• YMCAs team up for Passport Program

    Beginning in January, five Middlesex County YMCAs will join together to offer its members the ability to use participating YMCAs without an additional fee. YMCAs participating in the Passport Program include the YMCAs of Metuchen, Edison, South Amboy; Raritan Bay Area YMCA in Perth Amboy; and Raritan Valley YMCA in East Brunswick. “Our members are…

  • TOP TEN STORIES OF 2013

    Costco and Target will be the first stores to join the MainStreetNB transit village in North Brunswick. NJ Transit approved a train station for the project earlier this year. 1. NJ Transit announces approval of train station North Brunswick got excited when NJ Transit announced it went out to bid on the preliminary engineering, construction…

  • Surge in snowy owl sightings is wintry treat for bird spotters

    By JOSEPH SAPIA Correspondent A bout 10 years ago, Kathy Krygier was at her kitchen sink, doing the dishes, when she saw a commotion of birds at a tall Norway spruce about 100 feet away. Then, she saw what caused the commotion: a large, white bird that promptly started flying toward the window she was…

  • Summit explores ways to combat poverty in N.J.

    By KATHY CHANG Staff Writer This year marks the 50th anniversary of the “War on Poverty,” where former President Lyndon B. Johnson called upon the nation to build a “Great Society” that eliminated the troubles of the poor. The war continues today. With onefourth of all seniors and one-third of New Jersey residents struggling to…

  • Changing times challenge retailers

    By THOMAS CASTLES Staff Writer A sign advertises available space in the Epicentre shopping plaza on Route 9 in Manalapan. The vacancy rate for retail space in central New Jersey climbed to 9.8 percent in the second quarter of 2013. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR Storefront vacancies have blemished many of New Jersey’s busiest retail corridors…

  • Reader roundup

    Q&A with Sharon Peters Q: I heard part of a report that seemed to be indicating that Great Britain is banning all non-hybrids sometime in the future. Can this be true? A: No. One party in England proposed a bill that would, in effect, essentially ban all non-hybrid cars by 2040. No one is suggesting…

  • Fanciful features

    By Jim Gorzelany CTW Features From a built-in vacuum cleaner to seats that give a hot stone massage while en route, automakers are luring shoppers into showrooms with an engaging array of the latest high-tech systems. There’s no such thing as a “stripped down” new car any more. Even some of the smallest and least…

  • This (s)old house

    By Madhusmita Bora CTW Features Older homes are more affordable and have “character,” but they can come with more problems, too. Here’s how to care for your aging home. You may have heard that America’s population is aging, and so is the country’s housing stock. According to RealtyTrac, real estate data provider, more than 70…

  • Inspecting the home inspection

    By Erik J. Martin CTW Features After the price haggling and before closing, home inspections are an essential part of the homebuying process. Here are the top 5 misconceptions. Considering that a home purchase is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, it’s smart to enlist the help of a professional home inspector prior…

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