By Peter Fiorilla on HILLSIDE
HILLSIDE, NJ — A congregation is shining light on Hillside’s struggling businesses by organizing monthly “love mobs,” in which more than 200 members of The First Baptist Church of Hillside are investing — financially and spiritually — in the welfare of local stores. Led by Rev. Christopher Michael Jones, the church’s head pastor, Hillside residents […]
By Peter Fiorilla on COUNTY NEWS
Protesters against Kean president rally outside senator’s Union office
UNION COUNTY, NJ — Rather than fade away during the winter months, the ministers’ coalition protesting structural racism at Kean University battled the elements in another rally on Monday, Jan. 18, outside of State Sen. Raymond Lesniak’s Union office on Stuyvesant Avenue. More than 70 people, among them Kean faculty and local activists, marched and chanted […]
By Peter Fiorilla on HILLSIDE
HILLSIDE, NJ — Even when he’s on the job taking orders and waiting tables, Hillside resident Steve Sebastiao keeps a notepad handy, just in case. The 31-year-old rapper, reminiscent of Eminem when the hip hop superstar was flipping burgers in Detroit, never knows when inspiration might hit. “I’m a waiter, but I’m a rapper 24/7,” said […]
By Peter Fiorilla on COUNTY NEWS
UNION COUNTY, NJ — Stricter, statewide consumer protection laws in the pet industry have led to a rash of potential violations being pursued by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, including at two dog shops in Union County. Shake a Paw in Union received a letter requesting their presence at an executive conference, while Whiteway […]
By Peter Fiorilla on LINDEN
LINDEN, NJ — An independent review of the Linden Police Department’s handling of veteran officer Pedro Abad, a repeat DUI offender now in court for his role in a fatal accident last March, resulted in the Union County Prosecutor’s Office taking oversight of the internal affairs department in Linden. “This review revealed that there is […]
By Peter Fiorilla on RAHWAY
RAHWAY, NJ — Construction on a controversial, $5 million sports renovation project began last month at the heart of Rahway River Park, where a spectator arena with 1,200-seat bleachers is on pace to be completed by July, according to the county. The project, which has been funded almost evenly by Union County and Rahway, has […]
By Peter Fiorilla on UNION
UNION, NJ — The popular University Diner, which has served as a local landmark for the past several decades on North Ave in Union, closed for good last month. The diner’s current owners, Union resident Maurice Quijano and his father — who bought the property, together, in December of 2014 — are looking to sell […]
By Peter Fiorilla on UNION
UNION, NJ — On the Sunday before Christmas each year, like clockwork, Sam Casternovia gathers his friends and family into a warehouse, where they package up to 120 holiday dinners for local families in need of a festive boost. It’s a tradition Casternovia started when he saw the need to “give back” while living in […]
By Peter Fiorilla on COUNTY NEWS
UNION COUNTY, NJ — A Kean University alumnus agreed last week to subsidize the polarizing, $219,000 conference table residing in the school’s Green Lane conference center, where it has recouped $22,000 in rental fees since first being purchased in late 2014. Retired businessman William Loehning, who graduated from Kean when it was still Newark State College […]
By Peter Fiorilla on SUMMIT
SUMMIT, NJ — In Republican Ellen Dickson’s four-year term as mayor of Summit, the distribution of the local tax bill underwent a major shift: The amount of residents’ taxes which goes to the county, up to 30 percent, now dwarfs the volume of money that goes to running the city, which Dickson said is down […]