West Essex Tribune

Livingston High School theater students will present the ancient Greek tragedies Oedipus and Antigone by Sophocles next weekend. The production, director by theater teacher Scott Patteson, will feature modern adaptations of the plays by Ian Finley.

The production will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 19, 20, and 21, at 5 p.m. each day, outdoors in front ofthe high school, Patteson explained. “The school’s main entrance is literally part of our set.”

Livingston was lit up with oil lamps, fireworks, traditional food and sweets, decorated homes and socially distanced celebrations this past weekend in observance of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. Men, women and children donned traditional fancy Indian attire, and safe individual fireworks were set off in driveways and private roads.

“Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is the most popular holiday in India,” explains Fal Pandya, who participated in the celebrations. “Diwali means rows of oil lamps made with clay. People from all four indigenous religions of India Hindus, Sikhs, JaMs and Buddhists — came together this past weekend to celebrate Diwali, a spiritual triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.”

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Livingston Public Schools (LPS) last week launched a COVID-19 Dashboard. It displays a two-week summary of the number of school staff and students who have tested positive or have been required to quarantine as a result of recent cases. Also reported are 14-day building closures.

Information on the dashboard include both students and staff, and is broken down by school.

Matthew Block, the school district superintendent, said that the database will be updated periodically to help keep the community informed about the impact that COVID-19 is having on Livingston’s schools.

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One suspect has been arrested after an attempt to steal two vehicles out of a township driveway, Livingston Police said.

At 2:42 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, a Ross Road resident called 9-1-1 to report that two people were in his driveway and trying to steal two SUVs, a Mercedes and a GMC. A key for each car had been left in the GMC.

Livingston Police Sergeant John Maggiulli was the first to arrive and observed both vehicles idling in the street. The sergeant pulled in front of the Mercedes, blocking its path. The GMC then reversed, made a Kturn, and fled towards South Orange Avenue.

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The COVID-19 Grinch will not steal this Christmas tradition. The Camuso Holiday Display, for years a beloved Livingston holiday tradition, will open this year, despite earlier doubt that the pandemic would put a lid on it.

“The decision to set up this year was not an easy one,” said “Chief Elf’ Tom Cooney. “There were clearly two sides to the issue. Many felt that, if ever the community needed something positive to boost spirits, this would be the time, and the Camuso Display fits the bill perfectly. Others suggested the risks to our volunteer group and visitors may warrant tak-ing a year off.”

Following a series of discussions, emails, and Zoom calls among the volunteer “Elves,” and consultations with town officials and medical experts, the Camuso Holiday Committee members decided to go ahead and set up the display.

Oishik Mukherjee, an eighth grader at Heritage Middle School in Livingston, is the new 2020 Under 2000 New Jersey state table tennis champion.

The 91st New Jersey State Championships Tournament, a USATT (USA Table Tennis) sanctioned two-star event for New Jersey residents only, was held October 31 and November 1 at the New Jersey Table Tennis Club in Westfield. A total of 36 players participated in eight categories this year, under strict COVID-19 guidelines.

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IN-TOWN BOYS’ CHAMPIONS: The Philadelphia Union were champions of the Livingston Soccer Club’s In-Town Grade Boys, Division, giving up only seven goals throughout the entire season. Team members shown here, are, at rear, Dylan Weisman and coaches Peter Weisman, and Rob Maru; standing in front are Arkit Shah, Elijah Shemesh, Daniel Su, Rishabh Thadani, Smayan Sanjeev, Sukrit Wishwas, Landon Maru, Ali Zafar, and Sebastian Rojas; and kneeling is goalie Aidan Zotti. Also on the team are Felix Yu and Shai Peled.

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Neil Michael Shane, formerly of Livingston, Verona, and Warren, died on November 14 from natural causes.

Mr. Shane was a Merchant Marine and then worked for Affiliated Management for over 24 years. He retired to Aventura, Florida, earlier this year.

Mr. Shane is survived by his sisters, Madelane Shane and Barbara Shane Silverstein; nieces and nephews; and his childhood friend, Andy Liss.

Memorial contributions may be made to an animal support organization or other charity. Services are under the direction of Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Home Directors, Hackensack.

Save a tree. Recycle this paper!

Bruce Allan, 73, of New Port Richey, Florida, passed away November 6, 2020.

Formerly of Livingston, New Jersey, Bruce graduated from Livingston High School in the class of 1965.

He worked for Bell Telephone for five years before relocating to Florida, where he continued his career as a facilities maintainer. He retired from Verizon after 28 years of service.

Bruce loved music, playing the guitar, and keeping in touch with his friends. He is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Valerie Allan; his children, Scott Allan, Alexandra (Eric) Tanner, and Michele (Garrett) Jones; his brother, Ronald Allan; his sister-in-law, Terry Allan; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A gathering will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, November 23, followed by a Celebration of Life beginning at 11 a.m., at Grace Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, Hudson, Florida. GraceMemorialHudson.com.

William Mitchell Rapkin, RN, passed away peacefully on November 5, 2020 at the age of 65 with his partner of 43 years, James Frutchey at his side. They lived in Caldwell, New Jersey; Brookline Village, Massachusetts; and Hawaii for 22 years before moving to Cathedral City, California in 2003.

He was born on July 20, 1955 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey to Don and Ann Rapkin of Livingston. A graduate of Livingston High School in 1973, he received his B.A. from Bryant College in Providence, Rhode Island in 1977 and his B.S.N. from Hawaii Pacific University in 1997.

Bill was an active member of the Aphasia Recovery Connection, the SongShine Foundation and the Neuro Vitality Center in Palm Springs.

He was an avid piano player and loved traveling the world. Bill and Jim took more than 15 cruises. He loved living life to the fullest with an extraordinary sense of humor. He was a generous, kind spirit in his professional and personal lives.