SCOTCH PLAINS — Vester Howard III thinks both political parties in town “play to their base” and are “not worried about those in between.” And that’s why he has launched an independent candidacy for mayor.In November, his name will be on the ballot along with Democratic incumbent Joshua Losardo, who...

AREA — Candidates hoping to secure positions as members of their local school boards have filed their petitions to appear on the ballot this November. Five candidates — Thomas Maye, Robert Smorol, Jr., Dino Bencivenga, Jarred B. Preiss and Seamus Patrick O’Toole — will vie for three, threeyear terms...

WESTFIELD — A Westfield man who admitted to embezzling over $1.5 million from his former employers was sentenced to five years in state prison earlier this week. John Dunlea, 61, the former chief financial officer for McElroy, Duetsch, Mulvaney and Carpenter (MDMC), pleaded guilty in May of this yea...

WESTFIELD -- Police apprehended a motorist for allegedly driving a stolen vehicle through town on Friday morning. Police were notified to the purportedly stolen car's presence by the towns License Plate Reading cameras at approximately 9:31 a.m. "Our officers were able to execute a stop of that vehi...

WESTFIELD — A child sustained minor injuries on Thursday afternoon when a piece of HVAC machinery fell through the roof of the Westfield Day Care Center. "The injuries are non-life-threatening," Police Chief Christopher Battiloro said, speaking to The Westfield Leader at the scene. Approximately 50 ...

WESTFIELD — Paving efforts will be ramping up across Westfield over the course of the next several weeks. Town officials are urging drivers who have not already done so to sign up for community Nixle alerts to avoid road closures and disruptions. The town’s paving contractor, P&A Construction, compl...

GARWOOD — Plans to convert the former Garwood Paperboard facility into a new apartment complex are slowly getting back on track after years of inactivity and delays. Borough officials, however, say the final project may be somewhat different than the one residents were expecting due to recent state-...

SCOTCH PLAINS — Last month, Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-7th) was in town to present township officials with a ceremonial check for slightly more than $2.7 million that will be used to help finance the new firstresponders headquarters that is planned to be built on Plainfield Avenue as part of the downtown...

WESTFIELD — Plans to add Westfield’s downtown area to the National Register of Historic Places are moving ahead on schedule, representatives from the town’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) said Monday.“We are definitely on the right track,” HPC Chair Jennifer Jaruzelski said, adding that the ...

SCOTCH PLAINS — For many years, they have been verbally praised for their selfless — and unpaid — efforts, and tonight, August 1, the township will formally honor the hundreds of volunteers who, in the words of Mayor Joshua Losardo, “help ensure our town gets things right and help Scotch Plains in c...