Schroeder's Alleged Fraud, Girl Hit by Car, Apartment Rejection Top This Week's News

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State Assemblyman Robert Schroeder allegedly failed to disclose millions of dollars worth of loans to Atlantic Stewardship Bank when applying for loans there, according to a complaint filed last Thursday.

The bank alleges it loaned $2 million to Schroeder in September of 2010 and later extended the loan to $2.5 million. When Schroeder borrowed the money, he did not disclose loans from other lenders totalling more than $5.6 million — lent between April of 2007 and March of this year — according to the complaint.

"The borrowers commited fraud on the bank," according to the complaint.

An 11-year-old girl was hit by a car while crossing Third Avenue in front of the  Thursday afternoon, according to Police Chief Frank Regino.

A crossing guard had stopped traffic on Third Avenue and a driver was turning left from Pine Street when the girl began crossing toward the school, Regino said. The driver did not appear to be at fault, he said.

The girl was hospitalized but appeared to have only minor injuries, including a bump on her head and some bruises on her arms and legs, according to Regino. Principal Charles Seipp said the girl was conscious and speaking to him before she was taken to the hospital.

The proposed Orchard Street apartments have officially been rejected.

The Hillsdale Planning Board unanimously voted to deny an application to build a 36-unit apartment building during their meeting Wednesday.

Developer 100 Park Avenue Associates had proposed to demolish three Orchard Street homes and build a new 36-unit apartment building in their place, which would have included four low income housing units. The building was designed to match a nearby apartment building on Patterson Street owned by the same developer

A Westwood father is fighting to get his 11-year-old son permission to ride the bus so the student does not have to walk down Old Hook Road to.

Joe Malley and Lou Qualliu asked district officials last week to , which are both located close to the state-mandated 2-mile mark that determines whether or not students are entitled to ride the bus.

Since then, officials went back to examine routes and found that Qualliu's home is far enough away for his son can ride the bus, but decided Malley's home was still 200 feet too close to the school.

Shoppers searching for women's clothes in downtown Westwood have one more stop to make.

Anais Boutique opened in the former location of Thursday. The store carries moderately-priced contemporary women's clothing, including some items imported from Europe, according to owner Aiden Tolouie. 

The Westwood Council unanimously approved Durene Ayer as the borough's new CFO during their meeting this week.

The position will be 25 hours per week at a rate of $62 per hour, according to Councilman William Phayre. Ayer is scheduled to start October 1 and will transition into the position with help from the current acting CFO and borough tax collector Stephanie Stokes.

A plan to improve the traffic signals along Broadway in Westwood may have to wait until next year, according to borough engineer Stephen Boswell.

Borough officials are planning a change to intersections along Broadway that will allow traffic to flow while trains pass by. Currently, traffic stops in all directions on Broadway and intersection streets along the train tracks when a train comes through.

NJ Transit has requested several minor changes to the signal timing for the project, but the review process has delayed the project several months since local officials approved funding for the plan.

More students participated in the Westwood Regional School District's summer programs this year than ever before, according to school officials.

There were 229 students in the Summer Adventure Program this year, according to program coordinantor Gina Cush.

The district also launched a new summer program this year, the Summer Arts Academy.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.