COUNTY — The Union County Board of County Commissioners voted Thursday to approve its $513.7-million budget for 2022. Despite complications posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s budget represents a zero-percent increase in the tax levy for the third year in a row. “The Covid-19 pandemic recove...

COUNTY — Late last week, the state attorney general’s office announced that former Union County Acting Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo would be stepping in to fill the role of First Assistant Attorney General. But, according to information recently obtained by Union County HAWK, Ms. Ruotolo may be leavin...

SCOTCH PLAINS — The planning board on Monday unanimously rejected an application to subdivide a Morse Avenue property and build two new houses. Prawdzik Properties LLC sought to subdivide the lot at 2266 Morse Avenue into two lots, raze the existing house and build new single-family houses on each o...

WESTFIELD — Westfield residents will soon get their first looks at design concepts for the Sophia, a four-story, mixed-use redevelopment project slated for the corner of Prospect Street and Ferris Place. On Tuesday, during a regular meeting of the mayor and council, Mayor Shelley Brindle announced t...

WESTFIELD — It’s a quiet Monday night, the first warm one of the year. The men filter in one or two at a time, stepping through the dining hall of the Italian American Club of Westfield and clapping their president, Rocky Buonomo, on the back as they pass. “Hey, Rock, how’s the family? Everybody goo...

SCOTCH PLAINS — A judge last week denied the township’s request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by one of the former downtown redevelopers. PS&S, LLC, a Warren-based engineering firm, along with Advance Realty Investors of Bedminster, had been named the township’s conditional redeveloper for the publicly...

CLARK — Residents continued to call for Mayor Sal Bonaccorso’s resignation at Monday night’s Township Council workshop session, as the town hired additional counsel to assist in the number of OPRA (Open Public Records Act) requests the town has been hit with. Resident Michael Shulman asked about the...

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Board of Education (BOE) began what may turn out to be a lengthy conversation on Tuesday when it introduced the idea of moving its election cycle from November to April in order to give voters more direct control over the budget. “We’re in a rough holding pattern in terms o...

WESTFIELD — A well-loved fifth-grade teacher known for encouraging his students to find their best selves through education and exploration has been chosen as the 2022 recipient of the Westfield Rotary Philhower award, presented each year to an elementary-school teacher who goes above and beyond for...

CLARK — The Clark PBA has joined in the chorus of voices asking for the resignation or immediate suspension of Township Mayor Sal Bonaccorso, who faces mounting allegations of discriminatory practices stretching back several years. “Today, in order to protect and serve the residents, we are speaking...