SCOTT FRIEDMAN Rachele Gardner, 11, of South River, dusts a window for fingerprints as borough Police Officer Jason Klein supervises on Friday. The borough Police Department and municipal drug alliance held the town's first Junior Police Academy last week, with 30 middle school students participatin... More ... Unfit buildings law OK'd amid concerns Designed to streamline process of addressing structures in disrepair BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       After roughly two hours of discussion, the South River Borough Council voted in favor of a new ordinance regulating unfit buildings. Councilman Anthony Razzano, the only Democrat on the governing body, was the lone dissenter in the 5-1 vote to adopt the new restrictions Monday. More ... $60K per-month lease gets replacement school School community, church celebrate newly approved agreement BY BRIAN DONAHUE Staff Writer       It's a deal that the East Brunswick school district and a South River Catholic church are calling a win-win situation. The former Corpus Christi School, off Old Bridge Turnpike, will be converted into an East Brunswick elementary school, at least for 2008-09. More ... 'Queen of tween' opens shop in her hometown Boutique will be the first for veteran fashion designer BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       Milltosn rea tweens can go back to school in style, now that Sally Miller has come to town. The six-year borough resident and awardwinning fashion designer is opening her first retail shop on North Main Street in Milltown, and her trendy signature styles will be unveiledwith a ribbon-cutting cere... More ... DWI crackdown set for next two weeks E. Bruns., Old Bridge, Monroe step up patrols through Labor Day       East Brunswick, Monroe and Old Bridge are among the local towns whose police departments will step up their patrols over the coming two weeks to crack down on drunk driving. The police departments have received state grants that will fund overtime so that additional police officers can be out on ... More ... Volunteers get two CPR saves in course of week       EAST BRUNSWICK — It's always cause for celebration when first-aid volunteers can save a life. This summer, the township's rescue squad got to have that celebration twice in the span of a week. More ... New taxicab service gets license, despite objection Council says it can't stop a new biz just to protect an existing one BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer       SPOTSWOOD — Despite the protests of a rival cab company, the Borough Council agreed Monday to allow Oasis Taxi to do dispatch calls in town. During a public hearing on the company's application, the governing body heard comments from Hussein Hedbawi, owner of Triple A Taxi, which runs 10 ca... More ... Residents lose appeal in tree removal case Transco can remove trees, unless case goes to NJ Supreme Court BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer       EAST BRUNSWICK — An appeals court has decided that a natural gas company can remove several large and well-regarded trees from alongside Timber Road. The state appellate court ruled earlier this summer that Transco, which operates a natural gas pipeline, has the legal ability to cut down ab... More ... Local group 'catches' a nice break on vacation Giant blue marlin comes with $500K prize for fishermen BY BRIAN DONAHUE Staff Writer       SAYREVILLE — One week later, Robert Lockwood still can't get over it. He and a few friends go down to Ocean City, Md., to relax, enjoy some time off and go fishing. They wind up catching one of the largest blue marlins in state history, and take home a $500,000 prize. More ... Cab driver gets weapon, drug charges BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       SOUTH RIVER — A taxi driver who is allegedly linked to the Bloods street gang was arrested in South River recently. Police charged Torry D. Green, 31, of North Brunswick, with possession with the intent to distribute heroin, possession of heroin, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpo... More ... TechXploration      High school sophomore girls from around the area are participating in TechXploration, a free summer camp at Middlesex County College, Edison. The four-week program involves designing, developing and constructing working models of rides found on fairgrounds to better understand science and technology... More ... Resident celebrates 100th       EAST BRUNSWICK — When you ask Teresa Carlucci the secret to a long life, she shrugs and says simply, "No secret. Take one day at a time." Carlucci, born July 30, 1908, celebrated her 100th birthday at her home, Chelsea Assisted Living, Cranbury Road, surrounded by dozens of fellow residents... More ... Husband-wife team set for night of Italian opera BY KRISTINE TANGEL Correspondent       MONROE — Soprano Annamaria Stefanelli and her husband, tenor Rory Angelicola, will perform "A Sunday of Italian Opera" on Sunday at Villa Laura Ristorante, Spotswood-Englishtown Road. "It's to recreate the excitement and passion of the opera," Angelicola said. More ... Conservation group seeks volunteers to count bats Collected information helps biologists monitor population trends       Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is looking for volunteers to help protect one of the most endangered land mammal groups in the United States — bats. According to a press release, New Jersey is home to nine species of bats, including the Indiana bat, a federally protected species w... More ... NJ Transit bus customers can receive e-mail updates       NJ Transit bus customers can now receive up-to-the-minute travel information for their specific trip through the My Transit alert system, which sends a text alert directly to customers' cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDA) or e-mail whenever there is a delay affecting their desig... More ...