News

ALivingston concession stand theft that occurred last month appears to be one of several dozen similar crimes in the area, according to new evidence, and two suspects were arrested earlier this week.

After receiving a tip that the duo involved in a string of concession stand thefts might be living in a motel in Bergen County, they were found and arrested in nearby Paterson on Monday, June 24.

The suspects were identified as Michael Kaloudis, 31, of Stanhope, and Angela Perez, 34, of Middlesex. Both are currently homeless and living out of their car, according to police. They were being held by the Bergen County prosecutor’s office as of press time.

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St. John’s Soup Kitchen and Women’s Center, one of Livingston Philanthropies’ distribution partners, is located on McCarter Highway in Newark. Its website notes that the kitchen “has but one mission, and that is feeding the hungry. For over 40 years we have been providing food to those who have none in the Newark area. Few people know what it’s like to go without food, but everyday guests come to our kitchen to eat.”
Livingston Philanthropies Inc. (LPI) founder and director Jeff Friedman explains, “I originally caught the philanthropy ‘bug’ at St. John’s well over 15 years ago while volunteering in their soup kitchen for Friday lunches. Today, Saint John’s serves over 500 breakfasts and hot lunches, five days per week.”
LPI volunteers are not involved with serving food at St. John’s, but rather, with the distribution of thousands of toiletries and cosmetics gift bags to those on the food line or dining in the Women’s Center.

On Wednesday, June 12, the Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion (LCDI) hosted a wreath laying ceremony in honor of Women VeteransAppreciation Day. The township became the first municipality in the state to host a celebration for the day.

Speakers at the event included World War II Navy veteran Ruth Cross; Saint Barnabas Medical Center’s director of diversity and inclusion Leslie Wright-Brown, an Air Force veteran; and Macen Lantzman, a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadet from Livingston.

“Not everyone can say that they created a holiday, but that is something we can say proudly,” LCDI co-chairman Billy Fine said. “The Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion is honored to have been the first municipality in the state to observe and recognize the importance of Women Veterans Appreciation Day.”

GETTING READY: Livingston High School seniors prepare for graduation, which was held today, Thursday, June 20, after press time for this issue. Shown here are Sabrina Reba, David Heguy, Emily Heller, Christopher Boulin, and Griffin Ehrich. Check back next Thursday, June 27, for our special keepsake graduation section. LPS Photo

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The Livingston Planning Board, at its meeting on Tuesday, June 18, heard a final summation for a proposed drive-through Starbucks coffee shop on South Livingston Avenue. Two other applications on the agenda, for JMZ Enterprises and Green Terrace Homes, LLC, were adjourned at the applicants’ request to the Board’s meeting on Tuesday, July 9.

On May 7, the Planning Board split its approval of an application by CP Management Group II, LLC, for minor subdivision and preliminary and final site plan with variances for the property located at 92 South Livingston Avenue.The site was previously home to Bank of America. The applicant has proposed to subdivide existing Lot 3 to create two new lots. The existing, now-vacant building would be expanded on one of the new lots to house a child care center, Lightbridge Academy. A Starbucks with a drivethrough is proposed to be constructed on the second lot.

The Livingston Board of Education met on Monday evening, June 17. It was the final meeting for interim superintendent of schools Jim O’Neill, who is returning to retirement now that a new superintendent, Dr. Matthew J. Block, has been hired.

In attendance at the meeting were O’Neill’s wife, friends, members of the West Orange school district where he had also served, and members of the Livingston Township Council and township administration.

In bidding farewell to O’Neill – who has twice served the district as interim superintendent – Board of Education president Charles “Buddy” August thanked him for “saving this district twice.” Board members echoed his comments. Board vice president Ronnie Konner noted, “Jim has always exceeded our expectations in every way.”

During the Monday, June 17, Township Council conference meeting, Livingston Police Chief Gary Marshuetz addressed the Council members, providing an update on his first year in the position.

Chief Marshuetz took on the role in an acting capacity in summer 2018 before being officially sworn in as the department leader last September. He said his knowledge of the department and those preliminary months on the job allowed him to “hit the ground running” when he was formally named Chief of Police.

Among the issues he sought to address in his first few months were improving morale, giving the department a “small town feel,” projecting compassion, and being problem solving oriented. Much of this, particularly the morale, he said was improved by placing an added focus on the patrol division. The largest division in the department, Chief Marshuetz restructured certain positions to put four more officers on patrol without adding to LPD’s overall staff of 71 officers.

Editor’s Note: This week, in his own words, Livingston Philanthropies Inc. founder and director Jeff Friedman describes how Livingston residents’ donations to LPI have helped a Newark agency, the Bessie Green Community, Inc.
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It’s gratifying to see how our Livingston friends and nieghbors have come together to benefit a key Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) distribution partner, the Bessie Green Community, Inc. in Newark.
Known among its neighbors as “The Red Door,” the Bessie Green Community, located at North Reformed Church on Broad Street, has been serving the underprivileged of Newark since 1978. As one of LPI’s founding distribution partners, Bessie Green has received Livingston’s generous donations of new and gently used coats, family clothing, toiletries and cosmetics gift bags since LPI’s inception over eight years ago.

Livingston High School principal Mark Stern has announced that senior David Lin and Class of 2019 salutatorian Vanessa Hu are winners in the National Merit Scholarship competition. They were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program based on their “academic promise and distinguished performance.”

The winners were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools. These included the students’academic records, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by each of the finalists; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

Township officials and residents gathered at Town Hall on Wednesday, June 5, to raise the Pride flag in honor of Pride Week. At right, Livingston Police officer Kevin Mullaney addressed the crowd as mayor Al Anthony and LCDI co-chairmen Billy Fine and Keith Hines look on. NKP Photos

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