WESTFIELD — For Dennis and Viktoria Seiz, life is naturally sweet. On Friday, the couple celebrated the grand opening of their new downtown patisserie, Viktoria Seiz. The café, located at 407 South Avenue West, boasts a wide array of homemade vegan, raw, organic, dairy and gluten-free desserts along...

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...

Over the last 2 1/2 years we collectively experienced a range of emotions from fear and helplessness to anger and frustration. We saw our friends and families struggle too, whether physically, emotionally, or even financially. While physical and emotional fortitude is different for everyone, financi...

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 ...