Home Care In Montclair, NJ

Kabir Moss, founder of Moss Media, a public relations firm, died Tuesday at his home in Newark. Moss was 37. A memorial is set for Monday at New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Moss most recently served as the communications director for Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor. And Moss was a former deputy director of Communications with the New Jersey Senate Majority Office.

A former resident of Montclair, Moss considered a run for council in 2024 in the First Ward.

“He was a man of stature in every sense of the word,” Baraka said in a statement. “Our hearts are broken for his family and loved ones. I have lost a friend and America has lost a political expert who knew its ideal destination, and the road to arrive there.”

‘Integrity, Heart’

Moss was the son-in-law of Montclair-based attorney Nancy Erika Smith.

“Kabir brought joy to everyone who knew him and hope for the future – because someone with his integrity, heart and intelligence was willing to work to make the world a better place,” Smith said.

Essex County Commissioner-at-Large Brendan Gill, chair of Montclair Democratic County Committee, said he was deeply saddened to learn of Moss’s death.

“Kabir was a dynamic and thoughtful statewide political strategist who believed deeply in the power of local government to uplift communities,” Gill said. “His decision to pick up petitions to run for First Ward Councilman showed his genuine commitment to Montclair and public service.”

Before serving the Senate Majority office, Moss ran the 2018 Democratic campaign for Monmouth Country Freeholder, a profile on his website says.

On graduating from Emerson College with a bachelor’s degree in writing, literature and publishing, Moss spent three and a half years serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, the profile says.

Moss was a lifelong athlete who played basketball through college – first at Africa University in Zimbabwe and then for the legendary coach Hank Smith at Emerson College in Boston, his profile says.

Gill pointed to Moss’s dedication to fairness and justice.

“His passion for equity, shaped by global service and statewide political work, left a lasting impression on all who knew him,” Gill said. “My thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”

Memorial

A public memorial will be held Monday, July 14, at 11 a.m., at New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark, followed by lunch in the Chase Room.

Email reporter Matt Kadosh at [email protected]

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"Interns often feel powerless, but they do have rights – especially if the company is benefiting significantly from their work."

As thousands of students and recent grads across New Jersey embark on summer internships, attorney Brian Chase of Bisnar Chase recently sounded an alarm for eager-to-please young people: some internships aren’t stepping stones – they’re “legal minefields in disguise.”

According to Chase, internships have long been considered a rite of passage for young professionals, especially in competitive industries. But the rise of unpaid or vaguely defined roles has raised concerns – not just among career advisors, but for legal experts too.

“In the eyes of the law, there’s a difference between shadowing a team and becoming a free extension of it,” Chase explained. “If you’re generating content, managing client accounts, or working unsupervised on high-stakes tasks, you’re not interning: you’re working.”

Chase shared a list of “five red flags that could signal a problem” with an internship:

“Interns are often told to be grateful for the experience,” Chase said. “But too often, they’re delivering real value to a company and getting nothing in return – not even proper training.”

If you’re in an internship that seems questionable, Chase recommends documenting everything: dates, tasks, communications and expectations.

“Interns often feel powerless, but they do have rights – especially if the company is benefiting significantly from their work,” Chase said.

He also suggests bringing concerns to a school advisor or career services office if the internship was arranged through an academic program.

“Some schools have policies that forbid students from participating in internships that don’t meet minimum educational or legal standards,” Chase added.

At the end of the day, Chase says the goal is to shift the narrative around internships from “vague, unpaid rites of passage” to “structured, mutually beneficial experiences.”

“Interns deserve clarity, respect, and an actual learning opportunity,” he said. “If a company isn’t offering that, then it’s not just unethical – it may be unlawful.”

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More from Montclair

While The Montclair Girl is OOO until July 13th, we’ve got you covered with everything to do locally over the next few days in Montclair and Northern New Jersey. This weekend, the long list of events includes Emo Night at Tierney’s Tavern in Montclair, Afrobeat Fest at Military Park in Newark, and Montclair Flea at Lackawanna Station. Below is a list of (over 75!) Montclair, Essex County, and Northern New Jersey events happening this weekend, July 10th through July 13th, 2025. Don’t forget — you can submit your community events HERE.

Disclaimer: This is a community resource. Submit events HERE and view the full calendar HERE. The Montclair Girl is not affiliated with hosting unless explicitly stated.

Montclair Flea 1 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair

Saturday + Sunday — July 12th + 13th at 11AM-6PM

Enjoy two days of curated vendors, kid activities and vintage finds at Montclair Flea. While there, locals can also explore the rest of Lackawanna Station, including art exhibits, murals, Montclair Flowers and Gifts, Boozie’s Wine Shoppe, Keep Creating Art Wellness Center, The Little Shops, Ironbound Farm Market, Burgers Donuts Potatoes, Little Bear Poke, and more. Free entry and takes place indoors at Lackawanna Station.

Our downloadable Summer Glow Up Guide 2025 has deals exclusively for MG readers — from hair salons to fitness classes + just about everything in between. The guide is valid from through Wednesday, 7/31, so be sure to take advantage of these deals ASAP.

This 5-bed, 5-bath single-family home in Montclair is available to buy for $1,799,000. The property features a chef’s kitchen, a deck, a stone patio with a firepit, a fully-equipped outdoor kitchen, a pool/pool house, a primary suite with an en-suite bathroom, and a finished basement, among other things.

View The Local Girl’s Real Estate Directory here — which has 90+ listings just this week.

The mission of the LGBT Rain Foundation of Essex County is to help 18-26 LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness transition from transitional housing to permanent housing. This foundation needs volunteers to perform various tasks. Volunteers are asked to make a six-month commitment at a time to allow for relationship-building with the residents. Learn more here.

Jersey Cares is on a mission to increase the level of volunteer involvement in the state of New Jersey. Since 1993, this organization has been dedicated to the community to partner with volunteers from all areas. From environmental conservation to education and more, Jersey Cares can provide opportunities in various areas of interest. Learn more here.

Originally known as the Young Colored Women’s Christian Association, this organization was founded by African-American women who came to Montclair in search of education, employment, and opportunity. As time passed, the organization not only changed its name but it joined forces with women of all backgrounds and became a prominent force in the community. Since its inception, the Montclair Fund for Women has given over $800,000 in grants to provide opportunities to women. Learn more here.

"We are no longer waiting to close opportunity gaps – we are preventing them from the start," a lawmaker said.

New Jersey has taken another big step towards providing statewide “free preschool and kindergarten” for its residents.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed three bills into law on Wednesday involving early childhood education, including legislation that codifies New Jersey’s preschool funding formula into statute.

The result? A more reliable source of money for local districts that are trying to expand their preschool programs.

The bill – S3910/A5717 – will require the state Department of Education to provide annual grants that expand access to preschool for 3-year-old and 4-year-old children in districts that don’t currently have a program.

The legislation also updates the formula used for determining each district’s allocation of state preschool aid, eliminating the use of “district factor groups” in favor of projected FTE enrollment for the upcoming year.

The New Jersey Senate voted to pass the bill 28-10, and the Assembly passed it by a tally of 53-25 with two abstentions.

Murphy said his administration has made it a priority to “set New Jersey firmly on course to universal, free preschool.”

Over the past seven years, funding for public preschool has increased by nearly $600 million, with New Jersey currently spending $1.2 billion to stand up and sustain programs in communities across the state. Murphy said 229 districts have been added to state-funded preschool programs since he took office.

Currently, more than half of New Jersey’s elementary-serving school districts offer “free, high-quality preschool,” he said.

FREE KINDERGARTEN

According to the governor’s office, the bill also puts the state “firmly on course” to provide free, full-day kindergarten for all New Jersey families by 2030. Attendance at the kindergarten program must be no-cost.

Each elementary-serving school district in the state will be required to have a full-day kindergarten program no later than the beginning of the 2029-2030 academic year. School districts that don’t offer full-day kindergarten by then can meet the requirement by entering into a “send-receive” relationship with an adjacent district.

“With today’s bill signing, we are moving forward in making free, universal preschool and free, full-day kindergarten a reality in every corner of our state,” Murphy said.

Sponsors of the legislation include senators Teresa Ruiz and Shirley Turner, along with Assembly members Andrea Katz and Sterley Stanley.

“A child's earliest years are when curiosity blooms and the foundation for lifelong learning is built,” Ruiz said. “But today, with child care costs soaring to the level of college tuition, too many families are being forced to choose between their child's potential and their household budget.”

“We are no longer waiting to close opportunity gaps,” agreed Turner. “We are preventing them from the start.”

FISCAL ESTIMATE

The state Office of Legislative Services (OLS) released a fiscal estimate of the bill’s impact on July 3.

“Some provisions of the bill may result in marginal cost increases for the state and local school districts, to the extent that current resources are not sufficient to effectuate the purposes of the bill,” the OLS reported.

Other considerations included:

COST INCREASE UNKNOWN - “The bill requires all school districts to provide for free, full-day kindergarten by the 2029-2030 school year, which would result in both local and state cost increases; however, the magnitude of the cost increase is unknown and would be spread across five years assuming this bill first takes effect in the 2025-2026 school year.”

TAX LEVY - “The bill could also result in indeterminate revenue increases for local school districts that first receive preschool education aid in the 2025-2026, 2026-2027, or 2027-2028 school years because these districts would have the ability to exceed the two percent tax levy growth limitation in order to account for additional preschool costs. The allowable increase would be limited to the actual costs of implementing a preschool program, which would vary significantly across districts based on the number of students enrolling and the availability of adequate facilities.”

PRESCHOOL AID - “The provisions of the bill that impact the calculation of preschool education aid would result in no cost increase to the state because the bill largely codifies the preschool funding methodology incorporated in the annual appropriations act in recent years.”

EXPANSION GRANTS - “Additionally, the requirement that the state provide preschool expansion grants is not guaranteed to increase state costs, unless future appropriations acts increase the amount of funds available for the grants. The annual appropriations act in recent years has included appropriations for preschool expansion grants, and the bill largely codifies budget language governing the program.”

OTHER BILLS

Two other bills were signed into law on Wednesday as part of the education package.

The second bill – S4476/A5780 – permits the awarding of contracts for certain preschool education services by resolution of a board of education and extends the maximum contract length for preschools to three years.

The third bill – A5908/S4695 – amends the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Act to revise various language provisions concerning Preschool Education Aid to align that language with legislation (S3910/A5717) that modifies the allocation of Preschool Education Aid.

Send local news tips and correction requests to [email protected]. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Natasha Lyonne popped up on a movie set in New Jersey Tuesday.

She emerged from suburban foliage like a gumshoe on a job, but we’re pretty sure it’s not because Charlie Cale is on the case.

Lyonne, who plays the truth-seeking protagonist of the Peacock series “Poker Face,” was in Montclair for “Roommates,” a Netflix film starring Adam Sandler’s daughter Sadie Sandler.

Previously dubbed “Untitled Roommates Project,” the movie is filming in New Jersey this summer with Sandler, 19, and her co-star Chloe East (“Heretic”), 24.

The extras casting agency working on the film previously told NJ Advance Media that Adam Sandler, 58, is producing the movie through his Happy Madison production company.

Chandler Levack (“I Like Movies”) is directing.

Sandler also filmed Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2″ in New Jersey last year.

Lyonne, 46, wearing shades and toting a white bag and water on the blazing hot day, headed to a home on Plymouth Street in Montclair where the movie was filming.

The set was just blocks away from another Netflix production: “Little Brother,“ starring Eric André and John Cena.

Last month, “Untitled Roommates Project” put out an open casting call for extras to play college students and high school students.

It’s not yet known what roles Lyonne, Sadie and East will be playing in the film, though it does seem college roommates (Sadie and East) are involved in the story.

Sadie Sandler has been appearing in her father’s movies since she was a toddler, starting with “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” (2008).

But Sadie and her younger sister Sunny, 16, took on larger roles in the 2023 Netflix movie “You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah,” directed by Sammi Cohen and adapted by Alison Peck from the YA novel by Amanda Stern, aka Fiona Rosenbloom. Their father also produced that film.

Sadie voiced the character Jayda in Adam Sandler’s Netflix animated film “Leo" (2023).

Like many of Sandler’s movies, “Happy Gilmore 2,” due out July 25, is a family affair, with Sunny and Sadie Sandler appearing in the film alongside their mother, Jackie Sandler.

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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at [email protected] and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.