Westwood Child Luring, Proposed CVS, Hospital Jobs Top This Week's News

'Potential Luring Incident' Reported in Westwood 

Westwood Police are searching for a man involved in a "potential luring incident" Thursday morning, according to Police Captain Frank Durante.

The incident took place on Lafayette Avenue at about 7:10 a.m. when the Westwood Jr./Sr. High School student was walking to school, Durante said. The man allegedly stopped and offered the girl a ride. She declined and reported the incident when she got to school.

Westwood Police Set Up Roadblocks After Luring Incident

Westwood Police set up roadblocks Thursday afternoon and Friday morning on Lafayette Avenue to stop drivers in their search for information about a luring incident Thursday morning, according to Police Chief Frank Regino. Police said the man may have been involved in other recent luring incidents around Bergen County. 

At their roadblocks, police passed out flyers to drivers and asked if anyone had seen anything related to Thursday's incident. Regino estimated police had passed out 2,000 flyers.

Traffic at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Pascack Road could run more smoothly if a project proposed by the county is done, according to Gary Dean, a traffic engineer for a planned CVS at the same intersection.

Currently, there is an average wait of 95.8 seconds for drivers, according to Dean. The county plan would cut it down to about 38 seconds, he said.

Westwood Hospital Receives 900 Applications

More than 900 people applied for jobs at HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley during an employment open house last week, according to hospital rep Lauren Zaccardi Samman.

The hospital, located at the site of the former Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, is filling about 40 positions this year and about 350 before they open in 2013.

Candle Starts Fire in Washington Township Home

Washington Township firefighters extinguished a kitchen fire started by an unattended candle Sunday, according to a press release from Washington Township Police. 

A Fern Street resident left a candle burning in her kitchen while she went out to run errands, police said. When the woman returned home, she found the house full of smoke. She tried to put out the fire, but was unsuccessful, police said. 

Westwood Dispatch Plan Favored by Washington Twp. Council

The Washington Township Council informally moved toward accepting Westwood's offer to host their emergency dispatching during their meeting this week, according to Council President Richard Hrbek.

Officials have narrowed their search for a way to save money on emergency dispatching down to two options: using civilian dispatchers in theWashington Township Police Department or contracting with Westwood to share a civilian dispatch desk in the borough's police department.

Police Testing Cottage Place Stopping Ban

Westwood Police are planning a 90-day trial for a plan to reduce the number of parents using Cottage Place to drop off or pick up their children for Brookside School.

The plan is to ban "stopping and standing" during school hours on the entire north side of the street, as well as a 237-foot portion of the south side near Lafayette and a more-than-100-foot portion on the south side near a fire hydrant at the dead end, Police Captain Frank Durante said at a council meeting this week.

Hillsdale Optometrist Honored at White House

Hillsdale resident Paul Berman was recently honored at the White House for more than 20 years of providing Special Olympic athletes with free eye exams and glasses.

Hillsdale Schools Focusing on Individual Learning

Hillsdale students are receiving more individualized teaching this year, and school officials are hoping the change will help struggling students catch up with their more successful peers.

Hillsdale school administrators presented their changes to the borough's district during a board of education meeting Monday. So far, Hillsdale teachers have already begun a new writers' workshop method for language arts and updated the district's math curriculum to bring the schools in line with New Jersey's new common core standards.

Hillsdale NJASK Results Show Fewer Low-Scoring Students

Hillsdale students generally had smaller percentages of low scores than students from similar districts on the NJASK test last year, according to data released by the district this week.

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