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Memorial Service Set For Bergen Police Veteran, 51, Who Loved Intensely, Had Everyone's Back Memorial Service Set For Bergen Police Veteran, 51, Who Loved Intensely, Had Everyone's Back
Memorial Service Set For Bergen Police Veteran, 51, Who Loved Intensely, Had Everyone's Back He was as strong as he was emotional. He wore his heart on his sleeve and always had a special smile and knowing look to go with an immense kindness for others. That’s what many will remember when they gather in Van Saun Park this Thursday for a memorial service for River Edge Police Detective Sgt. Chris Cheevers. Cheevers, who died last week at 51, “intensely loved those who survive him,” his obituary says, “especially his wife Tara, his five children Avery, Katie, Joseph, Owen, and Kiersten, his siblings and cousins, their extended families and the many friends he made over his lifetime i…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Springsteen's Federal DWI Hearing Streams Live For Reporters This Week Springsteen's Federal DWI Hearing Streams Live For Reporters This Week
Springsteen's Federal DWI Hearing Streams Live For Reporters This Week Bruce Springsteen’s federal court appearance on DWI charges Wednesday will be streamed live via Zoom for the news media. A part-time U.S. magistrate judge based in Newark will handle the case in what is known as enclave court because the arrest was made on federal property at Sandy Hook. Members of the media must follows U.S. District Court rules that strictly prohibit "broadcasting, photographing, recording or otherwise transmitting court proceedings," including live streaming and rebroadcasting. Violators could face contempt of court charges in addition to losing federal court privileges…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ex-AC Mayor Who Spent $86,000 In Youth Sports Donations On Himself Gets 30 Days In Fed Pen Ex-AC Mayor Who Spent $86,000 In Youth Sports Donations On Himself Gets 30 Days In Fed Pen
Ex-AC Mayor Who Spent $86,000 In Youth Sports Donations On Himself Gets 30 Days In Fed Pen UPDATE: Former Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam was sentenced Thursday to a plea-bargained 30 days in federal prison, 11 months of house arrest and 200 hours of community for scamming donors out of $86,000 that he told them was going to a youth basketball team. Frank Gilliam, 49, used the money on fancy clothes, expensive meals, and trips that were “completely unrelated to the operation of a youth basketball team,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachel A. Honig said. “I stand before this court a fractured human being,” Gilliam told U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez via videoconference in Camde…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Gold's Gym In Paramus Closes For Good Gold's Gym In Paramus Closes For Good
Gold's Gym In Paramus Closes For Good Compact discs officially replaced cassette tapes as the preferred medium of recorded music when Mike Epstein and Art Carril opened Gold’s Gym in Paramus. The partners endured plenty of ups and downs over the past 28 years – mostly ups – and thought they just might survive the COVID crisis when they reopened after a 6-month shutdown. After two months, though, they’ve been unable to continue. With heavy hearts, Mike and Art closed their gym for good Tuesday night -- 8 p.m., to be precise. “It was great to be able to open back up and help people again,” they wrote in a joint post, “but at t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Man, 25, Sentenced For Lake Hopatcong Boating Accident That Killed Friend Man, 25, Sentenced For Lake Hopatcong Boating Accident That Killed Friend
Man, 25, Sentenced For Lake Hopatcong Boating Accident That Killed Friend A 25-year-old Morris County man was sentenced to nearly a year in jail for a drunken boating accident that killed his friend in 2019, authorities said. Nicholas Zarantonello was sentenced to three years probation conditioned on 364 days in Morris County Jail and 200 hours of community service, Acting Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said. Zarantonello also can not operate a boat for one year or drive for three months, Carroll said in a joint release with Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan. …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
'More Than A Game:' Madison Police Surprise Family With New Basketball Hoop After Storm Isaias 'More Than A Game:' Madison Police Surprise Family With New Basketball Hoop After Storm Isaias
'More Than A Game:' Madison Police Surprise Family With New Basketball Hoop After Storm Isaias Four children from Madison whose basketball hoop was destroyed during Tropical Storm Isaias weren't sure they'd ever get another one. But Madison police, as they often do, came to the rescue. Officers surprised the family with a brand-new, portable basketball hoop Monday afternoon. Complete with a 50-inch steel-frame and shatterproof backboard, the hoop was presented to the family by Morris County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Phil Masi and Madison Borough Police Officer Kyle McDermott. Officers noticed prior to the storm that the family’s old basketball hoop had been set up at …

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by Valerie Musson
News
'He's That Guy': Bayonne Rallies For Councilman Soon To Be Discharged Weeks After Accident 'He's That Guy': Bayonne Rallies For Councilman Soon To Be Discharged Weeks After Accident
'He's That Guy': Bayonne Rallies For Councilman Soon To Be Discharged Weeks After Accident After nearly six weeks in the hospital and 10 leg surgeries, Bayonne's Sal Gullace has finally turned a corner. The Second Ward councilman has been at University Hospital since July 24, when his leg was pinned by a garbage truck at Advance Environmental Recycling Inc., in Newark. On Monday, he endured his 10th surgery -- which friends and family said would likely be his last. It will be a while until Gullace can return to work at the Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA), and he is facing a year and a half of physical therapy -- but the beloved councilman could be discharged as early …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Pay These NJ Teens To Hold Your Spot On Line At The MVC Pay These NJ Teens To Hold Your Spot On Line At The MVC
Pay These NJ Teens To Hold Your Spot On Line At The MVC When Bryanna Patterson was waiting on line at the MVC to register her car last week, she heard a man behind her in line say he'd pay someone $100 to wait for him. And so, that's exactly what 17-year-old Patterson started doing.  "I put a post in 'Howell Happenings' on Facebook asking people if they needed someone to hold their spot in the lines at the MVC," Patterson told Daily Voice Thursday morning from the Eatontown center. "People reached out -- and it just kept growing." Patterson, a rising senior Freehold Township High School, recruited her cousin Alina Krupinski, 17, and …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Father, Self-Made Entrepreneur Who Helped Many Shot Dead In Paterson Father, Self-Made Entrepreneur Who Helped Many Shot Dead In Paterson
Father, Self-Made Entrepreneur Who Helped Many Shot Dead In Paterson TRIBUTE: A Paterson man who drew the respect, admiration and love of many was gunned down Thursday night, the fourth person shot and killed in the city over the past two weeks. Andrew Piskunov, 33, came from a tough neighborhood.  He had scrapes with the law, like many people he grew up around.  But he put that behind him and became a self-made man, a selfless source of strength and goodness, friends and loved ones said. Piskunov leaves behind a 14-year-old daughter, as well as a single mom whom he's taken care of "in every single way" since she lost her husband a few years back…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Newark Man Who Illegally Dumped Piles Under Three NJ Highways Gets Probation, Community Service Newark Man Who Illegally Dumped Piles Under Three NJ Highways Gets Probation, Community Service
Newark Man Who Illegally Dumped Piles Under Three NJ Highways Gets Probation, Community Service A Newark man was sentenced to probation and 300 hours of community service Monday for illegally dumping construction material, medical waste, lead paint and other items from his rubbish removal business beneath a trio of highways. Superior Court Judge Mayra V. Tarantino declined the state Attorney General’s Office request that Abdullah S. Bryant, 41, spend 364 days in the county jail for his guilty plea to criminal mischief and opted for three years of probation and the community service. Bryant -- who did business under various names, including International Rubbish Removal – admitted last…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NY Driver, 16, Caught Tearing Up School Fields In Bergen NY Driver, 16, Caught Tearing Up School Fields In Bergen
NY Driver, 16, Caught Tearing Up School Fields In Bergen A 16-year-old driver from Warwick, NY tore up fields at schools in Wyckoff and Franklin Lakes, causing thousands of dollars in damage, authorities said. Damage to the field at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff alone was estimated at $2,500, Lt. Joseph Soto said Tuesday. Investigating Detective Sgt. Michael Ragucci discovered that the boy also vandalized the field at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes with the SUV, Soto said. The boy was taken into custody and given what is known as a stationhouse adjustment, under which police can release first-time juvenile offenders involved in petty…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
WATCH: Sheriff's Program Provides Freedom To Bergen Police, Navy Vet Who Suffered Stroke WATCH: Sheriff's Program Provides Freedom To Bergen Police, Navy Vet Who Suffered Stroke
Watch: Sheriff's Program Provides Freedom To Bergen Police, Navy Vet Who Suffered Stroke Sometimes you don’t have to move heaven – just a little bit of earth -- to help someone in need. Retired Washington Township Police Capt. Joe Sacchi spent most of his adult life serving others while on the local force and in the U.S. Navy. So it was with immense respect and pride that a team of law enforcement officers united with a group of inmates to assist Sacchi, 81, who suffered a stroke several years ago. It had begun getting more difficult for Carol Sacchi to get her husband in and out of their home as they aged. But Township Police Sgt. Roy Scherer found the answer – as well as a…

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by Jerry DeMarco