News

“This Was a Nasty One:”

A strong overnight storm, with winds of up to 60 miles per hour, battered the state late Thursday, October 31, into Friday, November 1. Statewide, more than 14,000 homes and businesses were without power early Friday, and portions of major roads were closed due to either flooding or downed wires.

An Enhanced Fujita 1 (EF1) tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Harding Township, said Fire Chief Chris Mullin. An EF1 tornado, with maximum speeds of 100 miles per hour, also touched down in Madison, where a state of emergency was declared.

In Livingston, the winds did their share of damage as well. “This was a nasty one,” said Department of Public Works (DPW) superintendent Mike Anello. “I believe we may have gotten brushed by the tornado that hit Madison.We definitely had wind gusts that exceeded 60 miles per hour.”

The two incumbents for Livingston Township’s two local races both retained their positions, while a third candidate was elected to the Board of Education for the first time. Council member Michael Vieira won the race for the lone available seat, while Samantha Messer and Seth Cohen took the two open Board of Education positions.

With no major congressional races on the ballot, voter turnout was low in Livingston. Of the 22,954 eligible voters in town, 3,950 went to the polls on Tuesday, 17.21 percent of eligible voters. The numbers provided by the Livingston Township Clerk’s office were unofficial and did not include provisional, mail-in, or emergency ballots.

By comparison, last year, during a midterm election, 10,159 Livingston residents (45.48 percent of that year’s list of eligible voters) voted. In 2017, 6,514 people (29.37 percent) voted, while during the 2016 presidential election, 13,233 people (58.41 percent) voted.

An East Orange man was arrested last week after attempting to take money that was not his from an account at Chase Bank on West Mt. Pleasant Avenue.

At about 1:30 p.m. on Monday, November 4, a man entered Chase Bank and represented himself as an account holder, attempting to transfer $19,500 from one account to another. He presented an Illinois driver’s license bearing his photo and the real account holder’s personal information. In addition, he had a fake Social Security card and a credit card both in the account holder’s name.

Bank employees were suspicious and questioned the identification. The man left the bank without the identification only to return a short time later to claim the ID. Bank employees then contacted Livingston Police and responding officers located the suspect walking a short distance from the bank.

LFD BATTLES BLAZE: Livingston firefighters responded to East Northfield Road on Tuesday, November 5, and extinguished a house fire that appeared to have originated in a second floor bathroom. At about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, Livingston Police officers dispatched the Livingston Fire Department to an East Northfield Road home for a report of a possible ceiling fan fire. Firefighters arrived to find smoke venting from the eaves of the home. Crews then advanced lines into the residence from the front door to find a working fire in the second floor master bathroom and attic. The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes, and no injuries were reported. The cause remained under investigation at press time. The westbound lanes of East Northfield Road were shut down for about a half hour as firefighters battled the blaze.

MI and Rob Munson Photos

With the weather getting colder, Livingston Philanthropies’ winter coat drive season is going into high gear. “With evening temperatures forecast to be dropping to the mid-20s on Friday and Saturday, it’s coat and winter accessories season once again,” noted Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI).
“It’s the same story every season – warm coats, jackets, hats, gloves and scarves are needed by the homeless and profoundly poor,” he continued. “Actually, with many experiencing cuts to benefits, it’s a worse situation this year and the need is more compelling than ever in 2019. It’s time to check closets, basements, attics and garages for unneeded and unused family coats. Most of us will find we have some to spare.”
“Fur Extravaganza” a Success

It was a tough week for gas lines in Livingston, with Livingston Fire Department volunteers responding to three gas lines struck by contractors and a fourth one leaking in a Mayhew Drive home.

On Wednesday, October 23, a contractor working at 36 Rainbow Ridge Drive struck a gas line. Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) personnel were called to the scene.

Later that day, fire officials investigated a strong odor of gas coming from a catch basin between 14 and 16 Cliffside Drive. PSE&G responded to the scene.

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The Livingston Planning Board held another special meeting on Thursday, October 24, to hear two applications. The Board adjourned an application by Saint Barnabas Medical Center for a 2.5 megawatt heat and power plant. It approved an application by Drop Fitness, Inc. to convert the former Toys R Us building at 599 West Mt. Pleasant Avenue into a fitness facility.

Saint Barnabas Plan

Adjourned to Dec. 3

Saint Barnabas Medical Center is requesting preliminary and final site plan approval to construct a 2.5 megawatt combined heat and power plant on a new steel platform above the existing boiler room at the rear of the main medical building. The plan calls for replacement of an existing substation and a new power monitoring system, heat recovery systems, and chiller.

Last week’s Livingston Township Council debate featured several lively discussions between the two challengers, as both candidates made their pitch to a standing room only crowd at the Senior/Community Center.

Hosted by the League of Women Voters on Wednesday evening, October 23, the debate saw incumbent Democratic candidate Michael Vieira face off against Republican challenger Brandon Minde. Because there were only two people in the debate, the questions regularly saw the two directly challenging one another in addition to simply responding to the prompts.

Below are some of the topics discussed during the debate.

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Sixth in a Series of Campaign Questions:

During the period prior the November 5 election, the West Essex Tribune is making space available to each of the Township Council and Board of Education candidates, at no cost, for them to present their views to the public. In an effort to keep the campaign focused on relevant issues, we have again asked the League of Women Voters of Livingston for assistance in preparing questions, as we have in previous years. It is our hope that this will enable the voters to make a direct comparison, which will assist them in making an informed voting decision.

Although the League of Women Voters has agreed to work for an informed electorate through helping to provide uniform questions for the candidates, it must be emphasized that the League does not support any candidate in this election.

EWG Report Described as “Misleading:”

A recent article published online on the Livingston, NJ Patch, entitled “Cancer-Linked Contaminants in Livingston Drinking Water: Report,” has caused concern and raised questions among Livingston residents.The article is sourced by a report that was recently released by the independent non-profit “Environmental Working Group” (the “EWG”).

In light of the headline, township officials felt that it was important to provide accurate information and reassure our residents as to the quality of their drinking water.

The following statement was released by township officials on Thursday, October 24.

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