Editor's Notebook: Expert's Tips for Thrifting

A thrift shop expert declares NJ a shopping and saving mecca

When I found $20 on the sidewalk, I thought of Jenny DeMaio. The best-dressed girl in my high school, Jenny has moved to the area, and I ran into her recently. Even after nearly 25 years, I remembered and mentioned her sense of style. “And I did it on a dime,” she said, laughing.  I was skeptical. “No, really,” she said. “I remain the queen of thrift store shopping. Give me an afternoon and twenty bucks and I’ll prove it to you.” With the newfound $20 in my hand, I called Jenny and we made a date. Over the course of the afternoon, she shared thrift-shopping tips.   New Jersey is “thrift store Mecca,” says Jenny, as we set out for a thrift store.  Not Manhattan, I wondered. “No,” explains Jenny. “In New Jersey, thrift stores are often large…

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Letter to the Editor: League of Women Voters Position on Gun Control

LWV urges fellow citizens in our communities to join with them to lobby for the passage of laws that better protect all citizens from violence by weapons of assault.

To the Editor: The shooting of school children at the Sandy Hook School is, unfortunately, just one of a string of horrific incidents where an assailant used assault weapons to indiscriminately kill and maim.  We urgently need common sense solutions to the gun violence that is plaguing our nation. The members of the League of Women Voters of Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Summit urge all elected officials - and at all levels of government - to work together to adopt measures that will ban assault weapons.  We need laws that place limits on magazine size and close the gun show loopholes so that buyers of guns everywhere must undergo thorough background checks.  There should be no special protection of the gun industry. Our position on…

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Paul B Raynolds

8:19 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013

Unfortunately, Ms Davis talks about "assault weapons" but like most people who favor an assault weapons ban, has no idea what she is talking about. There is no such thing as an "assault weapon" as this is a term conjured up by gun control activists to demonize a whole host of firearms they don't like. There are assault rifles but when talking about the civilian market, these are virtually all …   more ›

Fiscal Cliff: What It Means For My 2013 Paycheck?

The financial deadline looms in Washington, with no deal yet made. Check this primer, and share your questions and thoughts.

With Christmas 2012 over, one reality check is the looming "fiscal cliff" deadline just a few days away. On December 31, tax cuts dating to the George W. Bush presidential term are scheduled to expire, and President Obama and congressional leaders have not reached a compromise. That means tax bills would increase for many middle- and upper-class taxpayers. And that means paycheck withholding for many workers would change, leaving them with less take-home pay in the new year. Apparently, though, there will be no immediate change in withholding tables, while the situation is unresolved. According to John Tuzynski, the IRS’ chief of employment tax policy, employers should continue to use 2012 withholding tables and personal exemption amounts …

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Letter to the Editor: Berkeley Heights Council Engaged in 'Vendetta' Against BAC Plan

The BAC's Jim Wood decries recent government ruling on proposed aquatic facility.

Five hundred thirty-five registered Berkeley Heights voters petitioned their Township's elected officials to have a vote of the citizenry on the sewer connection for the BAC new aquatic facility. Instead of honoring the direction of these 535 citizens and having the election date set by the municipal clerk as required by statute, those officials have decided to spend more tax dollars on legal fees, this time to have their attorneys research whether they can bring a law suit to side step the public will. Hiding behind the transparent charade of professing to want to protect the sewer plant's huge amount of excess capacity, these officials appear hell-bent on spending any amount of tax dollars and utilizing any set of tactics to subvert the …

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Freeholder Mirabella: Tested Once Again, Union County Looks Forward to 2013

Union County Freeholder looks ahead to new year.

Between the global economic meltdown of 2008 and a series of natural disasters culminating in Hurricane Sandy, Union County has seen its share of crises over the past four years. We have also been touched by the sorrows borne by communities not so very far away; here in New Jersey, the devastation of shore towns by the storm, and in Newtown, Connecticut, a human tragedy from which no real recovery is ever possible. While our hearts and minds reach out in sympathy, we can also look inward and prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead.  And as this year comes to a close, there is cause for renewed hope in the future. One cause for optimism has been the growth of new relationships all across the spectrum of our community. In this regard, …

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Poll: Should the U.S. Ban High-Capacity Ammo Magazines?

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg will ask Congress to approve a ban on ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds. Do you agree with his proposed bill?

In the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, CT, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced plans to reintroduce high-capacity magazine ban legislation in the 113th Congress. Lautenberg’s bill, the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, would prohibit the manufacture and sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. It also would ban ammunition magazines that could be readily converted to accept more than 10 rounds. “In light of yet another horrific shooting tragedy, it is clearer than ever that there is no place in our communities for deadly high-capacity gun magazines and I will keep working to pass my bill to reinstate the ban on them,” Lautenberg said in a statement. “If we don't pass a high-capacity …

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Devilsfan

10:52 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012

And I'm Santa Claus   more ›

Mountainside Residents Collect Donations For Sandy-Affected Families

Community spirit alive and well in Borough of Mountainside as residents with big hearts reach out to hardest hit communities, whose residents lost everything during Superstorm Sandy.

It doesn’t necessarily have to take a superstorm to move Mountainsiders into action. In times of trouble, folks in the Borough traditionally just show up when somebody needs help. So it really didn’t surprise me when I received an email from longtime resident Cindy West, asking me to help spread the word about a three day collection drive for those who lost far more than their patience with the power company.  We were the fortunate ones. Aside from a handful of scary tales from the night a Frankenstorm rolled into town and cancelled Halloween for a second year in a row (but who’s counting), no one died here. No houses had burned down, and no one in the Borough, that I am aware of, was seriously physically injured as a direct result of the …

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We're Making Some Changes to New Providence-Berkeley Heights Patch

Patch is here to stay for the communities of New Providence, Berkeley Heights and Mountainside, but we are making some changes we'd love to share with you. Please, read on!

It's been quite a journey for New Providence-Berkeley Heights Patch. About two years ago, New Providence Patch was launched to the community and has grown by leaps and bounds ever since. Then, in March of 2012, Berkeley Heights-Mountainside Patch merged with New Providence Patch and made for an even better hyper-local news and information site for the residents of New Providence, Berkeley Heights and Mountainside. In that time, it has been a wonderful privilege to serve as your editor. But the times they are a-changin'. We're mixing things up at Patch this week, but don't worry — New Providence-Berkeley Heights Patch is here to stay. Instead, I will be hopping over to the hilltop we all lovingly know as Summit and taking over Summit Patch…

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Hurricane Sandy

Letter to the Editor: Thank You From New Providence PBA Local #132

Patrolman Michael Hand said PBA received enough donations to fill a 26-foot U-Haul truck, which was transported to Toms River, NJ to assist victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Friends and Residents, The New Providence PBA Local #132 would like to thank you for the cooperation and genuine graciousness showed to us by so many residents during the two week storm period. This storm was unprecedented and the resulting power outages, gasoline shortage, and property damage were difficult for us all to bear. I am aware of occasions where residents offered food and hot drinks, even dry gloves, to help us deal with the longer days and massive call volume. Above all else, I commend the residents that empathized with our difficult situation of being a sworn protector of life and property while knowing our families were also struggling through the same ordeal without us being there for them. When asked to support the Jersey …

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Freeholder Chairman Mirabella: After Sandy, Moving Forward

County Official looks forward in letter to the editor.

This has been an extraordinary time in Union County history, and we’ve seen some extraordinary things. We’ve seen the worst of the damage and destruction that a powerful storm can bring, first with Hurricane Sandy and then with the nor’easter Athena. We’ve also seen the best of human nature, as Union County residents pulled together to keep each other safe at the height of the danger. So many people have been involved in the response and recovery that it’s impossible to thank them all, so I’d just like to say that as a lifelong resident of Union County I could not be more proud to say that this place is my home. We’re not out of the woods yet. Tragically, two deaths in Union County have been attributed to the storm, and people are still …

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