Pascrell Re-Districted Out of Baristaville, Starting 2013

BY  |  Friday, Dec 23, 2011 6:35pm  |  COMMENTS (7)

Rep. Pascrell's door in the Bloomfield Municipal Building.

A new state map of Congressional districts was adopted today, and the changes will boot Rep. Bill Pascrell out as Congressman of Baristaville, starting Jan. 2013.

Under the new map, Pascrell will — if re-elected — represent the 9th District, instead of the 8th, and his territory will move to areas of both Passaic and Bergen County. He is from Paterson.

The new map splits most of Baristaville into the 10th and 11th Congressional Districts, with northern parts falling in the 11th district now represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, and the southern parts falling in the 10th district currently represented by Donald Payne, D-Newark. Continue Reading

Stabbing Near Erie Saloon; Suspect, a White Man With Dreadlocks, Flees

BY  |  Friday, Dec 23, 2011 4:59pm  |  COMMENTS (27)

Shortly before 2 a.m., Montclair police responded to a report of gunshots near the Erie Saloon on Depot Square. No guns or gunshots were found, but police found a stabbing victim. The suspect in the stabbing, a white man with shoulder-length blond dreadlocks, got away. Continue Reading

Body Found at South Mountain Reservation Identified

Friday, Dec 23, 2011 4:16pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

The Essex County Prosecutor’s office announced today that the body found at South Mountain Reservation has been identified as Gregory Kongor, 47, of Millburn. Mr. Kongor previously resided in Bethlehem, Pa. and Catasauqua, Pa.

In a press release issued this afternoon the office said,

“The investigation is active and ongoing but preliminary information indicates Mr. Kongor was living in Millburn at the time of his death. It appears he had been missing since the summer.  His body was discovered in a heavily wooded area of South Mountain Reservation by a woman walking her dog. The official cause of death is pending. No other information is available at this time.”

Name that Cocktail of Christmas Yet to Come

BY  |  Friday, Dec 23, 2011 3:00pm  |  COMMENTS (9)

“When it came near him, Scrooge bent down upon his knee; for in the very air through which this Spirit moved it seemed to scatter gloom and mystery.” I believe this is what is called “Hair of the Dog.” What will we be drinking in the future? Who the heck knows. I can only hope that in future Christmases I can download the SNL song “Christmas Coming to the USA,” Mr. Jingle and Mr. Gimel find mates, and that all the children of the world to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace…. Continue Reading

See A Choir of Angels in Glen Ridge

BY  |  Friday, Dec 23, 2011 1:30pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

Local artist Christina Saj’s paintings of angels are on display for the Christmas holidays at Christ Episcopal Church in Glen Ridge.

A Choir of Angels is available for viewing in the sanctuary of the church through Epiphany.

Saj, who grew up in Montclair and now lives in Cedar Grove, studied Byzantine icon painting and has worked with contemporary artists in New York City. Her work melds the two worlds, creating a modern interpretation of traditional subjects.

Her work resides in private and museum collections in the United States and abroad. To view more of her work or find out about current exhibitions log on to www.christinasaj.com.

Ticket Giveaway: Three Pairs of Tickets to the NJSO

BY  |  Friday, Dec 23, 2011 12:22pm  |  COMMENTS (11)

UPDATE: Our three winners are weinerau, Nellie and Grover.

Thanks to the generosity of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, we are giving away 3 pairs of tickets to any performance of its Classical, Pops or Best Of series.

The theme of the 2011-2012 season, led by Music Director Jacques Lacombe, is “Music You Can Taste.” The classical series includes pianist Andre Watts playing Brahms; a “Spanish Inspiration” featuring violinist Clara-Jumi Kang performing Verdi, Lalo and Revel; and soprano Olga Peretyatko performing operatic selections.

Pops performances including “An Evening with Bernadette Peters” and “A Salute to Gilbert & Sullivan” with vocalist and host Curt Olds. (For the full list of the series performances, click here.)

To enter the contest, tell us why you deserve to win tickets to the NJSO in the comments section below. The contest starts now and ends today, Dec. 23, at 5 p.m. Winners will be chosen at random.

Today is Festivus!

BY  |  Friday, Dec 23, 2011 10:35am  |  COMMENTS (15)

Festivus, the “holiday” for folks fed up with rampant commercialism and the pressures of those other holidays that take place this time of year, is celebrated on December 23.

The holiday was created in 1966 by writer Dan O’Keefe, to celebrate the anniversary of his first date with his wife, and then turned into an annual family tradition. But the holiday reached cultural significance—if you could call it that—when O’Keefe’s son, Daniel, a writer for Seinfeld, used it in an episode of the TV show.

Continue Reading

Highway Tolls to Increase Jan. 1

BY  |  Friday, Dec 23, 2011 8:56am  |  COMMENTS (3)

If you spend a lot of time driving on the Turnpike or the Parkway, be prepared to spend a lot more money. Starting January 1, tolls will increase 53 percent on the Turnpike, and 50 percent on the Parkway. The increase is the second phase of a toll increase approved under Gov. Jon Corzine in 2008. The first phase went into effect in December of that year.

According to nj.com, the average passenger vehicle toll will rise from $2.20 to $3.30 on the Turnpike and 70 cents to $1.05 on the Parkway. The average truck toll will increase from $7.95 to $12.15 on the Turnpike and $1.40 to $2.15 on the Parkway.

The state says the revenue is not being used for operating costs but for funding the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s $7 billion capital program and other transportation projects. The work will also create thousands of private sector jobs, the state says.

 

Photo by bankbryan (flickr)

Name That Cocktail of Christmas Present

BY  |  Thursday, Dec 22, 2011 4:00pm  |  COMMENTS (11)

Tonight Baritavillagers you shall be visited by the Spirit of Christmas Present. What was old is now new and Sidecars are making a huge come back. So I will blend Charles Dickens with the 1958 smash hit “Auntie Mame” starring the fabulous Rosalind Russell and for those of you who have been working your tails off and need a little Christmas right this very minute, let’s haul out the Holly.  Now be a dear, and go make your Auntie Mame a Sidecar. Continue Reading

The Weekend: The Holidays Edition

BY  |  Thursday, Dec 22, 2011 3:30pm  |  COMMENTS (2)

With Hanukkah, Christmas happening at the same time this weekend, there’s not much going on that isn’t holiday related.But that’s what this time of year is all about isn’t it? Continue Reading

Featured Comment

I was very glad to see this post. The running in the street around here drives me crazy, mostly because the the majority of the runners I've encountered (not every runner)seem to think that it's their right to take up half the street when what they are doing is in fact illegal. And let's not be silly. Yes, concrete is hard on the joints, but the pavement isn't that much better. It's not like the roads are made of track rubber.
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sadie07

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