Jen Kassebart

Wawa, Inc. celebrated the grand opening of its newest store, located at 28 Little Falls Road in Fairfield on Friday, where both state and local officials, members of the Fairfield fire and police departments, members of the Special Olympics, members of the community food bank, township employees, community members, family and friends joined Wawa mascot Wally Goose for a commemorative ribbon cutting ceremony.

It was an evening of Cuban food and specialty drinks as Cubanelle Restaurant & Lounge hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of its new location in Totowa, near Fairfield.

Cubanelle Restaurant & Lounge is bringing its "magical blend of Latin Soul and Cuban Spirit" to Totowa. Cubanelle Restaurant & Lounge, located at 1 Route 46 West inside the Holiday Inn in Totowa, will celebrate the Grand Opening of its second location with two events in May.

It was a true testament to "governments working together" as representatives from Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, North Caldwell Mayor Joseph Alessi, members of the township council and government officials from Essex County municipalities joined Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. and Essex County Chief of Staff Philip Alagia as they announced the development of a new Off-Leash Dog Park at Hilltop Reservation in North Caldwell.

It was a foodie's paradise in Fairfield as JJ's Hotdogs and Lola's Ice Cream and Sweet Shoppe each hosted ribbon-cutting ceremony events on Sunday to celebrate their grand openings.

Hundreds of student masterpieces were on display along the colored hallways from each grade, including Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" photo booth, interpretations of Robert Indiana's "Love" sculpture using four-letter words and a hand-painted anti-bullying mural that was created by third-grade art club and art teacher Tracy Farrell.

Family owned JJ’s Hotdogs, now located at 572 Route 46 East in Fairfield, will host its Grand Opening event of the first brick-and-mortar location on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. This is JJ's Hotdogs second location.

After months of anticipation, young gymnasts from Tumble Techs Gymnastics Academy of Fairfield had the opportunity to meet, "strike a pose," Snapchat and more with New Jersey native and Olympic Gold Medalist Laurie Hernandez to help raise money and awareness for Progeria, a rare and fatal "rapid aging disease."

Locally owned Lola's Ice Cream and Sweet Shoppe, located at 244 US Highway 46 East in the Calandra Plaza in Fairfield, will host a Grand Opening event on Sunday, April 22 at 1:00 p.m. Lola's is owned by the Dinardo Family, longtime residents of Fairfield, who named the ice cream shop after the owner’s granddaughter, Lola Dinardo.

NJ Angels 4 Kids is dedicated to transforming donated wedding/christening/communion dresses and christening/white suits into precious angel (burial) dresses/suits for those in need. Carlton, who loves to sew and personally transforms each gown, said she was inspired by an article she read about Baby Gowns for Eternity, a charity in Texas.

Local police departments responded to burglaries and thefts involving United States Post Office blue collection mailboxes Little Falls at 229 Main St. and Woodland Park at 1017 McBride Avenue earlier this week. Similar incidents also occurred in Fairfield, Caldwell, West Caldwell, Livingston, Pine Brook and Orange, according to police.

It came down to one point on Monday as the Fairfield Rockets Jr. girls basketball team won the championship game against the Rebels, another Fairfield team, at Adlai Stevenson School in Fairfield. The final score was 29-28 as the buzzer sounded.

Thanks to the dedication and persistence of Caldwell parents B.J. and Janice Kurus, and many other local families, the Caldwell Little League (CLL) recently became an official charter of Little League Baseball and will launch its inaugural season this year.

The quote “If you build it, he will come” is fitting for this accomplishment, but B.J. Kurus said it would not have been possible without the outpouring of support and interest from the community.

After a snowy beginning to March, local residents are looking for a sunny end to enjoy all the many complimentary Easter Hoppinings in and around the community.

The West Essex Lacrosse Club braved the cold and enjoyed a fun family outing at the United States Military Academy West Point on Saturday to watch the Black Knights battle Lehigh University at historic Michie Stadium.

As part of the outing, West Essex Lacrosse Club players and family were treated to a pre-game chalk talk with Captain Justin Bokmeyer, Director of Lacrosse Operations and former Captain of the Black Knights, in historical Randall Hall. Bockmeyer spoke with the players about… Show more

The West Essex Lacrosse Club braved the cold and enjoyed a fun family outing at the United States Military Academy West Point on Saturday to watch the Black Knights battle Lehigh University at historic Michie Stadium.

As part of the outing, West Essex Lacrosse Club players and family were treated to a pre-game chalk talk with Captain Justin Bokmeyer, Director of Lacrosse Operations and former Captain of the Black Knights, in historical Randall Hall. Bockmeyer spoke with the players about life as an athlete and a cadet at West Point and the importance of living honorably through hard work and determination in all aspects of life. Show less

"Oh, the Places You'll go!" The Fairfield Free Public Library hosted a fun-filled Dr. Seuss-themed party to celebrate Read Across America on Saturday, where participants were treated to Dr. Seuss-themed hats and kid-friendly snacks while fun music played and children and adults enjoyed the library amenities.

Youth Services Librarian, Jaime O'Donnell led the children in a discussion about Dr. Seuss books and asked each child to name his or her favorite Dr. Seuss books. "Green eggs and… Show more

"Oh, the Places You'll go!" The Fairfield Free Public Library hosted a fun-filled Dr. Seuss-themed party to celebrate Read Across America on Saturday, where participants were treated to Dr. Seuss-themed hats and kid-friendly snacks while fun music played and children and adults enjoyed the library amenities.

Youth Services Librarian, Jaime O'Donnell led the children in a discussion about Dr. Seuss books and asked each child to name his or her favorite Dr. Seuss books. "Green eggs and Ham" and the "The Cat in the Hat" were among some of the popular favorites. Show less

Not even a raging Nor'easter could stop fans from coming to see this year's annual event at Passaic Valley High School. Girls' Show, one of Passaic Valley's most anticipated events of the year, occurred last night, March 2 at Passaic Valley High School. Girls' Show has been a PVHS tradition for over 70 years and has evolved into an enormous event.

Nick Sauter, who is well regarded in the community and a retired vice principal from Passaic Valley High School, continues to suffer from end stage renal failure, also known as end stage kidney disease, and is still in need of a living kidney donor to undergo a successful kidney transplant.

I had my beautiful, smart, spunky baby girl in my early 40s and I would do it over again. Well, maybe I would have tried harder to convince my slightly younger husband to have our third baby (yes third) when we were in our early to mid 30s! But, after countless discussions, while we ourselves and our first two children were still “young,” we made the decision to donate all of our baby gear and call it a draw. After all, I didn’t think I could ever convince my practical husband that adding a… Show more

I had my beautiful, smart, spunky baby girl in my early 40s and I would do it over again. Well, maybe I would have tried harder to convince my slightly younger husband to have our third baby (yes third) when we were in our early to mid 30s! But, after countless discussions, while we ourselves and our first two children were still “young,” we made the decision to donate all of our baby gear and call it a draw. After all, I didn’t think I could ever convince my practical husband that adding a third child to our already busy life was a good idea. He was always jokingly saying “two and through” ... Show less