AREA — Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) on September 11 announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, among them seven students attending schools located in Scotch Plains and Westfield. These academically-talented high-school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.