Hi, Honey! Here are the flowers I got you for our anniversary. I am leaving them in a hotel lobby for safekeeping for now, while I’m stuck on Gustav watch in deserted New Orleans.
(Sorry, it’s already dark and none of the pictures outside look like anything.)
photo: Amy Sancetta

Fingers crossed that the levees hold.

It’s August–there’s still time for a compelling summer read like Montclair author Jacqueline (also known as Jay) Carey’s “It’s A Crime”.
The protagonist, Pat Foy, is a landscape architect married to a telecom millionaire, who lives in the most exclusive area of a town modeled on Montclair. As the book opens, her glamorous life begins to unravel during a visit to the Philadelphia flower show. In a dramatic and effective case of foreshadowing, Pat is transfixed by a menacing ‘Black and White Garden’ – the glaringly lit centerpiece of the show: “…eddies of black and white blossoms. Violet-black irises. Purple-black hollyhocks. White foxglove spikes barnacled with little pink-tongued bells. Huge white pompom hydrangeas. The dark plum-colored ‘Black Jewel’ tulip, with its shark-toothed petals.’

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Police search helicopters circled Montclair Saturday night around 11 pm, searching for a missing 8-year-old child. The child was apparently found shortly after 11 with a relative. Baristanet received five tips from readers concerned about the helicopter presence. Montclair police dispatch would not release any details except for the fact that a child was found and helicopters were involved.

A tipster passes on some good news for Bloomfield parents:
“Before and after-care will be provided in Bloomfield schools through the Montclair YMCA. The services were approved by the board on Tuesday. They obviously have very little time to advertise and register people. In order for the program to work, they needed 11 students per session…”
Before Care hours: 7:30 am – school opening, After Care is from dismissal until 6pm. This service is offered at the following schools: Berkeley, Brookdale, Carteret, Demarest, Fairview, Franklin, Oakview, Watsessing.
If you’re interested, make the call to register: 973-415-6134, Lisa Aulisi. l.aulisi@montclairymca.org.

This Labor Day you might want to walk the walk at the mother of all street fairs…For 33 years, the town of Rutherford, just a ten minute drive from Baristaville, has been partying in the streets. This Monday, rain or shine, you’ll find 200+ vendors of fun, fashion, furniture (antique), crafts and food (check out the Thai cooking demo) along Park Avenue from Ames to Lincoln Park. Watch out for the strolling guitarists and clowns making the rounds.
There’s live music at the big band shell in Lincoln Park by the Dick Richards Band (Big Band) 11 am-1 pm, Mad Dog Mary (Rock and Roll ) 1-3 pm and The Kootz Band (50′s and 60′s) 3-5 pm. Jazz guitarist Vinny Landolfi will be playing on the lawn of the Presbyterian Church 11 am-1 pm followed by Dixieland Band 1-3 pm and Bagpipers 3-5.

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It just doesn’t seem fair that on the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction, the Gulf Coast is facing yet another force of nature: Hurricane Gustav. While some residents and pets have been pro-actively evacuated, FEMA, the Red Cross and other agencies are preparing for yet another potential disaster. Today New Orleans takes pause amid impending disaster to hold a memorial service and bell-ringing.
And after three long years working to rebuild the city and the afflicted Gulf, the media spotlight is looking at what has and hasn’t been accomplished. Many of the recovery efforts have stagnated in the past year – tens of thousands of blighted properties, lack of affordable housing for essential service and construction workers, sparse public services, and a broken health care system continue to plague the city and region, according to the Brookings Institute.
Alternet.org reports residents feel divided by class and race, and feel forgotten by the rest of the country and the federal government.

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Our faithful cybrarian, Arnie Korotkin, snapped a few photos to remind us of the bounty found at Little Falls’ new Farmers’ Market.
Little Falls Marketplace is open today and every Friday at 8:30 am -open until 5pm in the parking lot of the Municipal Building (Union & Main).
Pencil in some of Fall’s upcoming events at the Marketplace. (Details after the jump.) Planning your Labor Day Weekend fun? There’s always the new Australian Outback exhibit at Turtleback Zoo, Dueling Pianos in Bloomfield, and a last splash at Montclair Pools..Check out our Calendar, and tell us what you’re up to….

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Officials are calling last week’s armed robbery at Bloomfield College a rare occurrence. The unlikely victims, two young men, were sitting on a campus bench on the night of August 21. Around 9:30 pm, a black male approached them, and revealed a silver gun. The students surrendered cell phones and $400 cash. Bloomfield Life reports:

…the suspect entered a red or maroon Mercury Cougar driven by a second man, Goul said. The victims, who were unharmed, offered no description of the driver.
The alleged robber is described as weighing 200 pounds, standing about 5’8”, with short hair, and wearing dark clothing and a black baseball cap.

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It’s official: John McCain has named Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his running mate, making her the GOP’s first ever female VP nominee. Forty-something Palin is a mother of five…More on the Palin “fix” from the Washington Post, here.

Montclair’s plan for a quiet zone along the NJT route is likely to create added traffic congestion to the busy upper Montclair business district. The plan proposes to turn Lorraine Avenue into a dead end by closing the train crossing at the crossroads of North Mountain.
But the proposed closing is not the town’s doing…Don Zief, Chair of Public Transportation Advisory Committee says it was in response to the strong urging of the Federal Railroad Association, NJ Transit and NJDOT to close a crossing. “NJDOT is in favor of the closure because a closed crossing is a safe crossing – having nothing to do with a Quiet Zone,” says Zief.

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