the experience of a lifetime: A video-chat with Capt. Scott Kelly of NASA aboard the International Space Station on Jan. 18. Pleasantdale Principal Joanne Pollara and her team spent months coordinating with NASA to set up the first-ever West Orange school chat […]