JEFF GRANIT staff Benjamin Fried (l) and Aryan Modi enjoy Freddie the Fire Truck at the North Brunswick Police Department's presentation of National Night Out, held at the Emergency Services Building. Police departments across the country featured public safety tips, emergency service displays, live... More ... Residents spend a night out with police North Brunswick joins the fun on National Night Out BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer       How do you measure the success of an event designed to combat crime and increase the feeling of security in a community? With 500 hamburgers, 400 hot dogs, 800 pieces of chicken and 20 pizza pies. Police departments across the country celebrated National Night Out on Aug. 5. In North Brunswick, ... More ... Former gang member found not guilty in murder of N.B. teen BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer       NORTH BRUNSWICK — Kevin Purnell, of Somerset, formerly of North and New Brunswick, was found not guilty of murder in the death of Jahwan Barnes, an 18-year-old township resident, during a trial at the Superior Court last week. More ... Father trying to be optimistic after his daughter's death Starts local chapter of Optimist International in honor of Kylie Pinheiro BY CHRIS MURINO Staff Writer       SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Seven months after a tragic ending to his daughter's life, Scott Pinheiro is trying to turn his tears, and the tears of others, into smiles. Pinheiro has formed a new chapter of Optimist International for people in South Brunswick and Monroe; he had previously been a membe... More ... Cadets investigate methods of law enforcement North Brunswick Junior Police Academy held for two weeks BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer       NORTH BRUNSWICK — The FBI has 12,000 special agents and 18,000 analysts and professional staff members working in 450 cities across the United States and 60 countries around the world. There are explosives experts, counterterrorism agents, a hostage rescue team, an evidence recovery team, ha... More ... N.B. Senior Center celebrates 20 years of fond memories BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer       NORTH BRUNSWICK — The township Senior Center celebrated the 20th anniversary of its rededication on Monday with a summertime barbecue, complete with lunch served by chef Craig Soltis and entertainment by DJ Jeffrey Heart. More ... The Middlesex County Fair      Left: Matt Scoles (l-r) and Tyler Catarino, both of East Brunswick, and George Pavelchek, of North Brunswick, take a spin on the Scrambler during the Middlesex County Fair, held Aug. 4 to 10. Right: The sun sets on opening night of the fair, which was held at the fairground in East Brunswick. More ... Boys will be boys at the S.B. Library 'Mr. Matt' leads 'Boys' Club' for tween males BY SUSANNE MORELLI Staff Writer       SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The township public library is introducing a new program, the "Boys' Club." The club is designed to target the tween set, boys between the ages of 8 and 12, an often hard-to-reach audience who are too old for story time but too young for teen programs. More ... Bid process begins for Route 1 widening project BY CHRIS MURINO Staff Writer       SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The longawaited widening of Route 1 took another step forward recently as the state Department of Transportation (NJDOT) started receiving bids on the initial phase of a sixphase plan. "We are in the process of analyzing the bids in order to select a firm to develop a conc... More ... The Price Is Right      PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above: Andrew Podob, a counselor from Mill Road Day Camp, North Brunswick, displays a box of cookies to be bid on by residents of The Chelsea assisted living facility, East Brunswick, during an intergenerational game of The Price Is Right. Below: On Monday, counselor Jess... More ... A 'whale' of a project Milltown taxidermist restores 73-year-old behemoth for museum BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       MILLTOWN — David B. Schwendeman recently found out that size does matter. The third-generation taxidermist, along with a team he assembled, restored a 32-foot whale shark to its full, large-aslife glory, helping to reverse the clock for the 73-year-old weatherworn fish specimen. It is the l... More ... Changes in FDA labeling law for gluten-free items begin this month Use of label voluntary; does not include meat, fish, poultry, some oils       The Kogan Celiac Center of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System reminds the public of changes in labeling regulations from the FDA due out this month. These labeling changes are intended to help individuals with celiac disease, who must eat gluten-free products. More ... Ticketmaster outlet opens in E.B.       EAST BRUNSWICK — A new Ticketmaster outlet has opened at Brunswick Square Mall, Route 18. The outlet, located at the mall's Guest Services booth, offers access to event information and ticket purchases for a variety of attractions and entertainment, including sporting events, museums, theat... More ... Local volunteers help Biloxi rebuilding effort Group to visit hurricane victims mid-month BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent       SOUTH RIVER — The idea of laboring outdoors in the sweltering heat of Biloxi, Miss., might not sound appealing to some, but they are obviously not members of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Youth Club. Children and adults in the group made the trip to assist in the Hurricane Katrina rebui... More ... Sobriety checkpoints to increase over next two weeks       NORTH BRUNSWICK — Township law enforcement officers will be conducting sobriety checkpoints Aug. 15 through Sept. 1 as part of the Over the Limit, Under Arrest 2008 Statewide Crackdown. More ... Teenager arrested for attempted burglary       SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A 17-yearold was arrested Friday for attempting to burglarize a home on Richard Road in Monmouth Junction, according to a police press release. At about 10 a.m., the resident was startled by the burglar in her home. She ran upstairs and called police as the burglar left th... More ... Man falls to his death at warehouse       SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A 43- year-old New Brunswick man fell 25 feet to his death on Aug. 6 at ALCO Industries warehouse, according to a police press release. At about 7:15 a.m., officers were dispatched to the warehouse on Melrich Road. They found Carlos Gamboa lying dead on the ground of the w... More ...