TELL US: Veterans Complain About Half-Mast Flag at Bank

There's no light on the Sewaren Post Office flag, and Columbia Bank has had its flag at half mast since the December school shootings in Connecticut. Problem is, the period of mourning was over before January.

The way American flags are treated around town has some veterans steamed. Columbia Bank on Amboy Avenue, across from the old Mauro Motors building, has had its flag had half-mast since December. In Sewaren, the Post Office keeps its flag up 24 hours a day, but with no illumination on it. Several former military men pointed out that both places have it wrong, and that it shows a lack of respect for the country's symbol of freedom and for the men who fought and died that symbol. "It's just wrong. They shouldn't treat the flag like that," said one veteran, who didn't want his name published. He said he had complained to the bank, but he was ignored. Donna Rivera, branch manager of Columbia Bank, said that the flag had been at half mast since…

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Mayor Gets His Wish; Historic Diner is Being Torn Down

A historic diner, which many wanted to move and preserve, got no help from Town Hall in more than 16 months of trying.

It looks like Mayor John McCormac has gotten his wish. Mom's Diner, the classic 1950s diner on Route 1 in Avenel, is about to fall to the wrecking ball. The diner and the neighboring Gem Motel are both being bulldozed to make way for a 4,1888 sq. ft. Wawa convenience store and gas station with six islands. On Thursday, most of the Gem Motel was gone, while the improvements added over the decades to Mom's Diner revealed the original details of the stainless steel structure. Over the entrance was a clock, long hidden by the facade added to the roofline in an effort to modernize the exterior. The clock hands were frozen just short of 3:00.  When the mayor first announced the Wawa incursion into Woodbridge back in November, 2011, there were …

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Birdhouse Sales at Woodbridge Center Help Build a Family's Home

The Rutgers University Habitat for Humanity group is selling birdhouses and kits this week, all with a goal of raising money to erect a home for a needy family

Some Rutgers University students are selling birdhouses so they can eventually help build a real house for a needy family. Rutgers University chapter of Habitat for Humanity is at Woodbridge Center this week, offering birdhouse kits and premade roosts for feathered friends, all in an effort to hit their goal of $100,000 - the cost of a house sponsorship. The smaller birdhouse kits are available for a $5 donation, while the larger ones are $8. They're for sale at Woodbridge Center all this week. The Rutgers group has set up a table in the lower level of the mall in the Sears wing. But don't laugh at the paltry sums. The Rutgers group only officially started last fall, and through various events, they've already raised $25,000 toward their …

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'Meet the Mayors' at the Middlesex Chamber

The Meet the Mayors Series is open to business owners and organizations looking to discuss economic development in Middlesex County communities.

The Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce invites local businesses and companies to take advantage of its "Meet the Mayors" series. Organizations join the chamber to "Be in the know," said Alex Hollywood, Executive Director of the Chamber. The purpose of the series is to provide a forum for chamber members to learn about the initiatives in their communities and network with their community leaders, she said. On March 28, the mayors of New Brunswick, Cranbury, North Brunswick, South Brunswick and Plainsboro were the featured speakers at the inaugural "Meet the Mayors" event. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac won't be at this event. But the next Meet the Mayors date will be in Woodbridge, at 5:30 pm on May 23 at the Woodbridge …

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Animal Control Officer Charged with Cruelty, Hess Gas Station Sale Tops Woodbridge News

See these and other big stories in Woodbridge for March

Birdsall Files for Bankruptcy Protection; No Word on Fate of Woodbridge Projects

The company embroiled in arrests and Pay to Play campaign contribution scandals this week took a step to defend itself by filing Chapter 11 papers on Friday

Just days after its executives were arrested for election donation fraud and its bank accounts frozen, Birdsall Engineering threw its own curveball. Friday afternoon, the engineering and consulting firm hired by Woodbridge and other municipalities throughout the state, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was unable to pay its 350 employees this week because it didn't have access to bank accounts frozen after the arrest of seven current and former officials of the Eatontown firmed, according to an app.com report. The Chapter 11 filing will allow the company to reorganize and survive the court-ordered onslaughts of recent days. "This will better allow us to reorganize our company, handle our payroll and operational budget and …

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See What Patch Articles Woodbridge Loved This Month

The big stories in March were anything Hess, a former Woodbridge animal control officer charged with hundreds of counts of animal cruelty, sex assaults on children - and Woodbridge history.

What were the biggest stories in Woodbridge in March? Which ones couldn't your neighbors resist? (And which did you miss?) The top two stories that were almost tied for first place in March. The biggest story of the month was the shock that Woodbridge-based Hess would be selling off its gas station and convenience stores. The two sparkling clean Hess stations on either side of Route 9, at the foot of the mammoth Hess building, will be part of the 1,250 gas stations up and down the Eastern seaboard that will be purchased by other gasoline retailer.  The other story was the news that a former Woodbridge animal control officer was arrested on hundreds of charges of animal cruelty. People in the township had a lot of comments - pro and con - …

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GOP-Backed Benefit Cuts Called Harmful to Small Businesses in NJ

Report warns even small reductions in Social Security, Medicare would be big drain on state's economy.

Concerned that their voices are being ignored in Washington, D.C., New Jersey small-business owners and advocates spoke out yesterday against potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare. The teleconference highlighted a white paper from the Main Street Alliance, which argued that even small cuts to the two programs could have disproportionately large effects on businesses still struggling to work their way out of the Great Recession. “Even a 3 percent cut to Social Security and Medicare would mean an annual loss of more than $1 billion a year to New Jersey’s economy,” said Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th Dist.), who participated in the presentation. The report’s release came in the wake of the budget cuts presented by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-…

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Even Minus the Gas Stations, Hess' Woes Aren't Over Yet

The Woodbridge oil giant is now in a proxy fight with a feisty investor for control of the company's board of directors

Hess Oil's announcement that it was divesting itself of its retail gas operations and convenience stores to focus on oil exploration and development hasn't satisfied one investor.  Elliot Managment Corporation, which controls 4.4 percent of Hess stock, is fighting a battle to put five members on Hess's board and split the pared-down oil company into two separate firms, the Wall Street Journal reported. John Hess, whose father founded the company, controls 10.6 percent of the firm's shares and is fighting back.  Elliot, a hedge fund managing firm, charges that too many members of Hess' board of directors have ties to the family, the Wall Street Journal said. They report the company has lost 47 percent of its value since its high in 2008. …

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MrDoughnut

10:31 pm on Saturday, March 30, 2013

I had Mr Atardi for Trig he also coached Football and liked Joe Nameth.   more ›