West Essex Tribune

A 2015 Land Rover caught fire while travelling on West Northfield Road at 3:27 p.m. on Saturday, July 24. The driver, Agib Greges of Livingston, got his family out of the car and they were standing on the sidewalk when the police arrived. There were no reported injuries. CJM and SP Photos

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Livingston Public Schools Board of Education member Pamela Chirls will seek reelection, she announced after filing her petition with the Essex County clerk’s office on Friday, July 23.

There are two open seats on the Board this November. Board member Ronnie Konner will not be seeking reelection. Jenissa Arnette has previously announced her bid for a seat. In addition, the clerk’s office confirmed that James Calderón has filed the paperwork to run.

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Rita C. Bauman, a former Livingston resident, has died at the age of 99.

Born in Woodhaven, Queens, she is survived by her daughters, Linda Sperling, and Anita Holtzberg and her husband, Larry Holtzberg. Mrs. Bauman was the wife of Moe Bauman and had three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

One of the original members of Weight Watchers New Jersey, she had also been a member of Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston for more than 30 years. For the past 11 years, she resided in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Phyllis J. Sobel, the first baby born in New York City on January 1, 1929 to Murray and Ann Kaufman in Brooklyn, died on July 22.

She resided in Livingston since 1952.

Mrs. Sobel was married to the late Irwin Sobel for 72 years, and was the mother of sons David and Mark; daughter-in-laws Andrea and Wendy; the grandmother of four; and the greatgrandmother of four.

Irwin and Phyllis moved to Livingston in 1952 and remained residents through the remainder of their lives.

A graveside service was held on Sunday, July 25. Funeral arrangements were by Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel.

Donations in Mrs. Sobel’s name may be made to the Lupus Foundation of America.

The Livingston 14U Giants baseball team defeated the Jersey Giants, 6 -3, and the Kenilworth Untamed, 10-3, to capture the doubleheader on Saturday, July 24, at Brendan Tevlin Field in Livingston. Shown above, left, Livingston’s Tyler Chen, #3, drives in two runs with a double to right center field against Kenilworth. Kenilworth catcher Robert Sorkin follows the flight of the ball. Above, right, Livingston pitcher Max Peri brings it to the plate enroute to a complete game victory against Kenilworth. Don Schwartz Photos

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Gustav (Gus) Schmidt, 95, of Livingston, died on Saturday, July 24. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church today, Thursday, July 29, at 10 a.m.

Born and raised in the Vailsburg section of Newark, Mr. Schmidt attended West Side High School. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Force, serving from 1944 to 1946 during World War II. He graduated from Montclair State

He graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in education and taught history at Charlton Street School in Newark. He later received a master’s degree in administration from Seton Hall University.

During the summers of 1960 and 1961, Mr. Schmidt started and ran the Pioneer Trails Day Camp for the West Essex YMCA. The following 17 summers, he was director of children’s programs at the Lake Placid Club in Lake Placid, New York. After teaching in Newark for 20

The Shugs emerged as the 2021 Men’s Slow Pitch Softball Champions North Division, defeating Tony Boys in the championship game. Shown here are, rear, Seth Jawetz, Matt Rheingold, Jesse Good, David Cimini, Scott Weisberg, David Ginsberg, Scott Tenenbaum, and Shaun Joseph; and front, Nate Wuebbels, Josh Friedman, Mike Shansky, and Perry Brauner. The team also includes David Braverman, Ross Krasnow, and Dave Jankowski.

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Gary J. Solomon passed away on July 22, at his home in Parkland, Florida, at the age of 80.

He was born in Newark and later became a 41 year resident of Livingston.

Mr. Solomon worked at Prudential and Home Depot before retiring in 2005. He loved working on his Volkswagens, telling jokes and watching NBA basketball games.

He was pre-deceased by his wife Sharyn, of 45 years. Surviving Mr. Solomon are his daughters, Dr. Tara Solomon of Parkland, Florida; Dena Babjak, of Wayne, New Jersey; and Sandi Ricci of Parkland, Florida. He was also the grandfather of Austin, Ashley, Emma and Jackson.

Mr. Solomon will be laid to rest at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge.

Over the past few months, we have seen more and more people traversing our township on bicycles. It makes sense; the weather is nicer, and most COVID restrictions have lifted, particularly outdoors. Last week, Livingston Police Chief Gary Marshuetz noted that he has seen increased cycling himself throughout town.

Chief Marshuetz also, however, cautioned cyclists to follow the state law requiring anyone under the age of 17 to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. In fact, Livingston’s own ordinance requires helmet use up to age 18.

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In a recent Politico feature on local news, writer Jack Shafer said, “When local reporting goes south, researchers tell us, political polarization, civic corruption, lower voter turnout, reduced civic engagement and even authoritarianism follow.”

His article highlighted not only the importance of local news, but also the fact that much of “local news” is not very local at all. A 2018 Duke University study of 16,000 local news outlets found that only 17 percent of the news articles they shared were truly local, focusing on the publication’s municipality.

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