community news from Livingston

A letter is being sent out to Livingston residents, explaining that at least one township well is above the limit of a recently-regulated contaminant. This contaminant, PFAS, is found in everyday household products, as well as things like firefighting foam.

The well in violation has been shut off at the moment, so there is no active township well in excess of the limit. However, there appear to be additional wells that will be above the threshold once fourth quarter measurements are taken into account.

Township manager Barry Lewis added that remedial measures are underway, and have been since before the regulations were put in place. These measures will likely take a year or two to complete. He noted that this issue is widespread throughout the state and country, and is affecting most neighboring towns, some worse than others.

The Livingston Township Council discussed flooding concerns in town, changing water prices, and cannabis businesses at its Monday, September 13, meeting. The Council also issued proclamations and passed several resolutions.

The meeting was held virtually and may be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.

At the start of the meeting, the Council issued several proclamations, including honoring the Livingston High School Varsity Softball team for its state championship this past June, and the Livingston Exit 65A Robotics team for its MAPSS project designed to pedestrian safety using lights and sensors (the team should hear by early October if they are one of 18 national finalists).

The Council also acknowledged National Preparedness Month, and hosted the Livingston Lions Club, whose members held an awards ceremony during the meeting.

CAR HITS PIZZERIA: Livingston Police and Fire officials responded to Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza at Town Center at 11:14 a.m. on Tuesday, September 14, for a report of a car into a building. Upon arrival, they found that a car drove completely into the dining area of the restaurant. Police said that Winifred Vreeland, 80, of Roseland was attempting to park a 2005 Jaguar when she apparently hit the gas instead of the brake. The car accelerated and crashed through the windows of the pizzeria. The car wound up completely inside the building and took out a non-loadbearing wall. The restaurant was closed at the time of the accident and the driver was not injured. CJM and LFD Photos

Janet Mapletoft Roberts, 97, died on September 8. She was born in East Orange and attended East Orange High School.

A resident of Livingston for nearly 50 years, she retired to Cape Cod in 1995 and later moved to Linden Ponds in Hingham, Massachusetts.

Mrs. Roberts is survived by her children, Charles (Anita) Roberts of Manlius, New York; Thomas (Yoonhee) Roberts of Ridgewood, and Nancy (Joe) Roberts Craven of Hingham; her partner, James Eastman, of Hingham; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Edward Roberts, and her brother, John Mapletoft.

She had worked on radar production at Westinghouse during World War II, and served as the Clerk of Session for the Presbyterian Church of Livingston.

A celebration of Mrs. Roberts’ life will be held on Sunday, September 19 at 2 p.m. in the performing arts center at Linden Ponds.

Salvatore Palmieri, 98, died on September 12.

Born in Newark, Mr. Palmieri was a resident of Livingston for 49 years and served as a Newark police officer for 37 years, retiring as a lieutenant 30 years ago.

He was the husband of the late Sofia Palmieri, the father of Marie Portella-Silver, Gloria Elbaz and her husband, Mohamed, and Thomas Palmieri; the brother of Dante Palmieri, and the grandfather of one.

A funeral service was held at the Galante Funeral Home in Caldwell on September 15, followed by burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

LANCERS DEFEAT CALDWELL: The Lancers defeated Caldwell, 2 - 1, in a varsity volleyball match in the Livingston High School Fitness and Wellness Center on Thursday, September 9. Above, Lancer senior captain #2, Nora Shaj, serves for a point against the Chiefs. Don Schwartz Photo

UNICAN OF THE YEAR: At the June 16 membership meeting, Livingston UNICO chapter president Maria Brush awarded chapter member Carol Branchi with the UNICAN of the Year Award. She was honored for her commitment to “service above self,” particularly when caring for her husband, past president Al Branchi, who has been very ill this past year. Not only was she surprised to win the award, but she was shocked to see her husband show up to stand by her side. Shown here are Livingston UNICO President Maria Brush, past president Al Branchi, and UNICAN of the Year Award recipient Carol Branchi.

FOOTBALL TEAM LOSES: The Lancers traveled to Underhill Field in Maplewood on Friday Evening, September 10, to challenge the home team, the Columbia Cougars. They mounted a second half comeback only to fall short in a 29-24 loss. Above, Lancer punter Ben Hauser, #88, strides into the ball against the Cougars. Don Schwartz Photo

Believe it or not, it is that time of year again. It may not seem so, but soon the leaves will start to change and the temperatures will drop. Heck, everything from coffee to hand soap is already starting to have the faint (strong?) smell of pumpkin spice. That’s right, we are talking about flu season.

While seasonal influenza viruses are detected year-round, they are most common in the fall and winter. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone older than six months should get a flu vaccine every “flu season” to help prevent the contraction and spread of the virus.

Influenza can be a serious disease that may lead to hospitalization or even death. The CDC states that each flu season is unique and every infection affects people differently. Millions of people get the flu each year, leading to hundreds of thousands of hospital visits and tens of thousands of deaths from flu-related causes.

As a state, we will be dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida for quite some time. There will be cleanups, and rebuilds, but there will also be preparation for future floods.

Our first responders took more calls than they could record the evening of September 1, staging daring rescues and later dealing with dozens of cars that had been left abandoned throughout town.

During their efforts, Livingston’s Police, Fire, First Aid Squads, and Department of Public Works were assisted by East Hanover’s Swift Water Rescue team. With the waters surrounding that town on three sides, East Hanover is essentially an island; it makes sense for them to have a unit able to respond to water rescues. But, as we saw earlier this month, Livingston also has its share of flood zones, which grow larger each year as climate change makes “100 years storms” increasingly more common.