Livingston New Jersey news

LANCERS WIN ON SENIOR NIGHT: The Lancer girls’ varsity volleyball team defeated the Piscataway Chiefs, 2-0 (28-26 and 25-22) on Wednesday, October 27, in the Fitness and Wellness Center. Each senior was introduced with her parents, presented with a floral bouquet, and photographed. Above, Lancer frontliner Natasha Ahlawat elevates to score against the Chiefs. Below, honored seniors included captain Norah Shaji, Christine Kim, captain Ece Bilgin, and Anna Boffa. Don Schwartz Photos

Next Thursday, November 11, is Veterans Day. In contrast to Memorial Day, which honors those military personnel who gave their lives in service to our country, Veterans Day pays tribute to all who have served in the military, past and present.

Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day, which was first celebrated on November 11, 1919, the one-year anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. In 1954, with both World War II and the Korean War in the recent past, the day’s name was changed to Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars.

The Armistice signed at the “11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918 brought World War I, the so-called “War to End All Wars,” to an end. But sadly, that war did not end war at all, and since then, our nation has continued to engage in military action around the globe on a pretty regular basis.

Rachel Gorelick, recently of Maplewood, New Jersey, and formerly of West Orange and Livingston, passed away peacefully at home on October 27, 2021 at the age of 88.

Rachel was predeceased by her beloved husband, Eli Gorelick, to whom she was married for 62 wonderful years. She leaves behind her son, Abe, and his wife, Laurie, of Sudbury, Massachusetts; her son, Jeffrey, and his wife, Margie, of Ridgefield, Connecticut; and her son, Steven, and his wife, Cheryl, of Maplewood.

Joan Dollinger passed away on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at the age of 92.

Born in Newark, New Jersey on February 4, 1929, Joan went to Weequahic High School, Upsala College, and Newark State College, and earned her master’s degree in counselling at Montclair State University. She was a beloved teacher at Burnet Hill School and at Mt. Pleasant Junior High School in Livingston, New Jersey for many years. While maintaining a full-time teaching career she co-founded Women In Self-Help (“WISH”), a service to assist female victims of domestic violence in partnership with Saint Barnabas Medical Center. She also volunteered at Turning Point, an organization assisting those with alcohol and drug dependency.

Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) has issued an urgent call for diapers, especially sizes 4 and 5, to stock the upcoming Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF) Free Clothing Giveaway Event, to be held next Tuesday, November 9.
“On Free Clothing Day, we invite shelters to have their residents, mostly women and children, come get clothes, coats, and badly-needed diapers,” said NESF executive director Amina Bey.
LPI founder and director Jeff Friedman added, “Quickly increasing diaper prices are adding to the financial strain on families brought on by COVID-19 and rising inflation.”
He continued, “Free diaper programs across the country distributed 74 percent more diapers last year than in 2019, and the elevated demand continues. The average unit price of diapers is up 14 percent this year.”

DUSHEHRA FESTIVAL: The Indians In Livingston (IIL) group celebrated the festival of Dushehra on Saturday, October 23, at the Livingston Senior/Community Center. The event was conceived by Parth Nanavati and coordinated by Vaishali Desai collaborating with several volunteers from the township. Dushehra marks the end of nine days of the Navratri festival and is celebrated as victory of good over evil, explains Ketan Bhuptani of IIL. “According to Hindu mythology, this is the day on which Lord Rama killed the demon Ravana in battle.” A traditional breakfast of Fafda and Jalebi was served to the attendees, who then danced to folk music. Desai introduced IIL to all present, thanked the Livingston Township Council for allowing the use of outdoor space, and promised to have more such gatherings “to advance a community spirit of togetherness.”

Three New York residents, two of them teenagers, are facing several charges after fleeing the scene of a crash, Livingston Police said.

At 3:18 a.m. on Tuesday, October 19, three men from New York fled from a Mercedes-Benz after the car crashed into a guardrail at the end of Beaufort Avenue.

Officer Ryan Collis had attempted to stop the car near the intersection of Beaufort Avenue and Dorsa Avenue, but the driver accelerated and eluded the officer. The driver was apparently not familiar with the area and drove into the dead end of Beaufort Avenue, where he slid into the guard rail.

All three occupants then exited the car and jumped over the guard rail into the wooded embankment between Beaufort Avenue and Eisenhower Parkway.

The Livingston Township Council discussed water remediation, cannabis business, and housing-related ordinances at its Monday, October 25, meeting. The meeting was held virtually and may be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.

There was discussion at previous meetings that Monday’s meeting would be the first held in-person since March of 2020. However, bandwidth issues related to how to livestream the meeting from Town Hall put that plan temporarily on hold. Vendors are looking to install a fixed camera in Town Hall, which will allow future meetings to be filmed and livestreamed.

CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS PRESENTED: The members of the Livingston High School varsity softball team were presented with their state champions rings at the end of the first quarter of the Montclair-Livingston football game on Friday evening, October 22. The players and coaches were introduced and photographed, and the Lancer fans gave the champions a standing ovation. Shown here are, rear, assistant coach Dave Mead, Chloe Lee, Rachel Rosenberg, Caitlin Hernandez, Chelsea McCormack, Ruhi Tawde, Bella Lopa, Emily Hunter, Megan Downey, Caitlin Mullen, Janee Chestnut, Heather Downey, Erin Hunter, Sophia Mount, Emma Breschard, and assistant coach Ian Matten; and front, head coach Jason Daily, Giulia Wilson, Nathalia DiIanni, Deja Robinson, Haley Meierhofer, and Laurie Bedore. Also on the softball team are Hailey Reuter, Sarah Smith, Jess Bullion, Kelci Bullion, Lindsay Kling, and Katie Harrell. Don Schwartz Photo

HONOR FOOTBALL SENIORS: The senior members of the Livingston High School varsity football team were honored during Senior Night festivities at the Lancers’ home game against Montclair on Friday evening, October 22. Each senior was introduced with their parents, presented with flowers, and photographed. Shown here are, rear, Quinn Devlin, Brandon Bechtold, Anish Shriram, Andrew Goebler, Javier Cayemitte, Ben Hauser, Brandon Kenney, L.J. Cocuzza, Jakob Taub, and Ryan Park; and front, Daniel Silva, Justin Naylor, Danny Jacobsen, Matteo Chalfin, Mory Ashenberg, Ben Keim, and Darren Morgan. Don Schwartz Photo