Community Corner

The Week in Union County

Here's a roundup of the top stories from Patch sites across Union County.

Each week, Patch takes a look back at the news in Union County for the past week. Among the top stories, firefighters from across Union County assisted in rescuing a man trapped in a trench in Westfield, a high school senior was drafted by the Houston Astros and bears are becoming a more common sight in Springfield.

WESTFIELD

The Westfield Fire Department along with the Elizabeth Fire Department's technical rescue team and scores of help from other mutual aid agencies responded to an incident where a man was . The man was working when a trench he dug collapsed around him. It took the responding agencies about two hours to remove him and he was transported to University Hospital in Newark where he was reported to be in stable condition.

Find out what's happening in New Providence-Berkeley Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Westfield High School senior A.J. Murray was  by the Houston Astros during the Major League Baseball draft this week. Murray, drafted in the 48th round, is catcher on the WHS baseball team, which is competing for the  on Saturday. Murray has signed to played baseball for Georgia Tech in the fall. He has not said if he will choose between Georgia Tech or the Astros.

There were no injuries in a  on Hazel Avenue on Thursday evening. The fire broke out after a possible lightning strike to the home at 119 Hazel Avenue around 8:30 p.m. The three occupants of the house evacuated safely and the Westfield Fire Department contained the blaze to the attic, with smoke and water damage to the residential levels of the house.

Find out what's happening in New Providence-Berkeley Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

SUMMIT

The Summit High School Saturday night, ending their 68-game win streak and failing to clinch its third straight T of C victory. The Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers defeated the Hilltoppers, 6-5 after a fourth-quarter dogfight.

 

CLARK-GARWOOD

Fifty-nine senior students were recognized at the at Arthur L. Johnson High School this week. Senior Dean DelVecchio was the recipient of six scholarships, the most scholarships awarded to one student. More than $7,154,422 in scholarships and financial aid were awarded to ALJ students this year.

The  held Saturday and Sunday at the Dr. Robinson Plantation, was a huge success, according to event organizers. Three reenactment companies — the 7th Virginia Cavalry, the 2nd Rhode Island and the 3rd New Jersey — set up an encampment on the Plantation grounds. At three separate points over the weekend, the reenactors marched to nearby Esposito Park for demonstrations. 

 

NEW PROVIDENCE

The New Providence Police Department, along with officers from Union County Police Department and Union County Sheriff's Canine Unit, executed early morning  on June 3. Police arrested Drew Esker, age 18, of Salem Road for possession of marijuana over 50 grams, possession with the intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, and hindering apprehension by attempting to destroy evidence. At a second location, police arrested Eric Pacio, 22, of Verona Road. Pacio is charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession with the intent to distribute, selling controlled dangerous substance to an undercover police officer and possession of drug paraphernalia. As a result of the search warrants, police also seized a large quantity of marijuana, a large amount of cash as well as several weapons and other contraband.

Valerie and Jeffery Wass, of Mountainside, recently opened a  in the Village Shopping Center in New Providence. The couple believes that this is the perfect time for the chain restaurant, which focuses on healthy, flavorful food choices, to make an appearance in town. Muscle Maker, founded by Rod Silva in 1995, now has 30 locations in New Jersey, one in California, three in New York and the fourth will open in Florida on June 14. The New Providence location offered customers a chance to sample one of four of its most popular wraps for free on Saturday, which included the Rocky Balboa, the Santa Fe, BBQ Chicken and the Yee Ha!

 

SPRINGFIELD

Bears! Springfield public safety officials warned residents this week that there were three new, hairy residents in the township. Three bears were spotted in the Hilltop neighborhood of Springfield and police and members of the Office of Emergency Management shared .

One place the bears didn’t visit: the Township’s polling booths. This past week’s primary elections were a quiet affair, with no surprises save a low turnout. On the local level, Democratic Mayor Hugh Keffer will in a bid for re-election to the Township Committee against Republican former Mayor Ziad Shehady.

 

SCOTCH PLAINS

Scotch Plains Man Arrested Over 'Lewd' Photos: A New Jersey State Police home in Scotch Plains last week has led to the arrest of a Scotch Plains man who is charged with sending inappropriate photos to a minor.

Michael Kekelis, 40, was arrested after the SWAT team executed a search warrant at 6 a.m. Friday and found photos on his computer that he allegedly sent to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Police allege that Kekelis talked online with the "girl" and sent "lewd materials," State Police Acting Captain Frank Davis said in a telephone interview. Kekelis was transported to the Union County Jail and released, pending a court date.

Low Score, High Honors: Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School's golf team at Suburban Golf Club in Union. Scotch Plains won the Watchung Division and the overall championship with a score of 328. Summit captured the Mountain Division title.

Too Hot to Handle: Students in the went home early Thursday due to near 100-degree temperatures, Superintendent Margaret Hayes said. It marked the second time in three years that Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District schedules were affected by heat. In June 2008, sweltering temperatures forced the officials to cancel classes. Hayes chose not to cancel classes this year, however, because the district already used its emergency-closing days for the winter's snowstorms.

 

BERKELEY HEIGHTS

Incumbent Councilman Robert “Bob” Woodruff and running mate Jeanne Kingsley defeated Carol Matula in the Republican primary for two seats on the Berkeley Heights Township Council. Kingsley led the three candidates with 554 votes, while Woodruff received 527 votes. Matula received 255 votes.

Democratic candidates for Township Council Jamie Divine Cadavid and Stephen Yellin ran unopposed, with the candidates receiving 177 and 190 votes, respectively. 

Berkeley Heights Democrats strongly favored the establishment candidates of the Union County Democratic Committee, Angel Estrada, Christopher Hudak and Vernell Wright, over the Democrats for Change candidates Marlene J. Abitanto, Erna Letemps and Elcy Castillo Ospina. The Union County Democratic Committee candidates received over three times the votes of the Democrats for Change candidates in Berkeley Heights.

Hard Work Pays Off for Full Count U-10 Baseball Team

The spring season finished up this weekend for the Full Count 10U baseball team, capping a special nine-month run, compiling  an inpressive record of 43 wins with only 5 losses since September. 

"The idea of a group of 10-year-olds  practicing and competing in a organized and structured environment is exactly what I want (Full Count) to be about," said sponsor and promoter Matt Belford. "When the idea of a full-year-training-calendar of baseball came up,  and as long as it was under the supervision of outside coaches running the practices, I was all for it."  

 

CRANFORD

The cast and crew of Cranford High School's spring production of "Oklahoma" . Musical director and nominee Anthony Rafaniello said he was, "thrilled beyond belief to receive the recognition, because it means that you're doing something right." The cast, many of whom were first-time nominees, were mostly proud to receive the illustrious "Best Overall Production of a Musical" nomination. "I was really happy we got an overall nomination," Senior lead Matthew Stoke said. "That's not the individual stuff. It's about the culmination of everything coming together and making a great show, which is what the show is really about."

Mayor Dan Aschenbach hosted a Town Hall meeting concerning. Following a Powerpoint presentation explaining the litigations surrounding the properties, Aschenbach fielding questions from concerned citizens. Many residents felt that the projects were too heavily focused on the south side of town, and would create unwanted density. The Township Committee will meet Tuesday to further discuss the plans.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from New Providence-Berkeley Heights