Fair 37°
Police & Fire
Mercer County Officers Rescued After Being Carried Away By Ida Floodwaters Mercer County Officers Rescued After Being Carried Away By Ida Floodwaters
Mercer County Officers Rescued After Being Carried Away By Ida Floodwaters Three Mercer County police officers were set on survival, clinging to trees for hours after being carried away by raging Ida floodwaters Wednesday night. Hopewell Township Officer James Hoffman was responding to a flooded vehicle call on Route 518 around 8:30 p.m. when his own patrol car filled with water and got swept away, NJ Advance Media reports citing Police Director Bob Karmazin. Hoffman escaped through a window and cling to a tree for safety, just as officers Michael Makwinski and Robert Voorhees experienced the same. The two held onto trees after being carried away when attemp…

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by Valerie Musson
Weather
Thousands Without Power As Tornados Rip Through South Jersey Thousands Without Power As Tornados Rip Through South Jersey
Thousands Without Power As Tornados Rip Through South Jersey Tornados ripped through parts of South Jersey Wednesday evening, downing trees and destroying houses along the way, the National Weather Service has confirmed (scroll down for videos). Firefighters in Harrison Township were conducting searches at nearly 100 homes on and around Josephine Lane as of 7 p.m., unconfirmed and initial reports say. More than 12,000 homes and businesses were without power around that time. According to NJ Advance Media's Outage Tracker, the majority of the outages were reported in Deptford Township (3,900), Hamilton (1,200), West Windsor (1,200), West Orange (1,50…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
National Guard: Afghan Refugees Arrive In NJ With Up To 9,500 Total Expected National Guard: Afghan Refugees Arrive In NJ With Up To 9,500 Total Expected
National Guard: Afghan Refugees Arrive In NJ With Up To 9,500 Total Expected The first group of Afghan refugees arrived in New Jersey overnight, NJ Advance Media reports. New Jersey National Guard Capt. Christopher Bowyer-Meeder confirmed the arrival with the news outlet Wednesday. It was not clear exactly how many people were in the group that arrived at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. A press release on the NJ National Guard website proposes the base serve as temporary shelter for as many as 9,500 refugees. Those individuals have visas good for 365 days. AirBnb CEO Brian Chesky said AirBnb plans on hosting 20,000 Afghan refugees. Starting today, Airbnb w…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Report: Murphy To Announce NJ Teachers Must Be Vaccinated Report: Murphy To Announce NJ Teachers Must Be Vaccinated
Report: Murphy To Announce NJ Teachers Must Be Vaccinated A recent news report says that Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to announce that New Jersey teachers must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Two anonymous sources confirmed the pending announcement exclusively to NJ Advance Media. Washington and California are the only other two states to require teachers be COVID-19 vaccinated. A spokesperson with the New Jersey Education Association said teachers have been preparing for a possible mandate. Murphy will hold his weekly COVID-19 briefing Monday morning. Click here for more from NJ Advance Media.

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by Cecilia Levine
News
COVID-19 Vaccine Proves 99.999% Effective In New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Proves 99.999% Effective In New Jersey
Covid-19 Vaccine Proves 99.999% Effective In New Jersey Forty-nine individuals who were fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 have died through July 12 in New Jersey, news reports say. In other words, the vaccine has proven to be 99.999 percent effective. Department of Health spokeswoman Donna Leusner told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday that more than half of those people had at least one underlying medical condition. All of those individuals were over the age of 50; 30 were over 80 12 were between 65 and 79; and six were between 50 and 64, NJ.com reports. The fatalities account for approximately one in 100,000 fully vaccinated residents, meaning …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Homeowner Refusing To Remove Profanity-Laced Anti-Biden Signs Backed By ACLU NJ Homeowner Refusing To Remove Profanity-Laced Anti-Biden Signs Backed By ACLU
NJ Homeowner Refusing To Remove Profanity-Laced Anti-Biden Signs Backed By ACLU A New Jersey homeowner who is refusing to remove profanity-laced anti-Biden signs is being backed by the state's American Civil Liberties Union chapter, local officials confirmed. Andrea Dick was warned by Roselle Park code enforcement officers in June that if she didn't remove her signs in a timely manner, she'd face up to $500 in fines. Now, the Willow Avenue resident and her mom, Patricia Dilascio, are trying to appeal the fines in Union County Superior Court, with help from ACLU attorney Alexander Shalom, NJ Advance Media reports. Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello emphasized …

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
'End Of An Era': Hackensack Music Icon 'The Record King' Closing After 56 Years 'End Of An Era': Hackensack Music Icon 'The Record King' Closing After 56 Years
'End Of An Era': Hackensack Music Icon 'The Record King' Closing After 56 Years Closing time has come for one longtime Hackensack record store. "The Record King" will close its Main Street shop after 56 years, owner Craig Shepneski said citing the city's  $1 billion redevelopment plan. Posted by The Record King on Monday, November 28, 2016 Shepneski last week got a letter in the mail saying his shop's lease had been up, and he'd have to be out by the end of the month, NJ Advance Media reports. The longtime owner made the announcement last week on Facebook, where dozens lamented the store's closure. "So sad...the end of an era," one person wrote. "Many happy Satur…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Will Popular Jersey Shore Ice Skating Rink Be Closing? Will Popular Jersey Shore Ice Skating Rink Be Closing?
Will Popular Jersey Shore Ice Skating Rink Be Closing? A popular ice skating rink on the Jersey Shore that's been open for nearly six decades earlier this month announced it would be closing by the end of July. But the Facebook post has since been removed, causing some confusion. The Asbury Park Press and Patch both reported that Brick's Ocean Ice Palace & Ocean Hockey Supply posted the following statement to Facebook on Tuesday: “After almost 60 years of Family Owned & Operated businesses, Ocean Ice Palace & Ocean Hockey Supply will be closing their doors at the end of this month.  We are extremely thankful to all the friends who …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
State Report On 'Widespread' Prison Abuse Triggers NJ Corrections Commissioner's Resignation State Report On 'Widespread' Prison Abuse Triggers NJ Corrections Commissioner's Resignation
State Report On 'Widespread' Prison Abuse Triggers NJ Corrections Commissioner's Resignation A scathing report on alleged problems within the New Jersey prison system prompted Tuesday's resignation of the state Corrections Commissioner, officials said.  Gov. Phil Murphy, at a press briefing, said he was very disturbed by the report, which focused on assaults by prison guards at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunderdon County. Hicks was a 14-year employee of the state Department of Corrections who was appointed to the top prison job early last year. State legislators have been pushing for improvements within the state prison system, and even…

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by Jon Craig
News
Profanity Laced Anti-Biden Flags Cause Controversy In NJ Town Profanity Laced Anti-Biden Flags Cause Controversy In NJ Town
Profanity Laced Anti-Biden Flags Cause Controversy In NJ Town WARNING: This story contains vulgar language and graphic content. The rules around signage in Roselle Park are pretty clear-cut. Political flags? Cool. Flags containing profanity or vulgar language? Not cool. One Roselle Park homeowner who recently swapped her pro-Trump flags for vulgar and profanity-laced ones could face penalties if she does not take them down. Mayor Joe Signorello told Daily Voice he received a barrage of complaints regarding the six or more flags at Andrea Dick's Willow Avenue home since last Friday. Dick apparently took down her pro-Trump signs that had been hanging…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Toms River Teen Impaled By Javelin Toms River Teen Impaled By Javelin
Toms River Teen Impaled By Javelin A teenager from the Jersey Shore was hospitalized after being impaled by a javelin at a track-and-field event, authorities said.  Firefighters in Toms River were called to cut the javelin without vibration before taking the victim to the hospital, initial reports said.  It was unclear whether the boy was a student observer or an athlete participating in the event. The incident occurred about 5:40 p.m. in an open field outside Donovan Catholic High School at 711 Hooper Ave., Toms River police said. A spokeswoman for the Toms River Police Department told NJ Advance Media that the …

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Ex-NJ Camp Counselor Admits Saving More Than 1,000 Child Pornography Images Ex-NJ Camp Counselor Admits Saving More Than 1,000 Child Pornography Images
Ex-NJ Camp Counselor Admits Saving More Than 1,000 Child Pornography Images A 36-year-old former camp counselor from Burlington County has admitted possessing more than 1,000 images of child pornography, authorities said. Stephen Gifford of Medford Township entered a guilty plea on May 5 in Superior Court in Mount Holly to endangering the welfare of a child, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.  Gifford formerly worked with children at a Jewish summer camp in Medford Township, according to earlier media reports.  Gifford admitted to  guilty distributing child sexual assault material in exchange for a plea-bargained 10-year s…

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by Jon Craig