UNION, NJ — Nearly four years after a Cranford woman’s body was found cut up in five separate garbage bags along the Passaic River in Newark, her 47-year-old boyfriend has been convicted in the brutal killing. Matthew Ballister was found guilty on all counts including first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree desecration of human remains, third-degree […]
UNION, NJ — A Union High School senior has received the 2017 Union County School Board’s Unsung Hero Award. Tahjee Jean was recognized by the school board for his work in the Peer Ambassadors Leadership Program and the Empowerment Mentoring Group at UHS. The award, given each year to a high school junior or senior who […]
UNION COUNTY, NJ — The state Supreme Court will hear an appeal from Kean University’s Board of Trustees after a lower court ruled it violated the state’s Open Public Meetings Act. A state Appellate Division in February ruled that the board, Kean’s governing body, should have sent Valera Hascup, a former Kean nursing professor, an official […]
SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — Ash Brook Golf Course in Scotch Plains will be undergoing a massive rebuild, with an Oct. 10 groundbreaking marking the latest phase of the $8.9 million project slated for completion in September 2018. The old clubhouse will be replaced by a new 21,000-square-foot building off Raritan Road that will include a full-service […]
ROSELLE, NJ — A new grant is now available for the Raymond J. Lesniak Recovery High School in Roselle, the state’s first addiction-recovery high school, making it easier for students to attend and alleviating some costs to school districts. The state Department of Education began seeking applications for funding existing recovery high schools on Oct. 6. […]
LINDEN, NJ — Linden will pay $575,000 to two Elizabeth men who accused a municipal judge of depriving them due process rights by sentencing them to an “excessive” jail term. The settlement stems from a 2012 federal civil suit filed by cousins Wendell and Anthony Kirkland against the city and former municipal judge Louis DiLeo. The […]
UNION COUNTY, NJ — Tears streamed down Matt Ballister’s face as he cried out: “I loved her.” The 47-year-old Ballister, accused of killing and dismembering April Wyckoff nearly four years ago, collapsed under questioning by Union County Prosecutor Scott Peterson. “I didn’t mean to do it,” he said. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I have made […]
HILLSIDE, NJ — Internal documents provided to LocalSource show a nearly 16-year-old incident that led to a 60-day suspension for the Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi in 2002, a disclosure that comes as two others are suing the town in connection with the position. The documents included the disciplinary action imposed on Ricciardi in connection to […]
CRANFORD, NJ — A 19-year-old Canadian man was arrested by federal authorities in Cranford last year as part of an investigation that foiled a three-man plot to carry out terrorist attacks in New York, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office revealed after documents in the case were unsealed recently. The U.S. Department of Justice detailed the case […]
WESTFIELD, NJ — As “The Watcher” house in Westfield goes back on the market, Superior Court Judge Camille Kenny is set to decide on litigation involving the notorious Dutch Colonial that has spanned two years. The six-bedroom, three bath, single-family home at 657 Boulevard was listed at $1.125 million on Oct. 9, and Kenny was set […]