CHRIS KELLY staff Edward Strek of Sayreville American Legion Post 211 stands at attention during the Veterans Day observance at St. Ambrose School in Old Bridge Friday. Veterans with the American Legion participated in the ceremony along with a post Color Guard. More ... New builder steps in to rescue Birch Hill Residents grateful town helped community when it was abandoned BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       Residents of an Old Bridge housing development have found that cooperation and determination saw them through a bleak-looking crisis. Now that West Long Branchbased PRC Homes has taken over construction of the partly built adult community, Horizons at Birch Hill, those who live there are finally ... More ... Air to be sampled since wipes are 'inconclusive' Environmental group criticizes handling of 'black dust' samples BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       Atoxicology expert last week sought to allay the concerns of Sayreville residents who live near a steel mill and have continued to find "black dust" material accumulating on their properties. More ... Numerous graffiti reports off Main St. BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       SAYREVILLE - Vandals spread graffiti across several properties in the area of Main Street last week. Graffiti done with black marker was found on three postal vehicles on or around Main Street the morning of Nov. 7. Two of the vehicles were parked in the upper parking lot of the post office, whi... More ... Open space funding OK'd for one more year Groups will continue search for long-term funding solutions BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       EDISON - New Jersey residents voted to borrow $200 million for open space and farmland preservation programs this Election Day. While the initiative's success was widely hailed by conservation groups across the state, the cash injection was viewed as a stopgap measure to keep the Garden State Pr... More ... Stem-cell initiative defeated Fiscal and moral concerns, low voter turnout cited as reasons for rejection BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       New Jersey voters rejected a plan that would have borrowed $450 million for stem-cell research, defeating the statewide ballot initiative 53,785 to 46,069. More ... Police report over a dozen 'mischief night' incidents BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       SAYREVILLE - Several residential properties were damaged on Oct. 30, also known as "mischief night." Incidents of vandalism and theft were reported the night before Halloween in several borough neighborhoods, including one where three homes within blocks of each other were struck, according to p... More ... Police say unknown woman hit trick-or-treater with car       OLD BRIDGE - Police are looking for a 21-year-old female suspect who allegedly became involved in a road rage incident and struck a teenager with her vehicle on Halloween. Around 7:31 p.m. Oct. More ... Torpedoed ship's last living survivor honored Frank Holmgren, 85, spent week in water before rescue in WWII BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent       When the students at Monroe's Applegarth Middle School and numerous veterans gathered for a special assembly last week, their guest of honor was someone with a particularly unique story. More ...