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Missing Florida dog reportedly found 3 years later in N.J.

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Bill Gerstein's missing Maltese-Pomeranian mix was found in Paterson.

PATERSON - Bill Gerstein of Delray Beach, Fla. had almost given up hope of ever being reunited with his dog, Bella, who disappeared from the Sunshine State on Dec. 13, 2013.

"We searched, we put up signs," Gerstein told a reporter with WPTV.com in West Palm Beach.

As months turned into years, Gerstein began to accept that Bella, a Maltese-Pomeranian mix, was gone.

Then last Tuesday, he received an email from an animal shelter in Paterson.

They had Bella.

Gerstein told the TV station he immediately booked a flight to New Jersey and headed straight to the animal shelter.

The dog had a microchip. Gerstein later learned a family had taken care of Bella for nine months until the dog ran away again. That's when the animal shelter picked her up and traced her to Gerstein.

The Florida resident says he has no idea how the dog got to New Jersey.

"I wish that she talked, I wish she was wearing a GoPro or something like that because she has some story to tell," he told WPTV.

Gerstein has dubbed the adventure a "Thanksgiving Miracle."

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Special police officer let go by town files age discrimination suit

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Edward Crowley had been serving the borough police as a Class II special police officer since 1980.

POMPTON LAKES -- A police officer who worked part-time for the borough for 34 years has filed an age discrimination lawsuit after he was allegedly let go at the age of 68 and his position was filled by a younger officer.

Edward Crowley, now 70, alleges in a lawsuit that in November 2014, Pompton Lakes Police Chief Moses Agosto told him he would not be reappointed to a position as a supplemental police officer.

Crowley had been serving the borough police as a Class II special police officer since 1980. The borough resident did not have regular hours and supplemented the police department's workforce when needed. 

He recently filed an age discrimination suit in Passaic County Superior Court, which says after he was let go, the town hired a younger officer to replace him.

"Thirty-four years of service and he is fit and able to continue," Samuel J. Halpern, Crowley's lawyer said. "The town did a disservice in letting him go."

When he was terminated, Crowley made $15,000 annually, the lawsuit claims.

Halpern said Crowley retired several years ago from a full-time job with the Department of Transportation. 

Glen Ridge police officer suing department for harassment

Agosto allegedly told Crowley that he would not be reappointed because he did not work enough hours and was not proficient in doing computer work, according to the complaint. 

Crowley said the claims were false, as he worked his requisite hours, took computer training and remained "a fit and productive employee."

In January 2015, Crowley allegedly meet with then-Mayor Katie Cole and then-council member, Micheal Serra, who is the current mayor.

The pair allegedly offered Crowley a position as a parking violations officer, which he expressed interest in, the lawsuit claims. Crowley said he never heard back about the position after the meeting.

The borough's insurer, Middlesex County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund, rejected a tort claim Crowley filed in April 2015 because they claimed he was not interested in the parking violations position.

In March 2016, Crowley allegedly asked to speak with the borough council but was denied.

Crowley is suing for reinstatement with back pay, damages and other fees. "My client is (now) 70-years-old and still fit to work," Halpern said.

Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The NJ.com Football Top 20, finals week: It all comes down to this

These are N.J.'s prettiest and ugliest counties, according to you

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We asked readers to determine the most attractive counties in the state. More than 3,000 responses poured in, ranking each county from 1 to 5.

After we wrote about data from the USDA on the state's most naturally attractive counties, plenty of commenters weighed in. 

It's no surprise, given that any kind of computer-generated rating of beauty is going to run into some issues. So to help get a better idea of what counties are actually the nicest, we asked readers for their picks on the prettiest counties in New Jersey. 

The most beautiful places in N.J.

More than 3,000 responses poured in, ranking each county from 1 to 5.

Northwestern and Shore counties, which tend to have more open space compared to concrete-centric urban areas, fared best overall.

Erin Petenko may be reached at epetenko@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook.  


 
 

With this many finalists, Wayne must be the best football town in N.J.

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The 55,000-person town in Passaic County will have four teams playing in championship games this weekend

Note: This story was updated to reflect Wayne Hills' semifinal win over West Morris on Saturday afternoon after being published Friday night. 

In one way or another, Wayne is still in the spotlight.

With the Wayne Hills residency controversy in the rear-view mirror, here's an interesting wrinkle to consider about the 55,000-person town. 

This weekend, all four high schools in Wayne -- Wayne Hills, Wayne Valley, Passaic Tech and DePaul -- will be playing in championship games, and at least one will come out victorious in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 final.

Will it be Wayne Hills or Wayne Valley?  

The highly anticipated all-Wayne affair will be the final game played in the state this season, and the stakes are high.  


PLUS: DeVera's record-setting day helps Wayne Hills advance to final


Wayne Hills, No. 13 in the NJ.com Top 20, is hoping to stay the course after a whirlwind two weeks nearly derailed the team's pursuit of a ninth sectional championship. The Patriots were officially reinstated in the playoffs last Tuesday when the NJSIAA ruled that brothers Hunter, Tyler and Jaaron Hayek did not violate the association's transfer rule after leaving St. Joseph (Mont.) in October of 2015. 

With new life, Wayne Hills is hoping to remain the favorite.

"We're going to keep going with the motivation we have and use it against them," Tyler Hayek said following Hills' semifinal win over West Morris on Saturday. "We need to have a strong week of practice to get ready for this. Nothing else matters right now other than the state championship."


RELATED: Wayne Valley tops Randolph, advances to N1G4 final


Wayne Valley, meanwhile, is playing for its first sectional title since 1991.

But that bracket aside, the town's other two teams are also ready for championship weekend. 

Passaic Tech, a magnet school that draws from all of Passaic County, is vying for its second straight title against Ridgewood in North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5. The Bulldogs are playing in their third straight sectional final and are 43-13 in the last five seasons. 

Despite losing six players to major Division 1 programs, DePaul is playing for its fourth straight championship against St. Joseph (Mont.) in the Non-Public, Group 3 final. The 16th-ranked Spartans are an underdog against the New Jersey's top-ranked team but will try to pull off one of the state's biggest upsets Saturday afternoon. 

Either way, all three championship games will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford -- 15 miles and a 20-minute drive from Wayne's Borough Hall. 

Pat Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.

N.J.'s 2,000-yard passing club: List grows to 20 QBs

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A look at the quarterbacks who have cracked 2,000 yards passing so far this season.

Woman with hepatitis punched cop, spit in face of driver, police say

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Officers pulled over the car in which the woman was a passenger due a report of a passenger threatening the driver, police said.

RIVERDALE -- A 911 call reporting a threatening situation in a car driving on Route 23 on Saturday resulted in a roadside altercation in which a female passenger punched a police officer and spit in the face of the individual who was driving her. 

Riverdale police spokesman Lt. James MacIntosh said Officer Travis Roemmele and Sgt. Greg Bogert responded to a 911 call at about 11:48 a.m. reporting a passenger in a silver Honda Accord was making threats to the driver.  

Roemmele and Bogert pulled over the Honda on Route 23 south and had the driver exit the vehicle. The officers then observed the rear seat passenger had a syringe hanging out of his pants pocket, MacIntosh said.

After ordering him out of the car, the officers found the passenger -- later identified as Enrique Ayala, 30, of Haskell -- had several wax folds marked "Megaman" and  "Versace," and one marked "Protocol," which had white powder containing suspected heroin, MacIntosh said.

According to MacIntosh, the woman sitting in the front passenger seat was found to have several outstanding warrants, and, during the course of the traffic stop, threw dirty clothes out of the window at Bogert. 

While she was being arrested, she allegedly became combative and punched Roemmele. The woman then spit in the face of her driver as she was being taken to the police car, MacIntosh said.

It was then learned the woman has hepatitis, he said.

At police headquarters, both the woman and Ayala began suffering from heroin withdrawal and were taken to Chilton Medical Center for treatment. The woman, he said, continued to be uncooperative at the hospital. 

Ayala and the woman were later released from the hospital and back into police custody. 

The woman was charged with assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. She also received a domestic violence charge in connection with spitting in the driver's face, which, MacIntosh said, precludes police from releasing her name or the victim's name. 

Ayala was charged with drug possession, possession of hypodermic needles and possession of drug paraphernalia.  

Bail for both the woman and Ayala was set at $15,000 with no 10-percent option. They were remanded to Morris County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail. 

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

N.J. county teams up with Waze app to help ease traffic

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Passaic County is partnering with Waze to help alleviate traffic congestion.

Screen Shot 2016-11-29 at 2.20.00 PM.pngA screenshot of the GPS app Waze. 

A new partnership between Passaic County and the GPS app Waze looks to ease traffic in the North Jersey area.

County Freeholders announced they joined the app's Connected Citizens Program Tuesday. It will allow for an information exchange that will help lead to reduced traffic congestion, according to a press release.

"New Jersey is the most densely populated state in country, and its proximity to New York City has a real impact on traffic," said Freeholder Bruce James in a statement. "With this new technology, provided by Waze at no cost, the Freeholders can make it easier for citizens to navigate traffic, as well as streamline policies and procedures used by the county."

Waze, the Google-owned navigation app, allows users to crowdsource information on accidents, construction and other sources of traffic to avoid delays.

Freeholders touted a similar partnership in Philadelphia where traffic was reduced by 20 percent on one weekend, compared to the same period a year earlier. The reduction was noted despite an influx of vehicles for Pope Francis visit.

Jersey City joined into the Connected Citizen's Program earlier this year to help ease traffic congestion.  

Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 


NJ.com will have LIVE VIDEO Friday, Saturday and Sunday for 13 football finals

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If you can't be there, be here

This might make grandma in Florida, alums at college or #NJFootball fans anywhere very happy.

For the third straight year, NJ.com will offer live video feeds, as well as complete on-demand replays, for NJSIAA football finals. This year's 13 offerings match last year's total. The video will be completely free of charge, will look great on mobile devices (so watch from the stands) and will be accompanied by a live fan chat with a reporter.

We'll have massive coverage from now through beyond the final whistle for all 23 finals, and we will photograph every game. Here are the 13 games that will have live video:

Friday, Dec. 2
From MetLife Stadium
• North 2, Group 2 Lenape Valley vs. Madison, 5 p.m.
Non-Public, Group 4 St. Peter's Prep vs. Paramus Cath., 8 p.m.


RELATED: Previews, picks and everything you need for the finals


Saturday, Dec. 3
From MetLife Stadium
North 2, Group 5 Westfield vs. Bridgewater-Raritan, 1 p.m.
Non-public, Group 3 DePaul vs. St. Joseph (Mont.), 4 p.m.
North 1, Group 3 River Dell vs. Old Tappan, 7 p.m.
From High Point Solutions Stadium, Rutgers University
Central, Group 5 Piscataway vs. Manalapan, 10 a.m.
North 2, Group 4 Sayreville vs. Middletown North, 1 p.m.
Central, Group 4 Allentown vs. Brick Twp., 4 p.m.
Central, Group 3 South Plainfield vs. Rumson-Fair Haven, 7 p.m.
From Alumni Stadium, Kean University
Central, Group 2 Manasquan vs. Bernards, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 4
From MetLife Stadium
North 1, Group 5 Passaic Tech vs. Ridgewood, 1 p.m.
North 1, Group 2 Westwood vs. Mahwah, 4 p.m.
North 1, Group 4 Wayne Hills vs. Wayne Valley, 7 p.m.

Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports. Find the NJ.com High School Football page on Facebook by following this link.

McGreevey prison program moving from church at center of FBI investigation

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The new space at 52 Church Street in Paterson is more than double the size of its former location.

PATERSON -- A non-profit prison re-entry program housed in a Paterson building at the center of an FBI investigation is moving mid-December to another facility nearby to accommodate more people.

The FBI raided Paterson city offices earlier this month searching for documents related to the renovation of a Montgomery Street property where the non-profit New Jersey Re-Entry Corporation is located.

52 Church St.52 Church St. 

Gov. James McGreevey, who helps administer the program, acknowledged Tuesday that the investigation "expedited" the non-profit's relocation, but that the organization had planned on moving to another space to help more people.

"It expedited our plans as we had the intention of developing or providing increased space to accommodate a greater number of clients," McGreevey said. "It seemed an appropriate time to secure a different site."

Once-prominent attorney's license suspended

McGreevey said the Paterson location was one of the organization's most successful, having helped more than 350 clients and secure an overall employment rate of 67 percent. The recidivism rate out of Paterson was 9 percent, he said.

The Montgomery Street building is owned by Grace Gospel Church, which leases space to the William H. Butler Help Center. The center sublet some of the building to the jail re-entry program.

The organization exercised its opt-out provision in the lease, which is standard practice for the organization to include in its agreements, McGreevey said.

The new space at 52 Church Street in Paterson is more than double the size of the location on Montgomery. Though the old location was in the middle of one of Paterson's most "difficult" areas, the new property is near the municipal court and all county agencies, McGreevey said.

The location opened in late February and McGreevey has insisted the site "derived no financial benefit" from the community or the city. There won't be a break in service and the new location will be up and running on January 1, McGreevey said.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.

 

West Milford man, 33, killed in head-on crash

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Shane Van Dunk died as a result of injuries in the accident, according to his mother, Tari Cassella.

RINGWOOD - A 33-year-old West Milford resident was killed in a vehicle accident on Sunday, the victim's family has confirmed.

Shane Van Dunk of the Hewitt section of West Milford died as a result of injuries in the accident, according to his mother, Tari Cassella.

"I want to thank everyone for the all the support and prayers," Cassella stated in a Facebook post.

Van Dunk died at the scene of the accident on Greenwood Lake Turnpike near Sloatsburg Road in Ringwood, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

The 71-year-old driver of the other vehicle also suffered serious injuries, according to the report. The driver's name was not released.

According to an obituary, Van Dunk's death comes nine months after the death of his father, Tony Van Dunk.

Services are scheduled for Friday at Richards Funeral Home, 1440 Union Valley Road, West Milford.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

'Family' gun range set to quadruple in size, report says

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The project will cost millions of dollars and is expected to be complete in June, NorthJersey.com reported.

WOODLAND PARK -- A shooting range will be more than quadrupled in size to fit dozens more into its facility, NorthJersey.com reported.

Gun for Hire at the Woodland Park Range opened its 16,000-square-foot facility three years ago, according to the report.

The range touts itself online as the "only family destination gun range in the world" and a photo ID is required to shoot. Training courses are offered at the facility for children as young as 8 who are present with an adult 21 years or older. 

The new facility will cost $12 million and will include a 55,000-square-foot-expansion of the current facility. The new facility will have 60 shooting ports and eight training classrooms, according to NorthJersey.com

A firearms museum will be built on the first floor, according to the report.

A nearby gun store will also be expanded to offer more merchandise. The project will be complete in June, according to the publication.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.

11 unsolved homicides in Bergen and Passaic counties

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More than a dozen unsolved homicides continue to baffle investigators.

EPA orders multiple plans for cleaning up Superfund site

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Ringwood has yet to choose between two cleanup methods.

RINGWOOD -- Federal regulators said Monday that Ringwood and Ford must design two methods for cleaning up a Superfund site, since the borough has yet to come to a final decision on which plan it prefers.

The Environmental Protection Agency had asked Ringwood in August to move forward with one of two cleanup plans.

The first would cap contaminated soil in an area known as the O'Connor Disposal Area, part of a mining district where Ford dumped oceans of paint sludge from a plant in nearby Mahwah. The borough planned to build a recycling center on top of the capped soil.

The second cleanup plan called for removing all the contaminated soil.

Scott Heck, borough manager for Ringwood, wrote to the EPA Nov. 22 saying the borough supported the recycling center method, which is expected to cost a fraction of what it would cost to remove the soil. Both the borough and Ford are financially responsible for the cleanup.

However, Heck's letter also said the council would wait to make a final decision until more soil sampling is conducted at the site. Groundwater samples released in November showed 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen.

The chemical had first been detected at the site in 2015.

The most toxic places in Bergen and Passaic

Walter Mugdan, director of emergency and remedial response for the EPA, said in a letter to Heck that the levels of 1,4-dioxane "present no risk to human health or the environment." Either method, including capping, would be safe, he said.

The cleanup would be delayed if the council's "final decision" is to change course and support a full excavation of the soil, Mugdan wrote. To make sure there's no delay, the EPA is requiring Ringwood to come up with designs for both cleanup methods, Mugdan said.

"This parallel design work will provide the Council with the additional time it seeks to consider the results of the forthcoming soil sampling work in a portion of the [O'Connor Disposal Area], while avoiding further delay of the eventual cleanup work of the [O'Connor Disposal Area]," Mugdan said.

The Ringwood Mines site has a tortuous history. The contamination sickened members of the Ramapough Lunaape tribe, who live nearby.

The EPA removed the site from the Superfund list in the EPA in 1994 after Ford removed toxic paint sludge and soil, but more kept turning up, forcing the EPA to add Ringwood back to the Superfund list in 2006. The EPA finalized a $32 million plan to remove much of the contaminated soil, but Ringwood and Ford put forward the recycling center plan, which would cost $5.4 million.

Ringwood residents sued to stop the recycling center plan, but lost in court in September.

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

Police lieutenant fired for taking off during Sandy won't get job back

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Former Passaic Lt. Odalys Rastatter claims she obtained permission to take time off to care for a sick child. Watch video

PASSAIC -- A former city police officer suspended and then fired for taking off two days during Hurricane Sandy reportedly will not be reinstated to her job.

The state Civil Service Commission has upheld the termination of former Lt. Odalys Rastatter, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

Rastatter, who claims she took off from work to care for a sick child, was suspended without pay in December 2012. She was terminated in April 2014. The former police officer has maintained she obtained permission from a supervisor to take time off when the hurricane hit New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012.

According to NorthJersey.com, the state Civil Service Commission ruled last week in favor of Passaic officials, citing a text message Rastatter had sent to a subordinate: "I'm probably not coming in. Whoever is there, tell them 2 keep a low profile."

The commission argued that if a supervisor had authorized the day off for Rastatter, there would have been no need to tell the subordinate that she was not coming in, according to the report.

Rastatter has filed a civil suit against the city of Passaic alleging sexual harassment and gender discrimination on the force. She claims she was fired in retaliation for her complaints. She is seeking reinstatement to her job with a promotion to captain.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Year of the Tailback? 26 new players join N.J.'s 1,000-yard rushing club

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These are the players that reached the 1,000-yard milestone in 2016

This month in N.J. history: December

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The people and events from and in New Jersey that helped shape history.

The December installment of the "This month in N.J. History" gallery includes firsts in transportation and technology; military events; birthdays of politicians, poets and pop; and extreme weather events.

If there are dates you don't see on our timeline but believe should be remembered, let us know in the comments section.

And, be sure to enable captions for the gallery so you can read all the information associated with each day in New Jersey history.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Here are links to previous "This month in N.J. history" galleries:

November     October     September     August     July

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

Football finals: Previews, picks & everything you need for all 23 championships

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The central coverage guide for football championship weekend

NOTE: Please continue to check back into Friday morning as we add more feature previews.

This is the place to start for everything you need for the 2016 NJSIAA football sectional championships, Friday-Sunday, Dec. 2-4, 2016, at four venues across N.J. - 23 games in all.

We'll add to this collection of videos, previews, logistical info and more all the way through game day, including info on the 13 finals NJ.com will offer as LIVE VIDEO webcasts.

Check back often, as we fill in the gaps!

ESSENTIAL LINKS
LIVE VIDEO for 13 championship games on NJ.com
Brackets for every section
Schedule by day & venue | Parking info
Full semifinals coverage | Thanksgiving week
Finals week Top 20 | Next 10

KEY FEATURES
All-Newark state championship revives city football pride
Year of the tailback? 1,000-yard rushing club has 26 additions

Will N.J.'s top recruit be back from ACL tear and play the final? 
NJSIAA backtracks on total tailgating ban
Hospital to MetLife? PC captain Bolds working his way back

2,000-yard passing club grows to 20 QBs

Is Wayne the best football town in N.J.?
Lucky 13: The last remaining unbeaten teams
WATCH: Top 10 videos from the semifinals
A look back at final chat with NJ.com FB writers

INDIVIDUAL GAME FEATURES
Sophomore QB leads DePaul into NPG3 final
Wall coach: Beating Delsea will be challenge of the year 
Weequahic downs Shabazz in Soul Bowl, preview of N2G1 final 

PREVIEWS (WITH VIDEO), PREDICTIONS & MORE
NON-PUBLIC

• Group 4 - St. Peter's vs. Paramus Cath.: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 3 - DePaul vs. St. Joseph (Mont.): Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 2 - Holy Spirit vs. Mater Dei: Preview & more | 10 things to know

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 1
• Group 5 - Passaic Tech vs. Ridgewood: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 4 - Wayne Hills vs. Wayne Valley: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 3 - River Dell vs. Old Tappan: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 2 - Westwood vs. Mahwah: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 1 - Hasbrouck Hts. vs. New Milford: Preview & more | 10 things to know

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2
• Group 5 - Westfield vs. Bridgewater-Raritan: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 4 - Sayreville vs. Middletown North: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 3 - Parsippany Hills vs. Morris Hills: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 2 - Lenape Valley vs. Madison: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 1 - Weequahic vs. Shabazz: Preview & more | 10 things to know

CENTRAL JERSEY
• Group 5 - Piscataway vs. Manalapan: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 4 - Allentown vs. Brick Twp.: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 3 - South Plainfield vs. Rumson-Fair Haven: Preview & more | 10 things
• Group 2 - Manasquan vs. Bernards: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 1 - Asbury Park vs. Keyport: Preview & more | 10 things to know

SOUTH JERSEY
• Group 5 - Toms River North vs. Millville: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 4 - Lenape vs. Timber Creek: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 3 - Delsea vs. Wall: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 2 - Cedar Creek vs. West Deptford: Preview & more | 10 things to know
• Group 1 - Paulsboro vs. Salem: Preview & more | 10 things to know

Council president reportedly brushes off questions on timing of mayor's plea

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The council held a special meeting later in the day after Blanco's admission and appointed Hector Lora as acting mayor.

PASSAIC -- The president of Passaic's City Council said none of the council members had seen the mayor's guilty plea beforehand in response to inquiries about whether they withheld the information to avoid holding a special election, NorthJersey.com reported.

Mayor Alex Blanco admitted last month to taking bribes from developers in exchange for rewarding their federal housing funds to their projects. He faces up to a decade in prison.

The council held a special meeting later in the day after Blanco's admission and appointed Hector Lora as acting mayor.

Residents at the council meeting reportedly questioned members' knowledge of Blanco's intentions, after he signed the plea agreement on September 26.

EPA orders plans for cleanup at Superfund site

Residents reportedly seemingly implied that council members, with Blanco's assistance, withheld the information until within six months of the May election so it could select the acting mayor without holding a special election.

City Council President Gary Schaer reportedly told the publication that "absolutely no one had seen it."

He was more circumspect when asked if Blanco had verbally told anyone on the Council about the plea deal.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.

Cockfighting ring uncovered in basement of North Jersey bar

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Two men were arrested after authorities discovered a cockfighting ring in the basement of a city bar along with three live roosters, police said.

PATERSON -- Two men were arrested after authorities discovered a cockfighting ring in the basement of a city bar along with three live roosters, police said.

Officials found cockfighting apparel and gambling records at Ranchi City Bar & Liquor at 472 Market Street, Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said.

They also discovered 21 grams of crack in a jacket at the bar, along with eight Endocet pills.

When the bar owner, Felix Grullon, 50 from Paterson, arrived, he was arrested and faces several charges related to gambling, including maintaining a gambling resort and promoting gambling.

Authorities confiscated $1,321 from him, they said.

Council prez says he didn't know mayor's plea

The bar's bartender, Cesar Toribio, 43 from Paterson, was also arrested. Authorities also searched his home, where they found a .45 caliber handgun, police said.

Toribio was charged with the similar gambling charges, along with possessing cocaine and intending to distribute it, and possessing the handgun without a permit.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.

 
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