Commuters are riding into Hoboken, the Nov. 3 election is just over two weeks away and a Run-DMC founder is headed to Cooper Avenue. Here is the Montclair news this week that you might have missed.
Montclair News This Week: Midtown Direct Trains Rerouted to Hoboken Through Nov. 14
Every weekday Montclair-Boonton Line train has ended in Hoboken instead of Penn Station New York since Oct. 12. The detour runs through Nov. 14 while crews connect the second track of the new Portal North Bridge, a project the Pod has followed closely. Buy tickets and passes to Hoboken. From there, NJ Transit cross-honors them on PATH to 33rd Street, the NY Waterway ferry to West 39th Street and the 126 bus to Port Authority.
Expect crowds at peak hours. NJ Transit recommends traveling before 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m. if you can. As one example, the 7:21 a.m. from Bay Street reaches Hoboken at 7:49 and PATH’s 33rd Street station at 8:15. The line also drops from 64 to 60 weekday trains during the diversion. Weekend trains run at adjusted times and still reach Penn Station through Newark Broad Street. Regular schedules are set to resume Sunday, Nov. 15, pending safety testing, with full weekday service back Monday, Nov. 16.
Protected Bike Lane Proposed for Glenridge Avenue: How to Weigh In
Montclair is planning a protected bike lane on Glenridge Avenue, separated from traffic by a curb or barrier. Residents can weigh in on the design Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. in the second-floor conference room of the Municipal Building or online through Microsoft Teams.
The cycle track would extend the single block the township built in 2022, from Bloomfield Avenue to Forest Street, toward the Lackawanna Plaza area. A $997,000 state grant backs the work. The lane is also meant to link to the Essex-Hudson Greenway, though no construction schedule has been published for the Greenway’s Montclair end.
The design is not final. Planning Director Janice Talley has said that moving curbs could cost south-side street trees and parking that restaurants and delivery trucks rely on, and the Complete Streets Oversight Board has asked for alternatives.
Montclair Election Guide 2026: Meet Your Board of Education and Council Candidates
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and three Board of Education seats are on the ballot with no incumbents running. Six candidates remain active: Andrew Gideon, Ayelet Haran, Dave Moon, Corey Pierson, Rich Reynics and George Simpson. Brandie Bookhart withdrew Sept. 30, but her name stays on the ballot.
The Pod and MPACT co-hosted a candidate forum covering academic achievement, school spending and the referendum. Voters approved a one-time $12.6 million increase in March and narrowly rejected a permanent $5 million increase, and the district’s deficit has reached $19.6 million. The ballot also includes the councilor-at-large race, and we asked each candidate seven questions: Mariana Horta, Antoinette “Toni” Martin and Kyle Porro. The township also keeps a 2026 election page with voting details.
Montclair Mom’s Cornell Story Sparks National Conversation
Content note: this item discusses sexual assault.
Allison Fishman Task, a Montclair career coach and mother of three, has drawn millions of views on Instagram with videos about trying to report alleged fraternity misconduct at Cornell University more than 30 years ago. She says she told campus police in December 1990 about a fraternity “spy room” and was told, “It’s really just not enough information.” “I can’t not say something,” she said.
Her story arrives as Cornell faces a civil lawsuit, filed Sept. 16 by a woman identified as Jane Doe, alleging a 2024 assault by seven Chi Phi members, who deny wrongdoing. The criminal investigation has been reopened, Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor and Cornell suspended fraternity parties through the 2026-27 year. Task told the Pod she wants Montclair schools and parents to talk openly about consent, and we published that conversation. If you or someone you know needs support, the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is 800-656-4673.
Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels Headlines Clean-Life Living for Montclair Helps
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC joins writer and musician Warren Zanes and Montclair comedian Craig Baldo, who will emcee, for Clean-Life Living on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Union Congregational Church, 176 Cooper Ave. The program, themed “Unplug. Reset. Integrate.,” also features Anjali Dalal, Barbara Solowey and Brian Clement. McDaniels last spoke with the Pod about music and meaning at Paper Plane Coffee.
Tickets are $45 online and $55 at the door. The event supports Montclair Helps, which gives neighbors in crisis one-time grants of $200 to $2,000 within 12 to 48 hours and has paid out nearly $300,000.
