Find Your Daily Voice
48°
Ava Rasmussen, Former Mahwah HS Cheerleader, Dies At 18: 'Our Hearts Are Shattered'
Ava Rasmussen, who graduated Mahwah High School last year, died on Wednesday, March 13.
Ava, an active member of the school's cheerleading team and student government, died of cancer at the age of 18.
Ava Rasmussen GoFundMe photo
A truly sad day for our entire Mahwah community. Bright lights never get extinguished. They sometimes just need to fly... Posted by Jonathan N. Marcus on Thursday, March 14, 2024
"Ava has made a lasting impact on everyone who she came across," Superintendent Dr. Michael DeTuro said, noting counseling is available at the school to support students…
Mahwah Teen Dies Tragically, Leaves Infant Daughter, Devastated Loved Ones
A funeral is scheduled this week for a teenage mom from Mahwah who died tragically last week.
Olivia Sybesma, 19, was a devoted mother, one who quit any further formal education after graduating from Mahwah High School in order to care for her nearly-1-year-old daughter, Layla Rose.
Olivia “poured all her time and guidance” into raising the love of her life, her obituary says.
She also trusted others and “worried about everyone else except herself,” her mother, Marlaina Sybesma, wrote.
So it was with that implicit trust that Olivia, feeling both down and anxious, apparently accepted a …
Police: Mahwah Dealer Had Pounds Of Pot, Hash Oil, Edibles, Buyers Being Investigated
A Mahwah man stopped for careless driving on Thanksgiving morning was trucking a pound and a half of pot, a pound of hash oil, 20 packages of marijuana edibles and $2,600 in suspected drug cash, police said.
Officer Timothy Letavish stopped a 2003 Infiniti driven by 23-year-old Lebo L. Xhelo for “driving in a careless manner” on Ramapo Valley Road around 3 a.m. Thursday, Police Chief James Batelli said.
Suspecting that Xhelo was high, Letavish, a trained drug recognition expert, ordered him out of the vehicle, the chief said.
As Xhelo got out, the officer smelled burnt marijuana on hi…
