Catalpa Ridge Farm brought an array of fruits and vegetables to the Hoboken Historical Museum Sunday for the annual Heirloom Tomato-Tasting Festival.

HOBOKEN -- A tomato is a tomato is a tomato, except when it isn't.

More than a dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes were on display Sunday at the annual Heirloom Tomato-Tasting Festival held at the Hoboken Historical Museum.

The fruit, as well as hundreds of herbs, heirloom peppers and potatoes, were provided by Catalpa Ridge Farm, a non-commercial establishment run by Rich and Sue Sisti on 15 acres in Wantage.

The Sistis started having the festival as a fundraiser along with the museum more than a decade ago. About 20 percent of the day's profits go to the museum, Sue Sisti said.

Heirlooms fruits and vegetables are varieties that haven't been cross-bred and are typically passed down from one gardener to another. They're usually full of flavor and have different shapes and colors.

This weekend the Sisti's brought Striped Germans, a large, sweet tasting red and yellowish tomato; Cherokee Purples, a thick juicy tomato with a dusky red skin; Carolina Golds, a bright orangish tomato and Japanese Black Trifeles, a pear-shaped fruit with a deep, red skin.

Several attendees said they have been coming for the produce each year since the event launched. Neighborhood resident Amy Scholz picked out zucchini, a few heirloom tomatoes and some apples at the festival, which she'll use to make a tomato mozzarella salad and applesauce for her children.

Mike Flood, a 20-year-old volunteer at Catalpa Ridge Farm said his favorite heirloom is the Striped Hollow -- a baseball size tomato with a hollow center. When cut open, juice doesn't burst out, making it an interesting variety that also works well stuffed with cheese. Although the farm grows this variety, Flood said there weren't enough this year to bring them to the festival.

"There used to be just one (common) type of tomato growing up," said 30-year Hoboken resident Linda Kiggens. "It's astounding how many different ones they have here."  

Though the majority of attendees Sunday voted for the bright red cherry variety called Jelly Bean as their favorite, Kiggens said she's most drawn to the larger, plumper Pineapple heirloom. She likes it for its sweetness and its bold yellow skin with red lines. 

Amanda Schallert may be reached at aschallert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmandaSchallert. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Where will your college studies take you this semester? Are you enrolled on the west coast, or are you staying local? Have you nailed down your course of study or are you still trying to figure it out? Wherever your college studies take you, NJ.com wants to know where you are matriculating.

Use the form below to get us your info. Have a great semester, and we'll see you at Thanksgiving break.

John Shabe may be reached at jshabe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johndshaber. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

NJ Advance Media survey finds that while N.J. put a median price of $50,000 on a year of life, answers vary widely depending on life situation.

For one 30 to 34 year-old Union County woman, the price was $20,000 -- enough to show value for life, but not bankrupt her family. For a married Morris County man, aged 50 to 59, it was $1,000,000. For a 30 to 35 year-old man making $75,000 to $100,000 a year, it's worth $250,000 because of what he's experienced in life already.

"I have had health issues and would love a year of no medicine and no issues," he said. 

Last week, we came to the readership of NJ.com with a simple, but incredibly difficult question to answer: What would you pay for one year of good, healthy life? We received just shy of 1,000 responses, an impressive total considering the deeply personal nature of the inquiry.  

The results show, not surprisingly, that answers vary widely depending on someone's life situation. Income, age, sex, religion and previous health history all played a direct role in how people answered -- an illustration of why, while an important societal question, the value of life isn't something easily placed into a single box for all. 

By and large, people seemed to take the question seriously. Some answered with strong emotions (who's stupid idea was this anyway?) or deep-reasoning (what is life, really, anyway?).

It was by no means a scientific survey, but it still yielded some interesting results. Namely that, taken together, people answered the question very differently depending on their life situation.   

The median of responses was $50,000, which is actually slightly below what the World Health Organization considers the low-end of what cost-effective healthcare in New Jersey and the United States would be, which ranges from about $56,000 to $169,000.  The median response would also mean that respondents put the value of a New Jersey life at a little more than $4 million, about a million below the safety industry standard of $5 million.    

But as you delve into the demographics a bit more, clear differences begin to emerge. 

Starting with sex, while it initially appeared men and women were answering the question similarly, women ended up putting the price much lower than men. 

Many women who answered cited the desire to not burden their family with the costs of their health, a factor that helped drive down the median value of a year of life to those respondents.  

The clearest correlation the survey found was between a person's value for a year of life and their income:  

Raymond Castro, a senior policy analyst from New Jersey Policy Perspective, said this is where things get complicated.  

"Lower income individuals believe the value of one year of life is much lower compared to the perceptions of higher income individuals. From an economic perspective that view is understandable since they make less income," Castro said, when presented with the results. "But from a moral perspective, isn't their life just as valuable as that of a higher income individual? As income inequality increases in our society this question will become even more important. Placing a limit on medical costs would also discriminate against people with severe disabilities raising other fairness issues."

However, if you look at the figures in a different light, the differences tend to disappear.  While at face value, people who earn more are willing to spend more, the price they put on a year of life remains relatively consistent as a percentage of their income.  

It appears most would pay in the vicinity of half of their annual salary for an extra year of life regardless of income bracket (kudos to NJ Advance Media's Enrique Lavin for pointing this out). 

RELATED: Do the elderly value life more than those under 25?

This trend also appears to play out when analyzed geographically.  Counties with higher median incomes had higher answers and vice versa. New York state had the highest total off all the data collected, with a median value of $125,000 for one year of life. 

Again, the median result in most cases ends up being about half or slightly less than half of the median income for that county. 

What's also interesting is that income appeared to color how respondents answered the follow up question:  Should society (i.e. insurance, the government, etc.) be willing to pay what you believe the value of life is worth?  

As the price people placed on life went up with income, so too did the number of respondents who said no, society should not bear the cost I place on a year of my own life.  

Age is another area that showed differences between the price people placed on a year of life.  While people from 35 to 70 all showed a uniformed median value of $50,000, those older and younger each put the price of a year of life lower. 

Things also appear to change when children come into the picture.  Single and divorced people without children gave statistically lower prices than those with. Single people with children were the outlier, putting a median price of $10,000 on a year of life.  Most cited income as the primary reason. 

"I'm a single mom of 4 kids it is probably all I could come up with," wrote one Hudson County woman, who answered $5,000.  

There were of course, several outliers. Many people answered $0, with most citing religion as the primary reason for doing so.

"God has the final say," wrote one 40 to 44 year old woman from Mercer County.

There was of course, the other side of the coin.  The top answer was 1 to the power of 43, or ten tredecillion. Written in longhand, that's $10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

"Life is priceless" was a frequent answer that accompanied such gaudy totals.

As previously stated, this survey was not conducted scientifically. Nonetheless, it provides an interesting glimpse into the minds of New Jersey residents on an that researchers say is becoming increasingly important to discuss.  

Thanks to everyone who participated. 

 

He allegedly had a 0.16 percent blood-alcohol level at the time.

An off-duty Garfield police officer was arrested on Saturday for allegedly driving while intoxicated. (File photo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

ELMWOOD PARK -- An off-duty Garfield police officer was allegedly drunk when he crashed into an Elmwood Park police car on Saturday, officials said. 

Sebastian Tyburski, 26, had a blood alcohol level of 0.16 percent -- double the legal amount -- when he crashed into a pole near Market Street and Midland Avenue and then reversed into a patrol car, Anthony Cureton, Bergen County sheriff spokesman, told NJ Advance Media. Tyburski joined the Garfield Police Department just over four years ago, Detective Capt. Darren Sucorowski confirmed on Monday. He said no action has been taken against the officer, as an internal investigation is ongoing. 

PLUS: Newly hired Garfield cop charged with DWI, assault by auto in Morris County

Elmood Park police received a report at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday of a car sitting on the curb near Market Street and Midland Avenue, The Record first reported. When officers arrived, Tyburski appeared to be asleep behind the wheel, Cureton told NJ Advance Media. When officers approached the vehicle, it reversed and struck the patrol car, causing minor damage, he said. Elmwood Park police Chief Michael Foligno said the sheriff's department was called to the scene, since an Elmwood Park patrol car was involved in the incident. He referred all further questions on the incident to the sheriff's department. 

A Breathalyzer test administered at police headquarters showed Tyburski's blood alcohol content level to be .16, Cureton said. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and released. A phone number for Tyburski was not immediately available. 

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook

 

A city man wanted in connection with a June shooting turned himself in Monday morning, police said.

Jeffrey Suarez, 27, of Paterson. (Paterson Police) 

PATERSON -- A city man wanted in connection with a June shooting turned himself in Monday morning, police said.

Jeffrey Suarez, 27, shot and wounded a 21-year-old city man in the area of Oak and Dover streets on June 21, City Police Director Jerry Speziale said.

Paterson Police received several anonymous tips about Suarez's whereabouts via the department's "Text for Tips" system over the past week, Speziale said. Detectives with the police Ceasefire Unit visited several locations looking for Suarez based on those tips.

RELATED: Police arrest man wanted on sexual assault charge

Police also arrested a man wanted on an aggravated sexual assault charge Saturday who was riding a motorcycle registered to Suarez.

Suarez turned himself in at about 10 a.m. Monday, Speziale said. He was charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses and held at the police cell block pending bail.

"Clearly, his surrender places both the public, detectives and Suarez in a safer situation by avoiding a possible confrontation," Speziale said.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Police on Tuesday asked for the public's help in identifying a man who reportedly knocked on the door of a township home, kissed a 15-year-old boy who answered and tried to take off the teen's clothing.

WAYNE - Police on Tuesday asked for the public's help in identifying a man who reportedly knocked on the door of a township home, kissed a 15-year-old boy who answered and tried to take off the teen's clothing.

The teen was home alone Aug. 18 when the assault occurred, according to Capt. Mark McGrath.

The boy heard a knock at his front door and went to answer before the man forced himself on the teen, McGrath said.

"When he opened the front door the [man] allegedly forced his way into the home and began to forcibly kiss the juvenile and attempted to remove the clothing from the victim," the captain said in a statement. "The juvenile victim was able to fight the suspect off and the suspect left the area."

The assailant was described as a white man, between 40 to 50 years old, with salt and pepper hair and a trimmed beard, according to police. He was about 6-foot-3 and wearing a red polo shirt and khaki pants.

Police said he was last seen leaving the area driving a tan or beige pick-up truck, possibly a late model Chevy Silverado with an extended cab.

Authorities also released a composite sketch of the man and security camera images that possibly captured his vehicle.

Anyone with information was urged to call Detective Sgt. Robert Simpson of the Wayne Detective Bureau at 973-633-3528.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

U.S Congressman Bill Pascrell is inviting residents of New Jersey's ninth district, which covers Secaucus and parts of Kearny, to enter in a lottery to win tickets to see a joint meeting between Congress and Pope Francis o f the Holy See.

U.S Rep. Bill Pascrell is inviting residents of New Jersey's 9th Congressional District, which includes Secaucus and parts of Kearny, to enter in a lottery for tickets to see a Pope Francis address Congress later this month. 

As part of the papal audience, ticket winners will be able to view an outdoor simulcast of the meeting on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24.

All lottery contestants must fill out the entry form by Sept. 8 in order to be included in the drawing. Tickets on the West Lawn are only available through congressional offices and are standing room.

"I am pleased to offer my constituents an opportunity to take part is this historic event as the Pope addresses Congress for the first time," Pascrell said in a statement. "I deeply admire Pope Francis for taking on some of the most important issues of our time, from inequality to climate change, which I hope to discuss further in a meeting before his address."

Accommodations and travel costs to Washington D.C. are at the ticket holder's expense. Tickets are free and not for resale.

To complete an entry form for the lottery, visit http://pascrell.house.gov/pope.

 

A city man was found dead of a gunshot wound early Tuesday, police said.

A Paterson man was found dead of a gunshot wound, Sept. 1, 2015, police said. (File Photo) 

PATERSON -- A city man was found dead of a gunshot wound early Tuesday, police said.

Paterson Police received a call of shots fired at 1:15 a.m. at 10th Avenue and East 22nd Street, Detective Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez said.

They found Zahmir C. Hayes, 21, in a BMW X3 SUV parked in front of a 22nd Street apartment. He had died of an apparent gunshot wound, Rodriguez said.

Hayes had been arrested and charged in 2013 with shooting a man in the head during a robbery, the Record reported in 2014. He had been freed on $250,000 bail.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

A city man killed in a shooting early Tuesday helped broker a truce among the city's street gangs, the Paterson Press reported.

A Paterson man was found dead of a gunshot wound, Sept. 1, 2015, police said. (File Photo) 

PATERSON -- A city man killed in a shooting early Tuesday helped broker a truce among the city's street gangs, the Paterson Press reported.

Zahmir C. Hayes, 21, was one of the guests at a concert held by Fetty Wap in Paterson in appreciation for helping negotiate a truce between gang leaders in the 1st and 4th Wards of the city.

Hayes was found dead of a gunshot wound in a BMW parked on 22nd Street near 10th Avenue, Paterson Police said.

He had been free for about a year on $250,000 bail after being arrested and charged in a 2013 shooting.

Kenyatta Stewart, Hayes' lawyer, told the Paterson Press the case was scheduled to go to trial in January and believed his client would have been found innocent. Hayes had been working for a trucking company and his girlfriend had just given birth to a baby girl, Stewart said.

Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale told NJ Advance Media said police would take precautionary measures following the shooting, including placing additional crime suppression details in the city. Hayes' death marks the 10th homicide in 2015 in Paterson. There were 26 in 2014.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

At least three members of the N.J. congressional delegation have turned to lotteries in order to distribute tickets to see Pope Francis in Washington.

WASHINGTON -- Members of the New Jersey congressional delegation are turning to lotteries as their preferred way of distributing the tickets they receive to see Pope Francis at the U.S. Capitol.

The Pope is scheduled to appear at the West Front of the Capitol, the site of the U.S. presidential inauguration every four years, immediately after becomes the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress. Spectators waiting to see the pope first can watch his speech on giant television screens. 

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9th Dist.) became the third member of the state's delegation to announce a ticket lottery for his constituents, following Reps. Tom MacArthur (R-3rd Dist.) and Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.). The deadline is Sept. 8.

"I deeply admire Pope Francis for taking on some of the most important issues of our time, from inequality to climate change," said Pascrell, who will join other officials at a meeting with the pope in Washington. "During this momentous occasion, I look forward to Pope Francis reinforcing his commitment to peace and improving the lives of the most vulnerable among us."

RELATED: First prize in this raffle: Seeing Pope Francis live in D.C.

Tickets are standing room only and winners must provide their own transportation and accommodations.

Following his trip to Washington, which also includes meetings with President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the pope is scheduled to travel to New York City and Philadelphia.

 

MORE POLITICS

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Jarjisu A. Isaah, of Newark, is accused of robbing three Clifton banks in as many days, police said.

CLIFTON -- A 43-year-old man who was arrested Saturday in connection with a string of bank robberies was a cab driver until earlier this year when he lost his license for throwing a pregnant woman out of his cab, according to police and court records.

Jarjisu Amin Issah, who lives on Fairmount Avenue in Newark, is accused of robbing the Spencer Savings Bank on Piaget Avenue on Thursday morning, the Valley National Bank on Getty Avenue on Friday and the Clifton Savings Bank on Lakeview Avenue on Saturday morning, Clifton police Detective Sgt. Robert Bracken said. Bracken confirmed that Issah had previously worked as a taxi cab driver, but his taxi license was revoked over a fare in New York City.

This past May, Issah's New York City taxi license was revoked after an administrative law judge held he had harassed and abused his passenger -- a woman who was eight months pregnant -- on Feb. 18 because he did not want to take her to Brooklyn. Issah did not respond to the complaint issued against him by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, according to the ruling.

The passenger, Leslie Cooper, had been trying to hail a cab for 10 minutes in the "freezing cold" and refused to get out of the cab until she saw another one, according to the ruling. The passenger also told Issah she was eight months pregnant.

Issah, instead, stopped his taxi and removed his identification card from the display panel in the taxi, according to the ruling. He then got out of the vehicle, forced her out of the cab and threw her on the sidewalk, per the ruling.

Cooper told CBS New York she blamed her premature birth on Issah's rough treatment.

Clifton police told NJ Advance Media Issah's robberies this past week were "note jobs" -- as he allegedly passed a note demanding cash to the tellers. No weapon was displayed during these robberies.

It was from the second robbery on Friday that police were able to develop a suspect vehicle -- a blue SUV, Bracken said.

Patrol Sgt. Maurice Scardigno was on the lookout for that vehicle after the Saturday morning robbery, he said. Issah had just robbed the bank and was in the process of fleeing in the SUV when he was stopped by Scardigno at the intersection of Lakeview and Dundee avenues, Bracken said.

Police recovered the proceeds from that robbery along with the clothing worn during the robbery, he said.

Issah is facing three counts of robbery, Bracken said.

He's currently being held in Passaic County Jail on $750,000 bail with no 10-percent option, according to the jail's inmate records.

Greg Gordon, a spokesman for the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, declined to comment on Issah's administrative case due to "privacy concerns."

A city man was stripped naked in a robbery Wednesday morning in Paterson, police said.

A man was beaten and stripped naked in Paterson, Sept. 2, 2015, police said. (File Photo) 

PATERSON -- A city man was stripped naked in a robbery Wednesday morning in Paterson, police said.

An unknown number of people shot at and beat the 45-year-old at about 3:30 a.m. in the area of 10th Avenue and East 27th Street, Paterson Detective Sgt. Michael McDonald said.

Though the man was shot at numerous times, he wasn't hit, McDonald said. His assailants took his personal documents, an unknown amount of cash and clothing, leaving him naked.

The man was left with lacerations to his face and head, none of which were life-threatening, McDonald said. The robbery is under investigation.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

A 33-year-old man escaped from custody at the borough police headquarters Wednesday, authorities said.

James McKinnon, 33Prospect Park Police Department 

James McKinnon was facing threat charges and awaiting transfer to the Passaic County Jail when he managed to flee the station around 9 a.m., borough police said. He did not use any weapons.

McKinnon was last seen on Fairview Avenue and North 8th Street, heading toward Paterson, police said in a statement. 

Police did not immediately return a call seeking additional information.

Anyone with information was asked to call police at 973-942-4200.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

A man reportedly grabbed a teenage girl and tried to drag her into his car before another girl fought off the attacker early Wednesday, city police said.

Paterson police were investigating a reported abduction attempt in the city Sept. 2, 2015.File photo 

The teenager's mom told officers that her 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old niece were walking home when the man drove up to them near East 18th Street and Hamilton Avenue around 12:45 a.m., according to police.

The man allegedly yelled at the girls to get into his car and claimed he would take them home, police said. When the teenager refused, the man got out and grabbed her arm.

Meanwhile, the 12-year-old girl kicked the assailant and he released the teen, police said. The man pulled a bat and chased the pair before driving away in a red Toyota Camry.

Authorities described the assailant as in his late 40s, wearing glasses, a dark blue shirt, with a tattoo on one hand.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

New Jersey Department of Health officials say a 65-year-old Passaic County man has died from West Nile virus, the state's first death from the mosquito-borne illness since 2013.

A Passaic County man died of mosquito-borne West Nile Virus, officials say. (File Photo) 

PATERSON, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey Department of Health officials say a 65-year-old Passaic County man has died from West Nile virus, the state's first death from the mosquito-borne illness since 2013.

The Record reports the man, who wasn't identified, died Aug. 29.

DOH officials say the victim was one of seven cases of human infection of the virus reported in the state this year. They say two West Nile cases have been reported in Passaic County, along with one each for Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Middlesex counties.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say most people infected do not develop symptoms, but those ages 60 and older are at a greater risk for severe disease.

West Nile can cause paralysis, vision loss, tremors and muscle weakness, among other health issues.

While exceptionally hot, dry stretch is becoming a concern, state officials say we're not in dire straits just yet.

On paper, a tally of New Jersey's recent run of dry weather sounds troubling.

The entire state has incurred significant precipitation deficits in July and August, and most have not seen a drop of rain in two weeks. Reservoir levels crashed last month, leading United Water to call for voluntary restrictions on water usage. And today, the U.S. Drought Monitor placed much of northeastern New Jersey -- and 4.1 million people -- under a "moderate drought" designation.

Cause for concern? Absolutely. But are state officials panicking? Hardly.

"In the past two months, the trend has clearly been drier," said Dan Kennedy, the state Department of Environmental Protection's Commissioner for Water Resources. "But the bottom line is many summers are dry. That's why we have reservoirs. The reservoirs are doing their jobs and water purveyors are well set up to deal with these high demands."

"Are we monitoring it closely? Yes. We wouldn't be doing our jobs if we weren't."

By all indications, New Jersey is headed in the wrong direction when it comes to water. In addition to reservoirs operating below average levels, streamflows and ground water levels are also low, particularly in the northeast quadrant of the state.

As a result, the U.S. Drought Monitor placed parts of Somerset, Middlesex, Union, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Bergen Counties in a "moderate drought" designation, the nationwide research organization's label for regions in the earliest stages of drought conditions. 

"In the past few weeks, everyone has had their eyes slowly opened and realized there is a problem brewing," said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University, who is part of a panel that issues the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor reports. "Because if this persists much longer we're going to be in a deeper hole as we finish the water consumption season, and that's not good as we look toward 2016."

But the DEP is the only agency that can formally issue a drought watch, warning or emergency in New Jersey -- designations that can trigger statewide actions such as water restrictions and rationing. Kennedy said the DEP not only considers climatological conditions, but the relative health of the overall water supply and how it projects to fluctuate over the next six months.

"We learned a lot of lessons from the droughts in the 60s and 80s," Kennedy said. "In New Jersey, our high quality and well integrated water systems and reservoirs help us out a great deal. As a result a lack a precipitation doesn't hit us as hard."

RELATED: N.J. reservoir levels dip after a dry August.

Officials within the DEP currently meet several times a week to assess the situation Kennedy said. He conceded that if conditions continue to worsen, the state could be pressed toward taking more significant action.

Robinson said while the fall and winter are typically the time that reservoirs are replenished, the danger is falling too far below normal levels by spring, when water usage ticks upwards sharply. 

"That's when things can really sneak up on you," he said.

The long term forecast does offer some hope.

The National Weather Service's six to 10 day forecast indicates the eastern half of the country is at a higher probability for precipitation. National Weather Service 

While dry and warm conditions are expected to persist through next week, the National Weather Service's forecast for the following week indicates an above average chance for significant precipitation.

"There is something in the models that suggests to the (National Weather Service) that there's going to be a rain event sometime later next week. Whether it occurs and what occurs, obviously, is the question."

Robinson said state residents should be grateful for what happened in June, when the state received more than twice its normal rainfall after drought concerns had mounted in previous months. 

"I will say this, I'm less concerned than I was on Memorial Day," he said. "If it weren't for June being the fourth wettest on record, we'd be in deep trouble. We dodged a bullet but now we're back where we were three months ago."

Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @sstirling. Find him on Facebook.

Passaic County Community College was awarded a nearly $300,000 federal grant to help the school handle and prevent sexual assaults, domestic violence and stalking on campus, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr announced Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell calls for more federal funding for firefighters in a press conference at the Paterson firehouse, July 13, 2015. (Myles Ma | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)File photo 

The U.S. Justice Department funds will allow PCCC to boost services to victims, develop programs to prevent domestic, dating and sex crimes, and train campus officials in responding to the cases, Pascrell said in a statement.

"I commend Passaic County Community College for taking seriously the threat of sexual assault and stalking, which is an issue facing campuses across the nation," the congressman said. "As we send our children away to college this week, their health and safety must remain paramount."

PCCC President Steven Rose said the grant would allow the college to coordinate with local police and various community organizations.

"Protecting women against violence is a serious issue on college campuses around the country," Rose said in a statement. "At Passaic County Community College our goal is to prevent incidents through education and awareness, but to be prepared should an incident occur."

The college said it would also partner with the Passaic County Women's Center, Strengthen our Sisters and the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Reported sex crimes are apparently rare at the college. According to a 2014 campus security report, there were no such offenses in 2013 at any PCCC's campuses.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

A 20-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning in the shooting of another city resident, police said.

A 20-year-old city man was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of another resident, city police said Sept. 3, 2015. Star-Ledger file photo 

PATERSON - A 20-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning in the shooting of another city resident, police said.

Ferreie Johnson faces charges of attempted murder and weapons offenses, according to Police Director Jerry Speziale. Johnson was taken into custody without incident.

The victim was shot in the abdomen on East 16th Street, between 12th Avenue and Governor Street, around 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 28, the director said in a statement. He was last listed in stable condition.

An investigation by city police Ceasefire Unit Detectives Francisco Brito and Christopher Ravallese led to the arrest, Speziale said.

"The men and women of the department are tenacious in their abilities to solve and track those responsible for these acts of violent acts." Speziale added.

Police said Johnson was detained at the city cell block ahead of a court hearing. 

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Two men were forced back into a Vincent Drive home at gunpoint Thursday afternoon, police said.

Two men were forced back into a Clifton home at gunpoint Thursday afternoon, police said.Justin Zaremba | NJ Advance Media 

CLIFTON -- Four robbers forced two people into a Vincent Street home Thursday afternoon during a home invasion robbery, police said.

One of the two men forced back into the home by robbers was pistol-whipped and later had to be taken to the hospital for treatment, Clifton police Detective Sgt. Robert Bracken said.

The home invasion robbery occurred at about 12:30 p.m., but, as of late Thursday night, it was still unclear how much had been stolen, Bracken said.

The robbery remains under investigation, he said. Anyone with more information can contact the Clifton Police Department at 973-470-5900.

 

Motorcycling through the backroads

Canistear Road jumps off Route 23 in the southwest corner of West Milford and for the next seven miles it twists upward into Vernon as it climbs higher up Wawayanda Mountain.

The road changes names several times. It becomes Barry Drive past the intersection of Breakneck Road - a named that speaks for itself. It's called Barrett Road as it soars like an asphalt rope to heaven through Wawayanda State Park.

At the top of the mountain is where the "Oh, my God!" moment comes. The sudden view of Vernon valley to the west and the Warwick (N.Y.) black soil farmland to the north is breathtaking in the true sense of the word. Your wheels are on the ground, but you're at small plane height - 1,470 feet above sea level, to be exact.

And on the descent come the cautionary words posted along the paved downhill slopes that wind through the New Jersey Highlands: Trucks Use Low Gear.   

They mean motorcycles, too. And cars with manual transmissions. Because on the thousands of miles of the break-neck roads that twist through the New Jersey Highlands, sometimes the acrid smell of overheated brakes is almost as powerful as the whiff of the nearby dairy farms.

I know. In the two weeks, I've clocked almost 2,000 miles over these roads on a motorcycle: along the Walpack-Flatbrook Road in the deep hardwood cover of the Delaware Water Gap; through the S-turns of Route 23 up to and down from High Point; on the straight roads through Hunterdon farmland that gently change elevation like a kiddie rollercoaster, and where one-lane bridges meet you at every turn of a meandering mountain creek.

It is these places where you meet New Jersey, the Garden State. And New Jersey, the Land of 1,000 Lakes. And New Jersey, the Mountain State. The New Jersey of Dutch barns and Moravian stone houses. The New Jersey of goat bleats and coyote howls. The New Jersey of rafts and kayaks and little lake bungalows. Far off the Turnpike, this is the New Jersey of no exits - the New Jersey of an eternal, enjoyable ride.  

I'm not the kind of columnist who normally writes about my vacation. After all, who would care about how I liked all the places I can't afford to go?

The last time I wrote about an extended absence from this space was after motorcycle crash No.1 in 2009. That one left me on a walker for four months and with a hardware bin in my right ankle, and a concussion that felt like ginger ale bubbles fizzing in my head for a few weeks.

The six fractures in my rib cage didn't require pins, brackets or screws, but my trauma surgeon, Rich Schenk, put the agony in perspective when he said, "People with broken ribs never complain much about pain anywhere else."

I only wrote that as a thank you to the people who put me back together, and the readers who missed my columns.

Motorcycle crash No. 2 came a year later, but I didn't write about it. First, I wasn't hurt -- except for more fizzing bubbles. Second, I didn't want my family to know I bought another motorcycle.

As Forrest Gump's mama said, "Stupid is as stupid does." Some say I couldn't be stupider for buying yet another motorcycle. I say you learn from your stupid mistakes, no matter how stupid you are.

So a month ago, I got myself a little Honda - a 300cc tame machine very much unlike the 1500cc monster that bit through  my ankle.  

The idea was to get back into riding in the safest, most conservative way: taking it easy on the roads less traveled I first discovered on four wheels.

That was 20 years ago when I did a series for this paper about New Jersey's longest and most scenic inter-county roads. 

These are not the direct-route interstate, or state highways. They are the 500-series roads, that meander from town to town. They follow rivers and skirt mountains. 

Some are modernized stage routes that connected the rural villages of New Jersey. Each of them is a road of discovery. They take you through state history and culture like somepage-worn atlas of old mining towns, mill towns and cow towns.

That series turned into a book called "Backroads, New Jersey" and a lifetime of appreciation for the state so few people ever see.

This year, with a new motorcycle and two weeks of vacation during hot but dry weather, I went out to reconvene my cornering and braking skills, and rediscover, intimately and with awe, the often overlooked natural beauty of our state.

I say intimately because in the last two weeks alone, I rode more than 1,856 miles of Highlands backroads - miles filled with not only "Oh My God!" moments but with great pride in this place we call home.

If that number sounds high, it is not. It is exact, with the miles tallied by a trip odometer. And like any vacation, I only wish there were more.

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.