Forum probes the pitfalls of life as a teenage girl MADD founder tells county students they can change their world BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer       MONROE — Girls just wanna have fun. And learn. And be social. And share their experiences. The third annual Young Women’s Conference, hosted by the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence of Middlesex County and the Middlesex County Substance Abuse Coalition, was the perfect... More ... Metuchen man arrested for sexual assault BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       PISCATAWAY – A longtime woodshop teacher at Conackamack Middle School in Piscataway was arrested and charged last week with aggravated sexual assault on a female — who wasn’t a student of his — over a four-year period beginning when the female was 10 years old. The female is now 16 years ol... More ... Fire destroys first level of house, kills birds BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       METUCHEN — A fire ripped through and destroyed the first floor of a two-story residence on Irving Avenue, killing the family’s pet birds that were inside last week. “We were able to determine that the fire started in the kitchen,” said Fire Chief Robert Donnan. “But we haven’t been ab... More ... Legislature adopts civil union law Aberdeen couple one of seven who sued to force change BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       Same-sex couples in New Jersey will now have access to all the legal rights and responsibilities heterosexual couples possess, except for the right to call their relationship “marriage. More ... Residents, officials rate mayor’s performance Appraisals of Choi’s first year in office range from compliments to criticism BY JAY BODAS Staff Writer       The grades are in, and depending on who one talks to, Edison Mayor Jun Choi’s first year in office has gone admirably, badly or somewhere in between. The list of the administration’s accomplishments in the first year range from televising Planning and Zoning Board meetings, to vario... More ... After tumultuous year, mayor still optimistic BY JAY BODAS Staff Writer       Even if his first year in office has left him fatigued, Edison Mayor Jun Choi isn’t showing any signs of it. “It’s been a great, exciting period, where we have introduced more ordinances than in any single year in over 15 years,” Choi said, flashing a smile early into his morning la... More ... MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Matthew Micali [with the microphone], of Metuchen’s St. Joseph’s High School Falcon Robotics team, explains to the judges how their robot is going to wire the whole little town of San Pablo [Belize] with solar panels during the annual Read the Story... School construction to be included in referendum Voters will be asked to approve $64 million bond referendum in April BY JAY BODAS Staff Writer       If Edison residents pass a bond referendum proposed for April, a nearly $80 million construction project on Edison’s elementary and middle schools could begin as early as May 2008, school district officials say. More ... Former addict counsels teens on ‘hood’ life dangers BY JAY BODAS Staff Writer       EDISON — After serving four and a half years in state prison for selling drugs, Dwayne Bowen, 34, is now giving back to his community. “I was an alcoholic when I was in high school at J.P. Stevens, where every morning I would wake up to a 40-ounce walking to school,” Bowen said. More ...