ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — To express their grief and anger over the death of Tyre Nichols, area residents gathered in Newark on Jan. 28 to demand justice for Nichols, who was beaten to death by five police officers in Memphis, Tenn. On Jan. 7, five police officers from the Memphis Police Department severely beat 29-year-old […]
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — On Sunday, Jan. 29 — just two days after International Holocaust Remembrance Day — antisemitism was on clear display in Essex County, when an unknown individual hurled a Molotov cocktail at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield. A Passaic County man was arrested Feb. 1 for the crime, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger […]
Engel to serve as deputy mayor; township committee has female majority for first time
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — At the Maplewood Township Committee’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 1, Mayor Dean Dafis was unanimously selected to chair the committee, aka continue as mayor, for 2023. “I’m deeply humbled and honored by your confidence and faith in me. I will continue leading us with the strength, conviction, commitment and collaboration that you’ve […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The Maplewood Township Committee meeting on Dec. 20 was bittersweet, as the committee bade farewell to Committeeman Frank McGehee and looked back on his service to the township. The Dec. 20 meeting was McGehee’s final meeting on the committee, as he concludes his second three-year term. McGehee did not run for reelection; […]
MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Start sorting out your recyclables now. The revamped, dual-stream, curbside recycling program for South Orange and Maplewood kicks off the new year on Jan. 2. Starting in 2023, recyclable materials will need to be separated into two categories for two distinct pickups on alternating weeks. One week’s pickup will […]
MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — In the Nov. 8 election for South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education, the voters spoke and elected the “Students Come First” slate of challengers Nubia Wilson, Regina Eckert and William R. Gifford III. Current board members Thair Joshua, Erin Siders and Johanna Wright did not seek reelection. County Clerk Christopher […]
MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Changes are coming to both South Orange and Maplewood’s curbside recycling programs beginning Jan. 1, 2023. For almost two years, elected officials, municipal staff, and Green Team and environmental advisory volunteers from Maplewood and South Orange have been collaborating to improve the overall cost-effectiveness and sustainability of both towns’ […]
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Nov. 8 midterm election will prove important for Essex County residents, both on the local and national level. On the national stage, Democratic incumbent Mikie Sherrill is fighting to keep her seat representing the 11th Congressional District against two challengers, Republican Paul DeGroot and Libertarian Joseph Biasco. The 11th Congressional […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood Police Chief Jimmy DeVaul, 53, died Oct. 21 at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest in Allentown, Pa. DeVaul will be remembered in Maplewood as a stabilizing force who became chief of the police department following an upheaval, a man who worked to improve the department’s culture and relationship with the community. DeVaul, […]
MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange and Maplewood fire departments were dissolved and combined into the South Essex Fire Department on July 1, finally ending a yearslong saga that saw debate over whether or not the two departments should become one. The merger was finalized in April, when both the South Orange […]