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Sal DiMaggio

Multimedia journalist focusing on local news and features

Writer, photographer, storyteller.

My Work

New Jersey Hills •

The tale of two fire districts: How Hanover Township may be one step closer to consolidating its fire districts

HANOVER TWP. – Residents packed the apparatus bay inside Cedar Knolls Fire Department’s firehouse on Monday, Oct. 27, for a joint meeting between the township’s two fire districts.

For more than 90 minutes, fire commissioners and residents went back and forth over a decades-old problem: how to merge the fire districts into one.

The meeting began with some progress: the commissioners voted to formally adopt a plan to merge the districts.
New Jersey Hills •

Denville judge recuses himself from Morristown Councilwoman Foster's DUI case

MORRISTOWN - Denville Township Municipal Court Judge Gerard Smith recused himself from Councilwoman Toshiba Foster’s driving while under the influence case on Thursday, Nov. 6, after Terry Webb, Foster’s attorney, argued there is an “appearance of impropriety.”

Webb requested that the Denville Township Municipal Court recuse itself from this case, and that the case be moved to another county.

The basis for this request was pretrial publicity of the case, and that Webb had filed a motion to protect information surrounding the case from being subject to state Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests before information was released to the press.
New Jersey Hills •

BREAKING: Hanover Township Committee introduces ordinance to acquire Red Carpet Inn and Scottish Inn

HANOVER TWP. – The Township Committee introduced an ordinance on Thursday, Oct. 23 to acquire the property that the Red Carpet Inn and Scottish Inn are located at on Route 10.

The ordinance states that the purpose of the acquisition is to address the town’s affordable housing requirements. The property can either be acquired through a “negotiated contract or, if necessary, by eminent domain,” according to a press release from the township.

“The township’s Affordable Housing Plan has been challenged by five objectors, which has forced the committee to look at sites that may be acquired and developed or redeveloped for affordable housing, including senior age restricted affordable housing,” Mayor Thomas “Ace” Gallagher said.
New Jersey Hills •

Police body camera footage shows arrest of Morristown Councilwoman Toshiba Foster

MORRISTOWN – Police body-worn camera footage obtained from the Denville Township Police Department shows Councilwoman Toshiba Foster being pulled over, being administered field sobriety tests and being arrested on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Foster was arrested around 10:30 p.m. on Route 53 for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving and driving an unregistered vehicle.
New Jersey Hills •

'This is not normal:' Thousands protest Trump adminstration in second No Kings rally in Morristown

MORRISTOWN - Thousands of protestors crowded Morristown Town Hall on South Street on Saturday, Oct. 18 for the second “No Kings” protest.

Protestors held signs protesting President Donald Trump’s actions concerning immigration, civil rights, executive overreach and more. Some even wore inflatable dinosaur and unicorn suits.

The protest in Morristown was one of 2,500 across the nation, drawing about seven million protestors. Locally, published reports had the crowd count in Morristown at 8,000.
New Jersey Hills •

Residents bring more concerns about Red Carpet Inn to Hanover Township Committee

HANOVER TWP. – A former Red Carpet Inn resident told the Township Committee on Thursday, Oct. 9 that after she attempted to bring food and supplies to residents of the establishment, its management banned her from the premises.

Lindsay Holleran, who was placed in the Red Carpet Inn by the Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance in October 2023 and stayed there until July 2025, said during the public comments portion of the Oct. 9 Township Council meeting that she had been attempting to assist Hanover resident Terri Baird in bringing food and toiletries to residents of the hotel who needed them.
New Jersey Hills •

Jury awards $5 million to Delbarton graduate in sexual abuse case

MORRISTOWN – A state Superior Court jury on Wednesday, Oct. 8, awarded $5 million in compensatory damages to a former Delbarton School student who said he was sexually abused by a monk at the school.

The plaintiff, who only was identified by the initials T.M., filed the case in February of 2017. He claimed that Richard Lott, a monk at the time at St. Mary’s Abbey, which is connected to Delbarton, sexually abused him in 1976.
New Jersey Hills •

Morris Plains Borough Council argues over boarding ordinance draft

MORRIS PLAINS - Borough Council members went back and forth over a proposed boarding ordinance, specifically over how to properly enforce it, at the council’s Thursday, Oct. 2 meeting.

Councilman Bill Houston shared copies of the draft with the rest of the council during the conference session of the meeting. The ordinance addresses concerns from residents that single-family homes in the borough are being occupied by more than one family.
New Jersey Hills •

Morristown Councilwoman Foster charged with driving while intoxicated in Denville

MORRISTOWN - Councilwoman Toshiba Foster was arrested for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving and driving an unregistered vehicle on Route 53 in Denville at about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, according to the Denville police.

Foster, a Democrat who is running for re-election to the council in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election, has “pled not guilty,” according to a statement provided to the Morris NewsBee on Monday, Oct. 6 by Terry Webb, the Morristown attorney representing her in this case.
New Jersey Hills •

Jack Ciattarelli visits Sorrento Bakery in East Hanover

HANOVER TWP. – Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli stopped at Sorrento Bakery on Eagle Rock Avenue on Sunday, Sept. 14 to meet with residents.

Scores of residents from East Hanover and nearby towns showed up to show their support.

In his speech, Ciattarelli railed against his Democrat opponent Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11, the Democratic candidate for governor, and her stances on education, taxes, immigration and more.
New Jersey Hills •

Mikie Sherrill unveils transparency plan for New Jersey in Morristown

MORRISTOWN – New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11, spoke in front of the statue of Thomas Paine at Burnham Park on Friday, Sept. 12, about her plan to make state government spending more transparent if she is elected on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

“Given that we’re here standing in front of the statue of Thomas Paine, I’m going to say something that I think is just common sense, if you will,” Sherrill said. “New Jerseyans need to know where their tax dollars are going. They need accountability.”
New Jersey Hills •

Morris Plains residents share experience of Canadian hospitality during Sept. 11 attacks

MORRIS PLAINS – Sue Riccardelli and Maureen Murray almost didn’t board their flight from Paris, France to Newark on Sept. 11, 2001.

“I think we got to the airport at 6:30-ish, and had a hard time finding our car rental return because of the signage, and it was so early, and nobody was around, so we almost missed our flight,” Murray said.

The two Morris Plains residents, did, however, make their way onboard Air France 004. But a couple of hours before they were scheduled to land, their world changed in an instant.
New Jersey Hills •

'It was chaos:' Morris Plains volunteer firefighter recalls responding to Sept. 11 attacks in New York City 24 years later

MORRIS PLAINS – Greg Manning, like most people, remembers exactly what he was doing when he first heard about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

He was getting ready to leave work and build a house.

“I was currently building a house, and I was supposed to have family day that day, because I was so busy building my house,” the Morris Plains resident said.

But once he had heard the news, his plans changed in an instant.

Manning, who is currently critical care transport nurse and a volunteer firefighter with the Morris Plains Fire Department, was a firefighter with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) on Sept. 11, 2001.
New Jersey Hills •

Former Delbarton School leader, Catholic bishop seeking to replace Archbishop faces scrutiny over sexual abuse scandal

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is calling for transparency about the actions of Auxiliary Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, a potential successor to Archbishop of Newark Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, while he was a leader at Delbarton School.

Delbarton School and St. Mary’s Abbey, the Benedictine order that is associated with the school, have faced several sexual assault allegations since 2002, stretching back to a former Delbarton lacrosse player accusing a monk of sexually abusing him in 1978.
New Jersey Hills •

Grow It Green's urban farm in Morristown provides students and residents with unique opportunity

MORRISTOWN – Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area lies an acre of land filled with plants, vegetables and even a few chickens running around.

You’d never know about it if you didn’t look, but behind Lafayette Learning Center on Hazel Street is a year-round urban farm, growing different types of produce and engaging Morris School District students with nature.
New Jersey Hills •

'Filling in this empty tooth:' Morristown Planning Board approves site plan for 25 Market Street housing units

MORRISTOWN – The vacant lot between Market Street and Bank Street is one step closer to being filled after the major site plan for a 64 residential unit building was unanimously approved by the Planning Board Thursday, July 24.

The six-story building will include 10 affordable housing units throughout the building, and will have studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments.
New Jersey Hills •

Morristown Parking Authority clears confusion over financial standing

MORRISTOWN – Nicole Fox, executive director of the Morristown Parking Authority, spoke before the Town Council at its Thursday, July 10 meeting to clear up any concerns about the parking authority’s finances.

Fox gave an overview of the parking authority’s budgets going back to 2018, and showed how the bonds would impact its projected budgets in the coming years.

The concern stems from the ordinance passed on June 24 that granted $7.5 million in revenue bonds to the Morristown Parking Authority. The bonds are to be used to purchase property at 38 Dumont Place and 28 Pine St. to expand parking facilities.
New Jersey Hills •

Morristown Council approves Fourth Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan

MORRISTOWN – The Town Council endorsed the town’s Fourth Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan to ensure Morristown will meet 2025-2035 affordable housing requirements determined by the state during its Tuesday, June 23 meeting.

The plan sets Morristown on a path to meet the state’s fourth-round prospective need quota for the town: 285 affordable housing units by 2035. Under the plan, this will be achieved by designating units of projects that were already being built for third-round affordable housing requirements as affordable units.
The Montclarion •

#FOCUS Mental Health: Montclair Unraveled Provides A Tight-Knit Community for Students - The Montclarion

A quiet buzz settles over the Red Hawk Nest. Students look down into their laps, occasionally picking their heads up to talk to one another. Eyes are focused downward at the fingers moving back and forth.
No, these students aren’t looking at their phones. Instead, they have knitting needles, crocheting needles and yarns in their hands, creating blankets, hats, clothing and more.
Montclair Unraveled is a registered student organization (RSO) at Montclair State University that brings together stud...
The Montclarion •

#FOCUS Mental Health: Men Need to Support Men - The Montclarion

I’ve always been the type of person to encourage others to open up and take care of themselves, but yet I’ve always been reluctant to do so, not wanting to take my own advice.
Men have historically hid their battles with mental health due to a large amount of stigma surrounding the issue. There’s this fear that we will be perceived as weak and incapable, that we aren’t “manly” enough or that we should just “toughen up.”
Influencers such as Andrew Tate and others lead many men to believe that if...
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