Springfield Year in Review: The Weirdest News Stories

When Eric Lau got lost after visiting a Newark Go-Go bar, he reportedly hit upon what must have seemed like an ingenious plan: he would tell his wife he was robbed. The Elmwood Park resident’s plan quickly went awry. Police say his wife insisted she needed to report the robbery to the police. He said he’d call, and actually did. Police realized the bogusness of the story he reportedly told and charged him with making a false report. 

July 22 was the hottest day of the year. The heat was unbearable, but it was perfect weather for a nice ride in a luxury car or just to stay inside and crank the AC. Unfortunately, a faulty power line ruined both those option. A live wire dropped onto a BMW parked outside the DMV on Mountain Ave. The car was engulfed in billowing flame and emergency responders had to shut down power to all of downtown Springfield to put it out.

If there is such a thing as a mellow , that’s what happened to the East Coast in August. The mild tremors didn’t even break Springfield’s stride, with business at town hall and elsewhere uninterrupted by the quiet quake. 

Springfield was a national news sensation in early October when media outlets picked up on a Patch report that two Springfield elementary schools had banned Halloween costumes during classtime. The rule was later , but not before collecting hundreds of comments throughout the web.  

They probably hate to admit it, but sometime the people we rely on to rescue us need rescuing themselves. Such was the case when rising floodwaters stalled out a Springfield fire truck engine during rescue work after Hurricane Irene. 

When life gives you lemons, you have to make lemonade. And when life floods your entire street during a hurricane, you make it into a day at the lake. At least that’s what the attitude group of Mapes Ave. kids took when their street was covered in water. With two floation toys in tow, the kids turned the natural disaster into a diversion. 

This story gave a whole new meaning to “withdrawal.” In June, Springfield Fire fighters, police and other emergency workers responded to reports of a woman  parked outside of TD Bank on Morris Ave. The scene was tense at first, as the baby girl was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. Springfield fire fighters were able to cut the cord and allow her to breath.