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🌱 Patch AM: Longtime Montclair Firefighter Retires, 6 Others Promoted

Make time for Montclair AI Nights: AI for Everything on the Montclair Patch calendar

Monday September 21st Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hey hey Montclair! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Montclair fire leadership shifts as veteran deputy chief retires
  • What changes did Montclair's Historic Preservation Commission push for this month?
  • What's new inside Montclair Art Museum's reimagined stairway and galleries?

Also on today's calendar: Montclair AI Nights: AI for Everything and 19 more events.

Today's riddle: What do you call advice from a cow ? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Monday: Cloudy and less humid, with a high of 72 and low of 57 degrees.
  • Tuesday: Cloudy with a little rain, temps: high: 67, low: 53.
  • Wednesday: Cloudy most of the time, with a high of 65 and low of 54 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Longtime Montclair Firefighter Retires, 6 Others Promoted (patch.com) — Montclair residents are seeing big changes in their fire department, with longtime Deputy Chief Michael Lizza retiring after more than 25 years of service to the township. At a recent town council meeting, six firefighters were promoted to leadership roles and a new probationary firefighter, Anthony Padillo, was sworn in, marking a significant shift in the department's ranks.
   

2. Developer No-Show, Garage Gutting, and Sign Scrutiny Mark Montclair HPC Meeting (tapinto.net) — Montclair's Historic Preservation Commission recently weighed in on several local projects, from a Pleasant Avenue subdivision and a new affordable duplex on Miller Street to signage at the Montana apartments and Clementina restaurant on Valley Road. Commissioners pushed for preserving historic elements like a garage and neighborhood character, while township staff also announced plans to seek grant funding for the police building.
   

3. Dual Displays at Montclair Art Museum Reimagine Materials and Make the Familiar Fascinating (tapinto.net) — Two major new exhibitions at the Montclair Art Museum are now open, giving local visitors fresh reasons to stop by South Mountain Avenue this fall. One transforms the museum's own printed materials into a soaring stairway installation, while the other showcases over 40 works by Indigenous artist Nadia Myre. Both shows invite Montclair residents to reflect on history, memory, and what we choose to preserve.
   

4. Shelley Watkins-Taylor (montclair.edu) — At Montclair State University, Professor Shelley Watkins-Taylor is helping first-year and dual-enrollment students, including Newark high schoolers, earn college writing credits through the Red Hawk Rising Teacher Academy. Her work with English language learners and developmental writers at nearby colleges, plus creative projects focused on empowering diverse communities, offers local students strong support in building crucial writing skills.
   

5. California kindergartners learn to ride bikes in PE, and teachers watch confidence soar (thecooldown.com) — While the main story highlights California kindergartners learning to ride bikes in PE, it also notes that Montclair students created a "bike bus" to change how they get to school. That local effort is held up as an example of how biking can boost kids' independence, confidence, and daily activity, alongside similar initiatives nationwide.
   

📸 Around Montclair

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What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Premium Retail Services posted a job opening for Grocery Reset Merchandiser in Bloomfield. Apply here.
  • Oak St. Health posted a job opening for Shift Supervisor in Cedar Grove. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Montclair here.

Ok Montclair! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Beef Tips (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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