Mayors from Caldwell, Roseland, Montclair, Maplewood, South Orange and other area municipalities shared concerns, ideas and a meal Saturday morning. The annual Meet the Mayors Breakfast was hosted by the Millburn-Short Hills, North Essex Regional, Cedar Grove and Livingston Chambers of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of the Montclair Area at Crane's Mill in West Caldwell. Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo gave the opening remarks. The free event provides a venue for elected officials, league members and business people to get to know each other and discuss common issues.

New parkings spaces, a paved path and a picnic area are part of a $155,000 project to make Essex County Grover Cleveland Park more accessible to people with disabilities, county officials announced Monday.  Work began about a week ago to add two van-accessible parking spaces on Buttonwood Court at the Essex Fells end of the park. The spaces are compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA), as are the other improvements underway. A paved path from the parking spaces which leads to a blacktop area where handicap-accessible picnic tables soon will be installed. There will also be new …

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. will outline plans to make Essex County Grover Cleveland Park more accessible for people with disabilities at a press conference on Monday, March 18, at noon, at the park. Plans include creating parking spaces compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA), installing handicap accessible picnic tables, repairing walking paths, installing signage and making various landscaping upgrades, Essex County officials said. The announcement will be made at the intersection of Runnymede and Brookside roads, rain or shine.  Due to water main work in …

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. invites Essex County fourth graders to participate in the "Why My Essex County Park is Important to Me" Essay Contest as well as Essex County sixth graders to participate in the “Essex County Cherry Blossom Poster Contest.” “Our parks, reservations and recreation facilities have a significant place in our lives and the Cherry Blossom Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Branch Brook Park every spring. These contests will help us raise awareness about the treasured open spaces in our communities and highlight their importance on our …

Essex County residents can anonymously turn in up to three guns with no questions asked between 8 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Feb. 15 and 16 at the Union Baptist Church, located at 12-14 Midland Ave., in Montclair. Montclair Police officers will be on hand to collect and secure the weapons.  Guns will be assessed on a sliding scale, ranging from $50 for an inoperable weapon to up to $250 for an operable assault weapon. The gun buy-back will work on a first come, first served basis and funding is limited.   The Attorney General’s Office will be paying to buy back the guns with criminal forfeiture …

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and the Essex County Division of Senior Services are inviting Essex seniors ages 60 and older to submit an original story to the 2013 Essex County Legacies Writing Contest.  “Our senior citizens have led interesting lives and I am always impressed by the stories that are submitted. Our Legacies Contest is an opportunity for our older residents to remember their past and share their experiences with family, friends and the younger generation,” DiVincenzo said. “It’s never too early to begin collecting your thoughts and writing your drafts. I …

Golfers who want to play on Essex County’s three public golf courses in 2013 have an incentive to register early. A $5 discount is being offered on new or renewed Adult ID cards purchased before Thursday, Feb. 28, according to the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. The discounted Adult Rate is $40 (regular fee is $45), other rates are not discounted. To Purchase or Renew Golf ID Cards Cards can be purchased or renewed in person at the Essex County Hendricks Field Golf Course Course, 220 Franklin Ave., in Belleville. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to…

Caldwell and West Caldwell are among 16 municipalities in Essex County to receive Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), according to an announcement made Tuesday by County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. Caldwell will receive $56,011 to install an ADA-compliant ramp from the municipal parking deck at Provost Square to the Caldwell Public Library. West Caldwell will receive $49,596 to install ADA-compliant pedestrian curb ramps in various locations around town. The Bridge, based in Caldwell, is one of 32 non-profit community organizations to be awarded CDBG funds. The behavioral health …

Essex County will host a job fair for positions at the South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange later this month.  The job fair will take place at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, 560 Northfield Ave., West Orange, on Sunday, Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 2 to 6 p.m. Positions are available at the zoo, Safari Mini-Golf, Treetop Adventure and McCloone's Boat House Restaurant.  The county is hiring in the areas of farm aide, maintenance, guest services and more.  Applicants must be 18 years or older and must pass a background check. More information and job …

Essex County will be holding a gun buy-back in February where anyone can trade in their guns for cash. The gun buy-back was announced last month soon after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson initially presented the gun buy-back only for Montclair after an anonymous resident committed $10,000 to buy back weapons.  However, the county has since reached out to the township to hold a joint countywide gun buy-back.  “The county thought it was a great idea,” said Montclair Business Manager Marc Dashield. “And they decided that they wanted to get involved in the …

These gingerbread houses are not just edible, they are educational, too.  More than 51 entries were received in the Essex County Environmental Center’s Eighth Annual Gingerbread Homes and Habitats Contest. The entries were divided into four categories—Individual Child; Group/Family; Adult Non-Professional and Adult Professional—and winners were recognized Saturday at the center in Roseland.  The goal of the contest is to raise awareness about nature with a holiday theme, according to Essex County Excecutive Joseph N. DiVincenzo.  "This hands-on, family-oriented contest lets people of all ages…

This past weekend Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. invited the public to celebrate the holiday season and participate in the Fourth Annual Essex County Historic Holiday House Tour. Thirteen Essex County historic sites were decorated for the holidays and open to the public for a weekend tour. The tour included Essex County Kip’s Castle in Verona, the Walther House at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Montclair, Ballantine House at Newark Museum, Canfield-Morgan House and Museum in Cedar Grove, Force Homestead and Museum in Livingston, Glenmont at Thomas Edison …

Nine towns in Essex County are getting a helping hand in post-Sandy recovery efforts thanks to a nearly $421,000 federal grant that will create 105 temporary jobs. The money—awarded to Belleville, Bloomfield, Caldwell, Fairfield, Irvington, Livingston, Nutley, East Orange, Orange, the East Orange Water Commission and the Essex County government—is part of $15.6 million awarded to New Jersey by the Federal Hurricane Sandy Disaster National Emergency Grant. It will be used to fund 1,300 jobs in 16 counties across the state. "The intent of the funding is to allow government agencies to hire …

Samuel Brummer fled Poland with members of his family in 1939 to escape growing Nazi terror. A few years later, the former refugee returned to Europe as a warrior, a soldier in the United States Army who landed at Omaha Beach in France during the D-Day invasion and witnessed firsthand an English Channel soaked red with the blood of his comrades. “I’m no hero. I was trained to do a job, just like every other soldier,” said Brummer, who lost hearing in one ear from the blasts of the howitzer he manned. “The honors really belong to those who never made if off the beaches of Normandy and out of …

Who says dogs can't get into the Halloween spirit? This weekend, pet owners showcased their pets and their creativity at two parades sponsored by Essex County. The annual "Strut Your Mutt" Halloween contest took place at Brookdale Park in Montclair/Bloomfield and at the South Mountain Dog Park in Maplewood/Millburn. Dog owners got into the spirit of the occasion—there were dogs in plaid, wearing crowns, dressed as appliances and superheroes for the occasion. The weather was bright and sunny as the canines were walked around two of the county's dog parks for the costume judging. Each year, …

A Bloomfield man has been charged with vehicular homicide in the death of 16-year-old Christina Lembo, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday. Nicholas M. Camasco, 23, was the driver of a 2000 Chevy Camaro when it collided with a 2007 Honda Civic at 11:10 p.m. Sept. 29, killing Lembo, who was sitting in the backseat of the Civic. She was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark a short time later. Both cars had been traveling on Broughton Avenue in Bloomfield at the time. Four others – two occupants in the Civic and two in the Camaro – sustained non-life threatening …

Hundreds of priests and members of the Archdiocese of Newark filled the pews of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart Saturday for a special mass celebrating Archbishop John J. Myers 25th anniversary of ordination. "What a joy and honor it is personally to be with you and to celebrate this occasion," said Myers in his homily. "In my own mind, it is more about you and your goodness and faithfulness than it is about me." In attendance for the celebratory mass were three cardinals, including Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, 13 bishops and one abbot. Myers, whose was consecrated in 1987…

A former Essex County Sheriff's deputy will spend 24 months in prison for money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Eric Hawkins, 44, of Union, pleaded guilty previously to money laundering before U.S. District Court Judge Robert Kugler in federal court in Camden. According to authorities, Hawkins also ran a non-profit business, Urban Community Unification Inc. and agreed to launder money after being approached by a man who claimed to be a broker for a drug dealer who needed money laundered. However, the man posing as a broker turned out to be an undercover officer. Hawkins …

Election season is in full swing and Americans for Prosperity, a free-market organization, has announced that its "Obama's Failing Agenda" bus tour will stop in Montclair on Thursday, Sept. 20. The bus tour will be at Montlcair State University at 7 p.m. The conservative group said in a press release that activists will gather together to bring "grassroots pressure to oppose the president’s agenda of runaway spending and debt, a government health care takeover, and job-destroying regulations which have resulted in the worst economic recovery in nearly a century, including 43 straight months …

The first upgrades to the second ice rink at Essex County’s Richard Codey Arena since it opened in 1983 were unveiled Monday.   The ribbon cutting of the $2.2 million project drew county officials and elected representatives into the chilled air of Rink 2. The work included modernizing the refrigeration system, repainting the rink, adding a new concrete floor under the ice surface and outside the rink, and replacing new boards and bleachers. The improvements, said Daniel Salvante, director of the Essex County Department of Parks, “have really put us into the 21st century as far as how we can …