Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010 10:46am | COMMENTS (5)
A reader from Montclair writes:
Here is a photo of a stray Pit Bull mix we found on the corner of Grove and Mt. Hebron streets last night at 10:30. He is brown and white, very friendly and was great with my 12-year-old son. He looks to be well taken care of but wore no collar. He is now at Montclair Animal Center under the name we gave him, Rambo.
If this is your dog, or if you know whose dog it is, please contact pets@baristanet.com
Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010 10:00am | COMMENTS (13)
It’s one thing when budget cuts threaten fireworks. Another thing when they threaten firefighting. But staffing shortages and a cap on overtime hours have already led to one of Bloomfield’s firehouses being closed for almost three days recently.
Fire House 2, located at 90 Watsessing Ave., was closed for 24 hours on Thursday, June 17, and for half days the following Saturday and Monday, Bloomfield Fire Chief Joseph McCarthy told Baristanet.
“Right now we are severely understaffed, as a result we had a significant spike in our overtime,” McCarthy said.
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 8:33pm | COMMENTS (29)
“When he looked at you, he didn’t look you in the eye. And I thought it was strange.”
That was how Jeannette Lauture remembered her neighbor “Richard Murphy,” the man who along with wife “Cynthia Murphy,” was arrested for being Russian secret agents. “I remember him talking to me, but averting his eyes, and I had this feeling, even then, there was something not right.” It was strange, says Murphy Lauture, because on this friendly block, Murphy’s reticence to interact, his reluctance to engage in anything more than just a brief hello, made him the exception. “I remember that the kids were friendly,” says Lauture, “but you never saw them outside playing. He seemed very protective of them.”
Lauture was one of a handful of neighbors outside tonight on Marquette Road, a pretty winding street with well-kept houses and plenty of kids, many who were out riding bikes. Many didn’t know the Murphys (who moved from an apartment in Hoboken to Montclair in 2008, purchasing the home at 31 Marquette for $481,000), but a few recalled seeing Richard Murphy walking his two daughters to catch the Hillside school bus.
There were more media than residents on Marquette Road as reporters from Eyewitness News, WPIX, Bloomberg and others, tried to get the story behind the couple who have become known in court documents as the New Jersey Conspirators.
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 4:05pm | COMMENTS (45)
Ten alleged secret agents spying for Russia were arrested on Sunday by the FBI and two of the defendants are from Montclair. The defendants known as “Richard Murphy” and “Cynthia Murphy” were arrested at their Marquette Road residence (pictured) in Montclair, and are expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan today.
The “Murphys,” along with six other individuals, were arrested for allegedly carrying out long-term, “deep-cover” assignments in the U.S. on behalf of the Russian Federation, the Justice Department announced today. Two additional defendants were also arrested Sunday for allegedly participating in the same Russian intelligence program within the U.S.
In total, 11 defendants, including the 10 arrested, are charged in two separate criminal complaints with conspiring to act as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation within the United States. Nine of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Details on the other defendants in the jump…
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 3:55pm | COMMENTS (18)
This past Sunday morning around 5:30, we were getting ready for a race down the shore when my husband calls to me from upstairs, telling me to, “Look out the back window! There’s a big, white rabbit in our backyard!” My first reaction was to inquire what he was smoking but sure enough, as the picture attests, there was a big, fat albino rabbit running around in our garden.
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 3:50pm | COMMENTS (1)
Clever Commute reports that passengers on the 310 to Montclair were directed to track 4 to take the Dover train to Newark Broad St and then transfer.
Earlier, this report had come in:
On the 310 to montclair, lights air turned off and were not moving. No announcement
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 3:00pm | COMMENTS (7)
There are several Independence Day festivities planned in and around town, including Montclair’s own July 4th parade, which will take place on July 5th. Here’s what’s in store in terms of entertainment and fireworks:
Essex County: Two Fireworks Dispays and Concerts
County Exec Joe DiVincenzo invites you to pack a blanket and dance the night away at Essex’s free concert series. The NJ Symphony Orchestra and Fireworks Display is the first event, as follows:
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 2:00pm | COMMENTS (6)
Baristanet contributor Tara Williams takes a coffee break with Michael W. Smith, head fitness coach and owner, North Jersey Adventure Boot Camp for Women
You’re passionate about fitness. How did it start?
Well, basically, freshman year of high school when I was 14 was when I first got introduced to weight training and fitness, in general. Every book I could get my hands on about nutrition, working out and even the sports psychology aspect, I was always interested in, as well–understanding that peak performance mentality.
I’m from Bloomfield, originally, and I went to Montclair State University to play baseball and I’ve always been involved in athletics–I was All-State baseball in high school. I transitioned in college from sports and fitness more into fitness full-time. I got my personal training certification when I was around 19-20 years old and really fell in love with it right away because of the positive effect you can have on someone’s life and their body.
After working at a gym in West Caldwell (New York Sports Club) for about 10 months or so, I started my own in-home personal training and some group-type training — five, 10, 12 people — outdoors and indoors. Four years ago, when I was 24 years old, I started this current program and business, Adventure Boot Camp for Womenin Montclair.
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 12:45pm | COMMENTS (8)
Cindy Pedersen fell in love with a three-bedroom colonial home on Grove St, the minute she saw it.
“I liked the flow of the house, and while I saw the ‘before,’ I also saw its ‘after’ potential,” she told Baristanet.
She forked out $390,000 for the home, which has two bathrooms, a big garden and parking for up to four cars, and, after a few years, took on a massive 1 1/2-year renovation project.
A large, overground pool in the backyard was removed, and four different landscaping companies lovingly sculpted what was left into a lush lawn, fringed with a pretty perennial garden and a specially ordered-in fish water feature. An irrigation system was also installed.
Monday, Jun 28, 2010 11:00am | COMMENTS (6)
Students and colleagues alike are passionate when they speak of Caroline Bassillo, a beloved Glen Ridge Middle School English teacher, who passed away last Friday after a protracted illness. Basillo, who was just 29, was a gifted teacher who brought the type of wisdom and instinct to her work that was expected from a more seasoned professional.
GR school psychologist Edward Bobinski said, “She met each of her students at their own individual level of ability, and used various learning styles to inspire outstanding academic accomplishments. Her upbeat presence and warm smile will be sorely missed by all who knew her.”
