News

With this season’s coat drive officially over, the Livingston Philanthropies has switched its focus to collecting toiletries for the poor, homeless, and disenfranchised. “Let the toiletries and cosmetics flow!” said Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies.
“Although we’re officially done with the coat drive outreach, coat donations continue to arrive,” Friedman said. “Our total for this seventh season is now over 1,800 warm coats and jackets donated, along with a myriad of winter accessories and hundreds of hand-knit items created by the National Council of Jewish Women/Essex County Section knitting group. Teacher Jennifer Mortensen and her volunteering club at Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield were major contributors again this year, as well.”
With April underway, Friedman said, “it’s all about small size toiletries, new cosmetics, diapers in sizes 4, 5, and 6, and gently used men’s clothing.”

No injuries were reported in a fire that broke out on Saturday, March 24, at the Livingston Diner, 360 East Northfield Road. The cause of the fire was still under investigation at press time.

The fire apparently started in an outdoor dumpster, then spread to the diner’s rear wall. A general alarm was sounded at 1:09 p.m. and upon arrival, firefighters found that fire had damaged the rear side of the building and had spread to a second floor mechanical room. The building’s sprinkler system had activated and contained much of the fire before firefighters’ arrival.

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A new participant of the canine variety is fast becoming part of the Saturday morning Shining Stars program: Bella, a certified therapy dog, has been coming to the Monmouth Court Community Center for several weeks.

“Bella comes in with her tail wagging, ready to be stroked, brushed, spoken to or sat on by any of the Shining Stars participants,” explained Jennifer Quirk, the town’s adaptive recreation coordinator. “She helps our participants relax and focus before, or during our sports session, which is currently in the winter season of floor hockey. Having Bella come to the Shining Stars program has been very successful and well received.”

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With the clean-up from Winter Storm Quinn continuing more than two weeks after that storm, property owners are reminded that they are responsible for trees or limbs that have fallen on their properties.

The township is responsible for the removal of trees and limbs that came down within the public right of way, and township crews are continuing to work to remove trees, limbs, and debris from all roadways.

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A 26-year-old Scotch Plains man is facing several burglary and trespassing charges after he was caught in part due to a trail of tracks he left in the snow leading up to more than half a dozen homes in Livingston last Friday morning.

At about 5:50 a.m. on Friday, March 23, a homeowner on Amelia Avenue looked out his back window to discover an individual trying to enter the home through the back door, police said.

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There was little controversy at the Livingston Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on March 27. The Board easily approved six residential applications, with only short discussions.

Stacey and Joseph Moore of 354 Beaufort Avenue came before the Board for a conditional variance to keep the existing home while constructing a second home in the back of the lot, 90 feet away.

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Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, founder and director of the Livingston Philanthropies, has announced that the organization’s 2017-18 coat drive is winding down. Coats will be collected through the end of the month, and may be dropped at the offices of the West Essex Tribune through 4 p.m. on Friday, March 30.
“As our coat collection comes to an end, Livingston Philanthropies is announcing a renewed effort and request for hotel and travel-size toiletry items and cosmetics of all varieties,” Friedman said. “As it turns out, folks who travel seem to have lots of these at home, or they may specifically collect them for the Philanthropies during hotel stays and on cruises!”

During a busy week, members of the Livingston Fire Department extinguished a car fire; responded to several reports of natural gas odors; removed downed wires from a roadway; freed a passenger from a stalled elevator; assisted a homeowner with a flooded basement; and answered two mutual aid calls.

A general alarm was sounded on Friday, March 16, in response to a car on fire at the intersection of North Livingston Avenue and Route 280. Upon arrival, firefighters found the engine compartment completely engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished without incident, with no injuries reported.

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SCHOOL DISTRICT RECOGNIZES HERITAGE STUDENT: Ethan Haber, 13, shown on the right, was honored Monday night at the Livingston Board of Education meeting for assisting a friend who had a medical emergency on the playground at Harrison School on Sunday, March 4. Presenting Ethan with a certificate, superintendent Chris Steffner said they were able to see what happened, afterward, on the school camera.

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At the Livingston Township Council Meeting on Monday, March 19, the 2018 municipal budget was introduced and an energy aggregator was chosen after months of deliberation.

At the conference meeting prior to the council meeting, Council members discussed the possibility of Livingston being eligible for disaster relief funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency following the March 7 winter storm, which dropped 15 to 18 inches of snow on the township. Township manager Barry Lewis said he will learn in the coming weeks if Livingston suffered enough damage to be deemed a disaster.

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