Montclair Local

“So those who feel deep in their gut deep anxiety that abolition means knock it all down, scorch the earth and start something new, let that go. Abolition is building the future from the present, in all the ways we can.” — Ruth Wilson Gilmore. During the Town Council meeting...

The YMCA of Montclair has elected two new board members to its board of directors: Lisa Indovino and Risa Cretella. The new board members will serve a three-year term. “Our board serves a key role providing governance and oversight for the organization,” president and CEO of the YMCA of Montclair Buddy Evans said in the announcement. “We are fortunate to have two leaders in their fields who will help expand our reach and engagement to better serve all in our community.”

The Montclair Health Department will offer COVID-19 vaccinations on the following Tuesdays at the department’s offices, located on the third floor of the Montclair Municipal Building. July 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. until noon. Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. until noon. The vaccination...

A two-car collision at the intersection of Grove Street and Bellevue Avenue on July 21 ended with one car striking a Bellevue residence, police said. A 70-year-old from Bloomfield was driving a 2007 Hyundai Sonata eastbound on Bellevue Avenue when she was struck by a 2007 Dodge Caravan heading southbound on Grove Street, police said. The Sonata left the roadway from the southeast corner, traveled through bushes and hit the front porch of a Bellevue Avenue residence, police said.

If you were having issues with your phone or your mobile plan, Steven Demetrios was your go-to guy. He’d help you pick up a device and get set up with it. He’d be glad to have a long conversation on just about anything, Montclair community members who knew him said.

Montclair High School graduate and U.S. Olympic men’s replacement fencer Alen Hadzic is opposing restrictions his attorneys say are arbitrary after being accused of sexual misconduct by three women, according to a Wednesday report by USA Today. The USA Today report, citing a complaint filed with the United States Olympic...

Montclair will embark on an investigation to see if the block of the Bellevue Theatre should be deemed an area in need of rehabilitation. “It gives some flexibility in creating a plan to enable them to develop the property and save the theater,” Township Attorney Ira Karasick said, adding that tax incentives could also be granted.

Over the last decade, Montclair has taken several green initiatives and aimed to reduce its carbon footprint. Now it will create a Climate Action Plan in response to New Jersey’s Global Warming Response Act Report, issued last year. The township has joined an energy aggregation program through which residents can...

School may be out for summer and high school sports may be taking a little break, but for many MHS athletes, summer just means more grinding to get better. That work can come in the form of club teams, summer leagues and even summer tournaments. For MHS rising senior Alex...

There’s no such thing as an off-season for most high school athletes these days, and the Montclair High School girls basketball team is no exception, as its members are participating in the Mounties Summer Classic this summer. Games run every Wednesday at Glenfield Park, played at 5, 6 and 7...

Starting this fall, a section of Pine Street will likely be known as Aquilonia Way — in honor of the township’s continuing relationship with its sister city of Aquilonia, Italy. The Montclair Township Council unanimously approved a first reading of an ordinance that would give the honorary name to a...

After reading former Montclair Police Chief Thomas J. Russo’s latest rant against cannabis in Montclair Local’s letters to the editor section, I feel compelled to respond to his ongoing propaganda on the topic of adult use of cannabis. New Jersey voters overwhelmingly (by a 2-1 ratio) approved the legalization of...

The Montclair school district will start what officials are describing as a “one-to-one” technology initiative in the fall — aiming to eventually provide every student with a school-issued laptop. Christopher Graber, the district’s technology director, told Board of Education members at a July 14 “retreat” meeting that includes 3,700 devices...

Essex County is inviting non-professional and professional senior citizen artists in the county to participate in the 2021 Essex County Senior Citizens Juried Art Show and Exhibition. The deadline to submit artwork is Wednesday, Sept. 1. Categories include acrylic painting, craft, digital, mixed media, oil painting, pastel, print, photography, sculpture,...

Two bikes were stolen on July 13 in Montclair, one from a Bloomfield Avenue bike rack and one from a Valley Road residence, police said. A woman reported she locked her bicycle to a rack on Bloomfield Avenue overnight. When she returned to it, the bike and bike lock were gone, police said. The bicycle was described as a red Scorpio AL 200 valued at $150.

Players from the Sussex County Miners and New Jersey Jackals made their way into the stands in a confrontation with spectators last Thursday. The incident happened around 10 p.m. at Yogi Berra Stadium on the Montclair State University campus, school spokesman Andrew Mees said. He said fans were throwing beer at the Miners in the dugout.

Skate Essex will hold a planning session for a new permanent skate park at Montclair’s Rand Park on Tuesday, July 20. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. On July 14, the Township Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution supporting a permanent skate park at Rand Park. The resolution does not set aside township funds for the park, but sets a path to allow the township and Skate Essex, which has been maintaining the temporary park, to seek grant funding.

George “Red” Gilruth, 92, of Palm Coast, Florida, a former longtime resident of Montclair and a lieutenant on its police force, died on July 13, 2021. He was 92. Mr. Gilruth was born in Montclair in 1929 and was a resident of Upper Montclair until 1987, when he and his wife, Judy, moved to Palm Coast. He was a graduate of Montclair High School, where he was a standout athlete in both football and baseball.

A plan to seek funding for what would have been Montclair’s first designated bike and walking path has been postponed. On July 13, the Township Council discussed a resolution drafted by Councilman Peter Yacobellis that would have allowed Montclair to apply for a grant through the state Department of Transportation to create a “shared-use path” along Glenridge Avenue, connecting the Bay Street Station to just before Lackawanna Plaza. Council members had expected to vote on the resolution at a July 20 meeting, as the grant deadline is July 31.

Writer Thomas J. Russo says designating the intersection of Pine Street and Grant Street Aquilonia Way was a "simple act of kindness."