County Safety Expo Honors Retired West Orange Officer

The Essex County Police and Safety Expo recognized retired Sgt. Richard Potts of the West Orange Police Department at the Livingston Mall.

The Essex County Police and Public Safety Expo was held on Saturday at the Livingston Mall.   The Essex County Crime Prevention Officers Association, which organized the event, presented awards for contributing to crime reduction in Essex County to Det. Debra Cole-Granger of Newark Police Department and retired Sgt. Richard Potts of the West Orange Police Department.   The annual event featured demonstrations and displays from local, state and federal agencies. There was also special guest appearances by Batman, Malibu Barbie and McGruff the Crime Dog, K-9 police dogs, and law enforcement and fire department vehicles.  The Police Unity Tour was also honored for raising awareness about law enforcement officers who have died in the line of …

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Updated: Livingston Mall Reopened after Power Outage

The Mall closed early on Friday

The Livingston Mall has reopened. The Livingston Mall had to close Friday tonight following an extensive power outage.  The mall is expected to remain closed on Saturday. At approximately 6:30 p.m., a transformer blew underneath the mall, causing the power to go out, according to Detective Sgt. Anthony Dippold.  The transformer was located on Eisenhower Parkway, near Sears. All the stores had to close following the outage and the Livingston Police Department were on scene to help with the evacuation.  No injuries were reported, however, some customers became trapped in the elevator in the mall's central area.  The Livingston Fire Department were able to rescue the custtomers quickly, said Dippold. "When the power went out, people started …

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Shul Spiel: Lubavitch Center of Essex County

What's Happening in West Orange Synagogues

This week's focus returns to the Lubavitch Center Shul, 395 Pleasant Valley Way.

On Dec. 8, the Lubavitch Center hosted a Chanukah party for the community and about a hundred people showed up. Everyone enjoyed pizza, latkes, French fries, falafel and salads. The kids had a lot of fun playing a "stuffed menorah" guessing game, Chanukah bingo, and "Make-a-menorah-from-whatever-is-in-a-bag" game. As part of the Smile On Seniors program, we recruited some volunteers to Brighton Gardens, Green Hill, Care One, and Canterbury Village where we celebrated Chanukah with the seniors. They were overjoyed playing Chanukah bingo, eating donuts, and singing along to the menorah lighting.  At the Livingston Mall on Sunday people gathered around as Rabbi (Mendy) Kasowitz  lit the Menorah, sang Chanukah songs, and played a guessing …

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Photo of the Day: Santa Sighting at the Livingston Mall

Jolly St. Nick will be visiting the mall until Dec. 24.

Santa Claus is coming to town. Santa has moved his workshop to the Livingston Mall as part of the annual Santa Photo Experience.  From now until Dec. 24, children can be photographed with Kris Kringle in the mall’s Center Court. “There is always a great deal of entertainment and fun at Simon malls during the holiday season, but the Santa Photo Experience is something generations of families count on every year,” Elizabeth DiDuca, area director of marketing and business development for Livingston Mall, said in a statement. Parents who bring their kids to the mall for a photo with Santa Claus can also enter the Livingston Mall’s Cutest Santa Photo Contest.  To enter, parents can post their cutest photos on the mall’s Facebook page or they …

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Black Friday Crowds Steady at Short Hills, Livingston

Essex County malls busy, but not overcrowded most of the day.

Essex County's two malls—Short Hills and Livingston—had a steady stream of shoppers throughout Black Friday. However, staggered store openings helped to keep the lines to a minimum Friday morning in Short Hills. By the early afternoon, Livingston was busy, but not overcrowded.

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A Food Drive With a Creative Twist

CANstruction returns to the Livingston Mall.

  Residents may have noticed an odd sight when they visited the Livingston Mall this weekend.  There are five sculptures located at various points on the upper level.  The catch is that the sculptures are made entirely of cans of food. The New Jersey division of the American Institute of Architects partnered with Goya to present the 14th annual CANstruction event at the Livingston Mall on Sept. 20.  This year's competition featured five teams and the theme was "Back to School." The teams collected food through their own food drives and sponsors, according to Christy DiBartolo, director of this year's competition.  Then the teams had to design their own structures based upon the cans they had accumulated. "Some of the teams are really …

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New Stores Open at Livingston Mall

H&M and Steve Maddon among the stores that have recently opened.

Simon’s Livingston Mall recently welcomed eight stores -- some new and others newly remodeled -- to its lineup of existing retailers. For shoppers, that means more choices in fashion apparel, designer footwear and mobile communication. Five stores recently opened, while three others are slated to come aboard this summer. “Livingston Mall is consistently focused on incorporating the most current and sought-after retailers to its already stellar mix of more than 100 specialty merchants,” said Elizabeth DiDuca, area director of marketing and business development for Livingston Mall and Rockaway Townsquare. “We are pleased to welcome these new stores to our tenant roster and look forward to an exciting summer shopping season.” Tenants that …

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Crime Fighters Join Forces at the Annual Expo (Photos)

Dozens of Police and Public Safety agencies come to the Essex County Police and Public Safety Expo at the Livingston Mall.

On Saturday, dozens of police departments and public safety agencies from all over the state came together to discuss and demonstrate public safety techniques at the 2012 Essex County Police and Public Safety Expo. Sponsored by the Essex County Crime Prevention Officer's Association, the goal of the event was to raise public awareness about the services offered by local, state, county, and federal agencies.  In addition, it gave the different departments an opportunity to share ideas. “One of our goals is to get everybody on board and to increase information sharing,” said Livingston Police Officer Gary Mankowitz, who also serves as president of the association.  Attending this year’s expo at the Livingston Mall were representatives from …

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Hanukkah Menorah Lit in West Orange

Lubavitch Center Shul celebrates second night of holiday with mayor, dignitaries and guests

The front of West Orange Town Hall was brightly lit Wednesday evening when members of the Lubavitch Center Shul and township dignitaries lit an eight-foot Hanukkah menorah to celebrate the second night of the Festival of Lights. Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz joined with Mayor Robert Parisi, councilman Sal Anderton and other township officials and guests to light the oil on the menorah on the front lawn of the township complex.  After the recitation of some blessings, the crowd sang some Hanukkah songs. Sufganiyot, special Hanukkah jelly donuts only served during the holiday, were served to guests.  Hanukkah recalls the victory of Jewish soldiers, collectively known as the Maccabees, over the occupying Greek armies.  The menorah, a candelabrum with …

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