MAPLEWOOD, NJ – A Juneteenth celebration took place at the Durand-Hedden House and Garden, an event that was packed full of varying performances and activities as well as exhibits, information, historical reenactors performing, musical performances, food for sale and vendors with various wares.

Many events were happening concurrently inside the house, near the river, in front of the ...

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - Saturday, June 18, 2022, late afternoon well into the evening a large group gathered on Maplewood Memorial Park to hear the Spoken Word from several Poets, Music, and Song.

Mayor Dean Dafis greeted everyone and turned the mike over to Committeeman Frank McGehee who delivered the following remarks:

"Thank you for coming out - We appreciate ...

Juneteenth is the celebration of when Freedom truly came to some Black Slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. Although the President had declared all free in 1863, this area of the country had not given the freedom to the people in questioned until the Union Army showed up and ordered them to do so.

It’s now been declared a federal holiday, and celebrated in many areas but not ...

MAPLEWOOD, NJ – Most members of the South Orange/Maplewood School Board said Monday they favored renaming Jefferson School in honor of Winnie Delia Bolden, the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia High School.

That opinion was revealed during a non-binding, informal straw vote by the board which is continuing to discuss what name to give the elementary school. The board has ...

Wonder, a new home dining experience serving 22 towns in New Jersey, has announced its first ever Student of the Year awards. The company is currently accepting nominations for 2022 high school graduates that exemplify Wonder’s core values of mastery, compassion, and courage.

"These communities have been so welcoming to us,” Wonder Senior Director of Marketing, Raina ...

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Thanks to a Livingston mom’s determination to bring awareness to a clause in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 stating that all school districts have a responsibility to include all students in extracurricular activities, Livingston teen Benjamin Tepper recently became the first out-of-district special needs student to attend the Livingston High School (LHS) senior prom ...

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Following the recent uptick in vehicle thefts throughout the state, including a total of 19 vehicles stolen from Livingston to date in 2022, Livingston Chief of Police Gary Marshuetz attended Monday’s township council meeting to publicly addressed crucial data related to these local investigations.

In addition to warning residents about the need to remove key ...

MONTCLAIR, NJ - Montclair Township Animal Shelter officials are seeking the public's help in locating the individual who ejected a kitten from a car window on Friday, they announced.

According to published reports, Montclair animal control officers say that an unidentified person who threw the kitten out the passenger window of a moving car on Glenridge Avenue sometime around 12:15PM ...

MAPLEWOOD, NJ -- Three members of the Columbia High School baseball team have been selected to the 2022 Super Essex Conference Liberty Division First Team.

Luke Nomura, Brandon Doubek and Zach Johnson of Columbia were named to the first team in a poll of the conference's coaches.

Nomura, a senior shortstop, led the Cougars (17-12) with a .500 batting average (45 for 90), 18 doubles and ...

MAPLEWOOD, NJ -- Four members of the Columbia High School girls lacrosse team have been named to the 2022 Super Essex Conference All-Liberty Division First Team.

Jamie Fardin, Olivia Fitzsimmons, Ada Stout and Julianne Hatton-Henigan of Columbia all were voted to the first team in a poll of the conference's coaches.

Fardin, a junior midfielder, led Columbia in faceoffs won with 56 and ...

MONTCLAIR, NJ - Montclair Township Animal Shelter officials are seeking the public's help in locating the individual who ejected a kitten from a car window on Friday, they announced.

According to published reports, Montclair animal control officers say that an unidentified person who threw the kitten out the passenger window of a moving car on Glenridge Avenue sometime around 12:15PM ...

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) announced on Monday the first possible case of monkeypox in the state. A PCR test conducted by the Department’s Public Health and Environmental Laboratories confirmed the presence of orthopoxvirus in a Jersey City individual on June 18. A confirmatory test for the monkeypox virus, one of the viruses associated with the ...

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - Friday evening, June 24 was a busy night in Downtown Maplewood. It started at 7 pm with a Drag Queen PRE-PARTY as a warm-up to the dance party. This part of the evening was held at LUNA STELLA Restaurant at their Bar.

A visit was made to meet and have a drink with the participants very close to the opening hour. What would have been a great idea had been an hour or ...

South Orange, NJ - Sunday afternoon on June 19th, the lobby of SOPAC was alive with many of the folk who had been in Spiotta Park on Friday evening where 25 members of the community painted 25 squares sized 12” y 12”. Each participant painted whatever they were inspired to paint, just knowing that their creation would connect with the other 24 squares to form a mural sized 5 feet by 5 ...

BLOOMFIELD, NJ-- Rainbow flags adorned Washington Street as Bloomfield residents celebrated LGBTQ+ culture at Friday's inaugural Pride-themed Dinner Under the Stars. The event serves as Bloomfield Pride’s first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in March 2020. 

“Celebrating PRIDE is important, as it inspires people to love others ...

Wonder, a new home dining experience serving 22 towns in New Jersey, has announced its first ever Student of the Year awards. The company is currently accepting nominations for 2022 high school graduates that exemplify Wonder’s core values of mastery, compassion, and courage.

"These communities have been so welcoming to us,” Wonder Senior Director of Marketing, Raina ...

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - Friday evening hundreds gathered at Spiotta Park to hear from elected officials, volunteers and people who shared their personal experiences.

There were many signs, against the decision which takes away the protections that guaranteed women the right to choose an abortion for a medical reason or a personal choice. Now, each individual state can decide whether to allow legal ...

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - Gov. Phil Murphy wants New Jersey homeowners and renters to receive nearly $2 billion in direct tax relief this year and in the years moving forward.

At a gathering in South Brunswick's municipal complex, Murphy declared "promises kept" as he unfurled his plan to provide tax rebates to more than 2 million households in the Garden State.  ...

JESPY House Celebrated A Battle of the Chefs at Orange Lawn Tennis Club

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – Thursday evening, June 23 at Orange Lawn Tennis Club, JESPY House celebrated their supporters, client families at their biggest Fundraiser of the Year.

Prior to the festivities getting underway, the two Chefs, Ivan and Tony sat down with me and spoke of their relationship and how Ivan became a ...

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - The South Orange Planning Board on Wednesday approved an application from the developer of 206 Ampere Parkway for relief from violations due to tree removal done without a permit or approval.

Attending the meeting were Nicole Magdziak, the applicant’s counsel, Isaac Lefkowitz, manager of the property, John Peel of PK Environmental, an expert witness for the applicant ...

Don’t worry if you have already spent most of your plant budget for the year.  Fill voids in your gardens and containers with heat tolerant annuals planted from seeds directly in the garden.

Zinnia and marigolds are traditional favorites often started from seeds planted directly in the garden. These germinate quickly and begin flowering in about eight weeks.

Zinnias are heat and ...

NEW JERSEY - A teen becomes a police chief for a day. Plus, a first aid squad finishes extrication training. And, a ballon professional gets a special task. Also, a Councilman puts the pedal to the metal for his birthday. 

TAPinto's Kristina Behr has today's Now in New Jersey, Powered by TAPinto, brought to you by Lakeland Bank and Bag Up NJ. 

Now ...

NEW JERSEY - A museum with ties to George Washington gets federal funding for restoration. Also, a town staple is set to close its doors after 10 years. Plus, a town awards scholarships to students and a 4-year-old runs a lemonade stand for charity.

TAPinto's Kristina Behr has today's Now in New Jersey, Powered by TAPinto, brought to you by Lakeland ...

NEW JERSEY - An Eagle Scout Project helps insect pollination at a Community Garden.  Plus, a student reminds the community about the importance of blood donation. Also, a baseball team is honored for its achievements this year.  And, new firefighters are welcomed. 

TAPinto's Kristina Behr has today's Now in New Jersey, Powered by TAPinto, brought to ...

TRENTON, NJ — It's a big week for Tom Bracken and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

"This is a week that's been building since the beginning of COVID," Bracken, the organization's President and CEO said. "This is the week where we'll know what kind of resources will be allocated to really helping what's broken."

New Jersey's state budget ...

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ — TAPinto is announcing veteran New Jersey journalist James McQueeny is joining TAPinto as News Around New Jersey Managing Editor and Columnist.

"We are thrilled to welcome veteran journalist and public policy analyst James McQueeny to the TAPinto family. Jim brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to TAPinto," TAPinto Founder and CEO ...

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey has an economy about the size of Sweden’s though we consider ourselves a small state of smaller towns. 

In most of them, there's a few longtime gas stations that hired high school kids in summer to work the pumps, fixed kids’ bikes, sponsored community sports teams and tuned up your cars. 

I visited with the owner ...