Union County residents are happy with where they live and say their communities are safe. They rate their county’s cultural activities, public schools, and public transportation options as top notch. They rate their County as fifth best in providing job opportunities and are also the least likely to move from where they live, according to a statewide poll conducted by Monmouth University. Overall, Union County scored 7th highest among all 21 New Jersey Counties in the Garden State Quality of Life index released this week by Monmouth University. In comparison to its urban neighbors, Union …
An anonymous caller made a threat to the building at 20 Commerce Drive in the Cranford Business Park off of Raritan Road on Tuesday afternoon, causing police to respond and evacuate employees. According to Cranford Detective Sergeant Gerard P. Quinn, the call was received around 1 p.m. from an undetermined location. "The caller asked to speak with a supervisor and made a nonspecific threat to the building," said Quinn. Approximately 400 employees of several different companies housed in the office building were in the process of evacuating when police arrived. Cranford fire, police and EMS …
South Orange resident Sandra Spekman, a Red Cross volunteer for more than four decades, received the Diana Burn Rosen Volunteer Award at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting on June 22. Spekman is the first recipient of this annual award created in memory of Diana Burn Rosen. Mrs. Rosen, who passed away in February of this year, was a long-time Red Cross volunteer, who led the Adapted Aquatics program for decades. “When we thought of who the first recipient of this special award should be, Sandy Spekman immediately came to everyone’s mind,” stated Christy Hodde, Colonial Crossroads Chapter executive…
The Union County board of chosen freeholders recognized five county police officers at the Ralph Froelich Public Safety Building in Westfield on Wednesday for uncovering an international luxury car stolen vehicle syndicate. Officers said that the sting was made possible, in part, through their deployment of the LoJack auto theft alert system, which assisted them in locating the suspects. "This was not an insignificant event -- this was huge," said Union County Police Chief Daniel Vaniska. Lojack made the day for law enforcement and ruined the day for the criminal." In a ceremony on …
What are the chances? Of having twins: 32 out of 1,000 births in the US (according to the most recent census figures). Of a high school graduating SEVEN sets of twins in one year? Pretty darn slim. But indeed, amongst the 217 Arthur L. Johnson graduates were seven sets of twins, comprising a solid 6.5 percent (double the census average) of the class of 2011. Johnson isn’t the first to graduate a multitude of multiples (a Connecticut school holds the Guinness World Record for 13 sets of twins in 2010), but for a smaller school, seven is certainly out of the ordinary. We decided to grill the …
A Westfield resident in her early 20s was contaminated due to hazardous materials in Brightwood Park on Thursday morning, according to Police Captain David Wayman. In the park, officers also found a make shift structure containing chemicals. It's still unknown which chemicals the police is dealing with. The woman, whose name has not been released by police, was treated and transported to Overlook Medical Center in Summit, Wayman said. She called 911 at 10:33 a.m., saying she couldn't breathe in Brightwood Park. The woman passed out when police found her, Wayman said. The HAZMAT situation …
NJ Transit and Millburn police are investigating the death of a 62-year-old woman early Tuesday morning on the tracks just west of the Short Hills train station. Barbara Ann Sweeney of Short Hills was fatally struck by a Morris-Essex train while standing on the tracks at approximately 5 a.m., according to NJ Transit officials. "She did not attempt to move as the train approached," said NJ Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll. The train, the 4:16 from Dover, was due to arrive in New York City at 5:43 a.m. and was carrying 70 passengers, who transferred to another train. No injuries to …
Each week, Patch takes a look back at the news in Union County. Among the top stories last week a New Providence school has been selected as a national school of character, Westfield's battling a 911 system that's on the verge of breakdown and Cranford Cougars captured their second straight crown in the baseball finals. New Providence Students and staff learned late last week that Salt Brook Elementary School has been selected as a National School of Character, along with 37 other public schools, three charter schools, two private schools and one school district from across the nation. …
Each week, Patch takes a look back at the news in Union County for the past week. Among the top stories, the cause of a six-alarm fire at Ferraro's Restaurant in Westfield remains unclear, car burglaries are under investigation in Cranford and boards of education across the county reorganize. Westfield A six-alarm fire gutted Ferraro's Restaurant in downtown Westfield in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday. Agencies from across the county assisted. The fire, the origin of which remains under investigation, started at midnight and caused the evacuation of apartments above the restaurant. One …
A pair of Westfield moms who built a growing business aren't satisfied with their own accomplishments and devoted a special event last week to helping other entrepreneurial moms generate buzz for their fledgling and existing ventures. Organized by NJ Mom's Guide, formerly known as Westfield Mom's Town, founders Kate Motz and Christina Castro kicked off the first 2011 Moms in Business Network program. “Tonight we want you to think about what you can give to other people, whether its referrals, business ideas, or general advice,” Motz said. Melisa Tropearno LaTour, owner of Cranford-based MTL …
Elizabeth remained Union County's largest community in the 2010 Census, according to data released yesterday for New Jersey. Union Township grabbed the number two spot on the list, with Plainfield, Linden and Westfield rounding out the top five, all with populations over 30,000. Rahway, which has experienced a spike in residential development in the downtown in the last decade, came in sixth with a population of 27,346, a rise from 26,500 in 2000. Union County's population rose from 522,541 in 2000 to 536,499 in 2010. Five of the county's 21 communities came in with populations under 10,000, …
A weather-related accident with a van knocking down a telephone pole forced the closure of South Springfield Ave. from the Springfield line to the Westfield line in Mountainside from early this morning to late this afternoon. According to Mountainside police captain Richard Oseija, the accident, which happened around 10:00 a.m., not only knocked down the pole with three transformers, but also caused electric interruption to area homes and businesses for a few minutes. The driver and only occupant, Pavle Abramov, age 18, of Millburn, stated an unknown red vehicle was traveling alongside of …
When it comes to golfing, the Scotch Hills Country Club might not compare to high-end courses such as the Plainfield Country Club or Twin Brooks. But once snow blankets the greens, fairways and bunkers, the golf course becomes a sledding destination, drawing children and their parents from towns across the area. This year was no exception. After Wednesday's snowstorm increased the season's total accumulation to a record-breaking 50.2 inches, residents flocked to the golf course. We sent Patch photographer Vadim Rud to capture some of the action. Take a look below, and feel free to share some…
Sometimes everything lines up in your favor. Sometimes the opposite happens. For the Springfield Fire Department, the latter was the case on Thursday, Jan. 27 when they were called to fight a fire in a multi-family house on South Springfield Ave. Springfield Fire Chief James Samford was away at the National Fire Academy. The winter weather conditions made some fire fighting methods impossible. The house that caught fire was split into multiple apartments and separate stairways, complicating work for fire fighters. But thanks to the persistent work of the Springfield fire department and other …
