United Way Raises $110K For Area Nonprofits

Commercial real estate luncheon honors industry's best, helps to fund improvements.

The United Way of Northern New Jersey raised an estimated $110,000 for the capital improvement needs of area nonprofits through the help of the real estate industry at its 13th annual Commercial Real Estate Network Legacy Luncheon. About 300 professionals from the industry attended the luncheon to support area nonprofits while celebrating the positive impact of several key real estate transactions of the past year. One of those belonged to SHI International Corp. The company received the United Way's 2012 Commercial Real Estate Impact Award for undertaking one of the largest commercial renovations in the northern region and keeping energy efficiency and conservation a focal point of the project.  The project relocated the company's world …

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Top-10 Last-Minute Gifts for Mother's Day

Waiting until the last minute only means you were thinking harder than everyone else

If you're reading this, you're in a club of which no one wants to be a member. The club of those who haven't yet gotten a present for their mom for Mother's Day — which is this Sunday. Never fear, here are 10 quick and easy last minute gift suggestions to steer you away from the Valley of Guilt and Disappointment.  1. Homemade gift certificates: Grab a pen, some colored paper and start creating gift certificates she can redeem for a lunch, a visit, a shopping trip, a certain number of phone calls, whatever your mother enjoys. Maybe she wants you to weed the garden, throw that in as well. 2. A gesture of love: There are lots of reasons you love your mom. Write some of them on small pieces of paper, fold up the papers and send her a box with…

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Add Photos to Ladies Night Out Gallery

Semi-annual downtown sale gathered residents, officials, kids in advance of Mothers' Day.

Ladies Night Out Thursday brought together more people than just local business owners. Officials and residents gathered in towntown Chatham Borough to enjoy sales, free gifts and refreshments. Chatham Borough Mayor Bruce Harris cut the ribbon opening the event outside TM Ward at 6 p.m. Thursday, and Council Member Len Resto was in attendance. The owners of Quartet used the event to celebrate their one-year anniversary as a downtown business. Local Girl Scout troops used the event to earn badges and sell gifts for Mothers' Day. Since Lori Ann Medico, owner of Bliss Clothing and Accessories, started the concept in 2009, the event has grown to nearly a dozen downtown businesses, including: Add your photos and share your Ladies Night Out …

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What's the Best Spot for a Staycation?

Let us know in this week's Readers' Choice poll!

Where do you go when you want to get out, but not go too far? This week's Readers' Choice features places to go for a day without traveling outside Morris County (or Hopatcong, the lone Sussex County community served by Patch). We'd like to know—what's your favorite staycation spot? Where do you go for some time "away" without actually going very far away? Here's the list of local destinations we assembled, so pick one and let us know it's your favorite in the poll below. And if we somehow missed your favorite, let us know in the comments—we'll get it added ASAP. To get your favorite staycation destination some extra credit, click through to its Patch directory listing, and leave a reader review or rating. Voting in the poll below is open …

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Direct Wine Shipping Hits New Jersey

But how will local wine stores fare?

On May 1, it became legal for wineries of a certain size to direct ship wine to New Jersey costumers. It's great news for New Jersey wine growers, but perhaps not so great for local wine shops. The fear of opponents to the new law—signed by Gov. Christie on January 17—is that direct shipping will erode sales of wine in local retail shops around the state, potentially hurting local business and costing local jobs. A major opponent of the bill that allowed direct shipping was Assemblyman John Cryan (D-Union), whose family owns Cryan's tavern in South Orange. In an Op-Ed piece on newjerseynewsroom.com, Cryan explained that he supported an alternative bill that he felt would not threaten local shops: I sponsored the Assembly bill that would …

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Rob's, Charlie Brown's Readers' Choice for Mothers' Day

Yes, we have a tie.

When it comes to the perfect place to take Mom this Mothers' Day, Madison and Chatham have got you covered. Rob's Bistro on Main Street in Madison is only a short distance from Charlie Brown's on Southern Boulevard in Chatham, and our readers say these are their two favorite spots for Mothers' Day brunch. Of the 50 votes we received in our poll, Charlie Brown's and Rob's Bistro each received 16 votes. A review of Rob's Bistro said, "everything was well-executed, including the childrens' items."  Check back next week when we ask readers to choose their favorite places for a stay-cation.

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FDU Poll: Fox, MSNBC Don't Inform You Well

Says Sunday morning news shows seem to do the best keeping people informed

What channel do you surf to, when you want to get caught up on the news? According to the latest poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind, if it's Fox News or MSNBC, you might not be learning much. You're much better off with a Sunday morning news show or with NPR if you really want to know what's going on in the world, the poll concludes. See the full statement from FDU below, and take Patch's poll at the bottom of this post to let us know what you think. According to a follow-up survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind, NPR and Sunday morning political talk shows are the most informative news outlets, while exposure to partisan sources, such as Fox News and MSNBC, has a negative impact on people’s current events…

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Letters to the Editor

Owners Thank Fire Departments, Community

Jimmy & Louise Poulimenos are thankful for those who helped during their 'biggest setback.'

To the editor: It has been 19 years since Jimmy and I opened the doors at Angie's Family Restaurant on Main Street in Chatham. During that time, we've met and served thousands of people. Over Breakfast, Lunch, & countless cups of coffee, so many of you have become friends. Even so, your response during our biggest setback has been such a wonderful surprise and we wanted to express our heartfelt thanks! First, we'd like to thank all the fire departments that responded to the tragic fire that occurred on Sunday, Feb. 26. We are grateful to their quick response.  Second, we would like to thank Lori Medico from Bliss Clothing and Accessories and Len Resto from Chatham Borough Council, who set up a relief fund raising $4,000 to cover expenses …

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