AREA — For the first time in three years, students are returning to the classroom without the need for remote-learning schedules, hybrid workarounds or mask mandates. And while the expectation of a relatively normal school year has communities across the state looking forward to a new beginning, man...

WESTFIELD — On Tuesday, during a regular meeting of the Westfield mayor and council, local officials said that while there may not be quite as many crossing guards stationed around town as in years past, pedestrians will still be able to safely navigate the community’s busy streets. Westfield starte...

WESTFIELD — One of Westfield’s favorite families is coming home for the holidays, and the town is getting ready to roll out the red (or maybe black) carpet. After a few years of pandemic-related cancellations and adjustments, AddamsFest is due back in all of its creepy, kooky and altogether spooky g...

COUNTY — Now that the summer season is starting to wind down, Union County bow hunters are gearing up for the kickoff of this year’s deer-management program. At a recent meeting of the Union County Board of County Commissioners, Ray Szpond, one of the program’s volunteer coordinators, thanked the bo...

AREA – After a summer marked by long stretches of 90-degree days and a dearth of rainfall, the fall calendar in Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Garwood and Clark will be a busy one. Things are slowly to returning to normal after two years of pandemic-related cancellations and delays. The end of the summer s...

STATE – Domestic travelers who either do not have or do not want to carry a passport are coming up against a deadline to obtain the new federally-issued and allegedly more secure Real ID. Though the deadline to obtain the new ID has already been pushed back twice due to complications posed by the pa...

MOUNTAINSIDE — After more than two hours of discussion and debate, the Mountainside Board of Education (BOE) voted Tuesday to table its conversation about this year’s sex-ed curriculum until the next board meeting in September. The district will launch the new school year with the old curriculum sti...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD — Later this fall, if there is a book or some other item that is hard to track down, it will get a lot easier to find as the Scotch Plains and Fanwood libraries intend to join a consortium of more than 30 other libraries that will give residents access to all materials at all m...

SCOTCH PLAINS — During its meeting last week, the township council gave final approval to three ordinances, two of which restrict parking on two streets and a third that revises how public utilities must repair local roadways where they are working. The first ordinance prohibits parking on Far View ...

WESTFIELD — After a few tough years of vacancies and store closures, downtown Westfield is finding itself in the middle of a long-awaited resurgence. Although new retail outlets, creative studios and gallery spaces have already helped to bring the area back into focus, a sudden boom in interest from...