The Montclair area is just days away from the first day of September. It’s been another busy week in Essex County, and we’ve got all the Montclair news to keep you up to date. Among the highlights: Newark schools announce plans to open college savings accounts for 3,000 incoming kindergarten students; an EWR passenger tests positive for measles; and a new convenience store, Last Minute Market, opens in Montclair. Read on for all the news in Montclair and the surrounding Essex County towns for the week ending August 24th, 2025.
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Among the Headlines (read on for full stories):
New Convenience Store Last Minute Market Opens in Montclair
Newark Schools Will Open College Savings Accounts for 3,000 Incoming Kindergarten Students
$100 Bill Credit to Be Applied to Energy Bills in NJ This Fall
Yogi Berra’s Hall of Fame Plaque to Be on Display in Montclair on 9/21
EWR Passenger Tests Positive for Measles
Montclair Man Charged for Allegedly Sending Threatening Emails to NJ Residents
EWR Donates 9/11 Gate A17 Sign to Flight 93 Memorial
Latino Heritage Celebration Happening at Montclair Art Museum on 9/21
Montclair Developer Seeks to Turn Former Wallwood Gardens Site into Housing
Montclair Police Investigate Bias Crimes
Bloomfield High School Alumnus Donates $100K to School’s Music Programs
Robert Longo, a 1972 alumnus of Bloomfield High School, has donated $100,000 to the school’s music programs. According to Patch Bloomfield, the donation will support new instruments, cover production expenses, expand performance opportunities, and provide other vital resources for the program in the years ahead.
New Convenience Store Last Minute Market Opens in Montclair
Montclair has recently welcomed a new convenience store to 102 Walnut Street. It’s called Last Minute Market, and it aims to provide unique, curated grocery options to customers. Along with grocery products, there’s also a coffee bar from Paper Plane Co., and hot breakfast sandwiches are available for patrons to grab on the go. The shop, owned by Montclair residents Lindsay and Jason Rosenthal, who also own Brick + Dough, soft-opened on August 16th, as per its social media.
Newark Schools Will Open College Savings Accounts for 3,000 Incoming Kindergarten Students
Funded by a $150,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation, Newark Public Schools has announced its plan to open college savings accounts for all 3,000 of its incoming kindergarten students this fall. “As more Newark Public Schools students are admitted to higher education institutions every year, the Newark Saves College Savings Program will help reduce cost as a barrier to attending or finishing college,” Superintendent Roger León said in a press release.
Montclair’s Saint Sebastian Feast + Carnival Ends 8/24
Montclair’s annual Saint Sebastian Feast + Carnival has returned for its 99th year. The event, featuring carnival rides, live entertainment, Italian delicacies like zeppoles, sausages, pizza, and more, kicked off on August 20th and ends today, August 24th. The festival is taking place in Erie Park (85 Walnut Street) + Kaveny Field (72 Walnut Street) from 3PM to 10PM. At 3:30PM on August 24th, a procession of the St. Sebastian statue will make its way through town to Kaveny Field.
$100 Bill Credit to Be Applied to Energy Bills in NJ This Fall
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities recently approved the Residential Universal Bill Credit, aiming to provide energy bill assistance to Garden State residents. This bill will provide $100 in credits to those with an active account with Public Service Electric + Gas, Atlantic City Electric, Jersey Central Power + Light, or Rockland Electric Company. Residents will see a $50 credit applied to their electricity bills in September and October. Click here for more.
Montclair Developer Seeks to Turn Former Wallwood Gardens Site into Housing
Local developer Montclair Sky BNC LLC is seeking approval from the township’s Planning Board to subdivide the 0.54-acre site at 400 Orange Road, formerly home to the gift shop Wallwood Gardens, into four single-family lots, as per Montclair Local. The developer is looking to construct two homes facing Ward Place and another two on Pleasant Way, each with detached garages. This proposal follows a rejection by the Zoning Board of Adjustment back in 2024 for a plan to build eight townhouses on the property. The Planning Board is set to review the application on September 8th.
Yogi Berra’s Hall of Fame Plaque to Be on Display in Montclair on 9/21
Honoring the 53rd anniversary of Yogi Berra’s induction into baseball’s Hall of Fame, the Yogi Berra Museum + Learning Center, located at 8 Yogi Berra Drive, Little Falls, will bring Yogi’s treasured Hall of Fame plaque to Montclair for a one-day-only exhibit on Sunday, September 21st. According to Montclair Local, this will be the first time the plaque has left the National Baseball Hall of Fame + Museum in Cooperstown since his 1972 induction. This exhibit will be part of the Yogi’s Big Catch Challenge, a town-wide effort to set the Guinness World Records title for the largest game of catch. (Read more about that here.)
EWR Passenger Tests Positive for Measles
A non-NJ resident who passed through Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport on July 29th, between 5:30PM and 9:30PM, and Terminal A on July 30th, between 1:20PM and 7PM, has tested positive for measles. According to a statement from the New Jersey Department of Health, those most at risk are people who have not been fully vaccinated or have not had measles previously.
Montclair Man Charged for Allegedly Sending Threatening
Emails to NJ Residents
Montclair resident Nicholas Scarano has been charged with bias intimidation after allegedly sending threatening emails to over 400 residents at an apartment complex, specifically targeting Jewish and black residents in two of the emails. As per News 12 New Jersey, the individual arrested on August 15th had illegally accessed the online building management and communication system to send the messages.
EWR Donates 9/11 Gate A17 Sign to Flight 93 Memorial
The historic Gate A17 sign honoring the 44 victims killed on Flight 93, which was hijacked en route to San Francisco on September 11th, 2001, has been donated to the site where the plane had crashed, now known as the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The sign was previously displayed at the Port Authority Administrative building at Newark Liberty International Airport. It was transferred in a ceremony on August 15th, attended by representatives from the Port Authority, United Airlines, and the National Park Service, according to ABC7 New York.
Latino Heritage Celebration Happening at Montclair Art Museum on 9/21
Hosted by non-profit Latinos of Montclair, the fourth Annual Latino Heritage Celebration is set to take place on Sunday, September 21st, from 12PM to 5PM at the Montclair Art Museum, located at 3 South Mountain Avenue. This community event will feature live music + spoken word, youth showcases, artistic presentations, hands-on activities, food trucks, and local vendors and artisans, and a parade.
Montclair Police Investigate Bias Crimes
The American, Israeli, and Ukrainian flags at the Hinck Building in Montclair were stolen during the nights of August 13th and 14th. According to Montclair Local, the suspect ripped them from the flagpole, stole the Israeli flag, and left the others torn on the roof. The flags were replaced on August 15th, but that same night, the Israeli flag was stolen again, while the American and Ukrainian flags were once more left damaged. Montclair police are investigating the incidents as an act of bias crime.
Extra Space Self-Storage Facility Opens in Newark
Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood has recently welcomed a new six-story, 135,000-square-foot Extra Space Self Storage facility at 305 Wilson Avenue. According to Jersey Digs, the facility has 1,200 climate-controlled storage units.
Oratorios Society of New Jersey Seeking New Singers
Local choir, the Oratorios Society of New Jersey (OSNJ), is seeking new soprano, alto, tenor, and bass singers to join its group. No auditions are required, according to Montclair Local, but previous choral singing experience and music reading ability are preferred. Rehearsals will take place at Union Congregational Church, located at 176 Cooper Avenue, on Tuesdays from 8PM to 10PM, with the first date scheduled for September 2nd.
Revised $8M Field House Plan Announced for James Caldwell High School
The Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education has proposed a revised plan for a new field house at James Caldwell High School, located at 265 Westville Avenue, West Caldwell. The project, which was scaled down after a previous version was rejected by the board back in March, is projected to cost between $8 million + $8.5 million. According to Tapinto West Essex, the new facility would include locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a trainer’s room, a multi-purpose room, and storage space. The plan is set to be presented by the architect on September 8th, with a referendum to fund the project planned for this November.
Montclair Abandons Senior Center Plan at Mills Social Services Building
Citing concerns that it would not be the most “cost-effective use of taxpayer money,” Montclair will no longer move forward with the plan to develop a senior center at the Mills Social Services Building, according to a statement released by the township. Montclair is instead planning to build a temporary space for the center at its municipal building, located at 205 Claremont Avenue.
Pro Soccer Players from Gotham FC Visit Hospital in Livingston
Players and the coach of the pro-soccer team Gotham FC recently visited multiple RWJBarnabas Health hospitals, including Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, according to Patch Livingston. They signed autographs, spent time with fans, and took photos with patients and staff members.
Newark Zoning Board Approves Plan to Build Refrigerated Warehouse
On Thursday, August 14th, the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved local developer Ruggiero Properties LLC’s plan to build a 156,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse on Wilson Avenue and Ball Street. The project will partially replace the existing Garden State Cold Storage facility at 414–430 Wilson Avenue, 436–478 Wilson Avenue, and 28–42 Ball Street, and feature 124,000 square feet of refrigerated storage, 28,000 square feet dedicated to loading docks, mechanical, + utility areas, and a 3,200-square-foot reception space on the ground floor, according to Tapinto Newark.
Montclair High School Ranked 95th in NJ + 1,887th Nationally
According to U.S. News + World Report’s new ranking of public high schools, Montclair High School, located at 100 Chestnut Street, has been ranked 95th in New Jersey and placed 1,887th nationally. The school, which boasts a 94% graduation rate and sees 62% of its students take at least one AP Exam, received an 89.46 grade out of 100.
Montclair State University Launches New School in CHSS
Montclair State University has launched a new school called the Interdisciplinary School for Social Transformation, which will fall under the College of Humanities + Social Sciences (CHSS), according to a university statement. Students can now pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, choosing from three concentrations: Health and Wellness; Technology, Self, and Society; or Exploring Human Value, Solving Human Problems.
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