Cranford Radio

One thing almost everyone agrees on is that flooding of the Rahway River is a major problem. The US Army Corps of Engineers will be presenting the results of their economic study of flood mitigation measures on Monday, March 31. One of the alternatives being considered is a dam in the South Mountain Reservation that would contain water along the West Branch of the Rahway River. Save Our Reservation opposes the dam and I spoke with a leader of the group, Fred Profeta, to learn more.

They had their start on Mulberry Street in Newark in the 1920's. Today, the former Newark Nut Company is Nuts.com and located in Cranford. Don Smith spoke with Sandy Braverman, a son of the founder, to learn more about this unique Cranford business.

It's been a little over a month since Bento Express opened its doors at 41 North Ave. East. Richard Lo is the owner and shortly before the official ribbon-cutting he talked about his new restaurant.

One of the goals of Cranford Radio is to introduce you to and let you hear directly from the elected officials who serve Cranford. Rep. Leonard Lance serves the 7th Congressional District, which includes Cranford. Cranford Radio had the opportunity to speak with the congressman in his Westfield district office Tuesday.

One of the newer businesses in downtown Cranford is Furever Friends, a dog grooming service at 25 North Avenue West. The shop is owned by Walter Acuna and his wife, Jennifer Acuna-Alfaro. Jennifer was in the midst of grooming a dog when we chatted about the business.

Starting and running a small business is a challenge, fortunately there are places businesspeople can turn to for information, financing and more. The UCEDC is a Cranford-based non-profit economic development corporation that's been helping small businesses since 1977. Cranford Radio spoke with Ellen McHenry and Erich Peter of the UCEDC to learn more about the organization and what it offers.

Cranford parents looking for after-school programs for their children have a new option. The Westfield Area Y is now providing two new services at the Garwood Family Center Y at 500 East Street with busing from the Walnut Avenue, Livingston Avenue, Hillside Avenue and Brookside Place schools. Shannon McGillis is the director of the Garwood facility and she told Cranford Radio about the new services.

The days of a simple benefits package are long gone and the biggest change in recent memory is the start of the Affordable Care Act. Cranford resident Jo Ann Boyle has been answering questions from small employers about what the act means to them and their employees and she sat down with Cranford Radio at the Rustic Mill Diner to talk about some of the issues they're facing.

In the second part of our series profiling the clergy from Cranford’s house of worship we visit with Clem Salerno, the senior pastor of Calvary Tabernacle located at 69 Myrtle Street.

It was an historic moment for Cranford and towns all along NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line on Monday as direct on-seat service began to New York City.

A stroll around town gives you an idea of the wealth of beautiful homes and architecture we have in Cranford. To help maintain all we have and to develop a deeper appreciation for that history, the Cranford Historic Preservation Advisory Board was created. Two of the members are Maureen Strazdon and Vic Bary and they provided some background on the board and reviewed some of the highlights of the past year.

Dr. Gayle Carrick is coming up on her sixth anniversary as superintendent of the Cranford Public Schools. Much has happened during those years including adoption of Common Core Standards. Dr. Carrick sat down this morning in her Lincoln School office to talk to Cranford Radio and tell us a little about her background and some of the highlights and challenges faced by Cranford's public schools.

Joe Litterio grew up in Cranford and played for the Cougars before graduating in 1989. Just a few days ago, Litterio was named the new head coach for the Scarlet Knights baseball team, only the third coach since 1961. Cranford Radio traveled to the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway to talk with Coach Litterio about his Cranford years and what lies ahead for Rutgers this season.

The new year saw the installation of new leadership for the Cranford Chamber of Commerce. Kurt Petschow, Jr. is the organization's president. The Chamber is involved with a number of activities in town, including three street fairs, the annual visit of the Zerbini Family Circus and numerous networking events. Cranford Radio sat down with Kurt at Southside Roast to talk about what's planned in the year ahead and to learn a little more his background.

Cranford is represented in the New Jersey State Assembly by two legislators, Jon Bramnick and Nancy Muñoz. Assemblywoman Muñoz has represented the district since May 2009, assuming the seat held by her late husband, Dr. Eric Muñoz. Cranford Radio had an opportunity to sit down with the Assemblywoman in her Summit district office and asked her to tell our listeners a little about herself.

It seems almost everyone in Cranford is familiar with The Kilkenny House but do you know the backstory; how it's owner, Barry O'Donovan came to the US and eventually to Cranford? Barry fills us in and tells us more in a behind-the-scenes look at Cranford's unique Irish pub and restaurant.

It's long been a dream for Cranford rail passengers to have a one-seat ride to New York City and that wish becomes reality on Monday, March 3 when NJ Transit begins weekday off-peak direct service on the Raritan Valley Line. Peter Palmer is a Somerset County Freeholder and Chairman of the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition. During a meeting in Westfield Tuesday morning he outlined what will happen and the steps that are hoped to follow.