There is no denying that 2021 was a year that tested South Orange and Maplewood’s strength even almost beyond the difficulties of 2020. The ongoing pandemic, the ravages of Tropical Storm Ida, the murder of Columbia High School student Moussa Fofana, all pushed the community to its limits of suffering. The school district struggled to reopen for in-person learning early in the year, and various other incidents rocked the district. But moments of compassion, rebuilding and even levity intervened.
Many other stories not in the top 20 by site traffic also gripped our towns. And Village Green is committed to continuing to cover stories that don’t always yield the highest “clicks” — including curriculum and policy issues at the South Orange-Maplewood School District, election coverage, the fire department merger, reimagining policing, environmental issues, historic preservation, construction development, demographic trends, community organizing (our cover photo for this story comes from a vigil to Stop Asian Hate), and stories highlighting the personal stories and triumphs of our remarkable local residents.
The top 2021 stories by site traffic on Village Green, in descending order:
- Maplewood Home That Hosted ‘Mrs. Maisel’ Sells for Record-Breaking $2.15 Million
- UPDATED: Maplewood Resident Killed in Flood Waters
- BREAKING: NJ Transit Train Strikes and Kills 14-Year-Old Girl Near Maplewood Station
- UPDATE: BREAKING: Columbia High School Student Killed, Another Injured, at Underhill Field Sunday Night
- VIDEO, PHOTOS: Streets, Basements Flood Throughout South Orange-Maplewood As Ida Dumps Rainfall
- UPDATE: Parents Report Children Sickened at Maplewood Pool
- PHOTOS: Dancing in the Streets at Big Queer Block Party in Maplewood Village
- Citing ‘Deplorable’ Conditions and ‘Reckless Disregard’ for Safety, South Orange-Maplewood Teachers Will Not Return to Classrooms Beginning Wednesday
- Authorities Identify 18-Year-Old Columbia High School Student as Homicide Victim, No Arrests Yet
- No Arrests Yet in Murder of Maplewood Teen Moussa Fofana, as His Mother Seeks Answers
- Newark Man Arrested in Murder of Maplewood Student Moussa Fofana
- Brooklyn-Based, Black-Owned BK Lobster Rolls Out in Maplewood
- Parents Sue South Orange-Maplewood School District, Seek Full Return to In-Person Learning
- PHOTOS: Flood Damage the Morning After in Maplewood Village, Memorial Park
- Essex County New Dates for Spectacular Fireworks Displays and Concerts, July 9 & August 11
- Leaving SOMSD: Some South Orange, Maplewood Parents Ditch District Amid COVID-19 Struggles
- Zach Braff, Morgan Freeman, Florence Pugh Film ‘A Good Person’ at Columbia High School
- New Grocer Signs Lease for Former Kings Location in Maplewood Village
- UPDATED: More Details Emerge in Hijab Incident as South Orange-Maplewood District Deals With Fallout
- Attorney Says Accused South Orange-Maplewood Teacher Did Not Remove Student’s Hijab
- Here’s How to Help South Orange-Maplewood Businesses Recover From Flood
- UPDATED: Kamal Zubieta Resigns From South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, Citing ‘An Exclusive Inner Circle’
We would also like to mention that “Support Village Green,” was a top landing page for 2021. Through the generous support of the community subscribers and local advertisers, we were able to grow and prosper during an ongoing pandemic and continue to hire and pay our contributors and vendors.
Thanks to your support, Village Green looks forward to continuing our in-depth, journalistic and humane coverage of South Orange-Maplewood in 2022 and beyond.
