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Lifestyle
NJ's Dominic Sessa Cast In New Anthony Bourdain Biopic: Report NJ's Dominic Sessa Cast In New Anthony Bourdain Biopic: Report
NJ's Dominic Sessa Cast In New Anthony Bourdain Biopic: Report Dominic Sessa is going from boarding school to the kitchen. The 21-year-old actor, who grew up in Egg Harbor Township and Ocean City, has been cast as Anthony Bourdain in a new biopic about the legendary chef, Deadline reports.  Bourdain is also a Garden State native, growing up in Leonia and having graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School. Sessa became a breakout star after appearing in "The Holdovers," a critically acclaimed dramedy about a boy stuck at boarding school over Christmas break with his misanthropic teacher.  Sessa attended Alder Avenue Middle School in Egg Harbo…

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by Sam Barron
Schools
Jersey City Catholic School Shutters Citing Declining Enrollment Jersey City Catholic School Shutters Citing Declining Enrollment
Jersey City Catholic School Shutters Citing Declining Enrollment A Catholic school in Jersey City announced last month it is closing down and will not reopen in the fall. The Archdiocese of Newark is closing St. Nicholas Catholic School, which serves students from Pre-K to 8th Grade, citing declining enrollment and increasing fiscal challenges. Several solutions were considered, including merging the school with St. Joseph School, but numerous teaching vacancies led to the decision to shutter it, the Archdiocese said. From September 2021 to June 2024, school enrollment declined 30%. In late July 2024, registration for the coming school year declined an …

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by Sam Barron
Schools
Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named
Top Educators In Each Of NJ's 21 Counties Named The New Jersey Department of Education has named the top 21 educators in the state. The department released the list of the 2024-25 New Jersey County Teachers of the Year on Tuesday, Aug. 6.  They are: Atlantic County: Carly Broomhead, Visual Arts Teacher at Emma C. Attales Middle School in the Absecon School District Bergen County: Margarita Diakos, Special Education Teacher at Ramsey High School in the Ramsey School District Burlington County: Margaret Fanourgakis, Health & Physical Education Teacher at Shawnee High School in the Lenape Regional Hi…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Town Ranked Among Top 10 Best Places To Live In America NJ Town Ranked Among Top 10 Best Places To Live In America
NJ Town Ranked Among Top 10 Best Places To Live In America A historic green smack-dab in the middle of town. Transportation to and from the city. Ample job opportunities. Who could ask for anything more? One North Jersey township has been named to Fortune's 2024 list of 50 Best Places to Live for Families. "A great place to live is not one that solely supports a family in the present," the outlet writes, "but one that will serve them for the long term." Fortune said it analyzed more than 2,000 cities across the U.S., and the ones that came out on top scored high for affordability, healthcare, resources for seniors, and more. Morristown, NJ came …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Teacher Seen Assaulting Student In Disturbing Video Charged In Essex County: Cops Teacher Seen Assaulting Student In Disturbing Video Charged In Essex County: Cops
Teacher Seen Assaulting Student In Disturbing Video Charged In Essex County: Cops A West Orange teacher has been arrested for assaulting an 11-year-old student, authorities said. Jaron Spicer, 32, of Bayonne, has been charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault — a disorderly persons offense — following an incident on April 18, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II and West Orange Police Chief James P. Abbott said. Disturbing footage shared by Pix11 shows Spicer, a teacher at Mt. Carmel Guild Academy on Valley Way, throwing the boy to the ground and holding him down with his own body weight. The outlet s…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
'I Like The F— Out Of You:' NJ Teacher Has License Revoked After Lewd Comments, Officials Say 'I Like The F— Out Of You:' NJ Teacher Has License Revoked After Lewd Comments, Officials Say
'I Like The F— Out Of You:' NJ Teacher Has License Revoked After Lewd Comments, Officials Say A New Jersey educator had his teaching license revoked on Thursday, June 27 after repeatedly making lewd comments to a student, officials announced. The State Board of Examiners revoked the license of East Orange English teacher Alim Hasan after he called a student "pretty", told her she smelled good, that she has a "grown woman scent" and that he "likes the f- out of her." The board said Hasan's comments "clearly demonstrate conduct that is unacceptable for a role model for a school children." "Such communications by a teacher to his student are completely inappropriate," the board w…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Former NJ Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Another Student Years Ago: Prosecutors Former NJ Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Another Student Years Ago: Prosecutors
Former NJ Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Another Student Years Ago: Prosecutors A former Wall Township High School teacher was facing more charges after she was accused of sexually assaulting a second student, authorities said. Julie Rizzitello, 36, of Brick Township, was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree witness tampering, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Wednesday, July 17.  She was previously charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree witness tampering, and three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. Investigators said they found e…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Superintendent Of NJ School District Dies Superintendent Of NJ School District Dies
Superintendent Of NJ School District Dies The Montclair Public School District is mourning the loss of its superintendent. A message posted on the district website said only that the district is mourning the passing of Dr. Jonathan Ponds. Ponds was principal to students at the Parsons Elementary School in North Brunswick from 2012 to 2015 and also served as a superintendent and principal in Moonachie. Ponds also had experience working as a special education teacher, basketball coach, vice principal, and dean of students, his bio on the Montclair Schools website said. The district's director of secondary education Damen Coope…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
$1.13B Mega Millions Ticket Unclaimed More Than Three Months After NJ's Record Jackpot $1.13B Mega Millions Ticket Unclaimed More Than Three Months After NJ's Record Jackpot
$1.13B Mega Millions Ticket Unclaimed More Than Three Months After NJ's Record Jackpot The winner of a Mega Millions ticket purchased in New Jersey hasn't claimed the $1.13 billion prize more than three months after the record-setting jackpot, officials said. The winning ticket was sold at the ShopRite Wine & Spirits on Route 66 in Neptune for the drawing on Tuesday, Mar. 26. The New Jersey Lottery said the prize remained unclaimed in a news release on Monday, July 8.  The jackpot was the largest lottery prize ever in the Garden State. It's also the fifth-largest in Mega Millions history and the ninth-largest ever in the U.S. The winning numbers were …

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by Chris Spiker
News
Dump Truck Driver Cited For Disregarding A Stop Sign In Fatal South Jersey Crash: Prosecutor Dump Truck Driver Cited For Disregarding A Stop Sign In Fatal South Jersey Crash: Prosecutor
Dump Truck Driver Cited For Disregarding A Stop Sign In Fatal South Jersey Crash: Prosecutor The dump truck driver accused of passing through a stop sign in a fatal crash in Cumberland County has been formally cited, authorities said on Tuesday, July 2. Lamaas Arthur, 55, of Port Norris, received citations for disregarding a stop sign and careless driving, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office. The crash was on Thursday, June 20 in Commercial Township. No criminal charges had been filed as of Tuesday.  New Jersey State Police said that Arthur had "numerous motor vehicle violations." Brandy Woolson, 43, of Port Elizabeth, a mother of four, was killed in the …

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by Jon Craig
News
Services Set For Bergenfield High School Principal James 'Jim' Fasano, 59 Services Set For Bergenfield High School Principal James 'Jim' Fasano, 59
Services Set For Bergenfield High School Principal James 'Jim' Fasano, 59 Funeral arrangements have been finalized for James "Jim" Fasano, the longtime principal of Bergenfield High School. Fasano died on Thursday, June 27. He was 59 years old. An official cause of death was not released, however, Bergenfield Superintendent Christopher Tully noted that his passing was sudden. According to the Riewerts Memorial Home, visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, at Conlon Hall in Bergenfield. A Funeral Mass will be on Wednesday, July 3 at the St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church at 11 a.m. "Our high school will never be the same without him," Tul…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Columbia HS Principal Reinstated After Charges Dropped Columbia HS Principal Reinstated After Charges Dropped
Columbia HS Principal Reinstated After Charges Dropped Frank Sanchez has been reinstated as principal at Columbia High School after a grand jury declined to indict him on charges of child endangerment. Sanchez was reinstated at a South Orange-Maplewood School District Board of Education meeting on Thursday, June 27, on a 6-1 vote, with two board members abstaining. The charges against Sanchez stem from an incident involving a student in January at the school in the district, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. The simple assault charges were referred to Maplewood Municipal Court, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. Sanchez w…

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by Sam Barron