ELIZABETH, NJ — Two young salsa dancers from Elizabeth have made it to the live quarter-final round of America’s Got Talent.

Twelve-year-old Simon Ruiz and ten-year-old Maria Lopez have been dancing together for three years. They met at the Quimbara Dance Studio in Elizabeth and instantly became friends and dance partners.

Simon and Maria have competed at dance ...

Picture it! Scotch Plains, 2020...

Test your knowledge of the classic ’80s sitcom, The Golden Girls, in the library’s first ever virtual trivia event for adults. This program will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 7:00 p.m.

Advanced registration is required, in order to receive the link.

Participants can register to play solo or on behalf of a team. The library ...

The Plainfield Symphony Orchestra is Staying Connected in Its Video Chat With Charles From Vienna

The 100th anniversary season of the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has been cut short as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Although we may not gather in person to perform for our valued audience, we are eager to stay connected through our innovative virtual offerings.

The PSO ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The parent company for Lord & Taylor has filed for bankruptcy protection — the latest indicator of financial distress for the owner of an expansive department store on North Avenue.

The online fashion brand Le Tote — which purchased the chain of Lord & Taylor stores in 2019 — filed for bankruptcy in federal court Sunday, indicating that it has ...

NEW JERSEY — Jewish homes in South Orange and Maplewood, and across New Jersey, have been opening their mailboxes each week for generations, and receiving news of interest about the Jewish world around them in the New Jersey Jewish News: from the hyper local — such as start times for holiday services at different synagogues and who is memorialized in the obituaries — to local, ...

NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – April Scelsa’s story mirrors those of thousands of small business owners whose nail salons, coffee houses and nutrition supplement boutiques wouldn’t have been able to re-open in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic without a little help.

Scelsa used money she got from the New Jersey Economic Development Agency (NJEDA) to purchase masks, gloves, ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- For the first time since its inception in 1974, there will be no Italian Festival at St. Bartholomew Church on Labor Day Weekend in Scotch Plains. 

The sad news was reported to TAPintoSPF by John Lestarchick, a member of St. Bart's festival committee, and Paul Raphael, the president of the local chapter of UNICO, the Italian American service ...

FANWOOD, NJ -- Margaret A. Trigo (nee Bucco), 56, of Scotch Plains, peacefully passed at her home surrounded by her loving family early Sunday morning.

The Visitation will be at the Rossi Funeral Home (1937 Westfield Ave. Scotch Plains) from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, 2020. Masks are required and social distancing must be practiced. The Funeral Mass will be 10:00 a.m. on ...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ -- A group of parents of elementary school students have started an online petition in hopes of achieving 5-day in-school sessions when the academic year begins in September. The petition follows the announcement of the SPFK12 District's hybrid plan on Sunday that spelled out that students would be separated into "A" and "B" groups and would ...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ -- In a letter to parents, Scotch Plains-Fanwood SPFK12 district superintendent Dr. Joan Mast unveiled the planned schedule for in-class instruction in the fall. 

The hybrid model will utilize a cohort structure to reduce the number of students in a classroom at any given time to maximize social distancing and to lower the number of individuals with which ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- Twenty-three recent graduates of Union Catholic and 14 rising seniors at the school have earned AP Scholars Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on AP Exams during this past school year.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement program recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams. 

Andrew ...

PLAINFIELD, NJ — Jessica's Café & Wood Fired Pizza, a rare gem that recently celebrated one year in Plainfield, has a refreshed summer menu with dishes that include local ingredients, and outdoor tented seating for dining rain or shine.

Bring your BYOB, and try some of our new dishes like crab cakes, gazpacho, and roasted beet salad, or enjoy traditional menu items like ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- It was a beautiful but hot day at the Scotch Plains Farmers Market on Saturday, July 25.

The market's farmers and other vendors offered a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and fresh brewed coffees in a socially distanced atmosphere.

TAPintoSPF.net is Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s only free daily local news source. Sign up for our free daily ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The space that housed an innovative taco restaurant for a brief time is now home to a popup fried ice cream shop.

Sidewalk signs in front of InnovAsian Taco, 106 Quimby St., show that it is home to Frizzled NJ, which is offering an assortment of fried ice cream and fried Oreos for the summer.

Frizzled NJ staff member Dan Chung said the shop, which has been open for ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- Scotch Plains police department has issued a list of road closures due to the storm:

ChipLou Lane - live wires and branches on the ground

Dogwood Dr. between Golf St. and Shackamaxon Dr. - trees and wires on the ground

William St (200 block) between Rt 22 and Mountain Ave. - wires across the roadway **impassable**

Jackson ...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ -- PSE&G is still working to restore power in Scotch Plains, Fanwood, and throughout the state following the damage caused by Isaias. According to the PSE&G Storm Outage website, there are still 21,891 residents of Union County (10.61% of its customers in the county) who are still without power.

"Our crews are assessing, clearing and repairing ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- A fallen tree on Mountain Ave. is slowing traffic on Route 22 East in Scotch Plains. 

Police are on the scene now, and traffic is being turned back for now due to electrical work.

TAPintoSPF.net is Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s only free daily local news source. Sign up for our free daily eNewsletter and “Like” us on Facebook and Twitter ...

Brought Weekly Communion to Patients at Scotch Plains Hospice Residence

SCOTCH PLANS, NJ – For 30 years, Betty Swisher of Fanwood brought weekly communion to hospice patients at the Center for Hope’s Scotch Plains residence. She would seek out those who wanted to receive communion and spend time talking to them, singing and often, laughing. On Tuesday, July 21, it was the ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- This year, the Township of Scotch Plains Mayor’s Gala will again honor a male and female volunteer of the

year in addition to a volunteer organization of the year. Nominations are now open and everyone is encouraged to nominate a special person or organization. In a twist to this annual event, awardees will be honored on Scotch Plains Day, October ...

FANWOOD, NJ -- Smash Kids Cancer is hosting a live music concert performed by talented youths in the local area. All donations will benefit pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

 Tune in to Facebook Live on Saturday, August 1st, from 12:00 to 4:30 p.m. to watch the show. Online donations can be made ...

NEW JERSEY — Since Tropical Storm (or Hurricane, depending on the news outlet) Isaias has taken out power for thousands of Union County residents who have been left with no refrigeration. 

FoodSafety.gov has a chart for determining how long foods will stay fresh and usable after a power outage.

According to the site: "Your refrigerator will keep food safe for up to ...

This story was written and produced by NJ Spotlight. It is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. To read more, visit njspotlight.com.

With nearly 90 new COVID-19 cases linked to young people who attended house parties at several Jersey Shore communities — and the potential exposure of hundreds more — state ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ --  The Union Catholic 5K will provide a fantastic fundraising opportunity for a great cause and will add a virtual component when the 10th annual event is held on Saturday, September 19, race director Edward Thornton has announced.

Thornton said the fundraising opportunity will be available for every runner who participates, and that all of the proceeds from the race ...

NEW JERSEY — Jewish homes in South Orange and Maplewood, and across New Jersey, have been opening their mailboxes each week for generations, and receiving news of interest about the Jewish world around them in the New Jersey Jewish News: from the hyper local — such as start times for holiday services at different synagogues and who is memorialized in the obituaries — to local, ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- If you thought you saw a familiar local face in Gatorade TV ads during the Red Sox-Yankees game on ESPN last name, you were right. Former Union Catholic track star and 2016 Olympic hurdler Sydney McLaughlin is featured in a current series of Gatorade ads entitled, "Ready to Play Anything," that celebrate the return of sports.

In the last few months, ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- Myles Plummer flashed a huge smile when he was done with his workout on the sun-splashed track at Union Catholic this past Monday morning.

It was the first official summer practice for the Union Catholic cross-country team, and the rising junior distance running star was ecstatic to be back with his teammates doing what he loves.

"It felt amazing,'' ...

Scotch Plains Fanwood Soccer Club to Hold Free Soccer Clinics on July 31st and August 7th

Scotch Plains Fanwood Soccer Club (SPFSC) is proud to announce that it will once again be hosting free soccer clinics for players born in 2013 and 2014 via their Diamond Academy program.

SPFSC's Diamond Academy is a technically focused training program designed to prepare players for the next level ...