A one-man-band filmmaker examines the complex stories of cannabis By Donny Levit Howard Ellis released his passion project, "Bar None: Cannabis Redemption" in March 2025 Maplewood documentarian Howard Ellis didn’t begin with a clear subject to chase. Instead, he began with curiosity and a willingness to be inspired. Through interviews and observation, he discovered a rich subject worth exploring. For Ellis, the story of cannabis incarceration was unfamiliar territory. He was

A neighborhood café where the customers are old friends By Amy Lynn-Cramer L: Signe Heffernan; R: Silvestre Cordero. Photos by Julia Maloof Verderosa. On a quiet stretch of Elmwood Avenue, there’s a café that feels less like a business and more like a living room. It’s a place where people know your name, your kids hug the owners and regulars stop by for food, conversation and connection. That place is True Salvage Kitchen. At the center of it all is Signe Heffernan, executiv

I'm on a streak By Ellen Donker My daughter Madeline has been encouraging me to learn Swedish for a long time. In 2018, I had taken her and her brother, Christian, to Stockholm and they loved it so much that they started learning the language and stuck with it. Now when they talk, they’ll throw a few Swedish words into their conversation and have a private laugh. I don’t know what was the tipping point for me at the beginning of January, but I decided to learn Swedish, too. (

The rise of Columbia High School’s Jun Harrigan By Adrianna Donat Jun Harrigan plays for the Pegasus organization in the Korean Basketball League in South Korea. When Jun Harrigan thinks about growing up in Maplewood, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t basketball. It isn’t even Columbia High School or long afternoons at The Baird. It’s the trees. “I remember the walks home from school and the nature and trees I was surrounded by,” he says via email from South Korea. “I

By Kristen Di Gennaro Each semester in my college writing classes, I ask students to share their pet peeves about language. Invariably someone mentions the use of commas and the classic meme comparing “Let’s eat, Grandma” with “Let’s eat Grandma.” An online version even includes the caption “commas save lives.” I’m unaware of a situation in which a comma saved a life, but I know of a legal case in which its absence cost a company millions of dollars. The comma in “Let’s eat,

Local group helps people find answers and activities By Cindy Perman L to R: FORT members took a Moroccan cooking class at the Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills. Photo credit: Alan Levine; FORT members enjoyed a fall bike ride at Duke Farms in Hillsborough. Photo credit: Cindy Perman. FORT members attended a Moth StorySLAM in Brooklyn at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photo credit: Alan Levine. Retirement is something most people dream about. No more work! Forty or more hours