March 2012 Highlights (27)

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

The Community Coalition on Race continued Monday to urge South Orange trustees to provide the organization with financial support, with a state lawmaker joining the effort.

Trustees signaled last summer that the town would stop providing the organization with a subsidy, which was $22,500 in 2011. Instead, the town offered the use of office space at a municipal building.

At the…

By Christina Hernandez, 

In recognition of the April 17 Board of Education elections, in which six candidates will vie for three, three-year seats, the News-Record will ask each of the candidates a question involving controversial issues in the South Orange-Maplewood school district.

The third of this four-part question-and-answer series focuses on teachers’ contributions to health care expenses. The increasing cost of health…

Achieve raises funds for auditorium renovation and gives adults insight on CHS

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Walking through the hallways of Columbia High School on Saturday gave Albert Appough a feeling of…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

A Maplewood man charged with slaying his father and grandmother had his first court appearance postponed again Tuesday, when new questions also emerged about the family connections involved.

According to Bukie O. Adetula, defense lawyer for Dwayne Flourney, the accused was transferred from the Essex County Correctional Facility to the Hudson County Jail without the knowledge of the judge on the…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

A Maplewood man was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges that he killed his father and his grandmother inside their home on Northview Terrace nearly two weeks ago.

Dwayne Flourney was arrested March 13 and has been held at the Essex County Correctional Facility on $1…

By Christina Hernandez, Managing Editor

In recognition of the April 17 Board of Education elections, in which six candidates will vie for three, three-year seats, the News-Record will ask each of the candidates a question involving controversial issues in the South Orange-Maplewood school district.

The second of this four-part question-and-answer series focuses on the International Baccalaureate, or IB, program. The Board of Education recently…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

The six candidates running for school board agreed with each other, more often than not, on school spending, charter schools and other issues at a debate March 15.

Three seats are up April 17 on the nine-member school board. School board members serve three-year terms.

At the first joint appearance of the campaign, at the DeHart Community Center, candidates quickly focused on the issue that divided…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

The Township Committee voted 5-0 March 20 to introduce a $38.5 million budget that calls for a slight municipal-tax hike.

To support the budget, the town will need to raise $26.9 million in taxes. For a home assessed at the average of $421,665, municipal taxes will increase by $67.46 — or 1.99 percent — from last year.

The public will have a chance to comment on the…

By Christina Hernandez, Managing Editor

In recognition of the April 17 Board of Education elections, in which six candidates will vie for three, three-year seats, the News-Record will ask each of the candidates a question involving controversial issues in the South Orange-Maplewood school district.

The first of this four-part question-and-answer series focuses on the achievement gap in the district. Closing the achievement gap across…

UNION, NJ – Starting a small business is a risky proposition.  Thirty percent of all new operations go out of business within two years and that number increases to just about 50% in five years.  How can a would-be entrepreneur come out on the winning end of those odds?

The answer is solid preparation and a realistic assessment of the market before the ‘open for business’ sign is hung.  That’s why UCEDC, a statewide nonprofit economic development corporation, is offering an intensive…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

To run municipal government, Maplewood will spend nearly $19 million this year on everything from pencils to pool chemicals.

The town buys a wide array of goods and services that Maplewood businesses are able to provide, something the township is encouraging.

“Looking Local First” is an attempt by the township to step up its effort to buy from local…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Despite resistance from the local business community, a taxpayer-funded entity was created Monday to manage and promote South Orange’s downtown business district.

By a 6-0 vote, trustees formed a special-improvement district and a district-management corporation.

The SID, led by a volunteer board and guided by a paid staff, will be responsible for recruiting…

An employee of St. Joe's Church in Maplewood was robbed the morning of March 14 in her office and needed to be hospitalized, police said.

The victim, a 62-year-old woman, had left her office in the church rectory and returned around 10:19 a.m. to see a man going through her purse, police Lt. Dean Naddeo said March 14.

He said the assailant, a black man in his early 20s wearing dark clothing, attacked the woman and kicked her…

Essex County Prosecutor's Office releases statement March 14 on double homicide in Maplewood: 

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Maplewood Police Chief Robert Cimino announced today that Dwayne Flourney, 26, of Maplewood has been arrested and charged with murdering his father and grandmother.

The victims are Sandra Flourney, 76, a retired school teacher, and Brian Flourney, 52, an investigator employed by the Union County Public…

An accused carjacker charged with killing a Maplewood man two years ago is due in Superior Court Friday.

Jamal Abdul Silvera will appear in court for an unspecified legal motion, according to court records.

He allegedly killed 63-year-old James Callaway in East Orange during a wild police chase through Essex County on Dec. 17, 2010.

Silvera allegedly carjacked a West Orange-owned Ford Explorer at the municipal garage on Lakeside…

In the 299 seat upstairs space at Off-Broadway's premiere theatre, The Westside, a new sketch comedy musical, is making quite a splash.  "Rated P ... for Parenthood" with book and lyrics by Sandy Rustin (a Maplewood NJ resident) and Music and lyrics by Dan Lipton and David Rossmer (both from River Edge in Bergen…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Maplewood officials agreed March 6 on the terms of a $38.4 million budget that raises municipal taxes by 2 percent.

After tweaking budget numbers, officials felt they had produced a solid spending plan that calls for no major cuts to government programs or layoffs of municipal employees. The spending plan is expected to be introduced on March 20.

“We sat here in the beginning of January, in…

By Christina Hernandez, Managing Editor

After countless public meetings featuring debate and discord, single-leveled classrooms and “a new framework of academic challenge” are a go at South Orange and Maplewood middle schools, starting in the next school year. In addition, fewer leveled classrooms will be present at Columbia High School.

At Monday’s school board meeting, school board member Bill Gaudelli said, “I fully endorse this…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Maplewood is on track this fall to approve a plan that describes how township officials would like to develop the post office site on Maplewood Avenue.

Mayor Vic De Luca said that the Township Committee would…

A New Jersey-based firm was hired by Maplewood on Tuesday to recruit businesses to the community.

JGSC Group, located in Merchantville, received a contract capped at $49,000. The firm will do analysis of the town, then later come up with a list of retailers and developers, among other services.…