FLASH FLOOD WARNING

From National Weather Service:

Sun, Aug 31, 2014, 5:27 PM EDT

Local Radar Map

Updated Aug 31, 2014, 5:45pm EDT

... A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EDT FOR KINGS (BROOKLYN)... QUEENS... NORTHWESTERN NASSAU... UNION... NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)... BRONX... SOUTHEASTERN BERGEN... ESSEX... RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND) AND HUDSON COUNTIES...
AT 521 PM EDT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL IN THE VICINITY AND SOME LOCATIONS HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED UP TO AROUND ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF RAINFALL. AN ADDITIONAL HALF INCH OF RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE WARNING PERIOD.
EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS... URBAN AREAS... HIGHWAYS... STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD.

WORDS OWNERS TO RECEIVE CHAMBER HONOR

Jonah and Ellen Zimiles, the wonderful owners of Words Bookstore in Maplewood Village, will be honored by the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce for their many years of service to our town.

The couple will receive the Chamber's Annual Distinguished Service Award on Friday, September 19, 2014 at Maplewood Country Club.

ONE OPEN HOUSE TODAY - SEE IT HERE

Given it is Labor Day Weekend, just one open house today in town.Since it's just one, will give the posting here:

No	Start Time	End Time	Address	LP	Style	RMS	BRM	TB
1	2:00 PM	4:00 PM	9 BUCKINGHAM GDNS PKY	$425,000	Colonial	8	3	1.1

More info HERE.

DUNNELL SHUTDOWN FOR PAVING AT THE TRAIN STATION

Dunnell Road between Oakview and Baker shutdown today for repaving, part of the ongoing upgrades this week.

TWO SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES DROP OUT

A big shake-up in the Board of Education race with two candidates - Elissa Malespina of South Orange and Anthony Mazzocchi of Maplewood - announcing they are dropping out of the race.  

This cuts the field down from six to four vying for the three open seats in the November election. 

Those seats are held by Andrea Wren-Hardin, Bill Gaudelli and Sandra Karriem, each of whom is not running again.  

Mazzochi told Maplewoodian.com: "I just have some concerns right now, just some concerns that the extra stress is not going to help right now." Malespina, who was running with fellow South Orange candidate Donna Smith, issued this statement:
 

Elissa Malespina announced today that she will not be seeking a seat on the South Orange Maplewood Board of Education this November due to a book deal.

“This was a very difficult decision. A unique opportunity to publish a book on augmented reality in education recently presented itself and it’s a project that will take considerable time and focus. Showing other educators how to leverage technology tools in the classroom is such a passion of mine, and is a way for me to make an impact not just in my own community but nationwide”she said. “After discussing it with my running mate, I’ve made the decision to move forward with this project and consider a run for the Board of Education in the future.”

Malespina, a 19-year resident of South Orange and former Librarian at South Orange Middle School, says she will continue to stay involved with the school district and hopes the issues she brought to the table will continue to be discussed by all the candidates in the upcoming weeks.

“Increasing stakeholder involvement, building better relationships between teachers and administrators, doing a thoughtful superintendent search, infusing more technology into classrooms, taking a good look at the IB program and increasing training for implementation of these types of initiatives –these are all issues that I care a lot about.

With Mazzocchi and Malespina out, the field is down to Smith, as well as Maplewood residents Elizabeth Baker, Maureen Jones, and Godwin Molokwu.

The six challengers will vie for the three seats up for grabs in this year's election set for November 5.

NO FRIDAY NIGHT OVERNIGHT PARKING ON DUNNELL, SATURDAY PAVING

From the Township today:

ATTENTION MAPLEWOOD TRAIN STATION USERS!

There is No Over Night Parking on Dunnell Road  on Friday 8/29

Township contractors will be paving Dunnell Road on Saturday, August 30th beginning at 7:00 AM at the corner of Baker Street and Dunnell Road.

There will be NO OVERNIGHT PARKING at the Dunnell Road parking lot on Friday 8/29. The lot will close at 5:00PM and no more vehicles will be allowed to park. All commuters that parked at the lot this morning will be able to exit the lot upon their return.

Parking lot will re-open Sunday morning.

EARLIER FARMER'S MARKET HOURS FOR LABOR DAY

                                     

  Labor Day - Farmers Market Hours

The Maplewood Farmers Market will be open this upcoming Monday, September 1st for Labor Day. Please be reminded that the hours of operation will be from 11AM to 4PM.

*NOT ALL VENDORS WILL BE PRESENT*

OPEN LIFE DRAWING EVENT PLANNED FOR SEPT. 11

From the Maplewood Artists Collective:

THE MAPLEWOOD ARTIST COLLECTIVE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THEIR FIRST EVENING OPEN LIFE DRAWING EVENT ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11^TH 2014 AT 1978 ARTS CENTER IN MAPLEWOOD.

Maplewood and South Orange are communities well known for the appreciation of art, music and culture evident in the many events and festivals held throughout the year. However, as most residents are busy commuting to full time jobs in New York City, it can be a challenge to incorporate our artistic hobbies and passions into our daily lives. Weekends can be busy and sometimes the only time we have to pursue our artistic interests is during the evening hours. 

Our open life drawing evening gives residents of Maplewood and surrounding communities the opportunity to take time out of their busy lives to reconnect with art.  It is also a great opportunity to meet other adults in the community, whether they be beginner, amateur or professional artists.

The class is open, without instruction, for a fee of $10 to cover the cost of the space as well as the model fee. There will be a live model performing a series of timed poses, including gestures, 2 shorter poses and one extended pose. Participants should bring their own materials, including drawing boards or portable easels.  We hope to begin having regular classes twice per month based on participant demand.

1978 Arts Center is located at 1978 Springfield Avenue in Maplewood, NJ with parking available along Springfield Avenue.

For more information or questions, please email Kim Reed, the organizer of this event, at kreed177@gmail.com. Additionally, we can be followed on Facebook under Maplewood Artist Collective.

MUCH-ANTICIPATED TEACHER LETTERS ARRIVING TODAY

The word is out! The much anticipated teacher letters seem to be arriving today in many homes.

The kids who wait and wait and wait to find out who their teacher will be get ready to find out, if you haven't already.

We asked former Superintendent Brian Osborne years ago why they come this late. His answer: it gives less time for the numerous parents who seek to switch their children to a different class.

Fair enough. 

Do yourself a favor, if your child, or you, does not like the teacher he or she is given, give it a chance. Learning to deal with adversity and a teacher they may not like is one of the best lessons.

And, who knows, just because you have heard that a teacher is tough or bad or whatever, does not mean they are.

EXTENDED TOWN HALL HOURS BACK NEXT WEEK

From the Township today:

Town Hall Extended Hours Resume on 9/2

Please be reminded that extended Town Hall hours during Township Committee meeting nights (first and third Tuesday of the month) resume next week on Tuesday, September 2nd. All Town Hall Departments will be properly staffed to provide assistance to the public until 7:00PM.

Thank you.

COPS RESPOND TO DAMAGE REPORT AT SHED

...Scanner reports police responding to a report of a "completely shattered" window at Shed on Baker street. The store is open.

GREENHOUSE SIGN UP DATE ANNOUNCED

BAKER STREET REPAVING SPARKS SHUTDOWN

More shutdowns on Baker Street occurring now as the repaving we have reported on continues, scanner says Baker will be shutdown from Burnett to Dunnell.


And the rest of Baker ready to go as well

REPAVING ROAD SHUTDOWN HAS BEGUN, LIBRARY ISSUES NOTICE

Scanner indicates the first major closing for re-paving is happening now with Dunnell Road now shutdown from Baker Street to Oakview and Baker likely to follow later today from the train trestle to Valley Street.

This also from the Maplewood Library today:

Paving Work Continues   Repairs on Baker Street are ongoing. Milling will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) in preparation for repaving. Expect intermittent closures of the street, and prepare to park on Burnett St. or in town, although pedestrian access to the Main Library may also be limited at times. While the road work continues, you can choose Hilton as the pickup location for your requests, and you can return your materials in the book drop at either location. You can place requests and renew some items online by logging into your account here. We can help you by phone as well. Please have your library card with you when you call. We're very sorry for the inconvenience to our patrons.