Fair and Breezy 33°
Schools
Montclair State Bans 11 Students From On-Campus Housing For Breaking COVID-19 Rules Montclair State Bans 11 Students From On-Campus Housing For Breaking COVID-19 Rules
Montclair State Bans 11 Students From On-Campus Housing For Breaking Covid-19 Rules Nearly a dozen Montclair State University students were temporarily banned from on-campus housing after partying without face masks in large groups and violating COVID-19 rules, NorthJersey.com reports. The MSU community reportedly received an email Monday morning confirming 11 students had been suspended from on-campus housing for violating safety protocols. "Most of us are doing all we can to keep ourselves and others safe," the email said. "We want everyone to be safe. We want to stay open, so we ALL have to follow safety protocols...all the time!" Over the weekend, students were sent a…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Bergen Woman Struck By Hit-Run Driver On Route 46 Dies After Years-Long Battle Bergen Woman Struck By Hit-Run Driver On Route 46 Dies After Years-Long Battle
Bergen Woman Struck By Hit-Run Driver On Route 46 Dies After Years-Long Battle Anna Semioli fought for 4½ years while loved ones prayed for a miracle after she was struck by a pickup truck on Route 46 in Clifton. Annie's fight ended this weekend. Semioli, 26, of Moonachie was two months from being graduated with an accounting degree from Montclair State University when she was hit by the pickup just after midnight on Oct. 9, 2015. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, lost a great deal of blood and went into cardiac arrest. The driver fled the scene, leaving her on the side of the highway. He surrendered a week later amid intense media coverage. He didn’t have insu…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
COVID-19: Trio Of Montclair State Employees Test Positive COVID-19: Trio Of Montclair State Employees Test Positive
Covid-19: Trio Of Montclair State Employees Test Positive Three Montclair State University employees have returned positive COVID-19 tests, officials said. Although classes have moved to online only, campuses remain open. The school is the third statewide to discover traces of the virus on its campus, NJ.com reports. The first case was announced March 12 -- the other two were reported Wednesday night. The employee had not visited campus in the nearly two weeks after testing positive, and they were not showing symptoms when leaving their office, officials said. The risk of transmission was considered low at the time, reports say. The first of t…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
News
UPDATED: Coronavirus Concerns Cancel Classes Across NJ UPDATED: Coronavirus Concerns Cancel Classes Across NJ
Updated: Coronavirus Concerns Cancel Classes Across NJ Several schools and universities have cancelled classes in an effort to plan ahead and prevent the spread of coronavirus in New Jersey (scroll for complete list). As of Thursday, there were 29 presumed positive cases in New Jersey, including a 16- and- 17-year-old. UPDATE: All Bergen County schools will close indefinitely as of 3 p.m. Friday, Bergen County Jim Tedesco announced Thursday evening. Rutgers University recently announced classes would be held remotely after spring break. Students were strongly encouraged to remain off campus through April 3. Bergen Community College extended S…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Schools
All 5 Quintuplets Accept Free Rides To Montclair State University All 5 Quintuplets Accept Free Rides To Montclair State University
All 5 Quintuplets Accept Free Rides To Montclair State University A group of lucky and talented quintuplets from Totowa will soon get the chance to attend Montclair State University as Presidential Scholars. Each of the Povolo quintuplets -- Victoria, Masha, Ashley, Michael and Marcus -- have been accepted to the university with offers of full scholarships due to their academic achievements. In addition to tuition, funds awarded through the school’s Presidential Scholars Program include need-based grants and small merit scholarships for the quints, who were raised in Totowa. “Thank you, Montclair State, for allowing us this amazing opportunity and this s…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
Obituaries
Yellowstone National Park Police Officer Donna Youker Of Morris County Dies, 37 Yellowstone National Park Police Officer Donna Youker Of Morris County Dies, 37
Yellowstone National Park Police Officer Donna Youker Of Morris County Dies, 37 Morris County native Donna Youker was a police officer in Yellowstone National Park, where she died on Feb. 4. She was 37 years old. Donna grew up in Randolph and graduated from the local high school before pursuing her Bachelor's of Science in Biology at Montclair State University, her obituary says. She moved out west nearly a decade ago to work out several national parks, most recently landing her dream job as a law enforcement officer in Yellowstone National Park, according to her obituary. Friends and loved ones remembered Donna for her kindness, "boundless energy and forever smile."…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Instagram Video Shows Vibrant Victims Moments Before Deadly Woodbridge Crash Instagram Video Shows Vibrant Victims Moments Before Deadly Woodbridge Crash
Instagram Video Shows Vibrant Victims Moments Before Deadly Woodbridge Crash Chilling videos posted to Instagram show the three victims of a late-night Woodbridge crash singing and dancing just moments before they died, the New York Post originally reported. “These are all of my high school friends," said Michaela Powell, who posted the snippets to her Instagram page. "These are the people I grew up with." Powell, 23, and Uchechukw Chukwuma, 24, were passengers in the Nissan Altima driven by Brianna Martinez, 23, which rear-ended a tractor-trailer on Route 1 near Ford Avenue around 11:50 p.m. Friday night, Woodbridge police said. The three graduated from Frank…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Hero's Welcome Surprises Rookie Little Ferry Police Officer Deployed Overseas Hero's Welcome Surprises Rookie Little Ferry Police Officer Deployed Overseas
Hero's Welcome Surprises Rookie Little Ferry Police Officer Deployed Overseas Steve Linde was a full-fledged Little Ferry police officer all of a week when he was deployed to Africa with the U.S. Army National Guard early this year. He returned Friday to a hero's welcome. The 25-year-old borough native was hired as a police officer in November of last year, passed his field training and hit the street -- but not for long. Linde, who was graduated from Montclair State University in 2016, enlisted with the National Guard a year earlier for a six-year hitch that ends in February 2021. He was deployed on Feb. 4 to the country of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and condu…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
ICYMI: 112-Year-Old Message In A Bottle Found At Montclair State University ICYMI: 112-Year-Old Message In A Bottle Found At Montclair State University
ICYMI: 112-Year-Old Message In A Bottle Found At Montclair State University A pair of craftsmen who helped build Montclair State University more than a century ago left behind a message for future generations -- but it was hidden in such a way that it might never have been found at all.  Fortunately for posterity, the message from those workers -- believed to be first-generation Irish-Americans  -- has been received, loud and clear.  An article published  in the university's campus magazine describes how Robert Kanaby, a demolition laborer working on a renovation of the university's College Hall building, was recently breaking down some brickwor…

SHARE

by Paul Milo
Obituaries
Lodi Middle School PTO Treasurer, Mom Marta Vartolone Dies, 48 Lodi Middle School PTO Treasurer, Mom Marta Vartolone Dies, 48
Lodi Middle School PTO Treasurer, Mom Marta Vartolone Dies, 48 The death of a Lodi mom has sparked an online campaign to help her two kids and husband. Marta Vartolone (nee Abbondante) died on Nov. 25. She was 48 years old. More than $250 had been raised for her family on a GoFundMe as of Friday morning. Vartolone earned her Bachelor's degree in science from Montclair State University. She had been serving as treasurer of the Thomas Jefferson Middle School PTO and was a parishioner of St. Joseph R.C. Church in Lodi, her obituary says. Vartolone is predeceased by her parents, Onofrio and Maria Abbondante.  She is survived by her husband, M…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
See Which N.J. Colleges And Universities Ranked Among Nation's Best See Which N.J. Colleges And Universities Ranked Among Nation's Best
See Which N.J. Colleges And Universities Ranked Among Nation's Best The magazine U.S. News and World Report Monday released its rankings of the nation's best colleges and universities. The popular, annual rankings are based on a variety of metrics, including "outcomes" -- what percentage of students earn an undergraduate degree within six years -- as well as class size and standardized test scores.  Nine New Jersey schools were listed among the best in the "National University" category, which includes schools offering a full range of graduate and undergraduate programs.  A New Jersey school that is is consistently at or near the top of the rankin…

SHARE

by Paul Milo
Obituaries
Jeremy Thompson, 26, Of Belleville, Artist And College Student Jeremy Thompson, 26, Of Belleville, Artist And College Student
Jeremy Thompson, 26, Of Belleville, Artist And College Student Jeremy Osmond Thompson, a lifelong resident of Belleville, died Sunday. He was 26 years old.  A freelance visual artist, he was studying Visual Communications at Montclair State University.  He is survived by his parents, Henry and Martha; sister Julianne "Meg" Thompson; his grandmothers Henrietta Barrow and Joyce Thompson; as well as aunts, uncles and cousins.  Relatives and friends will be received at S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home, 267 Centre St. in Nutley, from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday. There will be a memorial service at 8 p.m.  The funeral will be Saturday at 10:30 …

SHARE

by Paul Milo