WESTFIELD — From allegations of racism and retaliation, to claims of wrongful termination, to workplace injuries or slip and falls, municipal lawsuits can sometimes read like the pages of a sordid dime-store novel. Even in situations where the municipality might clearly be in the right, these cases ...

SCOTCH PLAINS — The planning board on Monday gave its unanimous assent to a report by its planner that found that a segment of the St. Bartholomew Church property met the criteria to be deemed an Area in Need of Redevelopment. Harbor Consultants, the board’s planner, was authorized five months ago t...

WESTFIELD — A Westfield police officer accused of racial profiling by two of his superior officers has been cleared of any alleged wrongdoing through an Internal Affairs investigation. Pending litigation against the department, however, could still point to larger, more systemic cultural issues at p...

WESTFIELD — After months of passionate discussion, debate and review, the plans for Westfield’s newest residential complex — the oft-contested Sofia — have become a heated topic of conversation among local residents. Though the project is slated to appear before the planning board of Monday, details...

CRANFORD — More than five years after its initial proposal that called for a 900-unit apartment complex at 750 Walnut Avenue, following both negotiations and litigation, Hartz Mountain began hearings last week for a mixed-use, 250-unit complex at the site. Hartz Mountain brought several experts to t...

FANWOOD — In a 5-to-1 vote on Monday evening, the Fanwood Council endorsed allowing dogs in borough parks, with some restrictions. Councilwoman Patricia Walsh cast the lone dissenting vote. Dogs have been banned from the borough’s parks for more than 20 years. According to the newly-adopted ordinanc...

SCOTCH PLAINS — The Shady Rest Golf & Country Club has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, the federal government’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or “great artistic value.” Coun...

WESTFIELD — For 12-year-old Anthony Labin, a much-anticipated trip to Cooperstown, N.Y., with his traveling baseball team took a violent and unexpected turn last week when the young pitcher caught a line drive to the temple. The boy was knocked unconscious by the blow and was airlifted to Albany Med...

WESTFIELD — On July 4, gardeners throughout the county gathered to offer their well-wishes and share their laments over the official closing of Williams Nursery, a family-run garden center that has served the Westfield community for more than 100 years. “A particularly poignant day,” David Williams ...

MOUNTAINSIDE — For kids like 2-year-old Kiki Schwartz, kids with complex medical needs that require constant supervision, the concept of home can be somewhat hard to grasp. Between long hospital stays, doctors’ visits, therapy appointments and any number of other challenges, it can be hard to find t...