Community Corner

The Week in Union County

Here's your roundup of the region's top stories from the past week.

Clark-Garwood

However, Lewis said a minor technicality in processing the paperwork was what caused the error and that the matter should be rectified shortly. The Department of Education's Communication Office could not be immediately reached to confirm Lewis's statements.

Because of the new year, the council was forced to reintroduce the longevity pay repeal ordinance that passed by a 4-2 vote in December and was vetoed by Mayor Quattrocchi rather than vote to override her veto. In addition to reintroducing the ordinance, a new ordinance was added to the agenda that would allow current employees to be grandfathered into the benefit. Councilman Jim Mathieu took issue with how the longevity repeal ordinance was handled, suggesting foul play regarding the delays in introducing and voting on the ordinance. Mayor Quattrocchi said she resented the councilman's inference. Both longevity pay ordinances will have a public hearing at the next council meeting on Jan. 24. Councilmembers will have to decide which of the two ordinances they support (if either), as both cannot be adopted.

Find out what's happening in Clark-Garwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At Sunday's reorganization meeting, pointing to a new Transit Village Study Committee and revamps to the Office of Emergency Management amongst her priorities for 2012. The mayor also discussed upgrades for Garwood's communication systems and plans for the borough's upcoming 110th anniversary in 2013.

Clark Police responded to the scene and found the victim in the middle of Adams Street near where the road intersects Madison Hill Road. The victim was conscious and taken to University Hospital in Newark. Police are still searching for the driver.

Find out what's happening in Clark-Garwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Cranford

The arrest of 47 juveniles during a New Year's Eve party for underage drinking has led school board members to consider reviving the district's drug-and-alcohol policy. At a meeting Monday night, the New Year's Eve bust prompted board member Michael Caulfield to propose a motion to revive ADAPT, the Alcohol/Drug Assistance Program for Teens. The board is expected to vote on the issue during its Jan. 23 meeting.


The Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal has released details of its annual Deer Management Program, which for the first time will tackle the problem of deer overpopulation in Lenape Park. On the first day of the hunt, which began Jan. 9, eight hunters have already removed 22 white-tailed deer from the county park. This program will continue next week on Wednesday, Jan. 18, due to the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. In a poll question, Patch asked if readers are in favor of the deer hunt.

A male suspect who allegedly robbed a woman at knifepoint at about 7 p.m. on Jan. 11 is still at large, Cranford Police Lt. James Wozniak said. The Cranford Police Department requested the assistance of the Union County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit to help them track the suspect. The search was unsuccessful. The incident occurred in a dark, rear parking lot area near Walnut Avenue and Raritan Road. The woman was reportedly robbed of her wallet by a male suspect. Police are asking anyone with information about the suspect or the incident to contact the Detective Bureau at 908-272-2222.

 

New Providence

On Christmas Day, Anne R. Hardy, 48, of New York, New York was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault on a medical professional, two counts of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Patrolman Chad Wilson responded to the Murray Hill Train Station on a report from New Jersey Transit of . While Patrolman Wilson was speaking with Ms. Hardy, she attempted to kick him.  While she was being physically escorted off the train, she assaulted Patrolman Wilson by punching him in the chest.  She was arrested and brought to headquarters, where she bit Patrolman Wilson a second time. She was later transported to Overlook Hospital, where she bit a member of the medical staff and kicked Patrolman Diamond in the chest. Officers involved did not sustain any substantial injuries and the member of the medical staff was treated at the hospital.

On Wednesday, New Providence Patch editor Caitlin Mahon  about community journalism and Patch. The scouts are currently working toward what they call Achievement #17. To reach that Achievement, the boys were required to speak with a news reporter to learn about where a reporter gets news, how a reporter puts a story together, and where a story goes once it's finished. After discussing the basics of journalism and what a reporter and an editor does, the scouts had the opportunity to look at the New Providence Patch site and learn how they could use it to learn more about the community. At the end of the presentation, each scout announced what they had learned. One scout said, "a lot of people put a lot of effort and time into reporting and editing news." Another said, "we learned that people blog on Patch." The Cub Scouts in Den #12 are in their third year together. All of the Scouts are 8- and 9-year-olds in third grade. The boys are Cub Scouts in the Bear Year.

 

Springfield 

After on a series of meetings with officials and members of the public, the state Board of Public Utilities  for how power companies, particularly JCP&L, can improve. , who addressed JCP&L shortcomings in a , say the recommendations are a good start, but should go farther.

 chose new officers and board members to lead the Orthodox community in the new year, with Adam Hanover named President. The Orthodox Congregation is one of three Synogogues in Springfield. 

A theft of just over $80 worth of gas led to a . 

 

Scotch Plains-Fanwood

This week, Patch began a series highlighting the upcoming SPFHS Repertory Theater production of Anything Goes. For the series, Patch sat down with , a junior who will star as Reno Sweeney, and set designer Jeff Allen. The and construction of Anything Goes featured a photo gallery of the building process. A new photo gallery will appear on the site each week with updated photos of the crew's progress. Keep an eye on this series for more Q&A's with the stars, the show's director and more.

 

On Tuesday, the Fanwood Borough Council stating that the Council will support an agreement to push forward with a merger of SP and Fanwood's police departments. This resolution comes after a from Mayor Malool and the Scotch Plains Town Council which expressed her frustration with the progression of shared services between the two municipalities, and a push by the SP town council to explore a study to examine the benefits of consolidation; a prospect that . A written by Democratic Committee and Fanwood resident, Jack Molenaar in response to Mayor Malool stirred controversy on SPF Patch this week. 

 

Summit


Although the television show ended in 2009, the fictional world of detective Adrian Monk continues to find inspiration in Summit. Now, solely a book series, the latest tome "Mr. Monk on Patrol", which was released last week has brought the lead character to the Hill City to solve a crime.




In what was an exciting dual-meet, Summit’s girls ended a 26-year drought against  Scotch Plains 92-78. On the boys side, the Raiders were able to get the 98-72 victory although many of the races were tightly contested.

Summit earned their first defeat over Scotch Plains in nearly three decades in thrilling fashion on Tuesday. The upset win came much to the delight of the crowd who enjoyed the down-to-the-wire finish. The Hilltoppers clinched the victory in the meet’s final race, the 400 freestyle relay and the celebration was on.


Kate currently sits at 900 points, good for sixth in the Hilltoppers' record book. Martino should easily pass the 1000 point barrier and move into the top three or four all time.
After graduating in the spring, Martino will continue her education as a student-athlete at UNC-Chapel Hill where she will play lacrosse at the Division 1 level.  While she is certainly excited about the opportunity to play lacrosse, Martino will always be a basketball player (her favorite sport).


School Uniforms Proposal Discussed at Board Meeting
A one-year school uniform pilot program proposed by parents for the Lincoln-Hubbard school was one of the heavily discussed topics at last night’s board of education meeting.

Board President Michelle Stevenson addressed the issue in her opening remarks to the public. “I would like to clarify some misinformation regarding the school uniform discussion," she said, "This discussion did no originate with the board.”
Lincoln-Hubbard PTO President Kristen Pierotti was on hand to explain the origin of the school uniform proposal during the meeting's public comment period.

"A parent came to me after vetting among some neighbors, asking if they would be interested in a uniform policy, with some information as to what the pros and cons were," Pierotti said. "Everyone was giving him some positive feedback, so he came to me."

Pierotti and members of the PTO created an online survey and sent it out to parents on Jan. 8. All 256 parents at Lincoln-Hubbard received a survey and 135 responded. The majority was in favor of a uniform policy.

 

Berkeley Heights-Mountainside

 

The Mountainside PTA Welcomes New Curriculum Supervisor Joy Blom

The Mountainside PTA welcomed the new Curriculum Supervisor Joy Blom at the January 9th PTA board meeting.  

Ms. Richards, Deerfield's School principal, said that on an enthusiasm scale of  1-10, Mrs. Blom is a 12.

 

Lady Highlanders Improve to 8-0

So far this season, no one has been able to stop the Gov. Livingston girls' basketball team and Union had a chance to see what seven other teams have found out -- the Lady Highlanders are tough.

GL rolled to 30-6 halftime lead before going on to beat Union 52-30 Thursday night in Berkeley Heights.

GL pushed their record to 8-0.

 

Governor Livingston Fencing Athletes of the Week Praise Team Cohesiveness

Brittin Boenning and Zachary Friedlander, key fencers on the Governor Livingston fencing squad and Patch’s Athletes of the Week, know what it’s like to win. Both are part of one of the best fencing squads in the state.

Led by head coach Vincent Paragano, the squad is already off to a strong start, with both teams showing their talent against top-ranked Columbia last week.

That’s nothing new for Paragano, who led his teams - boys and girls - to one of their best season's ever in 2010-2011.

Those results are indicative of a coach who has the members of his squad highly dedicated to the sport and dedicated to winning.

Read more about these top athletes here.http://patch.com/A-pXzr

 

Westfield

On Monday, Jan. 9 Congressman Leonard Lance announced the Westfield Fire Department had received a $33,885 security grant that will be used to purchase new supply hose and intake valves.

The Board of Education announced Gretchan Ohlig will fill the vacant seat on the Board. Also, Maureen Mazzarese presented a report on the guidance department. The Westfield High School boys cross country team was recognized for its outstanding season.

 


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