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Business
Times Changing In Butler With Burger King Demolition Times Changing In Butler With Burger King Demolition
Times Changing In Butler With Burger King Demolition Times are changing in Butler with the demolition of Burger King. The Route 23 fast food joint that locals spent years eating and hanging out at came down last Wednesday to make room for a new strip mall. Residents lamented the news in a Facebook group, remembering fire department carnivals in the parking lot and the burgers that fueled late nights out. Construction will soon begin on a 5,000-square-foot Panera Bread, 5,000-square-foot Wawa and 14,900-square-foot CVS pharmacy, the DailyRecord says. The CVS and Panera will both have drive-thru windows. Local officials anticipated a fa…

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by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
Philip 'Big Phil' Dimitrijevic Of North Arlington Dies, 25 Philip 'Big Phil' Dimitrijevic Of North Arlington Dies, 25
Philip 'Big Phil' Dimitrijevic Of North Arlington Dies, 25 Philip Dimitrijevic of Montville died unexpectedly on May 31. He was 25 years old. A Pompton Plains native, Phil lived in North Arlington and Butler before moving to Basking Ridge where he played football for the Ridge High School Red Devils. He graduated with the Class of 2011, his obituary says. Affectionately known as "Big Phil," he earned his certification as an automotive technician from Raritan Valley Community College Automotive Technology Program. He went on to work as a mechanic before joining the family business -- VPV Electric -- as a commercial electrician. His obituary re…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Venomous Snakes, Alligators Found (Some Dead) At Butler Man's Home Venomous Snakes, Alligators Found (Some Dead) At Butler Man's Home
Venomous Snakes, Alligators Found (Some Dead) At Butler Man's Home Animal control officers who showed up to a Butler man's home to remove dogs ended up finding poisonous snakes and alligators, some of which had died, reports say. Joseph Faris, 37, had the three American alligators, two caiman, a prairie rattlesnake, monocled cobra, Gaboon viper and puff adder in his Decker Road home because of his wife's business selling them, his attorney told NJ.com. Officials obtained a search warrant for Faris' home last spring when they spotted a rattlesnake and alligator while removing four or five German Shepherds he wanted out of the house, NJ.com reports. Faris i…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Lockdown Lifted, Morris County Tech Deemed Safe After Shooting Threat Lockdown Lifted, Morris County Tech Deemed Safe After Shooting Threat
Lockdown Lifted, Morris County Tech Deemed Safe After Shooting Threat A morning lockdown that resulted of a shooting threat at Morris County School of Technology ended around 10:10 Friday, school officials said. A "thorough" investigation and search of the campus that began as buses were arriving determined the threat was not directed at the school, the email said. Classes resumed with law enforcement on campus for the rest of the day Several North Jersey tech schools had lockdowns Friday morning for precautionary measures, local police told Daily Voice. A threat made Thursday to Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne resulted in an increased police pr…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Lockdown Lifted, Morris County Tech Deemed Safe After Shooting Threat Lockdown Lifted, Morris County Tech Deemed Safe After Shooting Threat
Lockdown Lifted, Morris County Tech Deemed Safe After Shooting Threat A lockdown as the result of an "indirect threat" at Morris County School of Technology ended at 9:20 Friday, authorities said. Denville police and school officials were notified at 7:35 a.m. that an "act of violence" was going to occur at the E. Main Street school, Capt. Jeffrey Tucker said. An investigation and search of the campus that began as buses were arriving determined the threat was not directed at the school, the email said. Classes resumed with law enforcement on campus for the rest of the day. Several North Jersey tech schools had lockdowns Friday morning for precautionary mea…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Butler Sergeant Involved In Attempted 'Suicide By Cop' Promoted Same Day Gunman Is Sentenced Butler Sergeant Involved In Attempted 'Suicide By Cop' Promoted Same Day Gunman Is Sentenced
Butler Sergeant Involved In Attempted 'Suicide By Cop' Promoted Same Day Gunman Is Sentenced When a suicidal man aimed a loaded gun at him, Butler Police Sgt. Jorge Reyes simply did what he was trained to do: He shot back. Calmly. Confidently. Without hesitation. Reyes says his preparedness for the March 31, 2016 incident -- in which gunman Dylan Howard said he'd hoped he be shot and killed in a "suicide by cop" -- is what allowed him to return home unharmed that night to his then-4-year-old son. Now 7, his boy was by his side Tuesday when Reyes was promoted and sworn in as sergeant -- on the very same day, coincidentally, that Howard was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Reyes f…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Butler Ex-Con Who Attempted 'Suicide By Cop' Gets 12 Years For Pointing Loaded Rifle At Officer Butler Ex-Con Who Attempted 'Suicide By Cop' Gets 12 Years For Pointing Loaded Rifle At Officer
Butler Ex-Con Who Attempted 'Suicide By Cop' Gets 12 Years For Pointing Loaded Rifle At Officer A 25-year-old ex-con from Butler who told a judge that he pointed a loaded rifle at police hoping that they would shoot him was sentenced to 12 years in state prison. Dylan Howard will have to serve at least six years behind bars before he will be eligible for parole in exchange for guilty pleas to several charges. ** ALSO SEE: Butler Sergeant Involved In Attempted 'Suicide By Cop' Promoted Same Day Gunman Is Sentenced **  Howard, also known as Dylan Hannah, told a judge in Morristown that he hoped police would shoot and kill him when he pointed the weapon at Butler Pol…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Wayne PD: Driver Nabbed Headed Homeward With 85 Bags Of Heroin Wayne PD: Driver Nabbed Headed Homeward With 85 Bags Of Heroin
Wayne PD: Driver Nabbed Headed Homeward With 85 Bags Of Heroin Two Wayne police officers on a Route 23 commercial district safety and security detail nabbed a driver from Butler with 85 bags of heroin, authorities said. Ara Kouyoumdjian, 34, had the bags -- stamped "I AM BACK" -- in fully and partially sealed bricks when Officers Adrian Sulejmani and Tomasz Cydzik stopped him on the northbound highway just before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday for a cracked windshield, Detective Capt. Laurence Martin said. The 2000 Ford Taurus also had an expired inspection sticker, the captain said. Kouyoumdjian was sent to the Passaic County Jail pending a detention hearing. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Schools
STORM: North Jersey Schools Announce Early Dismissals Wednesday STORM: North Jersey Schools Announce Early Dismissals Wednesday
Storm: North Jersey Schools Announce Early Dismissals Wednesday North Jersey is expecting three to five inches of snow on Wednesday. Several school districts have already announced early dismissals. Check with your school district for details and more information. The districts that have already announced early dismissals are: BERGEN COUNTY Bergenfield Bogota Dumont Edgewater Little Ferry Mahwah Midland School (Rochelle Park) Oradell Palisades Park Paramus Ridgefield Park River Edge Teaneck MORRIS COUNTY Butler Craig High, Boonton Craig School, Mountain Lakes Denville Dover Madison Mendham Morris Morris Plains Mount Arlington Parsippany-Troy Hills Ra…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Butler Toddler Battles Aggressive Brain Tumor Butler Toddler Battles Aggressive Brain Tumor
Butler Toddler Battles Aggressive Brain Tumor The community is coming together in support of a Butler toddler battling a rare brain tumor. Theo Fredericks was rushed to the emergency room last month after persistent vomiting, headaches and imbalance was not responding to typical treatments directed by his pediatrician. An MRI and CT scan showed a mass on his brain, which was removed two days later -- and Theo was diagnosed with rare brain cancer medulloblastoma. Theo is facing chemotherapy -- several rounds of it -- along with inpatient hospital stays, outpatient clinic visits and a stem cell transplant. …

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Butler Quadriplegic Stands Strong 18 Years After Freak Accident Butler Quadriplegic Stands Strong 18 Years After Freak Accident
Butler Quadriplegic Stands Strong 18 Years After Freak Accident Lauren LaPorta of Butler isn't even on the treadmill and she's already shaking.  The 30-year-old had just hoisted herself out of her motorized wheelchair and ever-so slowly climbed the stairs up to the second level of Retro Fitness of Hackensack. All that was left for her to do was step onto the machine. Her legs are quivering. Her back is hunched. She doesn't know if she's going to make it this time. "I don't know what's wrong with me today," said LaPorta, several minutes into her second failed attempt at stepping onto the belt. Halfway there.Cecilia Levine While such a setback woul…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Hackensack PD Lieutenant Put GPS On Estranged Wife's Car, Charged With Stalking Prosecutor: Hackensack PD Lieutenant Put GPS On Estranged Wife's Car, Charged With Stalking
Prosecutor: Hackensack PD Lieutenant Put GPS On Estranged Wife's Car, Charged With Stalking A Hackensack police lieutenant hid a tracking device in his estranged wife's car, said authorities who charged him with stalking and burglary. Richard Levis, 48, who lives in Butler, was arrested after an investigation by Oakland police and members of Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo's Confidential Investigations Unit. He became a target after his estranged wife "discovered a GPS in her vehicle and that Levis had been using the device to track her whereabouts," Calo said. Levis remained free pending a Jan. 23 first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hac…

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by Jerry DeMarco