Living in Livingston

The most popular names in New Jersey are Michael and Isabella. The most popular stories on Livingston Patch: Charter schools and bears. Charters are not just for urban areas anymore. Two so-called “boutique” charters for Mandarin Chinese have applied for Livingston and neighboring towns. And the bear, well, he just seems to be a young black bear looking for food. He’s created a stir though by picking Route 10 to roam:

We hope you are clicking onto Patch daily for news of Livingston and receiving our daily or weekly newsletter. We run half a dozen stories a day of interest to Livingston residents, covering our town and people who live and work here. We launched , blog posts written by Patch readers, to continue the conversations we are having in our homes with a broader audience.

Here’s the rundown of the week’s Top stories:

Charter Schools

. Delegates overwhelmingly approved emergency resolution submitted by Princeton Regional Board of Education.

. Millburn hosts a forum for school leaders to learn more about charters.

. Lawmakers and local residents want to know why they can't have a greater say about charter schools hosted by their communities.

McDermott says he might not have signed petition had he known it was for charter school application.

. ‘Why does this concern me and why should it concern you?’

. Councilwoman Deborah Shapiro presents her take on issues in town government.

The Dalai Lama

. His Holiness arrives in Newark for Peace Education Summit.

. 'My part … nothing special … You can consider me a small Buddhist psychologist today.'

Arts

. Livingston Public Schools celebrate the arts with showcase at mall.

. Livingston Gallery hosts an exhibit of work from the Pastel Society.

. 'Fun for anyone who enjoys good music, big production numbers and snappy dialogue...'

Sports

.  Kyle Rulka and Ed Jung lead the way in victory over Belleville in Essex County

. Rothenberger's double sends Lancers to Essex County Semifinals

. Lancers defeat Newark Academy to win Newark Academy Invitational.

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Volunteers in the News

. Preschoolers raise funds to Help Overcome Pediatric Epilepsy.

. 10,000 expected for 5K run/walk to raise funds for breast cancer research.

Police and Fire

Livingston Fire Chief Christopher Mullin takes part in emergency drill.

Local Voices

. Jennifer Goodman Linn shares her new posts on WebMD: From diagnosis and treatment to remission and survival.

. Our college-age students come home for summer. Three Cheers?

. How do we come to understand and accept the friendships our children make.

News tip leads me on a hunt for a bear on Route 10 in Livingston.

More of our Local Voices include Walter LeVine on keeping you safe from scams and Ray Leibman’s essay on Life after Birth.

Neighbors

. A long-time tradition, the Camuso Collection to be displayed by town.

. Local organizations honor Yom Ha’atzmaut.

. Kiwanis Karnival brings small-town America to our town.

. Grab the Kids and Go to the Unico Carnival.

Something to Sneeze At: According to Pollen.com the culprits are oak, birch, maple.

Whiz Kids

Livingston teens win for their designs in the FTC World Championship.

. Joy Ming could win People's Choice honor in the Google science fair.

Business

You can find all the news on top of the Livingston Patch site by clicking on the tab for News. You can browse by Arts, Government, Business, Police and Fire, School News, Sports, Announcements and now -- Local Voices. If you're interested in blogging, email marilyn.lehren@patch.com.

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Still trying to figure out what we’re all about? You can learn more about just what this and the challenges of the here.

Our favorite story for the week? That's easy: Try to say "Bear Spotted at Berliss Bearing" three times fast: That was our headline for the story about a black bear that showed up, seemingly confused and scared, in the bearing company's parking lot. Employees there may know a lot about bearings, but perhaps not so much about bears. “I tried to stare him down like Davey Crockett but it didn’t work. So I got in my car and drove off,” one told Patch.