Livingston community

STANDING UNITED: Hundreds of residents and elected officials gathered Tuesday evening at the Oval for a candlelight vigil to show solidarity with Livingston’s Asian American community, following the murders last week in Atlanta. Hosted by the Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, the event featured prayers, music, and speeches from Mayor Shawn Klein, Police Chief Gary Marshuetz, and more. Attendees brought signs showing support and speaking out against violence and racism, and held candles to commemorate those who have been affected, harmed, or killed as a result of anti-Asian hate. Another protest against Asian hate crimes, with dozens of attendees, was held on Sunday at Town Center. Additional photos may be seen on page A-7. Dexi Yang and MI Photos

Livingston’s volunteer Fire Department responded to a car fire in the parking lot of Heritage Middle School on Thursday, March 18. Upon arrival, firefighters found the engine compartment fully involved in a major blaze. The fire was extinguished without incident, however, and no injuries were reported. The car was towed from the scene. The cause of the fire was still under investigation as the Tribune went to press.

Firefighters also responded to an oil spill; a broken water pipe; reports of stalled elevators, natural gas odors, and burning debris.

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The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Computer Science Teachers’ Association (CSTA) has selected four high school students from among a poolo f graduating high school seniors throughout the U.S. for the ACM/CSTA CutlerBell Prize in High School Computing. The winners included Maurice Korish of Livingston, a student at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston.

Eligible students applied for the award by submitting a project/artifact that engages modern technology and computer science. A panel of judges selected the recipients based on the ingenuity, complexity, relevancy, and originality of their projects.

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Doris Beck, the former Livingston mayor who passed away in July of 2020, was honored this week by the Township Council. Doris, known as “Bubby” to her family, was the first female mayor of Livingston. She was memorialized during Women’s History Month in a moving tribute to a life well-lived in Livingston.

The memorial was organized by her sons, Bruce and Steven Beck.

“My mom loved to live and lived to love... her love was unconditional,” Steven said. Bruce offered a “play by play” of her time in town. “Doris believed politics could be clean, responsible, and responsive... she put the residents of Livingston first.” The brothers announced that they would be making a contribution to the town to refurbish the gazebo at the Oval in their mother’s honor. It will be named the Doris Beck Gazebo.

The Livingston Township Council discussed changes to Council procedures and a potential green density bonus for developers at its meeting on Monday, March 22. The meeting was held virtually and may be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.

Green Density Bonus

The Council listened to a presentation from Sustainable Solutions Corporation employees Tad Radzinski and Nicole Meyer about a potential green density bonus for developers in town.

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Carol Ann Ettore-Asimou, 63, formerly of Livingston, died on March 19.

Born in Newark to Eugene and Concetta Ettore, Mrs. Ettore-Asimou lived most of her life in Livingston and settled in Andover in 2016. For many years, she was an event planner for LAPP Corp. in Florham Park.

She is survived by her husband of 36 years, John Asimou; her sons, Eugene A. Asimou (Taryn Alysha), and Christopher J. Asimou, and a granddaughter.

Services were held on Sunday, March 21, at the Shook-Farmer Funeral Home in Roseland. Cremation services were private.

The family suggests that donations may be made in the memory of Mrs. Ettore-Asimou to the charity of the donor’s choice.

The Livingston High School boys’ and girls’ track and field teams, in recent action, competed in a home meet against Millburn and participated in the Ranger Winter Invitational.

Dominate Millburn

Both the girls’ and boys’ squads dominated Millburn in the sprints and hurdles events, but were unable to outrun the Millers’ more experienced distance runners.

Because of the pandemic, the Super Essex Conference is not conducting an official season this year. However, the unofficial score showed the Lancer boys’ team winning, 38-21, and the girls’ team winning, 37-22.

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The West Essex Tribune strongly condemns the racism and violence being inflicted upon the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Nearly one year ago in this very space, we condemned reports of hate speech and racist remarks on social media against the AAPI community. Now, not only have such instances continued on a national scale, but they have turned violent, and in some cases, deadly. Last week, six Asian American women were among eight people murdered during a series of shootings in Atlanta-area spas.

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After months of discussion, there appears to be some movement on the future of the Livingston Mall district. The committee of residents, business owners, and township officials who started talking late last year have revealed their findings, recommending that the district be declared an “area in need of redevelopment.” Additionally, last week, the Planning Board voted to conduct a redevelopment study of the area.

In a letter drafted to the Township Council, the Livingston Mall Committee provided some great suggestions for what could be done with the area. Some of those ideas may just be pipedreams (an “upscale boutique” hotel?), while others are much more feasible (family entertainment, walking paths).

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Shown here, Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) founder Jeff Friedman and Livingston volunteer Alan Wishengrad load hundreds of pounds of fresh produce purchased with Livingston contributions at the Livingston Farmers’ Market. The “truck-full of health,” along with cases of baby food and baby formula purchased at a discount from Livingston ShopRite, helped stock the big Free Groceries Give-away event at Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF), a long-time LPI distribution partner. “The recurring word here is ‘Livingston,’ ” said Friedman. “Livingston donors, through their continued support of Livingston Philanthropies, fed hundreds of profoundly poor Newark families living well below the poverty line.” Visit LPI at njhomeless.org to find out how to “personal shop for the homeless.”