LINDEN, NJ — Current and former city officials are questioning Mayor Derek Armstead’s use of a police escort for social events even though he has a city-issued vehicle, a practice that the city attorney said is permissible. Council members Gretchen Hickey and Jorge Alvarez, along with former mayor Richard Gerbounka, said a police escort was […]
CRANFORD, NJ — More than 900 Cranford residents joined an end-of-the-year scramble to prepay their 2018 property taxes. The idea is they’d get one more year out of the deduction on their federal income returns before the new tax reform legislation signed in December limits their exemption to $10,000. Cranford saw nearly a $7 million deluge […]
UNION, NJ — Schools around the county are carrying doses of a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose since teen deaths from drugs like heroin and prescription painkillers have seen a spike in recent years. Nurses at the middle and high schools in Westfield have been carrying Narcan, a brand name version […]
CRANFORD, NJ — Two officers are spending time away from their daily patrol routines to interact with residents through the new community policing unit geared toward strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the community. The unit was introduced by police Chief Ryan Greco during his swearing-in ceremony in October. “Through identifying problem-solving initiatives that […]
ELIZABETH, NJ — A Nicholas LaCorte-Peterstown School No. 3 student diagnosed with influenza has died, the Elizabeth superintendent said in district-wide letters sent on Feb. 18 and 19. “It is with great sadness that I must report to you that the Elizabeth School District has lost one of its own,” Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer said in […]
SPRINGFIELD, NJ — The Democrat who had outraised her closest opponent by more than $130,000 in a bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance with $300,000 of her own money withdrew as she faced six foes in her party’s candidates forum on Feb. 7. Springfield native and Westfield resident Lisa Mandelbatt took the microphone as […]
UNION, NJ — Three of the nine people arrested for the theft of about $26,000 in cash from a Union High School secretary’s desk in June have received pretrial intervention and agreed to pay restitution, a court official said. Kevin Rea, Marlon Roberts and Joshua Cipriano will each pay $2,250 in restitution, an official said. […]
ELIZABETH, NJ — Angel Villafane was just 16 years old when he was first incarcerated for four years on weapons charges. When he left prison, he didn’t have a high school diploma. He landed in a Hudson County prison again at 25, this time on drug charges. He started using, too. His drug of choice: […]
KENILWORTH, NJ — The borough was hit with a 28.5 percent increase in its sewer assessment when the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority approved its 2018 budget at its January meeting, indicating the municipality will have to raise taxes or cut something from its budget. “There will be an impact,” Richard LoForte, a former RVSA commissioner […]
ROSELLE, NJ — The Bayonne firm of Donohue, Gironda, Doria & Tomkins will conduct an audit of the local school district after the business administrator and his secretary were relieved of their duties, the school board attorney said. Jason Jones and his secretary, Jade Wilson, were “relieved of their responsibilities” effective Jan. 30, Roselle Superintendent […]