community news from Livingston

Marie Pannucci of Manchester, formerly of Livingston, died at her home on Sunday, March 18. She was 90 years old. The family will receive friends today, Thursday, March 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals in Toms River. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, March 23, at 10 a.m. at St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Lakehurst. Committal will be private. Condolences may be sent by visiting www.ryanfuneralhome.com. Mrs. Pannucci was born in Castelnuovo di Conza, Salerno Provence, Italy, and lived in Livingston before moving to Manchester 30 years ago. She also spent 25 years wintering in her home in Delray Beach, Florida. She was a long-time parishioner of St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church in Livingston and St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Lakehurst. Prior to her retirement, Mrs. Pannucci was a supervisor and longdistance operator for New Jersey Bell Telephone.

More than 1,000 Livingston High School students left their classes Wednesday morning, walking out of the building in a show of solidarity.

The walkout was a response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and faculty members were killed a month earlier, on February 14. Students exited the school at 10 a.m. Wednesday and remained outside for 17 minutes, one minute for every life lost, both as a tribute to those who died and to protest gun violence.

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A Heritage Middle School student will be honored Monday for coming to the aid of a peer earlier this month.

After a student experienced a medical crisis at Heritage on Sunday, March 4, 13-year-old Ethan Haber began first responder protocol until emergency medical technicians responded to the school.

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When winter storm “Quinn” hit Livingston on Wednesday, March 7, it was mighty indeed. The nor’easter dumped 15 to 18 inches of wet, heavy snow on the township, bringing down hundreds of trees, branches, and wires, causing widespread power outages, and shutting down schools and businesses.

“This was a storm like no other I’ve seen in my 40 years here,” said an exhausted Mike Anello, superintendant of Public Works. The snow started around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, and continued to fall steadily until about 1 p.m., without really sticking. Then it ramped up, with Anello estimating a snowfall rate of two to three inches per hour until 7 p.m. Totals ranged from 15 to 18 inches in Livingston.

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The Livingston Oval on Robert Harp Drive in Livingston will be the site of a community-wide celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel on Thursday, April 19, starting at 4:30 p.m.

There will be activities for all ages and interests, including a concert for children by the Israeli band Pey Dalid; an Israeli technology showcase; a petting zoo; an Israeli and Livingston Police Unity exhibit; an activity fair; Krav Maga exercises and Gaga games; and more.

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BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS: USC recently won the Livingston Recreation Basketball League’s fifth grade boys’ championship on a clutch last-second outside shot by Jared Melamed. Team members include, front, Jordan Bender, Markus Gutch, Jared Melamed, Daniel Bourdett, Max Feldman, and Jackson Levine; and rear, coach Marc Bender, Edward Chen, Reece Melamed, Adon Panjikaran, and coach David Melamed. Also on the team is Nikhil Rochlani. “Special thanks to league commissioners Bill Nisivoccia and David Beckman for running a smooth and fun season for the fifth grade boys,” said coach Bender.

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LACROSSE TRAINING: Lancer head boy’s lacrosse coach Brad Dzama reinforces the carrying technique to Garrett Burdette, Kyle Ernst and Kevin Zak. The Lancers open the season at Wayne Hills on Wednesday, March 28. Coach Dzama leads the Lancers for the 12th consecutive season.

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This week, March 11 through 17, is Sunshine Week, an annual national initiative to educate the public about the importance of open government and access to public information. Just by reading this editorial, you’re helping us celebrate. Sunshine Week is a non-partisan initiative celebrated annually in mid-March since 2005, coinciding with James Madison’s March 16 birthday. The week shines a spotlight on transparency and is a celebration of the freedom of information United States citizens are entitled to receive.

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This was not an easy week for Livingston residents. The township was blanketed with 15 to 18 inches of snow last Wednesday, March 7. At its peak, more than half the town was without power. Some residents could not leave their streets for days.

By Friday, more than 2,000 residents were still experiencing outages, and downed trees were preventing others from safely exiting their homes.

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Livingston Police are investigating the theft of a vehicle that was taken at the start of last week’s snow storm. At about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 7, police responded to Martin Road for a report of a stolen 2014 Lexus.

The owner said the Lexus was parked in the driveway at 6 p.m. the previous night, and it was discovered missing Wednesday morning.

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