Jump ball      JEFF GRANIT staff Edison's Nathan Otokiti (No. 45) and Derrick Murray (No. 1) go up for a rebound against JFK High School, Iselin, in the Gene Haley Holiday Tournament at Edison High School. More ... Planners OK Stop & Shop redevelopment Traffic was of concern to some residents BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       Four meetings and 15 hours later, the Metuchen Planning Board unanimously voted in favor last week of Developer Renaissance Properties' application to spend $70 million to develop the 5.85-acre site located within the D-1 (Downtown Development District) zone, despite continued traffic and parking ... More ... Top 10 stories for Edison and Metuchen in '07       1. The new council - The Democratic primary this summer presented Edison residents with three different slates for the Township Council. One was composed of incumbent council members Charles Tomaro, Sal Pizzi, Robert Karabinchak and Joan Kapitan. The second was composed of former mayoral candid... More ... Incoming council pledges to be autonomous, professional Hopes to tackle property taxes and overdevelopment during tenure BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       EDISON - Edison's four new Township Council members hope that their efforts to address property tax rates and overdevelopment will help in gaining the residents' faith during the new council members' first year in office. The four new members - Dr. More ... Outgoing council members bid, are bid, fond farewells Four incumbent terms to expire Dec. 31 BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       EDISON - Edison Township said goodbye to four of its council members during their final meeting on Dec. 27. Flanked by balloons, various township personalities spoke words of praise for the outgoing council members, who gave their goodbye speeches before a packed audience. More ... Around Town Fire trucks deliver a holiday tradition AMY ROSEN       Idid not grow up in New Jersey, but it is home to me. I have lived here just about half my life and raised a family here, but I still get as excited as a small child when I hear the fire engine sirens getting closer to my house on the Saturday closest to Christmas. It means Santa is on his way. More ... Graveyard rich with colonial history Metuchen resident works to maintain historic grave site BY JAY BODAS Correspondent       METUCHEN- At just under 2 acres, the deceptively small Old Colonial Cemetery off Main Street holds 1,105 graves, some of which date back to the Revolutionary War era. "We would like to one day turn it into a memorial park and put it on the National Register of Historic Places," said William Smith... More ... Park it      CHRIS KELLY staff Parking is scarce at the Edison train station, but it is about to receive 350 additional spaces about a mile down the road. Commuters will be able to get from the lot to the station through a shuttle bus. More ... Borough's La Rosa pizzeria lost in blaze BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       METUCHEN - A mid-morning blaze destroyed La Rosa Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant on Middlesex Avenue last week, which has been a staple in the borough for 30 years. "It was just a bad fire," said Metuchen Fire Chief Robert Donnan. More ... Police report home invasion on Linda Lane       EDISON - Edison police are searching for suspects in a Dec. 26 home invasion in which a man's house was burglarized. According to Edison Police Lt. Joseph Shannon, public information officer, a house on Linda Lane was entered at 3:30 that morning by forcing open a rear sliding glass door. The vi... More ... Short-story book features local authors Contributors include both professionals and beginners BY JAY BODAS Correspondent       Besides being an attorney, incoming borough councilman Chris Morrison is also a writer of fiction in his free time. "I had always enjoyed writing, but I had never really shared that with anyone else," Morrison said. "Before this, I hadn't been published in anything besides college publications. More ...