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Top Stories of 2012

Ring in the new year by looking back at the top stories of the previous year.

New Providence Liquor Licenses

The sale of liquor licenses in New Providence has been ongoing issue for many years. In 2012, Council approved an ordinance to allow for the sale of liquor licenses in the borough and took numerous steps toward making the sale of the first liquor license a reality.

Superstorm Sandy

Patch kept readers up-to-date on power outages and damages throughout the borough following Superstorm Sandy.

UPDATE 7PM: JCP&L Restoration Timeline, Berkeley Heights Poll Change

We provided numerous updates following Superstorm Sandy. This article, which included updated information from Saturday, Nov. 3 through Monday, Nov. 5, was the most read articles on New Providence-Berkeley Heights Patch for 2012.

A New Providence resident was arrested for allegations of the sexual assault of a 13 year-old female at Oakwood Park. He was charged with 2nd Degree Sexual Assault and Attempted Sexual Assault. 

New Providence Boy Dies After Fall from Apartment Building Window

A New Providence boy tragically died on June 16 from injuries sustained after a six-story fall from a Connecticut apartment building window. The 8-year-old student at Salt Brook Elementary School, was reportedly visiting relatives with his family at Rippowam Manor, a 10-story apartment building located in Stamford, CT. 

New Providence High School Ranked #1 By NJ Monthly Magazine

New Providence High School moved up the ranks this year when the school was named the number one public high school in the state by New Jersey Monthly Magazine. NPHS, home of the Pioneers, was previously ranked #26 in 2006, #17 in 2008 and #5 in 2010. NJ Monthly Magazine’s 2012 rankings of the top public high school will be featured in the September issue, which hits newsstands on Aug. 28.

A January meeting of the New Providence Business and Professional Association aimed at promoting cooperation among town merchants was disrupted by a public dispute between Mayor J. Brooke Hern and former Mayor Al Morgan

New Providence and Summit continue to inch closer to a shared emergency dispatch center, which could be up and running in 12 to 18 months. At their meetings in early December, New Providence Borough Council and Summit Common Council approved identical ordinances and resolutions that lay out the groundwork for this shared service, which will be housed in the New Providence Municipal Center where the Rescue Squad was formerly located. Members of the center’s project committee met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the next steps toward making this shared service a reality. Members of that committee include: Chris Cotter, City of Summit Administrator; Doug Marvin, New Providence Borough Administrator; Robert Weck, City of Summit Police Chief; Anthony Buccelli, New Providence Chief of Police; Joseph Houck, Summit Fire Department Chief and Director; and representatives from Millburn.

Athletic Foundation Gives Council $65K for Lieder Field Lights

About 2,500 kids use Lieder Field in New Providence every year. Thanks to the New Providence Athletic Foundation and lights that were installed in 2011, community members are now utilizing the field during evening hours. This project was made possible through the efforts of community volunteers, who managed to raise $125,000 of the $235,000 needed for the lights through the New Providence Partnership for Recreation and the Union County Kids Recreation Trust Fund Grant. New Providence Council agreed to bond the remaining $110,000 needed for the project at a December 2010 meeting and the Athletic Foundation agreed to pay back that money over time. At a Dec. 17 council meeting, NPAF moved a whole lot closer to a zero balance when two of its members, Jim Madden and Bill Harvey, presented two checks to council, totaling $65,000.

Photos: NP Marks Centennial Park 10th Anniversary with Celebration

Despite the heat, numerous residents came together at Centennial Park in July for the park's 10th Anniversary Celebration.

Berkeley Heights Council Votes Against BAC Sewer Amendment

In a 5-1 vote, the Berkeley Heights town council voted against amending town law to extend sewer service to the Berkeley Aquatic Club's proposed 51,000 square foot facility in neighboring Warren. The vote capped months of debate over the facility and left the next steps for the project in doubt. 

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FANWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT June 8, 2013 at 01:48 am
Lagnaf, it seems you agree with me and the crazed stories are a stretch. I concur it is what it is.Read More I grew up in Nj and did not experience this but neither did most people my age. I trust my kids to make the right choices for themselves and stand firm that at age 18 it is now their life. I also think the writer of the original article has much younger kids and is naive Only time will tell. Wish all the kids a happy and safe prom weekend and college experience. Good luck to your son after graduation
FANWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT June 8, 2013 at 01:50 am
Ruth, I don't think there is anything to revisit. If people don't want their kids to go say no orRead More don't pay. Why punish everyone This is not a school event, so there is nothing you can do except say no to your child.
Ruth Gideon June 8, 2013 at 05:44 pm
Yes, most kids are 18, yes most kids don't go "over the top" crazy. But just because oneRead More raises their kid with good morals, dignity and to do the right thing, does not insure they will act in this light during a weekend like this. Most kids will come out of this weekend unscathed, reputation in tact with good memories for a life time. But there is that 10% (maybe more, maybe less, I don't care if it's even one kid) that do go over the top and come home changed. I know of a "goody two shoes" who has come home and is now the topic of the school's conversations; where the talk used to be about all of the awards and accomplishments, now it's about this one wasted weekend. This was a kid raised with good morals and dignity - made a few bad decisions in a row on one crazed night and is now disgraced. One kid, one story. Did you read about the Clark kids? (Sorry Clark, I know this could have been ANY town, not just yours.) That's 7 kids, 7 stories. And I'm sure there are many more stories that don't reach the press or parents ears. Yes, parents can say no, but my heart isn't breaking for my kids right now or any house or hotel condition. It's breaking for the kids (be it one or twenty) whose parents said yes and they have come home changed. I am happy for you that you're children came back OK.This is my opinion, and I don't believe I am naive because my kid hasn't gone to prom yet, I don't have the answers, I just hope that somehow in the future these kids can be protected better.