Top Stories For June 2014

Once upon a time, Verona’s public schools superintendent was always a Verona resident. In June, we returned to that tradition when the Board of Education picked Rui Dionisio, who has lived in town since 2008, to succeed Steve Forte.

There was big news on the food front, as Ariane and Michael Duarte announced that they were not bringing their Montclair restaurant to Verona but rather opening something totally new. And a Verona family that has cooking in its genes opened a cafe next to a bookstore that is a second home for many Verona readers. The photo above? It was taken when the U11 Verona Storm was invited to be on “Good Morning America”.

Every month, MyVeronaNJ.com looks at what our readers have been reading, and we let you know if you have to catch up on them. Here’s what you might have missed in June 2014:

1. BOE Picks New Superintendent: The Verona Board of Education has picked a Verona resident to replace Steven A. Forte as superintendent. Rui Dionisio has lived in Verona since 2008 and is currently the principal of Cranford High School.
2. CulinAriane Closing As Duartes Shift To Verona Restaurant: Verona’s culinary profile is about to get kicked up a notch–several notches, in fact. Ariane and Michael Duarte will be bringing their skills to an entirely new restaurant here.
3. Drinking, Driving–And Death: No parent ever wants to contemplate the death of a child. But in 2004 that became reality for Marianne and Marc Angelillo, when they lost their then 17-year-old son Matthew to a DWI car crash.
4. Real Estate For June 14-15: Big Deals: It’s raining new listings in Verona again, and several of the new properties come with a lot of space, inside and out. There are two four-bedroom homes, one fully renovated listing with five bedrooms and a house that has the full expanse of Verona Park at its front steps.
5. New Business: Tiny Elephant: Alison Meade has been cooking alongside her grandmother since she was eight. Her sister, Dana Bachan, taught herself baking after her second child was born. Now they have put their culinary skills–and their large family–front and center in a new cafe.
6. Fireworks In Verona–And Beyond: For the first time in a long time, Verona won’t be first with the fireworks for the Fourth of July. Essex County is getting the jump on us with fireworks at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra concert.
7. Former Verona Inn Site For Sale: There’s going to be even more real estate change coming to the eastern side of Verona: The former site of the Verona Inn has been put up for sale.
8. Lynch Named Quarterfinalist In Grammy Educator Award: Erik Lynch, the band director and music educator at Verona High School, is among a total of 222 music teachers from 208 cities across 41 states who have been picked as quarterfinalists for the second annual Music Educator award.
9. Grandfather’s Camera Found–With Memories: A Verona family was reunited with a camera that had created many special photos decades before.
10. Verona Soccer Fronts For J.Lo On ‘GMA’: It was an interesting morning for the U11 Verona Storm when they were asked to be on TV to mark the soccer madness that has swept the world during the World Cup.