News

Still Waiting for a Winner:

The West Essex Tribune is celebrating more than six decades of showering the first baby of the new year with an assortment of gifts generously donated by our advertisers. The first baby of 2019 born to Livingston parents will be named the winner of the Tribune’s 61st annual First Baby Contest.

The rules to determine the winner are the same each year: The first baby of 2019 must be born in a nearby hospital to parents who currently reside in Livingston. The exact time of the birth must be certified in writing by the attending physician.

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On Thursday, December 27, the Livingston Fire Department had a general alarm due to a smoke condition at the Livingston Senior/Community Center at 204 Hillside Avenue. A burning odor was reported, and there was smoke in the building, which was evacuated. Firefighters, however, found nothing amiss. The cause of the odor and the smoke was traced to the HVAC equipment having been turned on, causing dust on the coils to burn. CKS Photo

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Livingston police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a car on Old Mt. PleasantAvenue onThursday, December 27, at 5:04 p.m.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found that Dieudil Noel of Maplewood had been struck by an eastbound Tesla operated by Jacob Klein of Livingston.

According to police, Klein stated he never saw Noel crossing the road. In turn, Noel stated he was crossing from the north side of the road to the south side and never saw the car coming.

Noel suffered leg and shoulder injuries. He was transported to Saint Barnabas Medical Center for treatment.

No charges were filed in the accident.

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By Jeff Friedman
Editor’s Note: Here, Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, reflects on the new year and the need for continued donations after the end of the holiday “giving season.”
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Cliff Young, contributing writer for crosswalk.com, shared his vision of the new year, which could be similar to the thoughts of many of us here in Livingston. “I love New Year’s because it signifies the end of a chapter, one that probably didn’t reach my highest expectations, yet holds the hopes, the dreams, and the possibilities of a whole new year,” he said. “I see it as a brand new start, a start that I need every year to help me get past the past.

In September, Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy Middle School students assembled Chanukah packages to be sent to Jewish-American soldiers at an American Army base in Kuwait. The packages contained Chanukah treats, much-needed supplies, and a personal note from each student. Shown at top left, students Liav Merlin and Olivia Ansel of Livingston; Alexis Sohnen; and Livingston residents Hailey Wasserman Singer and Scarlett Mandil put together packages; above, center, soldiers enjoy the treats during an on-base Chanukah celebration. Above, right, students Hannah Rosenfeld and (foreground) Elise Commer, both of Livingston, put together packages.

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The annual Camuso Holiday Display, shown here in a panoramic shot, will remain open evenings from 5 to 10 p.m. until New Year's Day. Figures of gingerbread men bearing the purchaser's message will continue to be sold through New Year's Day as well. Funds raised by the sale of the gingerbread men will be used to maintain the annual display, which is curated by volunteers. Anyone wishing to volunteer to help take the annual exhibit down for the season should email Tom Cooney at tomcooney16@gmail.com. NBD Photo

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The West Essex Tribune is celebrating more than six decades of showering the first baby of the new year with an assortment of gifts generously donated by our advertisers. The first baby of 2019 born to Livingston parents will be named the winner of the Tribune’s 61st annual First Baby Contest.

The rules to determine the winner are the same each year: The first baby of 2019 must be born in a nearby hospital to parents who currently reside in Livingston. The exact time of the birth must be certified in writing by the attending physician.

Entries must be received in the West Essex Tribune office by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 2. The winner will be announced in the January 3 edition of the newspaper.

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Everything good in her life has flowed from her experiences in the Navy WAVES, says Ruth Cross.

Cross, 95, and a resident of Livingston since 1953, served during World War II in the Navy’s WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Service) program from 1944 to 1946.

Ruth grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, where, at age 16, she left high school to help care for her mother and sister. She was working in a tie factory when the war broke out. As the war continued, she left the tie factory to work at a defense munitions plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, putting in multiple shifts a day.

By 1944, she says, “the war was pretty bad,” and she had begun thinking she wanted to enlist in theWAVES. “Our family was always a military family, and I wanted to be part of it,” Ruth notes.

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An arrest on Friday, December 21, on charges of possession of counterfeit bills led Livingston police to recover a stolen car.

ALivingston police officer who was working a holiday patrol detail in the Livingston Mall was notified at about 3:22 p.m. by mall security personnel that two people had unsuccessfully tried to make a purchase in the food court using a counterfeit $100 bill.

The officer located both individuals just after they had completed a purchase at GNC. Further investigation revealed that a counterfeit $100 bill had been used for the GNC purchase. Both were found to have additional counterfeit $100 bills in their possession. All the bills were printed with the same serial numbers.

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Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), has put out a call for monetary donations to help the non-profit organization.
“More than 11,000 warm coats and thousands of other vital items continue to be transported to our distribution partners in Newark and East Orange with our personal vehicles,” said Friedman. “I don’t own an SUV or truck, so our very small group of volunteers with these vehicles donate their time to make it all happen. My sedan continues to get packed all the time, too.”