News-Record's Highlight – May 2011 Archive (21)

Maplewood and South Orange are honoring their veterans Monday, Memorial Day, with ceremonies featuring speeches by local dignitaries, wreath-layings, choir performances and  prayers.

• The South Orange Memorial Day celebration will be at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Rock by the Duck Pond. The public is invited.

•  The Maplewood Memorial Day parade will be begin at 9 a.m. at West Parker Avenue and proceed through the center of Maplewood Village to Town Hall. A ceremony will follow on…

Salary and health care highlights of the new teachers' contract, which the Board of Education and the South Orange-Maplewood Education Association recently approved. The contract will expire on June 30, 2013.

• A one-year pact focuses on the 2009-2010 school year, which gives the top paid members who did not receive pay raises for that school year a salary increase of $1,200. For the others, a 3.5 percent salary hike will be distributed through a salary guide, meaning some will…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

If Derek Jeter ever needs help with his swing, he might want to call Carol West of Maplewood.

She and a friend, Susan Del Greco of Millburn, have created a device called the Power Pivot to train youth baseball players to swing properly. The product…

By Christina Hernandez, Managing Editor

The Maplewood Community Gardeners and Montrose Learning Center, the district’s alternative high school, are establishing an organic partnership that includes a new community garden and fresh curriculum.

“This is a communal effort,” said Irene Dunsavage,…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

India Larrier admits she has some learning to do as a “newbie.”She is a first-time candidate for public office running with Maplewood Mayor Vic De Luca in the June 7 primary against Lee Navlen.

The two winners advance to the general election in November. Making sure streets are safe is important, said Larrier, who put an emphasis on engaging local youth. She favors shared services and said she supports combining rescue squads with…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Lee Navlen and Mayor Vic De Luca are Mets fans. That might be one of the few things the two men agree on as they face off in the Democratic Primary on June 7. Navlen will try to defeat either De Luca or his running mate, India Larrier, both of whom have the backing of the Maplewood Democratic Party.

The winners advance to the general election in November, when two seats on the governing body are up.In an interview on May 11, Navlen…

By Emily Everson, Correspondent

The Board of Education on May 16 approved two resolutions highlighting the state’s charter school application process because it could bring two such schools in or near South Orange-Maplewood — affecting the district’s “diversity and dollars,” said Superintendent of Schools Brian Osborne. 

On March 31, the state Department of Education received applications from two charter schools: The Hua Mei Charter School, a Mandarin-based school…

By Christina Hernandez, Managing Editor

“How can you approve this attractive nuisance!” yelled a Maplewood woman from a far-back pew in the Township Committee room in Town Hall on May 16, mixing irony with ire.

The outburst came just moments before the members of the Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 5-2 to allow a 7-Eleven at the Shell gas station on the corner of Parker Avenue and Valley Street — across from Columbia High School.

“This is a facts decision the…

A multitude of concerned parents and members of the public crowded in the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education meeting on May 16, where Superintendent of Schools Brian Osborne announced that there would be no change to eighth-grade levels.

At a recent board meeting, several parents pressured the school officials to approve a similar deleveling system that was implemented in the seventh-grade at both middle schools this school year.

School officials approved in the summer…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Until May 2, Maplewood police officer James DeFazio hadn’t seen Matt Woods since the Sunday night in January when he used a defibrillator to save the local man’s life.

It was a reunion at Maplewood police headquarters where Woods and his family sat down with DeFazio and the three other police officers who responded to the Woods’ home.

Woods, 49, recalled in an earlier interview with the News-Record of having no memory…

According to a spokesperson for the Springfield Avenue Partnership, Maplewood MayFest has been postponed from May 15 to May 22 because of expected inclement weather. 

According to Vince Baglivo, who provided the News-Record with an official comment on behalf of the partnership and the town, he said, "The township and Springfield Avenue Partnership have mutually agreed to postpone MayFest based on the forecast for Sunday."

 …

Editor’s note: The following article was submitted by Tricia Tunstall, co-organizer of “Music For Japan, A Benefit By Students, For Students.”

Student performers of the Maplewood-South Orange community will be taking the stage in “Music For Japan, A Benefit By Students, For Students,” a performing arts festival on May 15 in South Orange.

All proceeds from the festival will go toward rebuilding the Kesennuma High School in Miyagi, Japan, whose community was…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Former Seton Hall basketball player Kelly Whitney was the “mastermind” of a plan to commit a home invasion-style armed robbery at an off-campus apartment, a county prosecutor told a jury on May 10.

Whitney is on trial in Superior Court in Newark facing kidnapping, robbery and other charges stemming from the March 15, 2010, incident on Irvington Avenue. The Chicago native has pleaded not guilty and says he was not…

By Christina Hernandez, Managing Editor

It’s been more than a week since the killing of Osama Bin Laden made headlines, and residents who support the military men and women of Maplewood currently on active duty are responding to some of the follow-up media stories on the al-Qaeda leader — from our nation’s plan of action against possible terrorist attacks on American soil to whether or not Bin Laden’s death should be celebrated.

Bin Laden — the mastermind behind the…

School officials and the teachers’ union president confirmed on May 10 that a contract for the South Orange-Maplewood staff has been reached.

However, members of the Board of Education and South Orange-Maplewood Education Association, or SOMEA, need to ratify the contract before it can be set in stone. 

The contract length and terms haven’t been disclosed.

“There's not much I can say at this point,” said Mark Gleason, school board member, in an email on Tuesday. “The…

An estimated $488,913 is expected to be awarded to the South Orange-Maplewood school district to help serve the educational needs of children at risk, a member of the House of Representatives announced via email on May 9.

“As a former educator, I know the greatest disservice a school can do is to forsake those students who aren’t successful in the classroom,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-8th district). “That is why the federal government is providing resources to help schools…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Maplewood officials will make a second attempt to sell the former police headquarters property on Dunnell Road, even as they prepare to demolish the building this year.

Mayor Vic De Luca and others are scheduled to meet May 11 with representatives from…

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Sandy Rustin of Maplewood is a mom and an actress. 

She bridged those worlds in  “Rated P for Parenthood,” the sketch comedy musical she wrote that has autobiographical elements, but is a “celebration of all things parenthood,” the Maplewood resident…

Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by J. Todd Lamm, supervisor of parks and shade trees in the township.

Maplewood was recognized by the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community for its commitment to urban forestry.

Maplewood has earned this national designation for six years. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest…

The Maplewood Municipal Pool complex on Boyden Avenue is expected to undergo a $1.25 million renovation this year, officials said. 

The project includes replacing stainless steel gutters, new lifeguard chairs, resurfacing and refinishing pools, new decking and relining the dive tank, officials said.…