SOCO honors locals who emulate Dr. King

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Civic Organization held its 49th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Jan. 6 at South Orange Middle School, honoring three community members with the Beloved Community Award. South Orange resident Stacey Borden, Maplewood Committeeman Dean Dafis and SOMS teacher Diane Grant of South Orange were honored after […]

DeLuca retakes helm as mayor

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The Maplewood Township Committee reorganization on New Year’s Day was a joyous affair, with various musical performances, as committee members Nancy Adams and Greg Lembrich were sworn in for their second terms. Additionally, Vic DeLuca was again selected to be mayor, with a unanimous vote, though he did say that this will […]

Numbers don’t lie: Crime is down

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield crime decreased 17 percent last year, according to Safety Director Sam DeMaio in an interview earlier this week. DeMaio, who began his tenure as head of the Bloomfield Police Department in January 2015, said during the last four years, Part 1 offenses decreased 50 percent in the township. Part 1 offenses are […]

DiVincenzo, Fontoura and Kenney sworn into office Jan. 2

NEWARK, NJ — Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura and Essex County Surrogate Alturrick Kenney were sworn into office during an afternoon inauguration ceremony at Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology on Wednesday, Jan. 2. DiVincenzo was sworn into his fifth term as executive, Fontoura his 10th term as […]

Town loses: Jury says developer gets $1.6M, not 440K

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A Newark Superior Court jury verdict determined Wednesday, Dec 19, that the township must pay $1.6 million for a piece of land it had acquired through eminent domain. The town had argued that an appraisal it had commissioned said the land was worth $440,000, a figure it thought was a fair price. This […]

Zoning Board postpones Essex Green site plan vote

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Zoning Board of Adjustment heard testimony about the revised site plan for the redevelopment of the Essex Green Shopping Center at its Dec. 20 meeting, but ultimately did not vote after deciding there would not be enough time to consider the plan at the meeting. Residents questioned the […]

Teen entrepreneurs see huge success supplying MAPSO

MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — What started as a freshman class project for three Columbia High School students to explore personal interests has expanded into MAPSOSupply, a curated selection of secondhand clothing and clothing with original designs promoting South Orange and Maplewood. MAPSOSupply is run by Thomas Dandino, Ethan Pidgeon and Adam Krakower, all […]