News

Sergeant Mike Safris, Chief of the Essex County sheriff’s office deputy division, Sergeant Deborah Shumaker, Sergeant Andrew Ullman, and Officer Kevin Mullaney ate falafel at Jerusalem Restaurant earlier this month to commemorate David “Dugo” Leitner and the death march he survived on January 18, 1945 in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The officers learned of his story while visiting “The Testimony House” in Israel while participating in the 2017 Police Unity Tour. Leitner eats falafel every January 18 to celebrate his survival, and others join him in solidarity as part of the “Operation Dugo” movement.

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As one last “thank you” for his decades of service to the community, former Livingston Fire Chief Charlie Schilling was honored by the Township Council prior to his retirement at the end of January.

“I play baseball on your street with my kids,” mayor Al Anthony said, referencing Meadowbrook Road’s honorary name of Schilling’s Way. “You served your town well, your served your country well.”

Dozens of members of the Livingston Fire Department and Livingston FirstAid Squad, along with family and friends, were also on hand to laud the almost 98-year-old man of the hour.

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At the January 28 Board of Educationmeeting,interimsuperintendentof schools James O’Neill said he would “address something that I would not have addressed [about an article in the news] some weeks ago.”

O’Neill was referring to a letter to the editor in last week’s edition of the Tribune, which was a response to a December 27 article about a swastika symbol found drawn on a classroom desk at Heritage Middle School. The district confirmed that the symbol had been found on November 29. The letter, published in the January 24 edition, was submitted by Claudia and Brandon Minde.

“I was really disturbed,” O’Neill said.

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While some in attendance at the Monday, January 28, Township Council meeting were hoping to hear who the Council had selected to fill Michael Silverman’s vacant seat, they will have to wait a little longer.

After meeting in a closed session prior to the start of the open meetings, the Council did not reach a decision on who among Scott Goldman, Laurie Kahn, and Michael Vieira will be named the next Council member. Later, in the open meeting, no Council member made a request for a proposed resolution, nor did any council member ask the mayor for a motion to nominate one of the candidates.

The Council has instead decided to throw the vote back to the Livingston Democratic Committee, which selected the three nominees earlier this month.

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Livingston volunteer firefighters did not have to go far – just across the street – to extinguish a fire behind the strip mall at 45 South Livingston Avenue. Firefighters responded to a report of cardboard in a recycling bin on fire, and arrived to find the fencedin area completely engulfed in flames. The fire was promptly extinguished, with no injuries reported.

The Fire Department responded to two other reports of possible fires. On Tuesday, January 22, a passing motorist reported flames coming from the chimney of a home at 257 North Livingston Avenue. There was no house fire, however; fire officials checked the house and discovered the homeowner was using the fireplace.

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With temperatures this week plummeting to single digits, the need for coats for the homeless is greater than ever, reports Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman of Livingston, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI).
“Increasingly, other non-profits are relying on Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) for warm coats, winter accessories and more,” Friedman noted. “LPI’s philanthropic efforts have grown exponentially since its humble beginnings in 2011, when we collecting some 300 coats. Currently, midway through season eight, we have just passed the 1,500 mark in coats donated to our distribution partners in Newark and East Orange.”

The Livingston Zoning Board of Adjustment, at its meeting Tuesday evening, January 22, approved three applications and denied one. A fifth application was adjourned for a second time. The Board also did not memorialize a certificate for an application it had approved last month.

During the reorganization portion of the meeting, member Pearl Hwang and alternate memberVineeta Khanna were sworn in for four-year and twoyear terms, respectively. Richard Vallario will serve as Board attorney beginning March 1, when the current attorney, Alan Ozarow, steps down. Vallario also serves as attorney for the Planning Board.

James Hochberg was elected Board chairman; Tony Nardone was elected vice-chairman; and LaurenTabak Fass was elected recording secretary.

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Douglas Del Turco, a member of of Troop 12 in Livingston, received the rank of Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor ceremony at the Livingston Senior Community Center on January 5.

Del Turco began scouting as a Tiger Cub in 2006 with Pack 16 in Livingston. He earned his Arrow of Light and bridged over to Troop 12 in the spring of 2012. He has been an active member of the troop ever since, attending summer camp at Yawgoog every year from 2012 to 2018, and accumulating a total of 106 nights of camping with the troop.

Since 2012, Del Turco has logged over 145 hours of service, not including his personal Eagle project. As he advanced in rank, he took on increasingly responsible leadership roles, serving as Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster.

Thanks to a lucky spike in temperatures, a snow and ice storm predicted to hit northern New Jersey last weekend had far less impact than originally feared.

Meteorologists had been tracking two weather systems that hit New Jersey onThursday evening and Saturday evening. The first event brought just a dusting, as had been predicted. The second event had potential for up to a foot of snow in some parts of the state Saturday evening, followed by a day of rain on Sunday that could leave up to two inches of ice on roadways and power lines.

Fortunately, temperatures stayed warm enough to keep snow and ice totals down. Livingston was “on the border” of a line between a predicted three to six inches, and six to 12 inches of snow. But the storm dropped just 1½ to two inches of snow before turning to rain on Saturday night.

Renovations have started on Littel People’s Park. Livingston’s Department of Public Works recently removed the playground, which was in poor condition, to make way for a brand new one. The new playground, which will feature a rubberized surface, has already been purchased, according to township manager Barry Lewis. It will be installed once the weather permits, likely in March. MIPhoto

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