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MontClairVoyant: Independence for Women Yanked Prior to Independence Day
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
With our town's Independence Day parade next Monday, do you even feel like celebrating when women now have little independence over their bodies after the far-right Supreme Court's June 24 ruling...
MontClairVoyant: Library and Council Are This Column’s Protagonists
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Our town's library system basically returned to pre-pandemic hours starting Monday, June 20. Comment?
Sincerely,
New Jersey Woolf, Not Virginia Woolf
So THAT'S why Montclair's libraries renamed "The Hours" book "The Pre-Pandemic...
MontClairVoyant: Over the Moon About a Pride Day in June
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Could you describe last Saturday's Pride Festival in five words?
Sincerely,
Adjectives R Us
P for phenomenal, r for remarkable, i for incredible, d for delightful, e for exceptional. Yes, my thesaurus is...Out.
...
MontClairVoyant: There’s No Sesame Street in Montclair. Or Is There?
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
A 125th-anniversary party for what's now Glenfield Middle School is being held this Sunday, June 12. Comment?
Sincerely,
Educational Staple on Maple
That school -- so important to Montclair's history in general and...
MontClairVoyant: Local Action or Inaction Is Not an Abstraction
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
With horrific recent gun massacres spurring a local "Gathering for Remembrance and Action" tomorrow, June 3, are Councilor-at-Large Bob Russo's comments at a recent Township Council meeting relevant?
Sincerely,
Rhea Marks
They are....
MontClairVoyant: Guns and Rent in This Column’s Tent
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
In the wake of the ghastly school massacre in Texas, Gov. Murphy announced there'll be an increased police presence at New Jersey schools -- presumably including those in Montclair. Helpful?
Sincerely,
More Blue in...
MontClairVoyant: After Awful School Layoffs, You Could Hear a Spin Drop
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Eighty-three school staffers -- including teachers and paraprofessionals -- have reportedly received "non-renewal" letters as our district tries to close a possible 2022-23 budget gap. Comment?
Sincerely,
Dismayed in May
First of all,...
MontClairVoyant: Events in May and June Might Make You Swoon
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
There's so much to do in Montclair during the spring. Where to start?
Sincerely,
May B. June
Spring started this year on March 20 -- the date in 1916 when Albert...
MontClairVoyant: News That’s Heartening and Frightening for Montclair
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Wasn't that a great Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence fundraising event at Lackawanna Plaza on Saturday, April 30?
Sincerely,
Pre-May Day
It was! Many talented township residents performed. It was exactly like...
MontClairVoyant: File It Under ‘Didn’t Honor PILOT’?
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
You promised last week to discuss rent control this week, but could you first talk about how The MC hotel reportedly stopped giving money to Montclair under their PILOT (Payment in Lieu...
MontClairVoyant: Asking and Answering Softball Questions
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
You often "play hardball" in your column, so why not talk softball for once?
Sincerely,
Change-up
Okay, my 9th-grade daughter is on Montclair High's softball team (she pitches for the junior-varsity squad) so...
MontClairVoyant: Developers Can Go Too Far with an ANR
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Developers often want to overdevelop and gentrify sites -- because, you know, maximizing profits. It's especially annoying when they seek not-merited Area in Need of Redevelopment (ANR) status, right?
Sincerely,
Swarming and...
MontClairVoyant: In April, You ‘May’ Read June and July News
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
As I write this early on April 6, I heard Montclair residents might be asked in a November referendum to start approving $190 million in school repairs and upgrades -- bonded in...
MontClairVoyant: Does ‘Rent, Lackawanna, and Bellevue’ Sound Like a Law Firm?
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Today's column will cover rent control, Lackawanna Plaza, and the Bellevue Theatre. How will you get from one to the other?
Sincerely,
Go Your Own Way
From the theatre, I'll head east down...