Livingston Tribune

 Members of the Rosary Society of Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Pittstown recently visited Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) with a “wildly generous” donation of more than 60 designer handbags stuffed with toiletries and cosmetics. “We’ve donated Thanksgiving baskets to Saint Philip’s and Saint James Churches in Phillipsburg and, at Christmastime, we delivered brand new children’s winter clothing to the Friendship Center for New Beginnings in Flemington,” said Rosary Society member Gail Jacobsen, who is shown here sharing a laugh with LPI founder Jeff Friedman “Jeff and I met serendipitously, and once I learned about the wonderful work of Livingston Philanthropies, we wanted to donate right away.” Donna Gallagher, another Saint Catherine’s Rosary Society member, joined Jacobsen at LPI “World Headquarters” (a.k.a. Friedman’s garage in Livingston) to deliver items for the homeless and profoundly poor.

The Lancer girls’ freshman basketball team defeated CedarGrove onTuesday, January 28, at home in the Livingston High School Fitness and Wellness Center. Shown here, LancercenterTiana Gangi, #32, pulls down a rebound between the Cedar Grove defenders.

Don Schwartz Photo

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Marie Hope passed away on January 30, 2020, at the age of 89. She was the daughter of Ralph and Grace Colasanti.

Marie was born and raised in the North Ward section in Newark, New Jersey. She attended Abington Avenue School and graduated from Central High School in 1948.

Marie worked for her parents’ grocery/dry goods store and also for Prudential Insurance in Newark.

In 1952, Marie married the love of her life, Anthony Hope, and they were married for 67 years. Together they moved to Livingston, New Jersey. While there, she donated much of her time to the Livingston High School Faculty Wives’ Group. She was also very active in the Columbus Hospital Ladies’Auxiliary Group.

Marie was an avid bowler and often could be seen rooting for many of the LHS athletic teams. She then became assistant manager of the Jewelry Factory Outlet in East Hanover, New Jersey.

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) held her first Town Hall of 2020 last week at Heritage Middle School.

The Democratic representative spoke in a crowded auditorium on Thursday, January 30. She noted that she was worried the venue might be too large, but was heartened to see hundreds of people invested enough to show up.

“This gives us an opportunity to ask questions, to participate, to get involved,” said mayor Rudy Fernandez while introducing the congresswoman.

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The Livingston High School boys’ indoor track and field team finished one of its final weeks of the season in peak form by delivering personal best performances. On January 28, the squad traveled to the New Balance Armory in New York City to compete in the Metropolitan Invitational, which hosted over 50 teams from all over New Jersey. The meet included freshman, novice and varsity divisions and for many of the athletes, this would be their last meet of the season.

First up for the Lancers was the 1,600 meter race. Freshman Chris Bonnar, running in the first and fastest heat, inched closer to the five-minute mark, crossing the line at 5:02.62, placing eighth overall. Also running in the freshman division were Kyle Viteri (5:24.33), Max Israel (5:51.41) and Ed Lopez (6:01.57).

Livingston residents spun for a cause at Equinox in Short Hills, raising money to beat rare cancers as part of Cycle for Survival. This was the event’s 14th year, and for the first time, it was held on both days of the weekend. Since Cycle’s inception in 2007, a total of $239 million has been raised, and every dollar of that money goes directly to research. Shown above, Team Annie cycled in support of Livingston student Annie Eisner, 17, who was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. At left, Livingston High School principal Mark Stern cheers with Collins School teacher Greer Gelman at the event. Additional photos can be found on page A-10.

MCA Photos

Concern about coronavirus, a constant in the news cycle since December, has resulted in two event cancellations in Livingston.

About two weeks ago, the district cancelled an exchange program with middle school students from China. An unrelated event, the annual Chinese New Year celebration in Livingston, was also cancelled in January.

Superintendent of schools Matthew Block said the decision to postpone the exchange was made in concert with the organizers (the exchange program EduAcross and the YMCA) and local health experts.

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At the Monday, February 3, regular meeting of the Township Council, members proposed a bond ordinance providing a $2.6 million appropriation for the acquisition of property to preserve open space.

The funds include $130,000 in down payment and $2.47 million for the remainder of the cost. The property is block 2504, lot 23, located at 321 East Cedar Street. It has been referred to as the Strahman property. The ordinance will next be heard at the Monday, February 24, meeting.

On a related note, the Council also passed a resolution creating and appointing members to an ad hoc committee for how to best utilize the two recently-acquired open space properties, the aforementioned Strahman land and the miniature horse farm Licari tract.

At 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29, Livingston Police were called to the parking lot of the Aldi Supermarket at 277 Eisenhower Parkway for a car fire. Upon arrival, the police found the car to be fully engulfed in flames. The driver of the car, Phyllis Velardi of Livingston, was located nearby. She told officers that she was sitting in her car when a woman came running over and told her the car was on fire. Velardi was able to get out of the car without any injuries. CJM Photos

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Richard “Dick” Filippone, 88, of Livingston, died at home on January 16. He was raised inVailsburg and lived in Livingston for 60 years.

He was a Cadillac specialist and active with the Maplewood Lions Club.

Predeceased by his wife, Marilyn, Mr. Filippone is survived by his five children: Carol, Linda, Robert, Catherine and Diane; six grandchildren, and his companion, Joan.