Baristanet

Have you ever thought about running away with the circus? Feel like getting out and leaving your inhibitions at home? This Friday evening — at least for a few hours — you can wear your clown or acrobat costume, bring your juggling paraphernalia and  join Gandalf Murphy ...& the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, as they perform at Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, 8 p.m.. Since the Sleepy Hollow, NY-based band exploded on...

Selling a house means showing it at its best — especially in this market. For many homeowners, that involves hiring a home staging company to do some quick redecorating and sprucing up. Until September 15, SOMA residents who are selling their homes but are committed to ...staying in the neighborhood can enter a contest to win the staging services of  Sweet Life by Design. Owner Leah Gomberg says she wants to hear...

A union leader’s car sits idle in the Roseland parking lot of Fox Rothschild, LLP — one of the premier management and labor law practices in the country —  where negotiations between De Camp management and striking workers are underway.   Federal mediator Guy A. Serota,... who works more than 300 labor negotiations each year, chatted with Baristanet as he waited to be called into the meeting. “It’s tough everywhere,” said Serota....

Sooner or later, every Maplewood resident sees it: the flashing lights of the Maplewood First Aid Squad outside a house on your street, giving emergency assistance to a neighbor. This week, the squad is asking Maplewood residents for a different kind of aid, raising mon...ey for the volunteer organization with its 1st Annual Emergency Services 5K Walk. On Saturday, September 11, at 3 p.m., approximately 30 members of the squad will take...

After a contentious summer of fits and starts, Bloomfield’s town council resumes its weekly meeting schedule tonight with two major issues to discuss: Its long overdue budget, which shows no sign of a final passage, and the planned mega conversion of Bloomfield’s former... National Starch Factory complex at 225 Belleville Avenue — across from Oakside Mansion.  Recently christened “Oakes Pond,” a developer is proposing a high-end housing development with 390 rental...

Larry Hanley, an international vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, flew in from Washington today and gave a pep talk to striking bus drivers in the church parking lot next to DeCamp headquarters, ahead of the first talks between the union and management, sc...heduled for noon today in the offices of attorney Desmond Massey in Roseland. “Your union brothers and sisters are supporting you in this strike,” Hanley said, noting that...

Chapin Clark, a 40-year-old ad agency copywriter who lives in Upper Montclair, hates DeCamp so much that he started a blog called I Hate DeCamp in 2008. In it, he chronicles the daily indignities of being a DeCamp rider, I Hate DeCamp has always been one of my favorite local blogs....

I loved this post, “The Screen Door Slams,” by our friend Polly Kreisman of The Loop, about her favorite, and least favorite, things about summer. As we eke out the final drops of summer on this very late Labor Day, I thought I’d compile my own list. Things I like: Goi...ng barefoot Falling asleep in a hammock by the lake, any lake Shade Fireflies in June, crickets in August Strolling down Church Street on a Friday or...

So here we are, on the day set aside by our great nation to celebrate, not just the end of swimming season and the seasonal wearing of white, but the organized labor movement. What uncanny timing, because just last week, DeCamp bus drivers went on strike, protesting man...agement’s plan to freeze wages for the next five years. Last week was somewhat of a dry run for the strike, since so many people...

Nicky Mesiah (bottom right) is known for her hand-made toffee, but when I invited her to an end-of-summer picnic at my pool this weekend, I asked her to bring something savory. She brought toffee anyway, along with sweet potato muffins and flax cookies — but she complie...d with my request and also brought a fabulous savory salad....

On Sept. 2, a Bloomfield resident found a white female Maltese dog about 4 years old, on the corner of Wilbur and Overlook, right next to Brookdale Park. She has no collar. She is currently at the Bukowski Animal Shelter in Bloomfield, 973-748-0194.

There was never any danger, said Dr. Jeremy Goodman, director of the county’s Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange. But for about five minutes today, right after the zoo’s 11 a.m. opening, a Code Red was called when a leopard called Megan briefly made her way out of sight of her handlers....

Less than one week (or two in Montclair) until school starts. In an effort to make your life easier, Barista Kids has gathered some important information about the upcoming school year for you. Get the full list of starting dates and a link to all the school calendars here.

There’s a philosopher loose around Brookdale Park, spreading words of wisdom… or perhaps just naivete. You decide.

Ever since The Nook opened, I’ve been rooting for it. It’s the new breakfast place located underneath The Health Shoppe on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. The owners and waiters are nice, and the big draw is the play area for kids. My kids loved the place. The second we... entered the large dining area, they spotted the toys....

It looks like most homeowners and realtors in Baristaville are taking Labor Day Sunday off. But for those in search of a bargain, it may be worth skipping the beach. 8 Brighton Ave., Bloomfield List Price: $289,000 Taxes: $6,789 Lot Size: 0.09 Acres 3BR/1BA This seven-r...oom Colonial, built in 1922, is small – it’s on 0.09 of an acre – but makes the most of its space....

Labor Day is here, but I’m not ready to bid adieu to summer – or grilling – quite yet! With plenty of visits to various beaches over the past months, here’s an Asian-influenced ocean-inspired recipe that I threw together for the family recently. Omit the chili, if you wish, and pick whatever kind of fish you like....

The Montclair residents who attended last night’s meeting, came well prepared to discuss the MSU/Township Sewer project. They’d had plenty of time to create a list of  questions, since the meeting had originally been scheduled for August 2, but was postponed. Hosted by ...1st Ward Councilman Rich Murnick, project experts including Jack Shannon, MSU’s vice president for university advancement, Gary Obszarny, the municipality’s director of utilities (shown here), Marc Dashield, township manager, Deborah...

While it’s true that Baristaville’s big-city neighbor  has had a rash of murders lately, that doesn’t mean it’s all bad news in Newark. And if you want to find out some good news there, all you have to do is visit the website Newark Mosaic, the brainchild of Leo Aristim...uno, an assistant professor of Video Production & Media Studies at Rutgers-Newark. “We are on a quest to discover and show the world diverse stories...

Chris Landers, an NJT regular, just sent this photo of the current state of affairs in NY Penn Station. Considering it’s the quietest commuting week of the year, it seems that the added influx of De Camp riders to the train system is definitely noticeable. Add to that t...emperatures that feel like a Turkish bath house, and you have the formula for one very nasty ride home....

Police are attempting to locate Adam Batkay, a missing person who was last seen by his family on July 31, 2010. Batkay, 39, is approximately 5’11”-6’1”, 180 -200 lbs. He may have a goatee and wears an earring in his left ear. He is known to frequent the areas of Bloomfield Center and Newark....