Maplewoodian by Joe Strupp
By JOE STRUPP
July 9, 2018
The last Twitter post from Columbia High School principal Elizabeth Aaron is very telling. The four-year CHS schools chief, who was recently, surprisingly, reassigned to a vague “Principal on Special Assignment” post by the school district, was a Twitter regular on her @CougarPrincipal account.
Could former South Orange Maplewood Schools Superintendent John Ramos, who resigned last summer after just two tumultuous years, have a hand in choosing his replacement? It’s possible since Ramos works for one of the search firms that initially submitted proposals for the contract to conduct the ...
After a historic Township Committee election in 2017 that brought us the first openly gay member of the TC, and then a split vote for mayor in which Vic DeLuca retained his post in a last-minute surprise, 2018 could prove to be the dullest campaign in years. That’s because incumbents Nancy Adams ...
Both Maplewood and South Orange are looking for new town administrators at the same time, a rare occurrence. And their approaches couldn’t be any more different. Maplewood, whose long-time administrator Joseph Manning is retiring May 31, launched its search last month the old-fashioned way: ...
Another cold snap and apparently another string of cold classrooms. Last week, many classes at Columbia High School -- and other schools -- saw frigid temperatures when the cold outside dropped to single digits on several days. The snow helped a bit by closing schools last Thursday ...
The first time Mayor Vic DeLuca forged a comeback was on Election Night 2005 when he won back the Township Committee seat he had lost two years earlier. Ironically that year he was teamed with rival Fred Profeta as the Democratic Party standard bearers of Maplewood. Profeta won re-election then ...
Menstruation, which has long been an awkward topic for most men, and an embarrassing subject for many women, has lately been part of the conversation in SOMA. Maplewood attorney and author Jennifer Weiss-Wolf's book Periods Gone Public: Taking A Stand For Menstrual Equity was just ...
Maplewood Village is booming with new restaurants opened this past week or on the way. The space at 188 Maplewood Avenue, which saw failed eatery attempts from Village Burger and The Belmont, may have hit it right with Sprout, a fun salad and wrap-based spot that boasts fresh foods and great ...
Election Day 2017 has passed with some significant changes to both the school board and Maplewood Township Committee (TC), but perhaps not as big as some might have expected. But where do both governing bodies go from here? Will we see a new mayor or a new school board president in 2018? If ...
Shannon Cuttle is not your average school board candidate. One of eight challengers for the three Board of Education seats up for grabs next month, Cuttle has spent years working for equality, student rights, and anti-bullying causes. Oh, and Cuttle also happens to be gender ...
When Starbucks coffee opened in the new Clarus development complex at the former Maplewod Village post office site, some wondered what effect it might have on Village Coffee, the longtime java spot just down the street. Village Coffee owner Ketan Patel sees no big impact as of yet and a visit to ...
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - If you dropped by the Stop & Shop in South Orange Saturday night, you might have wondered who those people were roaming the store seeking donations and buying supplies for Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico. It was none other than South Orange Village President ...
The retirement agreement with former Maplewood Police Chief Robert Cimino, which includes a golden parachute of nearly $280,000 through the end of 2018, might make some forget that he was forced out for not doing his job properly. The agreement, revealed in a lengthy announcement Wednesday from ...
If you didn’t know there was a local election coming up, just look around. The annual clutter of campaign signs and promotions hit big this month, with both a school board race and Maplewood Township Committee contest slated for November 7. And, of course, the governor’s election appears to ...
A thief has been victimizing Maplewood Town Hall. No, not some burglar breaking in at night to steal tax payments, or an armed gunman ripping off town workers at gunpoint. We’re talking about a newspaper poacher who’s been making a habit of walking off with the Township’s copy of The ...
Maplewood saw a shockwave Tuesday night as Police Chief Robert Cimino and Capt. Joshua Cummis were shown the door following months of complaints about how many young people of color were mistreated after last year’s fireworks event. Officially, the Township Committee unanimously offered a vote ...
I wrote last month that those who do not pay for the Maplewood fireworks but sit and watch them anyway were akin to thieves. This brought a great mixed reaction, some agreeing with me while others claiming such a viewpoint was unfair to those who cannot afford it. Then there were some who called ...
One of Maplewood’s biggest days is coming up soon, July 4th, which this town has celebrated better than any Garden State community for years. From the circus to the baking contest to the fireworks, our red, white and blue birthday remains a top attraction. Although prices have increased ...