The Union County Board of County Commissioners invites residents and visitors of all ages to celebrate wildlife and learn about environmental conservation at Wild Earth Fest hosted by the Trailside Nature and Science Center on Sunday The event has a new location this year in Union County’s scenic 2,000-plus acre Watchung Reservation in Mountainside; the location is moving from the Trailside grounds to the Loop Area “Wild Earth Fest raises awareness about the importance of conservation and environmental stewardship here in the Union County community and throughout the state,” said Union County Commissioner Chairwoman Lourdes M “This unique event combines fun activities for all ages with hands-on learning experiences that encourage a deeper appreciation for nature Through the interactive exhibits and expert presentations we hope to inspire a love for the environment and a commitment to protecting it.” Admission to Wild Earth Fest is $5.00 per person for seven years and older Children six years old and younger are free Wild Earth Fest 2025 features special presentations with live music There will be many ongoing activities such as children’s crafts vendors and educational table displays throughout the event Dinosaurs Arise will bring the prehistoric world to life with thrilling interactive experiences for young explorers Whether your children are budding paleontologists or simply fascinated by dinosaurs Wild Earth Fest visitors are in store for excitiFor ImmFng educational activities while having a blast Dig into discovery to unearth fossils and meet lifelike dinosaurs that interact and playful baby dinosaur puppets The Lizard Guys are new to Wild Earth Fest this year with educational and entertaining live animal shows The Lizard Guys are a group of animal enthusiasts who tour New Jersey and New York giving presentations geared for children and adults alike using live animals Get a close up look to find out where in the world these fascinating reptiles come from and what they eat Event highlights include a sea creature touch tank from Jenkinson’s Aquarium Trailside’s outreach van with a touch table and giveaways and an obstacle course from Child’s Play Challenge Courses with “course crusher” challenges for all ages.  Sustainable green-themed art and nature gifts will also be available for purchase Trailside welcomes back the electric vehicle display from the nonprofit organization Members of the group will share their EV experiences and answer any questions Wild Earth Fest includes an exciting schedule of special presentations: Other activities include; a rock wall climb and a giant inflatable slide.  Attendees are also welcome to plant a take-home flower and make a colorful Gyotaku fish print Vendors and exhibitors include; New Jersey Electric Vehicle Association Union County Bureau of Recycling & Planning Contact Us Organizational Chart It didn’t take long for new Watchung Hills wrestling coach Dan Smith to soak up the Warriors culture and tradition – he created it Smith molded the Warriors into a Somerset County power with state-level wrestlers in 23 seasons as head coach and earned more than 300 dual meet wins He stepped down after the 2017-18 season to watch More: Wrestling: Watchung Hills' Jim Huff is the 2024-25 Courier News Coach of the Year More: Watchung Hills' Anthony DiAndrea is the Courier News Wrestler of the Year He returned to the Watchung Hills staff last season as an assistant Smith is back as Watchung Hills head coach The district’s Board of Education approved his hiring at Tuesday’s meeting “He said to someone a number of years ago he bleeds brown and gold,” Watchung Hills athletic director Dan Root said “It was an easy conversation because we know what he’s about We don’t really need much more information other than he’s all in and he wants to continue to build the program who teaches health and physical education at the school is thrilled to have the lead whistle once again “I’ve always missed it so I’m glad I’m back.” Coaches have their extended family with the athletes on their teams who they spend hours with during the season After Smith put in two-plus decades on the Watchung Hills mats he decided to spend his winter watching his son compete and then joined the Panthers staff during Danny’s final three seasons Smith said it was at the urging of then-B-R coach Mike Denver “I got to help him a little bit and be a part of his wrestling journey I didn’t want to be one of those dads that were too overbearing I thought I had a good balance with being a dad and still being a coach with my son.” Those silver and black Bridgewater-Raritan colors “I will say it was weird the first time I walked into the county tournament,” Smith recalled “I started to walk where I always sat with our team and I realized it’s not where I sit anymore.” Smith returned to Watchung Hills as an assistant coach No offense to the Panthers’ coaches and wrestlers “The people were nice at Bridgewater but it’s just my family was home at Watchung Hills,” Smith said That wrestling family included a coaching staff of Smith-coached athletes in Huff as well as his former longtime assistant Doug Kolody Smith took pride in seeing the alumni give back to the program that’s what coaching’s all about,” said Smith who wrestled at Middlesex High School in the mid-1980s and at Lock Haven University it was about developing relationships with my athletes I’m still pretty close with a lot of my athletes today that I’ve coached over the years and always proud to see what Jimmy’s done and what he’s made of himself and Mike’s coming back and helping the program who replaced Smith as WH’s head coach in 2018 He left in March to become the athletic director at Parsippany Hills Huff gauged Smith’s interest as head coach “I immediately went to the other coaches on staff to make sure that none of them wanted it,” Smith said “I just didn’t want anybody to feel like they shouldn’t take it because I wanted it Like if Mike Magaldo would have wanted to be head coach I easily would have been his assistant and continued to help.” the former Warriors star wasn’t going to apply “Finding out that he was interested in the position it was just like it was a no-brainer,” Root said “Like we don’t need to go any further with anyone else This was a guy that we felt comfortable with Academics are always going to come first and foremost "He provides discipline but he is a coach that is good with the kids He’s not screaming or yelling in a bad way he coaches them hard and he loves them hard So I think he’s just a perfect coach for us Root said that Smith will “hold kids accountable but he’s fair.” “He’s not unreasonable,” the athletic director said “In today’s world where sometimes it’s hard to be a demanding coach he does it in such a way that no one bats an eye about it Where he’s going to demand a lot but he’s also reasonable and he’ll sit down with the kids and have a normal conversation with them as well He’s tough but the kids know that he cares and he’s deeply invested in them.” Smith recalled being in the same district with power South Plainfield and in a Skyland Conference division with hammers like Hunterdon Central Smith established a middle school team and helped develop the youth program by consolidating all the feeder districts into the Watchung Hills Wrestling Association “It took a long time to build the program and get it to where that culture is established,” Smith said We expect our kids to work hard and to get themselves better with the help of the coaching staff.” The successes came and it included five state championships under Smith in Mike Gatti (2004) Brendan Ard (2008 and 2009) and Magaldo (2012) The Warriors won six Somerset County Tournament titles and were runners-up five times In 2018, Smith went out on top as the program won its first sectional and district titles and had the most wins in school history in a 23-3 campaign He was named the New Jersey State Wrestling Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year the Region 4 Coach of the Year and the team was ranked No 15 in the final New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20 poll “There’s so many people that were involved in terms of parents and boosters it wasn’t just Dan Smith that helped build a program,” Smith said “It was the whole Watchung community and that’s why I love it so much.” 2025 at 11:07 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The new store at 1701 Route 22 in Watchung will kick off the April 13 festivities at 6 a.m – with the first 250 customers in line to get special swag bags and a free carton of eggs in the Blue Star Shopping Center off Route 22 officially opened on Wednesday and will host a grand opening celebration with special giveaways on Sunday which owns and operates the new store at 1701 Route 22 will kick off the April 13 festivities at 6 a.m – with the first 250 customers in line to receive special swag bags and a free carton of eggs Fresh coffee and store-made pastries will be served from 6 to 9 a.m Scotch Plains Mayor Joshua Losardo and the Watchung Hills Regional High School Marching Band and Cheerleaders will be held at 9 a.m. followed by a community celebration with a DJ face painting and special surprises for shoppers The Sumas family will also present the Dudley House Veterans Transitional Housing Program in Plainfield and the Food Bank Network of Somerset County with $5,000 donations as part of the grand opening celebration The new 72,000-square-foot ShopRite of Watchung in the Blue Star shopping center will offer customers fresh global flavors and specialty and premium items Expert butchers and fishmongers will staff the meat and seafood counters while an expanded produce department boasts organic products and freshly cut fruit and vegetables Customers will also find chef-prepared grab-and-go options and soup and coffee bars featuring favorites from Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market "We are excited to open our doors to a beautiful convenience and premium groceries to Watchung shoppers," said Perry Blatt director of E-Commerce and Business Development for Village Super Market "The new ShopRite of Watchung is designed to bring an elevated shopping experience to the community and specialty items that cater to all our customers’ needs." Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at eparker@newjerseyhills.com or call us at 908-766-3900 1/44Flag Football: Hunterdon Central vs Watchung Hills, April 30, 2025..st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Steven Bassin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comIt’s all about “consistency” for head coach Conall Joyce and his Hunterdon Central girls flag football team It’s helped lead them to a 6-0 mark on the gridiron after Wednesday’s 19-0 victory over Watchung Hills in Flemington 5 ranked team in the NJ.com Top 20 rankings rolled to its fifth shutout of the season and watched sophomore quarterback Chloe Brunner tally 146 yards and two touchdown passes through the air during the victory FINAL! Watchung Hills gets to the 3-yard line on a 42-yard completion, but Hunterdon Central marches them back 6 yards on 3 plays, followed up by Jorja Krowicki completing the goal line stand with an INT. @HCRHSAthletics improves to 6-0 with a 19-0 win. #flagfootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/kogadCPUjo and our girls have done a good job focusing on our upcoming opponent and staying consistent,” Joyce said “It’s been awesome seeing them improve week in and week out.” Brunner completed two of her first three passes for 36 yards on the team’s first possession of the game Both of Brunner’s first two completions went to junior Jorja Krowicki who helped Hunterdon Central take an early 7-0 lead with a 13-yard touchdown grab Hunterdon Central strikes first! Chloe Brunner finds Jorja Krowicki for a 13-yard TD. Brunner completed 2 passes to Krowicki for 36 yards on the opening drive. 7-0, Red Devils! CC: @HCRHSAthletics #flagfootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/6i7WNjdGuA “We knew coming out of the gate that we had to send a message and get off to a fast start,” Krowicki said Junior running back Angelina Tenore extended the Red Devils’ lead to 13-0 midway through the half dashing up the right sideline on fourth and one for a 41-yard touchdown run Tenore now has nine rushing touchdowns this season for Hunterdon Central The only negative of a controlling first half of action by the Red Devils was Brunner being intercepted by Watchung Hills’ Zoe Gallic Brunner bounced back from her miscue with 68 yards of total offense and a touchdown pass in the second half The sophomore’s 10th touchdown pass of the season came on a flea flicker trick play where Brunner hit freshman wideout Katie Gray in stride for a 25-yard score FLEA FLICKER: Chloe Brunner finds Katie Gray for a 25-yard TD to extend the Hunterdon Central lead to 19-0. Red Devils pulling out all the tricks today. CC: @HCRHSAthletics #flagfootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/dzsiepspdZ “My coaches tell me all the time to have the mind of a goldfish and move on to the next play,” Brunner said “Having a supportive environment has really helped me get better this season.” Gray was Brunner’s top target in the victory 19 points is the most that Watchung Hills has given up in a game this season Hunterdon Central locked up its second straight shutout with a goal-line stand to end the game Gallic floated a 42-yard completion to Tracy Liliane that set up the Warriors at the Hunterdon Central three-yard line Three straight negative plays followed as the Red Devils marched Watchung Hills back to the nine-yard line It all set up Krowicki to finish off the game with her first interception of the season Hunterdon Central has only allowed one touchdown through its first six games of the 2025 campaign “We take pride in playing stout defense,” Joyce said “It takes no talent to have attitude and effort That’s what we preach all the time on the defensive side of the ball.” The Red Devils have lived off their mantra of being “consistent” on the gridiron so far this spring It has Hunterdon Central eying another trip to the Big Central Football Tourament championship game and a spot in the North/Central Jersey Flag Football Tournament but taking it each game as they come,” Krowicki said “We’ve created an entire family environment to help accomplish what we want.” Next Up: Hunterdon Central (6-0) travels next Wednesday to play South Hunterdon Watchung Hills (3-2-1) hosts Ridge on Wednesday night Steven Bassin can be reached at SBassin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @SBassin_Sports The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here As always, please report scores to njschoolsports.com. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices FINAL! Watchung Hills gets to the 3-yard line on a 42-yard completion, but Hunterdon Central marches them back 6 yards on 3 plays, followed up by Jorja Krowicki completing the goal line stand with an INT. @HCRHSAthletics improves to 6-0 with a 19-0 win. #flagfootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/kogadCPUjo Hunterdon Central strikes first! Chloe Brunner finds Jorja Krowicki for a 13-yard TD. Brunner completed 2 passes to Krowicki for 36 yards on the opening drive. 7-0, Red Devils! CC: @HCRHSAthletics #flagfootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/6i7WNjdGuA FLEA FLICKER: Chloe Brunner finds Katie Gray for a 25-yard TD to extend the Hunterdon Central lead to 19-0. Red Devils pulling out all the tricks today. CC: @HCRHSAthletics #flagfootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/dzsiepspdZ NJBIZ ICON Honors Awards Program Kimberly Redmond//February 19 ShopRite of Watchung team members surprised residents on Valentine’s Day with roses while promoting job opportunities for its new store opening this spring Village Super Market begins hiring push for expanded ShopRite in Watchung (updated) The Keasbey-based cooperative invites area producers to apply for its upcoming networking event the fast fashion seller will shutter its locations as growing online com[...] The recognizable brands will open at the same shopping mall growing their own presence as well as boosting re[...] The agreement will bring the Belvidere-based hydroponic farming company's locally grown The shopping mall is preparing to add more than 140,000 square feet of new retail with The Ramsey-based app and leading re-sale marketplace are partnering to offer shoppers an opportunity to make c[...] Sign up for your daily digest of New Jersey News New Jersey business owners can now apply for assistance to explore Employee Stock Ownership Plans The workforce reductions impacting Mercer County positions come amid a broader cost-cutting plan from the pharma giant that t[...] The site is looking toward a major revitalization with Gensler's Morristown office recently hosting a design charrette with [...] Backed by $1.25 million in public funding KSS Architects offered project design for the revamped space The new Middlesex County hub offers multidisciplinary oncology services as well as expanded patient support The founder of the solar-powered sign manufacturer describes how he started the company and designed its [...] provides 24/7 business news coverage and events honoring top business professionals Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions RARITAN TOWNSHIP ― Emily Van Cleef has certainly had some stops and starts as a varsity pitcher over the past four years including a preseason ankle injury last spring that pushed her to No 2 status in the Hunterdon Central pitching depth chart the senior righty it showing what a winter of all-out hard work has done for her and the Red Devils Van Cleef fired a three-hit shutout Tuesday walking just two and striking out 10 as Hunterdon Central clinched at least a share of the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with a 1-0 win over Watchung Hills bases-loaded walk in the second inning to account for the only run of the game “I think it’s a confidence thing,” said Van Cleef who has allowed just one earned run all season for a 0.18 ERA it’s been more being able to bounce back and work 10 times harder over the winter so that I could come back this year and dominate." “She’s definitely stepped up this year and done what we’ve asked every game,” Central coach Kelly Rieder added More: Softball roundup: Daily results and links for Skyland Conference, GMC, area Union County More: Softball ballot: Vote for Central Jersey Player of the Week Van Cleef (12-0) outdueled Warriors senior Mia Simon (5-2) walked two and struck out seven in six innings It’s Simon’s second straight outing where she’s come out on the wrong end of a 1-0 score after falling to St The Red Devils (12-0) cashed in on their only rally of the game Van Cleef and Cambria Tucker started the second inning with singles Maitland Halstead walked to fill the bases Simon rung up a strikeout on the next hitter for the second out but Yip worked the count full and then took a borderline pitch the umpire called ball four to force home courtesy runner Lindsey O’Donnell Simon’s only other base runner allowed was in the third inning when Grace Greisler led off with a walk but was promptly thrown out by catcher Lia Long trying to steal More: Softball rankings and notebook: Skyland Conference and western Union County Watchung Hills (10-4) has now lost four of five games after a 9-0 start three of which were by one run and two were 1-0 The Warriors mounted a mini rally in the third inning getting a leadoff walk from Kelly Shikar and a one-out single by Riley Bobrowski before Van Cleef struck out the next two hitters While Van Cleef struck out nine over the first four innings Watchung Hills began to make some contact in the second half of the game with its best scoring opportunity coming in the top of the seventh Long reached on an infield hit with one out and courtesy runner Oliva Videla went to third on back-to-back wild pitches with the second putting Hughes on with a walk She promptly stole second to make it second and third with one out followed by what appeared to be some help from the umpires Shikar hit a smash to third base that Greisler bobbled but she recovered on time to throw a strike to first base that beat Shikar despite the first baseman looking to be clearly off the bag at least from a vantage point in the front row of the bleachers behind first base The field umpire checked with his partner and the crew upheld the call The victory gives the Red Devils at least a share of the Delaware crown ― and some nice payback after Watchung Hills defeated Central in all three of their meetings last year including the sectional finals en route to the state Group 4 crown “It’s that we’ve been able to come back from last year and prove ourselves and prove our worth because we deserve to be here,” Van Cleef said because we appreciate their team and we appreciate them but it does feel good to get back what we should have got last year.” keep playing like we know how to play and good things will happen,” Rieder added Watchung Hills will have an opportunity to earn a co-title Thursday when these teams get together for a rematch in Warren Junior ace Riley Bobrowski is expected to get the start in the circle in that one considering the little stretch that we’re in right now for us to not go down easily at the end of the game there (is a good sign),” Watchung Hills coach Brian Figueredo said “We’ve faced a run of good pitching against us but it’s a good group and competitive right down to the end I think we’re pretty comfortably playing in these games HUNTERDON CENTRAL (12-0) 010-000-x – 1-2-0 Staff writer Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997, and has been on the softball beat since 1999. He can be reached at CourierSoftball@aol.com WATCHUNG - Raising Cane's is not yet ready to rise at the Blue Star Shopping Center on Route 22 which is looking to enter the metropolitan area is scheduled to return to the borough Planning Board on April 15 for another public hearing on its proposal to demolish to demolish the empty building which once housed the Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet and build the restaurant specializing in chicken fingers The existing 8,616-square-foot freestanding building in the shopping center's parking lot is proposed to be replaced with a 3,760-square-foot restaurant with a two-lane drive-thru a property development manager for the chain told the Planning Board on Tuesday that Raising Cane's plans to hire 55 to 75 employees for the restaurant with 13 workers per shift are intended to serve third-shift workers and emergency responders About three-quarters of Raising Kane's customers use the drive-thru and the chain has one of lowest times in the industry for serving food from when an order is placed because there are only five items on the menu - chicken fingers More: Trader Joe's opening fourth store in Central Jersey. Here's where "You only have to decide how many chicken fingers you want and what to drink," she said Only about 11% of customers choose to beat at the restaurant During the restaurant's "honeymoon" period when it first opens Raising Cane's will hire off-duty police officers to handle the expected traffic Customer volume is expected to level after the first month the restaurant is open the privately-owned Raising Cane's has more than 800 locations in the United States In January, Edison approved the first Raising Cane's in Central Jersey in the parking lot of the Edison Crossroads shopping center near Petco on southbound Route 1 The chain was started in 1996 in Baton Rouge by Todd Graves who reconstructed an old building near the LSU campus into the first Raising Cane's The business was named after Graves' yellow Labrador Raising Cane's will present testimony from an architect planner and engineer to address the remaining issues raised by the Board's consultants The new ShopRite in the Blue Star Shopping Center on Route 22 in Watchung is scheduled to open on Sunday the first 250 customers will receive a goody bag plus a free dozen eggs representatives of the store will be at the Watchung Easter Egg Hunt at 11 a.m April 5 at Phillips Field with 100 Easter eggs for attending families Each Easter egg has a mystery envelope with a prize inside to be redeemed at the store on April 13 members of the store's marketing team will be at an undisclosed location in downtown Watchung handing out 100 of the store's gourmet chocolate chip cookies with the grand opening date Each day there will be a new spot in Watchung with an Easter egg If you can solve the riddle and find the Easter egg More: Will Raising Cane's rise in Route 22 shopping center? The new 72,000-square-foot location will be 66% larger than its present 43,365-square-foot store in the shopping center The new ShopRite will be focused on convenience and culinary variety Team members will work in a state-of-the-art store featuring chef-prepared meals The existing store will be reconfigured for multiple tenants a member of the retailer-owned supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Corp operates 30 ShopRite supermarkets throughout New Jersey as well as four specialty markets under the Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market brands in Manhattan Village Super Market operates other Central Jersey ShopRites in Bernardsville WATCHUNG - ShopRite is hiring 150 workers for its new expanded store in the Blue Star Shopping Center on Route 22 expected to open this spring A job fair will be held at the store 11 a.m The store's hiring center is also open 10 a.m Job seekers can also apply online is looking to hire approximately 150 employees for full-time and part-time positions “Our team is looking for stars — individuals who want to shine in their careers and make an impact in the community,” said Perry Blatt a third-generation family grocer and director of E-Commerce and Business Development for Village Super Market We love Watchung and can’t wait to open this beautiful new ShopRite which will offer so much more than ever before We’re looking for great people to be part of something special.” More: Major upgrades coming to Route 22 shopping center in Watchung The new ShopRite will be focused on convenience and culinary adventure  The new 72,000-square-foot location will be 66% larger than its present 43,365-square-foot store in the shopping center WARREN – Mia Simon gets plenty of headlines for her work with a softball bat she’s been one of the most fearsome hitters in the state the past two season But when you combine her offensive accolades with the fact that she shares a pitching staff with Central Jersey’s top hurler in junior ace Riley Bobrowski who pitched the Watchung Hills High School team to last year’s state Group 4 championship winning Player of the Year honors along the way and Simon’s work in the circle can be easily overlooked The senior right-hander was nearly unhittable for six innings allowing just one infield hit and two walks until Immaculata struck for a run on two hits and a walk in the seventh Simon finished having allowed a run on three hits and three walks her latest in a series of huge pitching performances to go with her big bat and Watchung Hills claimed a 7-1 home victory “We’re just unbelievably fortunate here to have the pitching that we have,” said Watchung Hills coach Brian Figueredo who watched Simon improve to 4-0 in the circle with a 0.77 ERA striking out 47 hitters in 27 innings -- while batting .552 with six doubles Mia gets a lot of notoriety for what she does at the plate but if you look at her numbers – it’s hard to say this – but she’s underrated for what she does in the circle doesn’t get flustered and just keeps doing her thing out there.” We’ve been getting ready since the first time we played them and it feels great,” said Simon whose team beat Immaculata in nine innings on April 10 with Bobrowski in the circle after the Spartans had beaten the Warriors in last year’s Somerset County final “I just tried to give them a little different look More: Softball Player of the Week: Somerville’s Sarah Graber wins honors for weeks 1 and 2 While Simon was mowing them down — she recorded all 14 of her strikeouts in the first six innings without allowing a runner past second base — Immaculata ace Maddie Falvey was certainly holding her own  The Spartans’ freshman left-hander allowed just one unearned run on four hits and a walk through the first five innings with Olivia Videla coming home on an error in the fourth inning for the only run But Falvey might have run out of gas in the bottom of the sixth before Videla and Leila Romero each notched their third hits of the game to load the bases Kelly Shikar then ripped a two-run single to left-center field to make it 3-0 Falvey then got the next hitter on a strikeout – her fourth of the day – but Riley Bobrowski added on with a two-run single to center field Watchung Hills then got an RBI triple by Arianna Hughes and an RBI double from Simon who had logged a frustrating day at the plate to that point striking out twice and hitting a comebacker “She (Falvey) works really well with the corners and (Immaculata coach) Gary Bury is a really good pitch caller and he knows how to work around the batters.” “She did a really good job” Figueredo said I thought she really mixed it up and busted us in and definitely caught us by surprise (in this game) Immaculata finally dented the scoreboard in the top of the seventh inning as Falvey led off with her second hit of the day and later scored on an RBI single by Madeline Tavaglione WARREN – The Watchung Hills Board of Education has taken a first step to rescind a policy on transgender students that has become a flashpoint for school districts throughout New Jersey the regional high school board voted on first reading to rescind the policy that Superintendent Elizabeth Jewett said has been "misconstrued." Policy 5756 is longstanding guidance for school administrators that directs school staff to refer to students based on their gender expression without requiring the school to notify parents and advises schools to allow students to play sports and use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity These policies were adopted between 2015 and 2019 The "parental rights" movement has objected to policies that regard LGBTQ+ students' status as confidential information between school staff and the student Opponents say that parental rights should not come at the cost of trans students' safety and privacy The fight over the state policy and some school boards' votes to rescind the policy has ended up in the courts Jewett advised the board to hold off taking a vote until it received advice from Board Attorney Marc Zitomer because action may expose the district to litigation More: Effort to rescind transgender student policy in Bridgewater-Raritan fails to gain traction The superintendent also advised board members to be "very clear" why they were revoking the policy "because if there's a headline that we abolished our transgender policy and they will think that we are not supporting a particular population of people and that's unfortunate." Jewett said she would like more time to talk about "misperceptions" people have about the policy "I think there's a fundamental issue with this particular policy that is underlying a distrust or breakdown between the parents and the teachers and the students and the administration," said Board Vice President Dan Gallic "This further exasperates that particular situation insomuch as this policy allows certain members of the school staff not to notify parents of actions or decisions that their kids have made that affect their well-being in a major way." "I can only speak as a parent," Gallic continued "If one of my kids were going through a tough time He said the policy allows "the hiding of that information from the parents and I just think it's inappropriate." Board Lisa DiMaggio denied her opposition to the policy was related specifically to transgender students "I have to give permission for the nurses to give my kid Advil," DiMaggio said "But then we have this policy that says they can withhold significant medical spiritual things from me about my daughter "It just kind of seems ridiculous that I have to check boxes for Pepto Bismol," she continued "but other stuff they don't have to tell me." More: NJSIAA not changing transgender policy for NJ high school sports despite Trump order Jewett said she blames the state for not explaining it better when the policy was first introduced "I've been very vocal about that," she said "The way it was presented to schools was that you were actually prohibited from informing parents of certain things," she said The superintendent explained the policy "is in line with everything else we follow in our counseling department." Counselors have "confidential conversations" with students and if there is a danger to the student's mental or physical health or well-being then that there is something that we would certainly share with a parent or share with a medical professional," the superintendent said "We don't hide information from parents," Jewett said No date has been set for the final vote on the policy revocation WATCHUNG – Athletic play franchise KidStrong will open at Blue Star Shopping Center on Route 22 between Terrill and Bonnie Burn roads in the borough announced Levin Management Corporation (LMC) 3,000-square-foot lease follows a recent signing by Planet Fitness and coincides with a multi-million-dollar redevelopment KidStrong offers science-based fitness games led by trained coaches Age-appropriate classes are designed to improve physical mental and emotional development in youngsters from new walkers up to age 11 Centers also host birthday parties and camps KidStrong has more than 125 locations in the U.S More: Planet Fitness opening two more Central Jersey locations. Here's where The new KidStrong in Watchung is owned by Joe Pedatella who owns more than a dozen KidStrong centers in the region 45-minute KidStrong class is designed to help kids become confident and well-rounded in all aspects of life,” Pedatella said transformative impact the program has had on countless families There’s nothing quite like KidStrong in the Watchung area and I am excited to introduce this concept to the community.” Fitness and youth-focused concepts are key elements in distinguishing and diversifying a shopping center’s offerings “KidStrong will be an excellent draw for the property and a wonderful community amenity for families with young children,” Moawad said “Blue Star Shopping Center’s redevelopment not only is creating a new modern look ― it is drawing great new uses to the property.” Blue Star Shopping Center’s redevelopment was catalyzed by a 72,000-square-foot lease and in-center relocation with longtime tenant ShopRite In addition to KidStrong and Planet Fitness LMC is in active negotiations with several more national brands The property serves a population of more than 255,000 people within a five-mile radius and draws more than 2.8 million visits annually LMC currently is marketing additional center availability in spaces from 1,200- to 50,000-square-feet Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com Ethan Allen has opened a new location on Route 22 in Watchung where it occupies more than 4,200 square feet after relocating from a nearby site the home furnishings chain has backfilled a former Chase Bank pad site at Green Brook Commons It’s leasing the 4,230-square-foot space at 1691 Route 22 under a deal with Urban Edge Properties The Goldstein Group Principal Neil Goldstein and Executive Vice President Mark Handwerker completed the assignment on behalf of the retailer Jeffery Realty’s William Farkas and Mike Testa represented the landlord “Ethan Allen was looking to relocate its existing store and after a thorough analysis of the market it was decided to find an alternative near the prior location,” Goldstein said the company decided to reduce its store size from a larger model to one of their new prototypes.” the brokerage team noted that Greenbrook Commons is anchored by Aldi DSW and many others on the Route 22 corridor Urban Edge leases 4,300 sq. ft. in Watchung for new Ethan Allen store has been covering New Jersey commercial real estate for 13 years Many industry leaders view him as the go-to real estate reporter in the state a role he is eager to continue as the editor of Real Estate NJ He is a lifelong New Jersey resident who has spent a decade covering the great Garden State Restaurant chain Bojangles has opened along a major commercial corridor in Piscataway as part of a previously announced deal brokered by The Goldstein Group All RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright 2023 Real Estate NJ 101 Eisenhower Parkway Roseland Our site uses cookies. Learn more about our use of cookies: cookie policy Go back to Jim Huff’s junior wrestling season at Watchung Hills He remembers a tussle against Delbarton – that the Warriors won – and he was in sync at one point with head coach Dan Smith “I was giving out instructions to my teammates when coach Smith was giving out instructions to my teammates,” Huff recalled ‘Jimmy you can come coach with me any day.’ And I’ll never forget that.” Huff was just getting started in his coaching career He went on to shout instructions in several sports but has been most well known as Watchung Hill’s head wrestling skipper the last seven seasons More: Wrestling: Handy index of postseason links from the team tournament to All-Area honors Huff stepped down earlier this month to become the athletic director at Parsippany Hills He picked a memorable season to go out and is the Courier News Wrestling Coach of the Year Watchung Hills entered the Somerset County Tournament as the third or fourth pick for most people It turned into a near-perfect afternoon for the Warriors who stunningly captured the team title with 188 points Hillsborough (164.5) and Bridgewater-Raritan (157.5) Watchung (18-4) also beat B-R (North 2 Group 5 champs) and Hillsborough to lay claim as the county’s best team Huff said he told his wrestlers they were the best team they had to believe and keep wrestling hard whatever round they were in “We thrived in the wrestlebacks and the kids’ effort was phenomenal and they took in what I said,” Huff noted “I said we were the best team in the county this year and not a lot of people thought that and I think it proved that we were.” The Warriors featured stars like Anthony DiAndrea (126 third in the state) and Cody Pritzlaff (157) unsung guys came through and the whole lineup won at least one match Jake Carfaro (215) and Kenneth Ferrari (285) each placed in the top four Others scored team points with Morgan Torres (113) Christopher Matos (150) and Patrick Coleman (190) each getting a pin “I think one of the biggest pleasures as a coach is watching the growth and development of your wrestlers both in the classroom and on the mat,” Huff said I would say nine of our 14 starters started wrestling in high school as a freshman … You have kids who have grown exponentially and it’s really rewarding as a coach to see that growth and to be part of that process.” He deflected any recognition for himself and praised his staff of Mike Magaldo as well as two coaches who guided Huff – Dan Smith and Doug Kolody He said both are “a big reason why I am where I am today and I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me.” “No one’s perfect but coach Huff is about as perfect as a coach can get,” DiAndrea said he works us hard and he believes in us and he puts so much time into training us and making sure we’re prepared He cares about each and every wrestler on the team and all the wrestlers know that he’s on to other things in life and I’m very happy for him I’ve been so blessed just to have him as a coach the past three years He spent time as the middle school wrestling coach for five years and ran the high school’s offseason programs He also assisted on the football and baseball staffs and was the head golf coach the past three season “I wouldn’t coach anywhere else besides Watchung Hills,” said Huff who was a special-education physics teacher “I live and breathe Watchung Hills and coaching and teaching there It’s very bittersweet that I won’t be coaching there next year but I know that I poured my heart and soul into that program when I was an athlete and when I was a coach.” The Huff name is familiar to softball fans His older sister Michelle is the head coach at Metuchen and was formerly the coach at Plainfield and his younger sister Stephanie was a star at Watchung Hills and also coached at Plainfield  “We’re a family that loves sports,” said Huff adding that his sisters usually one-up him in accomplishments “We’re a competitive family but we support and love each other his coaching career was all about molding kids into adults “I was taught by a lot of mentors like Dan Smith and Doug Kolody to be a better person and to help people,” Huff said ‘hey coach thank you for that.’ It’s the little things that maybe I don’t remember but it sticks with them for a long time They made a difference in my life and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.” Democrat Marcel Akende admitted that he doesn’t meet the residency requirement There’s chaos in the race for a seat on the Watchung Borough Council after a Democratic candidate admitted he’s only lived there for eight months and is ineligible to run for office Marcel Akende made his revelation in a candidate questionnaire published by the TAPinto Watchung leading local Republicans to file a court challenge to remove him from the ballot he signed an oath saying he met the residency requirement But with vote-by-mail ballots being cast since September and in-person early voting Superior Court Judge Kevin Shanahan isn’t sure what he can do about it They’re using the voting machines as we speak In a lawsuit filed early this morning by election lawyer Matthew Moench Republicans want Shanahan to remove Akende from the ballot and enjoin him from campaign activities Republicans cited records that show Akende voted in Middlesex County in November 2023 That appears to bar him from being a candidate in Watchung this year Moench argues that “permitting Akende to continue to appear on the ballot and represent himself as a candidate perpetuates Akende’s fraud upon the public and voters improperly influencing the election and interfering in the rights of voters to choose between legally qualified candidates.” “Votes for Akende improperly dilute the votes of legal voters and legally qualified candidates,” Moench said “An improper and ineligible candidate violates Watchung voters’ right to vote and disenfranchises voters.” Shanahan said it “seems to be pretty much an open and shut case (if) those facts are true.” Somerset County Counsel Joseph DeMarco and Deputy Attorney General Levi Klinger-Christiansen representing the Somerset County Board of Elections opposed any judicial intervention in the election We might be in the third inning of this game to try to go back  I’m just concerned that that has a broader effect and opens the county up to other challenges,” DeMarco said the candidate should be stopped from campaigning because he shouldn’t be a candidate.” “He has publicly admitted that he does not meet the one-year residency requirement and it’s not something that we are inferring; it’s something that he has admitted in public.” Shanahan has scheduled another hearing for Friday “We’ll probably be in the seventh inning by Friday,” DeMarco said Akende won the Democratic nomination with 23 write-in votes 2025 at 12:25 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Dress For Less (Scott Anderson/Patch)WATCHUNG NJ — A Ross Dress for Less store is coming to the Central Jersey area The store will open at 1515 Route 22 in Watchung The discount retailer offers a variety of clothing The closest Ross location to the Central Jersey area is on Route 18 in East Brunswick and in Flanders 2025 at 1:42 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}On March 17 at around 9:39 p.m. Watchung Police officers went to a business on Route 22 West for a report of gunshots fired NJ — Authorities are investigating after gunshots were fired at a business on Route 22 in Watchung on Monday night Officers saw evidence of gunshot damage to the building of the business Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr. and Watchung Borough Chief of Police Scott Anderle No injuries were reported to be sustained as a result of the shots fired Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene along with detectives from the Watchung Borough Police Department Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Watchung Borough Police Department at 908-756-3663 or via the STOPit app The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Bove | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comNora Herko starred for Watchung Hills with six goals in its 15-9 win over Cranford in Warren Ainsley Kelly added four goals for Watchung Hills which outscored Cranford 6-2 in both the first quarter and the fourth quarter Nicole Johnstone chipped in with three goals in the victory Kate Zambito netted three goals for Cranford The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription Matt Bove can be reached at mbove@njadvancemedia.com 2025 at 3:58 pm ET(Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department )(Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department)WATCHUNG NJ — A fire sparked at a house in Watchung on Friday afternoon the Watchung Police Department responded to a residential house fire on Parlin Lane and the fire was successfully extinguished by the Watchung Fire Department with help from other fire departments from surrounding towns The cause of the fire is currently under investigation Authorities in Somerset County are investigating a shooting that left a male critically injured late Thursday night in the Borough of Watchung According to a preliminary statement from police officers were called to the single-digit block of Crystal Avenue around 9:00 p.m after receiving reports of an injured individual inside a residence first responders found an unidentified person suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency medical personnel immediately began CPR before transporting the victim to a nearby hospital. As of the latest available update foul play is not suspected and the incident appears to be self-inflicted  However the investigation is still active and ongoing as authorities work to confirm the circumstances surrounding the shooting Jayden Peres (3) of Union City swings during the baseball game between St Peter’s Prep and Union City at Cochrane Stadium at Caven Point in Jersey City on Wednesday .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Craig Epstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comJayden Peres went 2-for-4 with a home run Guillermo Soto contributed to Union City (10-3) The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Craig Epstein may be reached at cepstein@njadvancemedia.com Jim Huff grew up at Watchung Hills A former student-athlete at the Somerset County high school Huff has been a special-education physics teacher and coach there for the past decade But Huff recently made the difficult decision to move on Starting in mid-March he will be the new athletic director at Parsippany Hills High School Huff will not start at the Morris County school until after the current wrestling season ends Huff is also special teams coordinator for Watchung Hills football and the head golf coach in the spring Huff was approved by the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education on Dec wanting to make sure they heard the news from him "It's not going to affect anything this wrestling season," said Huff Former Butler and Kinnelon AD Dave Doty was expected to be approved as Parsippany Hills' interim AD at Tuesday night's school board meeting took over at Morris Hills after that school's longtime AD Parsippany Hills interview processParsippany Hills principal Matthew Thompson said 16 people were invited for screening interviews Huff was one of four finalists who faced a panel that included a teacher "Everything I heard about Jim's ability to build programs as a coach his interpersonal skills with his student-athletes and assistant coaches "Between (former AD and current assistant superintendent for human resources) Todd Ricker and myself reaching out to people to get background information on him Huff had applied for the open AD job at Watchung Hills in 2023 but I'm very happy for him as a colleague and a person," said Bill Librera who went from Chatham AD to Watchung Hills principal in January 2020 but happy to see him continue his career arc but now I have another reason to root for Parsippany Hills as well." More: When's the best time to exercise? North Jersey early birds, night owls find options live in the school district with their two children Jim Huff insists his wife is prepared for the long hours he'll be putting in as a new AD "You're not home until 7 or 8 o'clock as it is now "Watchung Hills is a phenomenal school district The challenge is something I'm looking forward to so I'm going to continue to grow as a person WATCHUNG – Police are investigating following reports of shots fired Monday night Monday to a business on westbound Route 22 where officers found evidence of gunshot damage to the building of the business said Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Watchung Borough Police Department at 908-756-3663 or via the STOPit app Email: alewis@njpressmedia.com Alexander Lewis is an award-winning reporter and photojournalist whose work spans many topics.