News

Livingston’s Fire Department responded to various calls over the past week, including two reports of gas odors found at the Police Headquarters and on Spier and Spalding Drive on Thursday, August 24.

At the Police Headquarters, fire officials found a power washer that was being used on the roof, and the gaspowered unit was creating the odor. The building was then ventilated.

On Spier and Spalding Drive, fire officials detected a slight odor in the area and PSE&G was on the scene investigating.

Elevator Malfunction

One person was entrapped in an elevator at 22 Old Short Hills Road on August 28. The fire officials were able to remove the occupant and the elevator was taken out of service.

Wood Pallet Fire

A fire was extinguished on 94 Old Short Hills Road after a report of a wood pallet that was on fire near a fence and brush on August 23. The area was wet down afterwards.

Dryer Vent Issue

Ricky Marsh and Annette Racond were married earlier this week at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center by Mayor Michael Vieira.

Marsh and Racond met late in life, and six months into their relationship, Marsh was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Racond has been caring for Marsh for about four years, and was responding well to chemotherapy for a while, but his cancer spread in November of 2022 and the pair have spent most of their time in the hospital since then.

Aformal wedding was planned, but due to Marsh’s condition, the couple did not want to wait any longer, and enlisted the help of Mayor Vieira to marry them. The couple are huge New Jersey Devils fans, as is Vieira, so he showed up to the hospital room wearing a Devils jersey for the ceremony.

Arlette Roxburgh, who sings the National Anthem at Devils games, also showed up and performed “At Last” by Etta James.

150 Project Healthy Bones peer leaders across the state met at the Livingston Senior/Community Center on Thursday, August 24, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the program and to honor its leaders for their dedication and service.

Claire Gill, the CEO of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, came from Washington, D.C. to congratulate the leaders and thank Sally Fullman, Livingston’s Healthy Bones lead coordinator, for her work in the program and as a board member of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.

Gill thanked Project Healthy Bones for its close relationship with the foundation, and for serving as a model and inspiration to other states on how to improve bone health in the United States. When asked if osteoporosis could be cured in our lifetime, she said that the medical community thinks it will not, but that osteoporotic fractures could be prevented by raising awareness in people of all ages of the importance of bones.

Livingston Council member Rosy Bagolie will seek the soonto- be open seat in the state Assembly for the 27th district, which includes parts of Essex County, including Livingston, and Morris County. The decision must be approved by the Democratic County Committee through a vote.

Bagolie told the Tribune that she was surprised to be approached about the position late last week, but was honored to be considered and is excited for the opportunity to represent Livingston on the state level.

WATER MAIN WORK: Shown above, crews of R&R Construction Company work to remove old water main shut-off valves, install replacement valves, and install additional new shut-off valves at locations on Okner Parkway. The work was being done on Friday night, August 18, as part of the township’s program to improve the Municipal Water Utility

CAR FIRE: The Livingston Fire Department extinguished a car fire that started just prior to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22. The driver, who was able to safely exit the car without injuries, told firefighters that his vehicle started smoking, at which point he pulled over on Windermere Court, and it became fully engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the car was destroyed

As a result of state-mandated affordable housing requirements, an influx of housing units has been a major point of discussion during Livingston Town Council’s most recent meetings.

A contentious redevelopment plan of 45 South Livingston Avenue was on the Council agenda under “Ordinance 19-2023” on July 24 for a second reading. The ordinance was not passed that night. It was introduced on June 26, and the project had been discussed previously with the Planning Board, as well.

Since, residents - especially residents who live near the property - have banded together in an attempt to push back against the plan with primary concerns of traffic safety and overcrowded schools. An online MoveOn petition that opened three weeks ago to “stop unnecessary development in Livingston” has now reached nearly 2,000 signatures.

Livingston’s Zoning Board will move its meetings to in-person only, beginning Tuesday, September 12.

After holding its public sessions online through Zoom for three years, the Zoning Board will now meet at the Livingston Municipal and Police Building, 357 South Livingston Avenue. Conference sessions that precede the public hearings will take place inside the Municipal Building’s executive conference room.

This makes the Zoning Board the final governing entity in Livingston to return to in-person meetings.

The governing body first discussed a tentative September return to in-person at a June Zoning Board meeting. The decision comes after the public health emergency for COVID was lifted in May.

Unlike its government counterparts, the Zoning Board will “probably not” be recording its meetings, and it will not be livestreamed, either, according to Catherine Maddrey, Livingston’s planning coordinator.

Livingston Police detectives are investigating a report of an unlocked luxury vehicle being stolen.

At7:58a.m. on Friday, August 18, officers responded to a Morningside Drive residence on a report of a stolen vehicle.

Upon arrival, officers met with the victim, who said that his 2023 BMW IX was stolen from his driveway in the early morning hours. The vehicle was left unlocked and the victim was unsure ifhe left the key in the vehicle.

The vehicle was recovered a short time later inNewark. The Livingston Detective Bureau is investigating the matter.

Equipment Stolen

In an unrelated incident earlier last week, landscaping equipment was reportedly stolen from a truck bed in town.

At 10:43 a.m. on Tuesday, August 15, Livingston Police officers responded to a Dorsa Avenue lot on a report of a burglary to a landscaping truck.

A Livingston teenager has been charged in the slashing of the Pride banner that hung at the corner of South Livingston Avenue andNorthfieldRoad during June’s Pridemonth. The banner, displayed at Northfield Center to support the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, was slashed on multiple occasions.

The 17-year-old male resident was identified through an anonymous tip and subsequent investigation, according to Livingston Police Chief Gary Marshuetz. He was charged with criminal mischief and bias intimidation.

“These types of crimes are always considered very serious,” Chief Marshuetz said. “Any type of bias intimidation has been and will continue to be thoroughly investigated by this department and those individuals will be charged to the fullest extent when evidence indicates any type of bias intimidation.”