SCOTT FRIEDMAN Members of the Hare Krishna gleefully celebrate with the crowd at the India Day Parade on Oak Tree Road, which went through Edison and Woodbridge on Aug. 12. The parade marked India's 60th independence day. Story, see page 3. More ... Hero cop recognized by Township Council Edison detective used CPR to revive girl who had no pulse or breath BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       Sometimes heroism is where luck and skill converge.On May 27, Edison Detective William Colletto had been patrolling, unassigned along Route 27, when a call came in: young girl, unconscious in a pool. He was only minutes away. "I was still on the phone when I heard the sirens," said ... More ... Routes 440 and 287 to be rehabbed in county Route 440 southbound to be repaved; 287 needs complete overhaul BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       MIDDLESEX COUNTY - Construc-tion has started on the New Jersey Department of Transportation [NJDOT] I-287 rehabilitation project and the Route 440 Southbound resurfacing project. "These are two separate projects, but it will look like one project," said Scott Thorn, project manager... More ... Football team volunteers at Lakeview school carnival Event lasts 3 days; students get chance to experience carnival BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       EDISON - Members of the J.P. Stevens High School football team took a trip to outer space, but never left town. The football players volunteered at the Lakeview School and Treatment Center on Aug. 10, taking part in the school's yearly carnival, the theme of which was "Starbase Lak... More ... Night Out in Metuchen      PHOTOS BYSCOTT FRIEDMAN (Top left) Frank Sr. and Karen Capron of Metuchen accompany their children (l-r) Emma, 6, Anna, 6, Alana, 3, Frank Jr., 6, and Dan, 3, to the next activity at National Night Out in Metuchen on Aug. 8. (Top right) Metuchen Police officer David Irizarry is joined by his daughte... More ... Tobacco bill moves through House committee BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       The bill to regulate tobacco products has moved one step closer to being enacted into law. The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions [HELP] Committee approved legislation on Aug. 1 to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] with authority to regulate tobacco pr... More ... Where have all the red voles gone? Teacher studies effects of climate change on Nova Scotian rodents BY JESSICA ALFREY Correspondent       METUCHEN - Picking ticks off strangers and sharing a "bathroom" with the bears is not the average person's idea of a three-week trip to Canada. Unless you are Patricia Donahue. More ... Single mothers make their lives an open book Collaborative effort aims to empower, inspire those facing adversity BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer       NORTH BRUNSWICK - For My Daughter's Keeper Inc. (MDK), mom's the word. However, moms come in all shapes and sizes: Rich, poor. Old, young. Educated, going through school. Married, single. More ... Family histories told in unique biographies Attorney leaves firm after 5 years to start unique creative venture BY LAURA KOSS Correspondent       Matthew Litt has done what many people spend countless hours at their desks daydreaming about. This 29-year-old Manalapan native stopped dreaming and left his career as a Manhattan attorney to start his own business, Bridge Biography. More ... Racing hogs to rubber frogs, it's the county fair Middlesex staple kicked off its 69th year BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       EAST BRUNSWICK - Outside the 69th annual Middlesex County Fair was a large, grassy field swiftly filling up with rows of cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. While a mass of gray clouds threatened to make life difficult for the hundreds attending the fair's opening day Aug. 6, by abo... More ... Thousands celebrate India's independence BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       The shouting could be heard for blocks."Bharat mata ki," barked a man in white robes as he clutched a microphone and bounded across the stage. "Jai," the crowd yelled back. Oak Tree Road in Edison and Iselin was lined eight to 10 people deep, with parade-goers dancing and sing... More ... Hands of hope      PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN (Above) Second-grade teacher Louise Lippy shows wheat grains to student volunteers Ankush Patel, 8, Alex Telson, 8, and Radhika Patel, 10, in the garden of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Edison on Aug. 9. (Top right) Lippy points out butternut squash, and (top) ... More ... Boot camp sends workout back to the basics Program modifies tried-and-true exercises for boredom-free workout BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       EDISON - Ryan Toth says your body is the ultimate gym. He has no machines to work out with, no televisions or techno music. In fact, there are no walls. All Toth needs to conduct his Total Core Fitness Boot Camp are bodies and space and a 40-pound sandbag named "Sandy. More ... Worker, 45, dies in fall from bridge BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       SAYREVILLE - A 45-year-old construction worker died Saturday morning when he fell while working on the Alfred E. Driscoll Bridge. Thomas W. Oset, of Manville, Somerset County, was carrying 2-by-4 planks that were 12 feet in length when the boards that formed a temporary walkway broke... More ... Council adopts $14M budget on Aug. 6 BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       METUCHEN - Even though the increase in taxes dropped $39 this year from last year, officials said the borough is still facing hard times to come. "We have gotten by this year with relatively small increases," said Councilman Timothy Dacey. More ...