HappyHappy ThanksgivingThanksgiving Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, November 26, 2009 OUR 119th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 48-2009 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com [email protected] SIXTY CENTS Donations Sought to Help Families In Need During Holiday Season By MARYLOU MORANO ing individuals and families in need nications for The Community Food Specially Written for The Westfield Leader through its “Adopt a Food Pantry.” Bank of New Jersey in Hillside. “The AREA – With the weakened Area schools adopt a food pantry and need is up 67 percent from just two economy, many local residents are students are encouraged to bring do- years ago.” still in need of food and clothing. This nations to school with them, and the For Thanksgiving, a total of 35 holiday season, many local congre- county will distribute the supplies to turkey drive sites donated 2,898 fro- gations and organizations will con- the food pantries. The non-perish- zen turkeys, and Westfield’s First duct food, clothing and other drives able foods needed most are cereals, Union School brought in 102 tur- in an effort to lend a hand. infant formula, milk (canned, boxed, keys, 1,020 pounds of food and $124. “There are approximately 30 food or powered), juice (boxed or canned) In total, The Community Food Bank, pantries in the county and all urgently peanut butter, and canned or pack- which assists low-income people in need supplies,” said Union County aged foods such as meat, fish, veg- 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties, re- Freeholder Chairman Alexander etables, macaroni and cheese, soups, ceived 2,898 frozen turkeys from the Mirabella. stews and chili. 35 turkey drive sites. “Westfield was The Union County Department of “The need [for food this year] is up one of nine sites to collect more than Human Services (UCDHS) is coordi- 30 percent in our different partnering 100 turkeys,” he said. nating with schools in the county to agencies, such as soup kitchens,” said Assemblywoman Linda Stender refill the shelves of food pantries serv- Anthony Guido, director of commu- (LD-22, Fanwood) is accepting do- nations for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey at her office located at 1801 East Second Street in Scotch Plains, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The food bank needs high-protein, non-perishable foods, such as peanut butter, canned meats, fish, chili, fruits and vegetables. Financial donations can be made payable to The Community Food Bank of New Jersey and mailed to CAN YOU NAME THAT TREE?...Dean Talcott of Fanwood, a Union County Master Tree Steward volunteer, attaches an Assemblywoman Stender, attention: identification tag to a Pin Oak in Nomahegan Park to help raise public awareness of the importance of trees in the Community Food Drive, 1801 East environment. Second Street, Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076. The Tri-County Red Cross, located Forensic Lab Has Ability to Solve at 332 West Front Street in Plainfield, has collected food and more than 250 turkeys to distribute for Thanksgiv- ing. This year, the agency had found Crimes, Match Criminal Profiles that “more people had come to the By MICHAEL J. POLLACK crimes. This year, the lab played a stressed, “Being aware of contamina- door sooner. We were limited on the Specially Written for The Westfield Leader role in connecting several Union tion issues is so important. We want Thanksgiving food baskets that we WESTFIELD – The “future of law County burglaries. to obtain a correct result and keep could hand out sooner than last year,” enforcement” is occurring right now The lab successfully linked DNA scientific integrity, so nothing we SCOUTING FOR FOOD…Cub Scout Pack 673 collected food and delivered over said Mike Prasad, director of emer- in Westfield, according to Union from a screwdriver’s handle, found at touch is leading to a false exclusion.” 50 bags to the Holy Trinity Food Pantry on First Street in Westfield two Saturdays gency services, who said this year he County Prosecutor Ted Romankow. a burglary scene in Clark, to a con- Because of that, live evidence was ago. also saw people in need of Thanks- Tucked inside the Ralph G. Froehlich victed offender who struck in Union. not being processed at the time of the giving meals due to sudden job loss. Public Safety Building on North Av- This individual has now pled guilty to media’s arrival. The simple act of The agency is also holding a toy enue lies the Union County three burglaries and will be sentenced talking could lead unintentionally to WF Redistricting Upheld; drive during December, and is in need Prosecutor’s Office Forensic Labora- next month. saliva being released and damaging all year round for items such as trial- tory, where eight lab technicians ana- “We would not have had that op- evidence, Ms. Ghannam said. size toothpaste for its disaster kits lyze the science behind criminal cases portunity but for that DNA analysis Fears of contamination are so great BOE Must Bus RIS Students and cases of bottled water that is that occur in Union County. through our lab,” Mr. Romankow said. that the final room, to which the me- By PAUL J. PEYTON “who actually attend RIS while re- handed out at disaster sites. The Tri- Last Thursday, the prosecutor’s Monica Ghannam, who serves as dia had absolutely no access, is Specially Written for The Westfield Leader siding beyond two miles…is incon- County Red Cross, which serves office invited the media inside the DNA technical leader, took the me- blocked from all non-lab workers, WESTFIELD — An administra- sistent” with state statutes. The BOE Union, Middlesex and Somerset laboratory to gain perspective on the dia on a tour of the biological side of even the cleaning crew. tive law judge has upheld the Board had required students who legally Counties, can be reached at (908) role it plays. the operation. “We clean it ourselves,” Ms. of Education’s (BOE) redistricting of required busing to attend Edison. 756-6414. Back in 2002, when the The four-phase process of DNA Ghannam said. 21 students from the Washington Under state law, a district must bus Rosemarie O’Hare, director of the groundbreaking for the Froehlich analysis begins in the examination In the final room, a thermo cycler School area to Edison Intermediate students who live more two miles Westfield Food Pantry at Holy Trin- structure was underway, Mr. room, where evidence from police makes copies and amplifies segments School instead of Roosevelt Interme- from an elementary or intermediate ity, said, “There are certain items we Romankow made a request to the departments is first opened. Gloves of the DNA. Once that has concluded, diate School (RIS), the closer school school and two-and-a-half miles from can always use – cereal, oatmeal, freeholders that the county consider are worn, and facemasks are donned lab techs see a series of peaks on a to those students’ neighborhoods. The a high school. peanut butter and jelly, soup, or per- adding a DNA element to its labora- to avoid contamination. Since bio- graph. Those peaks are labeled with judge, however, determined that the However, the judge did not find in sonal-care products (such as) soap, tory, which at that time handled serol- logical fluids can fluoresce, an alter- numbers, and the combination of BOE’s policy to provide busing only the lawsuit, filed by Mr. Stoller who toothpaste and shampoo. For the holi- ogy (the study and examination of nate light source in the room helps to numbers culminates into a complete for Edison students to be unlawful. represented a group of 47 parents days we also need turkeys or hams.” bodily fluids) and controlled danger- identify certain biological fluids such DNA profile of a person. That profile The redistricting, approved last CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 ous substances (CDS). as saliva. is then compared to others in the spring by the BOE, went into effect in “I knew, as well as other law-en- After biological fluids are identi- CODIS databank of convicted of- September in an effort to reduce the forcement, that DNA would continue fied, the next step is determining to fenders, and previously unsolved Roosevelt sixth grade student enroll- to be the future of investigations in whom they belong; this process oc- cases can be cracked. ment over the next five years. RVSA Delays Budget Until the forensic field,” Mr. Romankow curs in the DNA extraction room. The analysis of DNA – which, Ms. Administrative Law Judge Rich- said. “I pushed the county to add a DNA, which is found in white blood Ghannam said, is in every cell in a ard McGill ruled November 19 that Mayors Review Proposal DNA lab, but the concern was the cells, is opened up with harsh chemi- person’s body, from hair and toenails trhe district’s plan “to approximately amount of money to develop it.” cals that can break through cell walls. to the liver – is “an exact science.” If equalize the number of students in By WAYNE BAKER bad precedent. Mr. Dierkes later said Mr. Romankow said he was “fortu- Throughout, Ms. Ghannam CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 each school is inherently reasonable.” Specially Written for The Westfield Leader that Mountainside’s new mayor, Paul nate” that, through the efforts of Superintendent of Schools Marga- RAHWAY — The commissioners Mirabelli, opposed such review. former Rep. Mike Ferguson, $1 mil- ret Dolan said in a statement that she of the Rahway Valley Sewerage Au- Paul Sefranka, Rahway’s commis- lion of federal grants came forward to was “pleased that this decision vali- thority (RVSA) voted Monday night sioner, said that the authority was start the process of building the lab, dates our effort to provide consistent to postpone adoption of the RVSA “better served by taking a delibera- which complemented the existing se- educational opportunities for all the 2010 budget until its December 17 tive vote.” He said all commissioners rological center.