Gov. Phil Murphy signs a bill adding requirements to driver education during a visit to Maplewood.
The following are the top stories out of South Orange and Maplewood from 2025 as judged by our news staff.
Movies return to South Orange and Maplewood
Box Office cinemas will reopen and operate both the vacant Maplewood movie theater and the theaters at the South Orange Performing Arts Center. The Maplewood theater closed for the pandemic and hasn’t shown any movies since. The movie theaters at the SOPAC stopped showing films in March 2025, when their tenant, Cinema Lab, ended its lease and vacated. The Maplewood theater is expected to undergo an extensive renovation while films might be rolling again in South Orange as early as Jan. 16. A grassroots community group with 800 members, the Maplewood Film Society, had been advocating for the return of movies for more than a year.
Maplewood Library reopens with huge turnout
More than 1,000 people turned out during the busy Fourth of July weekend to be on hand for the reopening of the Maplewood Memorial Library. The library closed in the fall of 2022 with the hope that it would reopen in 2024 but the opening was pushed back as progress was slower than expected. The overall price tag was about $23.5 million with $12 million coming from the town, $8 million from the state, $2 million from the library foundation and $1.3 million from the federal government. Baker Street in front of the library was closed for the event and people cheered at the official opening and flooded inside afterward to see the beautiful new building.
JESPY officially breaks ground on new building
Ground was officially broken in June for what will become the JESPY Center on the Cooperman Family Campus. More than 300 people including JESPY clients, families, board members, and supporters filled the seats at the ground breaking ceremony to hear inspiring words from event speakers that included South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, philanthropists Toby and Leon Cooperman, Assemblywoman Garnet Hall, state Sen. Renee Burgess, and several clients.
The JESPY Center will add 20 aging-in-place suites and 26 affordable apartments, alongside new space dedicated to vocational training, health and wellness, clinical and behavioral support. The ground breaking took place after a fundraising campaign and a somewhat contentious permit approval process.
Gov. Phil Murphy comes to Maplewood for bill signing
Gov. Phil Murphy was in Maplewood in July to sign a bill that adds requirements to driver education and testing about sharing the road with pedestrians and cyclists. The signing ceremony was held near the Gazebo on Springfield Avenue and among those in attendance was Maplewood Middle School student Cate Schoenborn who was on her way to school when she was struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk on Prospect Street in 2024. Cate’s father, Scott Schoenborn, accompanied her to the event and spoke about how long it took Cate to recover and the importance of the legislation.
Renovations unveiled at Columbia High School
Columbia High School held a grand reopening in June for their renovated commons area and library. Technology was upgraded, new areas were added for group projects and quiet study, and more classroom space was created. Offices were turned into learning areas and parts of the open space were converted into classrooms.
Maplewood expands the number of bike lanes
Maplewood is expanding its bike lane network with a focus on Parker Avenue, creating dedicated lanes connecting schools, parks, and downtown areas, though the implementation faced community debate over design and parking impacts, with the township ultimately moving forward with stripes and curbing, aiming for a safer, more connected “Complete Streets” system. Parker Avenue is the centerpiece, with lanes from Boyden to Maplewood Avenue, using five-foot bike lanes and reduced vehicle lanes.
Board of Education race for three seats is tight
The campaign for election to the South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education was a hard fought one this year with six candidates seeking just three seats. The team of Malini Nayar, Paul Stephan and Meredith Higgins finished on top promising to listen to the community, learn from the past and lead with clarity and compassion. The candidates not running again include board President Nubia DuVall Wilson, Second Vice President Regina Eckert and Bill Gifford. There are nine people on the school board. The terms are for three years.
South Orange mayor runs for lieutenant governor
South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum was a participant in the race for governor this year. Jersey City Mayor and then Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop chose Collum as his pick for lieutenant governor and the two promised to bring municipal government experience to an office that has not seen that in 12 years. The two faced off in the primary against State Senate President Steve Sweeney, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer. Sherrill prevailed and went on to defeat former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli to win election as the state’s next governor.
Kyrie Irving donates shoes, equipment to CHS
Columbia High School boys and girls basketball players got new shoes and apparel thanks to Kyrie Irving, who grew up just outside of South Orange and became an NBA all star and gold medal Olympian. Irving has pledged to provide CHS and several other schools with similar gear for three years, totalling about $30,000 in value for each school. Irving has a shoe deal with the Chinese sporting goods company ANTA, a five-year partnership signed in mid-2023 after Nike ended its deal with him over antisemitic remarks. Those remarks gave the South Orange and Maplewood School District pause before agreeing to accept the merchandise.
No Kings protests draw a large turnout
South Orange and Maplewood were repeatedly the sites of protests against the Trump Administration. About 1,400 people turned out on Flood’s Hill in Meadowland Park for a “No Kings” protest in June. SOMA Action organized the local rally that was part of a larger, national movement. Another rally held in October amid better weather was held at the Maplewood gazebo and was attended by about 2,000 people. Smaller protests have popped up at various times throughout the year and as recently as Saturday, Dec. 20 when demonstrators stood on Maplewood Avenue across from Dickens Village in Ricalton Square with signs that spelled out “Santa Loves Snow, Hates Ice.”
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