Livingston New Jersey news

Livingston is currently in the midst of its annual leaf collection. People who fall under section two (the area south of East and West Mt. Pleasant Avenue and north of East and West Northfield Road) are having their leaves picked up through November 21. This is a great service that allows residents a proper way to dispose of all of the leaves on their property.

And yet, we receive reports each week from the fire department about leaf and lawn debris fires in town. Not only does this waste the time of our firefighters, who are being called to investigate these reports of smoke in residential neighborhoods, but it is also dangerous, as one gust of wind can send that burning pile of brush toward a home or wooded area. It is also disrespectful of neighbors.

Not only that – it is also illegal.

Earlier this month, Livingston Public Schools superintendent Matthew Block wrote a letter to families explaining the toll that the return to full-time in-person learning has placed on students. To mitigate this stress, he announced several days that no outside schoolwork will be given to children, to allow them to decompress from the rigors of the classroom.

This sense of stress among students tracks with what the data says we are all currently feeling.

It can be easy – at times – to forget that we are still in the middle of an ongoing pandemic. Through rose colored glasses, many things can start to look normal. But COVID-19 is still raging, and cases have slowly started to increase again over the past few weeks. Earlier this summer, it appeared that the pandemic might have been in retreat, but the delta variant took hold and sparked a new wave of cases and hospitalizations.

Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) has saluted long-time regular donor, the National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County Section, Creative Hands knitting group, which recently presented the Livingston charity with a large number of hand-knitted items. “Their creative hands have also been busy hands throughout the spring and summer months,” said LPI founder and director, Jeff Friedman of Livingston.
The Creative Hands volunteers create projects such as baby blankets, hats, infant and baby sweaters, and face masks to donate to hospitals, nursing homes and community organizations. “Creative Hands NCJW/Essex co-chairwomen Barbara Kerner and Debbie Shelkowitz just delivered hundreds of beautiful hand-crafted knit items for distribution by Livingston Philanthropies’ Newark partners,” recounted Friedman. “ ‘We have lots of stuff for you,’ Barbara told me, and said, ‘We know you’ll get it to the right people!’ ”

LEAF COLLECTION UNDERWAY: Leaves were being collected in Section 1 this week, the area north of East and West Mt. Pleasant Avenues. Leaves in Section 2 – the area south of East and West Mt. Pleasant Avenues and north of East and West Northfield Roads – can be put at the curb through Sunday, November 7, for pick-up next week. Shown here, crews collect leaves on Washington Court. Jerry Siskind Photo

As of press time, Wednesday morning, November 3, Pamela Chirls and Jenissa Arnette have tallied the most votes for the open Livingston Public Schools Board of Education seats, according to preliminary results of this year’s General Election. Chirls, the incumbent, and Arnette both lead challenger James Calderón for the two open seats on the Board.

With 10,661 votes cast (and 24 of 26 districts reporting as of Wednesday morning), according to the Essex County clerk’s office, Chirls received 4,507 votes (42.28 percent). Arnette received 3,614 votes (33.90 percent), followed by Calderón with 2,540 votes (23.83 percent).

Chirls will retain her Board seat for another term, while Arnette will assume the role for the first time. Both Arnette and Calderón ran for a single open seat on the Board in 2020, losing to Vineeta Khanna.

The Livingston High School boys’ cross country team traveled to Brookdale Park in Bloomfield on Friday, October 29, to compete in the Essex County Cross Country Championship. “Team goals were discussed, personal race plans were laid out, and the squad prepared to battle these other competitors,” noted coach Dave Czeizinger. “Despite going in seeded 11th, the Lancers had all worked very hard over the past two weeks preparing to have their best race of the season. Though a county title was beyond their reach, they hoped to move up in rank among the county squads.”

The Lancers brought 26 harriers to compete in the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity championships.

Freshman Race The freshman race was approxi

Two people were arrested when they returned to a stolen car after spending a night at the Westminster Hotel, Livingston Police said.

At 8:38 a.m. on Monday, November 1, Officer Matthew DeBiasse was on patrol when he observed a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT in the lot of the Westminster Hotel. The Jeep was backed into a parking space and did not have a front license plate. When the officer checked the rear plate, he found that the vehicle identification number (VIN) printed on the temporary plate did not match the VIN on the dashboard. A further check of the dashboard VIN showed that the Jeep had been reported stolen in Elizabeth on October 26.

Police watched the vehicle until two people exited the hotel and approached the Jeep. Jonathan Nathan-Rivera, 25, of Newark used a key fob to unlock the Jeep and then opened the passenger door so that Tiffany Reyes, 25, of Newark could get into the vehicle. Officers then arrested both of them.

The Livingston Historical Society will open the historic Ely Cemetery, located near the corner of Hillside Avenue and Hillside Terrace, for public tours on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, from 2 to 4 p.m., weather permitting. In case of inclement weather, updates will be posted on the Livingston Historical Society’s website, https://livingstonnjhistori-calsociety.weebly.com/. COVID-19 protocols will be observed.

The cemetery was established by Captain William Ely, a veteran of the French and Indian War, on a rood (quarter acre) of his land in 1777 when his daughter, Elizabeth Ely Jones, and her second husband, Frederick Jones, and their infant son, Benonni, all died within two weeks of each other. The plot was enlarged to its present size in 1864 by Ambrose Ely. The stone wall that surrounds the cemetery is made of rocks quarried from Riker Hill, which was part of the Ely family’s property.

A funeral Mass for Robert Charles Brower, formerly of Livingston, will be celebrated today, Thursday, November 4, at 10 a.m. at Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, 35 Orchard Road, Florham Park. Entombment will follow at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield.

Mr. Brower died on Friday, October 29, at the age of 88.

Born to Margaret and Theodore Brower, and raised in Bloomfield, he attended Blair Academy. He enlisted in the Marines during the Korean War and, under the GI bill, received his college degree from Seton Hall University. Mr. Brower worked as an institutional equity salesman in the brokerage industry for over 40 years.

Mr. Brower is survived by his wife of 62 years, Dorothy; his children, Bob Brower (Erin), Pam Nicoll (Keats), Susan Curry (Dan), Cindy Wagner (Tom) and his daughter-in-law, Jennifer Brower; nine grandchildren; and a sister, Patricia Cestone (Richard).

VARSITY SOCCER TEAM WINS ON SENIOR NIGHT: The Lancers defeated Verona, 2-0, on Senior Night, Wednesday, October 27. During the evening, each senior, along with his parents, received a floral bouquet and was photographed. The Lancers next defeated West Essex, 3-1, on Saturday, October 30. Shown below, honored on Senior Night were: Lucas Chisarick (#2), Krish Malhotra (#20), Jake Fitzgerald, (#13), Noah Fisher (#17), Lav Saigal (#11), Logan Paredes (#1), Matthew Hoffman (#16), Colin Miller (#21), Ben Goldsmith (#8), Alex Yucht (#14), and Jared Fiske (#12). Above, left, Lancer Krish Malhotra heads the ball against Verona. Above, right, Lancer Goalie Logan Paredes drives the ball to midfield against Verona. Don Schwartz Photos