West Essex Tribune

Annette Feldman (Hebenstreit) 70, of West Orange, NJ and Boca Raton, FL, died January 4, 2021.

Annette graduated from Teaneck High School and Monmouth University. She raised her family in Livingston, NJ and worked as a real estate agent (Annette Kahn).

She is survived by her husband of 19 years Herb Feldman; her daughter Julie (Brian) Maloof, her son Michael (Sharon) Kahn, her step-son David (Lucia) Feldman, her daughter-in-law Hope Feldman Glassgold, her nine grandchildren, Jacob, Laila & Skylar Maloof; Evan & Hailey Kahn; Julia & Brittney Feldman; Ethan & Olivia Glassgold; her sister, Debbie Janoff; her brothers Robert (Mindy) and Richard Hebenstreit.

Services were held for immediate family on January 7, 2021 at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston, New Jersey.

Harry Neugold III, 58, passed away at New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York, on January 3, 2021, surrounded by his family. He was the youngest of five children born in Livingston, New Jersey, to Harry Neugold Jr. and Jean Bishop Neugold.

Harry graduated from Livingston High School in 1980 and was inducted into the “Big L Club” Hall of Fame in 2012 for his outstanding achievements as a football player and wrestler. He maintained lifelong bonds with the friends he made in high school, and took great joy in playing volleyball and softball with them for over 30 years after graduating.

Harry began college at Kutztown University, Pennsylvania, where he continued his athletic career playing football and wrestling. He later transferred to Seton Hall University, where he earned the title of Catholic National Champion as a wrestler.

Pietro “Pete” Poto, age 78, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather of Livingston, New Jersey, passed away on Sunday, January 3, 2021.

Pietro was born in Lioni, Italy, on June 27, 1942, to the late Gerardo and Giuseppina Poto. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, Bernardino and Alfonso.

Before moving to Livingston, Pietro immigrated to the U.S. in 1960 and settled in Newark, New Jersey, to start his new life. He lived in Newark until he married his wife, Angela, in 1972. Together they moved to Nutley, New Jersey, until finally settling in Livingston in 1977 and raising their family. Surrounded by a big extended family in and around Livingston, Pietro’s greatest enjoyment in life was being with his loved ones.

At last week’s organizational meeting of Livingston’s Board of Education, it was announced that, starting with the new academic year in September, meetings would move from the typical Monday evening slot to Thursdays. The reason for the move was to finally avoid the longstanding overlap with the Township Council meetings.

Previously (and still for the first half of this year), residents have had to choose which meeting they wished to attend between the Council and the school board, as they often were held simultaneously. For years, neither side would budge off their Monday meeting dates. The change was long overdue and we applaud the Board of Education for taking this action, which provides tangible benefit for the community.

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Based on what we have seen in the first month of vaccine rollout, it will be quite a few more months before most of us will be vaccinated. In the meantime we must do everything we can to prevent COVID-19 from running rampant.

There is a new strain of the virus, estimated to be ten to 60 percent more transmissible, and as we stay indoors this winter, we need to stay vigilant against it. That means wearing masks, avoiding large crowds and indoor gatherings, washing our hands, practicing social distancing, and cooperating with contact tracers.

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Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) has partnered with the Living-ston Lions’ Club to aid the homeless, announced LPI founder and director Jeff Friedman.
“As the extreme needs of the homeless and hopelessly poor continue after ‘giving season’ ends like the crash of a sledgehammer, I am pleased to announce that Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. has begun a new partnership with the Livingston Lions’ Club,” he said. “Enabled by Livingston’s continued generosity, LPI recently shipped hundreds of new winter gloves and hats for distribution at a Harrison Lions’ Club food pantry event. Livingston resident and New Jersey Lions district governor Nalit Patel and his son, Bansi, recently visited LPI World Headquarters (my garage) to pick up new stuffed animals for distribution at a big Lions event in Paterson.”

The West Essex Tribune is celebrating more than six decades of showering the first baby of the new year with an assortment of gifts generously donated by our advertisers. The first baby of 2021 born to Livingston p arents will be named the winner of the Tribune’s 63rd annual First Baby Contest.

The rules to determine the winner are the same each year: The first baby of 2021 must be born in a nearby hospital to parents who currently reside in Livingston. The exact time of the birth must be certified in writing by the attending physician.

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As is tradition in town, the Livingston Township Council held its annual organizational meeting on the morning of New Year ‘s Day. The meeting, typically held at the Senior/Community Center, was instead held virtually this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Still, hundreds of volunteers were appointed to the township’s various committees and boards, the 2020 mayor and deputy mayor were selected, and a few surprise guests appeared during the meeting due in part to its being held remotely. There were a few minor technical difficulties during the roughly 90 minute proceedings, but the virtual ceremony allowed more people to view the meeting and do so safely from their homes. Shawn Klein was unanimously voted by the Council as the next mayor, and Ed Meinhardt was unanimously selected as deputy mayor. Both previously held those positions in 2017. Rudy Fernandez concluded his third term serving as mayor.

Vineeta Khanna was sworn in to the Livingston Board of Education at the group’s reorganization meeting on January 4; Samantha Messer, who had served as vice president of the Board in 2020, was elected president, and concluded the meeting with a plea for suggestions and ideas as the district wrestles with its re-opening plans.

The meeting was held virtually on Zoom and live-streamed on the Livingston Public Schools Facebook page. Most participants were in their homes, but superintendent Matthew Block, board secretary Steven Robinson, and Messer were in the central office conference room, masked and socially distanced. Robinson administered the oath of office to Khanna via Zoom.

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Essex County’s vaccination sites, including the one in the former Sears at the Livingston Mall, are currently open.

Limited doses of the vaccine are available, and the State Department of Health has compiled a phased-in approach to ensure the vaccine is distributed in a fair and equitable manner until larger quantities of the vaccine become available. Essex County released the following information on the vaccine distribution.

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