Summit Patch: Latest Articles

Week in Review: No Decision Yet on Woodland Avenue Sidewalks

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0400

Council will consider a resolution Tuesday to build sidewalks on either side of Woodland Avenue.

By Heather Collura

8:00am

With the girls basketball season coming to a close, it was a week full of non-sports news! Budget talks continued at the Board of Education and it was all sidewalks at city hall. Here's the full rundown in case you missed anything:

On Monday, we profiled Summit High Junior Mark Jones who won the Track and Field Meet of Champions recently, brought you an amazing audio slideshow from the Kids Rock for Vision concert, told you Gov. Chris Christie's Chief of Staff remains mum on the forthcoming budget cuts, and told you how the city's budget cuts could effect the Department of Community Services and therefore Public Works.

On Tuesday, we brought you the weekly police blotter, coverage of the girls basketball semifinals, brought you comments from last week's council meeting about sidewalks on Woodland Avenue in advance of a public meeting on the topic Tuesday night, and profiled an opponent to Congressman Leonard Lance the primary.

On Wednesday, we wrote about the re-opening of the DeBary Inn, told you about a car chase involving a car stolen from Summit earlier this week, brought you coverage from the public meeting on sidewalks, and reported that Lanel Jewelry and Antiques had closed and is moving to Union.

On Thursday, we reported that Alpha Graphics is also closing and brought you a story about girl scout cookie sales.

On Friday, we brought you a column about an open house of sorts at the popular Bar Method, brought you a story about two firefighters who participated in a stair climb, and two reports from Thursday's Board of Education meeting.

Picture of the Week: Historic Season Comes to an End

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0500

Girls Basketball Falls to Shabazz in NJSIAA Sectional Finals.

By Heather Collura

March 13, 2010

The Summit Girls Basketball team ended an historic season on Monday when the team fell to Malcom X. Shabazz High School in Newark in the NJSIAA sectional finals. This team and individuals broke school records and set a new bar of excellence. Here, senior Cassie Hall exits the game for the last time in her Summit career with a smile as Coach Brian Erickson greets her. Fans and spectators give Hall their appreciation as she takes the bench.

Brie and Fig Grilled Cheese: You Can Make It, Too!

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:00:00 -0500

Our writer takes on the challenge of replicating one of food.'s signature dishes.

By Monica Bangia

March 12, 2010

I met a friend for a birthday lunch at food. here in Summit. I have been driving by this modern and minimalist looking eatery and wondering what the food tastes like for a while now.

I finally made it to the open, airy space. It reminded me of a café at MOMA in New York City. While I waited for my friend, I looked through the lunch menu. It consisted of salads, soup and sandwiches. Somehow the Brie and fig grilled cheese served with sweet potato fries stood out to me. I love any mixture of sweet and savory and this seemed to fit the category really well.
Since my friend had eaten here before, she suggested the same sandwich. Well, my decision was made.

The sandwich came with a heap of sweet potato fries. I love fries, but try not to eat them too often. Since I have read about the virtues of sweet potatoes, I jump at any chance I get to eat them. The fries were delicious and I ate them all!

The sandwich was crispy from the outside and gooey on the inside. The Brie and fig combination was delicious. I enjoyed it and started thinking how I would replicate it and what, if anything, I would change about it.

Replicating recipes is a lot of fun for me. Since I love to cook and come up with a lot of recipes myself, I can't help but tweak things to my taste.

I felt I wanted to lighten the sandwich up a bit. I found myself extremely full for almost the entire day after eating the sandwich and fries- okay, I know I shouldn't have finished the fries…

I went shopping for the ingredients and found whole-wheat sour dough bread. The original recipe used a delicious Balthazar sliced bread. I wanted go the healthy route and picked the whole-wheat bread. I bought the Brie and started looking for a fig preserve. I felt the original sandwich was a bit too sweet for me- so I went with a fig compote with caramelized shallots. I liked the idea of having a savory component to the sweet preserve. My other thought was to introduce some kind of a green leaf to the sandwich. I thought of arugula to cut into the richness a bit. I used a combination of butter and olive oil for cooking to avoid making the sandwich too heavy.

All my fries are oven roasted. I cut the sweet potatoes into wedges and doused them with garlic powder, salt and- are you ready- smoked paprika. I love the smoky and garlicky flavor on the sweet fries. The olive oil and a very hot oven made the fries crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Overall, the sandwich was delicious and tweaked exactly to my taste. It wasn't exactly the same but it still had the same essence. The outside was crunchy and the inside was gooey. I loved the Brie, fig compote and arugula together.

I was very happy with the result. Try this sandwich out and tell me what you think.

Brie and Fig Grilled Cheese Served with Sweet Potato Fries

2 slices whole-wheat sour dough bread
2 teaspoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup sliced brie cheese

1/4 cup fig preserve or compote

1/2 cup arugula

Heat a medium non-stick frying pan. Carefully spread the soft butter on one side of both the slices. Drizzle the olive oil as well and place the bread, butter side down on the pan. Cook on medium heat. Spread the preserve on both slices. Add the brie on one slice. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add the arugula on the other slice. Carefully bring the slices together, placing the cheese side on top of the arugula side. Cook on both side for another minute making sure both sides are golden brown and crispy. Cut in half before serving.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick fries
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the fries on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil, salt, garlic powder and paprika. Mix well with your fingers and bake for about 45 minutes or till the fries are soft on the inside and crunchy and golden brown on the outside.

Board Terminates Unknown Employee, Litigation Possible

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:55:19 -0500

Board President Tom O'Rourke says details cannot be released at this time due to possible litigation from employee.

By Heather Collura

March 12, 2010

The Board of Education approved a resolution to terminate an unknown employee at its workshop meeting Thursday night.

The employee's salary will cease at the end the workday today, March 12. The employee's health benefits will cease on March 31.

No additional details can be released at this time, Board President Thomas O'Rourke said, because of the threat of possible litigation from the employee.

Check back for further details as they become available.

Board of Education: Draft Budget Stays Within 4% Budget Cap

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0500

District still waiting for Christie budget numbers before finalizing budget.

By Heather Collura

March 12, 2010

The Board of Education received binders containing the draft budget for the 2010-2011 school year.

But the final budget numbers will not be available until the end of next week after Gov. Chris Christie will deliver his budget address on March 16.

Eleanor Doyle, chair of the Operations Committee, said the draft budget is one the committee is proud of because it met the two main goals for this year: keeping the tax levy increase at within the 4 percent cap and including some capital projects in the budget.

"We've included capital projects that we've had to ignore over the last couple of years as budgets got tighter and tighter," she said.

The budget draft assumes flat state aid, Doyle said, but the district will be able to pull back some of the capital projects currently in the budget if state aid comes in lower than expected.

"We've been able to withstand the current crisis without having to look at serious, severe cuts to the district," Doyle said.

Change the Clock, Check Your Batteries

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:46:06 -0500

With Daylight Savings this weekend, it's the perfect time to check smoke detectors.

March 12, 2010

This weekend, March 13 and 14, we will all be setting our clocks to Daylight Saving Time. The time change is a good reminder to check your smoke alarms. According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 66 percent of home fire deaths that occurred between 2003-2006 were in homes without a working smoke alarm. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.

A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you're awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke. Smoke alarms must be maintained! A smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm at all, so test your smoke alarm monthly by pushing the "test" button, if it has one.

Smoke alarms are powered by either a battery or are hardwired into your home's electrical system. Hardwired smoke alarms are usually equipped with a backup battery. If your smoke alarm is powered by battery, the battery needs to be replaced annually unless it is a long-life battery (check the owner's manual). All batteries should be maintained and replaced in accordance with manufacturer's guidance.

Choose an annual date, such as the time change, when you will remember to maintain your smoke alarm in tip top condition. Check the manufacturer's expiration date on the label, replace the batteries if needed, and clean dust away from the slots so that smoke can enter freely. All smoke alarms, hard-wired and battery powered, should be replaced every ten years. These simple steps will help ensure that you and your family will have the best chance of surviving if fire should strike.

USFA has a fire safety campaign called Install. Inspect. Protect. which provides information about home smoke alarms and fire sprinklers. Please visit the campaign Web site atwww.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/smokealarms/.

Joseph Wurtzbacher, Battalion Chief, Summit Fire Dept.

Firefighters Take Stair Climb Challenge

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0500

The Scott Firefighter Stair Climb supports the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

March 12, 2010

Summit Career Firefighter Michael Mammone and Volunteer Firefighter Matt Klapper participated in the 19th Annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb.

The stair climb was held on March 7 at the Columbia Center in Seattle. These firefighters climbed 69 stories in full fighter gear using their self contained breathing apparatus for breathing. There was a spare bottle of breathing air available on the 40th floor if needed.

The Scott Firefighter Stair Climb supports the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising money through sponsorships, individual and department fundraising, and entry fees.

"I'm proud of their commitment to this event and their personal sacrifice both physically and financially," Chief Joseph Houck said of his men.

In 2009, the event featured more than 1,500 firefighters from 244 fire departments raising a record setting $640,000. for blood cancer research and patient services.

The purpose of the Summit Firefighter's participation in the stair climb is two-fold. A close friend of Firefighter Klapper, Seun Adebiyi, was diagnosed with two aggressive blood cancers.

These firefighters would also like to promote firefighter fitness by practicing a healthy lifestyle by eating smart and exercising regularly.

The City of Summit did not incur any costs associated with this event, both firefighters paid about $500 for airfare, hotel and meals.

The two firefighters are working with Summit Firefighter Local FMBA #54 and the Leukemia & Lymphoma to sponsor a screening drive to identify possible donors in the Summit area.

Mike finished the climb in 19:21 and Matt finished in 22:16.

Matt and Mike collectively raised over $12,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Matt is currently the top individual fundraiser of the more 1,500 firefighters who registered for the race. As a result, he received a ski trip to Canada which they plan to donate to Seun Adeyibi.

Bar Method Opens Doors For A Video Fitness Gathering

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:00 -0500

Fitness junkies from far and wide came to Summit for event.

By Judie Hurtado

March 12, 2010

My husband likes to draw attention to the fact that I have many imaginary friends. "Imaginary" might not be the proper word to use, however. The truth is that I have many friends that I have never spoken to, met or even know their real names. These are people, all women, who I have befriended through online message boards.

I have been a member of an exercise message board called videofitness.com since 2006. At that time, my daughters were 3 and 1 and getting exercise was challenging. I was always a gym rat but decided to try working out with dvds. A quick Google search brought up the site and I've been hooked ever since. Even though I now belong to a gym, I still frequent the board to hear what the latest fitness fad is since I love all things having to do with health and fitness.

One popular topic was on the board was The Bar Method. Members chatted about their reviews of the latest dvds. In January, a member proposed a VF (Video Fitness) gathering in New Jersey at a Bar Method location. When I saw that thread, I was all over it. I suggested the Summit location since that was the closest one to my house. Nearly two months later, 4 members and myself met for the first time on a Saturday morning at the studio.

I have to admit I was nervous. I had never met these women before, aside from one who I had met a few weeks earlier at a class. Would we like each other? What would we talk about?

Turns out I worried for nothing. All the women were very nice and friendly. Most had traveled for miles in order to get to Summit. One woman, Jen, drove for an hour and a half from Exton, Pa. On the way, she picked up Namita, who lives in Royersford, Pa. It was the first time Jen and Namita had ever met. Leslie, from Flemington, drove 50 minutes to Summit. Jennifer, who lives in Whippany, had only about a 10-minute drive. I live in Maplewood and also had an easy commute.

As we all stood in the studio, we had a few minutes to chat and get to know each other. We revealed our real names versus the name we use on the board. It is really funny when you get to know someone online and then see what they look like in person. Jennifer revealed she expected me to be very tall and was surprised to see how "tiny" I am. (I'm 5'2" by the way).

Aside from Jennifer and myself, none of the other women had taken a live class at The Bar Method, so Jennifer and I tried to explain what to expect. We all managed to survive the class and then had to decide on where to eat for lunch. We ended up at the Peppercorn Diner. As we ate our omelets and wraps, we continued to talk about our exercise habits, favorite and not so favorite exercise videos and the other types of workouts that we do.

As we said our goodbyes, we made plans for our next gathering. All in all, it was a great afternoon.

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:00 -0500

Girl Scout Troops will begin booth sales Friday in Summit.

March 11, 2010

No, they are not made out of real Girl Scouts.

But they are just as sweet and lovable.

Right now, in Summit, it's Girl Scout cookie time! Time for you to stock up on Thin Mints and feed your Samoa cravings. This month, you can find Brownies, Juniors and Cadettes selling cookies outside of Starbucks, the train station and the library.

The cookie sales are the main fundraising event for the troops, which can get anywhere from 70 cents to $1 per box depending on how many they sell. This money goes to pay for camping trips. It also pays for supplies to perform service projects and earn badges as well as pay for the actual badges themselves.

But first, a little history. The first Girl Scout cookie sale was held in December 1917 by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, OK. The cookies were sold in the school cafeteria as a service project. By 1922, simple sugar cookies were baked in homes and sold door to door for 30 cents a dozen. The recipe was provided by Florence E. Neil, a local director in Chicago. It wasn't until 1951 that the best selling Girl Scout cookie of all time, the Thin Mint, was introduced.

In Summit, several troops began selling cooking in January mostly to friends, family and neighbors over the phone or going door-to-door. Cookie order deliveries started in late February. The month of March starts the booth sales.

As good as the cookies are, they're not without controversy. First, there is the voluntary recall of Lemon Chalet–a vanilla cookie sandwich with a lemon crème filling. While they are safe to eat, some boxes may have an 'off' taste or smell. The lot numbers in the recall are 7459402 and 7459403. Please contact your troop for a replacement should you have any of the recalled boxes.

Secondly, there's the price. They're $4 a box now in our area. In New York City and southern New Jersey, they're still $3.50 a box, for now. The upside is the troops get a bit more money. The downside? It's $4 per box.

Now for some fun girl scout cookie trivia.

The best selling cookie is Thin Mints. No surprise really. Thin Mints account for over 25 percent of total sales. Next up is Samoas with 19 percent of total sales. And the third most popular cookie is the peanut butter and chocolate Tagalongs with 13 percent of sales.

There are two authorized cookie bakers: Little Brownie Bakers have been baking Girl Scout cookies for about 30 years, and ABC Bakers have been churning them out since 1939.

There are over 28 varieties of cookies available–but only about eight varieties are offered for sale during the various sale periods. There are three mandatory flavors always available: Thin Mints, shortbread and the peanut butter sandwich cookie.

The cookies have different names depending on who makes them. Little Brownie Bakers make Do-si-dos, while ABC calls them Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Tagalongs are the same as Peanut Butter Patties. Samoas are Carmel deLights, and Trefoils are Shortbreads.

New cookies that have been introduced recently are Thank You Berry Munch for 2010 and Dulce de Leche in 2009. Some new cookies don't fare all that well. The sugar-free variety was dropped this year because of low sales.

Little Brownie Bakers make over 4,500,000 Thin Mints per day during peak baking periods.

The cookies are only available for a limited time–through the end of March in our area. So stock up. They freeze well!

Here's the schedule:

Friday, March 12: Train Station, 4-7 p.m. – Troop 854
Saturday, March 13: Library, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. – Troop 758
Saturday, March 13: HSBC, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. – Troop 251
Saturday, March 13: Starbucks, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.– Troop 1120
Saturday, March 13: Little Kings, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. – Troop 780
Sunday, March 14: Starbucks, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. – Troop 1120
Friday, March 19: Train Station, 4-7 p.m.– Troop 185
Friday, March 19: CVS, 3:30-6:30 p.m. – Troop 254
Saturday, March 20: Starbucks, 9 a.m.-noon – Troop 325
Saturday, March 20: Starbucks, Noon-4 p.m. – Troop 1120
Sunday, March 21: Starbucks, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. – Troop 1120
Friday, March 26: Train Station, 4-7 p.m. – Troop 185
Saturday, March 27: Library, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. – Troop 1155
Saturday, March 27: Liss Pharmacy, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. – Troop 1254
Saturday, March 27: Summit Train Station, 10 a.m.-2 p.m -- Watchung Troop
Sunday, March 28: Starbucks, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. – Troop 244

Freeholder: Support COAH Replacement

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:23:15 -0500

Send your letters to the editor to heather@patch.com.

March 11, 2010

As a lifelong resident of Union County, I look forward to the day when our 21 municipalities can plan for the future instead of being thwarted at every turn by the bureaucracy known as COAH.

COAH – the Council on Affordable Housing - was created by state law in 1985. It's been a disaster ever since. COAH has blocked development of all kinds and run roughshod over vital community issues such as environmental quality and open space preservation.

County government has an up-close close view of the problem because we administer state and federal grants that create new housing and restore blighted properties. That in turn creates new business opportunities and jobs throughout Union County.

For the past 25 years COAH has slowed the process down to a crawl, costing Union County residents untold millions in lost economic potential.

One main problem is that COAH is a top down system that invites error at every turn. Developers often find their projects blocked through no fault of their own. Then they seek relief by suing local governments. Taxpayers have to foot the bill, as happened recently in Cranford.

The means to end this debacle is finally within reach. Democratic Senator Raymond Lesniak and Republican Senator Christopher Batemen have introduced S-1, a bill that would abolish COAH and replace it with a far more logical process that respects local needs. Tandem legislation was introduced in the Assembly (A-205) by Republican David Rible.

Jobs are created when shovels hit the ground, and S-1 will break the logjam that has blocked new projects for a generation. S-1 will finally make affordable housing, economic development and quality of life work together as a team the way they should, instead of pitting them against each other as COAH does.

We can't afford to let this opportunity to slip through our fingers when thousands of Union County families and businesses are facing financial ruin in the midst of a global economic crisis.

Yet, in the face of all this, Cranford Mayor Mark Smith and Westfield Mayor Andy Skibitsky have come out against S-1. What are they thinking?

Together, Cranford and Westfield have a COAH obligation of more than 500 new units of affordable housing. The numbers may change somewhat, but the obligation itself is not going to blow away and disappear.

The fact is that affordable housing is part of the civic infrastructure. You can't wish it away, no more than you can wish away roads, bridges, or schools. What you can do is plan wisely to ensure that affordable housing benefits and improves the whole community.

Fortunately, S-1 has the support of a number of municipal officials and New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie. I am adding my vigorous support to these bipartisan voices.

S-1 will help jumpstart our economy and improve our communities by getting more Union County residents back to work, and that's the bottom line.

Daniel P. Sullivan
Chairman, Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders