October 31
...serving up your daily dish.
Lisa M. Gomberg, mother of the twins pictured left, wants other Montclair parents of multiples to know that there's a Yahoo group just for them: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mpom/. The group boasts 38 sets of multiples.
October 31, 2004 in Cute as Hell | Permalink | Comments (1)
Just dropped off at our house: a brochure for the Civic Conference Committee's candidates for Glen Ridge Borough Council, Elizabeth Brewster and Linda Seyffarth.
The two women are running unopposed.
October 31, 2004 in Sheesh! | Permalink | Comments (1)
Time to set your clocks back. All 351 of them... The stove, the VCR, the fax machine, the microwave, the coffee maker, your alarm clock, the kids' alarm clocks, the one in the bathroom, the other one in the bathroom...
October 31, 2004 in Sheesh! | Permalink | Comments (3)
October 31, 2004 in Seen around town | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 30
...serving up your daily dish.
A few miles away, at the intersection of Glen Ridge Parkway and Broad St. in Bloomfield, a major yard-sign war still rages. This huge Tamborini sign, flanked by smaller Bush-Cheney signs, clearly wins the prize for biggest. But Kerry and Bush signs fill many of the yards near that intersection.
Meanwhile, today, we had several sightings of a little pro-Bush parade. Cars festooned with red, white and blue balloons and Bush-Cheney signs honked their horns as they rode down Washington St. in Glen Ridge toward Bloomfield. The commotion sounded, at first, like one of those cheerleader caravans you get on football game days. Another friend saw the same entourage in Montclair.
In other election-related local news, we hear from a 7th grader, who attends middle school at Glen Ridge High School, that the schoolwide mock-election held recently there strongly favored Kerry. According to his social studies teacher, the closest race was in the 7th grade, where Kerry beat Bush 47 percent to 40 percent. In one class (we don't know which), Bush only gleaned 17 percent of the votes. Our prediction, no matter what happens in this zany and contentious political season: Next Tuesday, Kerry will handily win Glen Ridge, with its 0 electoral votes.
We also hear, via the Watercooler, that the traditional 5th grade bake sale at Edgemont School has been cancelled for security reasons.
October 30, 2004 in Seen around town | Permalink | Comments (5)
“The Hooker and the Nun”, “Kill 2 Birds & Get Stoned”, “The Joy of Sex”, “The DaVinci Code” and “The Secret Life of Bees” are a few of the titles you'll be able to find at the Unitarian Church of Montclair book sale today from 9 to 4.
Book lovers who arrive between 9 and 10 pay a $5 early-bird fee. After that, admission is free. Hardcover books are $2, softcovers 50 cents to $1. Books go to half price from 1 to 3, and from 3 to 4, they're a dollar for a whole bag!
The church is located at 67 Church St., Montclair.
October 30, 2004 in Our Favorite Diversions | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 29
...serving up your daily dish.
Congratulations to New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, of Montclair, and his wife Jean, who gave birth to twin girls, Isabella and Sophia, yesterday.
October 29, 2004 in Major Dudes | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Independent Press of Bloomfield yesterday endorsed Republican challenger Ray Tamborini for mayor.
October 29, 2004 in Buzz | Permalink | Comments (1)
A group calling itself the Marlboro Inn Preservation Association (MIPA) has received a temporary restraining order blocking developer Steven D. Plofker from demolishing the Marlboro Inn -- at least until a Dec. 3 court hearing.
Plofker told Baristanet about the restraining order.
The lawsuit, which names the Montclair town council, Marlboro Park Partners and Plofker, was filed on Wednesday, the day after Plofker filed the paperwork to get his demolition permit. Essex County Judge Sebastian Lombardi signed the restraining order on Wednesday.
"The heart of the complaint is a due process claim, based on allegations that the Town Council violated residents' procedural rights by relying on specious reasons to vote against their own proposed ordinance to landmark the inn," according to a press release from MIPA.
"I'm impressed by the passion and commitment of the people attempting to save the inn," Plofker told Baristanet. "We'll review it and see if we can learn anything from it."
Specifically, the lawsuit claims that the council's 5-2 decision in July not to landmark the inn was based on "economic viability," which it says is not an appropriate criteria to decide a landmarking case.
"Our town has unfortunately been betrayed by its elected representatives, some of whom received campaign contributions from the developer and another who is his personal friend," said Martin Schwartz, a leader of MIPA.
Mayor Ed Remsen told Baristanet that he while Plofker and his wife Bobbi Brown gave money to his Leadership Montclair slate, the money was returned. "We felt it was the right thing to do and we did," Remsen said.
As for the council's July decision not to landmark the inn, Remsen said, "We acted upon the advice of counsel. I feel like we acted appropriately. We'll see how it plays out. Legal matters get handled by legal people."
In addition to criticizing the town council, Schwartz said Plofker has turned down two offers of more than $2.5 million for the inn. "Although he said it is his intention to sell to a white knight, Mr. Plofker has done everything possible to avoid selling the inn," he said. "It is very clear he is looking out for his own individual interests rather than the interests of the town, despite rhetoric to the contrary."
"It's going to take a huge infusion of money to make that place viable," Remsen said. "Who's to say it's viable or not viable? It's his property."
October 29, 2004 in Controversy, Marlboro Inn | Permalink | Comments (20)
