Top Read Montclair Stories in April

Montclair Restaurants Cited for Health Code Violations in 2012

Fifteen restaurants in Montclair were cited for health code violations last year by local inspectors, according to township records. 

Masked Man Robs Montclair PNC Bank

A man wearing a mask flashed a handgun and robbed a Montclair bank on April 22 before escaping with an undisclosed amount of money, according to police. 

Former Russian Spies' Home on the Market

The house that was once called home by two Russian spies and their two young daughters is now on the housing market. 

The Board of Education had to defend a survey given to students this month that cost the district $95,000. 

Students in grades three through 12 began taking the Tripod Student Survey in early April which Superintendent Penny MacCormack said is the “best student survey out there." The survey is part of the district's attempt to analyse key elements of classroom life, give students a voice and improve teaching practices. 

Teachers Union Agrees on Tentative Contract

Montclair's teachers union agreed to a tentative contract agreement on April 3.

The Montclair Board of Education and Superintendent Penny MacCormack released a statement announcing the district and Montclair Education Association have reached an agreement for a preliminary contract. The two sides worked through the night and found common ground on a contract around 4 a.m. on April 3.

7 Montclair Pensioners Earn More Than $100K a Year

Former Superintendent Frank Alvarez and six other Montclair pensioners receive more than $100,000 in pensions every year, according to a state watchdog group.  

Tick Tock Diner Manager Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot

The manager of the iconic Tick Tock Diner in Clifton tried to have his uncle killed in an elaborate murder-for-hire plot, state police said at a news conference on April 10.

Two Montclair Men Plead Not Guilty in Connection with Villanova Student's Murder

Two Montclair men charged in the murder of a 21-year-old Villanova University student on Williams Street last year pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Newark Superior Court. 

The longtime lover of "Sesame Street" actor Roscoe Orman, who played dad Gordon on the show, is accusing him of abandoning her for a younger woman and getting her evicted from their Montclair home, according to the New York Post. 

High School SAT Scores in Essex County [Interactive Map]

The higher the median income of a school district, the higher the SAT scores in Essex County. 

The only eight public high schools to meet the state’s average SAT benchmark of 1550 are in school districts where median incomes are at least $88,000, according to the New Jersey School Performance Report. The eight schools’ median incomes are well above the county average of $55,876 and state average of $71,180.