News

Two men are facing charges after exiting a stolen car and fleeing the scene in an attempt to evade police Tuesday morning, Livingston Police said.

At 2:16 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30, Officer Andrew Danielsen was on patrol along South Orange Avenue when he saw a 2005 Toyota RAV­4, which appeared to be travelling in excess of the speed limit, make an abrupt turn on East Hobart Gap Road. The Toyota quickly accelerated and travelled into the dead end portion of Canoe Brook Road.

Both the driver and passenger then fled the vehicle on foot into residential backyards. Officers from Livingston and Millburn conducted a prolonged search and located both suspects on Fenton Drive in Millburn.

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On Friday, June 26, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy detailed the state Department of Education’s plan for reopening public schools in the fall, titled “The Road Back: Restart and Recovery Plan for Education.” The 104­page report provided the outline to return students and faculty to classrooms in September.

“With this guidance, we’re confident that our students, educators, and staff will walk back into our superb schools in September, where they can safely learn and thrive,” Governor Murphy said.

The state issued four principles to guide the school reopening: ensuring a conducive learning atmosphere, supporting educational leaders with planning, providing policy guidance and necessary funding to schools, and securing continuity of learning.

By Jeff Friedman
Editor’s Note: This week, Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc., reflects on how life for the homeless of Essex County has changed for the worse since before the coronavirus pandemic.
    •    •    •
The “bad-good old days” ended for the homeless and profoundly poor after mid-March. Prior to the abrupt, life-changing pandemic, conditions were beyond awful for these communities, living with rampant food insecurity in extreme poverty. Those were the good old days.
It has been a heartbreaking transition for these thousands right here in northern New Jersey as COVID-19 grinds into July. The “good old days” quickly shifted into the “much worse, with even less food availability and deeper disenfranchisement new days.”
Was it just a few months ago when the “bad-good times” rolled?

The Livingston Zoning Board of Adjustment heard five residential applications and reviewed the jurisdictional standing of a 2019 application at its virtual meeting on Tuesday, June 23.

One application was denied, one was adjourned, and three were approved.

Jurisdictional Discussion

The Board discussed whether it could hear an application by TRI Owners Realty LLC for variances to construct a new single family home at 35 Sycamore Avenue.

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As of Wednesday morning, June 24, the Essex County health department has reported that a total of 491 Livingston residents have tested positive for COVID-19. 68 of those residents have died as a result of the virus.

On Monday, June 22, limits for outdoor gatherings increased from 100 to 250 people. There remains no limit for outdoor religious or political activities. Indoor gatherings are now limited to 25 percent of capacity, but cannot exceed 100 people.

Shopping malls will be allowed to open on Monday, June 29. Starting next Thursday, July 2, indoor dining will be allowed at 25 percent capacity.

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Planning for the 2020-21 school year and enrollment projections were the main topics at the June 22 Board of Education meeting, which also saw the installation of Aditya Desai, a rising senior, as the student representative to the Board.

Planning During COVID-19

In the absence of guidance from the state about requirements and expectations for the fall, the district has devised a process to create a plan for the fall, said superintendent of schools Matthew Block,

“I don’t think it will work for every district to do something different, coordination is needed,” he commented.

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Monday morning marked the start of the three day “My Graduation Moment” experience for Livingston High School’s Class of 2020! Students signed up for 15 minute time slots throughout the day. When they arrived at the turf, their names were announced as they picked up their diplomas and yearbooks, and took advantage of memorable photo ops all while social distancing. Above, left, Quanxin Li celebrates with her family; above, center, Danny Hubert shares a fun moment with LHS principal Mark Stern; at right, graduating senior Mikaila Anderson tosses her cap high in the air. Additional photos can be seen on page B-4. MCA and LPS Photos

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The Willing Heart Community Care Center (WHCCC) in Newark, a Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) distribution associate since the Livingston-based charity’s inception in 2011, became the fourth organization to receive LPI food shipments during the pandemic.
“With this week’s delivery to Willing Heart’s Tuesday food pantry program, Livingston’s extreme generosity provided 500 pullman loaves of wheat bread to help feed families living below the poverty line,” noted LPI founder and director Jeff Friedman. “Pullman loaves, usually delivered to restaurants, are larger than loaves found in grocery stores, and can be cut in half to provide sustenance for two needy families.”
Lisa Cherokee Raine Booker, a long-time LPI friend, a Willing Heart “Lady of the Boutique,” and LPI’s liaison to the organization, commented, “Thanks so much, Livingston Philanthropies! Your donations are greatly appreciated.”

Two men are facing several charges after allegedly breaking into several local businesses along West Mt. Pleasant Avenue to steal cash, electronics, and liquor.

At 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, Livingston Police received a call from the security monitoring service for Wells Fargo Bank at 313 West Mt. Pleasant Avenue. The burglar alarm at the bank had been activated and two people were being observed by live video inside the bank.

Officer Chris Grieco was responding to the bank when he observed a 2003 Hyundai leaving the area. The car was stopped and officers saw that the two men in the car were wearing the same clothes as the people that had been observed in the bank.

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Livingston will have an operational community pool by next weekend, according to township officials.

Mervyn V.T. Haines Pool will open on Friday, June 26. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., earlier than the typical opening time of 1 p.m.

Unless registrations take a sharp increase, Northland Pool will not open this season. Haines typically has triple the attendance of Northland. Pool registration is currently at about one-third of the normal numbers, so it does not make financial sense to open both pools, although Northland is ready to open if needed, according to Jennifer Walker, director of Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services. She briefed the Township Council on the status of pools opening at the Monday, June 15, meeting.