Follow local news and events in Maplewood with The Jersey Bee. Here is the The Daily Buzz for Apr. 22, 2024 from The Jersey Bee.
Local news
Columbia High School to host “Shakespeare Festival” on Apr. 26 in Maplewood. The day-long event will feature student performances of scenes from various Shakespeare plays. Add to 📅.
South Orange-Maplewood Public Schools
Registration open for membership to Maplewood’s community pool. Memberships are available for Maplewood and South Orange residents, and nonresidents. Anticipated opening day is Jun. 15, after renovations have been completed.
Maplewood Recreation Division
South Orange library plans a virtual “Wednesday Wigglers: Baby Story Time” for ages 0-3 on Apr. 24. The reading is from 11-11:45 a.m. Zoom link available online. Add to 📅.
South Orange Public Library
CannaBoy Treehouse held a ribbon cutting event on Apr. 20 in South Orange. The dispensary, located at 57 West South Orange Ave., is the municipality’s first. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
South Orange Downtown
City Green’s statewide Good Food Bucks program doubles the value of SNAP benefits when buying fruits and vegetables at food retailers. Families First SNAP/EBT users automatically receive Good Food Bucks when shopping at participating locations. A complete list of participating stores available online.
City Green, Inc.
New Jersey residents ages 14+ can obtain naloxone, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses, for free and anonymously at participating pharmacies, a program announced by Gov. Phil Murphy in January 2023. A complete list of participating N.J. pharmacies available online.
Orange Police Department
Regional news
Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed $56 billion budget plan includes a 12% spending increase for the state’s nine prisons. Despite closing four state prison facilities and a 30% decline in the state’s incarcerated population since 2020, the yearly cost to keep each person incarcerated is expected to hit $74,254 in the upcoming fiscal year — four times the spending on each N.J. school student. Many N.J. prisons have been under scrutiny for its poor conditions, including no air conditioning, excessive solitary confinement, expensive communication charges, and pay raise distribution failures. New budget funds are said to support healthcare, staffing, building repairs, and a $1.3 million mail-scanning system, according to State Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria Kuhn.
New Jersey Monitor
