School Threat, Walgreens Proposal in Top Teaneck News

SPARTA -- Three members of a Bergen County burglary ring known as the “James Bond Gang”were arrested after they broke into and ransacked a Sparta residence Wednesday, Township Police Sgt. John-Paul Beebe said. The alleged gang is believed to be responsible for dozens of burglaries of high-end homes in Morris and Somerset counties, as well as other parts of the tri-state area.

A proposed Walgreens drugstore on Cedar Lane includes a drive-through window, dozens of parking spaces and would benefit consumers by adding new competition to the area, representatives for the project said at a community meeting.

Some residents and Cedar Lane merchants, however, contend the chain store is entering a market already well-served by two drug stores and would not fit in with other nearby stores.

James Kinloch, a former Teaneck Planning Board alternate who was passed over for a voting position last year, questioned the decision during a Township Council meeting last week, raising concerns about racial diversity on the board, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

The council appointed Keith Kaplan to an unexpired seat held by Mark Schwartz. Kinloch, who is black, resigned as first alternate in December, upset over not being selected, according to the report. Council members said race was not a factor when they made the decision.

Teaneck police are investigating a bomb threat that prompted an evacuation at Hawthorne Elementary School Thursday morning, officials said. 

Former town council member Monica Honis isone of five Democrats vying for the party nomination to run for three Bergen County freeholder seats, the Record reported. 

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