News

The Tribune’s bi-annual “Celebrate Livingston’s History” stand-alone section may be found in this week’s edition, featuring stories and photos of Livingston’s past, as well as some vintage advertisements. Shown here, in January, 1946, 47 men were inducted into Livingston’s Corporal Arthur E. Smith Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Their induction, it was noted, “was the highlight of a public meeting held at the Men’s Club Hall.”

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Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) has announced that, in its continuing collection of coats, winter accessories, and shoes, donations of items in men’s sizes, especially men’s XL and up, are especially needed at this time.
“We keep a close eye on the weather forecast,” said Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, founder and director of LPI. “It’s not good news for those living out on the streets, in shelters and below the poverty line. Upcoming evening temperatures will be in the 20s, along with freezing rain, ice and who-knows-what.”
He added that, while the “traditional ‘giving season’ is long over, the ‘freezing-on-the-streets season’ is not close to done, and won’t be for quite a while. That’s why LPI continues to ask Livingston residents for warm coats, scarves, hats and gloves. The biggest need is for men’s sizes.” Donations may be dropped at the offices of LPI partner the West Essex Tribune at 495 South Livingston Avenue.

A bevy of Livingston girls, all students at Mt. Pleasant Middle School, donated their time to demonstrate love for children in the Boys and Girls Club of Union County.

It all started when sixth grader Lucy Roitman became aware of the poor housing conditions in Newark, which she saw out of her car window when the family traveled to Newark Airport. (Her father, Jon Roitman, is an employee of United Airlines.)

Lucy began to notice the differences in her lifestyle versus that of the children she saw walking on the streets in Newark, and asked her dad if there was a way she could help those children. Jon contacted the community outreach department at United Airlines, and a plan to assist the Boys and Girls Club of Union, which serves the Newark community, was born.

Livingston Chinese Culture Day 2019 was held on Saturday, February 9, at Livingston High School. The event is an annual celebration of the Lunar New Year in Livingston, and features a mixture of performances and exhibitions by the students and parents from the community, highlighting Chinese culture.

Theeventdrewhundredsofchildren and adults from the Livingston and neighboring towns. The day included a variety of games and children’s activities organized by volunteers from Livingston High School, and Chinese cultural exhibits presented by various local organizations in the high school’s auxiliary gymnasium. Performances by students from the Ady Art Center, the New Star Art Center, and the Wushu Kungfu Fitness Center won applause from the audience.

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At its meeting Monday evening, February 11, the Livingston Township Council approved resolutions awarding two new contracts and approving several change orders totaling $122,000 in price reductions for various projects. The Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion also honored volunteers and the Business Improvement District detailed its 2019 budget.

BID Budget Discussed

At the start of the conference meeting, prior to the regular meeting, Livingston’s Business Improvement District budget was approved by the Council. Businesses within the BID set the budget, which is then reviewed and approved by the Council if they are satisfied with it. The 2019 budget lists $372,060 in total expenditures.

The West Essex Anti-Crime Task Force has already started patrolling Livingston roadways, according to a report earlier this month. Individuals were also arrested for an assault at a township gas station and for moving a car during a parking dispute. A stolen car was also recovered.

Police Chase

A group of officers working under the West Essex Anti-Crime Partnership were patrolling the streets of Livingston in the early morning hours on February 4.

At about 4:09 a.m., officer Michael Spano observed a 2018 Mercedes-Benz C30 stopped near the intersection of Wingate Drive and Walton Lane. The officer observed that both occupants had their faces concealed with masks.

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The Livingston Police Department announced last week that it is joining up with the Essex County prosecutor’s office and eight other local police departments in the western part of the county to crack down on crime, specifically the recent string of reported car break-ins.

According to the announcement by acting Essex County prosecutor TheodoreStephens,thepartnership,dubbed the Anti-Crime Task Force, will allow police officers from Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell and Livingston to work together combating crimes that go beyond established geographical borders such as burglaries, car thefts and other quality of life issues that affect the residents of each of the nine towns. The partnership will focus on deterrence, education and detection. The officers assigned will participate in safety checkpoints throughout the partnership towns in addition to increased cooperative patrols.

Editor’s  Note: This week, Livingston Philanthropies Inc. (LPI) founder and director Jeff “The Coat Guy” Friedman, describes, in his own words, the work LPI does with the New Jersey Re-entry Corporation.
    •    •    •
By Jeff Friedman
In what may be the beginning of another Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) initiative, I was contacted by Jennifer Pena, Newark Site Director, at the New Jersey Re-entry Corporation (NJRC). Her colleague, Dawn Bennett, a caseworker at NJRC, was concerned about a new client and suggested she ask LPI for assistance.
The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC) is a non-profit agency with a social mission to remove all barriers to employment for citizens returning from incarceration. NJRC’s professionals provide a full range of social, educational, mental health and computer training programs with the desired outcome of preparing for interviews and ultimately jobs for its clients.

Livingston’s veterans’organizations honored community volunteers Don Schwartz and Nick Santinelli at their Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Award ceremony on Sunday, February 3, at the Livingston Community/Senior Center. The award, which recognizes acts of volunteerism, brotherhood, and sacrifice, is named for the four chaplains of the USAT Dorchester. The ship was torpedoed during World War II, and as it sank, its four chaplains gave up their life jackets to other crew members, sacrificing their own lives to save others. Shown above, representatives of Livingston’s veterans’ groups (the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2856, the American Legion Post 201, and the Jewish War Veterans Post 740) lock arms in solidarity as four candles are extinguished in honor of the four chaplains. At right, Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Award recipients Schwartz and Santinelli display their awards and lapel pins.

The Intergenerational Prom Committee has announced that this year’s event will be held on Tuesday, April 9, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Livingston High School.

The Intergenerational Prom is a collaborative event among the Livingston Public Schools, the Township of Livingston, and the LHS Key Club.

This year’s prom will be a celebration of “the red, white and blue” with a theme of “You’re a Grand Old Flag!”

For over three decades, this special dinner/dance party has been bringing Livingston students and senior citizens together to get to know each other as members of the same community.

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