Saturday, September 17, 2010
1pm to 4pm
555 Valley Road
(973) 395-5551
info@lunastage.org
www.lunastage.org

In celebration of the start of their second season as part of the Valley Arts District, Luna Stage is holding a free open house party. The afternoon will feature live music by Deivito Garcia and Michael Aquino, two of the co-creators of Luna’s upcoming holiday show in December.

There will be food, face-painting and games for kids, tours of the theatre, and an opportunity to learn more about all of the programming Luna has in store for the 2011-2012 season, especially the world premiere opening production of Ben Clawson’s The Dangers of Electric Lighting, a commissioned play about Thomas Edison; and Luna’s greatly expanded education program which now has a full curriculum of classes for kids and adults.

Did you know you can hold a block party on your block? It’s a great way to get to know your neighbors and help make West Orange a vibrant place to live.

Follow these steps to get permission from the town:

• Create a petition to hold a block party and get your neighbors to sign it (Download a sample petition (MS Word). Try to get about 90% of your neighbors to sign the petition.
• Write a letter from the organizer addressed to the Chief of Police. Identify the block you would like closed and include the date (and rain date) as well as time of the party.
• Send the letter and petition to the traffic department at least 2 weeks prior to the date. If your block has never had a party before, allow 1 month. Details below.
• Public works will drop off barricades the morning of the date
• Traffic department will contact the fire department for safety purposes (but a fire truck may show up for photos!)

Mail the petition to:
West Orange Police Department
Attention: Traffic Division
60 Main Street
West Orange, NJ 07052

Or fax the petition to: (973) 325-0748

Some ways to make your party successful:

• Invite your neighbors. Make a flyer to hand out door to door.
• Plan some activities. Street chalk, face painting, 4 square, etc. for the kids (ok, adults too!). Organize some live music or a boom box.You might be surprised to find some musicians  on your block who may want to perform.
• Bring Food and Drink! A potluck is definitely the way to go. You may want to make sure you have utensils, plates, cups, and paper towels on hand, just in case. Have your neighbors roll out their BBQs too.
• Bring name tags. If your neighbors don’t know each other well, name tags are a necessity.
• Park cars off street.
• Bring tables and chairs. You’ll need a couple of tables to set up food for the potluck. Please encourage neighbors to bring their own lawn chairs.

For more details, contact Officer Scott Smarsh at (973) 325-4045

West Orange will hold a candle light vigil in memorial of 9/11. Performances by the West Orange High School String Quartet, West Orange High School Marching Band and the West Orange Non-Denominational Choir.

September 11, 2011, 6:15 pm
Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center (OSPAC)
Prospect Avenue/Boland Avenue

View the announcement here.

A “boil water advisory” remains in effect for West Orange until further notice.
Residents may pick up fresh drinking water at West Orange High School on Thursday, Sept. 1 through Saturday, Sept. 3 between 9am and 9pm. There is a 2 gallon limit per vehicle. Official details from the township are available here. You can read the New Jersey American Water alert here.

West Orange has established 2 storm damage bulk debris drop-off sites.
In addition to the Township’s regular curbside trash collection, there are 2 designated locations for residents to drop off bulk debris from the recent storm. For questions, call the Dept. of Public Works at (973) 325-4067.

W.O. Environmental Center
590 Mt. Pleasant Ave.
Mon.-Fri. 7:30am-4:30pm
Sat. & Sun. 7:30am-4pm
Mon. (Labor Day) 7:30am-4pm

Department of Public Works
25 Lakeside Ave.
Mon.-Fri. 7:00am-3:15pm
Sat. & Sun. 7:30am-4pm
Mon. (Labor Day) 7:30am-4pm

We were informed by the West Orange Police Department that a home on Mitchell Street was broken into on Thursday. We are very happy to report that an arrest has already been made! The police caught the suspects with stolen property, and there is enough evidence to connect them to other break-ins on Rollinson and Northfield.
 
We also want to make you aware of another incident that occurred recently in our neighborhood. On Thursday night, July 21st, police arrested 5 teenagers after they allegedly were caught with marijuana on Hazel Elementary School’s playground. Two 16-year-old girls from West Orange, two 16-year-old boys from East Orange and one 16-year-old boy from Orange were arrested without incident shortly before 8 p.m. Their names were not released because they are minors. Read the article on West Orange Patch:
 

http://westorange.patch.com/articles/police-arrest-five-juveniles-after-finding-possible-drug-paraphernalia-at-school, 

We were advised by the WO police department that a few home burglaries occurred this past week, in the Valley area. One was on Rose Terrace and another on Tompkins Street. Both happened during the day.

The police department is increasing its patrols in the area, but they want to remind everyone to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activities.

Also, we received reports of car burglaries in the upper Gregory area on Burnett Terrace and Collamore Terrace. In both instances, the cars had been left unlocked.

Please remember to always lock your car and call the police department if you suspect something is not right. The main number is 973-325-4000. For emergencies call 911.

Remember: We are the eyes of our neighborhood. A community that stays vigilant and alert is the best deterrent against crime.

patch.com has an interactive map of all burglaries/thefts in West Orange since April here.

Please join us for the next Valley Community Watch Public Meeting
March 21, 2011 7:00 p.m.
Hazel Avenue School gym

Mona Hennessy, the Managing Director of Luna Stage, will join us to talk about upcoming events at the theater and to answer questions. Please come out to welcome our new neighbor in the Valley!

Are you itching to get out in your garden now that the weather is warming up? Come find out more about our Spring 2011 Neighborhood Garden Contest.

As always, the floor will be open to questions at the end of the meeting.

We’ll see you on Monday night!

For Students, Parents & Educators:
College Enrollment, Financial Support, and How to Obtain Professional Experience

Learn about the American College Experience and Process

Seminario En Enpañol Libre de Costo
Para Estudiantes, Padres, y Educadores:
Cómo Estudiar en las Universidades de los Estado Unidos, Ayuda Económica, y Como Obtener Experiencia Professional

Saturday, March 12, 2011
10am – 12pm
West Orange Public Library
46 Mount Pleasant Avenue

Guest speakers include:
Carlomagno Ontaneda, NJIT Assistant Director for Recruitment
Ana Marti, West Orange Board of Education ESL Supervisor
West Orange Board of Eduction Guidance Department Representative

Sponsored by:
WOBOE Vice President Laura Lab
NJIT, www.njit.edu
Essex County College
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, www.shpe.org
Hispanic College Fund, www.hispanicfund.com
Hispanic Scholarship Fund, www.hsf.net
Councilman Victor Cirilo

This is an update to the Jan 21 story, “WOPD Seeks Public Help in Catching Robbery Suspects”

According to the West Orange Patch, the WOPD have arrested James Battle, 19, of West Orange, and Vincent Augustus Rochester, 19, of West Orange in connection with two Jan. 11 armed robberies on Cherry Street as well as an armed robbery Jan. 14 on Samuel Street. They are charged with conspiracy, armed robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon and receiving stolen property. According to the police, the two had a loaded handgun when arrested. The article states, “They were apprehended with the help of the public, according to Jessica Glicker, the township’s public information officer.” Both Battle and Rochester are in Essex County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail each.

Read the complete story at West Orange Patch