Succasunna
Succasunna, NJ · Arts & Culture
morristowngreen.com
rolling out
Queen Latifah goes back to Newark to build the homes her city needs
Long before the Oscar nomination, the Emmy and the Grammy, before “Ladies First” turned a teenager into a cultural force, Dana Owens, a.k.a. Queen Latifah, was a Newark kid learning the rhythm of her neighborhood’s corners and stoops. Decades later, she went back to those same blocks, this time carrying blueprints.
familydestinationsguide.com
The Bergen Record
Jim Messina helped launch Kenny Loggins. Now he’s playing in Wayne
When Kenny Loggins arrived at Jim Messina’s home, he had shaggy hair, a scruffy beard and braces on his teeth. He had come to play music and hadn’t even brought a guitar. Messina, already a veteran of Buffalo Springfield and Poco , thought someone was playing a joke on him. “I’m wondering, am I being put on here? I wasn’t sure what was going on,” he said in a recent phone interview. He lent the visitor a guitar and recorded his songs. Loggins later told Messina that he did own a guitar that night. But he was embarrassed to bring the old thing along. Still, Loggins had an impressive voice. There was more here to work with than that first impression suggested, Messina thought. He decided to help Loggins assemble a band. He helped arrange the music. He would prepare the young songwriter for a career and produce his first album. Then he’d get back to producing other people. Instead, he became half of Loggins and Messina. It was an unexpected turn in a musical life that had already put him in the studio with Neil Young and Stephen Stills and on stage with Poco. The man who co-wrote “Your
unearththevoyage.com
At This New Jersey School, You Learn to Carve and Burn Designs Into Wood
Twelve years. That is how long one student has kept returning to a single New Jersey classroom to turn plain blocks of wood into art. The lessons start with something surprisingly humble. Before anyone carves a single curve, they learn how to sharpen their tools. Then come the gouges, the...
Home News Tribune | My Central Jersey
Somerville library controversy takes another twist
SOMERVILLE - The Somerset County Library System is pushing back on a claim by Mayor Brian Gallagher that it engaged in a "false narrative" about the closing of the Somerville branch. In a statement, the Library System said it had "prioritized transparent and direct communication" throughout the process and had created a webpage to keep residents informed about the situation. The Library System also said that the decision to close the facility on West End Avenue next to Borough Hall on July 31 was "not driven solely by environmental health concerns" but also because it was "functionally inadequate for delivering services" since the closing of the lower level in August 2025. "The situation extends well beyond the presence or remediation of mold," according to the statement. "I'm not going to get into a verbal contest with them," Gallagher said, adding he was looking forward to "re-engaging" with Library System officials after Nov. 30. "We believe that building should be ready for reoccupation shortly," Gallagher said at the Nov. 2 Borough Council meeting, adding, "not that there was anything wrong with it to begin with." Earlier: Somerville library could reopen soon after months-long closure Peter Bromberg is retiring as executive director
LehighValleyLive.com
New Jersey Monthly
Joshua Henry Can Fill a Broadway Theater But Cherishes the Intimacy of His Montclair Barbershop
Before his powerhouse phrasing of a Ragtime verse was going viral; before he was belting Whitney Houston at the Met Gala; before learning, roughly 15 hours later, that he’d earned his fourth Tony nomination (culminating, weeks later, in his first win); before Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was singing his praises for the TIME100 Next list; before Montclair Film began making a documentary about this whirlwind year of his life, Joshua Henry was a music-mad kid in Miami who fell asleep each night to hymns or R&B on his family’s cassettes, who salvaged his dad’s dusty guitar from the garage, and who assembled a slew of cover bands with his older brother.
njurbannews.com
Talia Young Is Reimagining Newark Symphony Hall as a Hub for Black Creativity
At the helm of Newark Symphony Hall, President and CEO Talia L. Young is redefining New Jersey’s premier Black-led arts institution. Blending sharp expertise in public policy and economic equity with a bold creative vision, Young leads both high-impact, diaspora-centered programming and a multi-million-dollar restoration of the historic 1920s landmark. Her mission: transform the iconic venue into an accessible engine for cultural preservation, local artist empowerment, and community growth.
CBS News
Hip-hop feud heats up New York governor's race