SCOTCHPLAINS–Thegoodnews about this year’s Municipal budget is that operating expenditures for most township departments will be mostly unchanged from 2025 but, as Township Manager Margaret Heisey said last week, several expenses “beyond our control” will see increases.At last Thursday’s three-hour ...

SCOTCH PLAINS – David Lavery was sworn in as police chief on Tuesday evening and promised residents he would lead a department “that listens, a department that cares and a department that makes you proud every single day.”Twenty-one years after joining the department as a patrolman, Chief Lavery for...

CRANFORD – The Cranford Township Committee voted Tuesday to update its bylaws regarding public meetings and proper decorum following several months of dance parties and sing-a-longs that township officials say have become a disruption to the proceedings.The policy changes, adopted via resolution jus...

WESTFIELD — Town Administrator Jim Gildea led Westfield’s annual public budget forum last week to give residents better insight into the Town’s financial situation heading into a new budget season.Westfield collected $197,135,779 in taxes last year, Mr. Gildea said, noting that about 62 percent of t...

FANWOOD – Representatives from the Fanwood Environmental Commission explained some of their goals for 2026 after a busy 2025 that included celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Borough’s nature center.At Monday night’s Borough Council meeting, Leslie Krone-Speck listed a series of objectives for t...

COUNTY – The Union County Board of County Commissioners voted last week to fund further environmental remediation efforts in the marshy areas surrounding the Ash Brook Golf Course in hopes of restoring the property to a more natural state.“This has been an ongoing issue,” Commissioner James Baker sa...

WESTFIELD – Westfield came one step closer to realizing its plans to revitalize an underutilized section of Tamaques Park last month with the release of a public input survey that allowed residents to weigh in on their priorities for the space.In a public report now published on the Town’s website, ...

WESTFIELD — Mayor Jeremy Berman kicked off Tuesday night’s meeting of the Westfield Town Council with a note of thanks to the dozens of police, firefighters, EMTs and town employees who worked to keep the community safe and clear the roads both during and after this week’s heavy winter storm. “Our [...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD — The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education met Thursday, January 22, to approve a number of contracts connected to the LaGrande Elementary School refurbishment and to address ongoing capacity concerns throughout the district. All members were present for the meeting.Board A...

SCOTCH PLAINS – The Township Council saluted Police Chief Jeffrey Briel on Tuesday in anticipation of his upcoming retirement from a career with the department that has spanned more than 30 years.At the governing body’s business meeting, Mayor Joshua Losardo spoke of Chief Briel’s “exemplary” leader...