Fair 9°
News
LIST: Bankrupt GNC Closing 248 Stores, Including 20 In NJ, NY LIST: Bankrupt GNC Closing 248 Stores, Including 20 In NJ, NY
List: Bankrupt GNC Closing 248 Stores, Including 20 In NJ, NY GNC on Wednesday released a list of stores that the company is closing in New Jersey and New York as part of its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The retailer, which had 5,200 stores in the U.S. and 7,300 worldwide at the end of March, said it expects to close anywhere from 800 to 1,200 of them, beginning with those listed below. GNC already was submerged in an estimated $700 million in debt and facing delisting on the New York Stock Exchange when COVID-19 struck. The coronavirus pandemic “created a situation where we were unable to accomplish our refinancing and the abrupt cha…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Complete Rundown Of George Floyd Marches, Vigils Planned Across Garden State Complete Rundown Of George Floyd Marches, Vigils Planned Across Garden State
Complete Rundown Of George Floyd Marches, Vigils Planned Across Garden State Many more marches and other demonstrations in memory of George Floyd are planned in New Jersey and across the nation this week. Protests over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis have swept across the country Four Minnesota police officers who were at the scene of Floyd’s death were fired, and one of them, Derek Chauvin, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. At least seven such rallies were set for Tuesday, June 2 including: In Princeton, the Coalition for Peace in Princeton will hold a peaceful protest at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Nassau and Witherspoon streets. In Kean…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Lifestyle
Fyre Festival Founder Billy McFarland Of Short Hills Seeks Early Prison Release Due To COVID-19 Fyre Festival Founder Billy McFarland Of Short Hills Seeks Early Prison Release Due To COVID-19
Fyre Festival Founder Billy McFarland Of Short Hills Seeks Early Prison Release Due To Covid-19 Lawyers for a convicted fraudster from Short Hills who founded the controversial Fyre Festival asked a judge to release him from federal prison because of the coronavirus, according to media reports. Billy McFarland, 28, is serving a six-year sentence at Elkton Federal Correctional Institution in Lisbon, Ohio.  McFarland pleaded guilty in March 2018 to wire fraud charges in connection with swindling 80 investors out of $26 million. He also was the subject of two documentaries — one on Netflix and the other on Hulu — about the Bahama-based music festival. McFarland's plea for comp…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Report: Pingry School Reaches Settlement With 13 More Sexual Abuse Victims Report: Pingry School Reaches Settlement With 13 More Sexual Abuse Victims
Report: Pingry School Reaches Settlement With 13 More Sexual Abuse Victims A Somerset County private school reached a settlement with 13 more alleged victims of sexual abuse, recent reports say. The Pingry School's settlement comes almost a year and a half after the private institution settled with a total of 21 victims. The specific terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, however, the school and the victims’ lawyers released the following joint statement Monday: "The lawyers for the survivors are pleased that The Pingry School has listened to their clients, acknowledged the suffering that they endured dating back to the time of the abuse in the 1970s, a…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
Business
Papyrus Closing All Stores In National Liquidation Including 5 In North Jersey Papyrus Closing All Stores In National Liquidation Including 5 In North Jersey
Papyrus Closing All Stores In National Liquidation Including 5 In North Jersey Papyrus stores in Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Morris counties will soon shut their doors permanently, recent reports say. The stationery retailer recently announced the closure of each of its more than 260 locations, eight of which are in New Jersey. The North Jersey stores shuttering are located in Jersey City, Hackensack, Short Hills, Paramus and Ridgewood. Papyrus is just one of many national chains to be impacted by the "retail apocalypse," citing "current challenges of the retail industry" as the reason for the closures, NJ.com says. Though no closing dates have been announc…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
News
Winning Lottery Tickets Sold In Short Hills, Union Winning Lottery Tickets Sold In Short Hills, Union
Winning Lottery Tickets Sold In Short Hills, Union Two winning tickets for the Jersey Cash 5 drawing were sold in Essex and Union counties. Tickets matching all five white balls and the XTRA number for Sunday’s drawing were sold at Kings Super Market in Short Hills and Parkway Exxon in Union. The winning numbers were: 05, 15, 19, 28 and 35. The XTRA number was 02. The winners are eligible to split the jackpot of $340,778, winning $170,389 each.

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
Business
These Forever 21 Stores In New Jersey Could Close These Forever 21 Stores In New Jersey Could Close
These Forever 21 Stores In New Jersey Could Close Six Forever 21 stores could close in New Jersey, according to a list released days after the fashion retailer filed for bankruptcy. The retailer on Tuesday released a list of nearly 180 locations that could close as part of bankruptcy proceedings. These are the stores that could close: Deptford Mall; 1750 Deptford Center Rd, Space #2111,  Hamilton Mall; 4403 Black Horse Pike, Mays Landing Hanover Commons (F21 RED); 200-240 Route 10 West Space 6-9, East Hanover Cherry Hill Mall; 2000 Route 38 #1175, Cherry Hill Short Hills; 1200 Morris Turnpike, Space D123, Short Hills Brunswick Squar…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Police Say Short Hills Man Was Driving At 142 MPH: Report Police Say Short Hills Man Was Driving At 142 MPH: Report
Police Say Short Hills Man Was Driving At 142 MPH: Report A man from Short Hills was arrested in New Hampshire for allegedly driving more than 70 mph over the speed limit, The Boston Globe reported.  Eric Joseph, 51, was headed home when state police pulled over his 2018 Jeep Cherokee on I-95 Saturday morning. Joseph was traveling at 142 mph, more than double the posted speed limit of 65 mph, according to police.   Joseph was charged with reckless operation and is scheduled to appear in court in September. 

SHARE

by Paul Milo
Sports
Former Hoops Standout At Elizabeth's St. Mary High Drowns In N.Y. Former Hoops Standout At Elizabeth's St. Mary High Drowns In N.Y.
Former Hoops Standout At Elizabeth's St. Mary High Drowns In N.Y. Calistus Anyichie, a star player on the basketball team for St. Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth, drowned Sunday at a state park in Ithaca, New York, authorities there said. The 19-year-old was a rising sophomore at SUNY Binghamton, where he had made his mark on the court and in the classroom. “There is no blueprint for how to deal with such a painful loss,” Binghamton basketball head coach Tommy Dempsey said on Twitter. “We all loved Calistus so much. He was such a special young man. We are devastated.” The Ithaca Fire Department and other agencies were dispatched to Upper…

SHARE

by Paul Milo
News
State Rankings: Best Elementary, Middle Schools In North Jersey State Rankings: Best Elementary, Middle Schools In North Jersey
State Rankings: Best Elementary, Middle Schools In North Jersey New Jersey last month released results from its rating system that ranks schools on a scale from 1 to 100. The system -- in its second year -- is based primarily on standardized testing results, which is why many school admins are calling it "oversimplified," NJ.com reports. The ratings were calculated by chronic absenteeism (10 percent), math proficiency (15 percent), English language arts proficiency (15 percent), progress toward English language proficiency (20 percent), English language arts growth (20 percent), math growth (20 percent). The Edward H. Bryan Sch…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
FORBES: New Jersey's 8 Billionaires Named To Annual List FORBES: New Jersey's 8 Billionaires Named To Annual List
Forbes: New Jersey's 8 Billionaires Named To Annual List Yes, that's billionaires. With a B. And there are eight of them in New Jersey, according to Forbes' 33rd annual list of the wealthiest people in the world. The ranking includes 2,153 people -- down 55 from last year -- who altogether are worth $8.7 trillion. With a T. The wealthiest person in the world is Amazon's Jeff Bezos, $131 billion, topping Bill Gates who is worth $96.5 billion. The youngest on the list is Kylie Jenner, who is 21 years old and worth $1 billion. New Jersey's billionaires are: John Overdeck of Millburn: $6.1 billion Rocco Commisso of Saddle River: $4.5 bi…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
At Least Three Vehicle Thefts In Two Days; Clifton Police Nab Accused Thief At Least Three Vehicle Thefts In Two Days; Clifton Police Nab Accused Thief
At Least Three Vehicle Thefts In Two Days; Clifton Police Nab Accused Thief Clifton police nabbed a repeat offender in a minivan that he stole barely 24 hours after swiping two other vehicles, authorities said Friday. Officer Edward Welsh and Diorys Turbides stopped the Dodge minivan in the area of Lafayette Avenue and Oak Streeet in Passaic, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. The driver, 28-year-old Rafael Mora-Reynoso resisted at first but was quickly taken into custody, he said. He was charged with stealing the minivan from the 200 block of Clifton Avenue around 11:30 a.m. Feb. 11 and with taking a 2003 Hyundai from Walgreens on Main Avenue the day before – whi…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco