latest news from Livingston

Anna Marie Smykowski, 100, died on October 5 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Born and raised in Newark, Mrs. Smykowski lived in Livingston and Caldwell before moving to Verona in 1972 and to Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in 2020.

She worked as an assembler for Ballantine Labs in Parsippany and for Monsanto Corp. in West Caldwell. She was a member of the Rosary Society of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona and St. Philomena Church in Livingston.

She was predeceased by her siblings, Margaret Munk, George Greb, Alfred Smith, Bertha Centrella, Charles Greb, Frank Greb, and Raymond Greb, and is survived by many nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was offered in Our Lady of the Lake Church on Friday, October 8. Entombment followed in Holy Cross Cemetery Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Our Lady of the Lake Endowment Fund, 22 Lakeside Avenue, Verona, New Jersey 07044.

CAMUSO SCHLEPPING: Camuso “Elves” began the process of moving display items into their permanent off-season home this past weekend, the barn at the Oval. Shown at right, Camuso Elf Sondra Hantman signs and dates the wall inside the barn, as all elves who worked there this past weekend did. Above, Camuso Elves carry the heavy tree pole into the barn. At bottom right, an electrician from the Township of Livingston installs electricity to the Camuso barn next to the gazebo at the Livingston Oval on Tuesday, October 12, so that the Camuso Holiday Display Committee can move into high gear repairing and building new displays for Livingston’s famous Camuso Holiday Display. Jerry Siskind and NBD Photos

The Livingston High School varsity tennis team defeated Morristown and Bergen Tech in the North I, Group IV Sectional Tournament to advance to the sectional final against Ridgewood. The team also lost a Super Essex Conference match to Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA).

Livingston 5, Morristown 0: The North 1, Group 4 Sectional quarterfinal saw Rebecca Liu, Chloe Lee, and Allison Miller win straight set singles matches and Rachel Friedman and Zoe Weisman win second doubles in straight sets. The Lancers’ first doubles team of Lindsay Bisk and Jessica Su split sets before winning, 6-1, 4-6, 10-4 in a ten-point match tiebreaker.

The five senior varsity players were honored after the match for Senior Day. They are Rachel Friedman, Annica Dong, Edel Schnyder, Lindsay Bisk, and Allison Miller.

POLE INSPECTION: Employees of Osmose Company of Georgia are inspecting telephone poles in Livingston for communications and power companies which is done every 15 years. This involves digging down several feet to determine if the pole has started to rot out. Those compromised poles, such as the one shown here on Trocha Avenue on Wednesday, October 6, are mitigated and brought up to standards with a six foot long piece of steel. The steel is knocked into the ground around the pole with a black hydraulic hammer, shown in the center of the picture, and it is attached to the pole with steel bands. Jerry Siskind Photo

This past Tuesday, the Livingston Public Schools Board of Education held its first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. A limited number of attendees – just 20 – were allowed in the room, and sat distanced and masked during the meeting. The rest of the viewing public watched the meeting live online, as has been the case for over a year and half.

This was the first of what we assume will be several returns to in-person meetings in the coming weeks. The Township Council has similarly been developing a plan to meet in person, likely in time for the next meeting on Monday, October 25.

Two weeks ago, the rims at the basketball courts near Livingston High School were “locked.” Bars were placed on top of them so that a basketball could not get through the hoop, preventing the very popular courts from being of any use.

The courts were closed at the behest of the township’s Department of Public Works, whose employees have spent too much time collecting trash around the courts. This action, a punishment of sorts, was designed to encourage the users of the court to shape up their act and learn to properly dispose of their refuse. The rims were originally supposed to be locked for one week,

The rims were originally supposed to be locked for one week, but following public outcry, they were reopened less than a day later. Should the trash issue continue, however, officials said that the rims would again be locked.

Elaine Carol Rendall of Orlando, Florida was called home to the Lord on September 7, 2021. She was 76 years old. Born in Orange, New Jersey to Henry and Teresa DeMatteis, she grew up in Livingston and graduated from Livingston High School, Montclair State College and received her master of arts degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. After teaching Spanish at Mountain Lakes High School for several years, she moved to Miami, Florida. There she held a variety of senior human resource positions, which later led to her move to Orlando.

Thanks to the continued support of Livingston residents, Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) volunteers participated in the second annual World Homeless Day event in Lincoln Park in Newark on Friday, October 8. 
“This important community outreach, produced by the talented staff at LPI distribution partner Newark Emergency Services  for Families (NESF), was a first on-site endeavor for LPI,” explained the charity’s founder and director, Jeff Friedman of Livingston. “Volunteers distributed new men’s and women’s underwear, warm socks, nail clippers, toiletries gift bags and designer handbags donated by a Livingston resident.”
“Thank you for coming and for everything you do for us,” said NESF executive director Amina Bey. 
“I learned a lot for next time,” added Friedman. “Our next event will be a Free Footwear Giveaway with another key partner, Newark’s Willing Heart Community Care Center (WHCCC), on the other side of town.”

LANCERS FALL TO EAST ORANGE: The Livingston High School varsity football team was defeated by the East Orange Campus Jaguars, 47-7, on Friday evening, October 1, on the LHS Turf. Shown here, Lancer quarterback Brandon Kenney, #17, rolls to his left prior to throwing a touchdown pass to Derek Ford, #84. Don Schwartz Photo

NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS: Eight Livingston High School students were named among the roughly 16,000 semifinalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. Shourya Bansal, Joshua Faber, Kate Pun, Andrew Qian, Daniel Siegal, Kush Vachher, Alan Wu, and Arthur Zang have advanced in the competition. These seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. Shown here are (back row) Bansal and Qian; (middle row) Zang, Faber, Siegal, and Vachher; and (front row) LHS principal Danielle Rosenzweig, Pun, and Wu.