Fair 69°
Police & Fire
Retired NJ Doctor Found Guilty Of Selling Toxic Chemical As Weight-Loss Drug Retired NJ Doctor Found Guilty Of Selling Toxic Chemical As Weight-Loss Drug
Retired NJ Doctor Found Guilty Of Selling Toxic Chemical As Weight-Loss Drug An 85-year-old retired doctor from New Jersey was convicted of selling a toxic industrial chemical as a weight-loss drug, authorities said. William Merlino, of Mays Landing, was charged in December 2019 with one count of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said Tuesday, Aug. 9. Merlino ran the business out of his home, packaging and selling Dinitriophenol (DNP) for human consumption from at least November 2017 until March 2019, the US Attorney said. The chemical, which has never been approved by the FDA, was first int…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
NJ City Is America's Most Expensive Place For Renters, Website Says NJ City Is America's Most Expensive Place For Renters, Website Says
NJ City Is America's Most Expensive Place For Renters, Website Says How much would you pay to wake up to views of the New York City skyline every day? Hopefully your answer is around $5,500, because that's how much you'd need just to rent in Jersey City. According to Rent.com, Jersey City is the most expensive city for renters in America. That's about $500 more than the average Manhattan rental. "Jersey City, just across the Hudson from Manhattan, logged the highest rent in the U.S for this survey period," the website said.  The average monthly rent in Jersey City shot up from $3,308 in 2021 to $5,500 this year — that's a 66.25 percent increase, …

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by Cecilia Levine
Sports
MetLife Stadium Hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup MetLife Stadium Hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup
MetLife Stadium Hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup MetLife Stadium is among 16 stadiums across the US, Mexico and Canada chosen to host the 2026 Fifa World Cup games, FIFA’s president said Thursday, June 16. Other East Coast host cities include Philadelphia, Boston and Miami. “We are honored to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our neighbors across the Hudson, and we are fully prepared to deliver the world-class experience that the beautiful game deserves,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.  “Future generations of New Jerseyans will remember fondly that, on the heels of a global pandemic, the biggest sporting event in the world was hosted…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ's Top Cop Orders Extra Security For Schools Following Texas Massacre NJ's Top Cop Orders Extra Security For Schools Following Texas Massacre
NJ's Top Cop Orders Extra Security For Schools Following Texas Massacre Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin ordered State Police and all 21 county prosecutors Tuesday night to immediately boost law enforcement presence at schools statewide following the Texas massacre. "The safety of our state's residents—including and especially our children—is my top priority," Platkin said after he and State Police Supt. Col. Patrick Callahan had a virtual emergency meeting with law enforcement officers throughout New Jersey. The purpose, he said, was to "ensure coordination in the aftermath of this tragedy." The deadliest school shooting since the 2012 sl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Biden Tapping US Petroleum Reserve To Relieve Pump Prices Biden Tapping US Petroleum Reserve To Relieve Pump Prices
Biden Tapping US Petroleum Reserve To Relieve Pump Prices US President Joe Biden will be tapping the country's petroleum reserves in an effort to save American drivers some cash. One million barrels of oil a day will be released for six months, totaling180 million barrels, from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The soaring gas prices are in part caused by the US ban on oil imports from Russia due to its Ukrainian invasion. The national average for a gallon of gas had fallen to $4.18 as of April 4. Gas price comparisonAAA “The upward push on oil prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine is meeting stronger downward pressure from the plann…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
This COVID Variant Is Dominant Strain In NJ This COVID Variant Is Dominant Strain In NJ
This COVID Variant Is Dominant Strain In NJ The subvariant of the Omicron strain is the most dominant in New Jersey, and it is already the most prevalent strain in the US. The so-called "Stealth Omicron" strain was found in more than 70 percent of all sampled cases in New Jersey between March 13 and March 19, according to the state health department. From Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, the BA.2 subvariant was found in only 7 percent of the cases examined, the health department said. It is unlikely that the latest variant will result in another wave of cases or lockdowns, NJ Advance Media says citing health officials. The BA…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
House Agrees To Legalize Weed, But Don’t Fire One Up Just Yet House Agrees To Legalize Weed, But Don’t Fire One Up Just Yet
House Agrees To Legalize Weed, But Don’t Fire One Up Just Yet It was only 16 months ago that the U.S. House of Representatives approved the nation’s first attempted repeal of federal marijuana laws. Then nothing happened. Over in the Senate, then-Sen. Kamala Harris introduced a similar bill that metaphorically died on the vine. The House on April Fools' Day again agreed to legalize weed, taking the nation back to lawmakers' December 2020 attempt to toss the federal pot ban. Let's be blunt: The result will most likely be the same. Only a few Republicans joined the House majority in Friday’s 220-204 House vote to remove reefer from the 1970 Controlled…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Russia-Ukraine War To Have Seismic Effect On Jersey Shore Economy This Summer: Report Russia-Ukraine War To Have Seismic Effect On Jersey Shore Economy This Summer: Report
Russia-Ukraine War To Have Seismic Effect On Jersey Shore Economy This Summer: Report Russia's invasion of Ukraine is expected to make a major impact in Jersey Shore towns that rely on seasonal workers from Eastern Europe each summer, according to a recent report by Yahoo. The workers who annually participate in the State Department's J-1 visa summer work travel program likely won't be able to make it to the US this year, the outlet said. And so, businesses that rely on them could be kept closed, that is, if they don't find employees to fill empty positions. Adding insult to injury, many businesses were relying on increased revenue in Summer 2022 to make up for the dip …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
COVID-19: This Key Factor Could Indicate Whether Stealth Omicron Will Cause New Surge In US COVID-19: This Key Factor Could Indicate Whether Stealth Omicron Will Cause New Surge In US
Covid-19: This Key Factor Could Indicate Whether Stealth Omicron Will Cause New Surge In US With the new “stealth” COVID-19 sub-variant emerging from the shadows in the US and overseas, researchers are concerned that one subset of Americans could potentially lead to a possible new surge of infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Omicron, which is known as B.1.1.529, has three sub-variants: the original BA.1 that remains the dominant strain, the “stealth” BA.2, which is picking up steam, and the more elusive BA.3. The new “stealth” variant - named for its difficulty to identify due to a lack of certain genetic characteristics - has been becoming more of a co…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Could Lead To Spikes In These Food Products In Addition To Oil Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Could Lead To Spikes In These Food Products In Addition To Oil
Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Could Lead To Spikes In These Food Products In Addition To Oil The Russian invasion of Ukraine is expected to cause a flux in the markets, sending the prices of energy and certain agricultural products through the roof as supply chains are further disrupted. Experts are expecting oil and gas prices to spike due to the European crisis, though some of Russia and Ukraine’s largest exports are expected to impact costs for other products overseas and stateside. Officials said that outside of energy, the price of products such as wheat, barley, corn, copper, and nickel are likely going to be on the rise as supply chains already impacted by the COVID-19 pande…

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by Zak Failla
News
Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Means Higher NJ Gas Prices Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Means Higher NJ Gas Prices
Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Means Higher NJ Gas Prices “Pain at the pump,” was a concern reporters pushed President Biden on during a press conference about the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Although Biden urged the energy sector to not move prices, experts say the US is already feeling the pinch since tensions began to escalate between the two nations. “Any disruptions to oil flows from Russia in a context of low spare capacity in other regions could easily send oil prices to $120 (a barrel),” Natasha Kaneva, JPMorgan’s head of global commodities strategy, wrote in a report published earlier in February. Gas prices had already t…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Tom Holland Makes Surprise Visit To North Jersey Tom Holland Makes Surprise Visit To North Jersey
Tom Holland Makes Surprise Visit To North Jersey English actor Tom Holland left fans starstruck after making a surprise visit to a North Jersey theater for a screening of his new film, ‘Uncharted.’ The 25-year-old Spider-Man and Avengers actor stopped by the Cinema Lab Theater at the Village at SOPAC (South Orange Performing Arts Center) for a private viewing on Saturday, according to a post from the theater’s Instagram page. “We're so excited to have @tomholland2013 here at our #UnchartedMovie event,” reads the post, which included a video snippet of Holland being introduced by the film’s director, Ruben Fleischer. “Ruben and I have be…

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by Valerie Musson