NEW JERSEY — Referring to the coronavirus as a marathon, rather than a sprint, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli wants residents to be wary of “pandemic fatigue.”

As New Jersey passes 200,000 coronavirus cases Monday, she said the COVID-19 has forced many families to confront financial hardship, grief due to loss, uncertainty, isolation and ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Another Westfield High School student has tested positive for coronavirus, and at least 30 other students have been ordered to self-quarantine after reporting that they had contact with someone infected with the virus, the school district’s superintendent said Friday.

Superintendent Margaret Dolan’s announcement comes after six Westfield High School students ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The town has seen 11 new COVID-19 cases in the past seven days, bringing the total number of cases in Westfield since the beginning of the pandemic to 383, the mayor said Tuesday.

The uptick in cases comes along with “many messages of concern” that Mayor Shelley Brindle said she has received from residents reporting a lack of social ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Officials are in the early stages of planning mass vaccination clinics for COVID-19, the director of the Westfield Regional Health Department said Monday.

Director Megan Avallone, who serves as local health departments’ lead to the state Health Department’s COVID-19 vaccination task force, told the Westfield Board of Health the vaccines could be available for ...

NEW JERSEY — September is widely recognized as National Honey Month. This month typically marks the end of the honey collection season for beekeepers across the US.

You don’t have to be arms deep in a beehive to appreciate the thick, golden stuff that makes everything sweeter. The Garden State has a number of bee and honey farms that produce high-quality, local raw ...

As each New Jersey summer comes to a close, one sure thing that takes away the sting from saying goodbye to hot, sunshine-filled days is attending a San Gennaro Festival. This celebration, lasting 11 days in Manhattan and with smaller-scaled celebrations in our state, is a food-fest of Italian flavor. Peppers and sausage and zeppolis reign supreme with their tempting aromas in the ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Tickets for Downtown Westfield Corp.’s upcoming “Foodie Stroll” are selling out quickly with nearly half the spots filled up for the upcoming walk, when eateries will offer sample-sized dining and drinking options, the DWC’s executive director said.

The DWC is limiting participation in the Sunday, Oct. 4, event to 400 people to ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — For 21 years Vicki’s Diner on East Broad Street has been a staple of Downtown Westfield, and now its customers are hoping to make sure that it stays.

When customers learned the diner might not make it through the pandemic, they pitched in with an online fundraiser that as of Friday morning had raised $15,689 for the restaurant struggling to make it through ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Three Westfield High School seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program, the school district announced on Monday.

Grace Endy, Samantha Salz and Maxwell Scialabba are among a nationwide pool of about 16,000 semifinalists who represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, school officials said. The academically talented ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield school community is mourning the loss of Patricia “Trish” Merlo, a first-grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School, who died Monday.

She was 53 years old.

“Patricia Merlo meant the world to all who knew her,” fellow Jefferson School teacher Anna Carissimo wrote on a GoFundMe page she organized to support the Merlo family.

WESTFIELD, NJ — With school in session, town police are conducting a pedestrian safety operation that could result in tickets for drivers who fail to yield people crossing within crosswalks.

Officers dressed in plain clothes will be crossing the street while uniformed officers monitor the crosswalks for drivers and pedestrians who fail to stop, police announced Tuesday. Officers will ...

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — A Westfield-based real estate sales associate, who is also a middleweight national champion in Sumo wrestling, faces criminal charges after what she told TAPinto Westfield was her successful effort to recoup the tuxedo cat her former roommate absconded with.

Helen Delpopolo, 27, of South Plainfield, is charged with burglary, criminal trespass and simple assault, in ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — A former Westfield public works employee claims that the town refused to provide him with personal protective equipment he had requested because his heart condition put him at greater risk of death should he contract coronavirus.

The lawsuit filed by Christopher Bohnyak in Superior Court in Elizabeth Sept. 4 claims that the town discriminated against him because he ...

CRANFORD, NJ — Westfield's loss is Cranford's gain.

After operating the past five years at 218 East Broad St. in Westfield, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming announced it will be moving into the former A La Mode Creamery location at 2 South Ave. East inside the Cranford Crossing.

“We truly appreciate the support we have received over the ...

PATERSON, NJ — Joined by legislators, faith leaders, and others, Gov. Phil Murphy held a press event in Paterson to promote his “Baby Bonds” initiative that would provide a $1,000 deposit into an account for every baby born into a New Jersey household with income less than 500% of the Federal Poverty Level ($131,000 for a family of four) in 2021. The plan, which ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — A trial bike lane “pop-up” on Prospect Street once conceived as a three-day event will now be just four hours long and will only occur if the town council approves it after hearing public feedback on the specific project, the councilman leading the initiative said.

On Sunday, Oct. 4, from noon to 4 p.m., the Green Team hopes to test the lane on one side ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield Recreation Commission has unanimously agreed to dedicate a plaque at the Westfield Memorial Pool Complex in honor of a Westfield civic leader who advocated for Black families.

In addition to advocating to keep the area that is now the Westfield Memorial Pool complex from becoming a dump-yard in the 1960s, Charles Morrison Sr. was instrumental in having ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — There will be no formal Columbus Day program in Westfield this year, organizers of the annual event said.

The Westfield Italian American Club and Greater Westfield UNICO in a statement said the event’s organizers consulted with town officials and agreed to cancel the program in case there is a resurgence of COVID-19.

In June, Westfield health officials indicated ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Registration is open for the town’s annual Halloween home decorating contest, officials announced Monday.

The “Haunt Your House” contest being held as part of Westfield’s third annual AddamsFest celebrations will include more significant prizes than those awarded last year, officials said in a release.

“Haunt Your House was a ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — What Westfield couple has been married the longest? Who served in WWII? What’s the oldest running car in town?

Lifelong Westfield, a volunteer initiative of the Mayor’s Senior Advisory Council, surveyed the public recently to identify residents, pets, cars and businesses that qualified to earn town’s Westfield 300 Milestone ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Who is the oldest resident in town? What couples in Westfield have been married the longest?

The public is anticipated to learn the answers to these questions — and more — as Lifelong Westfield announces the winners of the Westfield 300 Milestone Awards in a virtual ceremony to be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, officials said in a release. It ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — Scotch Plains native John Pak finished Round 2 tied for 33rd place and was the only amateur and the only player from the New York metropolitan area today to advance.

Patrick Reed finished at the top spot with -4, followed by Bryson DeChambeau at -3. Harris English, Justin Thomas, and Rafa Cabrera-Bello finished in a three-way tie for third at -2.

The ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The shortening of the high school’s athletics schedule, including the cancelation of Westfield High School football team’s season opener against Union, after six students tested positive for COVID-19 has caused disappointment.

What would have otherwise been the Blue Devils’ second game of the season — a contest against St. Joseph High School ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Historic designation of a property in Westfield could soon come with a tax incentive if the owner is also making improvements to that property, the mayor said.

The town council on Tuesday voted on and referred to the planning board for review a resolution that, should it gain final approval, would declare the entire municipality an “area in need of ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The third time’s a charm.

The town council on Tuesday approved the third recent version of an update to its historic preservation law with proponents of the legislative update arguing it would help to prevent teardowns of historically significant homes by putting in a review process for demolition permits, while opponents characterized the revision as ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — A trial bike lane “pop-up” on Prospect Street once conceived as a three-day event will now be just four hours long and will only occur if the town council approves it after hearing public feedback on the specific project, the councilman leading the initiative said.

On Sunday, Oct. 4, from noon to 4 p.m., the Green Team hopes to test the lane on one side ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Shed the stuff you’re done with, get the stuff you want. That’s the idea behind the Westfield Green Team’s second annual free market, a swap for town residents aimed at keeping perfectly good used items out of landfills and incinerators, planned for Saturday, Sept. 26.

The event is like a giant yard sale, organizers explained, except everything ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — Residents gathered at the town’s 9/11 monument Friday evening, where clergy offered prayers and the mayor reflected on the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Mayor Shelley Brindle read aloud the names of the 12 people from Westfield who were among the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks. Brindle drew parallels ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — The town will observe the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a ceremony to be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, the town announced.

Mayor Shelley Brindle will open with remarks at the 9/11 monument followed by prayers of commemoration from local clergy members, the announcement said.

An honor guard will present a ceremonial wreath, ...

NEW JERSEY — Less than two months from Election Day, Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday said a new website will allow New Jersey residents to register to vote and track their mail-in ballot all while on the go or from the comfort of their home.

“This online form is safe and secure, and can be accessed anywhere — whether from a library computer or your smartphone,” Gov. Phil ...