April's Most Popular Stories in Westwood, Hillsdale, Washington Township

Woman Hit by Train in Westwood

One woman was in the hospital after being hit by a train at the Westwood Train Station Wednesday afternoon, NJ Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll confirmed.

Train 1621 was headed from Hoboken to Spring Valley when the woman made contact with it "for reasons unknown," Carroll said. The woman was transported to an area hospital, but details of her condition were not immediately available.

The Westwood K-Mart was evacuated for about an hour Wednesday afternoon while police searched the store for a bomb, according to Westwood Police Det. Sgt. Rod Fortunat.

The store received an anonymous call at about 2:24 p.m. saying that "something was going to go boom" in the store, according to Fortunat. The caller was not specific about the type of bomb or its location, he said.

Police evacuated the K-Mart and other nearby stores while the Bergen County Police Bomb Squad and K-9 Unit searched the site. No explosives were found and the stores reopened.

New Farmers Market Coming to Westwood

Westwood is going to be home to a new weekly farmers market starting later this month.

The market, organized by the Westwood Chamber of Commerce, was given the go-ahead by borough officials at their council meeting Tuesday. It will feature local vendors selling food and demonstrations from chefs, according to chamber Executive Director Joseph Abou-Daoud. It won't "turn into a flea market," he said.

The farmers market will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays in the commuter parking lot at the borough Municipal Complex. They plan to hold the markets through November.

D'Urso Challenging Sobkowicz For Washington Township Mayor Seat

Washington Township Councilman Joe D'Urso has put his name in to run for mayor this year, and incumbent Janet Sobkowicz is also running to keep her seat.

Both officials are Republicans who previously ran together for their current positions. Councilman Fred Goetz, who also previously ran with them, is running on D'Urso's ticket to keep his seat.

Assemblyman Schroeder and Business Associate Both Claim $300K Payment

The owner of a $300,000 wire transfer from a Dubai-based company is being disputed by State Assemblyman Robert Schroeder and Dinis DeAlmeida of LDA Corportation, who both claim to be entitled to the money, according to a complaint filed by Provident Bank March 22.

Provident filed the complaint seeking an order to have an interpleader, a procedure in which a party holding property requests a court determine who that property should be given to. The bank is also seeking to have its attorney and court costs covered.

Beverly Adler is getting ready to close her Westwood store, Arts & Ends, for the last time this May.

Arts & Ends has changed a lot since it opened 40 years ago. Originally an art store, Adler began selling some handmade jewelry and clothing. As trends changed and her customers began asking for designer brands, Adler continued to transform the store into the modern clothing shop it is today.

"You can't keep it the same," Adler said. "You have to change, to keep up with trends."

Adler calls it retirement, but really it's just another change. She will be taking over the gift shop at HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley when the hospital opens June 1.

Westwood Police Searching For Burke's Burglar

A burglar made off with an undetermined amount of money after fleeing from Burke's on Old HookSaturday morning, Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino said.

Members of a cleaning crew called police at 8:29 a.m. Saturday after they reportedly heard a noise and saw a man run out the back door. 

Police discovered a basement office had been entered and a metal cash box with an undetermined amount of money in it had been taken, according to Regino. They were not sure if the man had been in the bar from the night before or if he had come in after the cleaning crew, he said.

Hillsdale Woman Hospitalized After Crashing Car Through Garage

An 81-year-old Hillsdale resident was hospitalized Friday afternoon after she accidentally drove her car through a support column and the back wall of her garage, according to Hillsdale Police Officer William Diedtrich.

It was "just a simple mix-up between the gas and the brake," Diedtrich said.

The woman's injuries were not life-threatening, he said. The Washington Township Ambulance Corps transported her to an area hospital.

Watch a Video Tour of Westwood's New Hospital

HackensackUMC at Pasack Valley CEO Chad Melton recently sat down with a crew from WCTV for an interview and took them on a tour of the soon-to-open hospital.

The hospital's renovations are "99 percent complete," Melton said in the video on Washington Township's local cable channel. They are scheduled to open June 1.

Three New Businesses Opening in Washington Town Center

Original Pizza, Dunkin Donuts and Eye Level Learning Center are all set to open in Washington Township's Washington Town Center strip mall soon.

Eye Level was approved by the Planning Board earlier this month. Original Pizza and Dunkin Donuts, which both previously existed in the mall, were approved in late February.

The owners of all three businesses pointed to May 1 as their targeted opening date.