West Essex Tribune

At last week’s Township Council meeting, nine-yearold Mahi Khanna stood up and spoke about a matter that was of clear importance to her: straws. Specifically, she requested that the Council ban plastic straws at restaurants and eateries in Livingston. In their place could be straws made of paper, metal, or none at all.

Mahi did her homework before addressing the Council. According to a study done earlier this year, she said, as many as eight billion plastic straws pollute the world’s beaches, contributing to the eight million tons of plastic that flow into the ocean annually. Of all the plastic products we use every day, including an estimated 500 million straws in the United States alone, less than nine percent of it ends up recycled.

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There may still be a bit of a chill in the air, but spring has arrived, as evidenced by Livingston’s baseball and softball fields finally being put to good use.

Two weekends ago, members of the Livingston Police Department joined the Livingston Lancers high school baseball team for the third annual Blue/Green Shield game. The mixedteam softball game pairs players with officers to create a lasting bond between the two groups of individuals. Throughout the season, each player will display his officer’s badge number on his helmet, while the officers will have pins on their uniforms with their players’ numbers. The pairs aim to keep in touch, and police officers are expected to be a presence at games all season long.

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Livingston firefighters extinguished a brush fire on East Hobart Gap Road on Sunday, March 30.

At about 3:45 p.m., the Livingston Police Department received a report of an active brush fire, and alerted the Fire Department.

Firefighters determined that electrical power to the area had to be shut down before attempts could be made to extinguish the flames. Public Service Electric and Gas responded and shut down power in the area until the fire was doused. Traffic signals in the area were out while the power was off.

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Heritage Middle School will present The Lion King this weekend, with performances on Friday and Saturday, April 5 and 6, at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m. Students are shown here during recent dress rehearsals. Above, Leah Waessa portrays Rafi ki and Aishanee Acharyya plays Nala. In the background are ensemble members Sia Bansal, Prisha Bhargava, Miriam Grodin, and Isabelle Ruppe.

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At the Monday, April 1, Board of Education meeting, there was a public hearing on the 2019-20 budget and Boardmembersdiscussedsomepolicy changes, among other topics.

Budget information was first presented at the March 11 Board meeting. According to Monday’s agenda, the 2019-20 budget proposes $125,819,978 in total expenditures, including $115,883,285 in the general fund, $1,791,343 in special revenues, and $8,145,350 in debt service.

Subtracting $10,092,324 in anticipated revenues brings the total to be raised through taxes to $115,727,654. $108,543,274 of that figure will be for the general fund, while the remaining $7,184,380 is for debt services.

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“U Drive. U Text. U Pay:”

A statewide crackdown on distracted driving is being held during the month of April, and Livingston is among the communities whose police officers are participating.

In Livingston, there will be increased patrols in town as part of the crackdown, noted Police Chief Gary Marshuetz. “Distracted driving is very dangerous. We are seeing an increase in motor vehicle collisions, our concern is increasing drastically along with it. We are urging drivers to pay attention while they’re driving and to avoid, at all costs, picking up devices and responding to people while driving. Keep your eyes on the road in front of you. This is not just limited to texting, but anything that takes your eyes off the roadway. If you take your eyes off the road for any reason, you’re decreasing your reaction time. You need to have your eyes on the road to increase your reaction time.”

The Livingston High School varsity softball team crushed West Orange, 12-1, at home on the Oval on Monday, April 1. Shown here, Lancer winning pitcher Jessie Bullion delivers a fast ball against the Mountaineers.

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A teenage girl was pulled from the waters of the Passaic River after a multi-jurisdictional response led to her rescue.

At about 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2, Livingston Police received a call from a medical office on Regent Street reporting a 16-year-old female patient had fled the facility on foot. Staff members from the office followed the patient and notified police that she was approaching the Passaic River near 630 West Mt. Pleasant Avenue on the East Hanover border.

The girl entered the water and began to swim upstream but the current of the river and frigid water quickly took effect on the teen.

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A public forum on the Livingston Community Energy Aggregation (LCEA) program will be held on Thursday, April 25, in the council chambers at Town Hall. Residents will be able to hear presentations and participate in a question and answer session with their vendors. The presentation for Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) customers will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and the presentation for Jersey Central Power and Lighting (JCP&L) will follow from 8:30 to 10 p.m.

“Energy aggregation has allowed us to use our bulk purchasing power in a free-market bidding process to help our residents save money on their electric utility bills,” township manager Barry Lewis said. “We’ll also be achieving another goal – that of lowering our carbon footprint by utilizing a power supply that includes renewable energy content.”

As his Livingston-based charity continues to collect items for the homeless, Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), has announced that “ ‘Giving Season’ has officially moved to April.”
Friedman explains, “ ‘Giving Season’ is traditionally the period between Thanksgiving and Chanukah/Christmas. Many of us feel the charitable vibe. It’s the time of year when folks give of themselves with their time and money. Those living out on the streets, in shelters or way below the poverty line, are more than appreciative of whatever they receive along with the season’s good cheer.”
He continues, “But what happens to the same folks after New Year’s? Not too much. Their plight remains the same; it’s still cold outside during the night hours, they’re still hungry, and the very basics of life are financially out of reach. The same items we use in our everyday lives without a second thought.