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Beef Jerky Products Sold In NJ Recalled Over Listeria Concerns Beef Jerky Products Sold In NJ Recalled Over Listeria Concerns
Beef Jerky Products Sold In NJ Recalled Over Listeria Concerns Hundreds of pounds of a popular beef jerky product sold in eight states — including New Jersey — are being jerked from shelves due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. California-based Boyd Specialties is recalling approximately 1,634 pounds of ready-to-eat jerky products that could potentially be contaminated, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. Jerky products subject to recall were produced on Wednesday, Feb. 23. At least 70 different types have been yanked from store shelves due to the contamination concern. The products s…

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by Zak Failla
News
Lodi Firefighter, 48, Dies On Vacation Lodi Firefighter, 48, Dies On Vacation
Lodi Firefighter, 48, Dies On Vacation What began as a holiday trip ended tragically for a beloved Lodi firefighter, his fellow first responders and loved ones. Antonio Mercado III died in a Texas hospital on Monday after being admitted several days earlier, friends and fellow firefighters said. Mercado, who'd suffered from heart trouble, had been with Lodi Rescue Truck Co. 1. Before that, he rode with Hose Co. 1.  A father and grandfather, he was 48. Visiting is this Sunday, Jan. 30, at Funeraria Alvarez, 66 Passaic Avenue in Passaic: (973) 815-0080. Time frames will be strict, according to his daughter, Antonia Mercado…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Haledon PD: Paterson Pair Nabbed With 1½ Ounces Of Potentially Fatal Fentanyl, 105 Heroin Folds Haledon PD: Paterson Pair Nabbed With 1½ Ounces Of Potentially Fatal Fentanyl, 105 Heroin Folds
Haledon PD: Paterson Pair Nabbed With 1½ Ounces Of Potentially Fatal Fentanyl, 105 Heroin Folds An unregistered, uninsured and uninspected BMW led Haledon police to an ounce and a half of deadly fentanyl, 105 heroin folds and the arrests of two Paterson men, authorities said. Members of their department's Investigative and Special Services Bureau were watching the 100th block of Belmont Avenue near the Silk City border following complaints of drug dealing, Capt. George Guzman said. They stopped the BMW -- which had tinted windows and an expired Texas registration after the driver failed to signal a turn, Guzman said.The officers noted "abrupt sudden movement" between him and his front…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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500 Saliva Samples From Maryland COVID-19 Testing Site Expire 500 Saliva Samples From Maryland COVID-19 Testing Site Expire
500 Saliva Samples From Maryland Covid-19 Testing Site Expire Retesting was needed for nearly 500 people whose saliva samples taken at a Maryland testing site had expired, local health officials said. The 471 PCR tests taken on Jan. 10 at Ripken Stadium were sent to a backup lab in Texas after the Harford County Health Department's primary lab had a COVID-19 outbreak, officials told multiple news outlets. By the time the tests arrived at the backup lab, they had expired, the outlet said. Rapid tests were not impacted. Anyone who was tested at the Ripken Stadium testing site on Jan. 10 is urged to get retested.

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
North Jersey Sushi Spot Named Best In State North Jersey Sushi Spot Named Best In State
North Jersey Sushi Spot Named Best In State When it comes to the Garden State’s top sushi spots, one restaurant in North Jersey is really on a roll. Eat This, Not That! ranked each state’s best sushi spot based on freshness, customer reviews, creativity and overall quality. New Jersey’s best sushi can be found at Shumi in Ridgewood, the outlet says. Opened in 2017, Shumi — named after the Japanese term for “hobby” — promises a “unique experience using all five of your senses,” its website says. The authentic sushi joint also offers “Omakase,” the Japanese translation for, “I will leave it up to you.” The term comprises a chef-curat…

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by Valerie Musson
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Human Trafficking Hindu Temple Suit Expands From NJ To 4 More States (PHOTOS) Human Trafficking Hindu Temple Suit Expands From NJ To 4 More States (PHOTOS)
Human Trafficking Hindu Temple Suit Expands From NJ To 4 More States (Photos) Workers accusing a Hindu organization of human trafficking at a New Jersey temple has expanded to four more states, according to the Associated Press. The suit filed in May alleges that leaders of organization Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) forced them into signing employment agreements to build a Robbinsville, NJ temple for as little as $1.20 a day, and then made them work more than 12 hours a day with no days off under security guards' watch, the AP says. Click here for photos from a Diwali celebration at the sprawling New Jersey temple. The lawsuit was …

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by Cecilia Levine
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Gun-Toting Motorist, 20, Drives Into Oncoming Traffic, Rochelle Park Police Charge Gun-Toting Motorist, 20, Drives Into Oncoming Traffic, Rochelle Park Police Charge
Gun-Toting Motorist, 20, Drives Into Oncoming Traffic, Rochelle Park Police Charge A motorist being followed by a Rochelle Park police officer suddenly drove into oncoming traffic between two tractor-trailers before he was found carrying a loaded gun and ammo, authorities said. Officer Chris Kiszka pulled behind the black BMW with an expired temporary Texas license plate on Essex Street around 11 a.m. Monday, Lt. James DePreta said. The driver -- later identified as Kamare Allen, 20, of the Bronx -- abruptly crossed the double-yellow line before stopping at a nearby gas station, he said. Given consent to search the vehicle, Kiszka reported finding a .45-caliber Kahr Arms…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
KNOW ANYTHING? Trio Of Women Carjack Food Deliver Driver In Newark, Police Say KNOW ANYTHING? Trio Of Women Carjack Food Deliver Driver In Newark, Police Say
Know Anything? Trio Of Women Carjack Food Deliver Driver In Newark, Police Say Police are seeking the public’s help locating a vehicle that was carjacked by three women in Newark. A green 2008 Honda Accord with a temporary Texas license plate was carjacked by three women as the driver was delivering food at Schley Street near Nye Avenue around 9 p.m. Friday, Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said. The vehicle, similar to the one pictured above, was last seen heading southbound on Schley Street towards Lyons Avenue, O’Hara said. Each of the three suspects is described as between 5 feet 3 and 5 feet 5 inches tall with a dark complexion, authorities said. A…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Feds Charge Reputed Jersey City Gang Member With Gunning Down Rival Feds Charge Reputed Jersey City Gang Member With Gunning Down Rival
Feds Charge Reputed Jersey City Gang Member With Gunning Down Rival Federal authorities have charged a reputed gang member from Jersey City with murder in the shooting death of a rival during a running feud between allied crews. Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig announced Tuesday that her office has taken over the prosecution of Phillip Wiggins Jr. of Newark for the March 31, 2020 slaying of Damone “Munch” Smith. Wiggins, 24, who investigators say belongs to the Wilkinson Avenue gang, shot Smith in the chest near the corner of Rose and Cator avenues.  Smith, 25, was brought by private vehicle to Jersey City Medical Center, where he …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ, PA Strip Club Owners Sue Feds Over Withheld Stimulus Money NJ, PA Strip Club Owners Sue Feds Over Withheld Stimulus Money
NJ, PA Strip Club Owners Sue Feds Over Withheld Stimulus Money There's nothing socially distant about a lap dance, which is why most strip clubs had to completely shut down during 2020. Now they want to government to pony up. Denied small business stimulus funds, owners of adult entertainment businesses in Pennsylania and New Jersey have joined colleagues from five other states in suing the federal government. The owners claim the U.S. Small Business Administration has denied them “Restaurant Revitalization Fund” grants for moral reasons, which they say is a clear violation of their constitutional rights. Among those now participating in the…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Ruthless But Reliable? Ransom Group Tied To Colonial Pipeline Hack Says They're Not Bad Guys Ruthless But Reliable? Ransom Group Tied To Colonial Pipeline Hack Says They're Not Bad Guys
Ruthless But Reliable? Ransom Group Tied To Colonial Pipeline Hack Says They're Not Bad Guys Darknet cyberhackers whose ransomware forced the shutdown of a 5,500-mile pipeline between New Jersey and Texas said Monday that they’re in it for the money and not to disrupt society. DarkSide, which popped up last summer, has presented itself as a band of online Robin Hoods who sell the tools to extort businesses and organizations to cyber-burglars and then donate a portion of their take to charitable organizations. It remained unclear exactly who targeted the Colonial Pipeline on Friday, jamming an estimate 2.5 million daily barrels of jet fuel, gasoline and other refined product deliver…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: NJ Murder Suspect Who Charred Victim Captured At US-Mexico Border Prosecutor: NJ Murder Suspect Who Charred Victim Captured At US-Mexico Border
Prosecutor: NJ Murder Suspect Who Charred Victim Captured At Us-mexico Border A Union County man wanted for murder after burning a victim's body beyond recognition last year was captured in Texas at the border of U.S. and Mexico, authorities announced Tuesday. Plainfield's Oscar E. Rodriguez, 24, is facing charges of first-degree murder and second-degree desecration of human remains in connection with the death of David Chacon, 42, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said. Police responding to reports of human remains found Chacon's charred body at an outdoor area near the 800 block of West Front Street, said Union County Assistant Prosecutor Peter Benza, …

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by Cecilia Levine