Editor's Notebook

Our Town 2011: A Look Back at the Top Stories

It was a year of big news in Millburn-Short Hills.

When I started working as the local editor of Millburn-Short Hills Patch nine months ago, I figured my days of covering disasters were over, or at least would be few and far between. After 25 years in the news business and a lot of disaster coverage, I was fine with that. And I had always dreamed of someday running a small town newspaper, keeping folks up-to-date on news that hits home. Patch seemed like the 21st Century version of that dream. So much for the quiet life of a small-town news editor. 2011 was a big year for news in Millburn-Short Hills, with two natural disasters in two months (three if you count the earthquake, but I don't really) from flooding during Hurricane-turned-Tropical Storm Irene to a freak October snowstorm. And …

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Mark Josephson

8:38 am on Sunday, January 22, 2012

What an amazing first year Laura. Thank you for doing such a great job covering our town!   more ›

Editor's Notebook: Thanks for a Great Two Years

Today is our second birthday, and you, our readers, have made it special.

It was two years ago I received an email simply stating "we're live!" And so was Millburn-Short Hills Patch and our sister first sites in Maplewood and South Orange were born. To say it's been an interesting two years would be an understatement. I've been here for some momentous news, like the hazing incident in the fall of 2009, two major fires in less than two months, a new superintendent, redistricting and God knows how many budget issues and stories. But something that has always stuck with me is the people I've encountered in the last two years. I've had the chance to tell many of your stories whether it's an award you've received or a new business you've opened. We have a strong group of interested readers who are part of the …

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Editor's Notebook: Welcome to Budget Season

The open, early process is a good thing. Now gt involved.

In the last two years I've covered school budgets in Millburn-Short Hills, the first time we started seeing anything about it was in February at the earliest. And the information we received was in dribs and drabs during school board meetings. But that needs to be different for the planning and approval process of the 2011-12 school budget. At the end of last year's budget process, there was talk about a gap between how much money was raised through taxes and the price of the actual budget. Taxes raised for 2010-11 were $70.5 million while the budget itself was $76.1 million. That's a difference of nearly $6 million. With less surplus funds available and no guarantee state aid would return, it was obvious school officials were going to …

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Editor's Notebook: Meals on Wheels Delivers Smiles

The volunteers bring more than a hot meal to township senior citizens.

For most of us, it's easy to get out during the day. Friends and family will drop in on us or call to see how we're doing. But there's also plenty of senior citizens out there who just can't get out like they used to. They may not drive or they are ill. And, in many cases, they can't cook for themselves either. That's where Meals on Wheels steps in. Run by SAGE since 1966, the Millburn-Short Hills Chapter of the American Red Cross recruits and schedules people to drive each weekday to deliver hot meals to senior citizens in town who just may not be able to get out like they used to. On Thursday, I had the chance to ride along with Brad Wilhelm and Doris Hillson as they visited a number of Millburn-Short Hills residents to deliver the meals…

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Editor's Notebook: The Art of Compromise

Schools Supt. James Crisfield is leading the charge in making compromises, and the BOE should follow his lead.

For a few minutes on Monday night it seemed like the Board of Education wouldn't accept the bench to honor former Schools Supt. Richard Brodow again. The board voted in June, during Brodow's final meeting, to table accepting the gift. Some members cited the need for the board to finish its work on a naming policy before voting on the bench. But the debate spun off in an ugly direction to the point where Brodow left the room. On Monday night, the debate shifted from whether or not the board should accept the gift because of a naming policy to a debate on where the bench should be located. The PTO Conference originally asked for the bench to be located in front of the Education Center, but the resolution presented by board member Scott …

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Editor's Notebook: To Ticket or Not to Ticket

Police are in a tough spot whether they ticket people or not for the no left turn.

It's a no win situation for Millburn police. If they don't ticket people turning left from Millburn Avenue onto Main Street, people complain. If they ticket them, people complain. The no left turn was put into place in late July because of the downtown construction project. Two lanes on Millburn Avenue are to go straight at Main Street, and the right lane is to turn right. And the complaint from many people around town was police officers weren't enforcing the no left turn. People frequently were turning left at the intersection. But the reason no one was ticketed was because police wanted people to get used to the change. There was an officer at one point directing traffic at the intersection, pointing for people not to turn left. But at …

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Jennifer Connic

6:47 pm on Thursday, September 2, 2010

They have a new speed enforcement program, which we've mentioned a few times. I'm working on a story about it and controlling speed in general, but waiting for the police to get me the numbers of tickets given for the speed enforcement thus far. Should be next week after Labor Day.   more ›

Editor's Notebook: Lessons on Working Together, Compromise

Here's hoping state officials are now more willing to work together and compromise on education issues in light of the failed Race to the Top application.

Who needs The Jersey Shore or the Real Housewives of New Jersey? The real New Jersey soap opera is Gov. Chris Christie versus the state's teacher union. At least it felt that way watching the news roll out on Tuesday and Wednesday about New Jersey's ill-fated Race to the Top application. We reported on Tuesday how New Jersey didn't receive $400 million in federal education funding, which was of no surprise to Schools Supt. James Crisfield. Mattering who you spoke to among the Millburn school leadership, the district could have received $100,000 as part of the funding. It's not a lot of money in the grand scheme of the Millburn school budget, but any funding not on the shoulders of the taxpayers is helpful. New Jersey's application came …

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Editor's Notebook: More Police Needed at Construction Zone

With the shut down of the bridge project this week, there's no police officer in the vicinity to direct traffic and help people cross the street.

Have you tried to park in the lot adjacent to the Millburn Deli in the last week? Cross from the north side of Millburn Avenue to the south side? The area has become a bit of a mess, especially at lunch time, because of the construction to replace the bridge just east of Main Street. The sidewalk is closed over the bridge on the south side, so people are crossing the road in the middle of the block if they want to go to the deli, Basilico or the other stores in the vicinity. And traffic can back up on Millburn Avenue as people try to make the right turn into the very small deli lot. But a police officer had been in the area by the deli and Basilico directing traffic, easing those back-ups. Plus he would stop traffic to help people, which …

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Editor's Notebook: Too Much Italian?

Some say there are too many, but people are going to them.

I knew the exact reaction there would be when I found out the Planning Board would review an application for a new Italian restaurant downtown. "There's too many Italian restaurants." But are there too many Italian restaurants? La Pergola would be the third one to open in the last few months, joining Cafe Luna and Osteria Mediterrania. La Campagna has changed hands and will remain Italian as Cara Mia. Downtown also includes Basilico, La Cucina Ristorante & Seafood Grill, La Strada, Peter's, Trattoria Gian Marco and Semolina. We can debate if Pizzeta is Italian or not, but let's say it is for this column. That's 11 Italian restaurants that could be downtown in the coming months. I've heard and read from plenty of readers who say "that's too…

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Editor's Notebook: Shared Services and Civil Service Reform

If the township can opt out of civil service, it would open the door to more shared services.

Starting Tuesday, consultants will be heading to the Millburn and Summit fire departments in the first step in a study to find more shared services between the two departments. The two departments already share a dispatch center, which is located in Summit, and have an automatic aid agreement. But the issue of civil service and its lengthy rules and bureaucracy could affect how the township proceeds with any findings from the study. Millburn is a civil service community. Summit is not. Most of Millburn's neighbors are not civil service, including Maplewood and Livingston. There is a whole set of different rules involved when a civil service community shares services with a non-civil service community. It can be a stumbling block and even …