community news from Livingston

CAR FIRE NEAR LIVINGSTON CENTER: Livingston firefighters spent 15 minutes extinguishing a major car fire at the intersection of Hazel and West Mt. Pleasant Avenues on Wednesday, May 20, at about 6 p.m. According to fire department officials, the driver of the 2015 Lexus smelled smoke, pulled over, and exited the car, which then became engulfed in flames. The exact cause of the fire, beyond mechanical failure, is not known, as the car was completely destroyed. JTM and SLM Photos

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In a ceremony that was tinged with an extra layer of poignancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Livingston VFW, VFW Auxiliary, and American Legion Post 285 held a Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25. The small audience, the wearing of masks, the absence of a parade, even the overcast skies lent a different, but no less emotional, feeling to the event.

“We are not used to not doing anything,” said VFW Post Commander Thomas Bucca. “We were going to do something, and, when the Governor increased the allowable number of people gathering outside to 25, we were more comfortable.

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Things are looking no better for the poor and homeless of Essex County as the coronavirus pandemic continues to “grind on,” said Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies Inc. (LPI).
“Too bad I have nothing new to report this week. That’s because it’s all the same – or worse,” Friedman noted. “I wish I could say that the homeless and profoundly poor are doing much better, but they’re not. It seems that some businesses and organizations are attempting to open, but unfortunately, that doesn’t change things a bit for the folks living below the poverty line just a few miles away from Livingston.”
He explained that food pantry lines are much longer than usual, with so many individuals having lost their jobs or having been temporarily furloughed without pay.

Things are looking no better for the poor and homeless of Essex County as the coronavirus pandemic continues to “grind on,” said Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies Inc. (LPI).
“Too bad I have nothing new to report this week. That’s because it’s all the same – or worse,” Friedman noted. “I wish I could say that the homeless and profoundly poor are doing much better, but they’re not. It seems that some businesses and organizations are attempting to open, but unfortunately, that doesn’t change things a bit for the folks living below the poverty line just a few miles away from Livingston.”
He explained that food pantry lines are much longer than usual, with so many individuals having lost their jobs or having been temporarily furloughed without pay.

Editor’s Note: The following was written by Dr. Hyman Fisher of Livingston, a veteran of World War II. It had originally been intended High School, were award Ribbon at LHS, and added at Riker Hill, Collins, and We also stopped outso bought our own school b has saved the taxpayers (Continued on Pag as his speech during the Memorial Day celebration. With the veterans’ ceremony and parade cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune has reproduced his piece here.

As a teenager, I had been following the war in Europe from its start, in September, 1939, with Hitler’s invasion of Poland. When the U.S. entered the war on December 8, 1941, I was a high school senior in Brooklyn. The war didn’t really affect me until I graduated from high school and entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in September, 1942, to study chemical engineering.

Updated COVID-19 information on the local cases as well as information on long-term care facilities in Livingston have been released by both the Township and Essex County officials.

As of Wednesday morning, May 20, there were 466 total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Livingston, and 66 deaths.

The township released a detailed report of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday afternoon, May 19.

According to the May 19 report, 296 of the township’s confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 51 of the COVID-19 fatalities, were residents of long term care facilities.

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MOURNING A BROTHER OFFICER: Members of the Livingston Police Department gathered on Thursday, May 14, to attend the funeral of Glen Ridge police officer Charles Edward Roberts III. Officer Roberts was a 1992 graduate of Livingston High School. He died May 11 at the age of 45 of complications related to COVID-19. Funeral services incorporating safety guidelines were held in front of the Glen Ridge town hall, and were livestreamed as well.

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The Township of Livingston has issued a reminder to residents that all township buildings, facilities and fields continue to be closed to the public through the Memorial Day weekend and until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the exception of the holiday, however, all departments remain staffed in order to continue providing essential services by phone and email. Non-emergency staff will not be available on Monday, May 25.

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The Livingston Community Partnership, otherwise known as the Livingston Business Improvement District (BID), has partnered with the Township of Livingston to provide grant monies to local businesses negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The grant program is called LuvLiv Local. According to the BID executive director Beth Lippman, it is “dedicated to supporting independently owned Livingston businesses during this unprecedented time, and to help our local businesses devastated by the coronavirus crisis.”

She continued, “Local businesses are an important part of our community’s identity. Whether it is the jobs you create, the uniqueness you add, or the services you provide, you are truly the heartbeat of our community. Our LuvLiv Local Grant Program is another way we are looking to strengthen our community, one business at a time.”

Former Livingston resident Barbara Elizabeth Fitzsimmons died in Madison on Sunday, May 17.

She was born in 1935 in Jersey City to Alvin and Agnes Somers, and graduated from Saint Dominic’s Academy and Caldwell College. After earning two master’s degrees in education from Seton Hall University, Mrs. Fitzsimmons taught at Summit Middle School and later was a professor of English and writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison.

Mrs. Fitzsimmons was the author of a book for St. Philomena’s Church and wrote grants for learning disabled students. She founded Heart Beat, a women’s volunteer group for the Archdiocese of Newark, and received the highest honor at Caldwell University, the Veritas Award, after serving on its board of trustees for many years.