Suspended students walked in graduation ceremonies Class prez not allowed to give speech; none attended Project Graduation BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       A water balloon fight intended as a senior prank left 30 Woodbridge High School students suspended last week - one day before their graduation. The students were suspended after the water balloon fight escalated from the outside of the school in the early morning hours of June 20 ... More ...      SCOTT PILLING staff Despite bad weather conditions, Angela Aiuto (l) and Janine Rivera (r) of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Iselin were still in good spirits as they waited for their graduation ceremonies to restart in the school gymnasium on June 21. More ... Avenel girl, 12, killed in train accident Avenel Station wall is adorned with makeshift memorial to girl BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       WOODBRIDGE - A 12-year-old Avenel girl, who was just three weeks shy of her 13th birthday, was struck and killed by a North Jersey Coast Line NJ Transit train as it passed through Avenel last week. More ... Sensing nature's beauty      PHOTOS BY SCOTT PILLING staff Top photo: Jackie Coester (l), president of the Garden Club in Woodbridge, talks with Onnolee Allieri, president of the Garden Club of New Jersey, in the Garden for the Blind and Handicapped at the Iselin Library on June 23. Right: Members of the Woodbridge Garden Club ... More ... Fergie's Verizon tour hits Woodbridge Center Mall Pop star discusses being a role model, technology in entertainment BY JESSICA ALFREY Correspondent       WOODBRIDGE - Fergie, singer from the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, made a stop at the Woodbridge Center Mall last Wednesday, performing her solo hits and meeting 500 fans. The tour, designed to promote her debut solo album, "The Dutchess," consists of seven small personalized perf... More ... Pols put positive FACE on campaign BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       Legislative candidates in District 14 mostly have reported satisfaction with the way the Fair and Clean Elections (FACE) Pilot Project has so far shaped their campaigns. The program is an experiment in the use of public funds for political campaigns with the goal of minimizing the inf... More ... Girl Talk Pre-wedding dinner brings back memories of little boy Clare Marie Celano       Like most little boys tell their moms, when my son was very young, he told me he wanted to marry me. "I wish I had a tape recorder to play those words back to you when you grow up," I'd respond. More ... Zoning Board forced to approve cell tower Township chooses tree over flagpole as venue for 120-foot cell tower BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer       WOODBRIDGE - The only choice Colonia residents received was whether they wanted a 120-foot-tall flagpole or a 120-foot-tall tree designed as a telecommunications tower. In the end, the 50 or so residents who attended the Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on June 21 reluctantly cho... More ... Advocates host meeting on emissions concerns Residents, officials hash out issues with steel mill BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       SAYREVILLE - Residents shared concerns they have about a steel mill that is at the center of a controversy over dust emissions, during a meeting June 13. An area environmental group known as Edison Wetlands Association (EWA) hosted the public meeting at the American Legion Post 211... More ... Monk or bunk? A Middletown tax dispute Battle over exemption, sign centers on legitimacy of small monastery BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer       Middletown Township has ordered a self-described Greek Orthodox monk to remove a large front lawn sign declaring his home a monastery. On June 18, Archimandrite Ephraem Bertolette, 63, said he received notice from the Monmouth County town giving him 14 days to remove the sign or suf... More ... Ministry reaches out to care for Ugandan village BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       SAYREVILLE - Members of SONrise Missions are on a mission - to help the people of Northern Uganda have a better quality of life. Over the past five years, the men of the nonprofit, Christian missions group have made the journey to Uganda seven times, and will be going again in Octo... More ... JFK named comprehensive stroke center Designation makes medical center second in state to meet criteria BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       EDISON - JFK Medical Center has become the second hospital in the state to be designated a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The hospital, long a leader in brain trauma treatment, was given the designation on June 15 after a three-mo... More ... Group seeks pledge from Corzine on toll road sale 15 towns have passed resolutions against monetization of roads BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       EDISON - A public interest research group has called on Gov. Jon Corzine to pledge not to sell the state's toll roads if the deal does not adhere to a series of monetization principles. More ...