Back-to-back nor’easters stoke erosion fears at Jersey Shore

A nor’easter predicted to hit just days after a similar storm brought high winds and coastal flooding could spell erosion trouble for New Jersey beaches. While Friday’s nor’easter resulted in mostly minor flooding and damage to the coast, it’s the rare combination of two storms separated by mere days that has experts and authorities on alert.…

SMART Carpet and Flooring Goes Green for St. Patrick’s Day

NEW MONMOUTH, N.J., March 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, SMART Carpet and Flooring is going green–but their goal isn’t to avoid being pinched. Instead, the SMART Carpet and Flooring team is showcasing two of their top choices for more earth-friendly flooring. “Here at SMART Carpet and Flooring, we have a lot…

N.J. just took another step closer to ending PARCC testing

As New Jersey students sit to take the controversial PARCC exams this spring, state officials will be searching for a new set of standardized tests to replace them. Following Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign promise to end PARCC testing, the state Department of Education will soon form a testing advisory committee to explore new exams and ask…

No Consensus on Cannabis Emerges from Marathon Assembly Hearing

A five-hour state Assembly hearing with dozens of experts for and against the legalization of marijuana resulted in little consensus Monday, with advocates pointing to social justice, state revenues for school construction and other projects, and efforts to mitigate drug cartels and black-market sales, while those against say rosy predictions have not panned out elsewhere. The…

Dem operative axed from Jersey City prisoner re-entry program

JERSEY CITY — Eugene McKnight, the Democratic political operative hired four years ago to work for Jim McGreevey’s prisoner re-entry program, has been fired after program officials learned he was taking monthly cash payments from ex-offenders he helped find jobs for, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. McKnight’s termination would be the second time…

You’ve been smacked with $1B in surprise medical bills, Jersey. Now lawmakers are acting.

An Assembly panel approved legislation Monday its supporters said would protect patients from getting socked with bills from out-of-network doctors and hospitals — a $1 billion problem lawmakers have failed to settle for nearly a decade. The legislation would protect thousands of New Jerseyans covered by state-regulated health plans from “balance-billing,” or paying what an insurance…

Terror-inspired killer admits gunning down Brendan Tevlin, 3 others

The man accused of killing Livingston native Brendan Tevlin three years ago in a terror-inspired slaying abruptly pleaded guilty during jury selection Tuesday to fatally shooting the Seton Hall Prepatory School graduate at a traffic light in West Orange. During the same hearing, Ali Muhammad Brown, 34, of Seattle, Washington, admitted killing three other men in…

As Trump ends Obamacare individual mandate, N.J.’s stepping in to reinstate it

A state Senate panel Monday backed legislation that requires New Jerseyans to buy insurance or pay a fee — a mandate the Trump administration will end in 2019. The move is a step toward protecting the health insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The federal landmark health care law requires…

Howell Resident in Critical Condition, 2 N.J. teens, puppy die in Delaware crash

Two 19-year-olds from New Jersey and a puppy were killed and a 20-year-old man critically injured when their car drifted off the road and hit a tree in Delaware this morning, according to a report on delawareonline.com. Driver Adrian Velazquez of Kearny and passenger Alfahtee Heuy of Hillside were pronounced dead at the scene of the…

Weekend Winter Storm Cuts Power to 131,000 Homes in New Jersey

Additional Linemen, Hazard Assessors and Support Personnel from FirstEnergy Utilities and Electrical Contractors Traveling to New Jersey to Assist MORRISTOWN, N.J., March 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Service has been restored to more than 131,000 Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) customers who lost power following the massive winter storm that pounded the entire Mid-Atlantic and New…

NRA Boycotters Get Spanked In Public Opinion Polls

Public disapproval ratings plunged for companies that severed their ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA) following the Parkland, Florida, massacre of 17 students and teachers, according to a poll released Wednesday by Morning Consult. Gunman Nikolas Cruz slaughtered his victims February 14 at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, prompting a flood of…

The Dangers of Obama-Era ‘Guidance’ on Handling School Discipline

Manipulating the statistics on school discipline issues can mean big bucks for districts once the stats tell the feds the story they want to hear, as a piece in recently noted. Unless Secretary of Education Betsy Devos can roll back the Obama-era guidelines that encouraged this, the politically correct recipe for disaster could pave the way…

Dick’s Sporting Goods to end sales of assault-style guns

US retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods announced Wednesday it would stop selling assault-style rifles and bar gun sales to any customers under 21 years old in the wake of the Florida school shooting. Responding to the outcry from victims of the deadly Parkland high school shooting that claimed 17 lives, including 14 children, earlier this month, Dick’s…

Walmart Bans Rifle-Like Toys

Walmart announced that it will raise the age of those who can purchase firearms at its stores to 21. The company also said it will ban toys and items that resemble assault rifles in the wake of the Valentine’s Day Parkland, Florida high school massacre “In light of recent events, we’ve taken an opportunity to review…

Walmart raises to 21 minimum age to buy firearms, ammo

US retail giant Walmart announced Wednesday that it was raising to 21 its minimum age to buy firearms and ammunition, the latest US company to recalibrate its stance on weapons after a deadly Florida school shooting. “In light of recent events, we’ve taken an opportunity to review our policy on firearm sales. Going forward, we are…

Man killed, 1 injured after house fire breaks out

One person was killed and another person injured early Wednesday in a house fire in Edison, authorities said. The fire started in the basement of the Edison house at 5:40 a.m., Edison Fire Department officials said. A man was found dead in the basement, according to News 12 New Jersey. Another resident was taken to the…

Music: A season of Jewish choirs in concert

The following is a partial list of Jewish choral performances in New Jersey this spring: Kol Dodi will perform a Lag b’Omer concert May 3 at Morristown Jewish Center-Beit Yisrael. Photo courtesy Marcia Solkoff Eskin “Sing Hallelujah-Chichester Psalms and More,” Sharim v’Sharot, in honor of the centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, featuring other area choirs and…

New Jersey Researcher Finds Selfies Make Your Nose Look Bigger

“Does this smartphone make my nose look big?” It might, according to researchers at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School who point out that most people are unaware that close-up selfies produce a distorted image. The nose can appear 30 percent wider according to a new analysis, which adds a new wrinkle to modern day vanity. “Young…

State Police troopers save man’s life with CPR after crash (VIDEO)

New Jersey State Police troopers used CPR to save a man’s life when they found him unresponsive and without a pulse in a vehicle in the median of the Garden State Parkway in Ocean County. Sgt. Karen Fahy and Trooper Christopher Herman were on patrol near milepost 80 on the southbound side of the Garden State…

Hundreds of flights cancelled at N.J., N.Y., Philly airports by storm

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at New Jersey, Philly and New York airports due to a powerful nor’easter making its way through the area packing wind gusts up to 60 mph and heavy rain. As of 7:50 a.m., Newark Liberty International Airport had 132 cancellations, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. There were hundreds…

Overdose deaths fell in 14 states. In N.J., they surged 35 percent

Overdose deaths continue to skyrocket in New Jersey even as other states appear to be getting a grip on the opioid crisis, according to the latest available data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the 12-month period from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, 2,284 people died of an overdose…

New Jersey Man Takes $1,600 Uber Ride He Can’t Remember

A New Jersey man made it home safe Friday after a night of partying by way of a $1,000 Uber ride, which he said he doesn’t remember. Kenneth Bachman claimed had been partying near the campus of West Virginia University located in Morgantown, West Virginia, with his buddies when he decided to call an Uber home.…

Report: ICE Arrested 3,189 Illegals in New Jersey Under Trump in 2017

A report today on NJ.com says ICE has been effective in New Jersey in detaining illegal immigrants in the Garden State…

More than twice as many undocumented immigrants in New Jersey with no criminal histories were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year as compared to 2016, a direct result of the dragnet-style policy set forth by President Trump. Of the 3,189 immigrants arrested by ICE in the Garden State in fiscal year 2017, 1,271…

Millburn High’s head volleyball coach charged with molesting teen

Update: Nguyen was released from jail after a pretrial hearing.

The head volleyball coach at Millburn High School engaged in sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl after giving the teen alcohol, authorities have charged. Peter Nguyen, 50, of Edison, also served as a coach at the all-girls Impact Volleyball Club in Rahway, where the teen was a player, authorities said. He also worked as a bookkeeper…

2 N.J. school districts closed over email threat sent to staff member

Two Gloucester County school districts have been closed after a threatening email was sent to a district staff member, officials said. The Franklin Township and Delsea Regional school districts are closed Thursday after authorities said they were investigating the email sent to the Franklin Township School District staff member overnight. “We are working diligently to identify…