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STORIES
Our stories are all about the interesting people, places and things in Maplewood.
Read some here or page through our online issues.
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ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20212 min read
A SIGN FOR THE TIMES by Ellen Donker
It helps me check in with my soul It’s fall and by now I thought I’d be writing about easier times. But as the pandemic is still with us...


ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20216 min read
THE SNOWBALL EFFECT by Tia Swanson
Changing the world, one child at a time Lorraine Kerry Barnett grew up poor in the Central Ward of Newark during the dark period that...


ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20211 min read
BETTER TOGETHER by Ellen Donker
Introducing the SOMA Chamber of Commerce Two local organizations have made history. The Maplewood Chamber of Commerce and the South...


ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20215 min read
A COMMUNITY OF FURRY LOVE by Adrianna Donat
Rescuing pets in SOMA Christel Hyden knows fostering pets makes a difference. One of her success stories is about a group of adorable...


ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20214 min read
OHEB SHALOM WELCOMES NEW CLERGY TEAM by Malia Rulon Herman
It’s all-female, but that’s beside the point Congregants of Oheb Shalom, a Conservative Jewish temple in South Orange, gathered this...


ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20213 min read
CHANGING COURSE by Sonya Kimble-Ellis
JESPY House embraces the challenge of virtual fundraising Since March of 2020, changing course has been the order of the day for many...


ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20215 min read
A BET LAUNCHES A CAREER by Ellen Donker
Now Sally Reaves makes history Sally Reaves is not one to turn down a challenge. Her friend Paulette, a corrections officer, found that...

ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20213 min read
THE NIGHT I ASKED THE WORLD TO SEND MY SUMP PUMP GOOD JUJU by Donny Levit
Tropical storm Ida’s most unwelcome visit Do not underestimate the power of water. Best to respect and fear the wet stuff.” So said my...


ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20217 min read
THE HARLEM CULTURAL FESTIVAL GETS NOTICED DECADES LATER IN QUESTLOVE'S “SUMMER OF SOUL” Donny Levit
Maplewood’s Lizzy McGlynn helps guide the film’s context August 15, 1969. You may not be able to remember the date, but you certainly...


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20212 min read
MAKE ART. LEAVE ART. TAKE ART. By Ellen Donker
Maplewood resident creates a new kind of art gallery As an art therapist, Beth VanDusen is always creating. Having seen many of the Free...


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20214 min read
TAKING ART – AND COMMUNITY – VIRTUAL By Tia Swanson
The Newark Museum of Art not only survived the pandemic, it thrived As has become painfully apparent over the last several months, the...


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20212 min read
NEW JERSEY ARTS ANNUAL INCLUDES SOMA ARTISTS By Tia Swanson
One of the most moving exhibits at the Newark Museum of Art is its 2021 New Jersey Arts Annual. The 50 works on display – chosen from...


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20213 min read
MY VINYL LIFE WITH THE STEREO KIDS By Donny Levit
After too many months of online learning, here’s how our family went analogue again I admit this sounds like a plot point right out of a...


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20215 min read
PARENTS GO BACK TO SCHOOL By Malia Rulon Herman
New language program teaches more than just English For a parent in the South Orange-Maplewood School District who was born in the U.S....


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20216 min read
SOLVING A CONUNDRUM By Sara Courtney
A CHS student collaboration creates a video-game hit When Wesley Sappington got the idea to create a video game, he did what any budding...


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20215 min read
SAYING GOODBYE TO ONE OF THE BEST By Cassandra Ratkevich
Beloved CHS teacher Jon Campbell retires after 25 years Visitors to Columbia High School, found Jon Campbell’s classroom easy to spot...

ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20213 min read
THE JOBS OF SUMMER By Ellen Donker
They’ll have value past August This summer, my kids gave me a gift: All three of them found employment. I exhaled a big sigh of relief...


ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20214 min read
INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER By Adrianna Donat
How the SOMA Community Helped One Young Man Find His Wings Stanley Finlayson graduated from Columbia High School this past June. But on...


ellencdonker
Jun 11, 20211 min read
MAKE A CLOTHES HANGER SUNCATCHER By Lacey Buccellato
With the kids at home this summer, we like to do projects that celebrate the season with materials we can source at home. Summer is all...


ellencdonker
Jun 11, 20213 min read
SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR HOUSE, WITH LOVE By Tami Steckler
Thank you for these 21 years Dear House, I remember the first time I saw you. To be honest, I didn’t love you then. I thought your rooms...
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