NJ News Commons 
Homes wrecked by Sandy still blight the landscape where the hurricane did the most damage five years ago. If not boarded houses, then places still under construction, or vacant lots, many with “for sale” signs, posted like the white flag of a homeowner who has given up. Or lost it all to a bank. In Union…
NEWARK — During an Aug. 15, 2015 meeting, Mayor Joanne Minichetti told members of the Upper Saddle River Borough Council that a local member of the Jewish community had reached a deal with a utility company to create an eruv, a demarcation of an area that under Orthodox Jewish law allows people to undertake otherwise prohibited…
Pledges support for Jewish community, calls for ‘stronger, fairer’ NJ Democratic candidate Phil Murphy said he wants “to be governor of the state we used to be.” Photo by Robert Wiener Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Phil Murray has never been shy about criticizing President Donald Trump and the atmosphere he has created around the country, but with…
PRINCETON — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Murphy said Thursday he would reverse a Gov. Chris Christie order to refuse to cooperate with the federal government in resettling refugees in New Jersey. Murphy made the statement at a campaign event with Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who gained national notoriety after his speech at the Democratic National…
Need to spice up the inside (or outside) of your Jersey Shore home? Homeowners in Monmouth County are in luck as two new options are set to open. Kirkland’s, a national home decor chain, is opening locations this Saturday at the Consumer Centre in West Long Branch (310 State Route 36) and the Freehold Raceway Mall…
BRICK – A former Brick Township councilman who was facing criminal sexual contact and child endangerment charges pleaded guilty in August to simple assault. Daniel Toth, 40, was accused of touching the genitals of a 15-year-old boy. Toth was in the midst of an election in 2015 when the teen reported the incident to the Jackson…
BRICK — The daughter of a former Brick Township mayor admitted to submitting nearly $1 million in fake insurance claims for chiropractic services from her brother, who leaped to his death with his wife from a Manhattan building this summer. Kim Bogan, a 30-year employee of Brick Township, pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Ocean County…
NEWARK — Dozens of pimps and prostitutes were arrested in New Jersey as part of annual international sweep led by the FBI to crackdown on human trafficking, officials said. In what authorities dubbed “Operation Cross Country XI,” 42 people were arrested in the state on warrants and charges of sex trafficking, child exploitation and prostitution. It…
LONG BRANCH – An off-duty Long Branch police officer who fatally struck a woman on Ocean Boulevard last month told officers at the scene he had a green light and that she was jaywalking, newly obtained dashboard camera video shows. Jake Pascucci, 28, was driving a 2016 Jeep Cherokee southbound on Ocean Boulevard when the vehicle…
TOMS RIVER – No plea deal was offered to two Lakewood residents who appeared in court on Wednesday after they were arrested earlier this year in a massive fraud sweep. Moshe and Nechama Hirschmann are accused of wrongfully collecting $53,418 in Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from January 2011 and December 2015. They…
NEW YORK — It sounded like he forgot them once. He didn’t when it matter most. Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier ripped a three-run homer that started the scoring in a 8-1 beatdown of the Astros at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night. As he rounded first base,…
CAPE MAY COUNTY — The first of the five Cape May county bridges to get E-ZPass will start to offer the service within the next two months. The installation of E-ZPass at the Ocean City-Longport Bridge could be finished as soon as late November, but will be complete no later than mid-December, according to Cape May…
TOMS RIVER — Authorities are investigating a suspicious package found in the library of Ocean County College, officials said. The school tweeted just after 10 a.m. warning people to stay clear of the area due to police activity. Police are on the scene. More information will be provided as it becomes available. — Ocean County College…
BRICK – Lake Riviera Middle School teacher Gary Paxton was named the winner of the Excellence in Education Award, which is presented annually by the 10th Legislative District to an elementary, middle school or high school teacher who best exemplifies commitment and dedication to classroom teaching. Assemblyman Dave Wolfe presented the award to Paxton in his…
CLIFTON — The morning after first televised governors debate Democratic nominee Phil Murphy declined to take questions from reporters as he received an endorsement from former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Appearing together at a VFW post in Clifton on Tuesday morning, Kerry — a decorated Viet Nam combat veteran — praised Murphy a former…
MONMOUTH COUNTY — A New Jersey man faces up to four years in prison after admitting stealing three ATMs, including one at Boardwalk Hall in Asbury Park, in a 10-day span last year, according to a report. Darren Covington, 52, of Neptune, pleaded guilty to six counts of burglary and two counts of attempted burglary, APP.com…
A Jersey Cash 5 ticket worth $766,918 was sold for Tuesday night’s drawing at an Ocean County liquor store. The lucky ticket matched all five numbers and was purchased at Vingo Wine & Spirit on Route 70 in the Whiting section of Manchester, state lottery officials said Wednesday morning. The winning numbers were 3, 18, 19,…
The following is an a column from the Star Ledger regarding Democrat Millionaire Phil Murphy’s dodging of questions regarding how he will raise the billions of dollars he seeks for more government funding if elected for governor next month.
Just before the big gubernatorial debate in Newark Tuesday night, I ran into my old sparring partner Jim McGreevey in the hall. He was just there to watch. But Democratic nominee Phil Murphy sure could have used his advice. McGreevey was a master at ducking questions. Once the cameras came on, Murphy showed no such skill.…
TRENTON — The two major-party candidates running to succeed Chris Christie as New Jersey’s governor — Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Kim Guadagno — will face off Tuesday night in their first televised debate, exactly four weeks before Election Day. Here’s what you need to know about the first N.J. gubernatorial debate of 2017: WHAT TIME:…
Columbus Day in modern times is becoming more about celebrating Italian-American heritage than a tribute to the explorer Christopher Columbus. The change has occurred as more criticism has focused on the negative aspects of Columbus’ exploration including the enslavement of Native Americans and spread of deadly diseases. New Jersey remains heavily Italian, in terms of reported…