Livingston news

A candle was the apparent cause of a fire in a Roosevelt Terrace home on Saturday evening, November 27. Both police and fire officials were dispatched to 9 Roosevelt Terrace at 9:45 p.m. When police officers, arrived, they saw smoke coming from a second floor window and visible flames in a bedroom.

Resident Kristine Chan told responding officers that she had lit a candle in her bedroom. The flame from the candle ignited a computer monitor and from there, the fire had continued to spread.

The Fire Department arrived within minutes of dispatch and made an aggressive interior attack of the blaze. The fire was contained to one room, with no extension to the attic or any other areas of the house.

None of the home’s residents sustained injury. Additionally, none of the family’s three cats were harmed.

An illegally parked landscaping trailer caused a vehicle to overturn and leave the driver hospitalized, Livingston Police said this week.

At 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23, Ralph D’agostino, 75, of Livingston, was traveling on East Northfield Road in a Toyota Highlander.

A Dodge pickup truck with a landscaping trailer, owned by George Grammenos of Cranford, was parked along the side of the road. The pick-up and landscape trailer were illegally parked on the side of the road, according to police.

The Highlander then hit the back of the landscape trailer and overturned.

The Livingston Fire Department was called to assist in extricating D’agostino from his vehicle. D’agostino suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital.

No summonses were issued as of press time, though they may be in the future, police said.

Student Keith Covan-Rodriguez, during the November 23 Livingston Board of Education meeting, cautioned members against approving construction of an artificial turf field behind the high school in an area known as “the pit.”

The Livingston High School senior is the second student to approach the Board with concerns about the proposed field.

“No topic has had more discussion in my 20-plus years in Livingston,” commented Steven Robinson prior to Covan-Rodriguez’ speaking, “than the lack of athletic fields in Livingston, and how we can make what we have work better and more efficiently.”

Robinson, the district’s longtime business administrator, is retiring on December 31.

TURKEY BOWL 2021: As they have done each year since graduating, a group of friends from the Livingston High School class of 2014 gathered together to play a post-Thanksgiving “Turkey Bowl” football game. Shown here are Jesse Del Buono, Robbie Di Tonno, Derek Del Buono, Andrew Farrell, Joey Ratner, Ryan Howell, Andrej Eftimov, Tom Montesion, Jack Farrell, Grant Downes, Ryan Cardona, and Willy Cardona. Cheri Ratner Photo

CAMUSO DISPLAY RETURNS: Opening night for the Camuso Display will begin at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, December 4. Shown here, a scissor lift is used to move characters and props from the second floor of the Camuso storage barn for “elves” to set up. More details on the display set-up and opening night events may be found inside this issue. Photo Courtesy of Tom Cooney

A funeral Mass will be held today, Thursday, December 2, for Mary Lou Imgrund Hart, at St. Catharine Church, Spring Lake, from 3 to 7 p.m. Burial will follow in Atlantic View Cemetery in Manasquan.

Mrs. Hart was born in Newark on November 7, 1929, to Mary Mulvaney Imgrund and John S. Imgrund Sr., and grew up in West Orange.

After marrying in 1947, she lived in Livingston and then raised her family in Morristown. She later lived in Sea Girt and Spring Lake.

She was a parishioner of St. Catharine’s Church and a volunteer at the Missionary of Charities (Mother Teresa) soup kitchen.

Mrs. Hart was predeceased by her husband of 47 years, George E. Hart, in 1994; her companion of 24 years, James M. Browne of Mantoloking; her brothers, John S. Imgrund Jr. and William H. Imgrund; and a daughterin-law, Tracy S. Hart.

Neil McNulty of Livingston died Sunday, November 21, at the age of 85. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Philomena Church, Livingston, on Tuesday, November 30, followed by entombment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery East Hanover. Arrangements were by the Quinn-Hoping Funeral Home of Livingston.

Mr. McNulty was born and raised in Bayonne. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1955-57, he earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City. He became a certified public accountant for the IRS, where he worked for 35 years until his retirement. He was an international tax examiner, and his career also included many years as an adjunct professor at Rutgers and Seton Hall Universities. After retirement, he consulted for Dreyfus Securities in New York City.

VARSITY TRY-OUTS: Livingston High School coaches are holding try-outs for the boys’ varsity basketball team. Shown here are students working on the three-on-three fast break drill, which requires pinpoint passing. Don Schwartz Photos

At the latest Township Council meeting, we were also thrilled to hear about an exciting new Cycle for Survival event coming to Livingston in the spring of 2022.

The outdoor event would take place in the Haines Memorial Pool parking lot, next to the high school, during the weekend of May 14 and 15. It would feature 215 stationary bikes under a 100 by 200-foot tent on the lot. There would also be an audio setup involved. While the Council gave organizers permission to proceed with planning, some of these details may change in the coming months.

There has been chatter in town over the past few weeks centered on a potential ban of gas powered leaf blowers. Despite some heated discussion, and concerns that a potential ordinance was imminent, however, enthusiasm for a ban never gained much traction among the Township Council.

Local residents whose businesses would be negatively affected by the ban, which had been recommended by the Livingston Environmental Commission (LEC) to begin in a few years, were vocal detractors of such an ordinance. These business owners said that the technology to support commercial level battery powered equipment does not yet widely exist. The Township Council, at its most recent meeting, agreed, and said that they would not pursue a ban at this time, despite the LEC’s recommendation.