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VARSITY HOCKEY TEAM COMPETES: The Livingston High School boys’ ice hockey team was defeated by Governor Livingston, 6-2, on Friday, January 5, at the Codey Arena. Here, Lancer winger, Dylan Gibbs, #16, skates in with the puck to set up a goal.

Dagny Slomack, senior girls’ basketball captain at Newark Academy (NA), an independent school for grades six through 12 in Livingston, netted her 1,000th career point during the Boardwalk Basketball Classic tournament in Wildwood on December 30. Throughout the weekend, Dagny tallied 30 points, five rebounds, eight steals and four assists to earn a Second TeamAll-Boardwalk Classic nod.

“This means a lot to me and I am really excited because it has been a personal goal of mine to surpass this milestone since my freshman year,” Slomack said. “Coach Bona, Coach Mike and my teammates pushed and supported me over the last four years and had an important role in me reaching this goal. I am really honored to be a part of NA girls’basketball history.”

Because of the pandemic, Newark Academy only played four games during Dagny’s freshman year, making the 1,000 point mark an even more impressive feat, noted Nina Shirey, NA sports information director.

During the past week, a township pharmacy was robbed at gunpoint and a j ewelry store reported an attempted break in, according to Livingston Police.

Invictus Pharmacy

At 12:30p.m. onSaturday,December 30, Livingston officers responded to Invictus Pharmacy at 91 East Mt. Pleasant Avenue on a report of a robbery.

Upon arrival, officers were met by the store owner and employees, who said that they were robbed at gunpoint. Two masked suspects had entered the store brandishing handguns and made their way behind the counter, where they stole a large quantity of prescription medication and fled the scene.

Livingston Detectives began a “round the clock” investigation, and by early Tuesday morning, January 2, they identified and arrested one of the two suspects.

There were multiple residential burglaries, as well as several additional attempted burglaries to homes, in the last week of 2023, according to Livingston Police.

Residential Burglaries

At 1:23 p.m. on Saturday, December 30, officers responded to a Village Drive home on a report of a burglary to the residence. Officers arrived and were met by the homeowner, who showed them forced entry to a rear window and an open slider. Several items were disturbed and the homeowner is determining if anything was stolen.

At 10:26 p.m. Monday, January 1, officers responded to a Chestnut Street residence on a report of a burglary. Officers arrived and were met by the homeowners, who said that after being away for a few days, they returned to find the home burglarized. A window to the home was forced open and the bedrooms of the residence ransacked. The homeowner is compiling a list of stolen items and jewelry.

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 2024 born to Livingstonparents will be named the winner of the Tribune’s 66th annual First Baby Contest.

The rules to determine the winner are the same each year: The first baby of2024 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.

If no new arrival is reported by that date, the contest will be extended until the first baby is bom. Parents who believe that they may be the winners of the contest should call the Tribune at 973-992-1771 or send an e-mail to WETribune@gmail.com. In the event of a tie, gifts will be awarded at the discretion of the Tribune staff.

The Livingston Township Council held its annual reorganization meeting on New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1. During the meeting, A1 Anthony was sworn in as mayor, his third time in the lead role, and Ed Meinhardt was named deputy mayor.

Longtime Planning Board chairman Peter Klein, who retired from the board at the end of 2023, was also recognized for his years of service. Klein, who spent 27 years on the Planning Board, including 22 as chairman, was given the key to the town.

New Mayor, Deputy Mayor

Anthony was tapped as mayor for the year following a unanimous vote.

Now the longest tenured Council member at the start of his 12th year, he was previously the mayor in 2016 and 2019.

“Livingston will be very fortunate to have A1 Anthony as mayor in 2024,” Meinhardt said in nominating him, calling him a great family man.

In its first challenge of the indoor season, the Livingston High School boys’ indoor track and field team won the Super Essex Conference, American Division Championship, at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York, on December 22. The squad bested ten other teams vying for the trophy and came away with three individual champions, meet records and two school records.

Starting off for the Lancers were Raalu Madubuko and Nick Siao in the 55 meter high hurdles. Madubuko ran a clean race and placed second overall with a competitive time of 7.96. Siao was fifth with a time of 8.24. Siao later placed third in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 10’6”.

SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT OF OLD GUARD: Barry Schram was congratulated by township manager Barry Lewis after recently being sworn in as the new president of the Livingston Old Guard. Looking on is secretary of the Old Guard, Angelo DeGirolamo, and Council member and Old Guard member Michael Vieira

The Township of Livingston’s Christmas Tree Collection and Recycling program will begin on January 2 and end on January 31.

Residents can leave their undecorated live-cut Christmas trees at the curb, as they would for regular recycling. The trees will be collected Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Christmas tree collection program saves the cost of garbage disposal, since the Township is charged by weight to remove bulk items.

The Department of Public Works provides an additional environmentally friendly aspect to the collection program. DPW employees chip the trees into mulch, which is made available to residents for pickup at no cost. The mulch created from the trees can be used in flower beds and garden borders. The DPW collected and recycled nearly 2,000 Christmas trees last year.

Go to livingstonnj.org/Recycling for more information about this program.

After doing laundry after dinner last Tuesday, December 19, Emily (Bellovin) O’Neill decided she wanted to eat some more. Back in the kitchen, she took a spoonful of cold rice from a container - and it got stuck in her throat.

“I decided to drink a lot of water, which I think most people would do,” she said. “I don’t know if it made the rice expand or get gooey and sticky. But the water couldnot go down, and the rice was certainly lodged. I could not breathe, and I could not speak. I was spitting up the water because it had nowhere to go.”

Trying to look for her phone, Emily opened the front door. “I stood there, waving my arms, hoping someone would see, but it was dark. I needed someone to call 9-1 -1,” she recounted. She began to panic. “I was