RHS Graduation: Outdoors, Rain or Shine; in Gym if T-Storms

Ridge High School's graduates-to-be practice on Thursday afternoon to follow procedure, discuss back up plans.

A little rain never killed anyone. But if it thunderstorms, complete with flashes of lightening, for Friday's planned graduation for this year's crop of Ridge High School seniors, the action will be moved indoors to the school's new gym, according to school officials. The ceremony is due to start at 7 p.m. Heavy heat that has settled over the area since Wednesday afternoon is due to finally break on Friday, but showers and thunderstorms are predicted to bring about the lower temperatures. The heat prompted a change of Thursday evening's plans for the graduation of eighth graders from William Annin Middle School from the usual location in the middle school auditorium to the cooler Performing Arts Center at Ridge. The high school's ceremony …

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: How Do You Keep Kids Cool On Really Hot Days?

Milder temperatures have returned — but this week's taste of real summer should have you thinking how to prepare for dog days.

Monday was a nice and warm reminder that summer really is here, but by Tuesday, a temperature topping 90 degrees with yucky humidity was a reminder of the flip side of summer — those days when there's not a breath of fresh air to be found, day or night. My older son arrived home late that afternoon after starting classes as the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark — where he said he saw a temperature reading of 97 degrees. But while our air conditioning-challenged home may have initially struck him as a cooler haven after urban heat, he soon grew tired of sitting in a still relatively warm interior and headed for a (more air-conditioned) workout facility. While older children can get to their own cool spots, parents of younger …

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Linda Sadlouskos

11:50 am on Thursday, May 31, 2012

Oh, Colleen — Sun has a way of sneaking up on you!   more ›

It's Hot — What Are You Going to do About It?

Some tips for those in the Bernards Township and Somerset Hills area and general hot weather advice.

Editor's Note: While today doesn't exactly qualify as a scorcher, the temperature could reach 90 on Tuesday, mixed with possible thunderstorms and lots of mucky air. At times like this, we are reminded how close we are to the Great Swamp, which seems to have expanded its borders everywhere! Below, we're offering some tips to stay cool and also how to stay safe in the heat. Please let us know some of your ideas for keeping your cool, and if you have any favorite hot-weather rituals or even menus. As far as I'm concerned, weather like this is a good excuse to do two of my favorite things. Eat ice cream! Skip cooking! (But enjoy dining.) So here's a suggested recipe: 1) Acquire lots of ice cream. 2) Add a pinch or two of cold cooked and …

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You Said It

What Will You Do to 'Stay Cool' in This Heat?

So close but so far: Pool employee P.J. Norton watches other people go into the pool for a swim on a hot day.

It's well into the 90s and the weather isn't expected to cool down soon. On Monday, Bernards Township Library Director Anne Meany invites area residents to cool down in the air-conditioned library building, and enjoy what the library has to offer, including programming. On Monday night, at 7:30 p.m. former Bernards Township Mayor Ali Chaudry will discuss the special edition of his new book, "Islam & Muslims." The Bernard Township Library is open for its summer hours from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. On Tuesday, Jeff Rosenblum, a 2009 Ridge High School graduate who is off from college for the summer and a camp counselor at the township's summer camp at Cedar Hill Elementary School, has an idea for cooling down that no …

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Colleen Epple Pine

12:49 pm on Thursday, July 21, 2011

GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!! One of our favorite places to chill out is at the AMC Fork & Screen at the Bridgewater Commons Mall. Let me tell you how to get your tickets for cheap and enjoy dinner with the fam: Order ahead on-line. The computer does not indicate and age for "children" and I believe it's fair enough to assume those under the age of 18 are still children. We purchase tickets for the …   more ›

UPDATED: Sick of the Heat Already? Remember January!

Township schools to return to regular schedule on Friday following early dismissal for two days. Other cool places to go.

Remember how pretty the first snows of the season looked last December? Well, we ended up getting more than our share! Okay, admit it, many of us are wondering whether a really hot summer will follow a wintry winter. Certainly, it was hot enough even in early June for a crowd to descend on the township's Pleasant Valley Pool when it opened at 4 p.m. on Thursday, in a continuation of early season hours.  Township schools let out early on Wednesday and Thursday, as school officials said that buildings are only partially air-conditioned, and grew too hot into the afternoon. Schools are scheduled to be open on regular hours on Friday, June 10, when the daily high temperature for this area is expected to revert to the mid-80s. In the meantime, …

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Cool Haven (& Music) at Local Senior Center

Senior Wellness Center in Basking Ridge open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

As the temperatures climb to dangerous levels, residents age 60-plus are invited to take advange of air conditioning at the Somerset County senior centers, incuding the Senior Wellness Center in Basking Ridge. The Wellness Center at 202 Mount Airy Road is generally open from 8:30 a.m. until about 3 p.m., said a spokesperson at the center. In addition, noted guitarist Giovanni DeChiaro is scheduled to perform at the center on Thursday, starting at 10:45 a.m. A $10 donation is requested. People age 60 and above are welcome to spend time the seven air-conditioned facilities, operated by the Somerset County Office on Aging and Disability Services. The centers, open Monday through Friday, offer a cool respite and a variety of educational, …

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Heat Will Close All Twp. Schools Early on Wed., Thurs.

School superintendent announces that high school and middle schools will dismiss at noon; elementary school day to end at 1 p.m.

With temperature highs predicted in the high 90s or up to 100 degrees over the next two days, township Superintendent of Schools Valerie Goger notified parents on Tuesday afternoon that school will let out early on Wednesday and Thursday. The middle and high school students will be dismissed at noon, and the school day at the district's four elementary schools will end at 1 p.m. on both days, Goger said in an email sent out to township parents. "Many of our classrooms, cafeterias, and large assembly rooms across the district are not air conditioned," Goger explained in the email. Portions of the schools are air conditioned. Lunches will not be served on either day, although elementary school students are welcome to bring a snack, according…

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