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Police & Fire
Two Franklin Lakes Men Took $350K From Jersey City Church: Prosecutor Two Franklin Lakes Men Took $350K From Jersey City Church: Prosecutor
Two Franklin Lakes Men Took $350K From Jersey City Church: Prosecutor Two Franklin Lake residents were arrested this week and charged with theft and forgery related to construction work at a Jersey City church, authorities said. In 2021, Centurion Companies, a construction business owned by Christopher Poppe, 35, and Glen Poppe, 65, was hired by St. George and St. Shenouda Coptic Church in Jersey City to perform construction work, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarz said. An investigation found the church issued Centurion Companies payments in excess for $350,000 to pay third-party contractors for additional services, Suarez said. Falsified r…

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by Sam Barron
Business
Target To Replace North Jersey K-Mart Store Target To Replace North Jersey K-Mart Store
Target To Replace North Jersey K-Mart Store A new Target store is coming to North Jersey. Levin Management Corporation announced the big box retailer has signed a lease to open a 211,500-square-foot store at West Orange Plaza in West Orange (Essex County). The new store will expand the shopping center, anchored by a Whole Foods from 296,500 to 311,500 square feet, as part of a redevelopment project. Target will be taking over a spot formally occupied by a K-Mart. Redevelopment of the 32-acre Essex County property will take place in stages. A portion of the property’s main building is being renovated and expanded for the new Target …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Contractor Behind Leaky, Moldy Jersey City Buildings Busted For Phony Insurance: Prosecutor Contractor Behind Leaky, Moldy Jersey City Buildings Busted For Phony Insurance: Prosecutor
Contractor Behind Leaky, Moldy Jersey City Buildings Busted For Phony Insurance: Prosecutor A 37-year-old North Jersey resident was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 12 and charged with theft and forgery on accusations he submitted a fake insurance certificate, authorities said. Prince Narang's company, Artisan Design and Construction, was hired to perform contract work on a residential building in Jersey City, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.  Narang, of Glen Ridge, submitted a bogus insurance certificate to the property owner and bank to obtain a construction contract, Suarez said.  The owner tried to file an insurance claim for property damag…

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by Sam Barron
News
NJ Motorcyclist Mike Milazzo, 33, Dies After Florida Crash NJ Motorcyclist Mike Milazzo, 33, Dies After Florida Crash
NJ Motorcyclist Mike Milazzo, 33, Dies After Florida Crash Longtime Sussex County resident Michael Milazzo died on Sunday, June 23 due to injuries suffered in a Florida motorcycle crash, his obituary says. He was 33 years old. According to his obituary on the Pinkel Funeral Home website, Michael attended High Point Regional High School and lived in Sussex County most of his life.  He owned and operated Countywide Construction in Wantage and was affectionately known as the "smooth operator,” since he believed he was “the best machine operator on the east side of the Mississippi.” He was passionate about riding motorcycle and rece…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Inside 3,500-Square-Foot Gastropub Now Open In Bergen County Inside 3,500-Square-Foot Gastropub Now Open In Bergen County
Inside 3,500-Square-Foot Gastropub Now Open In Bergen County June 2023 was when Mike Madigan says he experienced the scariest moment of his life. The 44-year-old Wyckoff, NJ, dad had finally taken the leap on owning a bar and restaurant of his own and had everything he needed to move forward with the project. He had the lease. He had the architectural plans. And he had the approval from everyone he needed. All he needed was a construction company to agree to the work. "I spent a good three or four months calling construction companies and setting up appointments," said Madigan, a Burlington, MA native who by day works as a controller for Keller Wil…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop
Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop It was 2017 and Matt Dagistanli was in the process of building the structure that stands today at 65 W. Madison Avenue in Dumont, when his donkey went missing. He wasn't a real donkey, of course, but a statue that Dagistanli and his former business partner had affectionately called Dumbo. Dagistanli grew quite fond of Dumbo, and wasn't ready to get rid of him at the turn of his career change. "I didn’t want to sell it or throw it away, so I took it home," said Dagistanli, 63, of Rutherford. "My wife said, 'You need to take this away.'" Dagistanli had nowhere to keep Dumbo except for …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Foul play was not suspected after human remains were found at a Jersey Shore construction site, authorities said. An analysis of the skeletal remains hasn't shown any evidence of the people's deaths being suspicious, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago and Wall Township police Chief Sean O'Halloran said in a news release on Friday, Apr. 19.  The remains were found on the 1100 block of Narrumson Road in Wall Township on Tuesday, Mar. 12. Work had just started on the foundation of a new home when the remains were discovered. A state police anthropologist perf…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Ground Level Beach Club Among Highlights Of Luxury Athletic Club Coming To Jersey Shore Ground Level Beach Club Among Highlights Of Luxury Athletic Club Coming To Jersey Shore
Ground Level Beach Club Among Highlights Of Luxury Athletic Club Coming To Jersey Shore A massive athletic club complete with a ground-level, resort-like beach club is under construction in Monmouth County. The Life Time facility in Middletown, its eighth in New Jersey, is expected to be complete in 2024. Click here to get on the wait list. Once finished, Life Time Middletown – Red Bank will provide a highly personalized, luxury approach to health and wellness with modern architecture, beautiful spaces and an abundance of amenities.  Highlights include: Three-floor building with an additional 50,000-square-foot, ground level outdoor beach club and bistro with leis…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
DREAM TEAM: Tiger Woods, MLB Star Mike Trout Building NJ Golf Course DREAM TEAM: Tiger Woods, MLB Star Mike Trout Building NJ Golf Course
Dream Team: Tiger Woods, MLB Star Mike Trout Building NJ Golf Course Baseball superstar Mike Trout has found the perfect teammate for his new golf course in his South Jersey hometown: Tiger Woods.  The two are collaborating on Trout's National — The Reserve, an 18-hole private course in Vineland, offering world class amenities, including a wedding chapel. Construction is set to begin this year with an opening expected in 2025. "We are so excited to be able to make a longtime dream of mine a reality," Trout, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player for the Los Angeles Angels, said on social media. Trout promised this would not be your grandpare…

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by Sam Barron
News
$1.3M Owed By Contractors Of Jersey City High-Rise For Labor Violations: State Officials $1.3M Owed By Contractors Of Jersey City High-Rise For Labor Violations: State Officials
$1.3M Owed By Contractors Of Jersey City High-Rise For Labor Violations: State Officials A multi-agency New Jersey probe resulted in 20 contractors being fined more than $1.3 million in back wages and penalties, state officials said. The contractors were performing construction work at 88 Regent St. in Jersey City. More than 60 investigators, including those from the state Attorney General's Office and Labor Department, conducted an unannounced sweep in the summer of 2021 in response to allegations of workers being underpaid or paid off the books. Grand Street Construction, LLC of Jersey City,  the owner/ general contractor on the project, did not return requests for comment.…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Body Found By Demolition Crew In Jersey City Home Body Found By Demolition Crew In Jersey City Home
Body Found By Demolition Crew In Jersey City Home A demolition crew found a body on the second floor of a Jersey City home under construction last week, officials confirmed. The man's body was found around 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, at the home under construction on 10 Irving St., city spokesperson Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said. The house had been vacant since suffering heavy damage in a fire in August 2021. Demolition stopped immediately upon the discovery and members of the Jersey City Fired Department used their equipment to safely gain access to the structure and to remove the body.  The cause of death does not appear sus…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
This NJ Hospital Is Getting $2 Billion Expansion This NJ Hospital Is Getting $2 Billion Expansion
This NJ Hospital Is Getting $2 Billion Expansion A major $2 billion expansion to Cooper University Hospital was announced Monday, Sept. 19 in Camden.  Gov. Phil Murphy and former Gov. Chris Christie were among the prominent officials at a ceremony welcoming the new venture that will take a decade to complete, hospital officials said. The new investment – the largest in Camden County’s history – will dramatically expand the academic health system’s Camden campus to meet the current and future projected demand at Cooper University Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper. The $2 billion expansion will add three new clinical to…

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by Jon Craig