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.

At least one in four recent COVID-19 infections diagnosed in New Jersey is likely linked to a coronavirus variant, according to federal figures, and state officials warn other new ...

TRENTON, NJ — The state Department of Health has directed all New Jersey vaccination sites to cancel or put on hold appointments for the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine following recommendations by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

The health agencies Tuesday issued a pause in the vaccine’s ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Five Westfield High School juniors earned perfect scores of 800 on subject area tests of the March 13, and Dec. 5 SATs, school officials said Tuesday.

The students are listed as follows by the subject and date of the test, according to the announcement.

Math — March 13, 2021

Anjali Jain
Zachary Roitman
Vijay Sreenivasan

Math — December 5, ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield High School Principal Mary Asfendis announced Thursday the second marking period honor roll for the 2020-21 academic year.

The high school recognizes student achievement every marking period at two levels: Honor Roll and Distinguished Honor Roll, the announcement said.

For the Distinguished Honor Roll, a student’s GPA must be between 3.75 and 4.0 with ...

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Community members have contributed more than $40.3 million toward the critical renovation and expansion of Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute and Goryeb Children’s Hospital, significantly exceeding the initial campaign goal of $38.5 million, announced the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center.

Jennifer L. Smith, ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Raw beef thawing in a mop-sink, visibly soiled food preparation surfaces and mold on a wall are among the conditions that health officials said have caused them to mandate training for a local restaurant repeatedly cited for health code violations.

During a hearing before the Westfield Board of Health earlier this week, inspectors detailed the unsanitary conditions at ...

New Jersey Date Night is a series on NJ Flavor by relationship writer Craig Rogers.

Most couples are conditioned to think that romance only can be found after 7:30 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday. But those in the know realize that intimate moments aren’t found in only one or two specific windows of time: there are no restrictions on when it can be found.

One Date Night time ...

NEW JERSEY — No-shows have always been an issue for restaurants, but with pandemic restrictions limiting seating, these days the effects can be devastating.

Restaurant owners have a plea for patrons who can’t make their reservations: Just call and cancel.

“In previous years, busy days for us were a logistics challenge,” said Chris Migton, executive chef at Chez ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Raw beef thawing in a mop-sink, visibly soiled food preparation surfaces and mold on a wall are among the conditions that health officials said have caused them to mandate training for a local restaurant repeatedly cited for health code violations.

During a hearing before the Westfield Board of Health earlier this week, inspectors detailed the unsanitary conditions at ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — About five angled parking spaces on Prospect Street have been blocked off by cement barricades covered in navy blue cloth.

On Friday, bright orange cones placed in-between the barricades alerted drivers to the cordoned off spots, which will soon become space for outdoor dining for 16 Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro and Rock ‘n’ Joe Coffee Bar.

The popular ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The town has negotiated a contract with the police department’s rank-and-file bargaining unit that grants an average of 2.2% annual raises for members of the PBA Local 90 retroactive to 2019 and lasting until 2023.

A public hearing on the salary schedule is set for Tuesday, April 20, at which time council members are anticipated to approve the pay ...

The state Attorney General’s Office wants your feedback on the platform.

WESTFIELD, NJ — Five months of law enforcement use-of-force data, including statistics from Westfield, are now publicly available as part of a new statewide dashboard.

The Use of Force Dashboard tracks more than 3,000 New Jersey use-of-force cases from October through February as part of the ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Library patrons who fail to return materials and lapse in payment of late fees could theoretically find themselves stuck with an additional $200 municipal court fine, something that is anticipated to no longer be possible — starting Tuesday night.

The town council is set to repeal provisions in the municipal code providing penalties for failing to return ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The town’s police chief on Thursday had praise for New Jersey legislators’ decision to overturn a state law that prohibited police from notifying parents of their children’s first-time marijuana offenses.

Police Chief Christopher Battiloro pointed to the “extreme displeasure” voiced by both law enforcement and parents over that particular ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The nurse practitioner and CEO of a medical grade skincare practice performed a procedure she’s not accustomed to Thursday.

Flanked by her husband and Mayor Shelley Brindle, owner of FACE Aesthetic Artistry Jennifer DeMaio cut the ribbon at the opening of her new practice on North Avenue West while local business leaders, friends, family and clients looked ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Luna Grace Beauty Bar, a full-service salon at 431 South Ave. West, celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday.

Mayor Shelley Brindle, Councilwoman Dawn Mackey and representatives of the Downtown Westfield Corporation and Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce were on hand for the big day.

Though the salon — which offers such ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The town has negotiated a contract with the police department’s rank-and-file bargaining unit that grants an average of 2.2% annual raises for members of the PBA Local 90 retroactive to 2019 and lasting until 2023.

A public hearing on the salary schedule is set for Tuesday, April 20, at which time council members are anticipated to approve the pay ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — An embankment in Mindowaskin Park known as “daffodil hill” is looking bare after town workers removed a series of trees, but it’s not anticipated to stay that way for long.

Last week, Westfield High School junior Clara Christian told the town council that she plans to implement the second phase of a Girl Scout project to be installed on the embankment ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield resident Robin Rosen Chang’s 100-page poetry collection “The Curator’s Notes,” published by Terrapin Books, is now available.

Rosen Chang, who has always loved writing, said she became interested in poetry after attending the Dodge Poetry Festival, an international event held biannually in New Jersey. She began writing poetry in 2011, and ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Alexander Frisch, a Westfield resident, created a collaborative art project, “Receive the Moment,” that wound its way across the country for 34 artists to participate in.

The first piece of artwork was made on Aug. 22, 2020 and did not return home to him until March 7 of this year — 197 days.

“I actually didn’t know what to expect ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — It’s high time for Sky the cat to find a new home.

The 12-pound domestic short-hair, who found herself stuck in a tree on Rahway Avenue for six days in 2020, is again seeking a home after unforeseen circumstances led her new owner to give her up, said Westfield resident Irma Cardosa, a local advocate for felines in need.

“Sky is once again searching for her ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield High School girls varsity volleyball team heads into a Friday state semi-final with a 12-1 record after overtaking Scotch Plains in the county final last week and securing a win over Linden Wednesday.

Key to the Lady Blue Devils’ success has been outside hitter Emma Hanley. The 18-year-old senior is this week’s Ron Bansky and Associates ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — After a strong season, the Westfield High School gymnastics team heads into the county finals against Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.

A victory at Thursday’s county finals would continue a season-long winning streak for the Lady Blue Devils.

“This meet is really important because it’s our county meet, which means all the teams in our country ...

NEW JERSEY — While the rest of the state economy slowly returns to pre-pandemic levels, the New Jersey real estate market reportedly experienced “a year we’ve not seen before” with no immediate signs of slowing.

Two state real estate experts with national credentials participated in a TAPinto panel discussion Tuesday about the “Current State of the New Jersey Real ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — An embankment in Mindowaskin Park known as “daffodil hill” is looking bare after town workers removed a series of trees, but it’s not anticipated to stay that way for long.

Last week, Westfield High School junior Clara Christian told the town council that she plans to implement the second phase of a Girl Scout project to be installed on the embankment ...

The move to register landscapers in Westfield comes amid a push to place limits on gas-powered leaf blowers.

WESTFIELD, NJ — Landscapers operating in Westfield may soon have to register and pay a fee if they want to operate legally within the municipality.

A public hearing is anticipated Tuesday for a local regulation that establishes a registration process and sets an annual fee for ...

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — Signs of spring are slowly popping up throughout New Jersey which means the hot and humid days of summer — and the non-stop running of home and office cooling systems — are just around the corner. 

According to Mike Iarrapino, owner of Edison Heating and Cooling, spring is the best time of year to have units checked and, if necessary, ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — While they won’t be coming into the new worship space all at once, the 4,000 families of The Parish Community of Saint Helen will be returning to a church that has been rebuilt from the ground up — literally.

A ribbon cutting for the 15,700-square foot space is set for Monday, following a years-long initiative to rebuild and add onto the church building ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The mayor and four incumbent Democratic candidates announced that they are seeking reelection.

Mayor Shelley Brindle along with council members Linda Habgood, Mike Dardia, David Contract and Dawn Mackey in a news release Friday announced their bids for reelection. Monday is the deadline for candidates to file petitions to run in the June primary.

“Thank you for ...