Columns/Opinions

Thu
01
Jun
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Buckle Up

Through the end of this week, concluding on June 4, the Livingston Police Department is conducting a seat belt enforcement and education initiative, as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign to crack down on unbuckled motorists and passengers.

These check points can easily be spotted throughout town – and that’s the point. This high visibility, high saturation patrol is designed not simply to hand out tickets, but rather to reiterate the lifesaving value of wearing a seat belt. It is something that is so simple, yet so many people still choose not to buckle up despite it being the easiest way to protect oneself on the road. More than 15,000 lives are saved nationally each year due to seat belt use, according to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

Thu
18
May
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Affordable Housing Rounds

In March, Senator Anthony Bucco introduced legislation, S3739, which would delay the state’s fourth round of Fair Share Housing obligations by three years. Last week, that bill added several co-sponsors in Senators Jon Bramnick, Edward Durr, Holly Schepisi and Kristin Corrado, indicating some level of support for it.

The next ten-year round of affordable housing requirements is currently slated to begin in 2025, while the bill requests a delay to July 1, 2028. The COVID pandemic and related shutdowns, which have stymied municipalities from satisfying their third round obligations, was cited as the reason for the delay.

This certainly reflects the situation in Livingston, where the town is still dealing with legal battles related to its third round obligations.

Thu
18
May
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A Global Force For Good

Dear Editor: Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do too little, together we can do so much.”

The Lions Clubs International is a 107 year organization. The Livingston Lions Club is a local chapter 77 year young organization. Our school Leo Club is 45 years young, the first club established in the state of New Jersey. This club is mentored by Kelsey Collins and led by president Irene Chi. Great team.

Lions and Leos work hand in hand, and follow our Lions Club’s International constitution, bylaws, protocols, policy, and branding guidelines.

Our Leo Club advisor, Twinkle Bhatt, has decided to step down and explore other areas of personal interest. Thank you for your contributions. We will miss her.

We wish our past Leo Club advisor a great success, in future endeavors on Girlstawk event.

Thu
18
May
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Jenny's Journal

A few weeks ago, I left on a scheduled two week vacation to Europe, leaving the Tribune in the trusted hands of my co-workers. This is nothing new – we have a small staff, and so everyone is cross-trained to do various jobs, covering for those who take time off.

What wasn’t expected, though,was what happened shortly after my departure. The facility where we print the Tribune suffered a fire in the press room, damaging the presses and rendering them unusable. We needed to find a new printer, who can handle newspapers, in a matter of literally one day – we received the news about the fire on Monday, and we print on Wednesday morning, in order to get the papers in the mail to subscribers on Thursday.

Thu
11
May
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Support the Parade

The Memorial Day Parade is right around the corner, and will take place on Monday, May 29. Local dignitaries, veterans, bands, organizations, floats, and more will travel the usual route down South Livingston Avenue, through Livingston Center, continuing on to North Livingston Avenue. The parade is one of the things that makes Livingston so special – a timehonored tradition, reflecting a slice of “small town America” and celebrating our veterans and what they’ve sacrificed for our nation.

Over the next few weeks the township will be collecting money to fund the upcoming parade, and we encourage our residents to offer their support.

Thu
11
May
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Honoring Fallen Firefighters

This past weekend, May 6 and 7, was National Fallen Firefighters Weekend. Tribute was paid to the 144 firefighters nationwide, who died in the line of duty in 2022 at a ceremony in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

In Livingston, the Fire Department participated in a Light the Night initiative as a tribute to those fallen firefighters. Fire Chief Chris Mullin asked the community to swap out regular outdoor light bulbs for red ones, as a symbol of support and comfort to the families nationwide who were honored and remembered last weekend.

One World Trade Center in New York City, the Reunion Tower in Dallas, and the LAX Pylons in Los Angeles were some of the notable buildings that participated in the Light the Night event this year. The lighting initiative began on Thursday, May 4, which was International Firefighters Day, and extended through Sunday, May 7, the night of the memorial service in Emmitsburg.

Thu
04
May
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To the Letters

Stormwater Monies?

Dear Editor: Livingston’s next budget will be discussed at a Town Council meeting this May. I ask the Town Council to tell us at that meeting if their proposed budget will include money for the renovation of our town’s stormwater drainage system.

I know that the current budget sets aside money for repairs when any of our town’s infrastructure breaks or fails. I assume our next budget will have similar funding. I am not asking about this repair money. I am asking about whether the next budget sets aside any money for renovations of components of our stormwater drainage system. For example, much stormwater piping in the vicinity of Scott Terrace is currently “inadequate” and needs replacement. Will there be money set aside for such stormwater system renovations? If so, how much?And which parts of the system are scheduled to be renovated this coming year? Matthew Boxer Trombley Drive

To the Editor:

Thu
04
May
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Support Our Veterans

Memorial Day is approaching, and with it, our chance to remember those who gave their lives for our country, and thank those who have served it as part of our military. There is no simpler way to do that than to pick up a Buddy Poppy, which the township’s veterans have been selling to raise money for their fellow vets. They started distributing them, for donations, outside of ShopRite and Kings earlier this week and will continue to do so through the end of the month.

Thu
27
Apr
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Fix Your Sidewalks

Now that spring has finally sprung, it is time for many residents to address what has become a growing issue in town over the past few years – sidewalks.

Cracked, uneven, overgrown and otherwise damaged sidewalks are unsafe. Depending on the level of damage, individuals might be likely to trip and fall due to the unevenness of the surface. We at the Tribune can attest to this, with staff members having had their fair share of tumbles. In some parts of town, we even choose to walk and run in the street over what could be considered a “sidewalk” in name only, and is actually closer to a pile of rubble. Students walking to school on these same roads are forced to do the same, making this a dangerous and pressing situation for our youth.

Thu
27
Apr
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Protecting Our Environment

Last Saturday, April 22, was Earth Day, so let us take a moment to reflect on the gains we have made over the last fiveplus decades since that holiday began. We have done much as a society to accelerate environmental progress, yet there is still so much left to accomplish.

Celebrated around the globe, Earth Day was founded in 1970 as a day to provide education about, and demonstrate support for, environmental issues. When it comes to recognizing the need to care for our planet, humans have come a long way, but there’s still much more to be done.

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