My Ballot Box


Baristaville’s big stories of 2006. Vote for your fave…


Microburst!

Hempstead – Christopher Court – Crisco!

Exploding manhole covers!

Upper Montclair train station is toast

4 Duryea Road saved, landmarked

Ted Mattox lawsuit/listening night

Eminent domain in Bloomfield

Whole Foods opens in West Orange (hooray!)

Red Cheetah opens (ugh!)

Cuban Pete’s sangria troubles




View Results

Of course, if we had to pick a personal favorite…


We did enjoy this.
If we missed your fave story, add to comments now.

Liz George is the publisher of Montclair Local. liz@montclairlocal.news

57 replies on “Putting 2006 To Bed”

  5. “Baristanet Comment Policy:
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  10. So hard to choose between the Crisco debacle and the Mattox/ Remsen daffiness. Both could be satire if they weren’t real, and both prove negative stereotypes — greedy, insensitive developers, and greedy, vindictive small-time politicians.
    I might have to give it to Ploffy and his pals at American whatchamacallit, though. How can you beat a development that (a) razed a local landmark, (b) turned out so hideous that it hasn’t made a penny, and (c) turned a local guy noted for his charity into a local pariah.

  12. Yeah but Remsen tops him- announcing that he was going t puke here, announcing that he was allowed to be a nasty as any other poster here, trying to silence the Montclair Times and Star Ledger during a town council meeting and the lawsuit response

  14. “(c) turned a local guy noted for his charity into a local pariah.’
    Charity, schmarity. Lots of Baristavillians donate to charities or do volunteer work. But we aren’t obnoxious prigs about it and don’t blow our own horns every time we do something good.
    One thing I would like to see in 2007 is less of a focus on the Plofker-Brown contingent and more attention paid to regular folk.

  15. Did so many people vote for the microburst just because it was at the top of the list?
    Yes it was a significant event, & B-net’s coverage of the aftermath was spot on. But it’s far from anything I could call a favorite story.

  16. Crank, I voted for Microburst because Barista had a picture that showed the devastation which was not present in my part of town (it started 2 blocks away) – thus making me aware that something phenomenal had happened in Baristaville.
    P.S. I checked my basement to make sure you hadn’t stolen my record collection (Wilson, Pickett, Cooke, etc.).

  19. “showed the devastation… that something phenomenal had happened”.
    Better check your attic, someone stole your brain.

  22. Hey nitwit,
    I hear Pelosi threw a Hillary Style Hissy fit when she heard Gerald Ford died. Something about ruining her 4 party.
    Then Saddam had to go and get dead, and she really blew her top. Started throwing things at staffers. Telling them it was her party and if she wanted members of the Grateful Dead to play for her she could.
    After all she was heard saying: ‘I used to love those Dead shows in Golden Gate State Park when I was protesting that other war”.

  24. The Barista Party coverage seemed to be my favorite of this year–although I have not read/commented until 2006 was midway in its plodding course.
    For 2007, surprise me!

  26. Ah, now Ann Coulter has started recycling. Soon she may purchase contraceptives. Later, she’ll actually attend the church she claims to belong to, and maybe, one day, she’ll vote. Eventually, even the unrepentent get tired of being angry and sarcastic all the time. Or, maybe she’ll just eat a good meal and discover what contentment feels like. Wishing her God’s grace, something I believe she now sorely lacks.

  27. Like I’d waste a quarter of a second clicking on an Ann Coulter link. If that horrid twat was hit by a truck i’d shake hands with the driver. And with that… happy new year, all!

  30. It’s only libelous if it’s not true.
    Therefore, it’s not libelous. Just look up the word “twat” in the dictionary, and you’ll see a picture of Ms. Coulter beside it.

  31. Merriam Webster had no pictures next to the definition – so is it Libelous since there are no pictures of Ms Coulter.
    You said that there would be pictures. If it were true wouldn’t there be pictures.
    twat
    Pronunciation: ‘twät
    Function: noun
    Etymology: origin unknown
    usually vulgar : VULVA
    vul·va
    Pronunciation: ‘v&l-v&
    Function: noun
    Inflected Form(s): plural vul·vae /-“vE, -“vI/
    Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Latin volva, vulva womb, female genitals; akin to Sanskrit ulva womb and perhaps to Latin volvere to roll — more at VOLUBLE
    : the external parts of the female genital organs

  32. BAGHDAD, Iraq – The Pentagon announced the death of a Texas soldier on Sunday, raising the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq to at least 3,000 since the war began, according to an Associated Press count.
    Happy New Year.

  34. Uh, what year is this again? What century are we in? Please remind me.
    **************************
    Animal Sacrifices Maim 1,400 in Turkey
    By Associated Press
    Sun Dec 31
    ANKARA, Turkey – Over a thousand Turks spent the first day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha in emergency wards on Sunday after stabbing themselves or suffering other injuries while sacrificing startled animals.
    At least 1,413 people _ referred to as “amateur butchers” by the Turkish media _ were treated at hospitals across the country, most suffering cuts to their hands and legs, the Anatolia news agency reported.
    Four people were severely injured, crushed under the weight of large animals that fell on top of them, the agency reported. Another person was hurt when a crane used to lift an animal tumbled onto him, the agency said.
    Three other people suffered heart attacks and died while trying to restrain animals, CNN-Turk television reported.
    Muslims sacrifice cows, sheep, goats and bulls during the four-day religious holiday, a ritual commemorating the biblical account of God’s provision of a ram for Abraham to sacrifice as he was about to slay his son. They share the meat with friends, family and neighbors and give part of it to the poor.
    Turkish authorities have introduced fines for those who slaughter animals outside facilities set up by local municipalities, but many Turks ignored the rules and sacrificed animals in their backyards or on roadsides.

  35. You are all nuts! The microburst was the most profound thing to happen in this area for a long time! Stop talking about the war you stupid demos!!!

  36. You are all nuts! The microburst was the most profound thing to happen in this area for a long time! Stop talking about the war you stupid demos!!!

  37. You are all nuts! The microburst was the most profound thing to happen in this area for a long time! Stop talking about the war you stupid demos!!!

  40. The Coulter piece was hilarious. No wonder the idiot libs are reduced to vituperous pencil-penised scumbubbling incoherence!

  41. The BAS posts of course were the most interesting and influential. That thread went on for over a month and generated outrageous comments from the vp of the volunteer group herself which only pointed out most effectively what all of the “disgruntled ex-volunteers” had to say about the attitude and atmosphere at that so called shelter. If there was any thread at all that showed the principals up for what they truly were that one was it. The “official” comments from the officers and few supporters of the president of that group corroborated to the nth degree all of the complaints and negative comments about the goings on in that town and among the officers of the volunteer organization.

  42. and then the Barista closed the thread with no explanation.
    Barista- please give us a new thread on the Bukowski shelter we don’t understand why you closed the last onw while we were posting to it.

  43. I voted for the piece on the new Whole Foods in West Orange, mainly because I live in W.O. The microburst was a good one. Many of the local posts held merit; the Glen Ridge turf saga, the savaging of the irises, the intolerant bakery brothers and the never ending attack on high end development are all worthy pieces. The national stuff, (politics, pro sports, Coulter the crackwhore, etc.) is not as memorable. Those pieces just give us a chance to pile onto commonly held beliefs; overall they are more like pieces of candy. That being said, I found a fellow Big Blue fan here on Baristanet in Iceman; prior to our discovery, we had no common ground, and argued over anything. After our Giant epiphany, I felt a wave of tolerance come over me, (It might have been the smiting of the neocons in the election, but I prefer to believe the former) and I actually started to feel more a part of this Baristaville community. Then I woke up, passed the crackpipe to Coulter and realized another year had passed!
    Iceman, even though our Jints slithered their way into the playoffs, it doesn’t feel like it. Manning looks like the Tucker Fredrickson of this generation. Too bad!
    Happy New Year!

  44. I liked the up to the minute coverage on the exploding manholes and the reports on the micro burst.
    The Baristanet fills the need of covering events while they are happenning.
    I also like the Thrills section for bring attention to local events. I would prefer to see Friday evening evens announced on Thursday, though.

  45. Lee,
    Happy New Year…maybe if Eli had the tenacity of Ann Coulter we’d be in better shape.
    I’m not confident about next Sunday but hey, that’s why they play the game.
    Go Blue

  46. That lasermikey on this very web site apparently seriously considered running for local office, for however brief a time, was probably my favorite Baristanet moment of 2006.
    On the other hand, that God did not immediately smite laserlad down for such appallingly kooky hubris, that one much shook my faith in Him.

  47. If you are having a question of faith I suggest you go to Notre Dame church on 114th and Morningside Drive and pray there.
    You can also repent for having so criticized this small and mainly hispanic Church for it’s kind of Catholicism.

  49. Richard, go away, your constant attacks are annoying.
    Hiding…only because it bothers you old man.

  50. Bitpusher –
    That is an excellent idea! Hopefully our gracious hosts can put that one together. I might actually attend a function in parking anemic Montclair if I get enough time to research where I can park… at any rate!
    Ice –
    I don’t know about tenacious, but if he had anything like her chutzpah he’d be All-Pro this year.

  51. Laserboy, you’re crazy enough when you opine on politics, but you really ate the cake (you “took it” years ago) when you seemed to ponder running yourself. Was that out of shock that someone else took you seriously?
    We are thus off to a good start this year too, mikeypal.

  53. Lee,
    There is always plenty of parking for the Engineering Society Meetings, Third Friday of the month at Union Congregational Church in Upper Montclair

  54. I’m voting for exploding manhole covers: Barista covered an emergency that affected a lot of people in that area far faster than “usual” news sources could cover it, and kept the updates coming. Thanks, Barista!

  55. Why didn’t the Nicolo bakery / delivery man attacks make the list. As I recall, it was quite a heated debate with several hundred posts.

  56. It just dawned on me that the Iris Gardens story is not even on the list. Certainly one of the big stories coming out of B-ville.

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