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The East Orange Record and Orange Transcript have been combined to form a new newspaper, the Record-Transcript. All current subscribers will receive the Record-Transcript in their mailboxes for the issue of Jan. 19, and the new paper also will be available on the newsstands that day.
Our coverage of both towns will not be affected by the change. All contact telephone numbers and e-mail addresses will remain the same. The editorial staff will be unchanged.
The East Orange Record, founded in 1899, and the Orange Transcript, founded in 1898, have served our communities well for more than a century. The new Record-Transcript will continue that tradition of providing news and opinions that matter to our communities.

Please visit our NEW combined website Record-Transcript

By Chris Sykes, Staff Writer

This year, members of the Orange Fire Department once again served up Thanksgiving dinner to anyone in the city who wanted to enjoy a nice, traditional meal with all the fixings. But this time the event was a little different.

 That difference came from the fact that the firefighters decided to feed the public for free from two separate locations instead of at just one site.

Normally, the members simply open up the bay doors at the Chief Martin DeMarzo Fire Headquarters and station located at the corner of Central and Lincoln avenues and allow hungry people to come in and partake of the holiday bounty that has been prepared by the firefighters and their families. 

But this year, even though the Fire Department planned to hold its annual…

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By Chris Sykes, Staff Writer

Mayor Eldridge Hawkins Jr. said he favors conducting a new property revaluation in order to bring Orange’s property assessments into line with the current real estate market.

Hawkins, who said last week he wants a property revaluation, was upset because the council did not approve his request for a property reassessment. He said the council’s action was unfair and it needs to approve a revaluation project.Hawkins said he has put together a list of reasons for a property revaluation.

The reasons included how the state-mandated property revaluation that occurred fiveyears ago, when home propertyvalues were high during the peakin the housing bubble, washandled. Hawkins claimed that after the revaluation, tax bills of many homeowners increased…

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The Orange High School varsity football team was on a roll heading into the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 2 playoffs.

The Tornadoes, winners of six in a row, had reason to believe they could make a strong run at the championship. Moreover, there was the added motivation of getting revenge on Caldwell, which beat OHS in the semifinals last year in double overtime, along with this year's loss to the Chiefs, which was the Tornadoes' last loss before the six-game winning streak.

But not even those incentives and a home game could help the fourth-seeded Tornadoes. Caldwell, the fifth, seed, overcame a 17-15 halftime lead by shutting out the Tornadoes in the second half, winning 28-17, on Friday Nov. 11 at Bell Stadium.

The Tornadoes, who were 1-2 before winning six straight, ended their fine season with a 7-3 mark.

Junior quarterback Safee Fisher threw two touchdown passes and senior Marquiso Jean booted a field goal for the…

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By Joe Ragozzino

Sports editor

For the second year in a row, the Orange High School varsity football team gets a rematch in the playoffs with a chance to exact revenge.

The fourth-seeded Tornadoes, who have won six in a row, will host fifth-seeded Caldwell in the first round of the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 2 playoffs in a matchup of Super Essex Conference-Colonial Division teams on Nov. 11at Bell Stadium at 7 p.m. The Tornadoes have a 7-2 record after beating Cedar Creek, 29-6, last Friday Nov. 4 at Bell Stadium for their sixth straight victory.

The last time they lost was against Caldwell, 28-22, in Week 3 at Caldwell on Sept. 24 in divisional action.

In the playoffs last season, OHS fell to Caldwell, 21-20, in double overtime in the semifinals. That loss denied the Tornadoes a shot at returning to the championship game. In the first round, OHS upset Summit, 37-34, in overtime, exacting the loss to Summit in the 2009 championship game… Continue

Photo by Steve Ellmore.

Orange High quarterback Safee Fisher, right, waits for the snap with running back Jayquan Watson standing behind during the snow-filled 27-2 win at Glen Ridge last Saturday.

Lately, nothing seems to stop the Orange High School varsity football team.

Not even a rare October snowstorm.

Playing under a snowstorm that dumped several inches, the Tornadoes romped to a  27-2 victory over a slumping Glen Ridge team last Saturday at Hurrell Field in Glen Ridge.

It marked the Tornadoes’ fifth straight victory to improve their record to 6-2.

Glen Ridge lost its fifth straight to fall to 3-5.

OHS senior running back Jayquan Watson ran roughshod despite the slippery conditions, gaining a whopping 248 yards and three touchdowns on just 15…

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By Chris Sykes, Staff Writer

As of Tuesday night, many Orange residents, taxpayers, residents and homeowners were still reeling from the effects of the surprisingly destructive snowstorm that swept across New Jersey and the rest of the Northeast on Saturday, knocking down trees and tree branches, severing overhead electrical and cable TV lines, and leaving many people without heat, hot water or power for days. 

According to information posted on the official PSE&G website, on Monday as of 4:30 p.m., the company still had about 83,000 customers without power due to the storm. The utility company said that it had restored service to more than 83 percent of customers impacted by the snowstorm but that was small consolation for many in Orange who were still without power despite the company’s assertions. “I have been without power since last Saturday,” said Rev. Reginald Jackson of St. Matthew AME Church on Oakwood Avenue. “I live on 7 Oaks Road in the South…

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By Chris Sykes, Staff Writer

A longtime member of the Orange Board of Education has cited physical ailments in his decision to resign from the body.Rev. Reginald Jackson announced his decision to leave the school board during its Oct. 11 meeting, a district official said.

In a statement following Jackson’s decision, Mayor Eldridge Hawkins Jr. said he would seek input from residents on who to name as  Jackson’s replacement.Jackson said he had planned to leave the board shortly, but decided to move his decision ahead a month.

He added that while he is relieved to have stepped down, there are many issues in Orange’s public schools that still need to be addressed.“I was going to do it in November, but I think I’m going to have to get something done to my hip,” Jackson said. “I…

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The Orange High School varsity football team keeps piling up quality wins.

One week after knocking off a good Shabazz team, the Tornadoes defeated previously-undefeated Cedar Grove, 42-33, last Saturday Oct. 22 at Bell Stadium on Homecoming in a Super Essex Conference crossover game.

Senior running back Jayquan Watson rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns and scored on an 80-yard kickoff return, and junior quarterback Safee Fisher passed for 155 yards and three touchdowns to power the Tornadoes to their fourth straight victory.

Senior 6-foot-4 receiver Kassan Messiah caught two of Fisher’s touchdown passes as the Tornadoes improved to 5-2.

Cedar Grove fell to 6-1.

Fisher connected with another 6-4 senior receiver, Farrod Clarke, on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to put OHS up 7-0.

Cedar Grove tied it at 7-7 on Joe Slattery’s one-yard run later in the quarter.

In the second quarter, Messiah caught touchdown passes of 35 and 30 yards to…

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Orange High School 2011 Homecoming Parade and Game on Saturday Oct. 22 will offer the community, alumni, school staff, students and their families a chance to celebrate “Orange Pride”. The day's events begin with a parade along Main Street in Orange and features a “pink-out” Homecoming Game against Cedar Grove High School. The Orange High School Tornadoes will don pink jerseys when they suit up against their opponent in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The game culminates a larger fundraising effort led by Jason Green, Vice Principal at Orange High School, to raise $3,000 for the American Cancer Society, which will be presented during halftime.

During the month of October, Mr. Green declared that “Pink is the new Orange”. On Friday, October 21, the Orange Public School District will observe Cancer Awareness Recognition Day. Last year during a similar fundraiser…

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