Long Hill Woman Found Safe After 3-Day Search

Carrie Ruffner found 3.4 miles from home Saturday after last being seen Wednesday in Basking Ridge.

A Long Hill woman who had been missing since Wednesday was found safe Saturday afternoon. Carrie Ruffner, 34, was found by Long Hill police Sgt. Aaron Buerstetta at 3:49 p.m. near the intersection of Carlton Road and Whitebridge Road in Millington, only 3.4 miles from her home. Ruffner was transported to Morristown Medical Center for evaluation, acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said in a release. Authorities did not say where Ruffner had been for the past three days or if she suffered from a medical condition. Ruffner disappeared after leaving her parents' house in Basking Ridge around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and had been expected back at her own home on Meyersville Road in Long Hill. A large search coordinated by the Morris …

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Woman Accused of Obstruction, Resisting Arrest

Basking Ridge resident faces several charges stemming from alleged DWI in Mendham Twp.

A Basking Ridge woman became "combative" when officers attempted to arrest her last week for DWI, Mendham Township Police said. Nadine Mertz, 51, was charged with obstruction and resisting arrest in addition to receiving summonses for DWI, refusal to submit to breath testing, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane and failure to comply with officers request, police said. Alcohol was detected and Mertz showed signs of intoxication when she was pulled over on Oct. 3 at about 9 p.m., police said. Mertz became "combative" and initially refused to perform field sobriety tests, police said. Mertz agreed to the tests when another officer arrived, police said. After completing the tests, Mertz resisted when informed she was being placed under …

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House Hunt

14 Laurel Lane in Bernardsville Selling for $824K

Listing of open houses in Basking Ridge and Bernardsville.

The feel of a nip in the air hasn't halted a continuation of a fairly active market and busy open house scheduled for this Sunday, even as the school year has started, and buyers may be looking ahead to holidays. One major spur to the market — mortgage rates remain low, with HSH.com reporting 30-year fixed mortgage rates still below 4 percent. This week, we are adding Bernardsville to our list of scheduled open houses. Here's this Sunday's list of open houses, taken from the Garden State Multiple Listing Service website and the AOL Real estate website. Please check those websites for updates and additions. Here is the list in Basking Ridge: Home Here is the list in Bernardsville: Home Let Patch save you time. Get local stories like this …

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Good Samaritan Aids Stranded Basking Ridge Couple

Russ and Judy Evans feel kindness of strangers when their car broke down in Mendham.

It could have been a scene out of a horror movie. A winding road in an area that is buffeted by woods, a cell phone unable to hold a signal, and a couple with a disabled vehicle at the side of a wet road. But for Russ and Judy Evans, of Basking Ridge, what could have been a disaster of cinematic proportions for the couple turned into a happy ending, thanks to the timely intervention of a seldom seen hero—the good Samaritan. “We were out for a Saturday drive,” said Judy Evans. “We usually drive up through Peapack-Gladstone and look at the houses, and often we are looking to find some place to eat.” The ride was going according to plan until they literally hit a bump in the road. “We were traveling on Mendham Road and were about 30 or 40 …

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VIDEO: Some Stock Up, Others Unfazed By Irene

Supplies depleted; local teens charge cell phones so 'we can communicate during the storm.'

Traveling around Somerset County Saturday afternoon saw many people out trying to get supplies before Hurricane Irene was supposed to hit hardest on Sunday. However, there were many empty shelves that just a day or so ago had held water, batteries, light bulbs and bread. Duct tape, 5-gallon buckets, plastic and tarps were gone from most of the stores and any supplies were very low. The manager at KMart in Hillsborough said the chain was planning to not open its stores on Sunday due to the storm. Shoppers, Ridge High School students and a hair stylist at the Lyons Mall in Basking Ridge seemed rather unfazed as the storm approached. Commenters talked about how they had taken precautions—or were planning to stay social during the storm. Most …

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NJ Monthly List: There's No Place Like Our Home

Bernards Township, Bernardsville and Peapack-Gladstone in top 10 of New Jersey Monthly's just-released 2011 list of the top 20 Best Places to Live in N.J.

The Somerset Hills towns swept New Jersey Monthly's 2011 list of Best Places to Live in the state, with Bernards Township, Bernardsville and Peapack-Gladstone placing in the top 10 of a survey of all of the state's 566 municipalities. ADDED: "I certainly am not surprised," said Mayor John Malay. "We work very hard to make Bernards a wonderful place to live." But Malay said that he is not handing all the credit to government and officials. He said many, many volunteers staff not only local committees, but also sports activities and contribute to other aspects of life in the township. Malay said the township also had make an effort to carefully plan out Bernards' future in such areas as open space and recreation. The so-called twin boroughs…

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June Pederson Friedgen

2:12 am on Saturday, August 27, 2011

Hi Chris, Yes...you guys live in a beautiful area. Love your house and town. Just hope that IRENE doesn't go thru there.   more ›

BaseCamp is Moving Out and Dental Office Is Moving In

Ridge Family Dentistry due to fill the shop after the outdoor clothing and camping equipment store finishes relocation to the center of Bernardsville.

BaseCamp Adventure Outfitters, located in downtown Basking Ridge since 2003, will be closing shop on June 29, and Ridge Family Dentistry, a renamed local practice, is planning to fill the central location along South Finley Avenue later this fall. Although BaseCamp employees now is packing up gear to move a few miles away to downtown Bernardsville, the relocated shop will continue to offer its customers the same quality outdoor clothing, camping equipment, and personalized attention, according to its Barbara Durso, general manager and buyer for the store.  Sales are being held now to clear out merchandise at the Basking Ridge store at 44 S. Finley Ave., and the shop will lock its doors on June 29, according to the BaseCamp website. The …

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Basketball Coach Taylor Looks Back on Departing Seniors, Forward to Next Season

Ridge coach Mark Taylor will miss the team's four outgoing seniors but expects to return with plenty of experienced young talent next year.

The Ridge varsity boys' basketball team's talent on the court this past season was to an extent a continuation of the Red Devils' historic 2009-10 season, when they won the Somerset County Title. Despite outgoing senior Tom Gambino’s Achilles heel injury that kept him out of nine games, the Red Devils went out 15-12, and finished third in the highly-competitive Skyland Delaware Division with a 10-6 mark. (Gill  St. Bernard's in Peapack-Gladstone went 16-0 to finish first). The Red Devils also made it back to the North 2, Group 4 State Semifinals and steamed ahead for two tournament victories until they lost on March 4 to Linden, 58-31. “I thought this team showed a lot of character and growth,” said Red Devils Coach Mark Taylor, reflecting…

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Red Devils Boys Soccer Looks to Continue Recent Winning Tradition

The Ridge High School boys soccer team is setting the bar high before first game this Friday.

The Ridge High School Varsity boys soccer team plays its first season game this Friday, Sept. 10, with a goal of continuing past winning seasons. Two years ago, the Basking Ridge High School boys' soccer team won 16 of 20 games and advanced to the state sectional finals but lost to Elizabeth 2-1. Last year, the Red Devils finished with a record of 15-5, and advanced to the sectional semifinals, only to lose to Clifton 1-0 in overtime to end their season. This season, the team returns just three starters, including star sophomore goalie Kieran McCarthy and junior forward Jamison Lochhead, but a bevy of talented upper classmen return to fill the void. "We have a huge number of seniors coming back," said assistant coach Enzo Minicozzi, who's …

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Ex-Ridge Star Eric Menard Looks to Follow in Brother’s Footsteps

Recent Basking Ridge High School graduate and hockey star Eric Menard will play for the New Jersey Hitman Hockey Club this year and hopes to follow brother Andre to the University of Delaware.

Recent Basking Ridge High School graduate and hockey star Eric Menard doesn't have to look far for a blueprint on making a jump within the hockey ranks. Eric's older brother, Andre, a former Ridge hockey player, currently plays for the University of Delaware. This coming season, Andre will be a junior.   And if Eric, a forward like his brother is, fulfills his goals for the next year, he may join him the following year at Delaware. It would be ideal for Eric because he didn't get a chance to play with Andre on the Ridge team. "We might get to play together one more time," said Menard, whose parents were born in Europe. "When I was a freshman here and he was a senior, there were so many kids on the team, I couldn't make the varsity and were…

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