In the Garwood council meeting of March 12, 2026, I must have been teleported to an upside-down Garwood world.This meeting agenda had a final vote for 4 overlay zoning ordinances to satisfy the affordable housing and luxury market rate residential mandates. Sadly, with such a major impact of change ...

I recently witnessed an incident in Westfield that strengthened my belief that CAKE—Compassion, Acceptance, Kindness, and Empathy— is not just an idea. It is a community tool that depends on everyday people being aware, prepared, and willing to respond when an opportunity to serve presents itself.Wh...

Congressman Tom Kean Jr.’s latest newsletter ran close to 1,000 words and covered everything from local events to federal policy. The expanding U.S. conflict with Iran — a matter involving war, American lives, and potentially enormous long-term consequences — was addressed in just 25 words assuring ...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism ProgramThe lights dimmed and you could feel the electricity in the air as the curtain opened on Friday night. The first few dancers ran onto the stage and suddenly you were no longer sitting in the Westfield High School (WHS) auditorium, but ...

In announcing his bill intended to reduce the burdens placed on Roxbury residents, Congressman Kean omits several significant considerations.First, he fails to describe the enormity of this project. It is a 470,000 square foot detention center designed to house 1,500 ICE detainees at a cost of $129 ...

In the 1960s, my friend Lynn taught for two years in a rural community in South Korea, surrounded by rice fields. Homes and buildings had no central heating, no indoor plumbing, only occasional electricity, and modest school supplies for the children. Lynn was in South Korea as a Peace Corps volunte...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism Program

“Does that little boy have a face?” I kidded my husband last Sunday, as we waited for a table at a weekend brunch spot. A three-year-old boy caught our attention. He sat with his mother and her friend, his face hidden behind a waffle. His eyes, nose, chin, and mouth, even his hair, were invisible, a...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism ProgramRecently, it feels as if every time I watch the news, there is a new controversial story about ICE raids, arrests, protests, etc. This government agency, which is supposed to protect its citizens, has been the leading cause of panic in...

I recently called Congressman Tom Kean’s office, to once again ask him to stand up to President Trump. Specifically, I requested that the Congressman take a stronger stand for energy efficiency, in order to offset Trump’s pointless onslaught against federal support for efficiency measures.During the...