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Kermit The Frog Confirmed As 2025 UMD Commencement Speaker — And The Internet Has Best Reaction Kermit The Frog Confirmed As 2025 UMD Commencement Speaker — And The Internet Has Best Reaction
Kermit The Frog Confirmed As 2025 UMD Commencement Speaker — And The Internet Has Best Reaction It's not easy being green, or delivering an epic commencement speech.  But Kermit the Frog, a Peabody Award winner and best-selling author (and muppet) will do both in May, when he will return to the campus where he was first brought to life (by creator and alum Jim Henson, Class of 1960) to deliver the commencement speech in May. The school made the announcement this week, and the internet's reaction is everything you could've ever hoped for. "Kermencement," one absolute genius commented on UMD's post on Facebook. Others begged for the event to be live-streamed, while many …

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by Zak Failla
Business
Dollar Tree Sells Family Dollar For $1B As Tariffs, Online Rivals Pressure Discount Chains Dollar Tree Sells Family Dollar For $1B As Tariffs, Online Rivals Pressure Discount Chains
Dollar Tree Sells Family Dollar For $1B As Tariffs, Online Rivals Pressure Discount Chains Family Dollar is being sold for $1 billion — about one-ninth of what Dollar Tree paid for it a decade ago — as discount chains nationwide face fierce online competition and President Donald Trump's tariff threats. Dollar Tree will offload Family Dollar to Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management, the company said in a news release on Wednesday, Mar. 26. The deal follows a full review of strategic alternatives and is expected to close later this spring. Family Dollar will stay headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia. The chain's current president Jason Nordin w…

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by Chris Spiker
News
New Update: Vehicle Of 4 US Army Soldiers Presumed Dead Found Submerged In Water New Update: Vehicle Of 4 US Army Soldiers Presumed Dead Found Submerged In Water
New Update: Vehicle Of 4 US Army Soldiers Presumed Dead Found Submerged In Water This story has been updated. The armored vehicle of four US Army soldiers feared dead after going missing during a tactical training exercise in Lithuania has been found submerged in a body water. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters Wednesday afternoon, March 26, in Poland that the four had died, but that there were no details yet surrounding the circumstances. The vehicle they were operating was an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle. The Lithuanian Defense Minister called the search-and-rescue operation "very complicated," saying that, "It will definitely take some time."…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Burrito Panic Over: Chipotle Denies Closure Rumors After Bankruptcy False Claim Spreads Burrito Panic Over: Chipotle Denies Closure Rumors After Bankruptcy False Claim Spreads
Burrito Panic Over: Chipotle Denies Closure Rumors After Bankruptcy False Claim Spreads Don't worry, Chipotle fans. Barbacoa burritos aren't going anywhere. Chipotle Mexican Grill has denied social media rumors that claimed the fast-casual restaurant chain is closing locations and filing for bankruptcy. A company spokesperson confirmed Chiptole isn't downsizing in an email to the Daily Voice on Wednesday, Mar. 26. The rumors appear to have started with a story by Madrid-based outlet Unión Rayo, Newsweek reported. The aggregate site from Spain used an image of the Chipotle logo while reporting on the closure of the chain's spinoff, Farmesa Fresh Eatery. The test location …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NY Couple Caught Stuffing $6K In J.Crew Clothes Into Bodysuit At Paramus Mall: Police NY Couple Caught Stuffing $6K In J.Crew Clothes Into Bodysuit At Paramus Mall: Police
NY Couple Caught Stuffing $6K In J.Crew Clothes Into Bodysuit At Paramus Mall: Police A couple from East Elmhurst, NY, was arrested after Paramus police say they stuffed more than $6,000 in J.Crew merchandise into a hidden bodysuit and tried to make a clean getaway at a local mall. Detectives with the Paramus Police Department’s Organized Retail Crime Unit were watching a suspicious vehicle in the mall parking lot on Thursday, March 20, around 2:40 p.m., when they spotted the suspects going back and forth between the car and the store, said Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti, who did not name the mall. Detective Matt McGuire saw a male and female repeatedly traveling betwe…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Chili's Honors 'The Office' With Retro Restaurant Inspired By Hit Show Chili's Honors 'The Office' With Retro Restaurant Inspired By Hit Show
Chili's Honors 'The Office' With Retro Restaurant Inspired By Hit Show Like Pam Beesly, you just might feel God in this Chili's one night. Chili's will open a special restaurant inspired by "The Office" in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, a few miles outside the TV show's hometown of Scranton, the company said in a news release on Wednesday, Mar. 26. The "Scranton Branch" was announced 20 years after the US version of the comedy classic debuted on Thursday, Mar. 24, 2005. "The Office" was set at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and its Scranton branch. The NBC hit prominently features Scranton, right down to a parody of a song from "Saturday Nig…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Chicken Truck Erupts In Flames After Losing Brakes, Slamming Parked Car In Fairview Chicken Truck Erupts In Flames After Losing Brakes, Slamming Parked Car In Fairview
Chicken Truck Erupts In Flames After Losing Brakes, Slamming Parked Car In Fairview A tractor-trailer delivering chicken burst into flames after it rolled down a hill and crashed into a parked car in Fairview early Wednesday, March 26, authorities said. John Pierotti The incident happened at 6:10 a.m. on Industrial Avenue, Fairview Deputy Police Chief John Pierotti said. The truck was making a delivery to one of the businesses at the top of the hill when its brakes gave out, the deputy chief said. The rig began rolling backward down the hill, veered off to the side of the road, and slammed into a parked vehicle. The impact caused both the truck and the parked car t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Power Couple Behind Fair Lawn Cafes Building More Than Coffee Empire — They Build Safe Spaces Power Couple Behind Fair Lawn Cafes Building More Than Coffee Empire — They Build Safe Spaces
Power Couple Behind Fair Lawn Cafes Building More Than Coffee Empire — They Build Safe Spaces Cameo and Elana Zvanets didn’t just open a café — they created a community. The married couple, who live in Fair Lawn and own both Cozie Cafe and the newly launched Better Daze, say their shops are about more than just coffee. They're about connection, inclusion, and creating a space where everyone — especially LGBTQ+ community — feels seen. “We stuck very strongly with making our spaces a safe space,” Cameo Zvanets told Daily Voice. “That’s what we stand for.” Cameo, 33, and Elana, 35, are longtime Fair Lawn residents and parents to a teenage daughter and toddler son. The couple opened Co…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Fake News: NJ Girl's Story Of Stabbing Abductor With Pencil Didn't Happen, Prosecutors Say Fake News: NJ Girl's Story Of Stabbing Abductor With Pencil Didn't Happen, Prosecutors Say
Fake News: NJ Girl's Story Of Stabbing Abductor With Pencil Didn't Happen, Prosecutors Say It sounded like a scene ripped from Law & Order: SVU — a would-be kidnapper in New Jersey stopped cold by a quick-thinking girl and her trusty pencil. But according to authorities, the dramatic tale was all made up. Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAuley and Berlin Township Police Chief Louis Bordi announced on Wednesday, March 26, that there's "no credible threat to the community" after a week-long investigation into the alleged March 19 abduction attempt. The girl had told investigators an unknown man approached her from behind while she was walking to school near Washington and Gro…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
4 Men Linked To NJ Break-Ins As Part Of Multi-State Burglary Ring: Police 4 Men Linked To NJ Break-Ins As Part Of Multi-State Burglary Ring: Police
4 Men Linked To NJ Break-Ins As Part Of Multi-State Burglary Ring: Police Four men believed to be part of a nationwide burglary ring were arrested this week following a months-long investigation that began with a home break-in in Westchester County, police said. The suspects—Jose Hevia-Irribarra, 28; Sebastian Figueroa-Urzua, 30; Yordy Hernandez-Ramos, 21; and Alexander Silva-Yanez, 28—were taken into custody on Monday, March 24, in a joint operation by the Harrison Police Department and the FBI, authorities announced on Tuesday, March 25.  All four, who are Chilean nationals, were arrested under full extradition warrants connected to a recent home burglary …

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by Ben Crnic
Real Estate
$25M Beachfront Resort Approved For Jersey Shore Town — All It Needs Is A Developer $25M Beachfront Resort Approved For Jersey Shore Town — All It Needs Is A Developer
$25M Beachfront Resort Approved For Jersey Shore Town — All It Needs Is A Developer A developer’s dream is officially on the market — and it's just steps from the sand. The Soleil Resort, a fully approved $25 million luxury condo-hotel planned for one of Ocean City’s last remaining beachfront lots, is now up for grabs — and the only thing missing is someone ready to build it. Located at 1101 Ocean Ave., right next to the historic Flanders Hotel, the project includes 111 luxury two- and three-bedroom units, all roughly 1,100 square feet with balconies and either ocean, bay, or pool views. The site comes with a CAFRA permit and planning board approval already in hand, meanin…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Bone Voyage: New Dog-Friendly Airline To Offer Flights At NYC-Area Airport Bone Voyage: New Dog-Friendly Airline To Offer Flights At NYC-Area Airport
Bone Voyage: New Dog-Friendly Airline To Offer Flights At Nyc-area Airport It'll soon be wheels – and paws – up for a new airline taking off from a Long Island airport. RetrievAir, a pet-centric airline built entirely around traveling with dogs, will begin service out of Republic Airport (FRG) in Farmingdale, the company said in a news release on Wednesday, Mar. 26. Flights will begin on Thursday, May 22. From the executive airport, RetrievAir will offer service to seven US cities with weekly departures. The cheapest flights go to West Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursdays for $749 one way. Other destinations from Farmingdale's airport include Chicago,…

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by Chris Spiker