Glen Ridge artist Lori Loebelsohn, who designed this year’s event logo, was running around Glen Ridge with a camera during the Ashenfelter 8K. Yesterday’s race had a great turnout – over 2,000 runners, she says. The annual run, organized by Dan Murphy, raises beaucoup bucks for the Glen Ridge Educational fund. Last year, the race brought in over $25,000! Lori writes:

I didn’t run, but it was fun to be there and to see all those people running wearing my shirt design. It was a real community effort and many people in town contributed to it’s success. The Girls Club, helped with sign up and distribution of race materials, as well as giving out food and drinks. The mayor, Peter Hughes, ran the race. There were so many volunteers, I lost count. Also, there were kids and grown ups of all ages running. It’s a really nice Thanksgiving tradition.

Congratulations to ALL the runners. If anyone has info on the winners, please post in comments.
–photos, Lori Loebelsohn

On-going narcotics investigations by Montclair Police led to two arrests this week:
On the evening of November 23, police detectives arrived at 50 Greenwood Avenue with search warrants issued against the residence Earl Blake.
During investigation of the premises, detectives seized 42 zip-lock bags of marijuana – estimated street value of $800.
Blake, 36, was arrested and charged with one count of possession, two counts of possession with intent to distribute. Blake was sent to Essex County Jail, held on bond of $7,500.
The next day, November 24, Montclair detectives descended upon the a Park Street residence at 7:30 a.m. with search warrants. During the seach, detectives seized 42 ecstasy pills – estimated street value of $420 – plus 7.5 grams of marijuana and assorted drug paraphernalia.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with one count of possession, two counts of possession and distribution. The juvenile was remanded to Essex Youth House.
In an unrelated case, a Montclair man, Harrison Williams, 18, was arrested on November 24, charged with aggravated assault, criminal tresspass, and underage drinking.

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Three more Bloomfield police officers are filing suit against the town and naming certain council members. According to attorney Gina Mendola Longarzo, the officers claim their jobs changed after publicly supporting Captain Chris Goul for Chief of Police, not Chief Mark Leonard, who was voted in by town council 4-3. From Bloomfield Life:

Attorney Gina Mendola Longarzo of the law offices of Gina Mendola Longarzo LLC in Madison, said her clients, are Bloomfield Police Department (BPD) Sgt. Joe Krentz and patrol officers Patsy Spatola and Chad Smith.
According to the BPD’s transfer list, Spatola and Smith have moved from detectives to beat cops, while Krentz, who retained his rank of sergeant, was sent to the communications department.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this, but there are certain members on the council who are putting their personal vendetta on these officers and that needs to be put to a stop,” Mendola Longarzo told Bloomfield Life.

Bloomfield Police Captain Chris Goul also filed a lawsuit against the town, saying he lost the position of Chief of Police because of a “civil conspiracy.”

To the tune of Frere Jacques…
Are You Shopping, Spending Money?
Early Call, To The Malls?
Maybe Staying Local,
Shopping On Your Laptop,
Kerching! Kerching! Kerching!
Hey Baristaville, how are you spending (pun intended) your day after Thanksgiving? (Personally, I prefer to boycott the call to shopping and enjoy my turkey left-overs.)
Several national retailers jump-started Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day. Old Navy, to my disgust, advocated fleeing the family gathering and dumping grandma after three rounds of gin rummy to run out and spend your hard earned money grab some bargains before stock runs out.
Personally, the only shops I’d even think about venturing in are the ones I could walk to, or which are within a five-minute drive. Check BaristaKids for some local deals on kids’ stuff, and tell us, are Black Friday and Cyber-Monday worth the effort?
–photo, Cybernetnews.com

This holiday weekend, NJ TRANSIT’s Family Super Saver Fare, which allows up to two children 11 and younger to travel free with each fare-paying adult, is in effect through 6 a.m. Monday, November 30. Discounted off-peak round trip tickets are also valid anytime during this period.
Meeting the challenges of the holiday shopping frenzy, today through December 23, extra bus service will be operating to shopping centers throughout New Jersey and additional trains will operate to and from New York.
Expanded service will be offered on 13 bus routes serving 11 malls and shopping centers including Elizabeth Center at 13A (IKEA), Garden State Plaza, IKEA Paramus, Jersey Gardens, Livingston Mall, Harmon Meadow/Mill Creek in Secaucus, The Mall at Short Hills, Willowbrook Mall, Wayne Towne Center Mall and West Belt Mall.
For detailed schedule information, visit njtransit.com or call 973-275-5555.

That turkey, she is the diva of Thanksgiving — all that basting and attention just to get a perfect tan. Yet everyone knows for all the fuss, the feast is really an ensemble cast — incomplete without the performance of all those beloved side dishes.

Tell us that mystery side dish your tastebuds wait all year for, or your worst Thanksgiving cooking mishap (help is here), the best balloon at the Macy’s parade (it bypasses Broadway this year, the first time in 83 years), the pies you baked (or picked up at Gina’s), how far you had to drive (still recovering from 4.5 hours, no stops) and last but most importantly, who/what you are most thankful for this year.
Have a fabulous holiday, no matter how you spend it, from all of us at Baristanet.

Essex County folks can expect some sunshine on Thanksgiving Day, with a chance of rain in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The temperature is set to be mild, in the mid-50s. Rainfall is likely after midnight, continuing into Friday morning. Indeed, Black Friday will be grim and cloudy, with lows in the mid-30s.
But the weekend should afford plenty of outdoor time, with sunshine forecast for part of Saturday and much of Sunday.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us!

Dress your best and have your portrait taken in Essex County Kip’s Castle by professional photographer, Michael Downey, on Sunday, Dec 6, from 12 noon through 4.00pm. Sittings will be scheduled every fifteen minutes, include three photos of one pose, and will cost $20 to benefit the Essex County Parks Foundation.
Photos can be previewed online at www.michaeldowneyphoto.com, and picture packages will be available for purchase. Sittings are by appointment only, so book now – half the spaces have already been taken up.
Kip’s Castle Park
22 Crestmont Road
Verona, NJ 07044
973.239.2485