Some Things are More Important Than a Dog Census

Bart Fraenkel wonders why Committeeman Marc Krauss didn't deal with the state-mandated pet census if it was 15 years overdue.

Letter: Resident Encourages Others to March in Memorial Day Parade

"Let this Memorial Day be about remembering our soldiers first, barbecue second," says Geri Bujnowski.

Letter to the editor, I don't know about you, but I miss the good old days when you couldn't wait to line up for the parade that was coming to town. You couldn't wait to hear the marching bands. See the old fashioned cars, and fire trucks.  We always had a huge contingent of Veterans with the flags flying from all branches of government also marching. It was a proud moment for our town. See your friends marching down the street. That's the thing about a parade, you don't walk in a parade, you march. Just like the soldiers who fought and died or were wounded so that we could be free. We were representing either the baseball team we were on, boy scouts, or the brownies that I was part of. It was an honor to represent your organization in …

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Are Vitamins Hazardous to Your Health?

What you should know before you start popping pills.

What's on Your Mind? Blog it on Patch

Blogging on Patch was never easier. Let your neighbors know what moves you!

With a Patch blog, it’s easy to keep your neighbors in the loop, whether you're just sharing your opinion or you want to start a rollicking discussion.  When you post, the Springfield community can read about your school’s online auction, your thoughts on the traffic situation, or the pets that are available for adoption at the local shelter. The topics are endless. What do you want to share with your community?  After you post, you can let people about your blog post using Facebook, Twitter, or email. And we’ll let Patch readers know about your post by sending a link to our readers in our daily email newsletter.   Want to get started? Just sign in, click here, and follow the three easy steps.  (Got questions? Email deborah.bell@patch.com…

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LETTER: Gun Control Laws Only Hurt the Law-Abiding

Stricter gun control may not keep people safe.

To the Editor: With the gun control debate still going on today, I think that pushing for stricter gun control laws is only hurting the law-abiding citizens because since when do criminals follow laws? People often use England as an example of how low their gun crimes are, but in reality their knife stabbing rates have increased. One is more than twice as likely to be a victim of a knife crime in the U.K. than those in U.S. are of being a victim of gun violence. I think this needs to be brought to people's attention more. No matter what a person's political views are, there are important statistics that need to be considered. I agree that there should be regulations on guns, but pushing for stricter rules may not keep people as safe as is…

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Boston Strong, and a Mother's Salute

Reflections upon a world injured by terrorism...and the human spirit that still prevails

Letter to the Editor: Former RVSA Representative Bemoans Selection Process

Former RVSA appointee says politics prevented him from continuing post.

From January 2011 thru January 2013 I served as Springfield’s representative on the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority (RVSA). Respected by other Commissioners and the staff, and in line to be Vice Chairman, I requested reappointment by the Town Committee.  Despite my efforts to present my credentials I was struck by the clear lack of interest by any of the sitting Democrats regarding the function or activities of the sewerage authority, and no one indicated a scintilla of interest in what I may have done as their community’s representative. Unfortunately, my accomplishments on behalf of Springfield were less important than some kind of litmus test of fidelity to the Democratic organization. My unforgivable sin was questioning legal …

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Stan B

3:48 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013

Sorry...make that 'Eisenberg' rather than 'Friedman'.   more ›

Opinion: Civics 101

Committee member Bandrowski responds to fellow official Ziad Shehady's criticism of professional contracts.

At Springfield's Township Committee re-organization meeting on Jan. 1, Committeeman Ziad Shehady caused a bit of a stir by claiming irregularities involving the approval of several resolutions authorizing the awarding of contracts to six professionals to be employed by the township in 2013. Mr. Shehady voted against the resolutions, claiming no one had seen the actual contracts nor was there a COAF (Certificate of Available Funds) to cover the costs. This last, in fact, has been issued and was irrelevant to the resolutions themselves. A review of the documents may clear up any questions. The form of the resolution is the same for each position and clearly states its purpose is to authorize the drawing up of a contract between the Township …

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brrr

10:01 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013

dana you have no clue what you are talking about. not only is shehady a phony he did the same exact thing on january 1, 2012. its standard procedure that the party in charge hires their own attorney to work with. on january 1 in the 2012 reorganization shahady was named mayor and he promptly named attorneys with no contracts being signed. this makes him a hypocrite. in addition what shehady did …   more ›

Fiscal Cliff: What It Means For My 2013 Paycheck?

The financial deadline looms in Washington, with no deal yet made. Check this primer, and share your questions and thoughts.

With Christmas 2012 over, one reality check is the looming "fiscal cliff" deadline just a few days away. On December 31, tax cuts dating to the George W. Bush presidential term are scheduled to expire, and President Obama and congressional leaders have not reached a compromise. That means tax bills would increase for many middle- and upper-class taxpayers. And that means paycheck withholding for many workers would change, leaving them with less take-home pay in the new year. Apparently, though, there will be no immediate change in withholding tables, while the situation is unresolved. According to John Tuzynski, the IRS’ chief of employment tax policy, employers should continue to use 2012 withholding tables and personal exemption amounts …

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Next Exit

Oh, The Ho-Ho-Horror

Sometimes the Christmas lights get out of hand. And so do the lack of Christmas lights.

In honor of the season, Springfield Patch presents this classic holiday article. -AB No matter what you celebrate at this time of year, 'tis the season to be festive, and in this neck of the New Jersey woods we take festive seriously. I don't think there is any official rule book or anything, but the competition to see who can outdo their neighbors by putting up the most and the brightest decorations has gotten totally out of hand. Some people here cheerfully indulge in the festive nature of the season by hanging a few strings of lights outside their home or even putting one of those marginally scary inflatable Santas on their front lawn. Others enthusiastically indulge their "totally gone 'round the bend" side by covering every square …

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