Livingston Tribune

LIVINGSTON WINS CLOSE GAME: The Livingston 12U travel team defeated Makina of Newark, 3 - 2 on Wednesday evening, July 14, at the Congressional Little League complex. Shown here, Livingston 12U pitcher Evan Hermann winds up to throw. Hermann held the strong hitting Makina team to two runs. Don Schwartz Photo

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On Tuesday, July 13, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Livingston High School graduate Ryan Cardona in the 19th round of the MLB draft, pick number 570 overall. One week later, Cardona is already in Goodyear, Arizona for draft camp with his fellow new Reds signees. He isn’t sure when he will start playing in minor league games, but it could be soon.

Cardona, a Class of 2018 LHS graduate, said it was “unreal” to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team.

“I am thankful to have this opportunity and I have been blessed in so many ways throughout my life,” he said.

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These are tough months for the food insecure, and our local food pantry, Livingston Neighbors Helping Neighbors’ CHOW, needs our help restocking its shelves.

Livingston is always a generous town, and at the beginning of COVID the community rallied behind our great organizations to support them. That effort should certainly be applauded. But for something like a food pantry (or blood banks, which are also in need of donors), donations are a constant need. People will always need to eat, regardless of COVID or a major holiday, another time these organizations tend to be flush with contributions.

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Last week, longtime Livingston Public Schools Board of Education member Ronnie Konner announced that she will not seek reelection after her term expires at the end of the year. We sincerely thank her for her decades of service to our school district and its students. She has compiled a long list of accomplishments through the years, and will leave big shoes to fill.

But we trust that there are many qualified people in town who can fill those shoes. So, we are asking them to consider running for a seat on the Board of Education this fall.

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Elise Austin, right, director of the Willing Heart Community Care Center’s Clothing Boutique, “offers praise” as Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) volunteers deliver Livingston’s latest bounty of donations. “Along with facilities coordinator Luis Martinez (at left), a long-time LPI friend and supporter, Mrs. Austin receives new and from-the-cleaners men’s and women’s clothing for distribution to the profoundly poor,” notes LPI’s founder, Jeff Friedman. “We invite Livingston residents to visit the LPI website at njhomeless.org or send an email to njhomeless@aol.com to learn how to help the homeless of Essex County.” 

Veteran school board member Ronnie Konner announced Monday that she will not seek another term on the Livingston Board of Education after 16 cumulative years of service.

Konner’s current service on the Board began in 2014, shortly after she retired from teaching. She had previously served for nine years, from 1983 to 1992. She has been president of the Board four times.

Konner said that she believes the district is at a point where some of the things that she hoped to see have been accomplished, and said she is ready to be doing other things.

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Livingston High School graduate Ryan Cardona was drafted this week by the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.

On Tuesday, July 13, the Reds selected Cardona in the 19th round of the MLB draft; pick number 570 overall.

“I’m so happy for Ryan. He’s a tremendous pitcher and a terrific young man,” said Mickey Ennis, who was Cardona’s Livingston Lancers varsity baseball coach. “He has worked extremely hard to get to this point. I’m excited to see where this journey takes him.”

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Council members discussed the new DPW garage and restaurant parking, among other topics, at the Monday, July 12, Township Council meeting.

DPW Garage

The Council remains in “wait and see” mode on the material costs, including steel, needed to build the new Department of Public Works garage on Industrial Parkway. The costs are high due to the pandemic, but dropping.

Currently, “phase one” of the project is underway, with DPW workers clearing the site. Township manager Barry Lewis said the town will soon go out to bid for site improvements that can be done while waiting on building costs. These would include installation of fuel tanks and the salt dome.

“Progress is being made,” Lewis said.

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Council members passed a blanket “opt out” to prohibit all classes of cannabis use licenses in town at its Monday, July 12 meeting. The Council also later released a statement containing a list of questions it would like to see answered before reassessing which classes of cannabis it may permit in Livingston. In the statement, the Council said that it was “likely that some licenses will be permitted” once the Council has answers to their questions.

Near-daily rainstorms and frequent, violent thunderstorms have taken their toll on Livingston in the past week. The Livingston Fire Department was busy responding to downed trees and wires, lightning strikes, and flooded basements.

On Tuesday, July 6, firefighters went to 11 West Drive on a report of a tree branch that had fallen into wires. The wires turned out to be telecommunications wires rather than electrical ones. Department of Public Works (DPW) personnel removed the branch.

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