The Week in Union County

Every week, Patch takes a look at what made the headlines across Union County. Read on for this week's roundup of Union County news.

Gov. Livingston Soccer Teams Remain Unbeaten

With a combined record of 14-0-1 to begin the season, the Gov. Livingston varsity soccer teams are off to one of their finest starts ever.

The girls' side is 7-0-1 after defeating Cranford Tuesday 3-0. Jessica Jankowski scored twice and Missy Quinn once to propel the Lady Highlanders to their best start in six years. Casey Krause earned her fourth shutout of the season.

The girls will host J.P. Stevens at 3:45 p.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, the boys' team is off to a 7-0 start after shutting down Oratory 5-0 on Tuesday afternoon. James Lynch, Louis Marke, Jeremy Robbins, Anthony Olivera and Knyokolas Sutherland all scored for the Highlanders. Jon Robbins recorded the shutout.

The boys will be off until Tuesday when they host New Providence at 4 p.m.

Clark-Garwood

The Sept. 25 car show and motorcycle run at the Clark Pool was a show of support for 8-year-old Jason Condit, son of Clark Dairy Queen owners Bill and Lois Condit, who was diagnosed with stage-four neuroblastoma a year ago, and Jason's Friends Foundation, a nonprofit formed to help other children battling cancer. The 75 cars entered in the show represented decades of vehicles; more than 100 motorcycles participated in the run, which traveled through the Watchung mountains and back to the Clark Pool for the festivities.

The program, Parent Portal, will allow parents to monitor their child’s progress online in between report cards, said Board Member Sheri Sandler. “The students might not be too happy about it, but it’s a way to take charge of student’s progress,” Sandler said. The program will be available to parents of students in Arthur L. Johnson and Carl. H. Kumpf Middle School.

Scotch Plains

The Sept. 14 arrest of John Turnbull, a local substitute teacher and coach, sparked an outcry among local students and parents. With his scheduled appearance next Thursday in Westfield Municipal Court, the rhetoric has increased.

Turnbull, the coach for  boys JV soccer team and Westfield High School's boys varsity golf team, as well as a substitute teacher for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District, allegedly poured a glass of wine each for two 17-year-olds he took to dinner at the Brick Oven Restaurant on Quimby Street in Westfield, according to Westfield Police Capt. Clifford Aucher. .

Cranford

Although the majority of the debris has now been removed from homes that flooded during Hurricane Irene, the trailers that sit behind the serve as a constant reminder of the affects Hurricane Irene had on the township. As remediation work to the building continues, municipal workers who previously utilized the lower level are now operating their departments out of trailers that are parked on the property. There's still a lot of work to be done, so to address the issues a Mayor's Task Force on the Future of the Municipal Building has been formed. At a Township Committee meeting Tuesday, Mayor Dan Aschenbach said the task force will address "the future of the municipal building and long-term plans" for the complex. The task force is composed of several local residents and officials including Police Chief Eric Mason, Commissioner Ed O'Malley and TV35 Station Manager Ed Davenport.

In other news, the township has to put forward a constructive plan on affordable housing that meets the township's own housing needs.  We can't solve the state's objective of more affordable housing without first addressing the needs of our own community," the mayor said, referring to the proposed development projects on and . "Rather than trying to ram into Cranford two developments that will crowd the school system and in the case of Birchwood allow a massive development in a flood way, Cranford should, while going all out in opposing Birchwood, focus now on two constructive projects to make a difference." In a press release Aschenbach said that at 555 South Ave., the owner of the property is a hedge fund company "that has yet to realize the community will not settle but will continue to fight the proposed project. The property site has numerous problems and we should be proposing a constructive solution."

Springfield

A Perth Amboy man was arrested this week after . Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said 29-year-old Perth Amboy resident Michael Sebastian met the girl on Facebook and followed her to a store in Springfield. Sebastian reportedly told the victim he was 17-years-old in online conversations that investigators say included repeated sexually charged messages and requests for in-person meetings. Romankow said she refused his advances. In early September, the victim posted on Facebook that she was going to a store in Springfield. When she arrived, Sebastian pulled up to the curb in his car and pressured the victim to enter the vehicle before parking and assaulted the girl, according to the investigation. Following the arrest, investigators implicated Sebastian in a .

Springfield police , telling residents to keep doors and windows locked. Police say the suspects parked their car and then walked through neighborhoods looking for houses with empty driveways and no alarm systems. After selecting a house, the suspects ring the doorbell to verify if the house is unoccupied and then go to the rear to break in.

 All the houses that were hit had windows that were closed, but not locked. The thieves entered the homes through the windows and stole jewelry and laptops, according to police.

New Providence

Borough Council unanimously approved a resolution to  at the New Providence Train Station Crossing from Springfield Avenue to Pittsford Way during their meeting on Monday night. Resident Christopher J. Dalton wrote a letter to the Mayor and Borough Council in February expressing concern over pedestrian safety at that crossing, which Borough Engineer Andrew Hipolit and the Engineering Department followed up on with Union County. The county agreed to fund the project as a part of current roadway improvements being made in that area as long as the council passed a resolution in support of it and agreed to maintain it afterward.

Hipolit also presented plans to council members that would He said 4,000 cars travel on Central Avenue each day and since the angle of Pearl Street is at a 45 degree angle to Central, cars leave Central at speeds of somewhere between 30 to 40 mph. The Engineering Department is proposing bringing Pearl Street to a 90 degree angle at Central to slow down motorists and and improve overall safety. At the other end of Pearl Street at Union Avenue, Hipolit said he is proposing that certain trees and bushes be cut down and replaced with something else to increase driver visibility. In both cases on Pearl Street, he said the Engineering department would approach the property owners individually to discuss the plans. Hipolit hopes to have final plans in place this winter, advertise for bids early next year and construct any improvements by early summer.

Council also honored members of the community with presentations of Proclamations during the meeting on Monday evening. The Family of Nicola (Nick) Carone, a DPW Assistant Foreman since 1999 who lost his battle with cancer in May, was presented with a Proclamation of Appreciation for Nick's service to the borough. Beatrice Reinacher, who just retired, was honored for her 32 years of work with the borough, while Kevin Carroll, a life-long resident, was honored for his years of serving as a volunteer coach and his involved with Recreation Commission, CAAB and Recreation Master Plan Committee.  Further, Christine and Bill Ferdinand, owners of  and co-founders of the  Foundation, were presented with a joint resolution from the State Assembly and Senate for the outstanding work they do through the foundation that gives "bling" gifts to cancer patients.

Westfield

The Westfield High School Girls Tennis Team has won the championships and individually won the county title at third singles, first doubles and second doubles. Click for more information.

Early Saturday morning, a fatal accident occurred at the intersection of Clifton Avenue and Tice Place. According to police, a 69 year-old Old Bridge man was apparently not wearing a seatbelt and died in the accident. Click for more information.