Council passes Downtown Alliance budget for $207K

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Township Council approved the proposed 2016 Downtown West Orange Alliance budget, which totaled $207,000, at its Dec. 15 meeting. Councilman Joe Krakoviak cast the sole vote against passing the budget, which is approximately $15,000 more than last year’s net operating budget of $192,000 despite the fact that the alliance […]

Ho-ho-holiday cheer takes over West Orange community

Photo Courtesy of Roz Moskovitz Bielski WEST ORANGE, NJ  — Cesar the Magician entertains the youngest members of the Pleasant Valley Civic Association at the group’s Dec. 20 holiday party in West Orange.   Washington Elementary School held its 13th annual Operation Santa Holiday Drive for some forgotten members of the community last week.   Fifth-grade […]

Man shot to death on Joyce Street

WEST ORANGE, NJ — An Orange resident was shot to death in West Orange, just over the Orange-West Orange border, in the early morning hours of Thursday, Dec. 17. West Orange police responded to a call of an unresponsive man outside 1 Joyce St. Naji Everett, 26, of Orange was pronounced dead at the scene at […]

Questions abound about Laurel Avenue buildings

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A township resident is coming out against the West Orange Zoning Board’s Oct. 15 decision to approve an application to convert the single-family home at 23 Laurel Ave. into a Hindu house of worship and the house at 27 Laurel Ave. into a caretaker’s residence, citing ambiguities about the project and the […]

Leaving a legacy for young WO Filipinos

Through original operetta Velezes educate show’s audience and WO’s future college students

WEST ORANGE, NJ — If you attend a West Orange Township Council meeting, you are pretty much guaranteed never to see Council President Jerry Guarino swinging a sword around to drive home support for a resolution. And while Rodolfo Rodriguez may be one of the township’s deputy mayors, he certainly does not spend his days sitting […]

Charles to head Union County Jail, lead ongoing reforms

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange’s Ron Charles, who serves as president of the West Orange Board of Education, has been hired as the new director of the Union County Department of Corrections, Union County officials announced recently. Charles is a former associate director of the Essex County Department of Corrections, the state’s largest county […]

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 […]

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 […]

Students flourish in the arts thanks to recent district show

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The artistic talent of West Orange’s student body was on full display at the inaugural West Orange Council of PTAs Reflections Art Show held in the West Orange High School Library Media Center on Dec. 4. Many of the approximately 80 submissions to the local chapter of the nationally sponsored PTA Reflections […]