Chaplain is a companion during life’s last stage Hospice chaplain speaks about life, death, the realities of grief BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       EDISON — Peg O’Halloran said her job is like two rings touching. They do not overlap, one does not overwhelm the other. They are simply complementary. As the first full-time chaplain at the Barbara E. Cheung Memorial Hospice, O’Halloran’s job is to provide spiritual companionship fo... More ... Officials statewide to meet on consolidation BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       METUCHEN — Mayor Edmund O’Brien and other borough officials were expected to join other mayors from similar boroughs and townships state-wide today to fight the state’s proposals for consolidation. The bipartisan press conference and rally was expected to be held at 11:30 a.m. on Jan.... More ... Time capsule reveals church’s and world’s past Newspaper headline of Hitler invading Poland and start of WWII BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       WOODBRIDGE — The Rev. David Kosmoski of St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church in Avenel said the most interesting item found in the church’s 1939 time capsule was the yellowed and brittle front page of the New York Herald Tribune newspaper. More ... Traffic laws we don’t know or simply ignore       Passing on the right or hanging tassels from a rearview mirror can get you tickets in the Garden State BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer You see the flashing red lights in the rearview mirror and you don’t know why. You weren’t speeding, and you know that you came to a f... More ... Misconceptions abound about police, traffic laws       Metuchen officer dispels myth about ticket quotas; former prosecutor addresses DWI issues BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer Most people have their own perception and misconceptions about the police — good and bad — but some misconceptions can be answered simply by asking a... More ... Curator recalls meeting with President Ford Museum played recordings of president on the day of his burial BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       On the day Jack Stanley met former President Gerald R. Ford, he was struck most by his modesty. Stanley, the curator of the Thomas Alva Edison Museum, met Ford at his Rancho Mirage, Calif., home in November 1999. More ... Council moves toward appointing own attorney Some council members are displeased with Edison Twp. attorney’s representation BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       The Edison Township Council introduced an ordinance on Wednesday that would give the council separate legal representation from that of the township attorney. The municipal counselor would serve solely the Township Council and would remove those duties from the current township atto... More ... Metropark to get $30 million makeover NJ Transit to replace high-level platforms and add amenities by 2010 BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       WOODBRIDGE — New Jersey Transit will spend $29.8 million to make much-needed improvements to the Metropark Station in Iselin, which is NJ Transit’s busiest outlying rail station. “Over time, heavy use of the station has taken its toll on platforms,” said NJ Transit Executive Direct... More ... Council OKs 7.5-cent budget amendment Budget would raise taxes on $200K-assessed property value by $150 BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       EDISON — After months of wrangling, the Township Council passed a budget amendment on Wednesday that will raise the municipal tax rate by 7.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value. More ...