Juvenile Cocaine Bust In Montclair

Find out about the exotic new hottie of Bloomfield Avenue, opening tonight, on Food.

Many of us are feeling like our last week of summer was ripped off with this week's unusual chill out. No shorts, no shades, no sunscreen needed... And over the holiday weekend? We'll feel Ernesto's wet touch. Accuweather.com tells us what's ahead:

Once Ernesto makes landfall as a strong tropical storm, or possibly as a category 1 hurricane, the storm will slowly slide northward through the Carolinas and into the mid-Atlantic states. The combination of a stalled front and Tropical Storm Ernesto will result in widespread heavy rain, potentially flooding, from northeastern Georgia to Virginia. As Ernesto heads northward, it will encounter a strong area of high pressure. Since the high will be reluctant to give way to Ernesto, the storm will move slowly, just spreading rain into central parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the afternoon. Since the rain will only creep northward, rainfall amounts will be higher, increasing the flooding threat

Earlier this week, an argument over bulky waste pick up ended in the arrest of a Montclair resident. MPD Deputy Chief of Police Perry Mayers tells us that a township employee was picking up garbage on Ward Place, when Deborah Taliaferro came out to ask why the bulky waste was left behind. The township employee, Luis Nieves, explained it wasn't a pick up day for that kind of trash. Taliaferro's husband, Cesar Ilato came out to the curb and began to argue with Nieves, then picked up his leftover trash and threw it in the garbage truck. Nieves says the angry homeowner pushed him, and that's when the cops were called.

The push, considered an assault, was witnessed by a passing driver, and was also confirmed by Ilato's wife. Cops arrested Mr. Ilato, charging him with simple assualt, obstruction of justice (Ilato first gave a false name), and a town ordinance violation for tossing his junk on town property ( the garbage truck).

Continue reading "Street Fights" »

Not that we're saying it's kids, but anybody else ready for school to start?

One of the two teens charged with vandalism of the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, Gideon Korn-Wyatt, made a public apology to the township of Montclair and to the gardens' friends, asking for forgiveness. From The Montclair Times.

I would like to apologize for the destruction I caused to the Presby Iris Gardens, and for all the pain I caused to the friends of the gardens and the Township of Montclair.

It was an ignorant senseless act, and I did not mean to hurt anybody.

I’m really sorry for the trouble that this has brought to my family, my friends and my neighbors. I wish I could take that night back.

I would like to thank the administrators and members of the Presby Gardens for their understanding and I hope, that in time, they can forgive me for my actions.

I now realize the seriousness of what I did, and will be making restitution to help fix the destruction that I caused. I hope that the Presby Gardens will soon be back to the way they were before all this happened. I hope that the people and town of Montclair can forgive me.

GIDEON KORN-WYATT

At last week's court hearing, Judge Booker ordered both teens to write a public apology and to send it to newspapers. Will Poris, are we going to hear from you?

The new location opened on Monday.

I guess these kids aren't sitting around watching Spongebob and getting fat, but maybe that would be a better thing. Whether real or staged, there is something very, very disturbing here.

Since everyone here has at least one opinion on what comprises good writing and more than a few seem to have opinions on fine dining and not so fine drinking, here's a chance to write your piece:

Hey Writers and Bar Patrons,

On December 8, 2006, DREW’S GUIDES will be launching the first and only 2007 DREW’S GUIDES, New Jersey Bar, Lounge and Club Guide, just in time for the holidays—but we need your help.

Instead of surveying each and every establishment in the State, Drew’s Guide reviews are going to be compiled by those of you who actually spend hours of your time and your precious pesos in these places. We want reviews from the type of people who are going to be reading and using these reviews—people who live and work in New Jersey. And while we would like them to be accurate, it’s also important that they’re clever and well-written.

Tell 'em Deirdre sent you.

MKA graduate, Alexa Aron, who still comes to Montclair every now and then to visit her parents, was riding her bike through the streets of Copenhagen when she got the idea for Lille Hus (Little House).

“For as long as I can remember,” Alexa writes, “I've had a deep passion for all things domestic—furniture, food, design, homekeeping—and Denmark’s beautiful products made me feel more inspired than ever.”

Alexa returned from her hip and trendy life in Denmark to her hip and trendy life in NYC to start her own business of bringing "hygge"-- a Danish concept that has to do with things being both cozy and uncluttered-- back to America.

*NOT a typo

Go figure. New Jersey once again has bragging rights as the richest state, but we still have two of our biggest cities registering as among the poorest in the country.

There's the McMansioned suburbs like Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset and Burlington, boasting the lowest poverty rates in the country and some of the highest-incomes. Then there's Camden with 44 percent of its residents living in poverty and the highest poverty rate in the country.

And if that discrepancy wasn’t disturbing enough, NJ's children (both rich and poor) are sitting inside scorning veggies (you know those mushy, yucky things without cool packages) working on their MySpace pages or watching reruns of The Brady Bunch 24-7 and getting fatter:

About 20 percent of New Jersey’s sixth-graders are obese and 18 percent are overweight, according to a study of 2,393 student records from 40 randomly selected public schools."

Is this the NJ version of the apocryphal Marie Antoinette line, "Let Them Eat (poly-unsaturated, multi-manipulated, trans-fatty, artificially-sweetened, Red Dye #2-infused and otherwise enhanced to preserve flavor and lengthen shelf-life) Cake"?

Except in Montclair of course, where the cake would be described as...(give us your best shot here)

The father from Tanzania and the mother from Bombay had done the right thing and worked to get to the land of milk, honey and better schools. Upon moving the family from Clifton to Wayne, they found themselves under attack. From January to July, a steady stream of graffiti and threatening letters made them feel unwelcome in their new home.

The parents who suffered about $10,000 in damages have discovered that the enemy is closer than they thought: From Newsday:

"They weren't physically hurting anyone, so they were looking at it like it was a victimless crime," Lt. James Beatrice, head of the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office's major crimes unit, told The Record of Bergen County for Saturday's newspapers.

"They're just shocked and disappointed," Beatrice said. "They were trying to give their kids what they didn't have, what every parent wants to do for their kids."

Turns out it wasn't roving gangs of white supremacists intent on keeping Wayne minority-free, but one of their own. DNA and fingerprints led police to the 17-year-old son and a gaggle of his friends involved in a plot worthy of an old Scooby Doo episode. In their addled teen brains it made sense that if Wayne looked bad, then Clifton would look good. And maybe the kid could go back to his old home and old friends.

A reader in Glen Ridge writes that his new Comcast telephone service sucks. For the past few weeks, his phone conversations have been dropping out for up to fifteen seconds.

Comcast has no clue what the problem is. I have had repairmen out who have confirmed that all my wires and connections are working fine...and also mentioned they have been on housecalls in Glen Ridge over similar issues where nothing seemed to be wrong.

Getting a straight answer out of Comcast has proved impossible. They claim there is no network issue but the problem persists and apparently others are experiencing the same issue. Each representative and manager I speak to has a different story...

I don't know whether they realize they have a network issue and don't want to admit the problem, or if they really have no idea what's going on. I do know that my patience has just about run out and Verizon Voice and DSL are looking pretty good.

And In our own home office, breaks in Comcast internet connection is a regular occurrence, lasting from ten minutes to a couple of hours. The Comcast reps we speak with confirm that "several customers in your area are also without service" with no explanation as to the cause... Is anyone else living in this communication chaos?

It seems that the recently revised NJ Transit train schedules are causing travel trauma to some Baristaville commuters. A rider tells us that she and fellow passengers have been kvetching about about how the 3:37 pm train from Hoboken to Montclair isn't making its usual uptown stops.

"The new train schedule, has for some reason left the Upper Montclarians "SOL". The schedule no longer drops off at Upper Montclair or Mountain Ave if you take the 3:37 train home from Hoboken (pssst: this is when the kids go home from the private schools.... All the moms pick their kids up at the Upper Monclair station) Now, students and residents alike must either make a 3:07 train and change at Broad Street Newark (where there is no outside shelter), walk home from Watchung ave--or Normal Ave--or wait until the 4:42 train. I don't think parents will be too happy about this."

NJ Transit PR rep Penny Bassett-Hackett tells us that every six months, schedules are revised in relation to demand. She says transit chiefs eliminated the two Upper Montclair stops on the 3:37 train because there just aren't enough passengers at that hour. (They counted 29...) But what Upper Montclair riders lost, Glen Ridge and Walnut Street commuters have gained - the 3:37 now makes those stops. ."And there are still options for those getting off at Watchung Plaza," Bassett-Hackett said, "like taking #28 bus uptown, taking a later train, and of course, passengers could walk!"

The schedule changes do not sit well with Jack May, either. May’s letter to the editor of The Montclair Times claims the reduced train service is putting a damper on his nightlife.

Continue reading "Dude, Where's My Train? " »

Bloomfield Township has now lost the second round of its legal battle against property owners downtown, who are fighting the town's use of eminent domain to level their properties and build a brand-new mixed-use development downtown, including a 65,000-foot Stop N Shop with a parking deck on top.

An appeals court has upheld last August's decision by Judge Patricia K. Costello, who blocked the project after finding procedural flaws in Bloomfield's takeover plans.

Continue reading "Strike Two Against Bloomfield" »

Just when are those chain link fences coming down at Anderson and Brookdale Parks? Are the kids going to be playing ball on them soon?

Over at these two county parks, we've been watching the guarded grass grow for months, into luxurious verdant fields. Word from the county executive's office is that the fences will soon be history. Anderson Park Brookdale Park will open up on September 12, and Brookdale ParkAnderson, on September 18 19. Stay tuned for details on the ceremonial first step with Joey D.

Consider this an APB from Daehnke, who's on the lookout for an ironsmith to revive the antique fence, and is seeking a little green from his friends:

The hardest and the next step is to repair the fence. We have one quote from an ironsmith, but the insurance company wants 2 to 3 bids for them to assess the dollar amount of damage. Finding 2 to 3 quality ironsmiths that can recreate the fence has been difficult.

The non-profit organization is now hoping they can rely on the generosity of others, but Daehnke is realistic. He told us:

...with what happened that night in Montclair, we understand that people who support Van Vleck must also take care of the damage on their own properties first.

Continue reading "Mending Fences" »

We love when the little guy gets the story. Lots of hungry news outlets picked up on a New York Post story about Bruce Springsteen splitting with wife and bandmate Patti Scialfa and lusting after a red-headed 9/11 widow, including the Star Ledger. Meanwhile, our fellow hyperlocal bloggers over at redbankgreen managed to get some fresh intelligence.

redbankgreen spoke tonight with Judy Barnaby, the Antique Center employee who waited on Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on Friday afternoon.

Barnaby echoes what Guy Johnson told us earlier: that the couple was holding hands, and laughing with dealers and customers as they shopped for about an hour.

They even stopped and picked up a couple of old instruments, which they tuned up and used to give an impromptu concert lasting about five minutes.

"Bruce was strumming an old guitar, and Patti was strumming an old mandolin, and they were singing and cuttin' up and have a good time," says Barnaby. Customers in the store at the time were naturally "enthralled," says Barnaby, and the intruments were immediately snapped up for purchase afterward.

And according to Barnaby, who's known Springsteen for 20 years, they were not hiding from the rumor that their marriage was on the rocks.

"I got a hug from Patti, and I told her I was very happy to see that they were back together," says Barnaby. "She said, 'Isn't this the pits?' referring to the coverage. She said, 'Isn't it ridiculous? My friends are more upset than I am.' "

The redbankgreen "scoop" was picked up by the Philadelphia Daily News.

Bloomfield's two new eateries and more. Dig in at Food.

Botox injections by any other name -- such as Tritox -- are not worth losing wrinkles over. Clients of Montclair's Peau may be wondering today about dodging a shot at dangerous paralysis.

From the Star Ledger...

Federal prosecutors contend Albert Poet, 57, told patients he was administering the popular Botox treatment when he in fact gave them another form of botulism toxin type A. The alternative, known as Tritox, has not been approved for use in humans by the Food and Drug Administration and has been linked to at least four botulism cases in Florida.

Poet, authorities said, was one of those buyers. According to the indictment, Poet ordered at least 23 vials of the substance in 2003 and 2004, injecting it into patients through January of 2005.

The physician is an Essex County native who treated patients at PEAU, his chic Montclair spa, and at Shore Laser & Esthetics in Manahawkin. Authorities said he advertised Botox treatments in local newspapers.

Poet's lawyer, William Hughes, criticized the government case last night, calling his client the victim of overzealous prosecutors.

Continue reading "Playing With Botulism" »

We've received two urgent messages from friends recently filled with dire stories about pets that died because their owners had used Swiffer Wet Jets. Even though we don't have any pets personally (unless you count our household mosquito menagerie), we were tempted to hit the "forward" button to pass the news on to pet owners we know. No need. A quick visit to Snopes revealed the Wet Jet story to be an urban legend.

Continue reading "You Can Stop Pressing the "Forward" Button" »

The New York Times picks up on the latest attempts to bash and build in Montclair and the people, including preservationist Frank Gerard Godlewski, who want to see it stopped.

In another teardown controversy, a developer, Paul Cocoziello, had sought planning board approval to build five condominiums, priced at $800,000 to $1.1 million each, on a prominent half-acre lot at the intersection of Claremont and Upper Mountain Avenues. He would have demolished a century-old Dutch-colonial-style house, whose sale was conditional on the project’s approval.

After a contentious four-and-a-half-hour meeting on Aug. 14, the board rejected the project, in part because the application was incomplete. Mr. Cocoziello said he thought he was in a race to beat a downzoning vote by the council the next night and turned down an offer by the board that would have allowed him to come back with completed plans.

The house’s owner, Dominick Solino, said later that news coverage of the issue had opened up new possibilities to develop the lot. And, he said, “None of them would tear down the house.”

Yes Virginia, there are alternatives to demolition.

As one who prefers to propose only contests that I have a shot at winning (thus no proof-reading or tango events) I would toss out the horticultural gauntlet. Who has the tallest sunflowers in Baristaville?

Baristanet received a lovely photo of a goose at Edgemont.

The A&P on Valley Road in Montclair is now A&P Fresh. No longer the inferior sister to Kings and Whole Foods, the New, Revised (presumably no longer stale) A&P presents aisles and islands of natural cosmetics and organic basmatis and pre-prepared herb-encrusted items.

But, taking a page from Pathmark's playbook --and not the one which suggests you charge customers a quarter for a cart--Fresh A&P gives shoppers the opportunity to check themselves out. While it's fun to mimic the checker--how easy it looked when they did it!--it's also a bit daunting to realize that effortless swiping isn't really that effortless. Suddenly the UPC codes seem impossible to find.

And unless you've chosen the produce with the stickers, you'll have to remember whether those are Northern California Pitless White Organic Peaches or Eastern European Pitiful Irradiated Pinks? The check out screen displays a choice of tiny representations, but they all look the same.

Expect to see other changes, such as movie-vending kiosks, a temperature controlled "potato dock," more elaborate flowers, and lots of cheese, as the market tries for a more upscale consumer who prefers fresh produce to canned, but isn't willing to pay Whole Foods prices.

South Mountain Reservation has a brand new dog park dedicated to the K-9 police and rescue dogs, who have helped humans during times of crisis.

The height of luxury for dogs, the park has separate fenced-in areas for small and large dogs, a shady place fo owners to sit, and such extras as posts for hanging leashes and receptacles (of course) for dog waste.

What if Montclair put the money spent on Goose Removal at Edgemont into a dog park where the highlight would be a Wild Goose Chase?

If Bloomfield-bred Ted Leo is performing at the South Street Seaport expect some weather. Gothamist chronicles the history of Leo and the SSS, including the Great Blackout, and the like.

2003 - The Blackout. The frappuccino van was brought up to the stage so they could run off their generators. One song appears in the "Dirty Old Town" DVD as an extra.
2004 - Rain. News-worthy, "Biblical", torrential...rain. Again, one song appears on the DVD as an extra.
2005 - The sun shines down on Ted Leo and 6,000 fans. Finally.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs held a contest inviting their fans to submit clips for their Cheated Hearts music video. Three Montclair fans submitted their version and three short clips were in the official YYY video. This is the official "director's cut." available only on Youtube. See if you can recognize any familiar landmarks.

Local author Janice Harayda chose to have a specialist in dog photography take her author photo for her latest novel, The Accidental Bride. Local lensologist par excellance, Michael Stahl of Best Friend Photography has released a calendar of local pooches to raise money for charity, and Haraya is trying to convince him to do the same for local authors. It will be kind of like William
Wegman, except that instead of putting dogs in person clothing, the writers will be dressed in people style.

A reader, Creighton Adams, writes in regarding a daycare center at 102 Broad St in Bloomfield, where parents in the past have been able to drop off their kids for five minutes without also "dropping in a little change to the mayor." Apparently Bloomfield has hired a private firm to monitor their meters. And, even worse than this act of privatizing...

rather than contact the daycare (Executive Baby) to notify the parents about the new organization or (god forbid) work something out (like a time requirement and a sticker that says 'just dropping off or picking up') they simply started ticketing people.

Outraged parents now must either cross over the horrific traffic on Broad and brave feckless high-schoolers while cradling their Executive Babies in their arms, or put a quarter in the meter.

In honor of St. Sebastian, the patron saint of piercing, today and tomorrow the air on Grove and Walnut will be redolent with the fragrance of zeppoles as the annual St. Sebastian Festival commences. Enormous strawberries will whirl dizzied riders through the air and all will remember that it is not fun to be a martyr.

Novelties and a raffle will enliven matters.

With two armed robberies bearing striking similarities to yesterday's Willowdale heist, police are issuing more detailed descriptions of the suspects and asking for phone calls from anyone with information:

“Two black males were armed with a shotgun and a handgun and were driving a 4-door, black 1997 Chrysler Concord with New Jersey registration.

The Newark police release stated the license plate of the Chrysler Concord was “VAL71L.”

Newark police advised they “have made progress in the investigation” and are urging anyone with information to immediately contact their Robbery Squad, 973-733-4339.

Newark Police said all calls are kept confidential.

Residents are also urged to call the Montclair Police Department, 973-744-1234, the Bloomfield Police Depart-ment, 973- 680-4000, or the Newark Police Department at 973-733-6000.

This just in from the Montclair Times -- armed robberies in Baristaville and a countywide search for perps...

Montclair at 11:30 p.m. Thursday night, Aug. 24, two 20-year-old Montclair residents were outside talking when they noticed a car drive by. A few minutes later, the car returned and stopped in front of them. A male with a dark colored bandana covering his face pointed a single-barrel shotgun at them from the passenger side window, Montclair Police Lt. James Carlucci said.

“At that point, a [second suspect] got out from the back seat and told them not to move,” Carlucci said.

“The suspects actually went into the pockets of one of the victims and took the items out, while one of the suspects was holding the shotgun,” Carlucci said. “The suspect removed an undisclosed amount of cash and went into the other victim’s wallet and went through it. However, the victim didn’t have any money with him.”

After being asked for the car keys, one of the 20-year-old Montclair residents said that they were in his car. When the suspect touched the vehicle, the alarm sounded.

That’s when one of the suspects threw a punch at the Montclair man who’d told them where the keys were.

The three robbers got back into their dark-colored late-model car, possibly a Chrysler Concord, Carlucci said. The trio drove south on Willowdale Avenue and made a right turn onto Draper Terrace.

The Montclair Times also reports of another armed robbery in Bloomfield, near Ampere Parkway, early this morning. Two incidents in Newark may also be connected. Remember the good old days, like this morning, when crime was on a downturn?

Westport's got one. Now we want one, too. Baristanet is compiling addresses for our very own Tear Down map. As always, we can use your help. If you wish to add addresses of homes you've seen demolished, we plan to create a permanent record. Add your recommendations for the map here...

Friday, August 25

Quadramono - San Francisco Sound / Indian Fusion Band – playing in concert, free. Montclair Center Stage, 7-9 pm. (Kiwi The Child cancelled)

Broadway Revisited – Concert in Brookdale Park, featuring the Garden State Concert Band, 7:30 pm, free. Bring a chair or blanket.

Montclair Jazz Pianist Geri Allen – headlining all weekend at The Village Vanguard, New York. Shows at 9 and 11 pm. Reservations 212-255-4037.

Continue reading "Thrill Seekers" »

The NJ State Police Crime data has been released, and the stats tell us overall, crime in Montclair appears to be taking a downturn. Montclair Chief of Police David Sabagh cited a significant drop in rape and a slight drop in domestic violence and aggravated assault. However, incidents of larceny increased slightly, from 591 to 607 .

Deputy Chief of Police Perry Mayers isn’t surprised that the incidence of larceny rose. He described the rash of robberies reported around Watchung Avenue in the evening hours of Monday and early morning Tuesday. Watchung Avenue: purse and cell phone taken from an unlocked Infinity, a laptop computer stolen from an unlocked Jeep, unlocked Honda Civic rummaged through. And nearby on Waterbury: a $500 Magellan GPS unit stolen from an unlocked 2006 Lexus, a gas card and change stolen from an unlocked Honda.

“These are crimes of opportunity. If people just take some precautions like leaving a light on and locking doors, we’d see the larceny rate drop,” Mayers said.

Continue reading "Montclair 2005 Crime Rate Down" »

Will Poris and Gideon Korn-Wyatt, two Montclair 19 year olds, faced Judge Booker in municipal court yesterday pleading guilty to disorderly persons charges in connection with last year's Iris-cide at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. They each face $500 fines, $35 in court costs, and were ordered to write letters to the press, to publicly apologise for their actions. Booker also imposed 30 day suspended jail terms, and the teens agreed to pay $17,000 in restitution for damage they caused to the landmark gardens. The original charge of criminal mischief was downgraded; as a result, the teens won't have a criminal record. A third defendant, 19 year old Daniel Goldmeier, had his case dismissed. And what about hours of community service? The Star Ledger reports:

Booker wanted to give them more, specifically community service. "It's somewhat disturbing, but I'm confined by this statute," he said.

The lesser charge falls under a municipal ordinance, one Booker said lacks a sentencing option for community service, something he said he's been requesting from Montclair's elected officials for years.

Hmmn, something to bring up at the next town council meeting?

Bloomfield's town council voted unanimously to revoke the liquor license of the Watsessing Avenue bar, Oops Lounge, on Monday. Oops was the site of a brawl that ended in the murder of 22 year old patron, Gerald Thorne, last April 22. The council cited problems such as gang activity, drugs on the premises, a lack of security, and serving alcohol to minors. From The Local Source.com:

The council carefully chose their language to enumerate the reasons for not renewing their license. They cited a long-running history of problems... The council decided that their previous infractions, including the presence of drug deals on the premises, had not been remedied, in light of the Thorne murder and the testimony it prompted at the Aug. 7 public hearing on the matter. At that hearing, several friends of Thorne’s spoke under oath about the lack of security measures, the patronage of gang members, underage drinking and drug use in Oops on the night of the murder.

Continue reading "Oops! - No Liquor License" »

The ACLU is calling the security measures taken at JFK by Homeland Security a form of racial profiling. Other civil liberties groups are speaking out about Muslims, Arabs and South Asians being illegally targeted. It happened to a Montclair family of five returning to the US from a vacation in Jordan, on a flight via Dubai. 20 year old Arwa Ibrahim described her "welcome home" on August 15 as "humiliating."

Arwa tells Baristanet that after her family passed through immigration they were told to go and wait in a small, overcrowded area of baggage claim - with approximately 200 other Muslim and Arab looking travellers. After being told to reliquish their US passports to Homeland Security officers - with no explanation - they waited and waited. "I felt safe as long as I kept my mouth shut," Arwa said. "I asked to speak to a supervisor, to try and find out what was going on, but my request was denied. I heard one mother complain to the Homeland Security guard that she'd been waiting five hours, to which the guard replied 'if you keep it up, you'll be here six hours.' "

Continue reading "Montclair Family Detained At JFK" »

You gotta admire a son who will ride 100 miles for his mom. But Terry Levinstone, of Bloomfield, has done it seven times before and he's doing it again on the weekend of Sept. 16-17, as part of an annual 100-mile MS Bike Tour. Levinstone's mom, Jean Siegel, a singer and retailer of custom canes and walking sticks, also lives in Bloomfield and was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago.

Continue reading "Riding for Mom" »

Activist Pegi Adam, who presented the town council with a petition and 300 signatures to stop the wayfinding project tells us she intends to keep the pressure on and advises everyone to call their council person:

Are Montclair residents so very rich, they just don’t care how high their taxes rise, or where they go, or are they just too busy making ends meet to notice? It seems that’s what our council would like to think. But the last council meeting seemed to show that the sleeping lion is awakening with a roar!

Wayfinding signs are not bad in themselves, they’re just bad now, because our town is taxed to the max and instead of our leaders making real efforts to cut out on-essential items, they try to explain them as “enhancing the quality of our community” and other such puff phrases.

Continue reading "Pegi's Way On Wayfinding" »

Just after midnight yesterday, August 23, a Montclair resident of Greenwood Avenue was preparing for a good night’s sleep. She glanced out her bedroom window and saw a man in a red bathrobe peering in at her. The stranger opened his robe and started touching himself. The resident called MPD – but when they arrived, the peeper in the bathrobe was nowhere to be found. Police searched the yard and found that the intruder had dragged a mini fridge to the bedroom window, and had been standing on it to get himself a better view.

The resident described the peeping Tom as a heavy set African American male.

During the investigation, police officers interviewed neighbors, and another woman residing on Greenwood Avenue revealed that she had a similar weird experience on August 1. Apparently a man appeared peering in her window at about the same time – just past midnight. She shouted out at him and he ran away. She did not report the incident. The man was described as a light skinned African American with a round shaved head. Deputy Chief of Police Perry Mayers said they couldn’t be sure it’s the same guy, but the coincidence is uncanny.

The Star Ledger reports that a new proposal is in the works to increase the buffer zones on 80 percent of the NJ's rivers and streams. Environmentalists are thrilled, but expect builders and property owners who be unable to build on the property to be incensed.

Experts consider the protection of flood plains and the swampy bogs around rivers from overdevelopment a key strategy in reducing flood damage, because they provide natural absorption of flood waters.

Kal Penn, born Kalpen Modi in Montclair, will play a follower of an Islamic guru running the neighborhood mosque in Fox's 24. As a villain in the popular series, he will no doubt kidnap some member of Jack Bauer's family and threaten national security. Jack will have to break the law in the interest of preserving America as we know it.

Penn played the stoner, Kumar, in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and, like all good potheads will be lost and found again in the sequel, Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam.

He changed his name from Kalpen to Kal Penn, apparently in the belief that his "foreign name would scare away potential employers."

Bloomfield center property owners will file a lawsuit against Bloomfield's amended downtown redevelopment plan, and the papers may be filed as early as this week.

William Ward, a partner in the law firm of Carlin and Ward, which represents four embattled property owners, says that Bloomfield's argument for using eminent domain is flawed by "an improper finding ... of blight."

The lawsuit will also challenge the town's creation of a special improvement district, which is managed by the Bloomfield Center Alliance, because it imposes extra taxes on downtown property owners and then uses the money to fight against them.

"All these people who are being condemned," Ward said, are paying additional taxes "to fund the studies that are taking their property away."

Continue reading "New Lawsuit Planned Against Bloomfield Redevelopment" »

"Nearly one-fourth of New Jersey's public schools did not make "adequate yearly progress" on standardized tests in the last two school years, a higher percentage than reported a year ago."

Three Montclair schools previously on the least reached their progress goals, but Rand School remains in early warning, and Glenfield Middle is required to offer supplemental services after three years on the list. Superintendent Frank Alvarez was quoted in the Star Ledger:

"We have been clearly focused on the academic goals," he said. "Everything we do is targeting language arts and mathematics."

In the latest chapter of the Tom Cruise Story (either a comedy of errors or an epic saga along the lines of Odyssey) Paramount has severed connection to the star’s Cruise/Wagner Productions, saying that his "recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."

Cruise's "recent conduct" apparently was unpalatable enough to outweigh the nearly $1 billion he brought in this year alone. When did Paramount get so fastidious?

Perhaps Glen Ridge’s own is a bit more unhinged than we even know? (My suspicion is that this is the reason)

Newsday quoted local pastor, Rev. Clenard H. Childress Jr., in an article on how African-Americans view abortion. Childress is the director of an anti-abortion group known as Black Genocide which is based in Montclair.

No wonder, then, that Montclair, also home of the ultra-liberals who used to live in Brooklyn or the Upper West Side, is such a contentious town.

Newark's former mayor, Sharpe James, has left an incriminating trail of crumbs that federal and state investigators are ready to gobble up. Two criminal investigations were launched yesterday to scrutinize James' use of city-issued credit cards while he was mayor. A boondoggle to Rio de Janiero with a couple of bodyguards - during his last week in office, lavish meals (including visits to Hooters), and other very questionable charges are bringing him lots of attention - this time, unwanted. Cory Booker calls his high profile spending "a heinous abuse of public funds." From The Star Ledger:

Grand jury subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the state Attorney General's Office were delivered in the morning to City Hall and the Newark Police Department, demanding the former mayor's credit card records and related documents.

Continue reading "On The Trail Of Sharpe James" »

By next year New Jersyans will be able to comparison shop online for the lowest price of 150 common prescription drugs. Governor Corzine signed legislation yesterday to establish the New Jersey Prescription Drug Retail Price Registry. Good news, especially for consumers without insurance coverage or with large co-pays. From The Star Ledger:

The state will post the information, in both English and Spanish, on a Web site where consumers will be able to plug in their Zip Code and the name of their prescription drug, and comparison shop. They will also be able to access the information by telephone through a toll-free number.

Continue reading "Corzine Helps Us Bargain Shop" »

Last night, readers told us about sirens, patrol cars on the chase through the streets of Montclair, a car crash, and arrests made by Montclair Police near Grove and Christopher Streets. Many of us speculated on what was going on. Deputy Chief Perry Mayers gave us the whole story, which ended in the recovery of a stolen SUV and the arrest of five men - four from Montclair, one from New Haven, Connecticut.

At 7:50 p.m. Monday night, two officers were patrolling the area around Park and Claremont, where they saw a Green Chevy Tahoe speeding. A routine license check revealed that the vehicle had been stolen in Paterson on August 17. While calling for back-up, the officers quietly followed the car to the Walnut Street station parking lot. One suspect got out of the car; then an officer ordered the suspect to drop to the ground.

Guess what? The guy didn't listen - he jumped back into the SUV, and the chase began...

Continue reading "Montclair Car Chase Ends In Arrest Of Five" »

Hell hath no fury than a homeowner scorned. Want to see what happens when someone has a really bad experience with a realtor? Well, if that homeowner is even the least bit web savvy, you could end up with something like this.

As a pedestrian in Baristaville, do you feel like you're becoming an endangered species? Do you feel like you're risking your life when you cross the street to pick up coffee? Are you losing your patience waiting at crosswalks for drivers to stop - as the law requires? A Baristanet reader has started a new yahoo group and wants to take this issue on - one intersection at a time:

...I've set up a new Yahoo group, montclair_pedestrians, to serve all those who are interested in drawing attention to pedestrian safety. I'm not one for marching or sign waving, but I do like the idea of picking one intersection and showing up in numbers to walk back and forth across a crosswalk and making vehicles wait, as the law requires.

I guess traffic might get backed up and the police might be involved.

If you want to join the group, go to: montclair_pedestrians-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. And we'd suggest you check out these street safety advocates, who also started as a yahoogroup. Let's get this going by nominating Baristaville's most dangerous intersections. Watchung Plaza is a given. I'll start by warning walkers about crossing Bloomfield "highway" at Lloyd Road...

Baristanet has received several unconfirmed reports of a car chase -- and crash -- in the Watchung Plaza area tonight around 8 pm. Montclair Police say that can't provide any information until morning.

As usual, use the comment format to add details.... If you were there, let us know what went down.

In the event you have not been religiously following developments in the Jonbenet Ramsey murder case in Colorado, let me introduce you to Mike Sandrock, the running columnist for the Boulder Daily Camera. He’s also the head of a charity called One World Running, a group that collects running shoes for kids in the Third World.

Mike is, in a House-that-Jack-built sort of way, the reason we’re all here. Four years ago, he had a chance meeting in Paris with John Karr – excuse me, John Mark Karr (all killers have three names, like Mark David Chapman and Lee Harvey Oswald) – who became weird and obsessive about the Jonbenet case when he learned Sandrock was from Boulder.

Mike palmed Karr off on one of his running pals, Michael Tracey, the CU journalism prof who is his own kind of obsessive on Jonbenet (three documentaries), and a four-year e-mail correspondence ensued. Until May, when Tracey alerted the DA.

Continue reading "But No High Heels Please" »

The Independent Press reports that Bloomfield's elected officialdom has basically decided to start from scratch with its eminent domain and redevelopment plans for Bloomfield Center. The measure comes as an amendment to the town's current redevelopment plan, which was thrown out by Judge Patricia Costello a year ago.

According to the Press, the new amendment "cites the fact that that most properties in the redevelopment area are irregularly-shaped and are not benefiting as much as they should be with the 2003 addition of MidTown Direct train service to the downtown center."

This is the first time, to our knowledge, that Bloomfield's town council has made a decision on the basis of feng shui.

And speaking of irregularly-shaped, here are Forest City's redevelopment drawings for a new, improved Bloomfield, should eminent domain ever go through.

The federal government just made it easier to get rid of Canada geese -- like the kind that plague Montclair's Edgemont Park and sports fields in Bloomfield.

Now legal, according to the AP story:

_Airports, public health officials and landowners to destroy nests and eggs without federal permits.

_Private and public airports to round up the birds for destruction without federal permits.

_Local governments to round up the birds if they threaten public health by congregating at reservoirs, athletic fields, parks and public beaches.

The new rule also allows states to establish August hunting seasons for the birds. The existing hunting season is Sept. 1 to March 10.

Sure, we could do all those things. But it might be time to round up these avian monstrosities aand air-drop them at the source, Canada. As Rep. Jim Paxton (R-NJ) points out, these fowl don't play fair.

"Canada geese are larger and more aggressive than native waterfowl," Saxton said. "They have upset the natural ecology of our waterways."

Border war, anyone?

They're both potential inductees into the (first virtual, eventual bricks-and-mortar) New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Also on the list, Montclair's Yogi Berra, Glen Ridge's Tom Cruise and -- here goes that where-in-the-world-is-Mountainside-Hospital-debate-again -- Buzz Aldrin (credited in this story as being from Glen Ridge.)

The museum has already planned its first induction ceremony, sort of. It's gotten a commitment from Joe Piscopo to be emcee on either a "Saturday or Sunday night."

No mention yet of Bobbi Brown. And we're boycotting the ceremonies if Stephen Colbert doesn't get the nod.

Continue reading "Is Joe Hartnett Paying Too Much for Car Insurance?" »

The Glen Ridge Senior-Community Center/Train Station (228 Ridgewood Avenue ) will be closed today (Monday) through Sunday, Aug. 27, for maintenance.

It feels like fall out here. Seriously. Your Barista is sitting out on her front porch wearing a sweater, and is going to change into long pants in a minute.

Consider this your official two-week warning that Labor Day is coming -- along with alarm clocks, homework nagging, Back-to-School nights, signing up for too many after-school activities and endless lines at Staples. And yes you do have to buy another Texas Instruments graphing calculator for $100. Your kid lost last year's.

Make hay while the sun shines.

On Montclair Watercooler, Joyce Michaelson explained the Planning Board's logic in calling for "down-zoning":

Concerned about demolition of old houses, loss of green space and increasing density, the Planning Board looked at areas zoned R-3 (which is 3 and more, a garden apartment zone) to determine their current use. When an area currently is predominantly one and two family per the tax records and adjacent to a lower zoned area, the Planning Board recommended that that area be rezoned to R-2 - two family.
Current applications to the Planning Board show purchases in this area of single or multiple parcels with plans to demolish and convert to a much denser use. They are destroying relatively affordable housing (maybe older, maybe affordable because of their two family use to both owner and renter) and replacing it with ultra-luxurious units. Radically changing the neighborhood's character
Many of the outraged owners of multi-family homes would have been happy to know that basically nothing is changing for them and eliminating affordable options. There is little the Planning Board can do if the application fits the rules. They asked the Council to change the ordinance to address this - to change the zoning to R-2 where an area is predominantly one and two family now. Any existing multiple family use continues as a pre-existing non-conforming use. In my mind, that increases its value as well.

It's a shame this wasn't made clearer before last week's meeting.
And what is going on with the town's website anyway?

--if you can call it a building (pagoda? gazebo? atrocity?) This is one of two matching structures along the Orange Rd/Elm bus line. This one is located at the corner of Washington and Orange. No one so far has seen fit to use them. In fact bus riders in waiting have tried to distance themselves, as if afraid that another one is about to land. But on the bright side, the vandals who plague Watchung Plaza's gazebo have steered clear also.

Last week this was a hole in the ground, now on the corner of Central and Talbot in Montclair (Frog Hollow section), there is a house. It almost makes one want to check for witch's feet sticking out from underneath it.

Former Montclairion and Montclair High Alum, Christina Ricci thinks that her diminutive stature will cost her stardom:

"I don't think that's ever going to happen for me. I'm five-one first thing in the morning, and I tend to look really small on camera. I can probably go as far as Holly Hunter went, then I think that' going to be it. I have a feeling I am way too small."

You figure that by the time gravity and the weight of the world squishes her down, she probably isn't more than four foot by the time the sun sets.

Last year's runnerup, Pearl City, Hawaii rallied in the third inning to beat Bloomfield, 7-3 in Bangor today. After a winning three games in a row, Bloomfield ended its Little League World Series run outhitting Hawaii 10-9, but stranding nine runners on base.

"I felt if we had a couple more innings the defense would have held it together, we could have had a couple more hits, and we would have been fine," New Jersey coach Dave Del Vecchio said.

No comment so far from the Police Department. The apartment building was at 15 Forest.

The woman who had her purse stolen while dining on Church Street asked that the post be removed because she was upset by the tenor of the comments. A man stole her purse as she and her friend sat outside on Friday evening and made off with it.

Yesterday's Cyberiffic and Ground-Breaking Live Chat with Councilman Ted Mattox was enlightening in many respects. However, it did seem that while Mattox was fairly forthcoming on many issues, he skirted the Aphid Crisis. Under the scrutiny of one clever chatter, Mattox had only weak defenses.

AgnesFilch :: What do you plan to do about the aphid problem?
....
Ted Mattox :: Bob B....I can't type very fast, as indicated in the opening message. Be patient.
Guest 9214 :: heh
Ted Mattox :: Heh
....
oAgnesFilch :: What do you plan to do about the aphid problem?
Ted Mattox :: AgnesFilch...please email me the details of this problem...tedmattox@hotmail.com...I am unfamiliar with the specifics...sorry
...
AgnesFilch :: it seems big government corruption is trying to sit on the aphid problem facing the community, but i thank you for your time, good sir.
....
Ted Mattox :: AgnesFilch - sorry I didn't know about this. I will look into it.

In the interest of clearing matters up for Councilman Mattox without having to have some subcommittee convened or some consultant hired, I have done my due diligence. It is the habit of aphids to suck the juices from the unprotected tender shoots and leaves of innocent plants. As a noxious part of their corrupt digestive system, they excrete a sweet, sticky substance often known as "honeydew" which happens to be a really good place for sooty molds to flourish. These so-called "sooty molds" (or to some simply, "molds") are viewed by ants as Chateaubriand is viewed by many people. It is in the best interest of the ants (a.k.a. organized groups of diligent workers) to protect the aphids from other predators while stroking them in order to encourage them to poop out more honeydew.

If you drive through this town with a sharp eye, you will not fail to see that mold grows on many a leaf--surely, the visual manifestation of the untold mountains of aphid dung clotting our fair town? Thank you, Agnes Filch--if that, in fact, is your real name.

The NJ Department of Environmental Proection did not see a problem in having the former uranium processing facility (and as many as 200 other contaminated sites) "expedited for school construction." According to PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) the land was purchased through.a secret “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) forged by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the state’s Schools Construction Corporation (SCC). "State officials have refused to disclose the list of all known contaminated school sites purchased by the SCC and reviewed by DEP under the MOU agreement."

The Kiddie Kollege scandal where a daycare center was built upon an old thermometer factory is merely the "tip of the iceberg." In an internal “Vulnerability Assessment” review from 2002, the NJ DEP demonstrates an awareness of the problems only now coming to light: including

Non-existent enforcement of cleanup requirements at more than 10,000 sites. More than 5,0000 of those sites were enrolled in the failed “Voluntary Cleanup Program” in which un-enforced voluntary agreements led to incomplete cleanups, delays, and poor performance that completely bypassed any local or community involvement;
* In excess of 6,000 known groundwater contamination cases. More than 90% of these tainted groundwater sites are not being actively cleaned up but instead sit un-reclaimed in a status euphemistically titled “passive remediation;” and
* DEP intentionally kept secret the “risk rankings” for all the toxic sites, on the questionable grounds that information about abandoned sites was “enforcement sensitive.” This action kept the public and local officials in the dark about the severity of toxic problems in their neighborhoods.

For at least one day, the New Jerseyest of Avenues takes on a more exotic flavor as Mango's Reggae Cafe hosts an “Afro-AmeriCaribbean Community Block Party” between Mission and Elm streets. Food, entertainment and exhibits from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Yard sales, garage sales, gotta move out sales...if you are selling your stuff this weekend, we want to know about it. Talk back to the Barista (and everyone else).

Montclair Councilor Ted Mattox today supported a recall election to unseat Mayor Ed Remsen. He also said Hartnett should be fired, and that the Montclair Economic Development Corporation was pretty useless. And what about uncontrolled spending of taxpayers' dollars? Mattox estimated about half a million dollars were being spent on non-union, fluff positions created as payback for campaign contributions. He favors giving BOE control back to the people..... All this was revealed on Baristanet's first ever live chat, where more than 50 people showed up. Surprisingly, the tone remained quite civil, and Mattox spoke with candor on many issues brought to the table. Mattox called for an open town hall style meeting in September (TBA) to continue the dialogue with concerned citizens. We'd say more, but you all probably want to read through the chat for yourselves. So if you missed the chat or got there late, the full text of the chat follows.

Continue reading "Mattox Speaks Out" »

Colors of Haiti: the Art of Yolene Legrand Select pieces of Yolene's HAITI paintings are in a solo exhibition at Fairleigh Dickinson University, University College Art Gallery, Metropolitan Campus through 9/8/06. Some of you may remember Yolene, who taught art classes to students in the Glen Ridge middle school (RAUES) and also at the Forest Avenue elementary school. Fairleigh Dickenson University in Teaneck. To visit Yolene’s studio website, click here.

Hometown Night: The Infernos: Outdoor concert in Brookdale Park. 7:30 p.m. Free. Bring lawn chair or blanket. 973-268-3500.

Continue reading "Thrill Seekers" »

Montclair Councilor Ted Mattox will be online at 11 a.m. to talk about what's on your mind. If you'd like to join us, click on www.baristanet.com/chat. In the field for "guest #" you can delete and put your name. That's it, we've got Mattox's ear for an hour.

Just a few rules: let's try to be polite, keep the language clean, and be patient -- Mattox is a slow typist!

August is the time of year when rumors start flying in Bloomfield - that Newark's overflowing Barringer High School may be planning to dump students into Bloomfield High. This year, though, there's a completely different possibility. Bloomfield has apparently offered to take in elementary school students from Nutley if officials can't get 29 classroom ceilings repaired in time for the school's opening. Four tons of debris fell into a classroom a few weeks ago, prompting an eleventh-hour summer fix-up.

Last week, we posted Jon Rosenberg's very polite letter to Montclair Town Manager Joe Hartnett, which asked him to "shed some light on the exponential increases in our water/sewage bills." This prompted more questions, even an outcry of "bait and switch" from some Baristanet readers. And at Tuesday night's council meeting, a crowd of outraged taxpayers disputed (not so politely) the new sewer "user fee." Councilor Ted Mattox tells us the way this was presented to residents is "somewhat deceitful". (...You can ask Mattox about that at our 11 a.m. online chat today.)

Hartnett shared his reponse to Jon with us.

Continue reading "Please Explain My Water Bill" »

If you are a fan of mussels steamed in wine, beer, and other good stuff, get yourself down to Church Street Café for their Second Anniversary Celebration, today through Sunday. Owners Greg and Cheryl Spinelli are treating us all to free samples of their signature Belgian Mussels while dining or just grooving to live tunes performed in front of their bistro at Montclair Center Stage.

Performing tonight, 7:00 pm, The Dogz, a local band comprised of twelve to fourteen year olds, who recently wowed the audience at Montclair Center Stage with their precocious musicianship. Friday, August 18 at 8:00 pm will be The Sharp 4 Jazz Quartet featuring the vocal stylings of jazz songbird Anne Marie Behr.

Saturday night at 7:00 pm Montclair local, Caté performs with his groove band. .
Sunday, August 20 at 2:00 pm, Montclair Center Stage presents the "hypnotic sounds" of Dalien 13 Hands. 12 Church Street, Montclair, 973-233-0216.

We got a tip that the Soprano Squad is back in town:

"Sign up at Park West Diner on Rt. 46 says they will be closed from 3:00 p.m. til midnight on August 17 due to Sopranos filming. It's the one in front of the shopping plaza that has Kohl's in it. I believe it is Totowa or West Paterson."

Does this mean Tony and Carmella have given up on sushi?

Go see the utterly ridiculous, adorable and politically-astute "Tajiki Nights: Romancing the Terrorist" at this year's NY International Fringe Festival. With Montclair actress Diana DePasquale, who plays a whole slew of female roles. There are two more shows left, one of the them tomorrow (Friday) night. Ordering info here. Or just show up. And if you can't make that show, try another offering at the festival, full of avante garde and comedic treats for those who don't go away in August. All shows are $15.

Apparently Montclair wants to party stronger and longer. The management over at Rascals sent a letter to town council members requesting permission to stay open until 3am and to extend our local last call rule by one hour - to 2:30 a.m. They claim that they have to send their clients home earlier than neighboring towns, causing "an abrupt end to the evening."

Although Gerry Pontones of Rascals got support from places like Egan's, Just Jakes, Tierney's, Charlie Brown's and South Park, council members were not amused. From The Star Ledger:

But Montclair's council, in a pre-meeting conference Tuesday, was unsympathetic. "I'm not thrilled with that kind of request," said Sanra Lang, the 4th Ward councilor. Gerald Tobin, the 1st Ward councilor and deputy mayor also expressed resistance to the idea. "I think there's a consensus that we're not going to entertain that, Tobin said...At one time we were thinking of moving it in the other direction."

The letter suggested a formal petition might follow the request for later hours.

It struck us as odd, to read last week that only one name has been submitted for the new elementary school destined for Elm Street in Montclair...Reader Larry Rosenshein sent us his buzz about about the school naming:

I saw an article in the Montclair Times about the "system" for naming the new elementary school (what a waste of money - we should never have sold what we already had!). Apparently the idiots in Trenton require that the name come from a community group - I guess citizens are good enough - and the only group so far to have submitted a name is the Montclair Y - after Charles Bullock, a fellow who used to run the Washington Street Y.

Rosenshein wants to name the school after our
hometown astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, who went from Montclair to the Moon. "Not only was he the second man to step onto the moon, he put his life at risk for us as a fighter pilot in Korea."

Continue reading "The Buzz On Naming That New School" »

Thanks to Gary Iacobacci, for keeping us on top of the latest World Series win for Bloomfield's Senior Little League:

The Bloomfield Senior Little League (Eastern Regional Champions) defeated the Southwest Regional champs from Tulsa, OK yesterday (Wednesday) by a score of 10-8 at the World Series competition in Bangor, ME. That makes Bloomfield's record in World Series competition 3-0. Bloomfield went 4-0 in the regional competition. Therefore, they have won their last 7 games! Their next game is on Thursday vs. the Latin America champs from Falcon, Venezuela. However, even if Bloomfield loses Thursday's game, they will definitely play in one of the semi-finals games on Friday. If they win their Friday semi-finals game, they will play in the World Series on Saturday!!

The idea of sharing fire department services isn't new in Baristaville, however, Orange's request to enlist the help of the Montclair Fire Department got them a grant award of $89,750 from the state Department of Community Affairs to pay consultants for a feasibility study. The Montclair Times reported that "Jersey Professional Management of Cranford, a consulting firm hired by Montclair in March for $99,750, is conducting the evaluation of the fire-protection needs of both municipalities."

We asked town manager Joe Hartnett about the consulting contract, and who'd be picking up the extra $10,000 tab? And, oh yeah, how exactly would this kind of arrangement benefit Montclair?

Here's Hartnett's reply:

Continue reading "Consulting Redux" »

Pat Brechka, Director, Recreation and Cultural Affairs has announced the closing of Essex Pool for the season beginning on Monday. With college students returning to school, there aren't enough people to staff all three pools all the way through Labor Day.

There have been wishing whispers of townwide WiFi in Montclair, but courtesy of Google, Mountain View, CA has the real thing. But what good is wireless without Barista?

A number of sites dropped from the EPA’s list of hazards have been returned to the list after EP inspector discovered a day-care center had opened on one of the dropped sites -- an abandoned thermometer factory in Franklin Township, Gloucester County. Of the 166 sites which need to be reevaluated in Essex County alone, several are in Bloomfield and Montclair.

Kiddie Kollege was closed, but the parents of the children many of whom have elevated mercury levels remain outraged.

It was crowded and swelteringly hot. But people didn't show up for the reasons we had predicted. Neither the Wayfaring Sign Issue nor the Sewer Issue took up the two and a half hours of citizens lined up to deliver their allotted three minutes of opinion at last night's Montclair Town Council meeting.

Rather it was the Zoning Issue.

The town had proposed to alter the designation of 200 properties currently designated as R-3 and R-2. R-3 allows for construction of up to 18 residential units per lot. The town, struggling to target developers who have been tearing down properties to erect large-scale multifamily units, wants to lower the number of units per lot. Although current multifamily houses will be grandfathered in, new development would be restricted.

Continue reading "More Opinions Than Chairs" »

When controversy over the wayfinding project erupted on our site, Montclair Councilor At Large, Ted Mattoxoffered to talk about it with anyone, anytime. So we called...

Baristanet has scheduled its first live chat with Mattox, who will be fielding your questions, Friday, August 18, at 11 a.m. We'll give you instructions about how to get into the chat room shortly before it opens.

By the way, Mattox tells us that he will be introducing a motion to ditch the wayfinding sign project at the next council meeting in two weeks.

The site is back up, the weather is beautiful and Deirdre is typing up her notes on last night's standing-room-only town council meeting.

The internet problems, by the way, were regional. The Montclair town website, for example, at 9:50 am, is still down.

NJ Transit train service is currently suspended between Secaucus and New York due to police activity. Midtown Direct trains are being diverted through Hoboken. More info here.

UPDATE: WCBS 880 AM tell us service has just been restored.

A&E Television has a new show in the works, "Clean This House", and they want to cast a couple of Baristaville families who need to clean up their act. They send over their Queen of Clean - a cleaning guidance counselor, equipped with cleaning products, gifts from the Container Store and the mantra "no more clutter". You'll compete against another Baristaville family with a messy home in a one day clean-off.

The family that does the best job clearing clutter and organizing junk will win cleaning services for an entire year and a year's supply of Clorox cleaning products. ( Let's hope they are environmentally friendly.) The losing family gets a clean house, tips on how to keep it clean, a little cash, and ...their 15 minutes of fame.

Continue reading "Wanted: Cluttered Messy Homes" »

Frank Gerard Godlewski described last night's Planning Board meeting in Montclair as an excruciating four hour debate. But when the board voted 7 - 2 in favor of a motion to deny a developer permission to tear down historic 24 Upper Mountain and put 5 townhouses in its place, he, and approximately 50 neighbors in attendance left elated.

Godlewski summarized the attorney's argument to demolish the home: "it's an eyesore, in terrible condition". Neighbors in the know testified to the contrary, that owner Dominic Solino has spent years meticulously restoring the beautiful interiors.

Godlewski added "The developer and his attorney went on for two and a half hours, scrambling to make a presentation, but were clearly unprepared. They didn't have enough information to make their case, no elevations, missing details, no copies for the board. They were proposing a new massive retaining wall as well. Only two of the 20 neighbors who testified were ok with the project."

Continue reading "Board Rejects Development Plan At 24 Upper Mountain " »

At tonight's town meeting, Montclair council members will be faced by sign-touting Pegi Adam protesting the proposed Wayfinding Project. Fueled by her outrage over what she calls a "wayfinding extravagance," and a waste of taxpayer dollars, Pegi Adams has singlehandedly jumpstarted a campaign to stop the plan, circulating a petition that has gathered nearly 250 signatures.

We ran into Pegi on Saturday at the Montclair Farmer's Market, which was a bonanza for signators, and later in Upper Montclair. She described most people she met as eager and passionate about signing. Signs hung over her sandwich board style as she passed out notices to "Say No to $750,000 Wayfinding Signs. Please give one hour of your time and come to the town council meeting to show your support in defeating these ridiculous wayfinding signs.."

Continue reading " Detour For Wayfinding Project?" »

Attention Dell lap top computer-toting Barista readers (and writers -- you there, Liz George?) The government has just announced a massive recall because the batteries in some laptops may explode, setting off nasty fires. A recent spate of lap top fires has prompted the recall, including one that set off an explosion of a pick-up truck, pictured above, in Nevada.

More than 4.1 million of the lithium-ion batteries -- manufactured by Sony -- are being recalled in Dell laptops produced from April 2004 to July 18 of this year. Thankfully, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that no one has died. From The New York Times :

Continue reading "Dude, Get That Dell, The Hell, Outta Here" »

There's a new party scene for the tween set, right over the Baristaville border in Verona. Retro outfitter Vintage Alley has opened up a party lounge where it's always the (Peter Max) '60's, with smile faces, strobe lights and beanbag chairs. You can order up a dance party, a tie-dye party, or just rent out the cool space and do your own thing. More details, and contact info, on their website.

Got other groovy ideas for parties? Just talk back to the Barista.

With 16,000 people showing up for today's American Idol auditions at the Meadowlands, expect traffic tie-ups on Rt. 3 and exit 16W on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Lots of people didn't like the look and the location of the gazebo bus shelter at Watchung Plaza when it was all brand-spanking new. Fifteen months later, it's looking even worse, a target for vandalism and grafitti, and a resting place for candy wrappers and other trash.

Here's how it looked last month, when Montclair's Carl Kraus shot a picture of it and hand-delivered a picture to the town manager's office. And here it is now.

The US Department of Homeland Security has lowered the threat level for incoming flights from the UK to orange, from red.

Meanwhile, expect more dogs at airports, as canines are brought in to sniff out terrorists.

The carry-on liquid/gel ban remains in effect, with a few clarifications. Solid lipstick is Ok. Yay! The Barista can travel again.

The Bloomfield Senior Little League team stays alive another day, this time beating a team from Brussels, Belgium 8-2 in the Senior Little League World Series, going on now in Bangor, Maine. Here's what they have to do next, from Gary Iacobacci:

On Monday at 1 PM, they play the team from Madison, Wisconsin who are the Central Regional champs. Their next scheduled game after that will be on Wednesday at 11:30 AM vs. the Southwest Regional champs from Tulsa, OK. They will then play the Latin America champs from Falcon, Venezuela on Thursday at 1 PM. If they make it past all that, on Friday there will be two semi final games. The two winners of the semi-finals games will play on Saturday. The winner of the Saturday game will be crowned Senior League Baseball World Series Champion.

By the way, Livingston's Little League team, which looked like it was headed all the way to Williamsport, Pa., was eliminated by Staten Island in a nationally-televised game last night. CORRECTION: Livingston's Little League squares off tonight against Staten Island to move on in the road to Williamsport. Our bad. Thanks to factchecker for setting us straight.

UPDATE: Another win, today, for Bloomfield, which will move on to play Tulsa on Wednesday. Good luck, guy, and someone send some action shots.

With a number of contentious issues on the agenda from cellphone towers, Wayfaring signs, zoning decrees and water bill increases, expect a lively town meeting this Tuesday night at 8 pm at the Municipal Building on Claremont. Expect yelling and gesticulating, pouting and groaning.

It seems that it now costs you both to get water and to get rid of water. With the rather sudden and unexpected imposition of the sewer fee Montclairians are reeling. According to some, the fee-based system is fairer because it is based upon usage; according to others, it is just a tricky way of bleeding more from homeowners by paying the $2.7 million to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission without making it part of the town budget. Information on the change can be found at the Montclair Township website which claims that the "consumption charge, based on how much each customer is discharging into the sewer system" will "fairly charge heavy users of the system and not effect most one-family homes." How it is that an increase, which for many of us, will be several hundred dollars, is not going to have effect, remains mysterious.

Jon Rosenberg sent us his response:

Dear Mr. Hartnett:

I am a Montclair resident living with my family in a single family home on Victoria Terrace. I am writing in the hopes that you can shed some light on the exponential increases in our water/sewage bills.

When we moved to this Town several years ago, the water rate was $2 per 100 cubic feet of water. As of our April 06 bill, it had risen to $2.30 per 100 cubic feet, and with our usage (which fluctuates between 27 and 40 units every three months) this put our monthly bill at $30 per month for water --which seemed extremely high UNTIL we received our latest bill today:

That bill, a sewer bill dated 8/8/06, charges us $183 -- which if I understand the township website correctly is only the first of two bills we will receive this year. This suggests that our monthly charges for sewer will be another $30 per month on top of the $30 per month we pay for water-- that's $60 per month for provision of basic water services.

We do not have a pool, we barely water our lawn, and are fairly moderate users of water. While the Town website suggests that this new sewer bill is fairer than incorporating the charges in our taxes, it comes across more as a bait and switch, as taxes are already projected to rise 5% this year, even with sewer charges removed from the tax structure and billed directly to
residents.

This is just a guess on my part, but if my family of four are typical water users, then the sewer costs that the township is collecting in these new bills annually must be at least on the order of $4,000,000. So the town is shifting $4,000,000 or more from taxes to direct billing, and our taxes are still rising at least 5%.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this, as the expenses of living in this town are increasing at a rate that greatly exceeds any rate of increase in the incomes of most of its residents.

Sincerely,

Jon Rosenberg

Allergy sufferers who are just beginning their yearly time of misery may also suffer when they eat certain vegetables. According to an allergist at the School of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey: "Certain fruits and vegetables may instantly trigger cross-ragweed reactions that will cause unrelenting itchiness in the mouth and palate and even mild swelling, known as angiodema, said Dr. Leonard Bielory." Steer clear of bananas, melons, cucumbers, zucchini, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea and echinacea unless you are a glutton for punishment (and fresh fruit and vegetables).

Catch Representative Pascrell, on Fox News Live tomorrow at 12:50 as he "discusses" the safety of our skies with Republican Rep Curt Weldon. He will also appear on News 12's Power & Politics on Saturday and Sunday at 10:00am and 3:00pm to speak more on the administration's failure to protect airline passengers.

The New York Times describes the deep sadness of mourners for the Orange detective who waskilled in the line of duty on Monday. A classmate at the police academy described him:
“He’s the best person I’ve ever met in my 31 years,”

Let's face it. Whatever troubles or criticism are visited on Cuban Pete's, the restaurant thrives anyway. Dominick Restaino arrested for spiking the sangria? Who cares? Long waits and excruciatingly slow service? Just proof it's the hottest spot in town.

So we wouldn't expect The New York Times' "satisfactory" rating -- in tomorrow's Jersey section, on the lawns of home subscribers today -- to thin the crowds at Cuban Pete's entryway, even if "satisfactory" is reviewer David Corcoran's equivalent of a C-. If anything, the distribution of the Jersey section beyond the reaches of Baristaville will spread the word of Cuban Pete's mystique and its "gently" priced menu to denizens of Ho-Ho-Kus and Piscataway. After all, who wouldn't want to be served in a festive atmosphere by guys in Panama hats?

Continue reading "The Teflon Restaurant" »

Apparently reading is not the safe activity that we all had hoped. If the "halfway prize" was lead, what did you get if you read all the books--arsenic?

The Montclair Public Library has learned [http://blog.njla.org] that the bendable cats and dogs given out as halfway prizes in the Summer Reading Club might contain high amounts of lead. We are asking anyone with these toys to return them to the library to be replaced with another prize. The Montclair Public Library would like to extend our most sincere apologies to our patrons. The Summer Reading Program, "Paws, Claws, Scales & Tales," is a national reading program and was used in over 40 states. Many libraries purchased these toys from the Highsmith Company, a distributor of library products. For further information, please call the library's children's desk at 973-744-0500 x2236, or Highsmith Customer Relations at 1-800-558-2110 or 1-920-563-9571 x3

Garage Sale 108 Park Street, Montclair 9-2 Sure to please. Taxidermy sailfish, lamps, rugs, vintage & kitsch stuff, frames, pictures, some toys-plan city table, old coke cooler...Don't miss this one!

The uncertain future of 24 Upper Mountain will be under review this Monday by the Montclair Planning Board. Will the Board allow the old home to remain, or be bulldozed to make way for five luxury townhouses? Baristanet reader and museum curator Frank Gerard Godlewski has been researching the archaeological significance and historic value of this property. He sent us this information hoping it would be put a little perspective on the situation.

Alterations to 24 Upper Mountain Avenue (the vintage interiors have been meticulously restored and the exterior only needs paint and some porch work) would be detrimental to two of Montclair’s most historic features and part of it’s original site, The Howe House at 369 Claremont Avenue (Freed Slave House) and the 1872 train tunnel. In 2004, we began a research project to establish Montclair as a Freedom Station with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. This house sits upon the portal to a 1,200 tunnel test bore that runs under the mountain pass then monitored by a tollhouse. Was it used as a safe passage during abolition and later when gangs tried to prevent African Americans to work freely in agriculture and industry?

We only know - “the Howe House or the Washington Wayside House -- was built in 1781. In 1831, Nathaniel Crane gave this house and six acres of property to James Howe; his former slave.

Continue reading "History Echos From 24 Upper Mountain" »

If you're old enough, you'll remember Mike Douglas' afternoon talk show which aired for 21 years, until 1982. He died todayin Florida, aged 81.

I received this in an email last night, which was sent to all students with a Montclair State email address. Unfortunately the email was sent out ten hours after the incident occurred, giving the sandy-blonde haired suspect a slight head start on his escape. From the email:

Today, a female student reported that on August 9, 2006 at approximately 11:15AM, an unknown male approached her on the walkway leading to the Red Hawk Deck located behind Dickson Hall. The male attempted to grab the female student by the arm after engaging her in conversation. The female student fled the scene and the suspect did not follow.

Continue reading "Assault On MSU Campus" »

Friday August 11
Try some music under the stars tonight:
Opera at Brookdale Park: The Three Tenors – Michael Crouse, Thomas J. Stallone, and Rinaldo Taglia perform at 7:30 pm. Bring a chair or blanket. Free. 973-268-3500

4th Annual Jazz Workshop Concert, 8 pm, The Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center. 4 Boland Drive, West Orange. Bring a chair or blanket. 973-669-7385

Saturday, August 12

Documentary Film: Long Road Home. A must for baseball fansthis weekend: a powerful documentary on the life of John Malangone, who was on his way to becoming Yogi Berra's successor as Yankee catcher in late 1950s, until a terrible secret unraveled his career.

John Malangone is probably the best baseball player the world has never heard of. His story spans five decades, beginning in the back alleys of East Harlem, where he grew up in the vibrant world that included gangsters and hustlers. It’s a world that no longer exists, but comes to life in this film, by award winning documentary filmmaker Bruce Spiegel, Baristanet friend and Teaneck resident. Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center. 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Museum admission $6/$4.

Continue reading "Thrill Seekers" »

The Orange PD is expecting thousands of officers to attend the funeral for Detective Kieran T. Shields, killed Monday night in the line of duty. Montclair PD has been asked to provide the honor guard, escort for the casket, and additional support needed during the ceremony.

The Funeral will take place Saturday, 10 am at St. Matthew AME Church. 336 Oakwood Ave in Orange. A viewing is scheduled today and the church , 5-9 m.

Shields leaves behind three children, ages 10, 7, and 4 months, and a widow, Chatrian. The 200 Club of Essex County is accepting donations on the family's behalf. Contributions may be sent to the Shields Family Fund, 200 Club of Essex, POB 32249, Newark, 07102.

Bloomfield’s Senior League Baseball Team grabbed the Eastern Region title at last night’s game, defeating their Delaware rivals in the second game, 13-5. Congratulations to all the athletes and coaches for this big win! This means they are headed to Bangor, Maine, to compete with US and International teams in the Little League World Series.

More details of the victory game have been posted by Anne Prince and other readers here.
Photo courtesy of Gary Iacobacci. Left to right: Front Row: Rich Monroig, Kevin Miller, Eric Szuhany, Chris DelliPaoli, Mike Chiaravolotti, Standing: Jordan Skidmore, Mike Andrade, Liam Pemberthy, Dan Bataei, Jason Chesterman, Tom Petrillo, Vinny DelVecchio, Mat Mazzola, John DelVecchio Coaches: Manager Robert Chiaravolotti, Coaches Steve Szuhany, Dave DelVecchio

NJ Transit will help you get there - special transport service is scheduled to the event.

If you really want to put yourself through this, you might want to check with Anwar first, then click here for American Idol's marching orders.

Glen Ridge's Mayor Carl Bergmanson told us he's not one to "count his revenue chickens before they are hatched" but this week Glen Ridge officials talked with Merit Health Systems, a for-profit corporation that intends to take the helm of financially ailing Mountainside Hospital. Bergmanson and Manager Michael Rohal estimated potential tax revenue from the hospital's property taxes - big bucks for the "tax stressed" borough. Yesterday's Star Ledger had the numbers:

By Rohal's initial calculations, the hospital could generate $5.7 million in tax revenue, with $3.5 million of that going to the schools, $1.23 million to the municipality, and the remainder to Essex County.

Bergmanson although optimistic, has a "wait and see" attitude. "It's going to be about six months before the hospital purchase goes through," he said.

Yesterday's terrorist bust in Britain hasn't revealed evidence of which departing flights were targeted for destruction. But speculation points to Newark bound planes, where Continental Airlines has its hub. And Newark Liberty has the second highest number of planes arriving from the UK in the country - about 15 each day - topped only by JFK which receives about 21 planes. The result yesterday at Newark Airport was controlled chaos, and waits of up to four hours and a security noose that prevented even security guards from holding onto their Poland Springs. From The Courier Post

Richard Canas, director of the state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, said "We believe this is very international in scope," adding that stepped-up security focused on "transportation in general in the state of New Jersey, not just aviation."

Continue reading "Newark Bound Planes Possible Terrorist Target" »

Tonight, at five o'clock, 15 and 16 year olds on Bloomfield's all-star little league ball team will compete against Delaware to determine which team will go to the Senior League World Series. The team, coached by Montclair resident Robert Chiaravolotti, had had a remarkable season winning the state title, said Anthony Todaro, president of the local league. " They only have to win one game tonight, but they've got two chances. If they lose the 5 pm game, they'll play again at 7. We hope the team will move on to the World Series, in Bangor Maine, an international competition. If they make it, they'll challenge a Senior League team from Brussels, Belgium this Sunday.

Continue reading "High Stakes For Bloomfield Senior League Baseball " »

Just got not one, but two calls from the Glen Ridge reverse-911 phone system today, warning us that Ridgewood Ave., from Carteret Street to the border of East Orange, will be closed on Saturday from noon to 3 for the funeral of slain Orange police officer Kieran Shields.

Not for nothing, but is a street closing two days from now really an emergency? Caller ID announced the call was coming from CMMNTY ALERT and with the whole world on edge about a new terrorist plot and threat levels raised, maybe the matter could have been handled a little less urgently.

Signed,
Chicken Little