Hillside boy returns to school as hero after surgery

HILLSIDE, NJ — After surgery to move his eyes closer together and reshape his nose, Hillside resident Simao Meco was greeted by his favorite superhero, The Flash, at the hospital. Since then, the third-grader has turned into a superhero of sorts for other children. Other boys and girls about to undergo similar surgeries have receive […]

Armstead assault case to go before municipal judge

ELIZABETH, NJ — Linden Mayor Derek Armstead will appear before a judge to face charges that he assaulted a city councilman during a caucus meeting last year as Elizabeth Municipal Court Judge Roman Montes ruled the case could move forward after hearing the mayor’s plea Feb. 22. The mayor is accused of striking Linden Councilman […]

Dykstra’s day in court over Linden home delayed

LINDEN, NJ — Lenny Dykstra’s day in court regarding accusations that he was running an illegal boarding house on a suburban cul-du-sac was delayed when the attorney for the former Major League All-Star failed to appear at a hearing. Attorney David Bahuriak, who has a history of taking on controversial athletes as clients, characterized his […]

CRANFORD MALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

CRANFORD MALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Chaz DeSimone, varsity swimmer “Junior Chaz (Charles) DeSimone is our fastest breaststroker on the team, has continuously placed first or second in the 100 breast, and also came in first against Westfield in his event. He is also one of our top 50 freestyler sprinters for the team. Chaz swims four events at each meet […]

CRANFORD FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

CRANFORD FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Maggie O’Donnell, varsity swimmer “Maggie was the Union County Champion in the 100-yard butterfly and finished second place in the 200-yard freestyle. Cranford has not had a Union County swimming champion since 2015, when Julie Byrne won the event. She has also qualified for the High School Meet of Champions being held on March 2 […]

Linden council moves to investigate Scutari

Linden council moves to investigate Scutari

LINDEN, NJ — Mayor Derek Armstead escalated his political battle with state Sen. Nicholas Scutari on Feb. 19, when the City Council voted to form a committee to investigate whether the legislator had been paid for work he did not perform while a city employee. The council voted 6-4 in favor of the resolution creating […]

Summit to expand kindergarten in $66 million budget

Summit to expand kindergarten in $66 million budget

SUMMIT, NJ — The city’s school district would expand its half-day kindergarten program to a free, full-day operation under a proposed $66 million budget for the next school year, one that exceeds the state-restricted 2-percent cap by $800,000. The $66,171,587 spending plan, introduced by Superintendent of Schools June Chang at the nearly three-hour Feb. 14 […]

UNION GIRL ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

UNION GIRL ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Gabby Martinez, bowling, freshman “Gabriela, better known as Gabby, is a freshman member of the varsity bowling team. Bowling in a boys division can be tough for some, but Gabby, although young, displays great poise and carries herself strong on the lanes. She has made some great strides this year starting out with a 113 […]

UNION BOY ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

UNION BOY ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Kevin Oliveira, bowling, senior “Kevin is a senior member of the varsity bowling team, as well as the team captain. He began bowling in his sophomore year and was self taught simply by observing others and watching YouTube videos. In the three years I have had the pleasure of coaching him, Kevin has had some […]

Hillside OKs temps to address substitute shortage

HILLSIDE, NJ —The school board unanimously approved the use of staffing services at its Feb. 21 meeting to address the district’s shortage of substitute teachers, particularly for special needs students. The move allows the district to seek staffing services through competitive bidding; once a service is selected, a contract will be brought before the board […]