News

Thirty-two years ago, a young Englishman named Paul Sales found himself stranded at Newark Airport and taken in overnight by a kindly Livingston family. Now, three decades later, he is seeking to reconnect with them. The problem is, he cannot remember their surname, and the contact information has been lost for many years. He is hoping the Tribune’s readers can help him track down them down.

Sales, then 23 or 24, was at the time “going through my wanderlust backpacking stage,” he recalls. “By circumstances that are too long too explain, I found myself stranded and unable to get a flight back to London until the following day. It seemed like a rough 24 hours in Newark Airport was ahead of me until I could get a Virgin Atlantic flight home. It was at this point some true guardian angels came into the situation.”

During the past week, the Livingston volunteer Fire Department responded to a car fire, two motor vehicle accidents, a stalled elevator, and four reports of smoke.

Car Fire

On Tuesday, November 9, the LFD responded to the scene of a car on fire on Route 280 westbound at exit 6. The car was fully involved by the time firefighters from both the Livingston and Roseland Departments arrived. The fire was extinguished without incident, and no injuries were reported.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Livingston firefighters also responded to two motor vehicle accidents. On Tuesday, November 9, a car hit a utility pole at the intersection of Shrewsbury Drive and North Baums Court, snapping the pole in half. The battery cable was disconnected and the car was towed from the scene. Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) was notified.

By Jeff Friedman
Editor’s Note: Livingston resident Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), explains, in his own words how his charity works to aid the homeless of Essex County.
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Not too long ago, before the unfortunate pandemic that won’t really go away, conditions for the homeless and very poor were beyond challenging. Cue the pandemic and then send in the worst inflation seen in a decade. The result for families living below the poverty line or folks existing out on the streets is not surprising… their heartache has progressed in sync from terrible to worse and finally worst. Life is a nightmare for populations with no means at all.

Physical and organizational aspects of the proposed new athletic turf field to be located at “the pit” behind the LHS football field and near Littel People’s Park were discussed Tuesday evening, November 9, at the Livingston Board of Education meeting.

Business administrator Steven Robinson responded to questions that the Board had posed at the October 19 meeting.

While the Board has not yet committed to the project, Robinson said, “The game plan would be to go out to bid in December or January.”

If the process is successful, the bid could be awarded in February, and construction could take place between May and November.

He also said that the impact of lighting on the immediate neighbors would be minimal.

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY DIWALI: Aerial fireworks capped the Sanskriti of New Jersey celebration of Diwali on Friday night at the Livingston Oval. “Diwali is celebrated by millions of Indians all over the world irrespective of religious affiliation, a celebration of good over evil and a path toward light from darkness,” said Neeta Juvekar who, with Nilesh Mhatre and Punam Bhargava, organized the event. Police Chief Gary Marshuetz estimated that close to 1,200 people witnessed the show. Sweets (mithai) were shared, children waved bright sparklers, and volunteers handled ground-based firecrackers.

Livingston Police officers are investigating the theft of a car from a resident’s garage last week.

At 8:45 p.m. on Friday, November 5, a Lexus was stolen from the garage of a Ross Road home. The theft was discovered when Livingston police officer Jaleesa LaSure was patrolling the neighborhood just after midnight on Saturday morning.

Officer LaSure saw that two garage doors to the home were open and stopped to investigate. Upon speaking with the homeowner, it was determined that one car had been stolen from the garage.

The thief was able to access a garage door remote from an unlocked car in the driveway. The Lexus was then driven out of the garage using the key fob that had been left in the car.

The Lexus was located at about 10 a.m. on Saturday, by the Newark Police Department, parked and unoccupied.

The Livingston Township Council discussed Open Space and housingrelated ordinances at its Monday, November 8, meeting. The meeting was held virtually and may be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.

At the start of the meeting, the Council was read a letter from resident Ronald Schlein asking members to ban gas powered leaf blowers in town. Mayor Shawn Klein said that it was a great idea to consider. Council member Al Anthony noted that the Livingston Environmental Commission is already in discussions on the matter and plans to provide recommendations on use of electric leaf blowers in the near future.

Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) has saluted long-time regular donor, the National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County Section, Creative Hands knitting group, which recently presented the Livingston charity with a large number of hand-knitted items. “Their creative hands have also been busy hands throughout the spring and summer months,” said LPI founder and director, Jeff Friedman of Livingston.
The Creative Hands volunteers create projects such as baby blankets, hats, infant and baby sweaters, and face masks to donate to hospitals, nursing homes and community organizations. “Creative Hands NCJW/Essex co-chairwomen Barbara Kerner and Debbie Shelkowitz just delivered hundreds of beautiful hand-crafted knit items for distribution by Livingston Philanthropies’ Newark partners,” recounted Friedman. “ ‘We have lots of stuff for you,’ Barbara told me, and said, ‘We know you’ll get it to the right people!’ ”

LEAF COLLECTION UNDERWAY: Leaves were being collected in Section 1 this week, the area north of East and West Mt. Pleasant Avenues. Leaves in Section 2 – the area south of East and West Mt. Pleasant Avenues and north of East and West Northfield Roads – can be put at the curb through Sunday, November 7, for pick-up next week. Shown here, crews collect leaves on Washington Court. Jerry Siskind Photo

As of press time, Wednesday morning, November 3, Pamela Chirls and Jenissa Arnette have tallied the most votes for the open Livingston Public Schools Board of Education seats, according to preliminary results of this year’s General Election. Chirls, the incumbent, and Arnette both lead challenger James Calderón for the two open seats on the Board.

With 10,661 votes cast (and 24 of 26 districts reporting as of Wednesday morning), according to the Essex County clerk’s office, Chirls received 4,507 votes (42.28 percent). Arnette received 3,614 votes (33.90 percent), followed by Calderón with 2,540 votes (23.83 percent).

Chirls will retain her Board seat for another term, while Arnette will assume the role for the first time. Both Arnette and Calderón ran for a single open seat on the Board in 2020, losing to Vineeta Khanna.