Livingston New Jersey news

Shirley Fradkin, formerly of Livingston, died on Tuesday, December 21, at her home in Whippany. A graveside service was held

A graveside service was held on Thursday, December 23. Arrangements were by the Bernheim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel. Born in Newark, Mrs. Fradkin

Born in Newark, Mrs. Fradkin lived in Livingston and South Orange before moving to Lake Worth, Florida. She was predeceased by her hus

She was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Edwin, in 2011, and by her brother, Jack Schlein. Mrs. Fradkin is survived by her daughters, Amy Furst (Alan) and Alison Fradkin; her son, Andrew Fradkin (Jill); three granddaughters; and one great-grandchild.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Home for Good Dogs Rescue in Berkeley Heights.

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It took three Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) volunteers to pack the van with new merchandise for immediate delivery to LPI’s Newark distribution partners for a recent Christmas delivery. Items also went to the homeless finding refuge from the cold in Penn Station.
“Volunteers brought hundreds of thermal gloves, winter beanies, heavy socks, baby bottles, stuffed animals and childrens’ winter jackets just before the holiday festivities began for many of us here in town,” noted LPI founder and director Jeff Friedman. “The ‘Two Alans’ – Alan Wishengrad and Alan Levin – also helped me load school supplies donated by Livingston’s GreenBinz Organization, founded in 2015 by four Livingston Public Schools students who continue to run GreenBinz today. The goal of the organization is to decrease the amount of school supplies wasted by donating new and gently used school supplies to underprivileged families and communities.”

CHEERLEADERS OPEN SEASON: The Livingston High School cheerleaders opened their winter season at home, cheering during a basketball triple-header against North Star Academy. The junior varsity squad cheered the freshman and junior varsity games, while the varsity squad cheered for the varsity team. The JV cheerleaders include Sophie Kasson, Gabriela Quintero, Leah Rubin, Maddy Abelew, Ella Cocuzza, Angelina Giordano, Eden Kantor, Sydney Lewis, Emma O’Neill, Arissa Pol, Abigail Silverstein, Clare Luo, Simone Pardasani, and Amira Jenkins. On the varsity squad are Genevieve DeRosa, Nicole Rojas, Haleigh Harte, Vivian Turner, Sasha Lederman, Alex Simon, Emilie Malave, Cynthia Coppola, Alyssa Galasso, Gianna Miller, Jordana D’Andrea, Colette Kay, Julia Levitt, Kara Massoni, Gabby Rosa, and Devin Goldstein. Don Schwartz Photo

Following the cancellation of the final Township Council meeting of 2021 due to COVID concerns, the Council stated that all matters listed on the agenda would be deferred to one or more future meetings.

As such, the agenda for the cancelled meeting, described below, offers a glimpse of the actions and discussions that are expected to be on the docket at the start of 2022.

Ordinances Four final hearing ordinances were

Four final hearing ordinances were expected to be discussed during the cancelled meeting. They will need to be reintroduced as new ordinances in 2022, though some may not be, as three of the ordinances had already been carried for several meetings.

Earlier this month, the New Jersey Department of Health reported that community transmission of COVID-19 for Essex County – as it has for all counties in the state – went from moderate activity (yellow) to high activity (orange).

As a result, the district must follow new quarantine requirements, said superintendent of schools Matthew Block in a letter posted on the district website.

Any unvaccinated student or staff member who is exposed to COVID-19 must now quarantine for the full 14 days. “While in the high activity level, providing a negative COVID test result during quarantine will not allow the unvaccinated individual to return to school,” he said. No new information from the district was availble as of press time.

The district is continuing its weekly reports on the number of individuals who test positive for the disease, and the number who are required to quarantine.

Following a pursuit, Livingston Police officers recovered a stolen vehicle. Another vehicle, which was unlocked, was stolen in town later in the week, as well.

Stolen Van

At 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15, Livingston Police officers were notified of a stolen Sprinter van that was travelling west on Mt. Pleasant Avenue into Livingston. The owner of the van had followed it through West Orange into Livingston. The van had been stolen a few hours earlier in Newark, police said.

Officer Anthony Trajer was able to locate the van and began to follow it with his unmarked car. When they reached Livingston Center, Officer Trajer and Officer Kevin Kitchen attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver of the van refused to stop and turned south on South Livingston Avenue. The officers continued to follow the van, which was travelling at the speed limit.

Mitchel Roy Lubitz, 74, of Delray Beach, Florida, formerly of Livingston and West Orange, died on November 29 after a long battle with cancer.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Elyse; his son, Jared (Kimberly); two grandchildren; his brother; Alan Lubitz (Karen); and his sister, Rhonda Terry.

Born in Jersey City, Mr. Lubitz moved to Union and graduated from Union High School and Boston University College of Business Administration. He served on the Law Review at Seton Hall University School of Law, and received his degree in 1971.

Mr. Lubitz practiced in Essex County with a focus on commercial, bankruptcy and real estate law. He was a partner at the Lum law firm in Roseland, and was elected chairman of the West Essex Ethics Committee.

Chapel services were held on December 2 at Beth Israel Memorial Chapel and were followed by interment at Eternal Light, both in Boynton Beach, Florida.

LANCERS DEFEAT NORTH STAR: The Livingston High School boys’ varsity basketball team defeated the Knights of North Star Academy, 54-45, on Friday evening, December 17. Shown above, Lancer Nate Nussbaum soars to score on a baseline drive against the Knights. Above, right, Lancer guard Luke Cohen, #1, drives through the Knights’ defenders to score. At right, Lancer forward Dylan Perlstein just beats the blocking attempt to score for Livingston. Don Schwartz Photos

FACE NORTH STAR IN SEASON OPENER: The Livingston High School junior varsity boys’ basketball team was defeated by North Star Academy, 44-42, on Friday evening, December 17, at home in the LHS Fitness and Wellness Center. Shown at left, Lancer forward Ryan Sayle, #15, scores from underneath against North Star. Above, Lancer center #22, Elias Porter, soars for the rebound against the Knights. Don Schwartz Photos

Dennis Raffa, Sr., 72, died Tuesday, December 14, in Livingston.

Born in Newark, Mr. Raffa was a long-time resident of Livingston, where he was a communicant of St. Philomena’s Church. He worked as a grounds keeper at Seton Hall University for 42 years before his retirement.

Mr. Raffa is survived by his wife of 44 years, Karen; his sons and their spouses, Dennis Jr. (Courtney) and Frank (Amy); his siblings, Paul Raffa (Grace) and Nancy Vassallo (Lenny); and four grandchildren.

Visitation was held on Sunday, December 19 , at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home, Livingston. A funeral Mass was offered on Monday, December 20, at St. Philomena Church, Livingston. Entombment followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested donations in Mr. Raffa’s name be made to www.shu.edu/giving.