Delaware man found with firearm outside of Westfield elementary school sentenced to five years in state prison

WESTFIELD, NJ — A Delaware man who was found to be in possession of a handgun, numerous rounds of ammunition and a folding knife outside of a Westfield elementary school last year has been sentenced to five years in state prison, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro jointly […]

Cranford Township Committee votes on 750 Walnut Ave.

CRANFORD, NJ — On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Cranford Township Committee voted on a resolution requesting that the Planning Board determine whether 750 Walnut Ave. should be designated as a condemnation area in need of redevelopment. Commissioners Jean-Albert Maisonneuve and Mary O’Connor voted to move the resolution. Mayor Patrick Giblin, Deputy Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty, […]

LHS retires jersey number of Tamecka Dixon

LHS retires jersey number of Tamecka Dixon

LINDEN, NJ — Linden High School retired legendary girls basketball star Tamecka Dixon’s jersey, No. 33, at an emotional ceremony in the school’s gym on Feb. 24. A line of student athletes applauded as Dixon entered the gym where she had dominated opponents as a star for the Lady Tigers in the early 1990s. Dixon, […]

Benedictine Academy closing in June

Benedictine Academy closing in June

ELIZABETH, NJ — This June, the city of Elizabeth will bid farewell to an institution that has been a pillar of the community for more than a century. Benedictine Academy is permanently closing its doors. The academy, an all-girl’s Catholic high school founded in 1915, made the announcement on Feb. 24 in a letter posted […]

Regional and national health organizations mobilize resources to combat growing coronavirus outbreak

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Union County health officials are preparing to combat the spread of coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a grave warning to communities across the nation on Feb. 25. Communities, schools and businesses in New Jersey and elsewhere should begin preparing now for “the expectation […]

Hillside council members negotiate budget with employee representatives at special meeting

HILLSIDE, NJ — If the Hillside Township Council’s special meeting on Feb. 18 proved anything, it was that issues swept under the rug never stay there for long. Throughout the night, council members and employee representatives worked through their frustrations to find common ground on the subject of the emergency temporary appropriation budget. Chief Financial […]

Following in his father’s footsteps, activist Martin Luther King III gives speech at Kean University

Following in his father’s footsteps, activist Martin Luther King III gives speech at Kean University

UNION, NJ — Speaking at the Kean University campus where his father delivered an address almost 60 years earlier, human rights activist Martin Luther King III said young people and others must use their votes to “make America what it ought to be.” King energized the crowd of students, faculty and community members who filled […]

Illegal puppy mill in Scotch Plains dismantled; more than 130 animals rescued and given to UC shelters

Illegal puppy mill in Scotch Plains dismantled; more than 130 animals rescued and given to UC shelters

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Investigators recently dismantled an illegal Scotch Plains puppy mill run out of a private residence, rescuing more than 130 animals and transferring them to more than a dozen local shelters, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Scotch Plains Police Chief Ted Conley jointly announced on Feb. 19. Ten fourth-degree […]