In the last two years much has changed in Summit. The school budget was cut last year by common council for the first time in anyone's memory. One councilman was investigated on allegations of official misconduct and another was censured by council for exposing it. A man was murdered in downtown Summit. But in a lot of ways, not much has changed at all. The governing body still struggles with balancing maintaining the level of services many Summit residents expect to find in the Hill City with fiscal responsibility in these difficult economic times. The schools continue to excel at educating …

A chorline spill at Kent Place School? A campus lockdown with a shooter on the loose? An evacuation of a four-black radius around the Norwood Avenue campus? Well, it may not have been real but on June 16 representatives from Kent Place School the Summit Police Department, the Summit Fire Department, the Colonial Crossroads Chapter of the Red Cross, Overlook Medical Center and other emergency services agencies and city officials put on an emergency management drill to practice how to handle an emergency of this magnitude. I was brought in to represent the media involvement and likely expose …

I may be one of the few people who actually was looking forward to serving on jury duty. When I got the little slip in the mail saying I had to report to Union County Superior Court last week to serve as a petit juror, no, I wasn't thrilled. First of all, I hate going to Elizabeth. Second, taking the day off from Patch isn't as easy as it sounds. But, regardless, I got up at the crack of dawn, drove to the courthouse and low and behold after a day of sitting around in the jury room, which by the way is the worst combination of an airport waiting area and one at motor vehicle, was selected to …

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. No, not because of the presents or even the feast my mom has always prepared. But it's the time I get to spend with my family. Last year, I told you about the one Christmas I didn't get to spend with my family–or so they thought. But this year I'm struck by the fact that things are changing. I'm getting married. My brother is about to graduate from high school. And to top it all off, I just became an aunt! (Or a soon-to-be aunt I suppose!) 2010 was a year of many changes for me personally and professionally. Patch celebrated milestones …

It's no secret that Patch employees love to give back to their communities. Each year, Patch editors give a minimum of five days of community service back to the towns we cover. This month, five editors volunteered their time with Habitat for Humanity at the 39 Morris Avenue site. It was a cold, brisk morning but we were ready to work. The crew was cheerful despite the fact that the task for the day had already been done, and subsequently destroyed by rain, three times already. But the concrete footings were to be poured again because without that, the foundation wall could not be built. So, …