Dayton Girls Varsity Softball Team Rolls Over Union 10 to 6

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Van Catches Fire on Route 22

Union firefighters make quick work of the single car fire.

A van burst into flames on route 22 in Union near the Springfield bordershortly after 3 p.m. today. While a column of smoke was visible from a mile off on the two-lane highway and traffic was backed up into Springfield, no one was hurt in the single car accident.  An officer for the Union fire department said the driver reported that the van, a late model white Nissan, caught fire for no apparent reason. The driver was not injured in the incident and the accident did not involve other cars.  Union firefighters made quick work of the fire, dousing it with water while members of the Union Police department directed traffic away from the accident. Springfield police also responded to the scene. 

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Watershed Conference Addresses Flood Control On A Regional Basis

Officials and residents from towns along the Rahway River met at Union County College recently to discuss flood remediation.

Officials from Cranford, Union, Springfield, Winfield and Millburn met late last week to discuss possible solutions to flooding issues along the Rahway River Watershed. Although a number of possible remedies were offered, one thing was unanimous: the situation must be addressed from a regional perspective. The Rahway River Watershed Conference on Flood Control was hosted by Cranford at Union County College on Springfield Avenue and began with an address by Mayor Dan Aschenbach, who showed an audience of more than 100 concerned residents pictured of flood damage that occurred in the wake of Hurricane Irene in late August. "It's a regional battle that we need to focus on," Aschenbach said. Leo Coakley, a civil engineer with the firm Hatch …

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County Freeholder Race Takes Shape

Dems tap Estrada, Hudak and Wright; Republican Sytko announces plan to move.

County Democrats have announced their freeholder slate for the 2011 election, with one potential Republican candidate pulling the plug on his campaign and announcing plans to move to another county. The Union County Democratic Party announced Tuesday that Freeholder Angel Estrada of Elizabeth will seek a fifth term in office, along side Freeholder Christopher Hudak of Linden, who was appointed in December and Union Township resident Vernell Wright, a former elementary school principal who is seeking her first elective office. Wright replaces Freeholder Nancy Ward of Westfield on the Democratic ticket. Ward announced in January that she was retiring after seven years in office. Hudak was appointed in December to succeed Rick Proctor on the …

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Garden State Sprouts GreenFest

Green vendors, hands-on kid fun, 'Bill Nye the Science Guy,' film festival, beer, wine tasting

Head over to Kean University in Union for this weekend's Garden State GreenFest environmental event. The three-day show kicked off Friday and continues today until 4 p.m.  For adults, the festival offers opportunities to discuss solar and energy-saving options with dozens of exhibitors, hear local experts talk about greener lawn care and starting green businesses, see films, learn about bee-keeping, sample organic beers and chocolate, buy eco-friendly fashion, and lots more. Kids can check out a low-maintenance pet that never needs a walk (more on that below), get their hands dirty making seed ball bombs and pick up tips on how to get composting-resistant parents on the green bandwagon. Saturday at noon, Jeff Yeager, author of "The …

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'Mystery' Strike at Springfield Construction Site?

Labor union "rat" runs, no one Is talking.

On March 8 and 9, at 8 a.m., a giant inflatable rat with big fangs and a mean look showed up in front of the Rider Insurance offices at 120 Mountain Avenue in Springfield, where construction for office expansion is underway. The rat stayed only a short time before its handlers deflated it and drove away—and before a reporter from Springfield Patch arrived to find out why. A call to Rider Insurance yielded a comment that "the union is protesting that not enough union members are employed" by Structure Tone Inc., the firm handling the office construction project for Rider. When asked, "Which union?" the Rider spokesperson said, "We'd rather not talk about it." The Union Rat, as it's known in labor circles, wasn't protesting against Rider …

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Freeholder Chair Outlines Initiatives

The county issued information about Daniel Sullivan's swearing into office on Sunday.

The Springfield animal shelter wasn't the only thing on Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan's agenda this weekend. Below is a release from the County about the other intitiatives Sullivan announced for this year. ------------------ Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan announced on Sunday a series of initiatives entitled "Helping People, Moving Union County Forward" that are designed to help those in need during this tough economic period, and to move the county forward with an emphasis on economic development, and green initiatives. Sullivan, a resident of Elizabeth, was selected as Chairman for the third time in his Freeholder career at the 153rd annual reorganization meeting held in the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Sullivan…

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Suspect in Union Deli Killing Turns Himself In

The owner of the Three Stooges Supermarket was found dead on Nov. 30. Suspect Daivon Brinson turned himself in Dec. 10.

The suspect in the killing of a deli owner on Springfield Avenue in Union turned himself in Elizabeth on Tuesday, Dec. 10, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Daivon Brinson, 20, of Newark, was charged with murder, robbery and weapons offenses. After being arrested, he was taken by police to a hospital to be treated for injuries possibly sustained during the fatal struggle. Brinson is now being held in Union County Jail on $750,000 bail.  On November 30, a customer found the body of deli owner Mohinder Singh at 2 p.m. at the Three Stooges Supermarket deli in the 2100 block of Springfield Avenue in Union.  The shop is on a route heavily traveled by area residents heading to the nearby Target, Whole Foods and Home Depot. The …

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Police Identify Suspect in Three Stooges Deli Killing in Union

Police are looking for Daivon Brinson, who has been identified as the suspect in the Nov. 30 killing of a Union Deli owner.

Union police say they are now looking for a man named Daivon Brinson as a suspect in a homicide on Springfield Avenue in Union last week. Brinson is a 20-year-old resident of Newark, NJ. A customer found the body of deli owner Mohinder Singh at 2 p.m. on Nov. 30 at the Three Stooges Supermarket deli in the 2100 block of Springfield Avenue in Union.  Union police did not release the cause of death but did report that the suspect left a trail of blood and exited through the back door. Union County assistant prosecutor Al Cernadas stated at an on-site news conference on November 30, that the crime appeared to have resulted from a robbery or argument. Union police found a weapon at the scene but have not yet released the cause of death. On Dec…

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New County Program to Benefit Homeless

A surcharge on property transfers will be directed to programs that aid Union County's estimated 1,100 homeless.

With a new Union County program, when people move into a new home, people without homes will benefit. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders has authorized a $3 surcharge on property transfers and other transactions. The money, to be collected by the clerk’s department starting next year, will be directed to programs that will address homelessness in the County. In a release, Union County officials said that approximately 1,100 Union County residents are currently homeless on any given day.  Of that amount, about half are children under age 18. “The Homeless Trust Fund will provide a much-needed source of funding to address homelessness, which is a particular risk for families with young children,” Union County Freeholder Chairman …