Stories to Watch in 2014

The upcoming year will likely see progression in many ongoing stories from Westwood, Hillsdale and Washington Township.

• The Westwood Regional Board of Education will continue searching for a new superintendent this year while Interim Superintendent James Sheerin continues leading the district.

• The DEP has ordered United Water to start work on its project on the Woodcliff Lake Dam "as soon as possible," but the issue is still locked up in court. A group of Hillsdale and Westwood residents have said the utility's plan would worsen local flooding and the group has appealed a judge's ruling that Hillsdale ordinances are preempted by DEP regulations. 

• HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley opened its doors in 2013, and the hospital already has plans for expansion. While they won't be able to apply for any more beds until 2016, they already received approval from borough officials for a new wound healing center with three hyperbaric chambers for diabetes treatment.

• The criminal case against former Assemblyman Robert Schroeder is scheduled to continue this year. Schroeder has been charged with allegedly writing bogus checks for loans and stealing money from investors, but has since filed to have the indictment dismissed. He's due back in court February 13.

• Local governments and school districts will once again have to deal with some tight budgets this year. In 2013, Westwood officials called their $16.8 million budget one of the most difficult they had worked on, and Hillsdale's $12.5 million municipal budget went through several revisions before being approved. Recent revaluations in Westwood and Washington Township also mean that some property owners could still see tax increases even if the budgets remain flat.