Latest news with #Maplewood
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican joins 2 DFLers in race for Nicole Mitchell's former Senate seat
At least three candidates have now entered the race for the Woodbury-area Senate seat left vacant by the resignation of Nicole Mitchell last week after her felony burglary conviction. Republican Dwight Dorau on Wednesday announced his intention to run in Senate District 47 in an upcoming special election. He'd be the first Republican in the race. Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger and Rep. Ethan Cha, both Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers from Woodbury, also plan to run. The outcome of the special election could tip the balance of power in the Senate, where the DFL has a one-seat majority. Woodbury has favored DFL candidates in recent elections. Mitchell, a DFLer, won election to the Senate with nearly 59% of the vote in 2022. Hemmingsen-Jaeger won District 47A with more than 60% of the vote in 2024 and 2022. Dorau, a retired Air Force Commander, ran against Cha in the 2024 election for House District 47B and lost by nearly 9 percentage points. The special election for District 47 is scheduled for Nov. 4. If necessary, there will be a special primary election on Aug. 26. Candidates could start filing paperwork to run on Wednesday this week and have until Aug. 6, to submit affidavits of candidacy. District 47 is a Washington County seat that includes the suburbs of Woodbury and parts of Maplewood. There are two upcoming special elections in Minnesota. The other is planned in District 26 following the death of Sen. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo. That district is seen as a Republican stronghold. With the two vacancies, DFLers currently hold 33 seats in the Senate to Republicans' 32. Related Articles Gov. Tim Walz calls special elections for 2 vacant Senate seats Divided government means high stakes for Woodbury special election Gov. Tim Walz calls special election for Melissa Hortman's House seat Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
In temples and churches, sensory rooms remove barriers for neurodivergent worshipers
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (RNS) — From organ blasts and incense to forced hugs and hand shakes, for folks who struggle to process sensory input, houses of worship can quickly feel anything but holy. That was the case for Lark Losardo's son Percy, who in 2017 began attending Catholic Mass with his family at age 7. Percy, who is autistic, was often overwhelmed by the Brooklyn church's open space, noise and crowds. At first, when he needed to move around or stim (engage in repetitive actions to self-regulate), he'd leave the service with a parent. Eventually, in part because of the barriers to attending as a family, they stopped coming altogether. Then, in 2020, the Losardos moved to Maplewood, New Jersey. After watching online services at a nearby Catholic parish called St. Joseph's during the pandemic, Lark Losardo learned in 2024 that the parish was opening a sensory room equipped with regulation tools, including a weighted blanket, touch pillow, ear defenders and sound machine. Thanks to that room, today Percy is back in the pews, using the room to regroup whenever needed. "It speaks volumes,' Lark Losardo told Religion News Service. 'Not everyone needs this space, but just having it there sends a very clear message.' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Across the U.S., families like Percy's who once thought worship was off-limits are returning to faith communities thanks to a small but growing number of sensory rooms in religious settings. Located in underutilized classrooms, storage spaces and former nurseries, these rooms vary in size and appearance, but are all designed to offer a calm, predictable environment that can help with nervous system regulation. Disability advocates say the rooms signal that a community prioritizes the needs of neurodivergent and disabled members. At St. Joseph's, the Rev. Jim Worth said the new sensory room, which opened in December, isa natural extension of the parish's faith values. To him, the room is evidence that inclusion — a principle Worth linked to Catholic social teaching — isn't just given lip service. 'When you put intentionality behind something, it makes a world of difference,' said Worth. On a 60-degree day in late March, the church, located on a quiet residential street, had a front stoop featuring three signs: one quoting Martin Luther King Jr., another quoting Pope Francis, and a third welcoming anyone in the community to visit the Still Waters Sensory Room. Named after the biblical Psalm 23 passage — 'he leads me beside still waters' — the sensory room was converted from an unused confessional. It was designed by Together We Bloom, a Maplewood-based nonprofit that helps make events and spaces more accessible. The room's dark indigo walls match the comfortable chair glider and beanbag, each contributing to the soothing atmosphere. The total cost of the room was under $2,000 and was largely paid for by church funds, plus some donations. 'This sensory room has really changed everything for us,' said Pavitra Makam, a St. Joseph's parishioner and mother of two neurodivergent kids. 'Being able to worship together has been the biggest thing for our family.' Jay Perkins, who has been in the sensory room business since 2009, said it's often parents in need of a safe, supportive space for their kids who are spearheading the movement to build sensory rooms. When his daughter began exhibiting signs of aggression at age 4, places like libraries (too quiet), playgrounds (too loud) and trampoline parks (too crowded) were inaccessible. That applied to his Episcopal church, too. 'There are so few places where special-needs kids with sensory integration disorders can enjoy it,' said Perkins. The lack of accessible spaces for his family inspired Perkins to begin building the kinds of rooms his daughter would thrive in. In 2018 he officially launched his company, The Sensory Room, which builds high-end, durable sensory rooms from start to finish and trains people on how to use them. 'It's catching on,' said Perkins, whose company built roughly a dozen rooms in 2022 and 80 in 2023. Though The Sensory Room specializes in schools, Perkin's company has also built rooms for a Broadway theater and an airport, and three in evangelical churches. Most of his custom rooms, he told RNS, start in the $20,000 range. One of those projects was the $35,000 transformation of a storage room into a state-of-the-art sensory room at Encounter Church, an evangelical congregation about 30 minutes from Dallas. Completed in February 2024, the renovation included interactive tactile and texture panels, bubble tubes, mirrors, new carpet, paint and electrical work, and an LED-star ceiling complete with a digital shooting star. According to the Rev. Chris Binion, who co-founded the church with his wife, Tracy, the decision to create the room was prompted by the Holy Spirit. 'I was in a season of prayer and fasting, and I felt like the Lord asked me how to take care of his 'littles,'' Binion told RNS. He felt God was urging him to support kids with 'diverse needs,'including autism. 'We decided through the direction of the Holy Spirit to say yes, and move forward in this kingdom assignment." It's not just churches that are revamping spaces to focus on sensory integration. Temple Emanu-El, a Reform synagogue in Atlanta, has adapted two of its rooms to help folks process sensory input. A former cry room just off the main sanctuary was altered to become the Shalom Sanctuary, a small space with a large window facing the main worship space equipped with fidget toys, beanbags and headphones. The synagogue also received a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to improve the accessibility of a classroom. That renovation is almost complete, and the room, which features a wall of sensory engagement toys, flexible furniture and alternative seating (think large rubber balls), will be especially helpful for children who need sensory breaks during religious classes or events such as the annual Purim carnival, according to Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, associate rabbi at the synagogue. 'Something important in Judaism is the idea that we are all created 'b'tzelem Elohim,' in the image of God,' said Klein Miller. 'And much of that is connected to the golden rule of treating people the way we want to be treated and finding space for everybody in the community.' According to Rebecca Barlow, a regional disability specialist in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, adding a sensory room to a house of worship doesn't automatically make it accessible to those with sensory needs. 'It's just one piece of a bigger machine that you're trying to build,' said Barlow, disability specialist for the Desert Ridge Stake in Mesa, Arizona. The first step to building that machine, Barlow said, is asking disabled individuals and their families what it would take to make church feasible for them. When she first became a disability specialist roughly five years ago, feedback was invaluable. 'The biggest thing was listening. The parents of these children know what they need,' said Barlow, who is the parent of a child with autism. Based on the families' input, she created a sensory room in her meeting house with new donated items. Knowing it would be used by kids who could become aggressive, she removed hard chairs and chalkboard lips that could pose safety risks. She also filled the room with the usual sensory items, added light-blocking curtains and included a night-light that projected a calming light pattern. Still, it took more than that to get families back in the door. "We, as parents of disabled children, often can become jaded, and we lack trust that our children are going to be cared for in a manner appropriate to how special they are,' said Barlow. To build trust with families, church leaders invited some members of the ward to serve as one-on-one aides for each child with a disability. The aides were trained in the homes of their assigned families and eventually accompanied the kids in the sensory room during church meetings. Barlow also introduced the kids to the sensory room ahead of time via pictures and tours, and ward members, too, received basic training on understanding disabilities and how to use the sensory room. In the few years since that sensory room opened, the model has gained traction. Barlow says the seven wards in her stake now each have their own disability specialists and sensory rooms, and she routinely takes calls from LDS church members across the country and the globe seeking to set up sensory rooms of their own. 'It feels like we're seeing a cultural shift toward understanding and accepting and integrating people with disabilities,' said Barlow. 'If we want to follow Christ, if we want to emulate him, if we want to be his disciples … they need to be foremost in our mind.'
Associated Press
22-07-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
In temples and churches, sensory rooms remove barriers for neurodivergent worshipers
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (RNS) — From organ blasts and incense to forced hugs and hand shakes, for folks who struggle to process sensory input, houses of worship can quickly feel anything but holy. That was the case for Lark Losardo's son Percy, who in 2017 began attending Catholic Mass with his family at age 7. Percy, who is autistic, was often overwhelmed by the Brooklyn church's open space, noise and crowds. At first, when he needed to move around or stim (engage in repetitive actions to self-regulate), he'd leave the service with a parent. Eventually, in part because of the barriers to attending as a family, they stopped coming altogether. Then, in 2020, the Losardos moved to Maplewood, New Jersey. After watching online services at a nearby Catholic parish called St. Joseph's during the pandemic, Lark Losardo learned in 2024 that the parish was opening a sensory room equipped with regulation tools, including a weighted blanket, touch pillow, ear defenders and sound machine. Thanks to that room, today Percy is back in the pews, using the room to regroup whenever needed. 'It speaks volumes,' Lark Losardo told Religion News Service. 'Not everyone needs this space, but just having it there sends a very clear message.' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Across the U.S., families like Percy's who once thought worship was off-limits are returning to faith communities thanks to a small but growing number of sensory rooms in religious settings. Located in underutilized classrooms, storage spaces and former nurseries, these rooms vary in size and appearance, but are all designed to offer a calm, predictable environment that can help with nervous system regulation. Disability advocates say the rooms signal that a community prioritizes the needs of neurodivergent and disabled members. At St. Joseph's, the Rev. Jim Worth said the new sensory room, which opened in December, isa natural extension of the parish's faith values. To him, the room is evidence that inclusion — a principle Worth linked to Catholic social teaching — isn't just given lip service. 'When you put intentionality behind something, it makes a world of difference,' said Worth. On a 60-degree day in late March, the church, located on a quiet residential street, had a front stoop featuring three signs: one quoting Martin Luther King Jr., another quoting Pope Francis, and a third welcoming anyone in the community to visit the Still Waters Sensory Room. Named after the biblical Psalm 23 passage — 'he leads me beside still waters' — the sensory room was converted from an unused confessional. It was designed by Together We Bloom, a Maplewood-based nonprofit that helps make events and spaces more accessible. The room's dark indigo walls match the comfortable chair glider and beanbag, each contributing to the soothing atmosphere. The total cost of the room was under $2,000 and was largely paid for by church funds, plus some donations. 'This sensory room has really changed everything for us,' said Pavitra Makam, a St. Joseph's parishioner and mother of two neurodivergent kids. 'Being able to worship together has been the biggest thing for our family.' Jay Perkins, who has been in the sensory room business since 2009, said it's often parents in need of a safe, supportive space for their kids who are spearheading the movement to build sensory rooms. When his daughter began exhibiting signs of aggression at age 4, places like libraries (too quiet), playgrounds (too loud) and trampoline parks (too crowded) were inaccessible. That applied to his Episcopal church, too. 'There are so few places where special-needs kids with sensory integration disorders can enjoy it,' said Perkins. The lack of accessible spaces for his family inspired Perkins to begin building the kinds of rooms his daughter would thrive in. In 2018 he officially launched his company, The Sensory Room, which builds high-end, durable sensory rooms from start to finish and trains people on how to use them. 'It's catching on,' said Perkins, whose company built roughly a dozen rooms in 2022 and 80 in 2023. Though The Sensory Room specializes in schools, Perkin's company has also built rooms for a Broadway theater and an airport, and three in evangelical churches. Most of his custom rooms, he told RNS, start in the $20,000 range. One of those projects was the $35,000 transformation of a storage room into a state-of-the-art sensory room at Encounter Church, an evangelical congregation about 30 minutes from Dallas. Completed in February 2024, the renovation included interactive tactile and texture panels, bubble tubes, mirrors, new carpet, paint and electrical work, and an LED-star ceiling complete with a digital shooting star. According to the Rev. Chris Binion, who co-founded the church with his wife, Tracy, the decision to create the room was prompted by the Holy Spirit. 'I was in a season of prayer and fasting, and I felt like the Lord asked me how to take care of his 'littles,'' Binion told RNS. He felt God was urging him to support kids with 'diverse needs,'including autism. 'We decided through the direction of the Holy Spirit to say yes, and move forward in this kingdom assignment.' It's not just churches that are revamping spaces to focus on sensory integration. Temple Emanu-El, a Reform synagogue in Atlanta, has adapted two of its rooms to help folks process sensory input. A former cry room just off the main sanctuary was altered to become the Shalom Sanctuary, a small space with a large window facing the main worship space equipped with fidget toys, beanbags and headphones. The synagogue also received a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to improve the accessibility of a classroom. That renovation is almost complete, and the room, which features a wall of sensory engagement toys, flexible furniture and alternative seating (think large rubber balls), will be especially helpful for children who need sensory breaks during religious classes or events such as the annual Purim carnival, according to Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, associate rabbi at the synagogue. 'Something important in Judaism is the idea that we are all created 'b'tzelem Elohim,' in the image of God,' said Klein Miller. 'And much of that is connected to the golden rule of treating people the way we want to be treated and finding space for everybody in the community.' According to Rebecca Barlow, a regional disability specialist in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, adding a sensory room to a house of worship doesn't automatically make it accessible to those with sensory needs. 'It's just one piece of a bigger machine that you're trying to build,' said Barlow, disability specialist for the Desert Ridge Stake in Mesa, Arizona. The first step to building that machine, Barlow said, is asking disabled individuals and their families what it would take to make church feasible for them. When she first became a disability specialist roughly five years ago, feedback was invaluable. 'The biggest thing was listening. The parents of these children know what they need,' said Barlow, who is the parent of a child with autism. Based on the families' input, she created a sensory room in her meeting house with new donated items. Knowing it would be used by kids who could become aggressive, she removed hard chairs and chalkboard lips that could pose safety risks. She also filled the room with the usual sensory items, added light-blocking curtains and included a night-light that projected a calming light pattern. Still, it took more than that to get families back in the door. 'We, as parents of disabled children, often can become jaded, and we lack trust that our children are going to be cared for in a manner appropriate to how special they are,' said Barlow. To build trust with families, church leaders invited some members of the ward to serve as one-on-one aides for each child with a disability. The aides were trained in the homes of their assigned families and eventually accompanied the kids in the sensory room during church meetings. Barlow also introduced the kids to the sensory room ahead of time via pictures and tours, and ward members, too, received basic training on understanding disabilities and how to use the sensory room. In the few years since that sensory room opened, the model has gained traction. Barlow says the seven wards in her stake now each have their own disability specialists and sensory rooms, and she routinely takes calls from LDS church members across the country and the globe seeking to set up sensory rooms of their own. 'It feels like we're seeing a cultural shift toward understanding and accepting and integrating people with disabilities,' said Barlow. 'If we want to follow Christ, if we want to emulate him, if we want to be his disciples … they need to be foremost in our mind.'
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
Man, 25, pleads guilty to role in 2024 fatal shooting on St. Paul's Raspberry Island
A Maplewood man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to his role in a fatal shooting on St. Paul's Raspberry Island last year. Romello Markell Ifonlaja-Randle, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and possession of a firearm as a felon. Ifonlaja-Randle in February withdrew a guilty plea from a previous plea deal due to a miscommunication over possible sentencing. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5. The shooting occurred on the night of Aug. 14, 2024. Court documents say 20-year-old Marcus Anthony Baker Jr. had been inside a vehicle with friends when they were approached by another group who wanted them to stop playing music by a local rap artist associated with gangs on the city's east side. Baker refused, and Ifonlaja-Randle — who is allegedly associated with west side gangs — slapped him and then shot him, according to the criminal complaint. Ifonlaja-Randle and his group fled the island, leaving behind two bottles of tequila in a Target bottle carrier, the complaint states. Investigators used surveillance camera footage and the bottles to make a connection to Ifonlaja-Randle's friend, who had purchased the liquor. Surveillance footage from the West St. Paul Target showed Ifonlaja-Randle and his friend making the purchase hours before the shooting. Charges say two days after the shooting, police found the gun believed to have been used in the deadly shooting. DNA on the gun's muzzle was a positive match for Ifonlaja-Randle. A witness who was in the vehicle with Baker when he was shot identified Ifonlaja-Randle as the shooter. Ifonlaja-Randle has previously been convicted of two first-degree aggravated robberies and a fourth-degree assault.
Associated Press
03-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Maplewood Memorial Library's Historic $24 Million Rebuild Marks New Era of Access, Innovation and Sustainability
New Jersey's first LEED Gold-certified library serves as a model for modern public spaces, as cultural institutions nationwide face challenges 'This inspiring building represents who we are: open, forward-thinking, collaborative, rooted in community. It's the kind of library a 'reading town' like ours deserves.'— Sarah Lester, Maplewood Memorial Library director MAPLEWOOD, NJ, UNITED STATES, July 3, 2025 / / -- The Maplewood Library Board of Trustees and the Maplewood Library Foundation today announced the grand reopening of the Maplewood Memorial Library at 51 Baker Street. Now 33% larger, the 32,000-square-foot building reflects the community's commitment to investment in civic infrastructure. It will be the first New Jersey library to earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. A public celebration and ribbon cutting will be held Saturday, July 5, at 11 a.m. The library transformation is more than a rebuild; it's a reinvention. The previous building, constructed in 1955 and expanded in 1969, was 24,000 square feet, with about half of that space underground. The light-filled, 21st-century facility reinforces the library as a vibrant space for all ages and backgrounds to gain knowledge and explore ideas. 'This isn't just the end of a decade-long journey, it's the beginning of a new chapter for Maplewood,' said Sarah Lester, Maplewood Memorial Library director. 'This inspiring building represents who we are: open, forward-thinking, collaborative, rooted in community. It's the kind of library a 'reading town' like ours deserves.' The $24 million project was made possible through a mix of state, local and private funding. The state contributed $8.3 million through the Library Construction Bond Act; the municipality contributed $12 million, exceeding the 50% match requirement; and the Maplewood Library Foundation raised more than $2 million from donors. Designed by New York City–based Sage and Coombe Architects, the library honors the historic footprint while infusing sustainable, contemporary design. The project was shaped with community input through surveys, community forums and interviews. As an all-electric building, it features solar roof panels (offsetting 58% of energy use), a green roof, bird-friendly fritted glass, daylight sensors, water-saving fixtures, native plantings and energy-efficient climate controls. A patio and reading terrace overlooking the park strengthen the connection to the outdoors. A fully accessible entrance at ground level and gently sloped ramp remove physical barriers. 'The genesis of our new, more resilient library building stems from two climate-related events that deeply impacted our community,' said Vic De Luca, Maplewood Township Committee member and library trustee. 'During Hurricane Sandy, the library retained power and became a beacon of safety and comfort in the days that followed. Then, just as we were preparing to begin new construction in 2021, Hurricane Ida flooded the basement with seven feet of water. We needed a building designed not just for today, but for the future.' Highlights of the new Maplewood Memorial Library include: ● Teen Room with floor-to-ceiling park views ● Children's Room celebrating early learning ● Community Room with separate entrance for after-hours use ● Maker Space with 3D printers and work benches ● Local History Room housing historic Maplewood materials and boardroom seating ● The Forum, a stepped seating area connecting floors for informal events ● 10 Quiet Study Rooms for individuals and small groups 'At a time when many public libraries face book bans, budget cuts and ideological scrutiny, Maplewood has made a bold statement,' said Lester. 'This community invested in a space where diversity of thought and access to information are not only protected, but celebrated.' For more information about the Maplewood Memorial Library and the grand opening, visit About Maplewood Memorial Library Founded in 1913, the Maplewood Memorial Library is a cornerstone of civic life in Maplewood, New Jersey. Dedicated to the principle of being 'Open for All,' the library fosters lifelong learning, cultural engagement and community connection through its inclusive programs, collections and spaces. About the Maplewood Library Foundation The Maplewood Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Maplewood Memorial Library and ensuring its continued growth, accessibility and innovation. Through fundraising and community engagement, the Foundation helps advance the library's mission of being Open for All, providing resources that empower learning, creativity and connection for all members of the community. Rosemary Ostmann RoseComm for the Maplewood Memorial Library +1 201-615-7751 [email protected] Visit us on social media: Instagram Facebook YouTube Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
