Fair 51°
Schools
Camden Schools Superintendent Calls On Board President To Quit In Wake Of Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Camden Schools Superintendent Calls On Board President To Quit In Wake Of Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Camden Schools Superintendent Calls On Board President To Quit In Wake Of Sexual Abuse Lawsuit The state-appointed superintendent for the Camden City School District is calling for the resignation of the advisory school board president amid sexual abuse allegations. Camden Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs, in a letter to the community, wrote: "In order to allow our community to heal and refocus on what truly matters—the education and future of our students— it would be in the best interest of the state-operated district of Camden City for Advisory Board President Wasim Muhammad to voluntarily relinquish his seat." "We are at the beginning of a new school year—a time that s…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Teen Killed In Boating Accident Was Rising Rutgers Freshman Teen Killed In Boating Accident Was Rising Rutgers Freshman
Teen Killed In Boating Accident Was Rising Rutgers Freshman More information has come to light about the 18-year-old Wayne resident killed in a boating accident over the weekend in Harvey Cedars. Zeina Mahafzah was days away from beginning her freshman year at Rutgers University, as classes start on Tuesday, Sept. 2. According to university spokeswoman Dory Devlin, Zeina was enrolled in the School of Arts and Sciences–Newark. "The Rutgers-Newark community is devastated by the news of Zeina’s passing, and we are sending our support to the Mahafzah family during this incredibly difficult time," Devlin said. In a post shared to Faceboo…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
Longtime New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Dies At 87 Longtime New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Dies At 87
Longtime New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Dies At 87 Rep. Bill Pascrell, a Democrat who served in Congress for almost 30 years and was a former Mayor of Paterson, died on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the age of 87, his family announced. "It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning," his family wrote on social media.  "As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He i…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
NJ Performing Arts High School Teacher Molested Female Student, Prosecutors Say NJ Performing Arts High School Teacher Molested Female Student, Prosecutors Say
NJ Performing Arts High School Teacher Molested Female Student, Prosecutors Say A former teacher at an Ocean County performing arts high school was accused of molesting a female student, authorities said. Douglas Bollinger, 56, of Neptune City, was charged on Monday, Aug. 12 with two counts each of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. Bollinger was a teacher at the Grunin Performing Arts Academy at Ocean County Vocational Technical School (OCVTS). The academy had 240 students as of September 2023 and offers high schoolers opportunities to take dual-credit co…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lifestyle
NJ's Dominic Sessa Cast In New Anthony Bourdain Biopic: Report NJ's Dominic Sessa Cast In New Anthony Bourdain Biopic: Report
NJ's Dominic Sessa Cast In New Anthony Bourdain Biopic: Report Dominic Sessa is going from boarding school to the kitchen. The 21-year-old actor, who grew up in Egg Harbor Township and Ocean City, has been cast as Anthony Bourdain in a new biopic about the legendary chef, Deadline reports.  Bourdain is also a Garden State native, growing up in Leonia and having graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School. Sessa became a breakout star after appearing in "The Holdovers," a critically acclaimed dramedy about a boy stuck at boarding school over Christmas break with his misanthropic teacher.  Sessa attended Alder Avenue Middle School in Egg Harbo…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Schools
Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named
Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named The New Jersey Department of Education has named the top 21 educators in the state. The department released the list of the 2024-25 New Jersey County Teachers of the Year on Tuesday, Aug. 6.  They are: Atlantic County: Carly Broomhead, Visual Arts Teacher at Emma C. Attales Middle School in the Absecon School District Bergen County: Margarita Diakos, Special Education Teacher at Ramsey High School in the Ramsey School District Burlington County: Margaret Fanourgakis, Health & Physical Education Teacher at Shawnee High School in the Lenape Regional Hi…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Town Ranked Among Top 10 Best Places To Live In America NJ Town Ranked Among Top 10 Best Places To Live In America
NJ Town Ranked Among Top 10 Best Places To Live In America A historic green smack-dab in the middle of town. Transportation to and from the city. Ample job opportunities. Who could ask for anything more? One North Jersey township has been named to Fortune's 2024 list of 50 Best Places to Live for Families. "A great place to live is not one that solely supports a family in the present," the outlet writes, "but one that will serve them for the long term." Fortune said it analyzed more than 2,000 cities across the U.S., and the ones that came out on top scored high for affordability, healthcare, resources for seniors, and more. Morristown, NJ came …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
Bergen County Cheer Coach, Zumba Instructor Eliza Stolz Dies After Suffering Brain Injury Bergen County Cheer Coach, Zumba Instructor Eliza Stolz Dies After Suffering Brain Injury
Bergen County Cheer Coach, Zumba Instructor Eliza Stolz Dies After Suffering Brain Injury Support is on the rise for a Bergen County family mourning the unexpected loss of its matriarch.  Eliza Stolz, a cheer coach and Zumba instructor from Elmwood Park, died on Tuesday, July 23, just over a week after an accident that caused her to suffer a brain injury, according to a GoFundMe launched for the family. The campaign had raised more than $19,500 as of press time.  Eliza was born in Poland and was one of six girls before moving to the United States for a better life, where she raised her children for 12 years as a stay-at-home mother before returning to work, the GoFund…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Teacher Seen Assaulting Student In Disturbing Video Charged In Essex County: Cops Teacher Seen Assaulting Student In Disturbing Video Charged In Essex County: Cops
Teacher Seen Assaulting Student In Disturbing Video Charged In Essex County: Cops A West Orange teacher has been arrested for assaulting an 11-year-old student, authorities said. Jaron Spicer, 32, of Bayonne, has been charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault — a disorderly persons offense — following an incident on April 18, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II and West Orange Police Chief James P. Abbott said. Disturbing footage shared by Pix11 shows Spicer, a teacher at Mt. Carmel Guild Academy on Valley Way, throwing the boy to the ground and holding him down with his own body weight. The outlet s…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Schools
'I Like The F— Out Of You:' NJ Teacher Has License Revoked After Lewd Comments, Officials Say 'I Like The F— Out Of You:' NJ Teacher Has License Revoked After Lewd Comments, Officials Say
'I Like The F— Out Of You:' NJ Teacher Has License Revoked After Lewd Comments, Officials Say A New Jersey educator had his teaching license revoked on Thursday, June 27 after repeatedly making lewd comments to a student, officials announced. The State Board of Examiners revoked the license of East Orange English teacher Alim Hasan after he called a student "pretty", told her she smelled good, that she has a "grown woman scent" and that he "likes the f- out of her." The board said Hasan's comments "clearly demonstrate conduct that is unacceptable for a role model for a school children." "Such communications by a teacher to his student are completely inappropriate," the board w…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Former NJ Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Another Student Years Ago: Prosecutors Former NJ Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Another Student Years Ago: Prosecutors
Former NJ Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Another Student Years Ago: Prosecutors A former Wall Township High School teacher was facing more charges after she was accused of sexually assaulting a second student, authorities said. Julie Rizzitello, 36, of Brick Township, was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree witness tampering, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Wednesday, July 17.  She was previously charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree witness tampering, and three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. Investigators said they found e…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
News
Superintendent Of NJ School District Dies Superintendent Of NJ School District Dies
Superintendent Of NJ School District Dies The Montclair Public School District is mourning the loss of its superintendent. A message posted on the district website said only that the district is mourning the passing of Dr. Jonathan Ponds. Ponds was principal to students at the Parsons Elementary School in North Brunswick from 2012 to 2015 and also served as a superintendent and principal in Moonachie. Ponds also had experience working as a special education teacher, basketball coach, vice principal, and dean of students, his bio on the Montclair Schools website said. The district's director of secondary education Damen Coope…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine