FLASH FLOOD WARNING TONIGHT

From the National Weather Service tonight:

• * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... EASTERN UNION COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY... ESSEX COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY... UNION COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY... HUDSON COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY...
• * UNTIL 1015 PM EDT
• * AT 709 PM EDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN MOVING INTO THE WARNED AREA. RADAR ESTIMATES OF 2 TO 4 INCHES HAVE BEEN DETECTED ACROSS EASTERN ESSEX... EASTERN UNION AND HUDSON COUNTIES ALREADY. ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING WITH THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY MOVING IN.

MAPLEWOODIAN OF THE WEEK: ANGELO VAYAS

Maplewood lost a great friend and business owner this past week with the death of Angelo Vayas.

See more about him HERE.

For this he is our Maplewoodian of the Week: Rest in Peace!

HOW THE TC CANDIDATES CLUTTER YOUR MAILBOX THIS WEEK, AND WHY

We've made no secret of our opposition to the clutter of mailers in political campaigns, and this race seems to be no exception.

Not a surprise given the tight battle between Incumbent Jerry Ryan and challengers Nancy Adams and Greg Lembrich in the June 2 primary for the Democratic nomination for Township Committee.

But in just the past five days, these mailers have arrived in our mailbox.

Do they sway you either way? Or do they cross each other out?

Interesting that Adams continues to seek votes with Ryan and on her own, while Lembrich offers a letter from former TC Member David Huemer. He had earlier sent one out from former Mayor Fred Profeta, his most prominent supporter. 

Adams and Ryan tie themselves to Assembly members Mila Jasey and John McKeon, while Lembrich makes clear how to vote for him on the ballot, where he is offline.

See more below:

SMALL FIRE CONDITION AT MULTI-FAMILY VALLEY STREET HOME

...Scanner indicates fire call to a three-story multi-family house on the 700 block of Valley Street...traffic tied-up so best avoid...apparent cooking left unattended...

MAYOR DELUCA: SOME BUSINESSES "DON'T WANT TO GO TO SPRINGFIELD AVENUE"

Mayor Vic Deluca met with members of the College Hill Neighborhood Association on Saturday morning at Prospect Church to discuss the planned Wawa Market on Springfield Avenue and the proposal to allow 24-hour gas sales there and at other gas stations in town.

Currently, the Township bars such operations from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., but Wawa has asked for a change. The issue will be discussed at Wednesday's Township Committee meeting.

Deluca told the group that the TC plans to consider an ordinance to remove the limit on 24-hour gas stations. But he said they also wish to change the designation for most of Springfield Avenue, from highway to pedestrian, that would disallow the 24-hour gas stations on the rest of that roadway.

During the meeting, he also remarked that it is difficult to bring in businesses to Springfield Avenue because some just don't want to go there thinking it is a high-crime area, despite data to the contrary.

See his view below:

11 OPEN HOUSES TODAY

Find your next home or just see what the market is offering.

Full list HERE.

FLAMENCO SHOW TONIGHT

ESSEX COUNTY LASSA FEVER NOT LINKED TO MAPLEWOOD

This week's news that an unidentified Essex County man had died after being exposed to Lassa Fever -- and that some 150 others were being monitored for exposure to him -- prompted us to wonder if any of these people are linked to Maplewood.

We reach out to Health Office Robert Roe, who sent this email:

"The Lassa Fever case was not a Maplewood resident. As far as I am aware now, none of the contacts reside in Maplewood."

Good to know!

TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO REVIEW WAWA MARKET PLANS WEDNESDAY

Plans for a new Wawa Market along Springfield Avenue near the Irvington line will be formally presented by developers at the next Township Committee meeting on Wednesday.

The TC meeting, usually held on Tuesdays, is being delayed a day due to the June 2 primary election.

See more on the Wawa Market plans HERE.

The TC is also considering an ordinance change that would allow the Wawa Market to run a 24-hour gas station, which is now prohibited on Springfield Avenue. 

See the full TC agenda HERE.

POLICE CANNED FOOD DRIVE

The Maplewood Police Department PBA Local # 44 and SOA # 44 will be conducting a canned food drive and we need your help!! Please join our efforts to collect non-perishable food items which will be distributed to needy families in Maplewood Township as well as various hunger relief agencies in Essex County.
Among the types of non-perishable items most often in need include: 

• Canned Goods – fruits, vegetables, soups, pasta and sauce
• Dry Foods – rice, boxed cereal, pasta, soup cups, macaroni & cheese
• Jarred/Bottled Food – peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti sauce, juices, juice mix
• Snack Foods – cereal bars, fruit snacks, packaged crackers
Dates: Monday 6/1/2015 to Monday 6/15/2015
Collection Sites: Maplewood Police Department 1618 Springfield Avenue Maplewood
Maplewood Town Hall 574 Valley Street Maplewood
Gleason’s Cleaners 7 West Parker Avenue Maplewood
Chick-Fil-A 2319 US Highway 22 W Union
** Customers that bring in (2) boxes/cans for donation at the Chick-Fil-A donation site will receive (1) Classic Chicken Sandwich for free!! Limit one sandwich per customer **
Questions/Contact Info: PBA Local # 44 Secretary Det. Scott Reeves (973) 761-7922 or sreeves@twp.maplewood.nj.us

MAYOR DE LUCA TO BE AT COLLEGE HILL MEETING SATURDAY

The College Hill Neighborhood Association will have two meetings this weekend, with Mayor Vic De Luca appearing at one of them.

De Luca will be at the 9 a.m. meeting Saturday at Prospect Church, Prospect and Tuscan.

Another meeting is set for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Hilton Library.

Among the issues to be discussed is the proposed Wawa Market on Springfield Avenue. 

More on that HERE.

TC CANDIDATES LAST WEEKEND OF CAMPAIGN IS ON

With the last weekend of campaigning coming up before the June 2 primary election for Township Committee, all three candidates are booked for meeting and greeting.

From Greg Lembrich, who is apparently wooing voters with drinks and ice cream: 

Saturday May 30: Meet Greg Mimosas and Bagels at the home of Lisa and Shaun Landers, 36 Norfolk Avenue (9AM - 11 AM)

Sunday May 31: Meet Greg Ice Cream Social hosted by Beth Janson and Malia Herman, 28 North Crescent   (2-4 PM)

Monday June 1:  Meet Greg at the Maplewood Train Station (6-9 AM)

From Nancy Adams:

Tonight, Meet and Greet at 3 Woodland Rd., 7-9 p.m.

Jerry Ryan says he will be knocking on doors and reaching out to voters and he and Adams will be in Maplewood Village Sunday morning

RENT PARTY TONIGHT

UPDATE: POLICE PURSUING SUSPECT WHO ENTERED CAR

...Scanner indicates police in dramatic pursuit of a suspect on foot near Franklin Terrace and Springfield Avenues and Becker near Irvington line. Crime not indicated yet...Appears to be related to a car entered on Meadowbrook Place....

UPDATE: Arrest made!

TAKE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT PARENT SURVEY

From the South Orange Maplewood School District:

Dear Parents/Guardians:
We invite you to complete a brief survey, sharing your opinions about SOMSD schools.  We are particularly interested in your thoughts on our schools’ efforts to promote academic success and well-being for every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, or other characteristics.

The link to the survey is http://tinyurl.com/n99ua58 and all responses are strictly confidential.  We appreciate your honest feedback – your opinions are important to your child’s school, and to the district.

If you have more than one child enrolled in SOMSD schools, please complete the survey for each child separately. 

This survey is being conducted by Sage Educational Consultants on behalf of the South Orange Maplewood School District, in response to the District’s Resolution Agreement with the Office of Civil Rights.

Thank you for your time and support with this effort.

LEMBRICH, ADAMS LEAD ONLINE TC CANDIDATE POLL

Here are the results of our very unscientific online survey asking who you would vote for in the June 2 Township Committee Democratic primary.

We had more than 100 responses, which is usually a good indication out of a registered Democratic voter pool of about 9,000 and more than 16,000 total registered voters. 

However, it is unknown who responded.

 

Who do you want to win the June 2 Democratic Primary for Township Committee? Choose two

Nancy AdamsGreg LembrichJerry Ryan

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

Answer Choices –	Responses –
Nancy Adams	57.00%   57
Greg Lembrich	89.00%   89
Jerry Ryan	14.00%   14

POWER OUTAGE HITS MORE THAN 800, AND VALLEY TRAFFIC LIGHTS

...Scanner indicates PSE&G outage has affected customers and traffic lights in the area of Valley and Baker and Valley and Oakview...

PSE&G indicates more than 800 customers without power, but no cause as of yet.

Customers Affected: 863
Start Time: May 29, 9:38 AM
Estimated Restoration: May 29, 11:45 AM
Cause: Under Investigation

PITBULLS ON THE LOOSE

...Scanner indicates police responded to report of a pair of pitbulls on the loose on Brown Street near Boyden Avenue, allegedly biting at least two people and another dog....Police say the dogs are now secure...