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News Archives | New Jersey Monthly
“Our forest, like our town, is very tiny,” says Dorothy Foley of Merchantville, which is just over half a square mile. “I have to be honest, it was unbelievable how fast it grew.”
A year ago, Foley, head of Merchantville’s volunteer Green Team, helped plant a patch of land near the town’s railroad tracks with what she called a “ridiculous” number of trees and shrubs, placed to compete with each other and provide supercharged environmental benefits. They used a grant from the New Jersey Shade Tree Federation to plant the borough-owned plot, about the size of a three-car garage.
At first, town leaders hadn’t taken the Green Team’s proposal for a tiny forest seriously. “When we planted the seed of the idea, they did chuckle,” she says. “But we told them there are an estimated 3,000 tiny forests worldwide, and they’re a great way to combat climate change, with the trees sucking that carbon dioxide, providing habitat for wildlife, and providing beautiful shade. So we’re thrilled to have it in town.”
Merchantville, in Camden County, is one of about a dozen New Jersey towns with tiny forests, which were first conceived by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the early 1970s to beautify corporate campuses and demonstrate the generative and restorative powers of nature.
Elizabeth’s tiny forest site also has a microfarm.Erik RankAlso known as micro, Miyawaki, or pocket forests, they are small and very densely planted with native species of trees and shrubs, in soil that has been enriched with organic material. Tiny forests need fencing, weeding and watering for the first two to three years, then become self-sustaining. As the tightly-packed plants elbow each other out for sunlight, they grow unusually fast, sucking up carbon and stormwater as they go.
Tiny forests have sprouted up in towns including Summit, Elizabeth, Rahway, Princeton, Readington and Piscataway, with others in the works in Hainesport and Bloomfield. Many have been funded by Sustainable New Jersey, New Jersey American Water, and the state Shade Tree Federation.
Sustainable Jersey, which receives funding from the PSEG Foundation, recently recognized one of the state’s early champions of tiny forests as a Sustainability Hero—Donna Goggin Patel, chair of the Summit Environmental Commission. She has championed Summit’s tiny forest, behind its community center, as a place that welcomes volunteers and recently sent Girl Scout troops out for a weed treasure hunt, giving them laminated pictures of offending crabgrass and ground ivy for them to dig up. She has also worked with the town’s Native Seed Library, housed in a repurposed card catalog, which provides native plant seeds, some harvested from the forest, to local residents.
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The 50 Best Restaurants in New JerseyMiddle school students planted another forest serving an educational purpose, in April at Readington Middle School in Hunterdon County. It includes outdoor classroom space.
“In general, outside is relaxing,” says student Vidur Rangashyam. “Trees with a certain smell or sight can change a person’s day.”
Students in the Eco Ambassadors club helped write applications for the $70,000 in grants that funded the forest.
Elizabeth’s site includes greenhouses for growing vegetable starts that are distributed around Union County.Erik RankUniversities are also tapping the educational value of tiny forests. Josh Kover, then a masters-degree student at Rutgers, organized an April planting festival at the Livingston campus in Piscataway, where 525 people gathered to help plant a tiny forest on the site of a former road.
“We only had 50 shovels, so there was a line out the door the entire day,” he says. Most attendees had never planted a tree before.
For some Kean University students, one tiny forest in Elizabeth is a living laboratory. At a recent visit to Groundwork Elizabeth’s five-year-old forest behind the Elmora Library, environmental science professor Daniela Shebitz was overseeing students and participants in the community-engagement program as they used a clinometer to measure the height of trees. She also showed them how to take core samples of the soil. Shebitz pointed out a hackberry that had grown seven times faster than its counterparts in less crowded conditions.
“What makes me so excited about this is the community aspect,” says Shebitz, who has welcomed people dropping by. “It’s about getting people outside, and knowing you don’t have to go far to connect with nature.”
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She and other academics want to see more data on the effects of tiny forests. Jason Grabosky, a professor in the Rutgers Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources program, fields questions about microforests in his work as an extension specialist for the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. He is concerned that some tiny forest fans may exaggerate their power to reduce urban heat islands, for example.
“We have to be careful about what our promises are and set reasonable expectations,” he says, adding that a tenth-of-an acre forest may have negligible cooling results over an entire city. “I’m deemed the grumpy pessimist.”
At the end of 50 years, only one large tree may remain in a tiny forest, having outcompeted all the others, Grabosky points out.“It could be one tree with a very vibrant plant community beneath it, and more importantly, a vibrant human community that’s engaged,” he says. He calls tiny forests “a really potent tool” for rallying communities to take rewarding actions to help nature.
Back in Merchantville, Dorothy Foley and her team have made sure the borough leaders see their tiny forest flourish.
“The people who were skeptical inspired us to make sure it’s successful,” she says. Since the first forest has done so well, she says, they have plans now to plant a second one.
The post A Look Inside New Jersey’s Tiny Forest Movement appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Aryiane started spending time at the Boys & Girls Club in Atlantic City at just 5 years old, learning essential skills like reading and cooking, as well as receiving a lesson in confidence.
“I was in my own shadow,” she says. “When I got into the club and I started learning how to read, that’s when I started to learn how to speak for myself.”
Now, Aryiane, a recent high school graduate planning to attend Stockton University this fall as a political science major, has been named this year’s Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey for excellence in three areas: character, leadership, and health and well-being. The organization has awarded her a $12,500 college scholarship.
After winning the New Jersey Youth of the Year, Aryiane went on to win the Northeast Youth of the Year title and will moves on to represent New Jersey and compete for the National Youth of the Year title; the winner will be announced in October.
These days, Aryiane enjoys reading in her free time, specifically autobiographies. “I like to know about your story,” says Aryiane. “I want to know about you, and that’s something that I kind of learned a lot from the club. I love to learn about people.”
“When I first met Aryiane, I recognized that she had a lot of responsibilities,” says Melissa Morillo, director of Life & Workforce Readiness at the Boys and Girls Club in Atlantic City. “She was juggling with a lot, and I admired that about her. Her charisma always was displayed.”
The New Jersey Boys & Girls Clubs also awards a Military Youth of the Year award annually; for 2026, it’s high school junior Emryn, whose father is in the Air Force. Emryn receives a $6,000 college scholarship.
Emryn is an artist and looks forward to combining art and her love for marine biology in her future academic career. She notes that if it weren’t for her time at the youth center, she would never have started drawing. She has taken to encouraging her peers to explore their own artistic sides.
“I love anime. I love my characters. Why don’t I try drawing them?” says Emryn. “And that’s what I did at the youth center, and I loved it. Even now, I do art for just like comfort.”
Emryn also learned to be more confident in herself through her time in the club. “I was able to come out of my shell,” says Emryn.
“There’s a lot of requirements for Youth of the Year,” says Emryn’s adviser, Sarita Henriquez. “It does take a lot, and this young lady has shown nothing but success through it all.”
Aryiane, Emryn and 13 other finalists were honored at an event at Montclair State University in May.
The post Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey Names Youth of the Year appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Sabrina Robinson remembers being told that she had the talent to play for Morristown High School’s baseball team. And yet, she didn’t secure a roster spot after making it through multiple rounds of cuts.
“They told me I was good enough, but they just couldn’t have me on the team,” Robinson says, recalling a conversation she had with three of her school’s baseball coaches. She knew what that meant: They didn’t want a girl playing ball with the boys.
Only 13 at the time, Robinson gracefully accepted the devastating news and left with her head held high. “But I literally went home and was so upset,” she says. “I was like, I’m not playing this sport anymore! I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to deal with this. I’m never going to change people’s minds. But then I flipped it, and I was like, No, I love this sport, and there’s no reason I can’t. I’m not hurting anyone. I’m not doing any harm. I’m not the problem.’
“And then I realized I wouldn’t want to be on that team if they didn’t want me anyway.”
Fast forward to present day, and there is an entire team that wants ballplayers just like the 23-year-old Robinson. Better yet, there’s an entire league.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League, or WPBL, launches its inaugural season on August 1; it runs through early September. It is the first professional baseball league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League—highlighted in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own—dissolved 72 years ago.
The WPBL consists of four founding clubs representing New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, though the entire inaugural season is taking place at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois—a neutral location.
Robinson, a switch-hitting first baseman with catching experience, is playing for Boston after having been selected in the third round of the WPBL’s first draft, which took place in November. More than 600 women tried out for the league last summer in Washington, D.C.
“I was surprised, because, honestly, I just thought I’d be, like, 80 years old by the time [a women’s baseball] league came back around again,” Robinson says of her reaction to the WPBL’s creation. “I knew it would come back at some point. I just didn’t think it would come back so soon, and especially while I was still in playing shape.”
Robinson, who began playing baseball around age 5 and founded Montclair State University’s women’s club baseball team while battling injuries, won’t be the only Garden State native in the WPBL.
The San Francisco squad boasts two New Jerseyans: 23-year-old left-handed pitcher Niki Eckert, who comes from Englewood, and 22-year-old catcher Alexia Jorge, who hails from Lyndhurst. Both were second-round draft picks.
Sabrina RobinsonCourtesy of Women's Pro Baseball LeagueAlexia JorgeCourtesy of Women's Pro Baseball LeagueMo’ne DavisCourtesy of Women's Pro Baseball LeagueNiki EckertCourtesy of Women's Pro Baseball League“The 11-year-old version of Alexia always said, ‘When I get older, I’m going to be a professional baseball player,’” Jorge says of what drew her to the WPBL. “Looking back, with the contract signed and everything falling into place, that little version of me is happy. There’s still a lot of work to get done. There’s no doubt in that, but it was just something I couldn’t pass up.”
Jorge, who started playing baseball at age three, said that she “didn’t face that much adversity” growing up in the sport—at least, not because of her gender. A three-year starter for Lyndhurst High School’s varsity team, she was recruited to play college ball by multiple schools. In 2021, she became the first female baseball player in the history of Saint Elizabeth University. She remembers players and coaches from the Morristown-based Catholic school always making her feel welcome, even before she officially committed. That, and the chance to stay close to home, made for an easy decision.
“I had an idea that I wanted to go there,” Jorge says, “but just having that reassurance that I was walking into a program with open arms that was already ready to accept me, and already had great guys on it—mature people—I was just blown away.”
Now Jorge, Robinson and more than 100 other women are looking to blow baseball fans away in the WPBL.
The league already features some well-known stars, including Savannah Bananas standout Kelsie Whitmore—the first woman to play in a Major League Baseball Partner League—and Little League World Series legend Mo’ne Davis, who now resides in Clementon. With players coming from the United States as well as countries including Canada, Japan, Australia and Mexico, the WPBL and its participants believe the league will attract immediate, widespread attention and achieve fast growth, much like the WNBA and women’s soccer have done in recent years. “Once the right people see what women are capable of on the baseball field, they’re going to turn their heads and be like, ‘Why didn’t we continue this from the All-American Girls League?’” Jorge says. “I think it’s going to be a big shock to a lot of people and just keep on changing the women’s sports world for the better, and I’m really excited to see that.”
If nothing else, Jorge and Robinson know that the WPBL will be a beacon to future generations of female ballplayers. And so will they. It’s a responsibility they take great pride in.
“I really hope to be the player and the visual that I never had growing up, and that representation,” Robinson says. “I coach younger girls now who question, Do I feel like I need to go to softball?’ This is the fight that I was having in high school: Do I need to switch over to softball, or can I keep playing the sport that I love to play, and it’s really for no other reason than my gender?
“So I hope to open doors for younger girls, and that they have more opportunities to go into women’s baseball.”
The post NJ’s Own Look to Make Their Mark in America’s New Women’s Baseball League appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
No more fumbling with your wallet or change purse at Atlantic City Expressway toll booths.
That’s because South Jersey’s “seashore highway” between Turnersville (Gloucester County) and Atlantic City has gone cashless, marking New Jersey’s first major roadway to do so.
It’s the end of an era when humans in little huts extended their palms to collect paper bills and coins from motorists on the 44.2-mile toll road.
Starting in 1965, when the expressway was completed, cash transactions were the sole method of toll taking on that roadway until 2012, when E-ZPass arrived.
Since then, more than 80 percent of drivers using the expressway have signed up for E-ZPass, letting the transponder on their dashboard pay tolls electronically, according to Karen Hutchings, director of tolls for the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA). Meanwhile the non-E-ZPass drivers continued paying in cash.
But at 8 pm on January 4, A.C. Expressway toll collectors were laid off en masse, replaced by electronic gantries with scanners and cameras collecting license-plate information. Drivers without E-ZPass now receive invoices in the mail charging more than double the E-ZPass fees: $6.49 from start to finish of the expressway for E-ZPass drivers and $13.98 for everyone else.
“Yes, we’re encouraging drivers who don’t already use E-ZPass to sign up for it,” acknowledges Hutchings. “But it does cost a lot of money to run the toll-by-mail system—having to look up license plate information, processing and mailing invoices.”
So why no more toll collectors? “Safety is one of the big reasons we did this,” Hutchings explains. “In just the two years I’ve been here, we’ve had many accidents at toll booths, with drivers either crashing into the booth or the concrete ballard next to it. There have been several fatal accidents at the Egg Harbor toll plaza.”
Another reason for the new cashless system, she points out, is “the convenience of not having to stop to pay.” Drivers, she says, are also sure to appreciate the third lane that’s being added in each direction.
Former toll collector Allison E. Allen, wearing her green AC Expressway uniform shirt, stands near Exit 5, where her toll booth once stood before all toll booths were removed. Photo: Barbara LeapA.C. Expressway toll collector Allison E. Allen, who was on duty for the last shift on January 4, describes the final moment: “At 8 our computers shut off, our screens went black. We were cleaning everything out, things like the bill scanner that tells whether twenties or fifties are counterfeit.”
The 41-year-old Pleasantville resident, who was on the job since August of 2025, says, “I was a chapter in history, privileged to work in a job that no longer exists.” The toll collectors received severance pay from the contractor that hired them and were invited to attend a job fair in their search for new employment.
“I loved lots of things about the job,” muses Allen, a licensed massage therapist. “My favorite thing was working as a team. I also liked how sensory it was: the sound of the cars, the fresh air, being semi-outdoors, the tactile change and visual stimulus from the computer and chronicling a written report. Even the smell of the marsh was grounding at times.”
Allen poses in July. Photo: Barbara LeapAllen was anything but aloof as she collected tolls, noting that she “really enjoyed telling people that they were wearing a color that looked particularly good on them. Seeing people from my community was neat, too.”
On Christmas Day, with permission from her supervisor, she offered 300 drivers little slips of paper she’d printed at home containing a few lines from a hymn, “Was It For Me?” “I explained to each driver that it was a gift from me, not the transportation authority,” says Allen, a devout Christian. “I had one person refuse, but that’s OK. Another person prayed right there with me.” Most of the drivers that day, she thinks, were casino employees heading to work.
“Being a toll booth collector was a childhood dream job for me, starting around age six,” Allen says. When it came to a halt, she received a text from a friend that said “I’m glad you got to do your dream job, but sorry it had to be turned over to a robot.”
Among the many drivers who stand out in her memory:
- “The man who drove with his feet. His skill was so fluid, it took a minute for me to process he had no arms. He would hand me a small bag to take money out of or a sufficient bill to make change from. He could grip the bill portion of the change between his toes, but I had to ask how to give him the coins. He guided me to place them on top of his foot so he could throw them on the floor and clean up later.”
- “The woman who was honest when I casually said, ‘Hello. How are you?’ In a very firm, real, piercing tone came her reply, ‘I don’t want to go home.’ I suspected abuse and pray for her still.”
- “My first flirt,” she says, “was the worst because it was new, but also the most intense. My comment, ‘I can make change,’ was met with ‘I can make babies.’ I ignored him.”
Hutchings was on the scene at the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza when cash transactions ceased. “I walked out with two of the collectors,” she says.“They weren’t crying, but they almost looked lost.”
SJTA Toll Operations Manager Barry J. Goldstein was there, too. “The shutdown of the cash booths was seamless,” he notes, adding that he made the arrangements. “But the atmosphere was kind of eerie. The toll collectors were sad. Their management company held a party for them at each toll plaza.”
According to Hutchings, cashless tolling likely will be the future of all major and even most minor New Jersey toll roads. “The Atlantic City Expressway is the first major roadway in New Jersey to go all-electronic tolling,” she points out. “The Turnpike is looking into it. The Atlantic City Expressway set the standard. Maybe we’re the guinea pig?”
The post Toll Collectors Close a Chapter of New Jersey History appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Every year, New Jersey Monthly releases our Top Dentists list, featuring the top practitioners in the state, as voted by their peers. This year’s list includes 623 dentists in 11 specialties.
Because everyone loves a good piece of advice, we asked some of the dentists on our list to give us theirs, on everything from teeth whitening to easing anxiety. Here’s what they had to say.
What’s a non-negotiable part of your own oral-care routine?“I wear my retainer every night to maintain my bite and to keep my teeth straight and prevent crowding. Teeth shift throughout our life.”
—Dr. Barbara A. Fodero, Orthodontics
“I am fanatical about good oral hygiene. I brush after every meal, snack and cup of coffee.”
—Dr. Jason T. Rothenberg, Orthodontics
“I floss religiously and drink coffee through a straw. It reduces staining.”
—Dr. John J. Archible III, Endodontics
“Brushing for two full minutes. As a former civil engineer turned endodontist, I appreciate structural integrity—and two minutes of brushing is the minimum daily investment required to keep the foundation from crumbling.”
—Dr. Keith Appelbaum, Endodontics
What’s something many people don’t realize can harm their teeth?“Constant snacking—even the ‘healthy’ kind. Dried fruit, granola bars, smoothies—they keep your teeth in a constant acid attack. Your mouth never gets a break.”
—Dr. Dan Bills, Orthodontics
“Many parents think that organic food will not cause cavities. Sugar is sugar!”
—Dr. Amy Schwartz Phillips, Pediatric Dentistry
“Please do not chew on ice! It’s just like chewing on rocks and fractures teeth quickly.”
—Dr. Christina R. Carter, Pediatric Dentistry
“Stress. Clenching or grinding your teeth exerts more force on supporting bone and gums than they can handle, possibly leading to tooth loss.”
—Dr. Wayne A. Aldredge, Periodontics
How can patients avoid going too far with cosmetic dentistry?“The best cosmetic dentistry is dentistry that nobody notices. Whitening, Invisalign, bonding, and conservative treatments like recontouring can make a huge difference while still looking natural.”
—Dr. Nihal Kamel, General Dentistry
“Do your research. Ask a lot of questions. Do not be afraid to ask for before-and-after pictures. Ask if it is possible to speak to satisfied patients.”
—Dr. Jared Eisen, General Dentistry
“Communicate with a dentist you trust. The more you can communicate your vision, the better the outcome.”
—Dr. Jason M. Suss, General Dentistry
“Today, digital technology lets us plan out the case from start to finish before ever touching a tooth. Patients can get realistic digital mock-ups and dentists can deliver that result. There should be no excuse for bad cosmetics.”
—Dr. Matthew Crystal, General Dentistry
How can coffee and red wine drinkers minimize staining?“I like to drink my coffee with a straw.”
—Dr. Rosalie P. Nguyen, Pediatric Dentistry
“Rinse with water right after drinking and don’t sip for long periods of time. It’s the frequency— not just the drink—
that stains.”
—Dr. Laurene A. Wolf, Orthodontics
“Using a whitening toothpaste will help remove these stains on a regular basis. These toothpastes have a more abrasive polish.”
—Dr. Robert Griggs, General Dentistry
“Staining is cumulative, but moderate daily coffee or occasional wine is manageable with good hygiene and periodic professional cleanings.”
—Dr. Jacy Papasikos, Orthodontics
What’s one simple change people can make to improve their oral health?“Floss. Every day. If you’re not flossing, you’re cleaning about half your teeth. The rest is just vibes.”
—Dr. Jason M. Auerbach, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
“Brush along the gumline, not just the teeth. Use a soft brush and angle it about 45 degrees toward the gums, where plaque often collects and gum disease can start.”
—Dr. Ilona Polur Rossignol, Orthodontics
“Reduce sugar—especially in drinks. It’s one of the most powerful ways to protect both your teeth and overall wellness.”
—Dr. Allison M. Adams, General Dentistry
“Use a tongue scraper. The tongue holds a huge amount of bacteria, a major source of bad breath.”
—Dr. Joseph Banker, General Dentistry
How should parents prepare their kids for a dentist visit?“Start them early. Not because we want to make money from them coming in, but to get them used to the office environment. The more they see that we are just fun-loving people who want them to have a bright smile, the easier the appointments tend to go when they get older.”
—Dr. Alys Walter, Orthodontics
“Keep it super simple. Say something like, ‘The friendly dentist will count your teeth to see how many you have, brush your teeth to get them clean and shiny, and put vitamins on your teeth to keep them strong and healthy.’ Parents always have good intentions, but sometimes deeper explanations make the child even more nervous.”
—Dr. Rosalie V. Matos, Pediatric Dentistry
“Reading books about dental visits and treating the appointment as a normal part of staying healthy can really help alleviate anxiety.”
—Dr. Akriti Gupta, Pediatric Dentistry
Which one oral-care tool should everyone own?“A mirror! I see people brushing without looking in the mirror, and there is no way to effectively see the results of their oral hygiene techniques without examining their teeth afterwards.”
—Dr. Jeffrey S. Karlin, Orthodontics
“Ultrasonic retainer and nightguard cleaners are amazing. Everybody who uses either should get one.”
—Dr. Russell M. Sandman, Orthodontics
“For children, fluoride vitamins and kids’ flossers. For adults, Gum rubber picks to clean between their teeth.”
—Dr. Jerome S. Forman, General Dentistry
“A Waterpik. Most people assume that, after using a toothbrush and dental floss, your mouth is totally clean and clear of debris. After using the Waterpik, you realize how much more can be removed.”
—Dr. Ira J. Zohn, Endodontics
What’s the going rate for the tooth fairy these days?“At the Epshteyn household, it’s five bucks, an Airhead, and Dad has to do 20 pushups.”
—Dr. Leonid Epshteyn, Orthodontics
“Most economists would agree the current market rate seems to be about $5 per tooth—adjusted annually for inflation, cavity-free bonuses, and exceptional brushing and flossing habits.”
—Dr. Matthew Sones, Pediatric Dentistry
“The average going rate for a single tooth is about $5, but some sparkly, glitter-sprinkled money makes the experience more magical.”
—Dr. Scott D. Gersch, Orthodontics
“Oh man, these kids have got some rich pixies these days! I heard a kid get $100 once.
I might start pulling my own teeth!”
—Dr. Anna Bonaiuto, Orthodontics
The post Top Dentists Offer Tips For Healthy Teeth appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
George Washington and New Jersey were perfect together. In New Jersey, Washington’s Continental Army achieved early victories over the British army at Trenton and Princeton. Here, Washington played cat and mouse with the British for several years, hiding his army’s movements behind New Jersey’s mountains, while his scouts surveilled the Brits from the ridgetops.
It’s estimated that more than 600 battles and skirmishes were fought in New Jersey during the American Revolution. Many of the homes that played key roles in those historic moments—including homes where Washington slept—have been preserved as witnesses to America’s epic struggle for independence. Here’s a selection you can visit as New Jersey commemorates the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Ford MansionMorristownWashington, his wife, Martha, his aides and his servants spent the frigid winter of 1779-80 at the gracious home of the wealthy Ford family. The home is part of the Morristown National Historic Park; guided tours are offered throughout opening hours, 11 am-3 pm, Thursday-Sunday. The neighboring Washington’s Headquarters Museum has an impressive display of Washington artifacts, including the general’s sword. FREE.
30 Washington Place; 973-539-2016
The Hermitage MuseumHo-Ho-KusPhoto: Courtesy of the Hermitage MuseumIn the summer of 1778, Theodosia Prevost—whose soldier husband had thrown in his lot with the British—invited Washington to bunk at what she described as her “commodious” home. For Prevost, it was a means of showing loyalty to the rebel cause. Washington made camp on the Hermitage grounds from July 11 to 14, along with Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette, future president James Monroe, and future vice president Aaron Burr, who married Prevost (after her husband’s death) in the stone farmhouse, which was later transformed into the Victorian Gothic mansion. Guided tours ($10) of the National Historic Landmark are offered 1:15-3:15 pm, Friday-Sunday. The home will celebrate America’s 250th on July 11 with musket firing and craft demonstrations.
335 Franklin Turnpike; 201-445-8311
Boxwood Hall State Historic SiteElizabethPhoto: Ken SchlagerHamilton slept here. Lafayette slept here. Washington did not, but he did drop by for lunch with the home’s owner, Elias Boudinot, who preceded Washington in the pre-Constitution presidency of the new republic. Today, the three-story mansion is frayed, but still sports its intricate crown moldings and marble fireplaces. Each room is furnished with antiques and reproduction wallpaper to reflect a period in the home’s long history. Open 9 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday. Call ahead for a fact-filled, one-hour tour. FREE.
1073 E. Jersey Street; 908-282-7617
Dey MansionWaynePhoto: Courtesy of Passaic CountyIn 1780, Washington spent the better part of July, and then October and November, headquartered at the three-story-brick-and-brownstone home of Theunis and Hester Dey (pronounced “die”). An hour-long tour provides details of the rooms where Washington slept, worked and greeted the likes of Mad Anthony Wayne and Lafayette. Period furnishings fill the impressively maintained home; additional artifacts at the greeting center include Washington’s shaving mug. Open 10 am-5 pm, Wednesday-Sunday; admission $5. Passaic County will celebrate America’s 250th birthday at the mansion with its annual July 4th picnic, which is free.
199 Totowa Road; 973-706-6640
Thomas Clarke HousePrincetonThis modest, white-clapboard 1772 farmhouse sits atop the rolling hill where, on January 3, 1777, Washington rallied his troops for a pivotal victory in the Battle of Princeton. The house, which served as a field hospital after the clash, offers two rooms with extensive displays of period artifacts and weaponry. This year’s July 4th celebration will include a reading of the Declaration of Independence, musket firing and living-history demonstrations. Open 10 am-noon and 1-4 pm, Wednesday-Sunday. For battlefield tours go to pbs1777.org. FREE.
500 Mercer Road; 609-921-0074
Whitall House MuseumRed Bank Battlefield ParkThis 1766 brick farmhouse on the Delaware River served as a hospital for American and Hessian soldiers in October 1777. Open for tours 11 am-3 pm, Thursday-Sunday, April 6-October 22. FREE.
100 Hessian Avenue; 856-853-5120
Hancock HouseLower Alloways CreekBuilt in 1734, this house was the site of a 1778 massacre of at least 10 citizens and militia. Open for tours 9 am-4 pm, Wednesday-Saturday, and 1-4 pm, Sunday. FREE.
3 Front Street; 856-935-4373
Steuben HouseRiver EdgeOne of three historic homes at Historic New Bridge Landing, the Dutch sandstone Steuben House witnessed the Continental Army’s desperate withdrawal from the British in November 1776. The grounds, with interpretive signage, are open daily, dawn to dusk. The Bergen County Historical Society will open the Steuben House on July 4th for a walking tour. Admission to the site is $12.50 or $7.50 for students.
1201 Main Street; 201-343-9492
Rockingham Historic SiteFranklin TownshipDating to 1710, the wood-frame house served as Washington’s final headquarters in the waning months of the war in 1783. Visit rockingham.net information about taking a guided tour of the home. FREE.
84 Laurel Avenue; 609-683-7132
Craig HouseFreeholdThe Craig family farmhouse served as a field hospital for the British during the 1778 Battle of Monmouth. Restored with period furnishings, it’s now part of Monmouth Battlefield State Park. Open 1-4 pm, Sunday. FREE.
Route 9; 732-462-9616
Abraham Staats HouseSouth Bound BrookThe house was the headquarters, from March to June 1779, for General Baron von Steuben, who brought Prussian training and tactics to the Continental Army. Tours are by appointment. FREE.
17 Von Steuben Lane; 732-369-3583
Cannonball HouseSpringfieldBuilt in 1741, this yellow clapboard house survived the Battle of Springfield, during which the New Jersey militia beat back a superior British and Hessian force. Artifacts on display include a cannonball that penetrated the house during the 1780 battle. Tours are by appointment. FREE.
126 Morris Avenue; 973-912-4464
Jacobus Vandeveer House & MuseumBedminsterThe Dutch-style farmhouse, with its heavy wood beams and Delft-tiled fireplace, served as headquarters for General Henry Knox, Washington’s artillery chief, during the second Middlebrook Encampment of 1778-79. Admission is $10 or free for visitors ages 12 and under.
3055 River Road; 908-397-3377
Indian King Tavern MuseumHaddonfieldThis is a tavern, not a home, but Indian King Tavern was the site of several sessions of the New Jersey Legislature during the Revolution. Tours are offered Wednesday-Sunday; hours vary, so check before visiting. FREE.
223 Kings Highway East; 856-429-6792
Ken Schlager is a lecturer at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the former editor of New Jersey Monthly.
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Wall Street banker-turned-TV anchor Stephanie Ruhle’s Jersey hustle delivers ratings. After four years hosting The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, she’s moving from weeknights at 11 pm to a new two-hour morning show on MS NOW, Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle, debuting today at 9 am.
“In many ways, I’m sad to leave The 11th Hour,” Ruhle told New Jersey Monthly in an interview a few days before her final episode. “I love our show, I love our audience, I love late night,” she said. “I love the irreverent vibe of it all. The good news is we’re not going to lose that sort of irreverence. I think we need that on morning TV. Right now, there are lots of folks out there who feel disconnected from the media, or they want to tune out because they’re overwhelmed by news.”
Money, Power, Politics aims tohelp viewers learn about the most important issues of the day. It has carried over elements of The 11th Hour—the show’s Nightcap roundtable, marquee guests and thoughtful analysis—and will introduce audience involvement, including a call-in segment.
“When I see people on the street, they say, ‘You’re asking the questions on your show that I’m screaming at my TV about!’ I don’t want people to scream at their TVs. I want them to be part of the show,” Ruhle says.
Ruhle, who recently turned 50, grew up in Bergen County’s Park Ridge. She and her husband, Andy Hubbard, have three children and split their time between Manhattan and Long Beach Island, where they’ll soon decamp to their vacation home for the summer. Ruhle will continue to anchor her show while she’s in New Jersey, including for a number of live broadcasts.
Ruhle with her family in Long Beach Island. Photo: Eric Hance PhotographyAfter graduating from Lehigh University in 1997, Ruhle initially pursued a career in banking. But even as she rose through the ranks—she was previously a managing director for Deutsche Bank—she always dreamed of working in television. In 2011, while speaking at a White House event, she was asked what she wanted to do next. Taking a leap, she revealed her interest in broadcasting.
A panelist at the event offered to introduce Ruhle to Andy Lack, then head of Bloomberg Television. When they met, she asked Lack to take a chance on her, offering to work for the lowest salary in the organization if he gave her a chance to anchor a show and taught her how to be on TV. He agreed, and the rest is history.
After five years at Bloomberg TV, Ruhle followed Lack over to MSNBC, where she first co-anchored a business-focused show with her friend and colleague Ali Velshi. In 2022, she moved into the anchor position at The 11th Hour—a role that Velshi will now be taking over.
Photo: Courtesy of MS NOWRuhle believes that her background in business helps viewers make sense of what’s happening today.
“Even if you don’t care about politics and never vote, you care about the world around you,” she says. “We want to make a show for people that want to be informed and engaged.”
Does she believe that the country is deeply politically divided? Not so much.
“I think for the most part, people are Jersey-style. We’re practical, right?” she says with a laugh. “We want to live in a safe town. We want to be financially secure, and socially free, and we want our kids to go to a good school. We want to have jobs and we want to be able to afford healthcare. That doesn’t mean one side is good or one side is bad. It means: Let’s understand what’s happening in the world.”
Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle airs on MS NOW weekdays from 9 am to 11 am ET.
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Maplewood looks like the kind of town that movie directors try to recreate when the script calls for an idyllic locale: tree-lined streets, commuters stepping off trains with coffee in hand, laughing friends outside cafés, bookstores and bakeries.
Just 35 minutes from Manhattan, the town has several burgeoning downtowns and on weekends the sidewalks buzz with families, shoppers, and locals drifting between boutiques and restaurants.
If you are unfamiliar with this Essex County burb, it may seem like just stop along way to nearby destination towns like Montclair and Morristown, but this municipality, 26,000 residents strong, is worth a stop—there are even municipal lots with free parking downtown.
Where to EatBreakfast spots like Able Baker offer fresh scones and breads, and their own variety of house-made blueberry pop tarts. Grab a tea or a coffee, or bring a box of Joe for the group along with a bag of sweet treats to be welcome at any gathering. For savory morning starts, try Village Coffee for breakfast sandwiches or generous platters, or stop in Perch Home, where you’ll be tempted to start shopping since this bistro started out as a lifestyle boutique and expanded into a shopping destination with a restaurant inside.
There is no shortage of restaurant options, along Main Street. You’ll find Thai, Chinese, Italian, American, soup, salad bowls. At longstanding Irish pub, St. James’s Gate Publick House, Guinness is listed as a starter and you’ll find a killer prime-rib French dip among other standards, including fish and chips. Down the street, Osteria LK, one of New Jersey Monthly’s top restaurants, serves red-sauce favorites and creatively elevated American dishes. For stylish cocktails and a selection of well-executed American dishes, Luna Stella is tucked just off the main drag.
Pasta at Porta Rossa. Photo: Courtesy of Porta RossaAcross town, check out Porta Rossa Pasta + Provisions, where you can procure pastas made fresh daily for takeout or eat in, if you can score one of the dozen seats or sit outdoors in good weather. This Italian market and café, opened in 2023, caters and hosts private events. Perla Oyster is another must-stop. Mollusk lovers may pause at this seeming fish-out-of-water raw bar in the burbs, but delight will follow with the fresh changing selection of oysters, plus clams, shrimp cocktail and a menu of dips, spreads and savory snacks. Nearby is Artie’s, a pizza spot that morphed from the former well-known Arturo’s.
Where to ShopStroll along down Maplewood Avenue, and you’ll find a healthy variety of shops, including clothing boutiques, a book shop, florists, wine store, jewelers, toys, coffee shops and more.
Maker + Muse on Maplewood Avenue. Photo: Courtesy of Maker + MuseTake Maker + Muse, a curated collection of jewelry, home goods, art and more, filled with finds from independent makers.
Mues Shop on Baker Street in Maplewood. Photo: Courtesy of Mues ShopAt in the emerging Baker Street area, lifestyle store Meus Shop offers an array of local artisans creating everything from self-care items, like soaps and scents to home décor, jewelry and gifts.
Handmade candles at Ceru on Springfield Avenue in Maplewood. Photo: Courtesy of CeruOn the Springfield Avenue side of Maplewood, Ceru, a women’s boutique, has an array of clothing designers with well-known and emerging brands, plus an apothecary with beauty buys, a home section with hand-picked décor items, and a selection of jewelry.
Can’t-Miss EventsSummer brings the Maplewoodstock Music and Art Festival, now in its 22nd year. This year it is scheduled for July 11-13, in Memorial Park, and it will once again, bring together more than 20 bands, art and food vendors, for two free days of music and fun. In December, Dickens Village, a storybook recreation of scenes from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, comes to live as a true town square of miniature houses completely and uniquely furnished for the holiday season. For the first three Saturdays of December, the village is open and Santa is house, there is tree and menorah lighting and a DJ, as well as other special events.
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As the New York Knicks prepare for their first NBA Finals appearance in nearly three decades, they can thank a pair of New Jersey natives for leading them this far.
That would be New Brunswick’s Jalen Brunson and Edison’s Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks’ top two scorers during the regular season. Brunson has also been the Knicks’ leading scorer in the playoffs, while Towns has ranked third throughout a postseason run that has seen the team win an astounding 11 straight games.
“It’s a magical thing. It’s a historical thing,” Towns said after the Knicks swept Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals. “It’s something that New York has been dying for for a long, long time.”
With some Garden State stars doing a lot of the heavy lifting—team president Leon Rose was born in Cherry Hill, by the way—the Knicks outscored their opponents by 262 points over their 11-game winning streak. That is the best point differential across 11 games in NBA history, regardless of whether we’re talking about regular season or postseason play, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
But with the Hawks, 76ers and Cavaliers vanquished, the Knicks must now take down the San Antonio Spurs. That won’t be easy against top-three MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama and company—which includes Franklin Lakes native and former Rutgers standout Dylan Harper—but New Jerseyans love a challenge.
Brunson was actually a toddler hanging around the Knicks the last time they were in the Finals in 1999, as his dad, Rick, was a backup on that squad, which lost to the Spurs. The journeyman guard and longtime coach, now an assistant on Mike Brown’s Knicks staff, eventually moved his son to the Chicago area. The younger Brunson went on to win two NCAA championships and played alongside fellow Knicks teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges at Villanova, a Philadelphia-area Big East school, and began his pro career in Dallas. However, the point guard has made it known that he identifies as a New Jersey hooper.
Now Brunson is a ring away from becoming the king of New York City’s sports scene.
“That’s a question I’d love to answer… later,” Brunson, taking a quick pause, said last week when asked what a Knicks championship would mean to his family.
Towns, meanwhile, was raised in Piscataway and shined at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen before spending a season at Kentucky. In 2015, the Timberwolves made him the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. The big man spent the first nine years of his career in Minnesota before being traded to New York in a three-team deal that also included the Hornets.
Two years into his Knicks tenure—and after three consecutive Conference Finals appearances—Towns has a chance to restore glory to a franchise that went through some dark times while he was growing up close to Madison Square Garden.
“I grew up a Knicks fan, as documented. And I think what’s more of an honor is, growing up in the area, I feel like the word ‘hope’ has been gone from the New York Knicks name for a long time,” Towns said. “It’s one of those things when I was growing up watching the Knicks, I was just hoping one day you could just put the jersey on. I never knew I would be in this position at this mic, talking about us going to the Finals, and the city believing in us. And that speaks a lot to the camaraderie of this team, the character of this team, the willingness, the sacrifice everyone’s been willing to put forward for the betterment of the team.
“There’s nowhere better in the world when the Garden has hope.”
The post Knicks’ Finals Squad Fueled by New Jersey Natives appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Julie Tsirkin started May 23 as White House and Capitol Hill correspondent at NBC News. She ended Memorial Day weekend as the reigning meme of the season.
The unexpected development began with gunfire near the White House Saturday night. Standing on the North Lawn preparing for an NBC Nightly News broadcast, Tsirkin heard a succession of 20 to 30 shots.
Her puzzled expression, a kind of confused grimace, was accompanied by a simple question: “What is that?”
Since then, Tsirkin’s look of confusion and her question have been everywhere. She’s been edited into a scene in Star Wars depicting the destruction of the Death Star. Placed in front of H.G. Wells’ fearsome Tripods as they destroy all in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. In one contribution to the meme, President Donald Trump unveils a portrait of Tsirkin’s bewildered expression in the Oval Office.
“I’ve gotten texts about that from people who work for the president, which is so funny,” Tsirkin, 30, tells New Jersey Monthly.
“Listen, you’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself,” she says. “Either that or you’ll cry.”
It’s a truism the broadcast journalist is able to embrace partly because she’s from New Jersey.
“I have deep Jersey roots,” Tsirkin says, and she believes that can build resiliency in a person. “I really do feel like Jersey girls and boys have a have a certain edge to them.”
An edge and a sense of humor.
“I’ve been laughing at myself my entire life, because my family has laughed at me my entire life,” says Tsirkin, who grew up in Jersey City and Monmouth County.
“Some of the memes were just hilarious,” she says. “I actually really love the Godzilla one…I give people props for creativity.”
Tsirkin reporting in the field. Photo: Frank Thorp/Courtesy of NBC NewsThe morning after the footage came out on NBC Nightly News, she spent four hours diving into the memes. Her producer, who found this quite amusing, took a photo of Tsirkin smiling next to a computer screen showing her confused meme face wearing a Trojan helmet.
“I just couldn’t believe that someone was doing this from my picture,” she says. “I was laughing, genuinely—it kind of created some levity.”
Tsirkin doesn’t duck out of the way in the news clip, but the meme deluge arrived just weeks after she had to take cover under a table because of another shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“I’m glad I could take one for the team with @nbcnsl on summer break,” Tsirkin posted on X (formerly Twitter), sharing the photo of her meme research session.
“Jersey folks don’t flinch,” Senator Andy Kim replied.
Tsirkin was born in Brooklyn two years after her family immigrated to the United States from Crimea, in Ukraine.
They arrived in the early ’90s—first her father, who was in the Navy, and then her pianist mother with her older sister. Her father worked delivering pizzas and driving soda trucks, and her mother cleaned houses. “They built themselves brick by brick here, and Jersey contributed a lot to that,” Tsirkin says. “My parents have instilled resiliency in me.”
She spent early years living on Staten Island before the family moved to Marlboro, where they bought a house. “It was a big deal,” Tsirkin says.
Her father, who still carried his maritime spirit, also bought a boat “instead of a Shore house” in Long Branch, she says. “We would go up and down the water and all over New Jersey and the coast, and it was just awesome.” Later, Tsirkin attended middle school in Hoboken and her family moved to Jersey City, where she was a student at McNair Academic High School (“Go Cougars!” she says).
Tsirkin at 6 years old, on her family’s boat in Long Branch. Photo: Courtesy of Julie Tsirkin and the Tsirkin familyHer father attended Rutgers Law School in Newark for a career change in his 50s, when Tsirkin was in high school. “We graduated at the same time, actually,” she says. The law was her original plan as a student at Rutgers in New Brunswick, where she also applied to be a pre-med student.
“All my best friends still are the friends I met on day one of freshman year, some at orientation, some for my sorority—and my husband I met at Rutgers as well,” says Tsirkin, who has been married to her college sweetheart, a Highland Park native, for almost three years.
She originally planned to pursue a career as an attorney because her immigrant parents considered it a stable, successful vocation. A change of heart and new guidance from her father redirected her to major in journalism and media studies. She was preparing for the LSAT, but a journalism professor, Steven Miller, allowed her to sit in on camera-training classes. Tsirkin, a writer at Rutgers’s student newspaper The Daily Targum, applied to internships “at all the news stations in New York” for her senior year. By 2016, she was interning at MSNBC.
Tsirkin thought she’d be a writer, but her ascent at NBC News landed her in front of the camera. MSNBC executive producer Omnika Thompson looked at her résumé, which was largely devoid of media experience. “She said, ‘Jersey girl, I love it!’ And she totally took a chance on me,” Tsirkin says. It wasn’t long before she became a producer at NBC News working with a senior Washington correspondent.
Tsirkin says she was pulled into on-camera work in the wake of January 6, 2021, after the insurgent attack on the Capitol. “It was surreal,” she says. “I practiced on Zoom with one of my friends. I didn’t know what I was doing…transitioning to in front of the camera also just bloomed my confidence so much.”
Before she heard the gunshots near the White House on May 23, Tsirkin had recently returned from several days of reporting in Kentucky.
She covered the primary election that saw Republican Rep. Thomas Massie lose his seat to the Trump-endorsed candidate Ed Gallrein. Her other work that Saturday included reporting on a potential deal with Iran.
“I walked outside at 6 pm to take what we call a ‘stare’—which is basically when you stare into the camera for 30 seconds, and they use that to introduce all the reporters in the little Brady Bunch boxes at the start of the broadcast for Nightly News,” Tsirkin says. “And I just got out there, and I even thought, Oh my gosh, it’s 6:03, I’m a little bit late…I walked out there, and I had just put my water down. That was the start of the clip, when I kind of looked surprised.”
It had only been four weeks since the reporter and her colleagues were at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where a gunman, suspect Cole Tomas Allen, opened fire and was later charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
“In that case, it sounded different,” she says. “I heard the ricochet, I heard the two sounds, the crack-thump—and on top of that, my colleague, José Diaz-Balart, shoved me under the table, so I was like, ‘Oh gosh, OK, this is serious.’ That was just a completely different experience, but in this case, it was so rapid, and I knew it was coming [from] directly in front of me, and I had a moment where I thought,…Unless this is some kind of Navy SEAL with a jet pack, like, busting through 50 Secret Service agents and snipers on the roof, I just cannot imagine.”
During last weekend’s moment of confusion inside the White House gates, Tsirkin looked back to see what Secret Service agents were doing. Her hostile-environment training made her think about hiding behind a tree or heading inside the White House. An officer who had his gun drawn told her to run into the briefing room.
“Sounds like fireworks,” Tsirkin’s colleague can be heard saying in the news footage. The shots, which came from 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, caused the White House to go into lockdown. As Tsirkin and her colleagues at NBC later reported, officials said that suspect Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland was fatally shot by Secret Service agents after he allegedly opened fire on officers at a Secret Service checkpoint. A bystander was shot during the gunfire and hospitalized.
Some chatter around Tsirkin’s response to the gunshots—turning around, looking and asking a question instead of immediately ducking—riffed on a perceived lack of alarm. That same night, after hugging her husband and her dog, Tsirkin saw comments where people criticized her as “clueless,” with some even suggesting the moment was staged. She calls the criticism “a little bit hurtful.”
“I do think I have a fairly good trauma response, just from having been through things, and…what [my parents] went through, and just being brought up with this sense of awareness, growing up in a city,” she says. “I’ve never been unaware, I guess, is what I’m trying to say—contrary to some of the comments on my meme.”
“People who were suggesting that I’d be the first one to go in a scary movie—that is so funny to me, because every time I watch a scary movie, I’m always like, ‘Why would she go into that house?’ Like, ‘why would they run into the woods?’ I don’t think I would ever do that.”
After the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Tsirkin had to start reporting from outside the hotel, wearing a scarf over her blue sequined gown. While she had been hiding under the table, some worst possible outcomes flashed through her mind.
“I did have a moment thinking, like, Oh gosh, my phone’s on the table—like, what if I die? I can’t even text my husband or my parents or my friends or see my dog again on my home screen’…When we jumped into work mode, I was looking out for everyone who was more panicked around me to try to stay calm, and that’s kind of what I [continued doing] on Saturday.”
Her husband, Gavi Reichman, also got in on the meme, using Tsirkin’s confused face in an Instagram post for PlayerVault, his sports memorabilia and autograph company. “I gave him permission, don’t worry,” she says with a laugh.
Tsirkin with now husband Gavi Reichman, whom she met at Rutgers. Photo: Courtesy of Julie Tsirkin and the Tsirkin familyAs the glare of social media intensified, loved ones from back home rallied around Tsirkin.
“In typical Jersey fashion, I have the most loyal friends and family in the entire universe,” she says. “The night that Nightly News aired, my sister Pauline saw the broadcast. She said, ‘That’s gonna be a viral meme.’”
When it came time for Pauline’s birthday days later, Tsirkin had been so busy that she didn’t have much time to work on a present.
No worries—her sister said the gift had already arrived.
“Your video was the best present I’ve ever gotten in my 43 years,” she told Tsirkin.
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It was late January, and the excitement was building among young women across the country. Valentine’s Day was approaching, and Parke—the wildly popular brand known primarily for its crewneck sweatshirts with the company’s name emblazoned across the front—was doing something it had never done before. Purple.
The previous spring and summer, many of Parke’s customers, who identify as much with the brand’s owner, Chelsea Parke Goles, as they do with its clothing, had been messaging the company on social media about how Parke had never made a sweatshirt in that color. So, to celebrate this year’s holiday of love and romance, Parke went purple. The line sold out quickly. And the connection between the company and its customers became stronger.
“I was seeing every girl I know posting on their personal Stories when the Valentine’s Day drop happened,” says Jessica Ricco, who grew up in River Vale and is a recent University of Georgia graduate. “They were upset when they didn’t get it. I never saw anything like it.”
For Goles, who grew up in New Vernon and started her eponymous brand in 2022, it was perfectly normal. Parke doesn’t use traditional advertising methods. It connects through messages, influencer videos and building relationships on social media, and uses pop-up stores that draw throngs of customers and monthly product line drops to generate excitement and demand.
“Our Valentine’s collection included purple only because people told us they wanted it,” says Goles, 29. “We wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”
At a time when people under 30 (particularly women) are looking for smaller brands that emphasize connection and are promoted by influencers and word of mouth, Parke has created a new paradigm. You can’t call the company, but you can message its team. And a team member will answer. Quickly. Engage on Instagram or TikTok, and you are likely to get some sort of response.
Goles wears Parke’s oversized denim jacket, $230. Photo: Madison Lane Photography“Smaller companies using social media like this have a better grasp of who their audience is and can bring them along for the ride in way big companies can’t,” says Dr. Kevin Lyons, a professor at Rutgers who teaches a course in supply chain management for the fashion industry.
Parke has more than 490,000 Instagram followers. Goles has 150,000. The direct-to-consumer model relies heavily on customer engagement and storytelling. Goles is as much the Parke brand as any item it sells; sweatshirts range from $125-$140. She uses social media to relate the challenges and successes on her entrepreneurial journey and has said “transparency is key.” If you have spent any time on a college campus, you can tell the model works.
“Oh, I’m a big fan,” says Addison Figel, a student Villanova from Belle Mead who has a number of Parke sweatshirts.
It’s a model larger companies just can’t replicate.
“Customers and followers want to feel like they know [Goles] and are engaged with her,” says MarySheila McDonald, the John J. Scarpa Professor of Entrepreneurship at Villanova. “They want to have a relationship.”
Parke may not adopt every idea its customers propose, but the growth in sales over the company’s almost four years in existence—$100,000 in 2022 to $16 million as of November 2025—demonstrates that the formula works well. It’s a perfect strategy for the post-pandemic period, when McDonald says direct to consumer marketing “has exploded.”
“When we started the brand, we were at a different stage of social media,” Goles says. “There weren’t that many brands connected to the community. That’s why it’s so valuable for Parke to get feedback from customers in real time. Without it, we wouldn’t be as successful. We connect with people every day. Our team is messaging back and forth every day.”
It would be great to say Goles has been designing outfits and counseling friends on fashion decisions since she was a girl, but that’s not the case. “When I was in middle school, I had a uniform for school,” she says. “On weekends, I played sports and rode horses. I didn’t have many clothes beyond school and sports and horses.”
The Heritage Varsity Mockneck Sweatshirt, $130. Photo: Courtesy of ParkeGoles graduated from Morristown Beard School in 2015 and went to Dickinson, where she played field hockey and majored in art studies. While there, her interest in fashion began to gather momentum, and in 2018, she studied in Florence for a semester. “I spent more time looking at fashion websites than listening to teachers,” she admits.
When Goles was 16, she met Kira Kramer, who was dating her brother Jackson and would eventually marry him. The two bonded quickly, and during one early 2020s summer in Loveladies, while each was working “jobs we weren’t obsessed with,” they spoke about someday starting a business together—although neither had an idea what that project would be. “We wanted to make it special and cool and make it a great environment for others,” Goles says.
“We talked about it as a dream,” Kramer adds.
During the pandemic, when Goles was working for a jewelry company after spending some time in the wholesale fashion business, she moved to Miami and started learning about the vintage denim business and particularly how the companies involved in it weren’t necessarily targeting women. She and Kramer decided that would be their joint project and connected with a wholesaler in Los Angeles who provided the denim that they turned into women’s jeans. The partnership succeeded “instantly,” says Goles. (Goles is creative director and CEO of Parke; Kramer is COO.)
But customers found two pairs of jeans that were the same size didn’t fit the same way, due to inconsistencies in the denim. So, in 2022, Parke pivoted to sweatshirts, which sold well right away. From there, Parke expanded to denim jeans, overalls, shorts, skirts, dresses and jackets—with only a small fraction of the content distressed. The clothes are manufactured overseas and warehoused in Middletown, Pennsylvania. With each new product and special-occasion launch, sales grew. So did customer loyalty, thanks to the quality of the apparel and the community Goles built.
“She seems to be very transparent,” says Mae Dolan of Old Tappan, a rising senior at Ohio State. “I follow her on Instagram, and she does Q&As and puts polls up. People type in what they want to see, and she really responds.”
The engagement goes beyond the products. When Chelsea married Nicholas Goles in September 2025, fans could track the event on social media. They could also see her “Dream Registry” on the Over the Moon website. On May 25, she announced the birth of their daughter, Willa; her Instagram post drew 84,000 likes in a day. By curating her life, she can create an aspirational model for young women.
“We now see more females in fashion,” Goles says. “Ten or 20 years ago, there were so many men running women’s wear brands.”
Goles can’t identify any one thing that has made the brand successful, although she says the team of 20 (not counting those in warehouse) works “really hard.” And there is a hometown component to the prosperity. “My Jersey roots have guided me,” Goles says. “I think a lot of entrepreneurs come from Jersey. It’s a great place.”
As the Parke community swells, Goles and the team will continue to create a culture built on engagement and quality products. That’s a good combination.
“We like where we are,” she says.
So do Parke’s legions of customers.
The post How Chelsea Parke Goles Built a Cult Sweatshirt Brand Gen Z Can’t Quit appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
You think the Super Bowl’s big? Compared to the World Cup, it’s like vacationing in Nebraska versus hitting the Jersey Shore. The 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France reached 1.42 billion people worldwide, according to FIFA, soccer’s international governing body. That’s 11 times the number of people who saw Seattle thump the Patriots this past February in Super Bowl LX. In other words, it’s gigantic.
Unless you’ve spent the last year locked in a monastery, you know that it’s coming to the Garden State from June 13-July 19. But what else do you know? The favorites? The top players? Where to watch? When?
Read on, and you’ll be able to speak soccer—or futbol—like you have season tickets to the English Premier League.
MetLife Stadium, pictured here during a kids’ clinic after a Copa America game. Photo: Courtesy of FIFA/Fiona CaswellTHE BIG DEALSince the United States’ main professional soccer league is at best the fourth most popular in the nation, and it would be unwise to tell a big-time hockey fan that Major League Soccer is ahead of the NHL, it is natural that some people are a little cynical about the World Cup’s popularity. Sure, it’s big in Europe, but so what?
Actually, it’s big everywhere—except maybe the United States, and that could well change when this year’s World Cup champion is crowned. There are 195 countries in the world, and almost all of them have significant soccer profiles. Just about every European country tried to qualify, including Gibraltar, Malta and Liechtenstein.
It’s impossible to walk through neighborhoods in Central and South America (and some in Jersey) without seeing someone kicking a soccer ball or some sort of facsimile, depending on how poor the area is. Fifty-four African nations vied for nine bids—in other words, all of them.
According to FIFA, 2.21 billion people watched at least 20 minutes of play during the 2022 World Cup. That’s greater than 25 percent of the world’s population. As for the financial side of things, Forbes reported that the 2022 World Cup generated $9 billion of revenue, with $7.5 billion going to FIFA. More than 1 million tourists traveled to Qatar for the event. So, yeah, it’s pretty big.
Photo: Courtesy of Mike Stobe/FIFA via Getty ImagesTOP TEAMSSpain: La Roja are the defending European champions and the no-doubt top-ranked team in the world. Standouts like Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal form the core of a side considered by some to be a prohibitive favorite.
France: The French won the World Cup in 2018 and have a lineup filled with players who are stars on teams all over the world. Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot as the best player in the 2022 World Cup and is a dangerous attacker. Jules Koundé leads the defense, and Michael Olise is an excellent attacking midfielder.
Argentina: The defending champs still have that Lionel Messi character, and while he is currently tormenting MLS teams, Lautaro MartÍnez may be even more dangerous on the attack. Rodrigo DePaul is an outstanding midfielder, and Emiliano Martínez could be the world’s best goalkeeper.
England: That’s right, England. The country that gave us the sport has won just a single World Cup, in 1966. Harry Kane is one of the world’s most productive strikers, and Jude Bellingham is a dangerous midfielder. John Stones is the best English defender, but injuries limited him this year.
TOP PLAYERSLionel Messi at MetLife Stadium in 2024. Photo: Shutterstock/lev radinLionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo: They are the obvious choices, but they are lions in winter. This will no doubt be Ronaldo’s final World Cup for Portugal, and it could be Messi’s last for Argentina. Each still has some magic left, and it behooves all fans to watch them once more.
Kylian Mbappé, France: The ultradangerous striker can score at any time and brings a consistent pace that overwhelms most opponents. His leadership is almost equally important, especially for a loaded French team that might need some egos managed.
Vinícius Júnior, Brazil: He’s still young and growing, but Júnior might just be a worthy successor to the long lineage of Samba standouts. He is lightning fast on the wing, brings a style that Brazilian fans expect, and could dribble through a minefield without getting a scratch.
Pedri, Spain: This 23-year-old doesn’t have ESP, but it sure seems that way when he reads the game two or three moves ahead. He’s a stabilizing force in the midfield and can set up teammates with creativity and efficiency.
Santiago Gimenez, Mexico: He’s not as polished as some of the Eurostars, but he still can score in bunches and put huge pressure on opposing defenses. He gets a chance to perform in front of home crowds and should put on a show.
JERSEY PLAYERSFrom left: Brendan Aaronson, Matt Turner and Johnny Cardoso. Photos: Courtesy of the U.S. Soccer FederationBrendan Aaronson, or the “Medford Messi,” plays for Leeds United in the English Premier League. The Shawnee HS product has played in 56 games for the USMNT and has scored nine goals and registered seven assists.
Goalie Matt Turner hails from Park Ridge and went to St. Joseph’s Regional HS. He plays for Lyon in the French League but was loaned to MLS club New England last summer. Turner has played for the U.S. team 53 times.
Although Johnny Cardoso moved with his family to Brazil at just three months old, he was born in Denville. The midfielder has made 22 appearances for the National Team and plays club ball for Atletico Madrid.
HOW IT WORKSPhoto: Courtesy of FIFA/Marcio MachadoFor the first time in the history of the tournament, 48 teams will compete, sorted into 12 groups of four. Each team will play the other three teams in its group (the United States is in Group D, with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey). A win is worth three points and a tie, one point.
The two teams with the most points in each group will advance to the round of 32, along with eight third-place teams. They will be determined by total points first. If that doesn’t break every tie, goal differential will be considered, followed by total goals scored. If that doesn’t do it, there are four other criteria.
From there, it’s pretty simple. The first-place teams play against the third-place finishers, and the second-place squads face off against each other, leaving 16 countries. Unlike the group stage, when there can be ties, all contests from the round of 32 until the final will consist of 90 minutes of regulation, followed by 30 minutes of overtime (a goal does not end the OT), and if the game is still deadlocked, penalty kicks.
The 16 will play to determine the eight quarterfinalists. Then come the semis, and on July 19, the two remaining countries will face off at MetLife Stadium for the World Cup championship.
BIGGEST EARLY GAMES United States vs. Paraguay, June 12: This game has no great significance in choosing a champion, but it’s the United States’ first, and a chance to show that it belongs among the world’s best. * Brazil vs. Morocco, June 13: A big one early on. The sixth-rated Samba squad takes on another top-10 team, which reached the World Cup semifinals in 2022. * England vs. Croatia, June 17: The Three Lions believe they have a chance to win the World Cup this time, but Luka Modrić and the Croats are a European power with big hopes, too. * Uruguay vs. Spain, June 26: This will be the Spaniards’ biggest group stage test. The game will be played in Zapopan, Mexico, 5,100 feet above sea level, which helps the high-altitude-conditioned Uruguayans. * Colombia vs. Portugal, June 27*: The last day of group play brings a big one from Miami, where Ronaldo’s Selecao das Quinas takes on Luis Diaz and a dangerous Colombian squad.
WORLD CUP HISTORYUntil the 1920s, the top soccer nation in the world was determined in the Olympics, but as the sport’s professional profile grew, it moved away from the amateur spirit of the Olympic movement, and something new was needed.
Although FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, was founded in 1904 and declared that it had the authority to stage a world championship, nothing was done to make that happen until 1928, when FIFA secretary Henri Delaunay’s resolution to stage the World Cup was adopted. It took place in 1930, and Uruguay was chosen as the host country for a variety of reasons.
First, the country said that it would pay all travel and hotel expenses for visiting teams. And it promised to build a new stadium in Montevideo, its capital. The event would celebrate the nation’s 100 years of independence and feature 13 teams. The hosts were quite inhospitable and won the tournament by defeating Argentina, 4-2, in the final. The United States reached the semifinals but was routed, 6-1, by Argentina.
Since then, the World Cup has been staged every four years, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II. Brazil has won the most titles—five—with Germany and Italy second (four), although the Germans have reached eight final matches, more than any other country. No team from a continent other than Europe or South America has reached a World Cup final.
THE PLACES TO BEJust about every fan in New Jersey knows the perfect place to watch soccer, so any list of futbol bars is bound to have some exclusions that anger folks. Consider this a random sampling rather than an exhaustive list (and find more places to watch here):
- Mulligan’s Pub, Hoboken: This may be an Irish bar, but no matter what game is being played, you can bet it’s on.
- Redd’s Restaurant, Carlstadt: Those heading to games at nearby MetLife Stadium would be wise to check out Redd’s 50 TVs.
- Varitage Brew Works, Bloomfield: This brewery provides plenty of craft beers and an abundance of soccer talk.
- Galpao New Jersey, Newark: It’s a bar, but it’s more of a community, especially when teams from Central or South America are playing.
- D’Arcy’s Tavern, Bradley Beach: From early-morning Premier League games to late-night international matchups, this Shore spot offers plenty of TVs, food and drink.
- Firkin Tavern, Ewing Township: Come for the 100-inch screen and stay for the game room and English-Irish vibe.
- Reunion Hall, Haddon Township: This isn’t a bar; it’s a complex. Reunion has three restaurants, two bars, and inside and outside seating.
TV GUIDEEvery World Cup game will be televised live in the U.S., primarily by Fox. The network, FS1 and streaming service Fox One will provide coverage of the entire tournament, with a record 70 matches to air on Fox, 40 in prime time.
The network will provide expanded coverage of USMNT games, including a three-hour pregame show before the United States’ first game of the tournament, against Paraguay on June 12. Fox’s ad-supported streaming service, Tubi, will show two games free of charge. Meanwhile, Spanish-language network Telemundo will air 92 of the 104 games live, with Universo showing the other 12.
The World Cup final on July 19 will be broadcast on Fox at 3 pm.
IF YOU GOPhoto: Shutterstock/quiggyt4Those fortunate enough to secure tickets to World Cup games at MetLife Stadium (which FIFA is temporarily calling New York New Jersey Stadium to align with sponsorship regulations) must comply with FIFA’s stadium code of conduct. The list of what can be brought in is quite short. Food is not permitted. Neither are drinks. Banners are allowed, but they cannot contain any content that is offensive, political, racist, etc. Only clear bags are permitted, and they can be no bigger than 12″ by 6″ by 12″. Non-clear clutches and bags no larger than 4.5″ by 6.5″ are allowed. Non-clear bags with medical applications are permitted, and all bags will be subject to inspection.
FIFA and MetLife officials are encouraging fans to use public transportation, since traffic tie-ups around the stadium could be substantial. Ticketholders taking trains from Penn Station and New Jersey stations will be routed to the Secaucus Junction station and will board match day-only trains to the stadium and pay a pretty penny to get there. Fares from New York are skyrocketing to $105 roundtrip from the usual $12.90, reportedly to cover operational costs. (Originally, tickets were $150 but were reduced following controversy.) In addition, shuttle buses will run to the stadium from park-and-ride locations at transit hubs. Those using rideshare apps will be dropped off outside the grounds and brought onto the premises by shuttle buses.
The best advice for those going is to leave extra items at home. And leave early. Really early. It’s going to take time to get to and into the stadium, thanks to huge crowds and expanded security protocols.
Michael Bradley is a writer who lives in suburban Philadelphia and an assistant professor at Villanova University.
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Doggone it—this is cuteness overload!
New Jersey photographers Lauren Kara Majors—who specializes in newborn and family photography—and Stephanie Blum—who does a lot of pet photography—recently joined forces for a newborn puppy photo shoot, and their adorable results are going viral, with more than 3.1 million views (and counting).
“It doesn’t get any cuter,” says Blum.
The idea took shape six weeks ago, with a shared Pinterest board quickly following. As for the subject of their photo shoot, that was an easy choice. Blum raises puppies for the Morristown nonprofit the Seeing Eye, so they planned to photograph the next dog she raised.
Photo: Lauren Kara Photography and Stephanie Blum PhotographyTimmy, a 7-week-old Black Lab, arrived at Blum’s home on May 11.
On shoot day, which took place at Blum’s studio, Majors carefully wrapped Timmy in a variety of fabrics and posed him delicately with some props—just like she does with her newborn human clients. Timmy slept for most of the hour-and-a-half shoot, and took breaks as needed.
Even though she typically works with babies and kids, Majors says she felt comfortable with this shoot because she’s had dogs throughout her life, including now, and loves being around them. “I’ve always wanted to do a puppy newborn shoot,” she says. “This has always been in the back of my mind.”
Photo: Lauren Kara Photography and Stephanie BlumAs for trying this type of photography at home, it could prove difficult, as not every pooch has the temperament that’s right for it. Timmy’s age also means that he sleeps most of the time, ideal for a shoot. Blum notes that Seeing Eye pups are “very used to being handled” and are “very well adjusted.”
Volunteers like Blum raise Seeing Eye puppies—who eventually go on to work as guide dogs for blind people—from the ages of seven or eight weeks until they’re 13 to 16 months old, teaching them skills like house manners and exposing them to various social situations. Get more information here.
Lauren Kara Photography specializes in newborn and family photography, while Stephanie Blum Photography specializes in portraits, headshots, maternity and pets. Both photographers are based in Mendham.
The post These Are the Cutest Newborn Puppy Photos in All of New Jersey appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Ask any commuter about NJ Transit, and they’ll undoubtedly have a lot to say. So does Kris Kolluri, who serves as president and CEO of NJ Transit and executive director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What is NJ Transit doing to improve rider experience?
When Governor Sherrill came into office, her focus was on trying to get NJ Transit to be modern and reliable. It requires two parts: One is the foundational infrastructure, and the second part is the train cars and buses. On the first category, and you’ll see this in the budget, we are about to advance one of the most ambitious of infrastructure investments the state has ever seen. Equally important, the governor has committed to modernizing the buses and trains. Sixty percent of our buses, of our trains, are from the 1970s and ’80s. You don’t get to build a reliable system if you have train cars from that older generation. This year alone, we are going to start receiving 40 brand-new multilevel cars. We’re going to see about 180–250 brand-new buses that’ll get delivered just this year. And from that point on, we will essentially start receiving, between the two, several hundred a year, until 2031. So when you add these two factors together is how you build a reliable system.
What message do you have for commuters who will eventually enjoy the fruits of these labors, but who are experiencing issues right now?I take the train every day, so it’s not like I don’t experience those dreaded middle seats. It would be a really nice day when we can say that those dreaded middle seats are being phased out, which is what we hope to do between now and 2031. I think the customers who long asked for reliability are finally in a position to see physical evidence of how that is going to happen. Let me talk about the Portal Bridge [over the Hackensack River]. This is a 116-year-old bridge, which every year would break down in the summer, and somebody would have to go there with a sledgehammer and knock the rails in place, because when the bridge opened they wouldn’t be able to close it. Sometimes it caught on fire. This was no way to run a modern rail system. So we, along with Amtrak, are replacing that bridge with a $2.3 billion brand-new bridge. The first track opened the 16th of March, and by the end of this year or early next year, the entire brand-new bridge will be open for traffic for the first time in 116 years.
How will this help with delays going into New York City?The 10-mile corridor between Newark and New York Penn Station is the busiest train corridor in the Western Hemisphere. These bridges and, in some cases, the tracks themselves and the signal systems are decades old and, in some cases, [more than 100] years old. In the case of the Portal Bridge, it is 116 years old. So it is time that we replace them, and we’re working together to do that. The customers ultimately will be the beneficiaries of it.
How will the Gateway tunnel project make the commute into NYC easier?The two new tracks that the Gateway tunnel will provide will allow Amtrak to repair the existing two tunnels one at a time. The existing tunnels are well over 100 years old and sustained damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The new tunnels will allow us to maintain full service while the existing tunnels are fully modernized. Once that rehab has taken place, it will set the stage for doubling the capacity—from 24 trains per hour during the weekday peak hours to 48 trains per hour—by having four tracks under the Hudson River in and out of New York City.
How does Governor Sherrill’s focus on affordability relate to NJ Transit?When she ran for office, the governor talked about an affordability agenda that, in her view, is not only about trying to lower costs, but trying to make housing more accessible for people who can’t buy houses because the cost of housing is so expensive. At NJ Transit, we own about 8,000 acres of property. We are going to try and develop almost 800 acres of that property over the next 30 years. What does that look like? That means we can generate not only up to $60 million a year for NJ Transit, but we can also advance the governor’s affordability principles by building affordable and workforce housing on properties owned by NJ Transit next to bus stations and train stations. That $60 million a year roughly equals a 6 percent fare increase. I’m not saying we don’t need any other source of money, but I think in New Jersey, especially, we need to be, now more than ever, focused on how we can self-help. On financial challenges, families in New Jersey do it all the time. When they are in a bind, they don’t typically look to others to solve their problems. They tighten their belt, or they come up with ways to either save or to make more money. We are trying to do the same thing in New Jersey at NJ Transit.
This summer in New Jersey, it’s all about the World Cup at MetLife Stadium and going down the Shore. First, let’s talk about the World Cup. How is NJ Transit preparing to get fans to the games?New Jersey has eight games coming up. We are responsible for moving 40,000 people per game. It is an extraordinarily complex, expensive proposition, but it is something that we should all be happy about and celebrate. But it is a challenge, a logistical challenge that we are trying to contend [with]. We’ve been planning for this for two years, and we look forward to moving 40,000 people.
How do you work to make things run smoothly with all those people and all those games?We have to orchestrate a very complex set of operational rules, essentially focusing on moving fans four hours before the game and two hours after the game. But remember, our obligation isn’t just to the fans. Our primary obligation is to our commuters. We need to make sure that while we’re doing this game, we have to continue [to move] our commuters.
What lessons has NJ Transit learned, so far, in its World Cup preparations that you’ll use moving forward?I saw firsthand the hard work and dedication of our NJ Transit employees delivering a seamless travel experience during last summer’s nine FIFA Club World Cup matches, including the finals. That was in addition to the dozens of major concerts and sporting events we successfully deliver every year to and from MetLife Stadium. We have been planning for the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup for more than two years, and each day I see how our employees are planning for success. Beyond the confines of World Cup, as I ride the train to work for my regular commute, I see this dedication each and every day, and that’s why I am confident we will have a great World Cup.
What’s your response to the controversy surrounding the $150 round-trip ticket price from Penn Station to the World Cup matches? How can you explain this price to people going to the games? [EDITOR’S NOTE: After this interview was conducted, fares were reduced to $105.]
In order to provide safe, reliable, and secure transportation to the eight matches at NYNJ Stadium [MetLife Stadium], NJ Transit needs to incur extraordinary security, labor, materials, and infrastructure costs totaling at least $48 million, or $6 million for each match. Governor Sherrill has been clear, and I agree, that this substantial cost should not be borne by our regular commuters. NJ Transit has committed to delivering a service that safely moves 40,000 fans per match to and from the stadium. The ticket price simply allows NJ Transit to just break even on the cost of providing that service over the course of the eight matches.
With Shore traffic a nightmare every summer, is there a focus on trains to the beach this season?Taking the train down the Shore is a great idea to beat the traffic and parking. During the summer months, we offer additional train service between Long Branch and Bay Head, making it a convenient way to enjoy all that the Jersey Shore has to offer. And stay tuned for our promotional offers we provide during the summer for great savings.
The post NJ Transit CEO Talks World Cup Plans, Infrastructure Fixes and More appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Atlantic City traded its usual casino-floor buzz for high-fashion glamour as Ocean Casino Resort transformed into a scene worthy of the silver screen during the East Coast’s only advance screening of The Devil Wears Prada 2 at the resort’s Ovation Hall on Wednesday night.
From the moment guests arrived, the evening leaned fully into its couture-inspired theme. Starting with an intimate VIP pre-party, held in one of the resort’s oceanfront suites, guests sipped cocktails and sampled caviar and other savories.
Guests posed for their own Runway cover shoots. Photo: Courtesy of Ocean Casino ResortCamera-ready setups allowed guests to sit at a recreation of Miranda’s infamous desk, pop into a photo booth and get a Runway portrait created by an artist. There was even a lipstick engraving station that added a personalized touch—a souvenir as stylish as the evening itself. Lots of movie-branded swag was on hand, from a print edition of the fictitious Runway magazine to T-shirts and caps inscribed with Miranda’s iconic lines.
Photo: Courtesy of Ocean Casino ResortThe entrance to the screening filtered attendees through a pre-party space with a TRESemmé beauty studio for glam touch-ups ahead of the red carpet. Flashbulbs popped as moviegoers posed in custom-designed photo booths, capturing their own magazine-cover moments before the screening.
By the time the lights dimmed in Ovation Hall, anticipation had reached a peak. The screening was the final act in an evening carefully curated to celebrate fashion, film and a bit of escapism—proving that, for one night at least, Atlantic City could rival any big-city premiere.
The much-anticipated sequel to the 2006 blockbuster opened in theaters May 1, again bringing Jersey heavy hitters to the big screen. The new film stars Meryl Streep as the ever-tough Miranda Priestly, still at the helm of trendsetting fashion magazine Runway. Anne Hathaway reprises her role as Andy Sachs, but this time is tasked with reviving editorial features to save the print edition from digital competition and control by advertisers. Newcomer Helen J Shen, a Basking Ridge native, takes on the role of Andy’s assistant, adding to the Jersey-powered cast.
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Jamie Ding, 33, of Lawrenceville, has become a sensation as much for his quirky, calm and humble presence on the Jeopardy! set as for his 31 consecutive wins on the trivia game show.
That’s the fifth highest ever, the most ever for a New Jerseyan, and his winnings are the highest ever in regular-season play. He’s been written up in the New York Times, twice, The Wall Street Journal, twice, the Los Angeles Times, People and Variety. Last Friday, he was featured on Good Morning America, where he watched his final April 27 win with seven friends and the GMA hosts.
Governor Mikie Sherrill has met with Ding at the State House twice. In March, she gave him, his parents and sister a tour, and this week, Ding was on hand as Sherrill signed an executive order to stimulate the construction of more affordable housing in the state. Ding, who described himself on Jeopardy! as a “faceless bureaucrat,” works as a program administrator for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency in Trenton, and is passionate about affordable housing.
During the episode that aired March 23, Ding gave New Jersey props for building more affordable housing. “We’re ahead of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania. If you’re from one of those states, then shame on you,” he said. “Build more housing.”
Ding, who grew up in the Detroit area, the son of a neurosurgeon and high school math teacher who emigrated from China, has also spoken out for immigrants.
On the show, host Ken Jennings clearly had a rapport with Ding. His humble demeanor, where he seemed surprised if he got the correct answer and impressed when others did, and his humdrum banter about his favorite color (orange); number (6) and letter (f), seemed to tickle the former Jeopardy! champ, who holds the record for consecutive wins with 74.
We caught up with Ding for a post-Jeopardy! chat.
New Jersey Monthly: Have you been surprised by all the attention?Jamie Ding: It’s been an amazing amount of attention. The Detroit Lions even did an Instagram post about me. Who would’ve thought that? It was also nice to be written up in the campus papers for Seton Hall [Ding attends weekend law school there], and Princeton [Ding was a molecular biology major there and a copyeditor for the Daily Princetonian]. Being interviewed for a publication you used to work for is pretty cool.
You had to tape 5 shows a day, for weeks, when you were on set in L.A. Yet you are described as “drama-free” and “humble.” How did you manage to stay so chill?I think the nerves were always greater before the game started. The game itself is very fun. Once it actually got going, you’re just up there answering trivia, and I like that.
I’m pretty good at staying relaxed in most situations. The last time I felt like I was losing control of my emotions was the playoff game between the Rams and the Bucaneers in 2022. I was rooting for the Rams and they did come back to win. Maybe it’s Barack Obama. He was always very calm, you know; the phrase “grace under pressure.” I did admire that.
You wore at least a bit of orange on every show. Is that because you went to Princeton?Orange has always been my favorite color, but going to Princeton accelerated and, well, enabled my habit. When I auditioned for the show on Zoom, I wore my orange Hoagie Haven hat. [Hoagie Haven is a popular Princeton sandwich shop.] The producer recognized it; he had worked in television in New Jersey. Central Jersey people love, love Hoagie Haven, and I think it was a point in my favor. I have a lot of orange things and I did wonder, maybe being the orange guy might make me a little more memorable? Now it’s certainly part of my brand. Some of my friends have suggested making merch.
Ding with host Ken Jennings. Photo: Sony Pictures TelevisionHow did you prepare for the show?I didn’t make flashcards like some people do. That seemed like more work than fun. And the studying that I did, I don’t think it added very much new knowledge. I can only think of one question where prepping helped, that was about the TV show Industry. My sister [Jessie, a lawyer] had helped me with pop culture; I didn’t know much about it. Cramming might be more effective if you are going from complete ignorance to a little knowledge. But I had a base. I was on Quiz Bowl teams in high school and college, which was a lot of fun. After college I did a lot of bar trivia, then that got stopped by Covid. Now I do a lot of online trivia; I’m in two leagues right now. And I’m always reading a lot, mostly articles in the news, and trying to learn new things.
I might want to prepare for the Tournament of Champions, though. [Once a year, contestants who have won more than five games come back on the show and compete against each other.] I’m excited and a little bit nervous ’cause I do want to do well in that. I have a reputation to uphold.
What was your most exciting moment on the show?The game on April 23 was phenomenal, just so exciting. There were two five-figure daily doubles, not sure how often that happens. I was behind after the other contestant got a Daily Double correct. I don’t always like to bet very high but when my Daily Double came up, I knew I had to do it. I wagered all of my $32,000. The clue was about the Glass Museum in Seattle, and I answered correctly with the name of the artist, Chihuly. It put me back in the lead.
You employed a strategy called “knight moves,” where you answer a question in one category and then jump to the next category, following the pattern of a knight in chess. Did you invent that?That was just something random I decided to do. I’m not the first person to bounce around the board; that’s been happening since Chuck Forest pioneered it in the ’80s. I might be the first to do knight moves specifically. I thought it would be fun. And it was fun. And I guess, in retrospect, it may have helped keep my opponents off balance. It also simplified things for me because I didn’t have to put as much thought into picking the next clue.
Any other strategies you can reveal?I’m happy to reveal anything. The internet has a lot of advice on Jeopardy! strategy, and I think most of it’s correct. The strategy on wagering is pretty well established. The thing that I did do is buzz based off the sound of Ken’s voice, rather than by the lights on the board. You can get in faster if you time your buzz to when Ken finishes speaking. I also practiced buzzing in quickly using a retractable highlighter.
Are you back at work? How have you managed to juggle your job with your trips to Los Angeles to tape Jeopardy!?I’m back at work. They’ve been great and have given me the time that I need. But I like my job, and there are some tasks and projects that need to get done and I want to see completed. And yeah, I enjoy working.
What will you do with your winnings?I would like to donate some and put the rest in a high-yield savings account. On my list of charities is the New Jersey Leadership Collective. I did that program back in 2020. Training young progressives, supporting trans people, supporting immigrants. There’s a lot of need out there.
When do you graduate law school, and what do you plan to do as a lawyer?I graduate next May. I’d like to share my legal knowledge by doing policy and government work, rather than as a practicing lawyer. At least that’s the current plan.
Well, Mikie might have a job for you when you’re done.Yeah, who knows?
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The Montclair Literary Festival celebrates its 10th year next month with a jam-packed lineup of more than 60 authors and 30 events.
Bestselling authors include New Jersey’s Tom Perrotta, who wrote Election and The Leftovers, speaking about his new novel, Ghost Town, and Princeton’s Joyce Carol Oates, who will talk about her latest book, Double Trouble. Also featured is Colm Tóibín, who wrote Brooklyn, which was made into the 2015 film starring Saoirse Ronan.
Adriana Trigiani, a bestselling author from New Jersey, will appear on May 6 for the paperback release of her book The View from Lake Como, as will Christina Baker Kline, who lived in Montclair for many years, speaking about her new book, The Foursome.
The festival will take place from May 2-11; most of the events will be free. It kicks off in downtown Montclair on Saturday, May 2, beginning with the popular Poetry Café. Featured authors on opening day include Eugene Robinson, John Fugelsang and Tóibín.
Events include conversations about getting published, debut fiction, biographies of music icons with Jim Windolf, Daniel Okrent and Warren Zanes; and contemporary and historical fiction with Amy Jo Burns, Emily Nemens and Valerie Wilson Wesley. Past and present female journalists will also speak.
“We’re thrilled to launch our 10th anniversary festival with such a spectacular lineup,” says festival chair Marcia Marley. “I am particularly looking forward to hearing Eugene Robinson and John Fugelsang discuss how their family histories reflect and are relevant to the present political landscape. It’s also a pleasure to welcome back Tom Perrotta and Colm Tóibín as they share their latest works of fiction […].”
Festival programming continues through the week with standout events including Kathryn Stockett, author of the global bestseller-turned-film The Help, celebrating the launch of her new novel The Calamity Club on May 5; and Pitchapalooza on May 7, offering aspiring writers the chance to present their work for possible introduction to a literary agent or publisher.
On Saturday, May 9, all events will take place at Montclair State University, with free parking available at the Red Hawk parking deck for all attendees. Ticketed highlights are Maria Semple, bestselling author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette, returning with her new novel, Go Gentle; and Pulitzer Prize finalist Xochitl Gonzalez discussing her highly anticipated Last Night in Brooklyn.
Additional festival highlights include Francine Prose’s new novel exploring the relationship between Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen; Luke Barr and Sylvie Bigar talking French cooking and chef anecdotes; and memoirists Siri Hustvedt and Rachel Eliza Griffiths in conversation on love and grief. Not to be missed is New Yorker writer Anand Gopal’s powerful account of six Syrians who fought tyranny, which The New York Times Book Review called a “masterpiece.”
The program also features discussions on AI, thrillers, poetry and more.
Also on May 9, Montclair State University will host Express Yourself!—a series of hands-on workshops in writing, visual art, music, dance, photography and theater. All workshops are free and open to the public.
The festival concludes on Monday, May 11, with a special early-release event for The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline in conversation with fellow local author Alice Elliott Dark.
The festival is supported by Montclair State University, Watchung Booksellers and the Montclair Public Library, alongside a generous network of community supporters whose contributions help keep most events free and accessible.
The Montclair Literary Festival is a special project of Succeed2gether, a Montclair-based nonprofit that provides free tutoring to underserved children in Montclair and Essex County. Proceeds from the festival directly support this critical initiative, especially vital as students and their families face educational funding challenges throughout New Jersey.
Tickets, the full event schedule and additional festival details are available here. Printed festival guides are available at Watchung Booksellers and other local venues.
The post Tom Perrotta and Christina Baker Kline Among Bestselling Authors to Speak at Montclair Literary Festival This May appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
My life changed in 2004 in ways I did not fully understand at the time. The years that followed were difficult but formative. I was sustained by family, psychiatric care and people who offered compassion. That experience left me with a deeper sense of humility and a clearer understanding of how fragile stability can be.
It also left me with a question that has stayed with me ever since: How do people rebuild their lives after a crisis?
Years later, while studying in seminary, I began volunteering to help men returning home after long periods of incarceration. One moment from that time has never left me.
We were encouraging a man to call a GED program. The phone sat on the table. The number was written down. Everything he needed was right in front of him.
But he could not pick up the phone.
He froze.
At first, I assumed it was reluctance. But it soon became clear that something deeper was happening. After years of incarceration, nearly every aspect of his life had been directed by someone else: when to wake up, when to move, when to eat, when to speak. The initiative had slowly disappeared from the rhythm of his life.
The simple act of deciding to make a call, to take the next step, felt overwhelming.
That moment changed how I began to think about recovery and human behavior. Over time, I saw similar struggles among others I met: combat veterans carrying the invisible wounds of PTSD, men and women battling addiction, and people emerging from jail or prison trying to find their footing again.
Jim McGreevey is the executive director of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation. Photo: Courtesy of New Jersey Reentry CorporationTrauma reshapes how people think. The brain adapts to survive stress, violence, instability or fear, and those adaptations can become habits of thought. The unconscious mind reacts quickly, to protect, to withdraw, sometimes to numb pain through alcohol or drugs.
Psychologists describe the resulting tension as cognitive dissonance: the conflict between the life someone hopes to live and the patterns shaped by past trauma. When that tension goes unresolved, the unconscious may respond in ways that feel protective in the moment, but prove harmful over time.
One man told me something I will never forget: “Everyone tells me to make better decisions. But no one ever taught me how to make decisions again.”
Change rarely begins with punishment alone. It begins when people regain a sense of agency, when they rediscover that their actions can shape their future.
My own life taught me that rebuilding is never a solitary process. It requires responsibility and honesty, but also patience, compassion, and the quiet belief that people are more than the worst moment of their lives.
When people begin to change how they think, and when someone walks beside them as they do, healthy decisions, healthy lives can begin again.
Jim McGreevey is the executive director of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation. He resigned as governor of New Jersey in 2004 and has since dedicated his work to helping individuals rebuild their lives after incarceration, addiction and trauma.
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It’s easy to spot teenagers glued to their screens, scrolling, gaming or texting, while the world outside goes by. But those who spend time outdoors often carry a spark of energy and calm.
For some Hudson County teens, that shift begins with Team Wilderness. What started as an after-school club led by local high school history teacher Steve Cunningham has, over the last decade, grown into a nonprofit that, in 2025, provided over 10,906 hours of programming.
Some of the group’s programs pair academic and mental health support with outdoor retreats, while after-school and summer opportunities offer participants a safe space to learn team building and new hobbies, like photography, in the outdoors.
Demand exceeds available spots, intentionally. “With a group of 30, they won’t connect as deeply,” Cunningham explains. “With 12 or 13 kids, real connection happens.”
During a climbing activity at Allamuchy Mountain State Park, one participant froze midway down, telling staff he couldn’t continue, but with encouragement, he reached the bottom and embraced the first person he saw. “It was a long hug, like he needed to let everything out,” Cunningham says.
After staff removed his harness, the student called home and said, “I was scared, but I did it. I didn’t stop.”
“We’re serving kids who feel like the people in authority are turning their backs on them,” Cunningham says.
Team Wilderness relies on private grants and public funding, though donations are always appreciated. Those interested in joining or helping should visit the group’s website for more information.
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For college students juggling classes, jobs and social lives, eating healthy often falls behind convenience. Montclair State University’s Farm Box Program aims to change that by making fresh, local produce as easy to access as campus takeout.
Designed last year with busy college students in mind, it offers a weekly box of six to eight seasonal produce items sourced from local farms, along with easy-to-follow recipes to help students make use of ingredients they may be unfamiliar with.
Past boxes have included items such as carrots paired with a recipe for carrot-top pesto, introducing students to ways of cooking that reduce food waste.
The program operates on a community supported agriculture (CSA) model, which emphasizes shared support between farmers and consumers. Rather than selecting individual items, participants receive a curated assortment of whatever is being harvested in the Mid-Atlantic region that week. In New Jersey alone, there are nearly 10,000 farms.
According to Montclair State’s dining and wellness director, Jennifer Bostedo, the portions are intentionally scaled for campus life.
Students, faculty and staff can purchase a box through Grubhub and pay with dining dollars or a credit card (approximately $22 per box; no commitment required). Produce comes from family farms through the Common Market Mid-Atlantic, a nonprofit food distributor that sources directly from a network of 80 farms.
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Happy birthday on April 21 to former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean, who remains vibrant and astute as he turns 91.
On April 16, Kean, who served two back-to-back terms as governor of the Garden State from 1982-90, engaged in a Q&A at Rutgers University’s Camden campus as the fifth annual guest speaker in the campus’s Chancellor Lecture Series. Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis, Ph.D., who founded the series in 2022, invited Kean to campus to discuss the former governor’s accomplishments both in and out of office, his thoughts on what makes a successful elected official and some ideas included in his 1988 book, The Politics of Inclusion.
“Bipartisan” is the word Kean emphasized over and over during his hour-long public conversation with Tillis. One of Tillis’s questions acknowledged the former governor’s “bipartisan and pragmatic approach to public service,” to which Kean replied, “It’s the way I’ve always approached everything else: common sense.”
Kean, a Republican, mused, “We live in a different time now in two very important ways. Back then, we had a real bipartisanship. We got along with each other. We argued all day and then we’d have dinner together at night. Republicans and Democrats attended each other’s weddings and funerals. We wanted nothing but the best for each other.”
The other important difference between then and now, Kean said, is “the ability to compromise. We had to compromise for every major accomplishment that was made.”
He added, “Unless you’re willing to do both, you’ll have trouble getting anything done.”
Kean, who coined the motto “New Jersey and You: Perfect Together,” was instrumental in creating NJPAC, Liberty Science Center and the now-Adventure Aquarium in Camden, all part of his plan to revitalize New Jersey’s urban centers and fulfill his “politics of inclusion” strategy.
“There are over a hundred ethnic groups in the state of New Jersey,” he pointed out. “Inclusion means everybody, all races. I have a particular relationship with African Americans. There are very few African American judges. If your aim is justice, you’ve got to be inclusive. Law schools are not accepting enough African Americans. We must make sure they have some say in government regarding the people who look like them.”
Tillis observed to Kean, “Education reform was your signature during your time in office. What lessons endure?”
Kean’s reply: “I believe that nothing is more important than education. I remember the name of every teacher I had 85 years ago. I wouldn’t have become governor without my teachers’ influence.”
To correct failures in any educational system, Kean explained, “First, you must identify the problems. Once they’re identified, don’t take small steps to solve them. Governors don’t have enough time to take small steps to accomplish anything.”
The first big step Kean made in improving the Garden State’s educational system was to raise teachers’ salaries, which, he noted, were so low that the state “had a looming teacher shortage.” His response was to “raise teachers’ salaries by about 30 or 40 percent. There was some opposition, but we got the bill through statewide.”
As a result, he recalled, “we had a flood of new teachers.”
He also noted, “Why should the majority of the budget go to school administrators? It should go to teachers. Another thing is that teachers don’t get paid one cent more the better the job they do. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Former Governor Kean with Rutgers-Camden Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis. Photo: Ronald Downes, Jr./ Rutgers University-CamdenFollowing the 9/11 tragedy, President George W. Bush appointed Kean chair of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, commonly known as the 9/11 Commission.
“It felt like somebody threw a load of bricks on me,” he remembers of the assignment. “But you couldn’t say no. Congress wanted to to it themselves but they did a terrible job.”
He remembered, “When I went into the room where our first meeting was to be held, I found Democrats sitting on one side, Republicans on the other. I changed that, saying that never again do I want to see a Republican sitting next to a Republican, a Democrat sitting next to a Democrat. Republicans and Democrats working together. That’s what I want to see.”
Kean was impressed most of all by the families of those killed or injured by 9/11 events. “They’re the most extraordinary people I ever met,” he said. “Instead of going into mourning, they went into action. They went to Washington, asking how did this happen? They picketed the White House every day, sat on the steps of Congress members, forced Congress to pass a recommendation and forced the president to sign it.”
Kean worked closely on the commission with Lee H. Hamilton, who died last February 3. Kean and Hamilton, an attorney and member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Homeland Security Advising Council, co-authored a book about the commission titled Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission.
The book, published in 2007, focuses on how the commission overcame partisanship and bureaucracy to produce its acclaimed report.
“I’m very proud of that report,” Kean told his Rutgers-Camden audience. “It’s still used in college classrooms.”
Hamilton was a Democrat, Kean a Republican, yet they seamlessly worked together, the former governor stressed. “Lee Hamilton,” he said, “was one of the most decent people you’ve ever met. I consulted him every chance I got. We ran the commission together with the help of the families of 9-11 victims.”
When asked what advice he would give to someone planning to enter government service, Kean repeated Winston Churchill’s words: “Study history, study history.”
He said, “I can’t give better advice.”
The April 16 event, held in the Campus Center meeting room, attracted not only Rutgers-Camden students and alumni, faculty members, and administrators, but also area activists and elected officials. Among them were retired Assemblywoman Patricia Egan Jones, who spearheaded the drive to keep the USS Battleship New Jersey on the Camden waterfront; Colonel Nelson L. Mellitz, past New Jersey state commander of Jewish War Veterans; Colonel Ted Gallagher, executive director of the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs; Camden City Councilwoman and Rutgers-Camden graduate Jannette Ramos; Michael Egenton, executive vice-chair of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce; Margaret Marsh, history professor and former interim Rutgers-Camden chancellor; and James H. Rhodes, Rutgers-Camden’s alumnus of the year, who will be inducted on April 23 into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
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Gov. Mikie Sherrill is officially putting an end to apps that sell reservations at hot N.J. restaurants to the highest bidder.
Reservations at popular New Jersey restaurants can cost diners hundreds of dollars through these sites, such as Appointment Trader.A 2024 New Jersey Monthly story on the topic reported that some diners use these platforms to sell reservations for desirable tables that they end up being unable to use themselves. But most users are in it for the money, deploying sophisticated web-crawling bots to scalp coveted tables at the state’s most in-demand restaurants—and often reserving tables that haven’t actually been sold, leaving restaurants stuck with empty seats that would have otherwise gone to paying customers. These users book tables on platforms like Resy, OpenTable and Yelp using phony email addresses, fake names and even bogus or stolen credit-card numbers for reservations requiring deposits.
The bill banning such third-party businesses passed the state Senate and Assembly in March.
Chef Robbie Felice told NJM in 2024 that he realized this was happening when customers began mentioning they’d had to purchase a reservation to eat at his popular pastaRAMEN restaurant in Montclair. And yet he also found himself with empty tables on what were supposed to be busy nights, since some scalped reservations hadn’t been sold to patrons.
The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Senators Kristin Corrado (R-Passaic) and Joseph Lagana (D-Bergen), who said the system wasn’t fair. And with the World Cup coming to New Jersey in June, they also wanted to ensure that visitors were able to find tables and spend money at local restaurants.
New York has already banned unauthorized third-party restaurant-reservation sites. The law took effect in February of last year and prohibits websites from selling or listing reservations without a direct agreement from the restaurant.
Some of the other New Jersey restaurants that have had their reservations posted on Appointment Trader include the Saddle River Inn, Eatontown’s Ember and Eagle, and Jersey City‘s 15 Fox Place and Razza.
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With the World Cup coming to New Jersey this summer, the state is preparing in various ways for the huge number of fans expected to arrive in the Meadowlands and surrounding areas for the games, happening June 12 to July 20.
The World Cup Community Initiative Grants, supported by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) in partnership with the FIFA World Cup 26 New York New Jersey Host Committee, will assist communities across the state in creating fan experiences.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 will put New Jersey on a global stage, and its lasting impact will be felt in our neighborhoods,” said Governor Mikie Sherrill in a statement. “These grants empower communities across the state to create experiences that reflect who we are—diverse, dynamic, and deeply connected to small businesses and local culture.”
Choose New Jersey, the state’s leading nonprofit business attraction program, is accepting applications for the World Cup Community Initiative grants. Totaling $5 million, the grants will help create fan zones, street fairs, watch parties, and festivals that showcase New Jersey communities and amplify the impact of small businesses statewide. Grants will be awarded directly to eligible 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and government entities hosting events. Applications for smaller statewide events close on April 16 at 11:59 pm. Applications for large-scale, multi-day, multi-location events for fans, including public viewing destinations, close on April 13 at 11:59 pm.
New Jersey lawmakers are considering legislation that would create temporary surcharges on select transactions during the World Cup to help offset costs for businesses and towns associated with hosting matches.
The proposal includes:
• A 2.5 percent hotel occupancy surcharge on stays statewide, excluding Atlantic, Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May counties
• A 3 percent sales tax surcharge within the Meadowlands District on retail purchases, prepared food, beverages, alcohol and amusement admissions
• A $0.50 fee on rideshare trips to and from the Meadowlands District
The bill also imposes a 10 percent surcharge on online sports wagering revenue tied to World Cup events. Funds from casino operations will support the Casino Revenue Fund, while horse racing-related revenue will go to the General Fund.
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Singer-songwriter Sydney Millevoi of Secaucus wowed the judges on NBC’s The Voice with her cover of Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me” in last week’s knockout round, putting her in the Top 9.
“I’ve been a very big Demi fan for a long time,”Millevoi, 23, tells New Jersey Monthly, noting Lovato’s powerful vocals and her desire to showcase her own. “For the knockouts, I really wanted to put it all out there on the stage.”
She adds that it “feels crazy” to have made it to the Top 9, a spot she secured after beating teammate Natasha Blaine. Tonight’s episode at 9 pm ET will reveal who will join her in the semifinals.
At the start of the season, Millevoi performed Jessie J’s “Mamma Knows Best,” earning her a spot on John Legend’s team.
While she was preparing for the knockout round, Millevoi says that Legend reminded her not to lose sight of why she is competing: her love of singing. His advice, she says, helped her push past her performance nerves.
Millevoi’s musical journey started at a young age when her mother, opera singer Gina Millevoi, put her in singing lessons. She later started writing her own music, which she describes as “just a really good listen for ear-candy purposes, and if you want to have a good story.” She’s heavily influenced by pop and R&B fusion, and draws inspiration from Kehlani, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, John Legend and fellow Jersey native Whitney Houston.
Millevoi is currently getting her masters at New Jersey City University, where she’s studying vocal performance. She also sings in a wedding band.
What can viewers and fans consistently expect from her performances? “I’m always going to give you a big vocal moment,” she promises.
“Music is so healing, at the end of the day,” she adds. “That’s the whole point of why I did it in the first place—to just share community and help people out. Having people turn on my music when they’re having a little bit of a hard day, needing an escape—that fills my purpose.”
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Jon Bon Jovi has won countless accolades, including Grammys, for his music. Now, his Jon Bon Jovi (JBJ) Soul Foundation is being recognized with a James Beard Foundation Award for its work in feeding those in need.
JBJ Soul Foundation has been named an Impact Award honoree by the 2026 James Beard Awards. The foundation operates JBJ Soul Kitchen, a string of nonprofit community restaurants that operate on a pay-it-forward or volunteer-in-exchange model. At locations in Toms River, Red Bank and Rutgers University-Newark—plus a pop-up location at the Ocean County library in Toms River that is slated to close April 30—individuals and families facing food insecurity can enjoy a delicious farm-to-table meal in a warm, welcoming setting with dignity. Reservations are not necessary. Founded by Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Bongiovi, the organization has served more than 234,000 healthy, three-course meals across its New Jersey locations to date.
It has also helped support nearly 1,000 units of affordable and supportive housing across 12 states, benefitting thousands of people, including youth and veterans.
“JBJ Soul Kitchen offers more than just a meal—it fosters meaningful connections with guests through community outreach including job training, resume support, employment assistance, partnerships with local mental health providers, and access to housing resources,” the James Beard Awards said in recognizing the foundation, which it also noted has been working since 2006 to break cycles of hunger, poverty and homelessness.
Each fall, JBJ Soul Kitchen hosts an annual Chili Cookoff fundraiser, where Bon Jovi and Dorothea often serve as unannounced judges.
Earlier this year, two New Jersey chefs were nominated for James Beard Awards for their restaurants in Asbury Park and Cherry Hill.
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One hundred marathons in one hundred days. It sounds like an impossible goal, but for Dr. Larry Grogin, a 71-year-old Jersey chiropractor who’s living with Parkinson’s, it’s a goal he finds attainable, and one he expects to reach this month.
“I oftentimes say that I live my life overcoming things with willpower, strength and tenacity,” says Grogin, who lives in Bloomingdale. “Parkinson’s teaches us a valuable lesson about learning how to adapt and learning how to prosper and flourish with challenges. Not beating them or defeating them, but better learning how to live in harmony with them.”
With more than 300 marathons and over 30 Ironman triathlons under his belt, Grogin took off on March 26 from Montvale and plans to finish his journey in California in July. It’s a feat that Grogin had attempted in 2019, just before his Parkinson’s diagnosis. Now, he’s back on track and fundraising for Parkinson’s along the way (You can follow Grogin in real time on Strava.).
“Movement acts as medicine,” Grogin says. Photo: Simon KuoSo how does a person prepare to run 100 marathons in 100 days? Grogin got ready with strength training, bicycling, swimming and playing pickleball. “And, of course, I run,” he says. Triathlons have became a lifestyle. With Parkinson’s, activities like cycling and swimming are more difficult, as is running, but he continues to do enthusiastically.
Grogin has been in practice as a chiropractor and licensed acupuncturist since 1980. He says that movement is therapeutic and causes neurotrophic growth, not only in the case of Parkinsons, but for everyone. During his 45 years of practice, Grogin has sought to help people find the exercise that they enjoy doing. “Movement acts as medicine,” says Grogin.
After the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, he founded the philanthropic organization Strides for Humanity. Now, he’s partnered with the Davis Phinney Foundation—an organization that helps people with Parkinson’s—which will receive all the money he raises on his coast-to-coast run.
They are not so much focused on a cure; their goal is to help make life better for people with Parkinson’s through movement, independence and education.
“If you fall down 10 times and you get up 10 times, you’re standing,” says Grogin. “With Parkinson’s, it’s so true, because you’re gonna fall down. It’s the getting up part, that’s the option.”
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When Glen Ridge’s Julie Raskin’s son Ben was born with hyperinsulinism (HI) three decades ago, standard newborn screenings at the hospital failed to detect his condition.
“[Ben] had some symptoms that seemed strange to me and to my husband, and they weren’t picked up by anyone at the hospital where he was born,” says Raskin, citing Ben’s initial eating pattern. “I went home with kind of a sinking feeling, really worried.”
After a week of concern and hospital visits, Ben was diagnosed with Congenital Hyperinsulinism, a rare condition that results in low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. In newborns, prolonged hypoglycemia can lead to many health concerns and even death.
Over the years, Raskin started connecting with other families and patients affected by the rare disease. It started with an email chain in 1999 to share and track stories and care plans in an Excel spreadsheet. The group grew, and Raskin eventually founded Congenital Hyperinsulinism International (CHI).
“We started working in three areas—research, support and awareness—to improve the lives for people born with this condition,” Raskin says.
Since its founding 21 years ago, CHI has pioneered the Congenital Hyperinsulinism Global Registry, where patients and families can share their stories and contribute to CHI’s own collaborative research network. Their databases are essential to continuing research for on the rare condition.
“We realized, Wow, there’s a lot of power in supporting each other, because we felt so much more equipped to deal with this,” Raskin says.
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Kristianne Casale has long had an affinity for treating animals. “When you help a helpless animal, they know it,” she says. “And they can let you know that they know that without words.”
Casale should have plenty of chances to help animals in the future. She is one of 75 students in the inaugural class of New Jersey’s first veterinary school—one of just 36 in the country.
The Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine opened its doors in September. Located on the site of a former peach orchard in the Gloucester County township of Harrison, the 108,000-square-foot facility is the newest addition to Rowan University’s West Campus.
Dr. Matthew Edson, Shreiber’s first dean, says the school fills a void in New Jersey. For the first time, residents can study veterinary medicine in the state and have access to in-state tuition.
The need, says Edson, himself a veterinarian, can be seen in the numbers: “We have 300 or so students just from New Jersey who apply to veterinary school each year.” But nationwide, he says, most of the 36 accredited veterinary schools have at least 10 times as many applicants as seats.
The new school’s goal is to increase class size to 90-95 students, with at least half coming from New Jersey. That could go a long way toward filling New Jersey’s pipeline for new vets.
Edson says there are about 3,000 licensed veterinarians in New Jersey. They care for an estimated statewide animal population of 2.4 million dogs and 2 million cats, plus livestock, horses, and various aquatic, avian and exotic pets. “There certainly is a need for more veterinarians,” says Edson, although he acknowledges that opinions differ about whether there is a nationwide shortage.
Shreiber, now in its second semester, is structured as a four-year doctoral-degree program, with the fourth year dedicated to clinical rotations at the school’s on-site teaching hospital. For additional clinical training, the school has partnerships with local farms and South Jersey institutions.
Classes are designed around a non-traditional block model. “All of our classes are based around a body system. We may do a block that’s cardio-respiratory, where we talk about all the things that are [related to] heart and lungs,” Edson explains. “That way, we get the students thinking like a clinician.”
Casale was looking forward to working in the clinical skills lab, where students simulate medical procedures on lifelike models. “We have a cow model that is a typical size of a cow, and we can actually birth calf models out of her,” she says. “We also have models that we can use to intubate, so, put a tube down their throat.”
Edson, who ran two veterinary practices in South Jersey, says, “We designed this program based around what I would have liked to have seen the graduates be when I was hiring them in a commercial setting.”
After being named dean, Edson, 42, sold one of his practices. He continues to employ six doctors at his Mt. Laurel office, but he doesn’t practice there anymore. A native of Eastampton, he lives next door to the family farm where he grew up; his current menagerie includes horses, goats, pigs and even a camel.
Edson’s hope is that a large percentage of Shreiber’s in-state students will stay in New Jersey after graduation. He guesses some out-of-state students might stick around, too.
Shreiber’s in-state tuition is $37,500; out-of-state students pay $58,000. The school is named for Gerald Shreiber, chairman emeritus of Mt. Laurel’s J&J Snack Foods, and his wife, Melanie. The couple donated $30 million “to support students here,” says Edson.
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We all know the best things in life are free, but do you know all the ways you can spend your time—not your money—in Jersey?
If you love delving into the past, our state has lots to explore, from Revolutionary War battlefields to remote cemeteries and Jersey-centric museums.
(Want more ideas? We’ve got plenty—whether you’re a culture vulture, an outdoor explorer, a panicked parent or a bargain hunter.)
Rutgers Geology MuseumNew BrunswickAs a kid, I was obsessed with digging up clues to the past and piecing them together—turns out, that works well in journalism, too. While at Rutgers, I discovered the Geology Museum (open to the public) through a class. Noticing kids also enjoying the artifacts made me wish my parents had known that college campuses could be playgrounds for curious minds of all ages. —Natalie Civadelic
Princeton CemeteryPrincetonHistory lives in this park-like graveyard. Here, you’ll find the final resting place of President Grover Cleveland and his family. Nearby is novelist John O’Hara’s elegant tombstone and the towering monument to Paul Tulane, namesake of Tulane University. In the oldest part of the cemetery rest early university president Aaron Burr Sr. and his son, the infamous slayer of Alexander Hamilton. Other famous names to spot: Governor Brendan Byrne and murder victims Jose and Kitty Menendez. —Ken Schlager
Revolutionary War SitesMorris CountyNew Jersey is home to more than 600 battlegrounds, skirmishes and graveyard sites from the Revolutionary War—more than any other state. George Washington set up headquarters in Morristown, which history buffs can still visit today; Morristown National Historic Park even has recreated soldier huts. And, as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this July, Morris County is hosting special events throughout spring and summer. —Julie Gordon & Thomas Neira
New Jersey State MuseumTrentonA repository of more than 2 million items, the museum provides insight into science, culture, history and the arts. The fossil collection includes a life-size cast of New Jersey’s state dinosaur, Hadrosaurus foulkii. Other exhibitions focus on local history, Native-American traditions, and fine art as a reflection of social trends. —KS
Heritage Glass MuseumGlassboroPhoto: Courtesy of Heritage Glass MuseumMore than 2,000 historic glass items, mostly created in South Jersey, are displayed here. For 150 years, Glassboro was among America’s most successful glassmaking centers. The museum’s oldest piece is the 1784 Heston Bottle, handblown in Glassboro. —Barbara Leap
PaulsdaleMt. LaurelSuffragist Alice Paul provided the final push for ratification of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. The museum inside Paul’s circa-1800 childhood farmhouse, called Paulsdale, The Alice Paul Center for Gender Justice, honors the Quaker activist’s legacy. This National Historic Landmark offers free guided tours on periodic Family Saturdays. —BL
West Jersey DepotGlassboroIt’s still 1863 inside this museum at the Glassboro historic train station. This National Historic Landmark displays train-history
information, the original sliding-door ticket window, a telegraph replica, and original photos, tickets, documents and passenger lists. It’s open for guided tours 1-4 pm on the fourth Saturday and Sunday of each month. —BL
Princeton University History TourPrincetonChartered in 1746, Princeton is the fourth oldest college in the country, and the history of the campus is fascinating—so much so that tours aren’t just for prospective students. Free historical walking tours are available to the public via the university. —J. Mroz
Waterloo VillageStanhopeHistory comes alive in this 19th-century town, which was the halfway point on the 102-mile trip along the Morris Canal. Kids can see how people lived back then, how a mill works, how boats unloaded their goods directly into the store built along the canal, and a pioneer farm and blacksmith shop. There’s a native woodland forest with exhibits, activities and miles of trails. —Julia Martin
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When Senator Cory Booker stood up to make a speech on the U. S. Senate floor last March, he wanted to find a way to protest President Donald Trump’s second administration and his executive orders regarding health care and Social Security, while highlighting the challenges that New Jersey residents were facing as a result.
And he wanted to gain attention for his protest by breaking the record for the longest individual floor speech in the Senate. He did so by speaking for 25 hours and 5 minutes, with more than 300 million people watching on TikTok alone.
With his new book, Stand, Booker, 56, also tells the story of how his family came to live in suburban New Jersey and the redlining his parents faced as a Black couple trying to buy a house in the 1960s. At the kickoff event for his book tour, Booker will appear in conversation with special guest Jon Bon Jovi at NJPAC on Sunday, March 22.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
New Jersey Monthly: So great to talk to you! Thank you for speaking to New Jersey Monthly.Cory Booker: It’s so good to talk to you. I talk to lots of media, but this is my hometown magazine.
Congratulations on your wedding. How has married life changed you?I didn’t expect marriage to have this big of an impact on me this immediately. I’m getting to experience a deeper joy than I’ve ever experienced. And, you know, there is something about making this profound commitment before your community and family and then jumping in, and what I’ve found after the jump is just this richer and deeper life of joy, commitment and grounding. And a woman who not only lifts me up, but also doesn’t let me take myself too seriously and keeps me anchored in a wonderful way. So I just feel very blessed.
Photo: Courtesy of Cory Booker/PaperboysThat’s wonderful. Are you going to go back and forth between Newark and Washington, D.C.?I made a decision way back in 1998 that I would stay rooted in Newark. And the community has done so much for me—so that’s where I am. That’s where I live. I used to have a little crash pad in D.C. in a basement apartment. Alexis got me out of the basement and wanted me to have more space down there. But we live in Newark—and she just posted this on her Instagram—she just got her Jersey driver’s license. She’s devoted to New Jersey. I’m excited because she’s not from New Jersey; she grew up in D.C. and lived in L.A. for the last nine years before we moved in together in April 2025.
So she’s a Jersey girl now.Yes, she has fallen in love with Jersey. She’s already met Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, and she’s loving it.
Booker and Alexis Lewis tied the knot in November in Newark and then in Washington, D.C. Photo: Courtesy of Cory Booker/PaperboysAre you taking her to your favorite Jersey spots?Yes, she’s eaten in Hobby’s Deli (in Newark) and Tops Diner. She has fallen in love quickly with all the things that I love about Jersey.
I love Tops Diner!I have a deep family connection to Tops and I’ve eaten so many meals there. Alexis and I go to Tops all the time, and she loves it.
I still haven’t been to Hobby’s Deli. I have to check it out.Can we take you to Hobby’s?
Are you kidding? I would love that!Let’s do it. You should have seen Alexis enjoying the food there! She loved the pastrami, and she’s Jewish, so to go to a Jewish deli is just amazing for her.
Let’s get to your new book, Stand. What made you want to write a book now?What my parents taught me, is if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. In America, we have great virtue. Our nation was founded not on a theocracy or a monarchy. Our founders…wanted to found a nation in the highest ideals of humanity. And I think our country has thrived when we adhere to those highest virtues. I fear that we’re in a time where not only are those virtues at risk, but people are starting to believe that the way you win is by abandoning your virtues and fighting darkness with darkness. And I wanted to write a book that was a tribute to the idea that American virtues are great and they’re strategic. They’re how we win. It’s how we overcome, and it’s not just how we survive, but it’s how we thrive as a nation.
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A Look Inside New Jersey’s Tiny Forest MovementStand is out March 24 from St. Martin’s Press. Photo: Courtesy of Booker teamLet’s talk about when you delivered your record-breaking, 25-hour-plus, marathon speech on the Senate floor earlier this year to protest the Trump administration’s agenda. What drove you to do it, and what do you feel you achieved?It was a time where I think so many of us were feeling a sense of dread, despair and defeat, where Donald Trump was doing things that really shook the foundations of our democracy. And I don’t think people knew how to fight back yet or how to stand for our principles against somebody that was doing so much to erode them. And I’ll never forget being back in Whole Foods in Newark, and someone I knew asked me, “Why aren’t Democrats doing more to fight back?” And I explained that we are in the minority.
And we talked some more, and he just got tired of my excuses and he said, “Where’s the guy that I voted for who did a hunger strike in the projects and rallied us to fight against those problems, or who lived in a mobile home, or who used to get up in the middle of the night to take on the machine and politics and won?” And so I went back with my team and I said, “We’re throwing out the business-as-usual playbook, and we’re going to try something different.”
And out of that came this idea to just disrupt the Senate and hope that we could galvanize the country, get people to focus on the issues, and focus on the people that were really struggling—people who were fearful that their health care was going to be cut, fearful that they were going to lose their Social Security services, fearful that the V.A. was going to lose thousands of workers that they depended upon. And so we said, ‘Let’s go to the floor and read letters and stories from Americans and highlight this problem and the challenges.’ We never imagined that TikTok would reach out to us and tell us that over 300 million people liked the video in the live stream.
So it definitely achieved what we wanted to do—focusing on Americans and igniting a lot of energy and activism.
I didn’t realize until I read your book that you wanted to break former Senator Strom Thurmond’s record of the longest speech, which was 24 hours and 18 minutes, when he was trying to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957.Yes, I knew that was going to be another way to dramatize the moment, especially as a Black guy, to break that record. [Booker’s speech was 25 hours and 5 minutes long.]
That was amazing. How did you physically prepare for the speech? You weren’t able to leave the floor even to use the bathroom, right?I knew I had to sort of do mind, body and spirit prep, so that I could physically get ready for the challenge. I fasted for three days and then didn’t drink more than water for more than a day beforehand, because I knew the biggest obstacle was, how do you not go to the bathroom? [He laughs.]
I don’t think most people could do that.I just did a lot of meditation and prayer, and then I have to give it to my team, because they meticulously prepared more than a dozen full binders of really compelling testimony from people across the political spectrum, conservatives and Republicans and right-wing think tanks, who were writing about the unconstitutional nature of the things that Donald Trump was doing. I felt the meditation and prayer really helped.
What do you think is the most important thing for Democrats to focus on moving forward during the remainder of Donald Trump’s administration?We’ve got to find creative ways to push back on what is violating our Constitution, our values and American decency. We need to stand up, not against him [President Trump], simply. It can’t be about what we’re against. We’ve got to start standing up for what we’re for. We are a nation of decency. We are a nation that stands up for the values and the ideals that have shaped Western democracy. We are a country that believes in inclusion, believes in respecting the rule of law, believes in loving your neighbor. And I think that we’ve got to get back to doing that. One of the chapters in my book is on creativity. I almost wish we were doing this interview next week, because we’re plotting the next thing we’re going do to try to continue with creative disruption.
You grew up in Bergen County, and your parents moved into a home in Harrington Park as part of the Fair Housing Council’s plan to fight discriminatory housing practices. What did that teach you about activism?I am here today because of everyday New Jerseyans who saw things in their community that were not right and did extraordinary things to help others— to welcome the stranger, to love their neighbor. My parents would never let me forget that I grew up in one of the greatest towns in all of America, Harrington Park. They just would never let me forget that there were people that stood for us. There were people that literally fought for us, as Arthur Lesemann and others in the Fair Housing Council did. They stood up for the best of who we are, as a state and as a people.
Do you think growing up in suburban New Jersey changed the course of your life and your family’s life?We have the best public school system in the country, and New Jersey should be proud of that. My parents [they were among the first Black IBM executives] looked for the highest-rated public schools in the area. They were drawn to Bergen County because of the extraordinary public school system that was there. They didn’t realize until they started visiting homes that Blacks were not living in the towns that had the highest-rated public schools.
When we got into the school system, the public school teachers were wonderful. I can name the people who literally were life-changing to me, like Mr. Walker. Those public school teachers went so above and beyond to help me, to inspire me. To stretch me to show up for me and my family. And the young people that were my peers that I’m still friends with today—it was the best peer group and the best public school. I was able to do everything, from theater and musical theater to sports and athletics. And, obviously, it was the sports and athletics that launched me to a full scholarship to Stanford.
Did the activists you met through your parents inspire you to move to Newark and run for council and mayor?Yes, definitely. Look at people like Lee Porter [former executive director of the Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey] and a lot of the other Bergen County activists that my parents knew—they would reinforce this lesson. Like, you did not get here on your own. You drank deeply from the wells of freedom and liberty and opportunity. You can’t pay those blessings back; you’ve got to pay them forward. You’ve got to show the same level of commitment and sacrifice and realize the blessings you’re enjoying. And so I moved onto Martin Luther King Boulevard in Newark because I wanted to be a part of a great community struggling against unjust forces. And what I didn’t know, what I didn’t suspect, is that I went to Newark thinking I was going to be a helper, and quickly realized that Newark has given me infinitely more than I’ve been able to contribute back.
It is a city that embraced me, loved me, broke me down, built me back up, and saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself. Because I didn’t go there to run for mayor. I went there to be a nonprofit leader, and it was the community leaders there that pushed me into politics. In my Senate office, I have a big map of the Central Ward of Newark, the first community that ever elected me to anything, from the city council’s race. It was a map we used in my campaign headquarters, and I keep it up there and I still live in that area because I never want to forget the people who took a risk on me, who believed in me and saw a promise for me as a leader.
Photo: Courtesy of Booker teamCan you talk about some of your accomplishments as Newark mayor? More investment in the city and more parks? Do you feel like the city’s reputation improved from your time as mayor?Yes, we reversed a 60-year trend in the city. The population was sinking for 60 years; by the time I was in my last year there, more people were moving in rather than moving out, and not only people, but investment was pouring in at record levels, billions of dollars of new investments. There was a housing crisis, yet we were able to double the amount of affordable housing, building new schools, the biggest parks expansion in a century, new supermarkets in food deserts, crime going down. I was very proud that we were the administration that turned around these historic trends and began to help with the recovery in Newark that people are witnessing with their own eyes now and is being led by Mayor Ras Baraka.
What are some of the most pressing issues facing New Jerseyans today?That so many New Jerseyans feel like they’re struggling to make ends meet. That the cost of living is growing higher than their incomes. It’s getting harder and harder to afford mortgages and rents. It’s getting harder and harder to afford child care and health care. And I hear it all over the state that costs are going up, and the stress on families and young people who just want their shot at the American dream, but find it more and more unaffordable. I think this is urgent, and a crisis that’s only growing, not just in New Jersey, but beyond.
What do you think Mikie Sherrill’s win and the recent 11th Congressional District race say about how New Jerseyans are feeling about the country today—especially the presence of ICE in the state?Mikie is a moderate Democrat who just thunderously won the governor’s seat. So we’re a big-tent party, and I’m excited about working with all of our delegation, and I’m hoping that we expand it. I’m hoping that we’re one of the states that helps gain more seats in the House of Representatives so that we can take back the House. I will say this: ICE is reckless and out of control in New Jersey. It’s doing things that violate all our values, whether you’re a Republican, Democrat or independent. There are for-profit, private companies that are in our communities, like the detention facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, that are violating our values. There are Republican-run towns like Roxbury where they don’t want ICE facilities that they’re proposing building there. And so I’m not going to approve another dollar to a reckless, dangerous, out-of-control agency that is hurting people in my state and hurting our economy and hurting our safety.
Are you planning to run for president again in 2028?I’m running for reelection in November, and that is my focus. I have not written off the idea, but right now, I’m hoping that New Jersey will put their faith in me for another term. I’m proud that in the last six years, we’ve brought back more federal dollars to New Jersey than any six-year period in our state’s history. And I’m excited about the record we built, bringing home the bacon to New Jersey. And I say that as a plant-based eater. [He laughs.]
Let’s do some rapid-fire questions now. What’s the most Jersey thing about you?Most of my life, my meals have been in New Jersey. The air that I breathe is New Jersey. So I think, if you check my DNA, it is that I am Jersey, through and through. If you cut me, I probably bleed Jersey.
Governor Sherrill told me that her most Jersey thing is that she likes big hair.[He laughs.] I am jealous of Governor Sherrill’s hair.
What’s your diner order?I will always start with a cup of black coffee wherever I go. That’s where I’ll start. And then maybe disco fries, or just fries. Since I became a vegan, I no longer do cheese on my fries.
What’s your favorite restaurant in New Jersey?I love diners up and down the state. There are so many great restaurants, especially in the Ironbound [section of Newark]. But I’m most comfortable at a Jersey diner.
What’s your favorite vacation spot?Since I’ve become a senator, I’ve really fallen in love with places like Cape May. But I’d also love to spend a long weekend in Atlantic City with Alexis, where we can see a good show and walk the Boardwalk. I just love it. Also, Asbury Park. I just the love the Shore.
The post Senator Cory Booker Opens Up About Married Life, His Marathon Senate Speech and Staying ‘Rooted’ in Newark appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In a rare opportunity to see two iconic Garden Staters together, U.S. Senator Cory Booker will speak about his new book, Stand, with rock legend Jon Bon Jovi at Newark’s NJPAC on Sunday, March 22.
“Jon Bon Jovi is a literal rockstar, but more than that, from causes ranging from affordable housing to supporting our veterans, he is a rockstar of service, and a statesman for the best of America in his own right,” Booker tells New Jersey Monthly. (Read his recent interview with us here.)
The conversation is designed to inspire hope, unity and positive action.
It will center on the Democratic senator’s new book, Stand (out March 24 from St. Martin’s Press), an urgent call to rekindle our shared American ideals. At the unique event, both Booker, 56, and Bon Jovi, 64, will speak about America’s future, the importance of shared values and moral courage. The talk kicks off Booker’s nationwide book tour.
Stand is out March 24 from St. Martin’s Press. Photo: Courtesy of Booker teamAcclaimed musician and philanthropist Bon Jovi recently announced that his band will tour this summer, including multiple shows at Madison Square Garden in July. It’s their first tour since Bon Jovi underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022. He and his wife, Dorothea, founded and run a nonprofit, JBJ Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant in New Jersey that tackles food insecurity with a “pay-it-forward” model. It has locations in Newark, Red Bank and Toms River, plus a new location coming soon to Asbury Park.
The talk at NJPAC is scheduled for 2 pm, and tickets are available here.
(Note: there will not be a musical performance at this event.)
The post Cory Booker and Jon Bon Jovi to Join Forces for a Rare Event appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Call it Train-ageddon. The Portal Pivot. Or maybe the Hoboken Shuffle.
New Jersey Transit’s recent announcement that it would temporarily halt direct service of some trains to Penn Station, while also reducing the total number of trains running into New York City, has caused headaches aplenty for many New Jerseyans just trying to get to and from work.
This 30-day schedule reduction, through March 15, is due to the final phase of construction on the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River in Kearny, which is being readied for commuter trains this spring. Many NJ Transit trains from New Jersey are not going directly to Penn Station during this period; instead, they are being diverted to Hoboken, where riders must transfer to the PATH.
As if this rerouting weren’t frustrating enough, a track fire on Friday suspended all PATH service in and out of Hoboken by the Port Authority during the evening commute, leaving commuters scrambling for a way home.
Will the spiffy new Portal North Bridge (which cost more than $1.8 billion) eventually ease the commute to the city? New Jerseyans certainly hope so. The old bridge was a notorious bottleneck whenever it failed to close properly after opening for marine traffic. The new bridge, 50 feet higher, eliminatesthe need to open and close entirely.
NJ Transit says the new Portal Bridge should relieve some of the delays rail customers have been facing in recent years.
“For more than a century, the original Portal Bridge has been a critical link on the Northeast Corridor — and also one of the single largest sources of chronic delays for rail customers across the region. Replacing a 116-year-old bridge while keeping trains moving is extraordinarily complex work, and the four weeks of schedule adjustments are necessary to safely cut over tracks, overhead wires, signal systems, switches and other infrastructure to the new Portal North Bridge,” says Jim Smith, a spokesman for NJ Transit. But, he says the short-term disruption must be viewed in the context of what it delivers — a modern, reliable rail bridge designed to eliminate the mechanical failures and operational constraints that have plagued the corridor for decades. “The result will be fewer delays, greater reliability, and a stronger transportation backbone for the entire region.”
Montclair resident Mike Searls has been commuting to his Midtown job for the past two years. He says that while the current commute into Manhattan hasn’t been as bad as he expected—and he actually likes going through Hoboken now—the journey home has sometimes been frustrating, since the PATH train times rarely align with NJ Transit trains returning to New Jersey—making his evening commute nearly twice as long. He does, however, appreciate the temporarily free PATH rides.
Josh Crandall, also a Montclair resident, has been commuting to his technology job at a New York bank for more than 20 years. He knows firsthand the toll of a grueling commute. In 2006, he created the Clever Commute to help riders find workarounds when trains were down and alert them when they needed an alternate route into Manhattan.
“It was the kind of day after one of those bad commutes, and I was looking around, thinking, Why couldn’t we have helped each other last night?” he recalls. This was before New Jersey Transit and other agencies were sending out alerts, and long before the technology landscape looked the way it does today. “So I got some people together and said, ‘Hey, give me your email address, and let’s share information with each other in case there’s a problem.’ And that’s what we would do,” he says.
Crandall started the Clever Commute on the Montclair line. “And then somebody on another train line…approached me and said, ‘Hey, can you do this on the Morristown line, too?’ And so I rigged up the technology, and it just grew.”
What began as a website—clevercommute.com, which lists all of the travel options from the Montclair-Boonton line into New York City—is now a more comprehensive app for iPhone and Android that provides riders with information on NJ Transit, Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road.
The app is free, with the option to upgrade to Clever Commute Premium for additional features. For instance, commuters know how chaotic Penn Station can be when a train’s track is announced and everyone rushes there at once. The Premium version includes analytics designed to help users beat those crowds, including a track predictor.
So what does Crandall recommend fellow riders do to ease the current commuting crunch?
Personally, he’s been leaving especially early to avoid the crush on the trains, though he says it’s still crowded even at 6:30 am, when he can usually snag a seat. Are fellow commuters being considerate and keeping their bags off the seat next to them? He laughs: “There’s always some of that.”
While every commuter’s situation is different, Crandall points to “some good bus options—especially the New Jersey Transit Park & Rides, such as the one at Allwood Road in Clifton,” he says. “In addition to NJ Transit, there are private bus services, such as Boxcar, but they tend to be expensive, and you have to reserve your seat.”
There are also several ferry services throughout New Jersey, from Hoboken down to the Highlands.
These recent disruptions amid have been especially punishing for people who work in uptown Manhattan, as each additional transfer or uptown train adds significant time to their already extended commutes. If commuters can get to Secaucus Junction—where there are two large private commuter parking lots—two lines are still running directly into Manhattan: the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines, though both are operating on reduced schedules. Crandall says a fair number of trains continue to run to and from the city each day on those lines.
“Beyond that, there’s really not much magic,” he says. “You get on a bus or a train or a ferry, or you drive yourself in. Or”—as NJ Transit recently recommended—you work from home.”
Smith, of NJ Transit, says they understand that a four-week adjustment to rail schedules is an inconvenience for many customers. “Changing long-standing commuting patterns — even temporarily — is disruptive. We don’t take that lightly. NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kris Kolluri was out on the system during the first week of the schedule change, including at Hoboken Terminal, speaking directly with customers, and continues to closely monitor progress. While many customers understandably weren’t thrilled about modified schedules or new travel routines, there was also a strong recognition that replacing an unreliable 116-year-old bridge is an investment that will benefit riders for generations.”
Still, riders should mentally prepare themselves for future headaches, as NJ Transit is planning another shutdown this fall.
The post Tips for Commuting During the Midtown Direct Service Suspension appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
She had a bad feeling before she hit the ground.
Caldwell native Kelsey O’Driscoll—an avid athlete who was on skis in her backyard at age two, a surfboard at the Shore at seven, and a running track throughout high school and college—was sledding with family in New York when her sled caught a divot in the icy snow. She lost her grip, sailed through the air and came crashing down.
“I knew instantly my back was broken,” O’Driscoll recalls. “There was a lot of screaming. The first thing that went through my head was, Crap, I just ruined my whole life. I was face down in the snow, waiting for an ambulance. And I was just like, Well, never skiing again. Never surfing again. Never doing any of the things I love to do again.”
An EMT and ski patroller, O’Driscoll began assessing her limbs: “I was like, Okay, what moves? What doesn’t move?” She could see and wiggle her fingers, but wasn’t sure about her toes. When she tried her ankles, she only heard her boots scratching against the snow. The sound reassured her that she wasn’t paralyzed, “but I also couldn’t really feel anything,” she says.
Her back was indeed broken, in two places, compressing and damaging her spine. She would need to relearn how to walk, let alone ski.
That was March 6, 2021. Exactly five years later to the day—March 6, 2026—the Winter Paralympics kick off in Italy, where O’Driscoll, 32, will compete as a member of the U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team. “It’s very serendipitous,” she declares, her infectious grin lighting up the window of a Zoom call from Switzerland in mid-December. Just days earlier, in Austria, she won her first World Cup race in the Super-G. “I’m still a bit in shock,” she laughs.
O’Driscoll won her first World Cup race in the Super-G in Austria in December. Photo: Courtesy of Kelsey O’DriscollAs grueling as her recovery has been, including rigorous physical therapy, chronic pain, and an asthma-induced ICU stint where the steroids that saved her life caused further permanent damage to her legs, O’Driscoll is dazzlingly cheerful. “Sometimes walking is really overrated,” she quips.
She’s also fiercely proud of her Garden State roots. She may be traversing Europe on the World Cup circuit, but she’s still dreaming about the Taylor ham sandwich she’ll devour when she returns. “You can take the girl out of Jersey, but you can’t take the Jersey out of the girl,” she says.
The summer after her accident, O’Driscoll made her first foray into adaptive surfing in Spring Lake. “That first wave back in the ocean was the first time I felt like, Okay, I’m still me,” she says. “I had the life jacket on over the back brace. I’m not sure it was orthopedist recommended, but my brain and my soul needed to be in the water. And it served as a huge turning point.”
She began plotting her return to the slopes, though she was terrified: “I just didn’t want to exist in a world where I didn’t love skiing.” That winter, she carried a pair of outriggers—“like forearm crutches with mini-skis on the bottom”—up the lift and tried four-track adaptive skiing, beaming all the way down the bunny hill. At the bottom, staffers raced over, cheering. “It was just so cool to get to fall in love with skiing all over again,” she says. The following season, she became the first adaptive ski patroller at New York’s Gore Mountain. (Though she had learned to ski at Mountain Creek Resort in Sussex County as a child, she’d later cross the border for the Adirondacks’ tougher trails.)
A pediatric asthma care coordinator, O’Driscoll only began ski racing in 2024 and was invited to join Team USA this past May. The accelerated trajectory has been extraordinary, especially given her two recent shoulder surgeries and severe asthma—the latter often more debilitating than her spinal injury. She uses inhalers daily and carries an emergency stash while skiing. “All my doctors at home…are so excited about all of this,” she says. “The whole hospital system is pumped.”
Last winter in Colorado, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” a song that both calms and exhilarates her, was blaring at the top of her racecourse. “The coaches at the end were like, ‘Were you singing Springsteen as you went by?’” she recalls. “I was like, ‘Um, not consciously, but apparently!’”
O’Driscoll is “stoked” for the Paralympics. “If I can bring home the medal, that would be insanely awesome,” she says, “but I think it’ll be a dream come true no matter what happens.” Her Jersey grit is sure to serve her well: “I was raised in a place where people don’t give up—you just keep fighting all the time.”
The post NJ Native Kelsey O’Driscoll’s Remarkable Ascent to the 2026 Paralympics appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
U.S. News & World Report has named 14 New Jersey cities to its 2025-2026 rankings of the Best Places to Live in New Jersey, noting our state’s “lively arts scene, rich musical heritage and popular entertainment options.”
The rankings are the results of data drawn from Applied Geographic Solutions (AGS), U.S. News’s internal resources, U.S. government agencies, and state and local sources, as well as a February 2025 public survey in which Americans across the country voted for factors they find most important when choosing a place to live.
To top the list, a place must earn high scores in criteria such as “desirability” and “quality of life.”
The New Jersey cities, ranked in order from 1-14, are:
- Clifton: North Jersey suburban city home to many Manhattan commuters.
- Vineland: Sprawling city known for farms, suburban neighborhoods and the Garden State’s only remaining drive-in theater.
- Jersey City: A waterfront gem with one of the most exciting dining scenes in the state.
- Bayonne: A peninsula city with suburban amenities and close access to New York City.
- Elizabeth: Historic, commuter-friendly city known for its cultural diversity.
- Passaic: North Jersey city along the Passaic River with multiple business districts and a downtown, about 10 miles from New York City.
- Union City: Densely populated Hudson County hub, home to part of vibrant Bergenline Avenue.
- New Brunswick: A college town, where Rutgers is located, with a burgeoning dining scene.
- East Orange: Recent site of billion-dollar public and private improvements, including apartments and retail space.
- Paterson: Historic city boasting one of the East Coast’s most magnificent waterfalls, the Great Falls, and fabulous Middle Eastern and Peruvian food.
- Newark: New Jersey’s biggest city is home to Prudential Center and NJPAC as well as Newark Airport and its impressive Terminal A. It is now a growing destination for luxury apartments.
- Trenton: The state’s capital is home to tons of history, Cadwalader Park and thin-crust Trenton pizza pies.
- Camden: A riverside city with close proximity to lively Collingswood and Philadelphia.
- Atlantic City: An energetic Jersey Shore city with bustling casinos, great restaurants, must-see attractions and an iconic Boardwalk, the oldest in the country.
The post U.S. News & World Report Ranks the Best Places to Live in NJ appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
He won the gold—now it’s time for some porcelain.
Viewers watched in awe as Jersey’s own Jack Hughes scored the heroic winning goal at the Olympics on Sunday—and, perhaps, in even greater awe as he did so with a mouthful of bloodied, broken teeth after taking a high stick to the mouth in the third period. But it’s no surprise that Hughes got back in the game so quickly, according to the official oral surgeon for the New Jersey Devils, for which Hughes is a star forward.
“It’s badge-of-honor kind of stuff,” says Dr. Jason M. Auerbach, founder and co-CEO of Riverside Oral Surgery. “These are tough, tough guys….They’re so tough, they get out there irrespective of what the injury is. Once it’s determined they’re stable, they play, they do what they have to do.”
Hughes’s tenacity paid off. Team USA won its first gold medal in men’s hockey in 46 years, defeating Canada and claiming their first gold since 1980, the year they famously beat the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” game.
Auerbach, who has not spoken to or examined Hughes since his injury, says it appears that none of Hughes’s teeth were actually knocked out during the game. Rather, Auerbach assesses, it looks like Hughes totally fractured his left front tooth, fractured the edge of his right front tooth, had a tooth or two get pushed out of place, and damaged bottom teeth.
“It looked like the stick must have caught him at an angle,” says Auerbach, a longtime New Jersey Monthly Top Dentist. “What’s specific about hockey injuries in general is that they are high-velocity injuries: stick, skate, puck. There’s energy associated with those injuries, and they tend to be significant in terms of fractures.”
Right now, Hughes is likely facing swelling, with inflammation typically peaking at 48 hours after an injury.
From a dental professional’s point of view, the first step in a case like this would be to examine the patient for soft-tissue lacerations and clear fractures. An X-ray would be performed to assess damage to the bone or tooth.
Dr. Jason M. Auerbach also runs the popular Instagram account @bloodytoothguy. Photo: Courtesy of Riverside Oral SurgeryIn Hughes’s case, Auerbach says it “looks like teeth that took the brunt of the force rather than the jaw structure.”
“It looks like the likely outcome is that he’ll definitely need some restorative dentistry (veneers or bonding) and likely some endodontic treatment (root canal) rather than oral and maxillofacial surgery. It just looks bad because he’s bleeding in the photos,” says Auerbach, whose practice has locations in towns including River Edge, Westwood, Englewood, Chatham and West Orange.
Hockey injuries to the teeth are “very common,” Auerbach says, especially since a lot of NHL players choose not to wear protective mouth gear. Some pro players have a missing tooth or two, others even more.
“With the size of a puck, you could lose four five teeth in one incident,” says Auerbach.
Oftentimes, players—especially younger ones in the beginning of their careers—will not get an implant after losing a tooth, since it could just happen again. Instead, many choose partial dentures, while others just rock a toothless look.
“Ultimately, they hopefully have many years of playing,” Auerbach says.
In terms of high school sports, Auerbach says his office sees injuries from hockey, basketball, soccer and other athletics. In children, however, tooth implants cannot be placed until bone growth is complete. In some high schools, mouth guards in certain sports are not mandated—something Auerbach would like to see change.
As for Hughes, he’s ready for a dental visit when he gets back home to the States. As he told reporters after the game, “I’m lucky I’m from the best country in the world, and we’ve got great dentists there, too. I’m lucky I’m American, and they’re gonna fix me right up.”
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Gone but never forgotten.
Team USA paid heartfelt tribute to the late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau after its epic win against Canada in the men’s Winter Olympics hockey final on Sunday.
After New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes scored the winning goal in overtime, players took a Gaudreau jersey and skated with it around the ice. They also brought Johnny and wife Meredith’s two young children out for a team photo; son Johnny turned 2 years old on Saturday.
Gaudreau likely would have been part of the Olympic team.
Johnny and his brother, hockey coach Matthew Gaudreau, were tragically killed in 2024 while riding bikes in their South Jersey hometown the day before their sister’s wedding.
Johnny and Matthew’s parents, Jane and Guy Gaudreau, were in the stands at the Olympic final and looked to have tears in their eyes at the honor.
Jane recently spoke to New Jersey Monthly about coping with the loss of her sons. “The harder you love, the harder you grieve,” she said. “But at the same time, I do feel we were lucky, because even though we didn’t have that quantity of time to be with them forever, the quality of time we had with them was so high.” The second annual Gaudreau Family 5K, benefitting the Gaudreau Family Foundation, is slated for Saturday, May 16.
Team USA holds up a Gaudreau jersey to honor late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau after winning Olympic gold. Photo: NBC screenshotAfter the win, NBC Sports analyst Brian Boucher said on air, “Johnny meant so much to a lot of these guys on this team. I live in the Philadelphia area, and I can tell you that Johnny Gaudreau is an absolute hero in the Philadelphia area in South Jersey. In particular, so many kids look up to Johnny Gaudreau and model their game after him.”
According to NBC’s Mike Tirico, Gaudreau’s “jersey hung in that locker room every game in this Olympics. All six wins for the U.S. and is proudly displayed like a flag.”
Jack Hughes smiles a toothless grin after winning Olympic gold (and at least one tooth during the game). Photo: Getty ImagesTeam USA won its first gold medal for men’s hockey in 46 years on Sunday, beating Canada for a triumphant win and their first gold since 1980, the year they defeated the Soviet Union in the famed “Miracle on Ice” game.
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Forty-six years later, there was another miracle on ice.
Team USA won its first gold medal for men’s hockey in 46 years on Sunday, beating Canada for a triumphant win and their first gold since 1980, the year they defeated the Soviet Union in the famed “Miracle on Ice” game.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes scored the winning goal in overtime, pushing Team USA ahead of Canada for a final score of 2-1. That was after badly damaging his front teeth when he took a stick to the mouth during the third period. Jack’s brother Quinn Hughes, also of the Devils, played beside him on Team USA and days before scored an overtime goal in the quarter-finals against Sweden.
“I love the USA, I love my teammates, it’s unbelievable,” Jack Hughes told NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen after the game, giving the interview with blood still visible around his mouth. “The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong… I’m so proud to be American today.”
“Unbelievable game, unreal game by our team, that’s just a ballsy, gutsy win. That’s American hockey right there.”
Team USA holds up a Gaudreau jersey to honor late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau after winning Olympic gold. Photo: NBC screenshotIn a touching moment after their win, Team USA skated with a Gaudreau jersey around the ice, honoring the late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed alongside his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, in 2024 while riding bikes in their South Jersey hometown the day before their sister’s wedding. The beloved Columbus Blue Jackets player known as “Johnny Hockey” likely would have been part of Team USA this year.
A jersey honoring late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau makes its ways around the ice after Team USA’s win. Photo: NBC screenshotJohnny and Matthew’s parents, Jane and Guy Gaudreau, were in the stands at the Olympic final and looked to have tears in their eyes at the honor. The team also brought Johnny and wife Meredith’s young children onto the ice for the team photo.
Jane recently spoke to New Jersey Monthly about coping with the loss of her sons. “The harder you love, the harder you grieve,” she said. “But at the same time, I do feel we were lucky, because even though we didn’t have that quantity of time to be with them forever, the quality of time we had with them was so high.”
The USA women’s team also won the gold earlier in the week, making this Olympics a double dose of powerhouse American hockey.
The post NJ Devils Star Jack Hughes Scores Winning Goal for Team USA Hockey appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Opening a second location of a beloved restaurant would be stressful for any pair of restaurateurs, but doing so while one of the owners is suddenly locked up under a case of mistaken identity? That sounds more like a plot point from an ’80s TV show than real life.
Unfortunately, that was the reality for Ruperto and Emilio Vicens Marquez, brothers and co-owners of Emilio’s Kitchen, the famed Atlantic Highlands Mexican restaurant that recently opened its second location in Belmar.
Ruperto was headed to work on October 19, 2025, when he was accosted by ICE agents and, despite being legally permitted to live and work in the United States, arrested and detained at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark for nearly a month.
“There were two cars following me,” Ruperto recalls. “They pulled me over. I showed them my ID, and they started looking for my information [in the system]. They asked me if I had been arrested in this country. I told them no, but they kept pushing like they wanted me to say that I had done something wrong. I showed them my work permit and they said, ‘You’re lying, so you are gonna come with us.’”
Fortunately, after weeks at the detention center and a great deal of outrage and financial support from the community, Ruperto was finally released—within 48 hours of the grand opening of Emilio’s Kitchen’s Belmar location.
Emilio’s Kitchen in Belmar Photo: Justin BoruckiIt was a positive outcome for him, but the experience rattled him emotionally.
“It was hard, because at first, I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he says. “I saw a lot of people who had work permits being detained. It was crowded. In my room, there were 14 of us. There were people yelling and screaming all the time—it was scary.”
Unfortunately, Ruperto’s story has become all too common in New Jersey, resulting in growing concerns within an industry that relies on the hard work of many immigrants to thrive. “Working in restaurants is how an awful lot of immigrants get their start in this country, so I think the ICE actions against them are particularly cruel,” says Karen Schloss, co-founder of Diaz-Schloss Communications, a PR firm in Montclair that represents many restaurants in New Jersey.
“I have heard that it is harder to get kitchen staff because of concerns [over ICE raids]. And things are only going to get worse, because it seems pretty clear that the [Trump] administration is going to go after New York and New Jersey pretty hard with this,” she says.
The fear that has spread through the industry is palpable and real. In fact, just finding a restaurant owner or worker who was willing to talk openly and be identified for this story proved impossible, due to fear of retaliation.
“I am an immigrant. We come here to work hard and to make money and do things the right way, but we feel like criminals. I am a citizen and I feel like a criminal,” says one chef/owner of a popular Montclair restaurant, who asked not to be named.
“I am carrying my passport with me everywhere now. I carry my passport because I have an accent and they can ask me to prove if I am a citizen. I am that afraid.”
And it’s not just at their places of employment that these workers feel threatened. Due to the current methods of ICE agents and the climate of fear under the Trump administration, immigrants who once enjoyed a robust social life have now begun to think twice about nearly every move they make.
“It’s been affecting the whole industry. My own employees—they are not going out, not going to the bars, not going to the supermarkets. If they need food, they are ordering online. They try not to meet too many people. They used to have a social life, but not anymore. I am paying for my guys to take an Uber home after work because they are afraid to take the bus,” says the Montclair restaurant owner.
All of this raises the question, what can be done? According to New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch), the answer is about knowing where to find support.
“What is happening across the country, and even here in our own county, is deeply troubling and has understandably created fear across many communities,” Gopal says. “While no one should have to live in constant anxiety, the best protection right now is knowledge.”
“Immigrant rights organizations across New Jersey are doing critical work educating people about their rights, including carrying proper identification, understanding what documentation ICE agents can and cannot demand, and knowing when individuals are legally required to respond. I strongly encourage workers and business owners to connect with trusted local immigrant-justice organizations that offer know-your-rights trainings and legal resources.”
It seems that for some, the American dream has turned into a nightmare. If immigrant restaurant workers keep getting locked up en masse, who is going to replace them?
“Nobody. I will have to close my business,” says the Montclair restaurant owner.
The post Fear of ICE Spreads Through New Jersey’s Restaurant Industry appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
On the evening of August 29, 2024, John and Matthew Gaudreau, 31 and 29, went for a relaxing bike ride along a rural road near their childhood home in Oldmans Township, Salem County. They were in a happy mood; their sister was getting married the next day, and they would be groomsmen in the wedding.
Sean Higgins, who was hurtling down the road behind them in his Jeep Grand Cherokee, was less relaxed. The 43-year-old, who has since been charged with reckless vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, among other charges, told police he had been drinking beers while driving around for a couple of hours with no particular plan, impatiently passing cars. He admitted that’s what he was doing on County Road 551, a few miles from the Gaudreau family home, when he swung right around an SUV and hit “something harder than a deer.” The brothers were pronounced dead at the scene. Higgins’s trial has been paused while his lawyers challenge the admissibility of his statements after his arrest.
No matter who the two victims were, the accident would have been tragic. But some tragedies hit especially hard. Legions of hockey fans were shocked at the death of John, the seven-time NHL All-Star and fan favorite known as Johnny Hockey, of the Columbus Blue Jackets and, before that, the Calgary Flames. So were the students and staff at Gloucester Catholic High School, which both brothers had attended, and where Matthew, a former pro player himself, coached the hockey team.
From left: Matthew and John Gaudreau Photo: Courtesy of the Gaudreau familyThe Gaudreau family—parents Guy and Jane and sisters Kristen and Katie—were beyond devastated. “My children were so close,” Jane says. “They vacationed together, they spent time at the Shore together whenever the boys came home. We did everything together. It was just a way of life.”
Guy, who managed the Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell for three decades, was Matthew and John’s only coach until they started traveling to play junior hockey. When the brothers were standouts at Boston College—John was voted best hockey player in the NCAA in 2014—the family would fly to watch them play, and the tradition continued when John was in Calgary, then Columbus.
The Gaudreau family at John Gaudreau’s wedding in 2021. Photo: Courtesy of the Gaudreau familyIn March 2018, Guy had a heart attack while running a half-marathon. He recovered, but it inspired John to buy a beach house in Avalon so they could spend summers together. The family—including John’s wife, Meredith, and their two kids, and Matthew’s wife, Madeline—would gather at the house every summer weekend. “The minute the season was over, John would fly home,” says Jane. (Both wives have given birth, to their third and first children respectively, since their husbands’ deaths.)
While the family’s closeness made the loss of the brothers almost impossible to bear, it has also been a comfort. “The harder you love, the harder you grieve,” says Jane. “But at the same time, I do feel we were lucky, because even though we didn’t have that quantity of time to be with them forever, the quality of time we had with them was so high.”
The Gaudreau Brothers’ Wings of Hope and Chrysalis Corner Adaptive Playground at Archbishop Damiano School in Westville. Photo: Matt StanleyWhile hockey was always important to the Gaudreaus, it wasn’t the only thing. The family has been dedicated to Archbishop Damiano School in Westville, the special-needs school that Jane’s disabled brother attended and where her mother worked for 44 years. Jane has been a finance associate there since college, and Kristen works in the speech department. When John and Matthew were at Gloucester Catholic, after the soccer and hockey seasons ended, Jane would pick them up after school and bring them to Archbishop Damiano to volunteer. While playing professionally, John seized every opportunity to help the school. When he won $10,000 for scoring a hat trick during an All-Star game, he donated it all to the school, Jane says. “I didn’t realize the magnitude of…the people they affected, and how widely it went,” Jane says. “That was a very helpful part of the healing process to Guy and I.”
For months after her boys were killed, Jane says, she could barely function. “It was a struggle just to get up, get out of bed and take a shower.”
Then, a family friend got the idea to host a 5K race in John and Matthew’s names to raise money for an adaptive playground at the school, a project dear to the family’s heart that had stalled for lack of funds. Though the Gaudreaus liked the idea, they weren’t in any shape to help. The friends plunged ahead anyway, hoping for about 100 runners. On race day, 1,100 showed up and about as many pledged online. “We raised over $500,000, more than enough to complete the entire playground,” says Jane.
The second annual Gaudreau Family 5K is slated for Saturday, May 16; registration opens here on Friday, February 13.
From left: Matthew and John Gaudreau Photo: Courtesy of the Gaudreau familyIn October 2025, friends and supporters put the playground together in a community build. The Gaudreau Brothers’ Wings of Hope and Chrysalis Corner Adaptive Playground is now being enjoyed by students. “People wanted to keep the boys’ legacy alive and knew this was important to our family,” says Jane.
What has also helped, she says, is the people who have reached out to tell her and Guy stories about John and Matthew, and how the brothers helped or inspired them. “We were always so proud of all four of our children, but to hear people say how they helped them, to tell us they had an impact, was quite healing for us,” Jane says. “It was almost like this one big warm hug wherever we went.”
The post Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s Mother Reveals How She’s Coping appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
When Mount Holly-based figure-skating phenomenon Isabeau Levito graced the cover of New Jersey Monthly in January 2024, the 16-year-old was working tirelessly toward the 2026 Olympics. Two years later, her goal has become reality.
Levito, a 2024 World silver medalist, will make her Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina Games in Italy, which kick off today. At 18, she’s the youngest member of the U.S. figure skating team.
“In competition, the majority of it is based on [the] mental, because physically, if you’ve been training right, you can do it,” Levito told NJM two years ago. “The only thing that’s keeping you from doing it is handling the nerves. It’s so important, especially when you’re out there on your own and everything’s on you, to be able to handle that and not let that just drown you.”
Isabeau Levito on the cover of NJM‘s January 2024 issue. Photo: Ronald GrayLevito has been skating since she was a toddler. When she was nine, her mother removed her from school so she could devote more time to training. Her home rink is the Igloo in Mount Laurel.
In 2018, Levito won the U.S. juvenile championship. The following year, she earned silver in the intermediate division. In 2021, she became the U.S. junior champion. A year later, at the World Junior Championships in Estonia, she became the first U.S. world junior champion in 14 years.
In January 2022, in San Jose, California, she became the U.S. women’s champion. “[Winning the title] means the world to me,” Levito told us. “It was a milestone in my skating career. It was so important to me.” Two months later, she finished fourth at the World Championships.
https://njmonthly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Isabeau-NJM-Photoshoot.mp4Read all about NJM’s cover shoot with Levito here. Video: Amir CampbellAt the Olympics, Levito is slated to appear in the women’s short program on Tuesday, February 17, and the women’s free skate on Thursday, February 19.
In a poignant twist, she’ll be competing in her mother’s birthplace. “It’s a crazy coincidence,” Levito said two years ago of the location. “Some would say it’s fate.”
Levito isn’t the only athlete with New Jersey ties representing the U.S. in Italy. Princeton native Kelly Curtis, 37, will compete in the skeleton; Millburn resident Jess Perlmutter, 16, in the big air and slopestyle snowboarding events; Monroe native Brianna Schnorrbusch, 19, in snowboard cross; and former Monmouth University track star Bryan Sosoo, 29, on the bobsled team.
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[caption id="attachment_833822" align="alignnone" width="778"] Jersey-based Robb Rehberg leads game-day medical operations for the NFL. Photo: Courtesy of Robb Rehberg[/caption]When Robb Rehberg was a lineman at Ramsey High School in the early 1980s, football mentality was still in the dark ages. A player shaken by a hit to the head, who had had “his bell rung,” took a whiff of smelling salts and returned to the action.Life-altering impacts—especially brain injuries—were hardly top of mind. That gradually changed in the NFL as studies showed concussions and head-related blows could cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can lead to debilitating symptoms and even death.Intrigued by the logistics of sports teams and emergency medicine, Rehberg carved a career as a New Jersey high school and college athletic trainer (AT). He rigorously studied concussions and spinal injuries and spoke frequently with John Davis, the longtime AT at Montclair State University. Davis had become an NFL concussion spotter three years after the program was implemented in 2011. ATs pass a board certification exam to become licensed or credentialed in their state of employment.Now, with the NFL season underway, Rehberg’s imprint can be felt in all 32 teams. Rehberg, 56, is the league’s senior medical adviser and director of game-day medical operations. Since 2015, he has significantly fortified the league’s AT Spotters program, which puts independent athletic trainers in a stadium booth to monitor at least 16 on-field cameras for possible concussions and musculoskeletal injuries. “The AT spotter is one of the few people who has the authority to stop a game,” Rehberg says. “If it’s apparent that a player is injured, the spotter can directly contact the referee.”ATs are multiskilled health care providers who identify injuries and prescribe rehab modalities. In extreme cases, such as when the Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in a 2023 game, they even used their training to save lives.ATs are used as spotters because of their experience observing injuries. While physicians typically see athletes off the field, ATs at practices and games routinely see how injuries occur and the unique behavior athletes sometimes display after an injury.For Rehberg, who says he owes “everything to football” (he met his future wife, Joelle, now a sports medicine specialist, on the sideline of a high school game), making the game less risky is a consuming challenge. Recent NFL rule changes (such as a new kickoff format), greater education (players now self-reporting concussion symptoms) and Guardian Caps (the soft-shell helmet covers worn mostly during practices to mitigate the force of impact) led to a significant decrease in concussions in 2024. The total of 182 diagnosed concussions was the lowest since the NFL began tracking 10 years ago.Rehberg and Davis, who teach at William Paterson and Montclair State universities, respectively, have witnessed improvements, such as better helmet technology. However, the number of New Jersey high schools with no access to athletic training services “is concerning,” says Rehberg. “Most schools have one AT, if that, to care for hundreds of student athletes, and they can’t be everywhere at once.”For now, both take pride in safeguarding the health of NFL players. Yet they’re aware the demands on athletic trainers, at every level, are ever-changing. “I remind my students,” says Davis, “they are preparing for a job that has not been invented yet.”The post How a Jersey Athletic Trainer Helped Shape the NFL’s Concussion Protocols appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Briana Vannozzi makes it look easy. Vannozzi, the anchor of NJ Spotlight News, the nightly news program on NJ PBS, displays a serenity that never betrays the heavy lifting behind each half-hour broadcast or the personal challenges she has overcome.To be precise, the broadcast runs 26 minutes and 46 seconds. That number—26:46—has been seared in Vannozzi’s mind since she took over as anchor during the Covid-19 pandemic.On most days, Vannozzi’s job begins as early as 7 am with a text chain among fellow members of the NJ PBS news team. After bundling off her 3-year-old son, J.J., to preschool, Vannozzi drives from her home in Kearny to the PBS studio in Newark’s Gateway Center. In the car, she is already working on her phone. “The conversations,” she says, “never stop.”At 9 am, Vannozzi attends the first meeting of the day with key members of the editorial team. At 9:45, reporters in the field join a meeting remotely to share what they are working on. At 10, it’s time for hair and makeup. Simultaneously, Vannozzi is on a staff call to discuss future stories.By 11:30, Vannozzi is settled in at her cubicle reading emails, checking Slack messages, conferring with senior managing editor Jamie Kraft, handing out assignments, prepping for interviews, and writing stories on her laptop. There are decisions to be made. It’s up to Vannozzi and Kraft to determine the stacking, or order, of the show.“My hand is in a lot of different areas,” she says. “I like the autonomy, and I like being able to shape our product. It’s tricky, too. It’s a lot of juggling throughout the day.”THE NEWSROOM is quiet these days. One early summer morning, two associate producers, a graphics editor and a video editor are at their desks, but most of the 50 or so cubicles are unoccupied. Some are barren; even their computer monitors have moved out.The editorial and production team, which once numbered 44, was reduced to 38 earlier this year due to attrition and a round of staff cuts. Management cut the team again by about one-third in reaction to the rescission bill passed by Congress in mid-July at the behest of the Trump administration. The bill rolled back $1.1 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit entity that provided about 15 percent of this year’s $10.1 million NJ PBS budget. Additionally, a $1 million appropriation from the state of New Jersey for original lifestyle programs such as Treasures of New Jersey was reduced to $250,000 in the current fiscal year.“It’s a tough time for public media,” says the 39-year-old Vannozzi, “but we’re not dead.”A native of Bordentown and a graduate of Bordentown Regional High School, Vannozzi began her broadcasting career with a summer internship at WNJN, an earlier incarnation of NJ PBS, while studying journalism at Ramapo College. Upon receiving her degree from Ramapo in June 2008, she joined WNJN as a desk assistant. That gave her the opportunity to start writing and producing. “I was terrible on camera,” she says of her early field reporting. “Hopefully, those clips don’t exist anywhere.”After a brief detour covering crime and politics as a correspondent for New York FM radio station News 101.9, Vannozzi returned to New Jersey’s public broadcaster—by then relaunched as NJTV. The new job put her on the Statehouse beat. Vannozzi already had a fascination with politics; covering Trenton was right in her wheelhouse.Then came the accident.It was March 2012. Vannozzi was living in Hoboken. A dedicated runner and yoga enthusiast, Vannozzi was walking home one evening from her local fitness club when a taxi turned and struck her in a crosswalk. Thrown to the pavement, Vannozzi suffered a traumatic brain injury called axonal shearing.Over the course of two “fatiguing and draining” years of almost daily therapy, Vannozzi relearned basic skills, from reading to driving. As she prepared to get back to work, a neurologist warned her against returning to the stress of journalism, but for Vannozzi, there was no other road.Vannozzi carries no visible signs of her trauma, but acknowledges occasional bouts of aphasia, which can impact her ability to speak. “I try really hard to make sure I’m prepared, so that if I am caught in one of those moments, I have something to fall back on. It’s scary when you’re on set and your mind just has no idea what you were talking about,” she explains. “It’s something I try to keep quiet, because I never want anyone to doubt my abilities. I don’t think at this point that they do.”The accident only reinforced Vannozzi’s cool demeanor. “I kind of run on a calm vibe,” she says, “but you have something like that happen, and you don’t sweat the small stuff.”AT 12:40 PM, Vannozzi heads into the digital production room to interview NJ PBS senior writer Colleen O’Dea. The two are miked up, makeup is touched up and banter is shared. Then they snap on their game faces for a crisp discussion of the just-completed New Jersey primary election.Next, Vannozzi nails a complicated interview with budget/finance writer John Reitmeyer about the status of the state’s then overdue budget bill. The exchange comes in at exactly the requisite four minutes. “She has a great sense of timing,” says Kraft. Vannozzi calls it “muscle memory.”O’Dea and Reitmeyer are among the veteran reporters who joined NJTV in 2019 when it merged with NJ Spotlight, formerly an independent, nonprofit news organization. The new entity, rebranded as NJ PBS, operates under the umbrella of the WNET Group, parent of New York’s Channel 13 and Long Island’s WLIW.Returning to her cubicle, Vannozzi is back on her laptop approving scripts from the field, writing voiceovers, and checking on the progress of graphic elements for the evening’s show. At 1:30, she heads into the front studio to tape headlines and teasers as passersby on the Gateway concourse watch through the studio’s public-facing glass wall.Then there’s more writing and more headlines to be taped. Much of Vannozzi’s writing is based on stories by the team’s digital reporters, which already have gone live on the NJ Spotlight News website. The best stories can be told in different versions on social media—a central tenet of the station’s forward-looking, multiplatform approach to local journalism.“We have this great story. If we sit down and do an interview, we can cut that up and put that out as a YouTube short. We can put that on Instagram,” says Vannozzi. “It’s just more ways that we can try to get eyeballs.”Wherever the audience is reached, Vannozzi says, the NJ PBS mandate is to be “informative, educational and balanced. We want to bring about conversations in a civil way.”Prior to the pandemic, the nightly news was a live show. Lockdowns forced the team to prerecord the program. It’s been that way since, largely because of budget constraints. A live show requires a larger staff.“I miss having to be live,” says Vannozzi. “I miss having to think on my feet and having to pivot on a moment’s notice. There really is that adrenaline rush that comes with it.”The prerecorded NJ Spotlight News airs three times each weeknight, at 6:30, 7:30 and 11. It’s generally the same show each time, unless late-breaking news compels Vannozzi to tape a fresh segment for one of the later airings.On occasion, Vannozzi still gets to work live. This spring, she moderated the televised debate among the Democratic gubernatorial candidates. And on New Jersey primary night, she anchored the station’s 3 1/2 hours of live coverage of the election results. It was no easy task, considering that both major party races were called by 8:39 pm. That left Vannozzi and a panel of colleagues to fill nearly three hours of allotted time with talk and interviews. “Those are those moments,” says Vannozzi, “where you just take a deep sigh and you buckle in and enjoy the ride.”Vannozzi stepped into the anchor chair on an interim basis in March 2020, filling in for broadcast veteran Mary Alice Williams, who stepped away to attend to family issues. When the state declared the Covid lockdown, the station set up a remote studio in the living room of Vannozzi’s apartment. By September, she was named the permanent anchor.Kraft, a veteran of CBS, NBC and CNN, is generous with praise for Vannozzi: “She’s an amazing writer, and she’s quick, with a great sense of story.” What’s more, says Kraft, “her confidence and command are second to none.”THE CLOCK is ticking. The show must be in by 4:45 pm.At around 4, an editor is assembling the show remotely in Asbury Park. It’s running over by four minutes. Vannozzi and Kraft decide to pull a segment.At 4:35, Vannozzi is munching on a bag of almonds; it’s the first sign of anything remotely like lunch. Moments later, Kraft calls out, “All right, the show is in.” They’ve wrapped just under the wire.Still, the day isn’t done. Vannozzi does some additional writing for the website and posts abridged versions of select content to YouTube and Instagram. Next, she huddles digitally with Kraft and the associate producers to go over the next day’s lineup.At 5:20, Vannozzi finally heads home for some quality time with son J.J. “Everyone knows to leave me alone from 6:30 to 8:30,” she says. Finding time with her husband, who is in law enforcement, is another challenge. “We work opposite schedules,” she explains.Since there’s no telling when news will break, Vannozzi is always on call. She tries to “set boundaries” on her weekend time. “Sunday is sacred,” she says—that is, except for the virtual editorial meetings that take place every Sunday afternoon.MEANWHILE, the rescission cuts are presenting NJ PBS with new challenges. “We’re still working out the greater plan,” says director of communications Debra Falk. Another issue is the departure of newsroom leader Kraft, who, Falk says, is leaving “of his own accord,” effective September 30.Published reports indicate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is hoping to fill some of its funding gap with additional foundation grants. NJ PBS, too, could look in that direction. (Major funders for NJ PBS include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the PSEG Foundation, RWJ Barnabas Health and the NJ Civic Information Consortium.)“What we are trying to do is be as resourceful as possible in coming up with contingency plans,” says Vannozzi. For example, the cuts could mean doing fewer stories, but in greater depth. What’s most important, she says, is maintaining credibility.“There is a skepticism out there about trusting the media,” says Vannozzi. “You need to be able to show that you know what you are talking about, that you’ve done your homework on a subject and that you command it. That goes a long way.”Editor's note: The WNET Group announced on September 23 that it has been unable to renew its license with the state of New Jersey to operate NJ PBS beyond the current contract’s expiration on June 30, 2026. NJ PBS news anchor Briana Vannozzi remains under contract with WNET until the license agreement expires. According to a spokesperson, WNET plans to continue airing a daily New Jersey newscast on Channel 13 and its digital platforms after the current NJ PBS contract ends.Ken Schlager is a lecturer at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the former editor of New Jersey Monthly.The post NJ PBS Anchor Briana Vannozzi Stays Cool Under Pressure appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Editor's note: As of October 9, Thinkable has canceled its Montclair speaker series, according to posts on its Facebook and Instagram pages, citing "security considerations."Communicating with our peers is a bit of a lost art form—at least according to Desh Amila, filmmaker, entrepreneur and creator of the Thinkable speaker series, which launches its inaugural season this October at Montclair’s Lackawanna Station. The lineup features Ta-Nehisi Coates, Cornel West, Richard Dawkins and other distinguished thought leaders.Amila says he has designed a modern town hall to fill the gaps of human interaction in the age of social media—one where attendees can exchange ideas, expose themselves to conflicting viewpoints, and think critically. “It’s not a lecture being presented to you; rather, it’s a conversation,” he says.Thinkable is one of the forthcoming attractions at the newly renovated Lackawanna Station, which sat empty for nearly a decade before its grand reopening earlier this year.Amila describes Montclair as “intellectually curious” and cites the convenience for locals as a factor in choosing the location for Thinkable’s home.The son of two Sri Lankan schoolteachers, Amila grew up understanding the importance of education. While living in Australia, the entrepreneur says, he recognized that many speaking events were corporatized or buried in the weeds of academia.Now a resident of Bloomfield, Amila says his goal is to make dialogue social and accessible. “My idea was, let’s take some of these intellectuals and put them in places where the community is engaging in and familiar with, rather than some five-star hotel.”The series is packaged as a subscription. A bold but conscious choice by Amila, it is designed to usher attendees out of their comfort zones and lead them to hear speakers they might otherwise pass on.“We want you to experience both sides of the arguments so you get a rounded view. I just don’t want people to come to hear their favorite speaker say the thing they already agree with and then move on.”Fostering a productive discussion is one of Amila’s many objectives, perhaps chief of which is countering the effect of social media on human interaction.“I think the element of social connection on social media has come and gone,” he says. “Now it’s merely a distribution mechanism to get short-form written content. I really want people to reconnect with others in their own communities.”The series, centered around science, politics and culture, will be unscripted, with a Q&A following each talk. Gold and Platinum subscription passes grant access to all six speaker events, the latter offering VIP seating and meet-and-greet experiences. The general admission pass includes attendance for three speakers of choice. Tickets are available at thinkable.events.For Amila, Thinkable is ultimately a way of bridging the gap between scholars and new, untapped audiences.“I’m not a teacher, but I know great teachers,” he says. “I want to provide a platform for them to speak to an audience that maybe wouldn’t consider these types of events.”The post Stop Scrolling! Montclair’s New Speaker Series Wants to Bring Back Lively Civil Discourse appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
“I always thought that record would stand until it was broken,” legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said. On a Sunday in late September, at Montclair State University’s Yogi Berra Stadium, fans took that message to heart, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest game of catch ever, with 1,179 pairs participating.The event was hosted by the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in honor of the centennial of the Yankees legend, who lived in Montclair before his death in 2015 at the age of 90. Fans braved gridlocked traffic outside the campus and a scorching sun to pack themselves shoulder-to-shoulder in the stadium’s concourse. Billed as Yogi’s Big Catch Challenge, the event shattered the previous Guinness record of 972 pairs set in 2017.“We’re of course thrilled to have broken the record,” says Eve Schaenen, executive director of the museum. “But the real joy is in seeing so many families, friends and community members come together around Yogi’s legacy, playing the game that he loved best.”[caption id="attachment_832997" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Thomas E. Franklin[/caption]Each pair was required to stand ten feet apart while tossing and catching a baseball continuously for five minutes. An official adjudicator from Guinness World Records oversaw the event, alongside 37 stewards on the field who closely monitored participants.A final count of 2,358 participants, fans young and old, were in attendance, as well as members of Berra’s family. “I’ve been playing baseball my whole life. I even had a game this morning,” says Marty Linkletter of Parsippany, who plays in the North Jersey Senior Softball league.Baseball royalty also showed up, including Yankees legends Ron Guidry and Willie Randolph. Iconic sports commentator Bob Costas emceed. Each attendee received a commemorative baseball and T-shirt.[caption id="attachment_832511" align="alignnone" width="778"] Yogi Berra Photo: Courtesy of the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center[/caption]With music by Yankees organist El Alstrom, families danced, laughed and relished being part of history.Berra, widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, played 19 seasons in the MLB, all but his final one for the Yankees. He later became a manager and coach. Off the field, Berra’s impact transcended his uniform through iconic “Yogi-isms” like, “It ain’t over til it’s over.” In more ways than one, Berra’s spirit could be felt inside the stadium. Schaenen joked ahead of the world record attempt, “I was assured by members of the Berra family that, wherever Yogi is watching, he would make sure it wouldn’t rain.” He sure did deliver.The post Yogi Berra Fans Break Guinness World Record for Largest Game of Catch Ever appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Call-Us-Clowns loves prescribing its audiences the healing power of laughter. Located in Saddle River, this performance troupe of therapeutically trained volunteers perform as clowns at schools, hospitals, senior centers, veterans’ homes and special events across North Jersey. No matter the institution, the goal is always the same: Find people who might be feeling blue and put smiles on their faces.A four-time winner of the World Clown Association’s Alley of the Year Award since its founding in 2001, Call-Us-Clowns is not kidding around about its commitment. Bob D’Amico, a member since 2017, attributes the organization’s nearly 25 years of success to its emphasis on compassion. “A lot of our members are former teachers, and what makes a teacher a good clown is that they are used to being in front of people,” says D’Amico, whose clown name is Meatball. A retired food broker who volunteered at Paterson’s St. Joseph’s Hospital, he quickly bonded with Call-Us-Clowns members who visited the children’s emergency room.Call-Us-Clowns, run by a seven-person board of directors, performs about six to eight gigs a year. As a Clown Care troupe, they specialize in short, funny skits such as well-worn, pie-in-face gags, each tailored to its audience in length and content. Shows are free (donations are accepted), and every performance includes a duo or more clowns.For its volunteer members, the most important thing is providing cheer. When visiting veterans homes, “some of those men, they’ve been there for quite a while,” D’Amico recalls. “They love to just tell you about their backgrounds. And [listening] is just providing comfort. It’s not always ha-ha,” he says. “Comfort and good cheer is what we try to do.”Call-Us-Clowns welcomes volunteers and hosts training programs in the fall. Visit callusclowns.org for info.The post Send in the Clowns: North Jersey Nonprofit Spreads Cheer Where It’s Needed Most appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In November, voters will decide whether Mikie Sherrill or Jack Ciattarelli should succeed Phil Murphy and become New Jersey’s 57th governor.Rebecca Michelle “Mikie” Sherrill, a Virginia native, is a 53-year-old former federal prosecutor and U.S. Navy veteran who flew attack helicopters on missions in Europe and the Middle East before going to Washington, D.C., as the U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. Sherrill has emerged in Congress as an influential voice in her caucus.Giacchino “Jack” Ciattarelli is a 63-year-old businessman and CPA who spent much of the past 35 years working on the inside of Somerset County’s Republican establishment as a borough councilman, county freeholder and state assemblyman.On paper, winning a blue state like New Jersey should be a snap for Sherrill; Garden State Democrats enjoy an 800,000-plus edge in voter registration over Republicans. Angry Democrats and independents also are chafing to get licks in on President Donald Trump in an election that will be one of the first major referenda on MAGA since Trump returned to the White House in January.Ciattarelli, now in his third run for governor, has honed his common-sense message of affordability and is pushing major cuts in state spending, along with a cap on New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes.But underestimating Sherrill could be fatal for the GOP. She’s proven to be not only a prodigious fundraiser, but also a historic vote-getter. In her 2018 election to Congress, Sherrill raised a whopping $3 million.New Jersey Monthly, in an effort to help voters make an informed choice, questioned both candidates on some burning Garden State issues, as well as some lighter matters.Read our interview with Mikie Sherrill here.Read our interview with Jack Ciattarelli here. The post NJ’s Governor Election 2025: Get to Know the Candidates appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
As a dedicated mother, federal prosecutor, pilot of U.S. Navy attack helicopters and progressive member of the U.S. Congress, Mikie Sherrill has built a résumé that made her the consensus Democratic choice to succeed Phil Murphy. Her bold promise to freeze utility rates reflects her combat background: "In a crisis, you have to choose to lead,'' she says.In November, voters will decide whether Mikie Sherrill or Republican Jack Ciattarelli should succeed Phil Murphy and become New Jersey’s 57th governor. New Jersey Monthly, in an effort to help voters make an informed choice, questioned both candidates on some burning Garden State issues, as well as some lighter matters.NJM: If your opponent is elected, what will New Jersey look like four years from now? What group of Jerseyans will benefit most? Who will be hurt most?Mikie Sherrill: There’s only one person who will benefit from four years of a Ciattarelli administration: Donald Trump. Jack is so beholden to Trump that he can’t name a single issue where he disagrees with the president.With Jack in the governor’s office, New Jerseyans are going to foot the bill. He will raise taxes, just like he voted to do at every level of government he’s served. He will defund pensions for teachers, police officers, and firefighters, like he promised to do in 2020. I’ll fully fund the pension system so public servants can retire here.Jack will also attack abortion rights through a ban and defunding Planned Parenthood. Here in New Jersey, we trust women and their doctors to make their own health care choices, so I’ll enshrine abortion protections into state law.If you are elected, will you fight for the right of New Jerseyans to pump their own gas?New Jerseyans should be able to have access to full-service gas. But what I hear from people about is the cost of gas. While Jack’s supporting Trump’s tariffs that are raising prices at the pump, I’ll work as governor to lower everyday costs to help families afford to live in our great state.Can you name one thing Donald Trump has done right for New Jersey?Throughout my first campaign, I heard from families across my district about how the opioid crisis had devastated our communities. I went to Congress on a mission to bring some long-overdue relief to New Jerseyans. Working across the aisle and with the administration on bipartisan legislation, I secured State Opioid Response grants that helped fund life-saving addiction-prevention and treatment programs.What’s your Wawa order?Roasted chicken bowl, because I am trying to be healthy, but I’m intrigued by the fried chicken, dill pickle and mac bowl.What’s the first thing you will do as governor to make living in New Jersey less expensive? Who is to blame for the high cost of living in this state?My first action will be to drive utility costs down, because we can’t make New Jersey more affordable without combating the skyrocketing energy costs that we’re seeing this summer. On day one, I’ll declare a state of emergency on utility costs and freeze utility rates for families to ensure that the average New Jerseyan doesn’t see an increase in their rates over the next year. Simultaneously, I’ll significantly scale up new, cheaper and cleaner power generation in our state, because more supply means lower bills. I’ll cut through red tape to build and fast-track new solar and battery storage projects, streamline nuclear upgrades, and modernize existing natural gas facilities to make them cleaner and more efficient.Where is your favorite place to relax and spend time in New Jersey?I love relaxing down the Shore or hiking at the Delaware Water Gap.What’s the most repeated song on your playlist? Can you remember your first concert? Your last concert?“I Wonder” by Rodriguez. My first concert was Genesis and my most recent concert was Pink.Why don’t people trust politicians? Are there any concrete steps you would take to reduce the influence of political party bosses in Trenton?There is not enough transparency and accountability in Trenton. I have never been afraid to take on my own party or entrenched special interests to deliver for New Jerseyans. We can help build trust between New Jerseyans and their leaders by expanding access to participation in the political process, which is why I have supported office-block ballots [without party labels], same-day voter registration, expanded early-voting sites, and getting dark money out of politics. I also believe we need greater transparency in government, particularly in our budget process.Can you name a book of fiction you read the past year? Would you recommend it?The Dispatcher by John Scalzi. It’s a fun beach read, near-future mystery, and I would definitely recommend it!If you had to choose a cartoon character as running mate, who would it be and why?Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender—he doesn’t take himself too seriously, but has great power and uses it with care to help the vulnerable.Party: DemocraticLives in: MontclairPolitical position: U.S. Representative, 11th DistrictPre-political life: Federal prosecutor and Navy pilotOn day one: Sherrill has promised to declare a state of emergency on utility costs and freeze New Jerseyans’ utility rates.Editor’s Note: These conversations have been edited and condensed for clarity. Both candidates were given an equal opportunity to respond to the same set of questions.Jeff Pillets is a freelance writer living in Trenton who has covered New Jersey for more than 25 years.The post Mikie Sherrill: An Interview With NJ’s 2025 Democratic Candidate for Governor appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a lifelong New Jersey resident and successful entrepreneur, spent decades as a faithful GOP moderate in the mold of Tom Kean Sr. and Christie Whitman. Running for governor of Blue Jersey in an era of political anxiety, he's focused less on MAGA and more on kitchen-table issues like property taxes and the Garden State's high cost of living.In November, voters will decide whether Jack Ciattarelli or Democrat Mikie Sherrill should succeed Phil Murphy and become New Jersey’s 57th governor. New Jersey Monthly, in an effort to help voters make an informed choice, questioned both candidates on some burning Garden State issues, as well as some lighter matters.NJM: If your opponent is elected, what will New Jersey look like in four years from now?Jack Ciattarelli: More unaffordable than it is today. She represents the status quo, and our state is headed in the wrong direction right now on many fronts.What group of Jerseyans will benefit most?The powerful special interests who control Trenton. That’s why they are funding her campaign.Who will be hurt most?The students locked into failing school systems.If you are elected, will you fight for the right of New Jerseyans to pump their own gas?No.Can you name one thing Donald Trump has done wrong for New Jersey?I don’t agree with the Administration’s current proposal to eliminate jobs at Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and have made that opposition clear. As governor, I will work with this president (and future ones) when they are right on issues important to New Jersey, while also have a productive working relationship that allows me to effectively fight on New Jersey’s behalf when the Administration gets it wrong.What’s your Wawa order?An Italian sub.What’s the first thing you will do as governor to make New Jersey more affordable?Lowering electricity bills by leveraging natural gas and nuclear power and lowering property taxes with a new school funding formula.Who is to blame for the high cost of living in this state?The Democrats have controlled the legislature for 25 years and the executive branch for the past eight years. Under their watch taxes, tolls, out of control spending, an irrational energy plan and rising electricity costs, and the failed school funding formula are the primary reasons for our high cost of living in New Jersey.Where is your favorite place to relax and spend time in New Jersey?Surf City on Long Beach Island.What’s the most repeated song on your playlist?Frank Sinatra version of “Fly Me to the Moon.”Can you remember your first concert?Billy Joel and Elton John at Giants Stadium.Your last concert?Billy Joel and Elton John at Giants Stadium.Why don’t people trust politicians?Because far too many are only worried about being reelected and using their office to enrich themselves.Are there any concrete steps you would take to reduce the influence of political party bosses in Trenton?Enact term limits for state legislators.Can you name a book of fiction you read the past year?I don’t usually read fiction, mostly biographies.If you had to choose a cartoon character as running mate, who would it be and why?Road Runner. He knows how to run. Beep beep!Party: RepublicanLives in: HillsboroughPolitical position: Former state Assembly memberPre-political life: CPA and businessmanOn day one: Ciattarelli has promised to get rid of the Immigrant Trust Directive, eliminating New Jersey’s sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants.Editor’s Note: These conversations have been edited and condensed for clarity. Both candidates were given an equal opportunity to respond to the same set of questions.Jeff Pillets is a freelance writer living in Trenton who has covered New Jersey for more than 25 years.The post Jack Ciattarelli: An Interview With NJ’s 2025 Republican Candidate for Governor appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_832157" align="alignnone" width="778"] Lisa Fitzgerald has learned to navigate life on one leg—while keeping a smile on her face. Photo: Chris Buck[/caption]A year after Lisa Fitzgerald lost her leg on the NJ Transit train tracks in Morristown, her megawatt smile has not dimmed. Sitting in a coffee shop in her hometown of Verona, her crutches propped against the wall, the raven-haired 31-year-old, in a red dress, is still upbeat after the horrific accident, when she fell into the path of an oncoming train. Since then, she has endured a painful recovery, two surgeries, and the arduous adjustment to life on one leg.Surviving an accident involving an oncoming train is exceedingly rare. Fitzgerald has been called the Miracle of Morristown by numerous media outlets, including the New York Post, People magazine, the Tamron Hall Show, and Pete Hegseth on Fox & Friends. The moniker fit, not just because she survived, but because of her remarkable courage and unrelenting cheerfulness.On May 4, 2024, Fitzgerald was running to catch a train at the Morristown station after visiting her brother, sister-in-law, and the couple’s new baby at their Morris Plains home. Somehow, she slipped and fell onto the tracks and into the path of a 60-ton commuter train. [An investigation is ongoing, and NJ Transit officials did not respond to requests for comment.]Her leg was immediately severed at the knee. The force of the impact spun her body around so she was on her stomach, watching another set of wheels rush toward her. By rolling onto her side and flattening her body against the platform wall until the train passed, she managed to escape with her life.But her ordeal was just beginning.With blood pouring out of her leg, she screamed for help. Nobody came. She waved to some people standing on the platform. Nobody responded.“It hit me then that it was up to me to get myself up onto the platform,” she says. “I had to find a way off the tracks; another train was coming.” But her remaining foot was broken, so she had to launch herself up from one knee. “I could barely reach the platform,” she says. Thanks to her athletic lifestyle, plus a lot of adrenaline, she managed to heave herself up and over the edge.Once on the platform, Fitzgerald, who’d trained as an EMT in college, knew she had to stanch the bleeding fast, but she couldn’t manage to get her shirt off to make a tourniquet. “I had no energy left,” she says. “So I just put my hands around my thigh and squeezed as tight as I could.”Eventually, a ticket collector ran for help and returned with Nico Hollain, a police officer he found in the train-station parking lot. Seeing Fitzgerald in a pool of blood, Hollain ran back to his car for a tourniquet. Luckily, about a month earlier, he had attended a tourniquet refresher class. He tied her leg at the thigh, called for backup, and with the help of Officer David Moran, got her into an ambulance.Fitzgerald’s legendary cheerfulness kicked in immediately despite the pain, which she describes as “excruciating.” According to Hollain, who rode with her in the ambulance, she joked about suddenly losing 15 pounds, and that her pedicures would now be half-price. “I told them, ‘I’m going to talk to you and joke with you for 30 seconds, then I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs in pain for 30 seconds,’” she says.“She was pretty much a champ,” says Hollain.Fitzgerald quickly endeared herself to the staff at Morristown Medical Center, too. She had emergency surgery to cauterize the wound when she arrived and, a few days later, surgery to amputate the leg above the knee, since the joint was too badly damaged to repair. (Above-knee amputations, known as AKs, are more challenging than below-knee amputations, since the loss of the knee joint significantly impacts mobility and prosthetic use.)The day after the amputation, a physical therapist came to try to help Fitzgerald stand. Fitzgerald had other ideas. Her mother had just texted that she’d arrived to visit. “I’m going to walk out on crutches to surprise my mom,” Fitzgerald told the therapist.“My mom was crying and cheering and laughing and smiling all at once,” she says.Though she’d been told to expect a hospital stay of three to six months, Fitzgerald’s lasted less than three weeks. During that time, her room was filled with family (she’s one of eight siblings), and often, they were celebrating.Fitzgerald turned 30 in the hospital, so her family tossed her a “glamputation”-themed party. “We had 60 people, friends and family, the whole staff. Nurses who were off their shifts came back to celebrate.”Then came Mother’s Day and her sister Samatha’s law school graduation. Samantha chose to spend it in the hospital room, in her robes, while the ceremony was livestreamed; when her name was called, her sister draped her sash over her shoulders.“They had to move me to a different room because we were getting noise complaints,” Fitzgerald says. “I felt terrible for the other patients, but I was never, ever, ever alone. I’m really lucky.” Her bandage changes were agonizing, but her brothers took turns squeezing her hands while she screamed.Back in Queens, where she’d moved just before the accident, Fitzgerald set a goal of walking a mile a day and learned to deal with constant pain, real and imagined.To her disappointment, 15 months later, she’s still on crutches, despite a typical timeline of three to six months to get a prosthetic limb. The problems began when her original prosthetist retired after months of measurements and fittings, which meant she had to start from scratch with a new one. When a new limb was finally produced in June, it fit poorly and had to be redone. The next one didn’t fit, either.“I’m very excited to be back on two feet again,” she says. “My right leg will be so happy to get some of the weight off.”Pain is still a constant. She has nerve pain, which doesn’t respond to painkillers, and phantom pain. She’s developed neuromas on her sciatic nerve that make it very painful to sit or lie down. Her wrists throb from the crutches. “I’m kind of used to the pain at this point. And nothing compares to the pain of the original incident, so comparatively, it’s not that bad,” she says. “But it’s all the time, all the time.”She has three more surgeries on the horizon. One, called TMR surgery, involves excising the neuromas, which are basically tangled nerves, untangling them, and re-attaching them to the femur (thigh bone). A second procedure will aim to straighten the femur where it was cut during the amputation. “It’s really crooked, and not where it should be in terms of healing. I can’t put any pressure on it, and it makes fitting the prosthetic difficult,” she says. Finally, her surgeon will reshape the bottom of her leg and remove some extra flesh to aid in fitting the new limb.Money is tight, and her debt is mounting. With “exhausting” PT sessions, endless medical appointments and red tape to navigate, plus difficulty sleeping because of the pain, she hasn’t been able to return to her job as a financial advisor in her family’s insurance company, Fitzgerald Wealth Group. “I just can’t hold a normal schedule,” she says. Yet disability services has twice denied her claim. Her GoFundMe account, which raised over $120,000 following the accident, is pretty much tapped out, she says.Fighting with disability services and her insurance company takes up a lot of time. The insurance company is balking at paying for anything more than a basic prosthetic leg.None of these setbacks, which she calls “bumps in the road,” have dampened her determination to “live my best life,” she says. “It’s just a constant flow of hiccups and successes, and eventually, everything’s going to work out. I’ve always had the mindset that a day being upset or pitying yourself is a day of progress that you waste.”She’s full of plans to return to the activities she loves, such as snowboarding, indoor rock climbing and surfing, and has found a climbing gym in Brooklyn and a snowboarding program in the Catskills that accommodate amputees. She’s had less luck with surfing programs, she says, “so I might just have to test it myself.” But returning to these sports requires a high-tech prosthetic limb that costs around $100,000 and must be replaced every few years.“I don’t like sitting still,” she says. “Before my accident, I traveled every month—Nashville, Florida, Montana, Yellowstone. I was surfing in Hawaii just before the accident. Now I’m getting back to doing everything I was before. I just got back from Florida. I babysit my niece and my nephew. I do Pilates and yoga and swim. Everything’s decently back to normalish.”Yoga has been particularly helpful in combatting the lower-back and hip pain common in AK amputees. Her sister Samantha got certified in amputee yoga to teach her sister.Fitzgerald has even found a nail salon willing to give her half-price pedicures.Always, she steers the conversation to the good that’s come from the accident. She’s bursting with excitement over the change she helped to inspire in her mother. “She’s a completely different person,” she says. “She’s gone from having trouble walking up stairs to a crazy fitness and wellness journey. She said seeing how I didn’t let anything stop me made her stop making excuses.”Perhaps it’s this forward-thinking mindset that has kept Fitzgerald from having flashbacks or bad dreams. A month after the accident, she was riding the subway again. Still, while waiting, “I’m very cautious,” she says. “I stand back against the wall, and my head’s on a swivel.” She looks away as the train approaches.People often call her for support and inspiration, and she’s begun giving talks about her journey. She speaks regularly with young trauma survivors at Morristown Medical Center, and will fly this fall to Kansas City to speak to a resilience organization.“If someone walks away thinking a little more positively, or their depression lifts a little, that’s what I want to accomplish,” she says.But, she admits, “everything’s not sunshine and rainbows. There are bad moments, and I get frustrated, and sometimes the pain is overbearing. But that’s a minority of the time.”“You have to look for the good and keep on moving. I don’t want to look back.”The post One Year Later: ‘Miracle of Morristown’ Talks Survival and Recovery After Getting Hit By a Train appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
It would take the most talented archivist years to catalogue the vast collection of Pingry School memorabilia covering almost every speck of space on the walls and floor of Miller Bugliari’s office.Included are team pictures, photos of the 90-year-old Bugliari with various sporting luminaries, plaques, pennants, framed news clippings, and other reminders of a 66-year career spent coaching soccer, teaching, fundraising and improving the lives of all those who intersected his orbit. One particular highlight is a framed mock Mob movie poster of Don Bugliari. His office is practically a museum.“He is the institutional memory of this place,” Pingry athletic director Carter Abbott says.On this steamy, late-July day, as construction continues outside on a new World Cup-caliber soccer field on campus, Bugliari is behind the mayhem on his desk, which contains piles of papers, many of the legal-pad variety, as well as his phone, which chirps four times during an hour-long visit.At one point, 2025 Pingry senior co-captain Harrison Hackett calls to check on plans for the team trip to London the following week, which includes Bugliari. The coach assures Hackett everything is ready and then issues a challenge. “Harrison, in two weeks, I’m going to ask you who should start this year. Don’t say, ‘I don’t know,’” Bugliari says.“I can give you the starting 11 right now,” Hackett replies. “And maybe even the backup 11.”Bugliari is pleased, but he can’t resist the last word.“Harrison, I don’t want you ahead of me. I want you with me.”[caption id="attachment_832081" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Photo: Christopher Lane[/caption]Thus ends one of the dozens of interactions Bugliari has daily at Pingry. He is coaching his 66th team and began the season with 952 career victories and six NJSIAA state championships. He has been named New Jersey Coach of the Year seven times and is a member of nine different halls of fame. His soccer contacts include national and international team coaches. But Bugliari’s impact on those whom he has coached, taught and mentored goes well beyond the legendary resume.“He changed me,” says Jeremy Goldstein (Class of 1991), who played for Bugliari. “I wanted to be great for him.”Goldstein arrived at Pingry, a top private school with campuses in Millburn, Basking Ridge and Pottersville, when his home life was difficult and he was often in trouble. Bugliari provided a firm hand and a counselor’s kindness, which helped Goldstein persevere and, later, thrive. “At a school where they really did take an interest in us, he was next-level,” Goldstein says.Bugliari is more than just the sporting father-figure cliché. He is equal parts influencer, consigliere, police officer and adviser. “His assistant coaches are like the mean dad telling you to eat your vegetables, and he’s the grandfather slipping you candy under the table,” says longtime assistant head coach David Fahey (1999), another former player.Bugliari has mellowed, but he was “a strict disciplinarian” on the sidelines for decades, according to Fahey. He presides over practice from a golf cart and allows his assistants to run the drills, but he meets with them daily to set the framework of the workouts. When he addresses players—whether individually or as a group—they listen. “He’ll still step out of the golf cart and demonstrate a defensive stance,” Fahey says.[caption id="attachment_832082" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Photo: Christopher Lane[/caption]Senior co-captain Akku Chanchal has received plenty of advice from Bugliari about his play, but Chanchal has been impacted more by the coach’s counsel.“He’s almost a larger-than-life figure, but he doesn’t act like one,” Chanchal says. “If you see him in the hall, he’ll pat you on the back and ask how it’s going. He’ll always remind you to come see him. If you don’t for a couple of weeks, he’ll send a friendly email saying, ‘Is there a kid named Akku who still goes to this school and plays soccer? I haven’t seen him.’”If Bugliari happens to notice Goldstein walking across campus on one of his regular visits, he won’t hesitate to tease him. “I’ll be 50 feet away and will hear, ‘Morris Catholic throw-in,’” Goldstein says.In the 1989 state semifinal against Morris Catholic, Goldstein’s throw was intercepted and brought in for a goal.Bugliari remembers just about everybody who played for him, and he delights in needling them, although “you can only do it with certain people,” he admits.Greenwich Country Day School head Adam Rohdie, who taught, coached soccer and was an administrator at Pingry from 1989 to 2004, appreciates Bugliari’s barbs. “He is definitely a character,” Rohdie says. “He has a great sense of humor.”[caption id="attachment_832083" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Photo: Christopher Lane[/caption]Bugliari’s father died when he was 10, and he attended Pingry on a scholarship. “They supported me when I needed it,” he says. He uses soccer to help others experience the school. “He’s the reason I came to Pingry,” Fahey says. Bugliari has raised considerable funds for financial aid for students. When the school threw a 90th birthday celebration for him in May, he enjoyed the event, but was most happy that it raised $6 million for scholarships.Bugliari graduated from Pingry in 1952 and studied science and physical education at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he played striker on the soccer team. He joined the Army Signal Corps after graduating and stayed on part-time until 1963. After teaching science at South Plainfield Middle School for a year, he returned to Pingry in 1959 to teach biology and serve as assistant soccer coach. A year later, the team was his.Rohdie says Bugliari was “ahead of his time” during his early days as a coach. As Pingry began to win, players from all over central New Jersey migrated to the program. “It sort of fed on itself,” Rohdie says.Bugliari is the all-time winningest coach in New Jersey, but he is not the winningest soccer coach in the country. That distinction belongs to Terry Michler, who won 1,070 games in Missouri from 1969 to 2024. But Michler doesn’t have Bugliari’s connections.“Michler can’t pick up his phone and call [former U.S. men’s national team coaches] Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley,” Fahey says.Though he “can’t do quite as much as he used to,” Bugliari still travels around the country to meet alumni and solicit donations. He is on the sidelines for games and practices. Thanks to Bugliari’s close relationship with New Jersey soccer legend Charlie Stillitano, Pingry has the highest-quality fields and serves as a practice facility for club and national teams—like the U.S. women’s national side, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.“Anybody who plays at MetLife [Stadium] or Sports Illustrated Stadium wants to train here,” Fahey says.But Bugliari doesn’t act like a big shot. He’ll assist anyone, from the former soccer player turned football kicker who needs help with his form on a blazing summer afternoon to the Pingry student with trepidation about his pending college journey. That’s why 500 people showed up at his birthday party.“It felt like the whole East Coast was there,” Chanchal says.Bugliari wants to keep coaching. More importantly, he wants to continue building relationships. “I try to make sure people know I’m there if they need me,” Bugliari says of students, alumni and faculty. “Some kids don’t think they need anybody, but it’s nice to have someone to help who cares about you.”There are moments when he wonders if it’s time to stop. “If I’m driving home, sometimes I’ll ask myself if I’m enjoying it as much,” Bugliari says. The answer is almost always yes.Bugliari continues to feed his legacy. Often, he’ll look at one of the many photos in his office and think about a former player. “Not win-loss, but I’ll wonder what they’re doing now,” he says.It’s all part of the rich tapestry of a career spent in the service of others.“My dad died when I was 25,” Fahey says. “Miller has sort of become a father to me.” He’s not alone.Michael Bradley is a writer who lives in suburban Philadelphia and is an assistant professor at Villanova University.The post Meet NJ’s History-Making, 90-Year-Old High School Soccer Coach appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_831955" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Taylor Callery[/caption]It was a typical Sunday at Rowan University. In the dorms, in the library, and in the dining hall, clusters of students, mostly young men, were deep in study. With smartphones in hand, or hovering over their laptops, they ranged over subjects like statistics, probability, accounting and finance.But these students weren’t cramming for finals. They were prepping for NFL game day and getting ready to place their bets.“It’s like all around you, everywhere you go on campus, there are guys with their phones out talking about the latest line,’’ says Paige Britt, 22, a recent graduate from Rowan who says she grew to despise all the betting talk and sports-watching parties. “It was a way of life for some guys.’’College-campus betting, and youth gambling in general, is a growing phenomena across the state. School counselors and others with insight into the issue say the trend is fueled by the spread of legal sports betting and the rise of commercial “sports books” like DraftKings and FanDuel.For college students, many living away from home for the first time, the lure of sports-book and online betting has proven to be a pathway to addiction. Some campuses in New Jersey now offer counseling tailored to wayward young bettors. Lawmakers in Trenton have also introduced a wave of legislation to restrict sports-book advertising on college campuses.“Ads for sports betting on a college campus are not only not necessary, they can have a huge impact on vulnerable young people,’’ says state Senator Paul D. Moriarty, a Democrat from Gloucester County who serves on the Senate Higher Education Committee. “Compulsive gambling is becoming a serious issue on campuses.’’Many young Jerseyans who like to gamble say they do it for the fun of amicable competition with friends. Others say trolling the sports books and online gaming sites brings back happy childhood memories of watching the NFL on Sunday or college football on a crisp autumn afternoon with their families.Evan Valentini of Lake Hopatcong, 32, says he grew up watching games with his two brothers and his dad, who would often lay down small bets through the neighborhood bookie. Later on, Valentini and his buddies took to betting on pro golf, which became a passion.He recalls one outing with friends at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, where the PGA was staging a playoff tournament.“We were betting on everything, like first-round leader, second-round leader, even what score guys might shoot on individual golf holes,’’ he says. “Like, who would score better on the par-3s, Tony Finau or Jordan Spieth? Yeah, we bet that.’’Today, Valentini says, he and his friends might lay out $150 on a basketball game on any given Friday night. But luckily, he says, he’s managed to steer clear of costly compulsive gambling, which he’s seen destroy others.“It’s really out there. It’s really happening on college campuses big time,’’ he says. “When you’re that young, and you can make instant bets on your phone, it’s easy to get in over your head. All you really need is a cell phone and a credit card, basically.’’Aidan Dougherty, a recent graduate of Rowan University who studied communications and media, hopes to be a sports broadcaster one day. He’s spending his summer traveling around the country in what he calls a play-by-play-camp, where budding announcers get experience calling real games. Dougherty says the path to compulsive gambling these days is filled with young men who love sports and socialize by watching games and making bets. He says he made his first legal bet last summer, when he lost $10 on a pro-baseball bet involving Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa. After that, he became a regular user of sports-book apps and began betting on football and basketball in addition to baseball.One day, exulting after winning $600 on one bet, he realized how quickly the betting bug can enter the bloodstream.“Yeah, it was easy to see how people can get into trouble, and fast,’’ he says. “In college, I saw it myself. I saw kids lose thousands (of dollars) in big bets. The whole atmosphere when you’re in school, sitting around betting with friends, is definitely dangerous; you lose control.’’Last fall, a group of mental-health professionals met in Princeton to discuss the increasing toll that online gambling has taken on young people and their families. Everyone came with stories about how college kids and other young adults are being damaged by the explosion of interest in sports betting and legal Internet gaming.They talked about the ubiquity of ads spreading across television and the Internet for legal sports books, like Draft Kings and FanDuel, online betting platforms that offer a galaxy of instant bets and designer parlays on everything from Major League Baseball and the NFL to niche sports like table tennis and rugby, in addition to casino-gaming options like slots, blackjack and roulette.They also discussed how the social gatherings of college-aged men around the big game have become occasions for online betting. Casino nights and poker tournaments, they say, have become popular events on campus, often sponsored by fraternities or other campus organizations.Online gambling, both legal and illegal, has exploded in popularity, and college-aged adults have grown adept at navigating offshore betting sites that are not subject to any state regulation.The experts talk about some alarming numbers: In 2024, a Fairleigh Dickinson Poll found an increase in problem gambling in New Jersey among young men, compared with the general population. Ten percent of men aged 18-30 experienced problem gambling, compared with 3 percent of the general population, the poll found.A higher percentage of young men bet on sports online at 26 percent compared to 10 percent of the general population.The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey reported a nearly 300 percent increase in calls to its 800-GAMBLER helpline since New Jersey legalized sports betting in 2018. The majority of those seeking help were young people, mostly young men.Research conducted by the council in partnership with students at the College of New Jersey found that young people are highly susceptible to social pressure from parents and older siblings for whom betting is a family tradition. More than three in four students say they were introduced to gambling between the ages of 6 and 16 through family trips to casinos, buying scratch-off lottery tickets at convenience stores, or betting with their fathers on big NFL games.At college, the betting seed planted in the family can sprout dramatically among competitive young men who like sports and are not afraid to take risks, especially in gatherings with drinking and drug use, experts say.“No doubt, this combination is a recipe to potentially develop a gambling problem,’’ according to the Council on Compulsive Gambling. “Research has indicated that adolescents have a significantly higher incidence of disordered gambling than adults.’’Lia Nower is director for the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University School of Social Work. Once a working attorney who served stints as both a prosecutor and a public defender, Nower left the law to become a counselor for addicted gamblers and eventually got her PhD in social work.She has spent the last 20 years studying the dynamics of addiction and the toll gambling takes on families. Young people are the unwitting targets of sophisticated gambling marketers who hook them with smartphone apps that offer in-game betting on every aspect of a game, she says.Sports-betting apps, she says, combine the allure of social media with the thrill of betting, allowing users to bet against their friends in real time.“It starts with bets against your buddies—not for money, but for points, so kids are groomed into the lingo of betting and the vibe of it,’’ Nower says. “Before you know it, kids are trading their points for cash and losing real money.’’For years, legal gaming in New Jersey was the exclusive province of Atlantic City casinos, which experts say tended to draw middle-aged and older people. Later, in a bid to attract younger customers, casinos convinced the state to allow online gaming in the form of all the traditional table games, from craps to blackjack.But with the legalization of sports betting in 2018—New Jersey was among the first in the nation to do so—young men started gambling in droves. Nower’s research confirmed a major demographic shift to young people who followed pro and college sports or competed themselves.“It was the perfect setup for sports-book firms,” Nower says.“Young people are always on their phones and with their friends on social media,” she says. In college, they are away from home and the strictures of the family for the first time. They’re exposed to a flood of advertising. The result is a whole new market for internet gaming and sports betting, and a wave of college students who have suddenly become compulsive gamblers.“It’s kind of a silent epidemic,” Nower says. “If you abuse substances, you can’t hide it forever, and sooner or later, everyone finds out. With gambling, you can hide it on your phone, in your pocket, and you can gamble away the house, the car and everything you own, and your partner and kids have no idea.’’The sports-betting companies are not the only beneficiaries of the gaming boom sucking in so many young people. The state of New Jersey derives a substantial amount of revenue from legal gambling through various taxes and fees. In 2024, New Jersey’s total gambling revenue, encompassing online gambling, sports betting and land-based casinos, reached a record $6.30 billion, state records show.In January 2024 alone, total gaming revenue reached $559.1 million—a 28 percent jump from the same month in 2023. Internet gaming grew by 19.9 percent, but the real standout was sports wagering, which surged by 136.1 percent.While no one in Trenton is talking about killing the golden revenue goose, lawmakers are hustling to get a grip on the downside.In July, Governor Phil Murphy approved a new law that prohibits any public college from forming a marketing partnership with sports books like DraftKings and FanDuel. The new law comes after the University of Colorado Boulder and PointsBet, an international gambling company, ended a 2023 deal that included $1.6 million to promote sports gambling on campus.Such deals have now been condemned by industry trade groups working with lawmakers to limit sports book marketing at colleges.“There’s a lot more we can be doing,’’ says state Senator Moriarty. “There’s a crazy amount of money being spent on sports books now. It’s bad for the integrity of the games. It’s terrible for the young people who get drawn into it.’’Moriarty says he and his staff are working on major new legislation, to be introduced this fall, that would curtail the spread of sports-book apps and so-called microbetting, which takes place within games. Microbets are being placed on every conceivable aspect of a game, from the number of strikes and balls the starting pitcher will throw to the number of rushing first downs a football team might make in the first quarter.“Is the next pitch going to be a fastball or a curve? You can bet on it,’’ Moriarty says. “It’s ridiculous. It preys on people, especially young ones. Lawmakers are always trying to catch up to technology. But in this case, we’re way behind.’’Jeff Pillets is a freelance writer living in Trenton who has covered New Jersey for more than 25 years.The post Gambling Addiction Among NJ College Students Is Skyrocketing appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Roger León grew up the son of immigrants, a welfare recipient, and, perhaps most importantly, a Newark kid with big dreams. Now, as superintendent of the city’s schools, he leads a district filled with kids who grew up like him. As superintendent, he oversees more than 40,000 students and over 3,000 teachers—that’s 18 high schools, 42 elementary schools and 5 specialized schools. In a district that is majority Latino, León is the first ever Latino superintendent.Seven years after León was named superintendent at age 49, the Newark school system still faces a host of challenges. On the flip side, it has also seen the highest enrollment growth out of any of the 78 largest urban school districts in the country, and chronic absenteeism is on the decline.“I like to think of a superintendent as a person that actually helps the dreams of children become real,” León says. “In turn, I ask my students to dream big.”León’s story started out like that of many Newark residents. His parents came to the city from Cuba in the 1960s. They divorced when León was a toddler, leaving his mother, who didn’t speak English and had no family in the country, to care for him and his three older sisters. Government assistance supported León into his young adult life, but his greatest beacon of hope was education.“My mom taught us that an education was the most important thing that we could receive and achieve,” he says. “It was always about having high expectations for ourselves.”After coming up through the Newark schools and receiving degrees at Rutgers and Montclair State, León returned home. He taught fifth grade at Hawkins Street School, one of his alma maters, and coached the championship debate team at Science Park High School before teaching algebra at Rafael Hernández Elementary School. He then quickly rose through the ranks of the administration as principal of Dr. William H. Horton School and University High School of the Humanities, before serving as assistant schools superintendent.León began his tenure as superintendent during a momentous time for the Newark public schools. Twenty-five years after an investigation that revealed safety issues and obsolete curricula led to a state takeover, control of the schools would be returning to local officials.It was a fresh start for Newark’s public schools, and León jumped at the opportunity. Under his leadership, the board of education facilitated the transition to local control and crafted an ambitious 10-year strategic plan. A greater focus on early childhood development and education, more teachers and reduced chronic absenteeism are the immediate goals, but the ultimate objective is to have graduates return to Newark and contribute to the community.The superintendent says he enjoys frequent communication with students and parents, calling his quarterly meetings with them the most rewarding part of his job. He also says teachers, students, parents and community members were heavily involved in crafting the 10-year plan. “They enable me to have a quality-control check to assess to what degree we’re actually doing what I’m saying we’re doing,” León says.His tenure hasn’t been without its bumps. Parents felt they weren’t well-enough informed about his contract renewal in 2022; he’s also been criticized for the district’s use of funds and low student academic performance. Some have also condemned charter school closures under León.The criticism comes as the majority of Newark students are still performing below grade-level proficiency in core subjects. León acknowledges the need to raise test scores, but also stresses that exam results aren’t a direct indicator of a student’s proficiency in reading and other areas.As Newark embarks on the second half of its 10-year plan, León’s mission remains focused. “We want to change the trajectory of our students’ lives so they can be agents of change and help make not only our city, but our state and the country even better,” he says.The post Newark Superintendent Roger León Serves Kids Who Grew Up Like He Did appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Jessica Navarro Davalos, the Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey’s Youth of the Year, started spending time at the Paterson and Passaic Boys & Girls Club when she was in middle school. Her parents, immigrants from Peru who worked as a cashier and a carpenter, enrolled her in the club’s after-school program. The first hour was devoted to homework, and that emphasis on education made a big impression on her.By the time she was in seventh grade, Navarro Davalos was helping tutor neighborhood kids, and eventually formed a free tutoring nonprofit, STARS NJ.“I got to help many kids, especially kids who didn’t really know English,” she says. In high school, she was a student-leader intern at the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic and participated in its summer camp, aquatics program and resource development team.She was named the 2025 New Jersey State Youth of the Year and awarded a $12,500 scholarship at a ceremony at Montclair State University in May. She was chosen from among 16 finalists from different clubs across the state. She’s now a freshman at Northeastern University.The New Jersey Boys & Girls Clubs also awarded the Military Youth of the Year Award to Briahnee Coulanges of Burlington. Coulanges grew up in Georgia with her mom, sisters and grandmother while her father, a U.S. Army soldier, was stationed overseas. They eventually moved to New Jersey, where she joined the Boys & Girls Club at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and is now president of its leadership program, the Keystone Club. A high school junior, Coulanges received a $6,000 scholarship.The post Exceptional NJ Teens Named Boys & Girls Clubs’ Youth of the Year appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
When Courtney Capogrosso lost her husband, Matthew, in 2023, her world began to unravel. With two young children at home, the then 46-year-old had little time to grieve and heal. She was in unfamiliar territory without a playbook.What saved her was the support showered on her and her family by the New York Jets organization, for which her husband had been director of football systems for 15 years. “They said, ‘We’ll never leave Courtney and the twins,’ and they haven’t to this day,” says Capogrosso, who lives in Chester.Driven by how much the gestures from Gang Green helped her, Capogrosso founded the nonprofit One Yard at a Time in 2024. The organization’s mission is simple: to provide NFL experiences—tickets to games, merch, food and drinks—to widows and their families.“It’s so much more than just an NFL game,” she says. “It brings people together. It’s really about the whole experience, win or lose.”Friends and family can refer a widow by visiting oneyardatatime.org, and the organization will coordinate a game day; participating teams have included the New York Jets and Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Families receive a One Yard Box, complete with team merch, VIP parking passes, and gift cards for food and drinks at the stadium. Kendra Scott, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. contribute merchandise for the boxes and/or donate to the organization.Capogrosso aims to help widows in a more sweeping way, too. She’s advocated for state lawmakers to recognize International Widow’s Day on June 23, and the bill recently passed both houses of the Legislature. “When you think of a widow, you probably think of a grandma. But I’m in my forties, and there are so many of us out there,” she says.Much of the nonprofit’s funding comes from donations and an annual wine-tasting fundraiser that takes place this year on September 20. The event, hosted by Rebel Sheep Wine Co. on its farm in Chester, includes activities for kids such as a corn maze, playground and gem sifting.“When you become a widow, you’re given a book and told to go to therapy,” Capogrosso says. “I wanted to bring a little joy and say, ‘It’s okay to smile again.'”The post NJ Widow’s Nonprofit Gifts NFL Joy to Grieving Families appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_830666" align="alignnone" width="778"] Rich Scarpignato, president of the South Jersey Metal Detecting Club, prepares for a day of searching. Photo: James J. Connolly[/caption]Metal detecting is part of Garden State history. Alexander Graham Bell, whose Bell Telephone Company and Bell Labs were long located here, invented the first metal detector in 1881 following an assassination attempt on President James A. Garfield. Garfield died that September in Elberon (Monmouth County) of sepsis and an infection caused by the lodged bullet. Bell had scrambled to locate the bullet with his new device, but the metal springs in Garfield’s bed kept registering false positives.Metal detecting grew in sophistication and popularity in military circles, then for hobbyists everywhere after Charles Garrett founded the first large-scale metal-detecting-equipment manufacturing company. Years later, the BBC TV show Detectorists (2014-2022) injected further interest.Members of New Jersey’s metal-detecting clubs are history buffs, collectors, and, yes, gold diggers, now that gold prices have climbed to their highest points in history. With permission and cooperation, they’re covering ground and uncovering treasure. There are the Mid Jersey Research & Recovery Club that meets in Hamilton Township; the South Jersey Metal Detecting Club in Audubon; the East Coast Research and Discovery Association in Pompton Plains; and the Deep Search Metal Detecting Club in Edison.It’s an enjoyable, and sometimes profitable, outdoor activity centered on detecting at beaches, rivers, woods, farms and parks. “If it’s buried, our members search for it,” says Joe Jorgensen, president of the East Coast Research and Discovery Association, which has 80 members.[caption id="attachment_830689" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: James J. Connolly[/caption]Because of its shorelines and some 5,000 reported shipwrecks, not to mention beach-goers who are careless with jewelry, Jersey is a great state for metal detecting. Inland finds include artifacts associated with the Lenni-Lenape and Dutch settlers who lived on our soils; Revolutionary War battles that were waged here; and turnpikes connecting Philadelphia to New York that ran through New Jersey going back to the 1820s.What does it take to join one of these clubs? A collector’s curiosity for the lure of possibly finding a historical relic—an old coin, shoe or belt buckle, button, bullet or ring. “You don’t need to be an expert, but with practice comes experience,” says Port Norris’s Rich Scarpignato, the South Jersey Metal Detecting Club president whose wife and club treasurer, Andrea Glazier, bought him his Garrett AT Max as a Christmas gift.If you’re not a collector, you become one. “Kids especially get excited,” he says. “It’s the thrill of the hunt and the excitement in what you find.” The club, which has more than 100 members, began in 1972.[caption id="attachment_830688" align="alignnone" width="778"] Scarpignato discovered this rare coin on his first hunt more than 10 years ago. It took him a week to clean, with water and Q-Tips. Photo: James J. Connolly[/caption]Scarpignato’s best find was on his maiden hunt a decade ago: an 1809 large cent error coin with an 1810 overstamp. He detected it in East Durham, New York, at the Blackthorne Resort, which hosts a Father’s Day weekend hunt on participating private properties. Graded AU (about uncirculated) with environmental damage, he values the find at $2,000-$2,500. “It may have been in one person’s hand and dropped where I found it,” he says.Club vice President Andrew Ciffer, a resident of Budd Lake, unearthed a Jersey Copper coin (circa 1786-1790) in a farm field in Chester. He was also part of a team that excavated the treasure-filled midden, or trash pit, at the former Mandeville Inn property in Pequannock Township.As for the dos and don’ts of digging up other people’s dirt, laws can be proprietary. Generally, state parks are off limits for metal detecting, though obtaining a permit is possible. National parks are no-nos. The federal Archeological Resources Protection Act aims to preserve items of historical and cultural significance by prohibiting the removal of century-old man-made objects from federal public ground, but it doesn’t apply to private property where, with permission, finds (and profits) are often split at the owner’s discretion. Respectful detectorists provide insurance proof, releasing liability for injury to members or equipment, and leave properties as found.[caption id="attachment_830687" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: James J. Connolly[/caption]Some hobbyists encourage co-hunting to build camaraderie. Others are competitive, saving “honey-holes” for themselves. Some share videos—like Deep Search Metal Detecting Club president Tim Lynch and his wife, Kathy, on their YouTube channel, Team Lynch B.M.D.—but others won’t even post pictures, fearful that even sand color and grains might give away locations.“Most of us just compete against ourselves to improve our finds,” says Tim, a former scuba diver who lives in Brick and works as a senior operator at a sewage plant, while Kathy, the club’s vice president, is a retired teacher who still substitutes.Often, club members conduct fund-raising hunts in conjunction with historical sites like Rebecca’s Homestead in Wantage; Wallisch Homestead, a West Milford historic farm; or the Old Danish Home in Edison, where a Revolutionary War button was uncovered last August and displayed. “Our idea is to save history,” says Tim Lynch, whose 100-member club formerly met at the 1804 Franklin Schoolhouse in Metuchen before moving to the modern Edison First Aid Squad building. “We’re going to have to bring the history there.”Other than uncovering history or cashing in on the dollar value of precious-metal content, there’s also the fulfillment of introducing others to the hobby—intentionally or not.Marti Davis, whose calling card promises a neat, responsible and dedicated searcher, recounts one recent Mid Jersey Research & Recovery Club meeting that included finds, desserts and a raffle. One visitor arrived having mistaken the meeting for another and “was so intrigued, he signed himself and his daughters up,” she says.She shared “a super-cool two-piece metal lion” bank she discovered. She named it after the New Jersey town where it was buried, Cecil, which in her research resurrected the sad, decade-old story of Cecil the lion in Africa. Known to villagers as a gentle giant, Cecil was set up by an unscrupulous guide to be hunted by a rich American. Worldwide outrage ensued, and trophy hunting was scrutinized. “I’m humbled to name my little lion after such an icon as Cecil,” Davis says.J.F. Pirro is a longtime journalist and retired teacher. He lives in a 1780 farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.The post NJ Metal Detectorists Scour Beaches, Rivers and Farms for Buried Treasure appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_828923" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Taylor Callery[/caption]It’s Sunday, October 27, 1985, in Berkeley Heights. The usual suburban sounds of birds chirping and neighbors chatting are drowned out by a chorus of some 200 protestors at Little Flower Church. The demonstrators’ grievance: Their township and parish are being infiltrated by what they view as a cult.The organization in question, People of Hope, thrived in North Jersey from the late 1970s to the early ’90s. What started as a charismatic prayer group became the subject of abuse allegations and national news headlines.Karen Ann Coburn was a Cranford teenager whose mother was briefly involved with the organization in its early days. In her recent podcast, Shadow of Hope, the writer attempts to bring this cryptic piece of Jersey history to light. “I had been a journalist, and in the back of my head all those years, I thought, There’s a story there,” Coburn says.People of Hope was founded as a prayer group by a Newark priest and eventually opened chapters across New Jersey with members as far away as Long Island. At its height, the community had unofficial estimates of 3,000 members, who were encouraged to sell their homes and relocate to Berkeley Heights, and later Warren Township, to be closer to community leaders.But as People of Hope grew, so did evidence of a disturbing culture of control, Coburn alleges in her podcast. Accounts from former members and documents from the Seton Hall University archives reveal that People of Hope instructed parents to use physical discipline on infants and suggested withholding food as punishment. Strict gender roles were upheld, requiring girls to wear skirts and discouraging fathers from attending the births of their children. Sexual abuse allegations were leveled against leaders. Author Margaret Atwood has cited the group, whose community coordinators’ wives were called handmaids, as part of her inspiration for the 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale and the Hulu series based on the book.As the 1980s came to a close, People of Hope’s membership dwindled. The organization still exists, and was recognized by the Archdiocese of Newark in 2006. Though the group looks much different than its 20th-century version, many of its original members still feel the effects of its history. People of Hope declined to comment for this article.Coburn has little memory of her short time with the organization beyond a prayer meeting she attended at 14 where members spoke in tongues and girls played flutes.Still, the seed was planted in her mind. Inspired by investigative nonfiction podcasts like S-Town and This American Life, Coburn wanted to apply a similar format to a story from the Garden State. In her interviews on Shadow of Hope, she tries to humanize the New Jerseyans who were affected by the group. “I’m on a lifelong quest to redeem New Jersey and take it back from all the jokes,” says Coburn. “I want people to hear a Jersey accent and then hear that these are intelligent, compassionate and interesting people.”Ultimately, Coburn’s goal was to shine a light on high-control groups and create empathy for those who find themselves in their grasp. “We all have to remain vigilant to protect our freedom of thought, because there are real consequences to that,” she says.The post Podcast Goes Inside the Troubling World of an Accused NJ Cult appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_829381" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo[/caption]Pop singer Connie Francis, a Newark native who became the first solo female artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, died Wednesday. She was 87.Francis rose to fame in the late 1950s with her recording of the 1920s song “Who’s Sorry Now?”, which catapulted her to No. 4 on the charts. She reached No. 1 in 1960 with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” becoming the first woman vocalist to do so. Two more No. 1 hits followed: “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” the same year and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” in 1962. She also snagged more than a dozen top-10 hits, including “Stupid Cupid” (1958) and “Where the Boys Are” (1961), the latter becoming one of her most enduring ballads.Just this spring, Francis’s 1960s B-side track "Pretty Little Baby" saw a massive resurgence, going viral on TikTok six decades after its release. In May, Francis reacted to the news on Facebook: “My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 1961 recording ‘Pretty Little Baby,’” she wrote. Her publicist and record-label president, Rob Roberts, had informed her of her “viral hit”—a term she didn’t understand. “Clearly out of touch with present day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: ‘What's that?’” she continued. “Thank you everyone!”Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in 1937, Francis spent her early years in Brooklyn before her family moved back to New Jersey, where they lived in Newark’s Ironbound section and later Belleville. Francis attended Newark Arts High School for a few years before transferring to Belleville High School, where she graduated in 1955.Following in the footsteps of solo female vocalists of the 1950s, like Rosemary Clooney, Francis also helped pave the way for the girl groups of the 1960s, like the Shirelles and Supremes. Fellow Belleville native Peggy Santiglia Ricker, of the Delicates and Angels, posted a tribute on Facebook Thursday morning. Francis’s death “fills me with a mix of sadness and gratitude,”she wrote. “…[S]he was a shining star in my formative years growing up in Belleville NJ. To think that an Italian-American girl who graduated from my high school attained worldwide fame fueled my young dreams of becoming a recording artist and showed me that anything is possible.”She added that Francis’s father—who had been deeply involved in both his daughter’s musical career and personal life—often picked up Ricker and brought her to his New York City office so she could work on her own songs and demos, “giving me invaluable experiences.” And she recalled the “thrill” of riding on a Columbus Day float with her fellow Delicates members and Francis: “[S]he was the Queen, and we were the princesses, feeling like we were on top of the world.”Francis is currently portrayed by Gracie Lawrence in the Broadway musical Just in Time, which stars Jonathan Groff as crooner Bobby Darin, with whom Francis was romantically involved early in her career.Despite Francis’s far-reaching success—she is estimated to have sold more than 200 million records worldwide—she was not inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during her lifetime. She was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 at a 2017 ceremony held at Asbury Park's Convention Hall.The post Connie Francis, New Jersey’s First Lady of Pop, Dies at 87 appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_829421" align="alignnone" width="778"] John Seabrook’s new book, The Spinach King, documents his family’s onetime empire. Photo: Erin Patrice O'Brien[/caption]Who knew that a vegetable farm in South Jersey was once the setting of intrigue, gangsters, celebrities and the Ku Klux Klan?In The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, author John Seabrook describes growing up in the leafy shadow of Seabrook Farms in Cumberland County and assesses his family’s influence on New Jersey and on his own life. “I was so little and didn’t know what was happening at the time when all this stuff was happening,” Seabrook tells New Jersey Monthly. “It’s a huge shock when you realize that maybe your parents aren’t really telling you the truth.”Among the hidden stories he unearthed about the farm, Seabrook found Klan meetings, tales of Hollywood starlet Eva Gabor, who skinny-dipped in the family’s pool, and rivers of alcohol.The Spinach King is Seabrook’s fifth book, but it’s by far his most personal. “It was a lifelong project, and it’s about my life,” he says. “It’s a unique experience, you know—not like handing people just a book, but my life.” In the process of writing and researching the book, Seabrook discovered more ugliness than he had expected.There was the 1934 strike by farm workers, to which his grandfather and uncles had responded with violence. There were financial dealings that skirted the edge of the law. There were lawsuit-related pre-trial interviews in which John Seabrook’s father described his grandfather as “an addict, a predator, and a paterfamilias who seemed to hate his own flesh and blood.”HOW IT BEGANIt all started when farming in New Jersey was a simple operation, with most crops driven to market in New York and Philadelphia the day they were picked. John Seabrook’s great-great-grandfather purchased 13 acres of farmland in South Jersey about a decade before the bucolic nickname “Garden State” was bestowed in 1876.The first Seabrook was a failure as a farmer; when he died, no gravestone was erected. But succeeding generations built a farming and food empire that, at its height, provided about one-third of the nation’s frozen vegetables. Along the way, a series of Seabrook fathers and sons battled and betrayed one another, even as their family business depended on and profited from the image of a happy, healthy household at the heart of it all.Seabrook Farms wasn’t simply an agricultural powerhouse. When Life magazine covered the enterprise in January 1955, the article described it as “the biggest vegetable factory on Earth.” At the peak of its success, Seabrook Farms sprawled over 50,000 acres and employed around 5,000 workers. The company’s frozen creamed spinach was the quintessential labor-saver for mid-century American housewives. As the farm became a brand, Seabrook writes, its reputation rested on “family, freshness and domestic modernity.”[caption id="attachment_828412" align="alignnone" width="778"] C.F. Seabrook Photo: Arthur Rothstein, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division[/caption]The farm began to flourish when C.F. Seabrook, the author’s grandfather, bought out his own father (likely in a predatory deal) and then invested in and took advantage of advances in irrigation, quick-drying, and other technologies that allowed for vast improvements in production. C.F. studied how Henry Ford and other industrialists used both mechanical and social engineering to squeeze the highest possible profits out of a notoriously fickle business. It didn’t hurt, John Seabrook points out, that Americans in the 1910s were newly aware of the health benefits of eating vegetables, and those who had flocked to cities wanted to be able to eat lettuce and tomatoes, even though they no longer grew them at home.A COMPANY TOWNBy 1920, C. F. had expanded his realm, forming a road-building company to create the transportation infrastructure needed for his crops to reach their expanding markets; in 1920, he was appointed as a New Jersey highway commissioner (and promptly awarded a top contract to himself).Over the next several decades, Seabrook became more than just a major local employer; it was a company town, housing hundreds of workers and schooling their children (most of whom also worked in the fields). People who came to work on the farm included African Americans heading north for a chance to live outside the strictures of Jim Crow, Estonians fleeing a chaotic Europe under the Displaced Persons Act, and a large number of Japanese Americans who had been sent to internment camps during World War II.[caption id="attachment_828420" align="alignnone" width="778"] Jack Seabrook inspecting plants on the farm. Photo: Arthur Rothstein, Library of Congress[/caption]The author’s own father, Jack, had benefited from growing up a Seabrook, he writes. “He dressed in the finest British tailoring, served only the best French wines, and drove a stagecoach and four vanilla-colored horses along the country roads that ran through his Jersey estate, like an English duke.” He rubbed elbows with high society in Philadelphia and New York and dated actresses, including Eva Gabor. Jack Seabrook met his second wife (John’s mother) aboard the ship carrying Grace Kelly and her family to Monaco for her wedding to Prince Rainier in 1956. Dashing, wealthy Jack was a guest of the Kellys; his future wife, Elizabeth, was a newspaper columnist covering the event.[caption id="attachment_828413" align="alignnone" width="778"] The actress Eva Gabor, who dated Jack Seabrook, with Seabrook Farms products. Photo: Courtesy of the Seabrook family[/caption]Then, in 1959, the year John Seabrook was born, his grandfather C.F. (who still owned a majority stake) sold the company to outsiders. “The major family cataclysm happened literally the year I was born, and then I kind of grew up in it,” Seabrook says. It inspired his writing. “It got me doing what I do, which is asking questions and figuring out insights.”[caption id="attachment_828416" align="alignnone" width="762"] John Seabrook, left, with his younger brother, Bruce, and their parents in front of the family farmhouse in 1967. Photo: Courtesy of the Seabrook family[/caption]Growing up, he adds, everyone knew who he was because of his family name: “Everybody knew who the Seabrooks were around South Jersey, and a lot of people had worked for the Seabrooks at some point.” Over the years, starting at Princeton, where he studied creative writing with Joyce Carol Oates (the novella he wrote for her class convinced him he didn’t have the fiction gene), Seabrook knew that his family story was one he would have to write. But it took decades. “I basically came to it as a professional writer, and this story preceded me as a professional writer. It sort of shaped me.” Seabrook landed in magazine journalism at a time when it was flush with money and fun assignments. “It was incredible,” he says. “I went to South Africa. I went to Australia for Vanity Fair. You could fly business [class] if it was more than nine hours, no problem. I had an office. All that stuff is gone now. I was lucky.” He wrote his first big piece on his family’s story in 1995 for The New Yorker, where he is now on staff.After helping his father deliver a speech at a reunion of Japanese American Seabrookers in 1994, John offered to research more family history for Jack’s planned memoir. What he found shocked him. First, there was the strike. In 1934, Black farmworkers protested their low wages and inferior treatment at Seabrook Farms. “Black and white workers lived in separate ‘villages,’” Seabrook writes, “an arrangement that was both ideological and political, because it allowed C. F. to play the different ethnic groups off against each other to keep control.” Not only that—workers considered “American” were housed in better facilities than those labeled white, but not “American,” such as Italians and other European immigrants. Black workers complained that they were laid off during seasonal slow times, while white workers were kept on.GANGSTERS AND THE KKK[caption id="attachment_828419" align="alignnone" width="778"] A Seabrook Farms union meeting in 1935. Gangsters and the KKK were brought in to break up a strike by the farm workers. Photo: Library of Congress[/caption]It all came to a head that summer. C. F. Seabrook sought to protect his business and family by bringing in a colorful gangster named Red Saunders as a watchman, and he armed his three sons, teenagers at the time. Also on their side: the local chapter of the White Legion, known for leafleting and burning crosses, and the local KKK, known for doing much worse. Fists and bombs were thrown. On a microfilm in the Bridgeton Public Library, Seabrook saw that his own uncle Courtney had been the driver of a truck that rammed people on the picket line, injuring four. A few days later, strikers and Seabrook came to an agreement, which C. F. broke immediately, firing 250 workers, most of them Black.Writing about the strike ruffled family feathers. “I was supposed to be doing public relations for the family,” Seabrook writes, “not investigating it.” The more stories he pursued, the more he found, many of them embarrassing to his fellow Seabrooks, like C. F.’s bullying of his sons, his abuse of alcohol and pills, and his sexual indiscretions.Farming is a seasonal business, and so is life. After publishing the 1995 New Yorker piece that caused family drama, John Seabrook mostly turned to other topics—his books’ subjects range from invention to business to the creation of hit songs—until taking on this one, the story of his family. Like many memoirists, he waited until both of his parents had died before finishing the book.[caption id="attachment_828415" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Erin Patrice O'Brien[/caption]“I think there were just certain things that I wouldn’t have wanted to really make public while they were alive,” he says. “Also, I just think when your parents die, if you’re a writer and you’re sort of something of a memoir writer, it’s a hugely freeing thing.” From his mother, a former journalist and tough critic of his writing, Seabrook got a strong warning not to write about family. “I think she knew that there was this stuff that happened that I didn’t know, that I was probably going to find out. I think it’s also partly that she was brought up as a journalist not to write about herself,” he says. Asked if she had been proud of his work at one of the country’s most prestigious magazines, he says, “Yeah, she was proud, but she was critical too.” (I asked if he thought his parents would have liked the book, or at least not hated it. “My father always liked publicity, so he would’ve liked quite a bit of it,” he says. “I don’t think my mother would’ve probably cared for it.”)The women in the Seabrook family—the wives of C.F., Jack and John—played no official role in the family business. But in a scrum of ambitious and energetic fathers, sons and brothers who battled over control, they served as the dynasty’s “chief emotional officers,” Seabrook writes. As for himself, he married a woman he met in his early magazine days who’d never heard of Seabrook Farms and with whom, he writes, he “could raise children differently from the cold, best-foot-forward, stiff-upper-lip way that I was raised.”Today, some of John Seabrook’s cousins own and operate a new version of the family business, now named Seabrook Brothers & Sons. Along with more than 100 offerings, they still grow, package and sell one of the legendary Seabrook products: frozen creamed spinach.So how did five generations of farmers shape the writer John Seabrook? He didn’t inherit any of his ancestors’ business acumen, he says. “But I do love growing things, and if I had my druthers, I would probably live somewhere where I could spend more time growing stuff in a garden. Growing vegetables is something that I’ve always loved to do.”Seabrook will discuss The Spinach King with Ian Frazier at Montclair's Watchung Booksellers on Thursday, July 17.Kate Tuttle is a writer and editor. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.The post Scandal and Spinach: The Dark Secrets of South Jersey’s Seabrook Farms appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_828469" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Øivind Hovland[/caption]Three days after my husband, Paul, and I drove south from New Jersey and moved into a Nashville bungalow, my spouse of 32 years went into cardiac arrest at the gym on the treadmill while I was trussing a chicken in our newly renovated kitchen. “They shocked him with a defibrillator. Got his heart beating. He’s on his way by ambulance to Ascension St. Thomas,” trembled the Southern voice of a clearly wigged-out gym employee.I thanked her, hung up, stood frozen with the raw chicken still in hand, wondering where Ascension St. Whatever was.Since childhood, I’d dreamt of escaping my lackluster home state, land of malls, suburban sprawl and Turnpike jokes. But life kept me—and eventually my Long Island-born husband—firmly planted.We finally busted a move during the pandemic, downsizing from our Montclair colonial into a nearby rental and purchasing a little haven in Music City. We’d split our time between North and South and, eventually, let go of Jersey, we reasoned, once we’d adjusted.Standing alone on that January day, it all felt like a cosmic joke. I sprinted next door to my new neighbor, handed her the chicken, told her my husband was probably dead, and ran off to call an Uber (our car was at the gym).As Jason Isbell sang about hurricanes and hand grenades on the radio, I sat in the back of my paid ride, speed-dialing favorites on my phone, blurting out what had happened to the first human who picked up. I arrived at the ER to find Paul heavily drugged, but alive.Forty-eight hours later, he emerged from quadruple bypass surgery—and I emerged into a tornado of Jersey support.Someone, somehow, had stocked our fridge. A New York bagel with lox and a schmear miraculously made it to me in the ICU. A hefty puck of Styertowne Bakery crumb cake appeared on our porch without a note.Day after day, calls and texts checked in. Night after night, hot meals appeared at home and at the hospital, ordered by Jersey friends who, without missing a beat, sussed out exactly what to get from where.Once Paul was discharged, a rotating cast of Jersey angels flew down and moved in with us, sitting watch so I could shop for food or take a walk; rubbing Paul’s feet to distract him from post-surgical pain; cooking dinner while I drove him to cardiac rehab; reminding me that, with Jersey in the house, we weren’t going it alone.That June, with rehab complete, we headed north in our Subaru for the summer. When my eyes caught sight of the “Welcome to New Jersey” sign, my heart thumped. “Hey there, land of no-frills delis, real-deal diners, legit bagels, diverse opinions, sane gun laws, decent politics, inimitable dry wit, and straightforward humans who make the best damned friends anyone will find anywhere,” I said back. “Your taxes may be high and your glamour low, but I ain’t gonna quit you. Not just yet.”Peg Rosen and her husband, Paul, love their place in Nashville, but still consider Montclair home.The post No Place Like Home: When Crisis Hit in Nashville, New Jersey Showed Up appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In a new era of debilitating cuts to international aid programs by the federal government, the role of private charitable organizations has only grown more prominent in recent months. Enter Healing the Children NJ, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides medical care for free in Jersey and around the world.The organization, based in Hawthorne, has maintained a three-pronged approach for this task since the 1980s. First, they partner with food banks and other charities to provide anything from toothbrushes to specific medical equipment for Jersey kids. The recipients, often referred from school nurses, pediatricians and county officials, typically have complex disabilities and come from low-income backgrounds.At the same time, the nonprofit’s “International Inbound” program flies in children from around the world to live with host families while they receive medical treatment. Finally, they’ll send medical teams abroad to countries like Peru and Kenya to conduct pro-bono surgeries. No matter the country or medical issue, the organization knows its patients all have similar struggles.“Along their journey, a lot of people are going to tell them no,” says executive director Tricia McNamara. “Just being able to say yes is very rewarding.” Despite cultural and language barriers, volunteers and patients usually find an instant connection. “The trust and the gratitude is there from day one,” McNamara adds.On their most recent outing in the Dominican Republic, nurses entertained the children with toys and coloring books as surgeons worked to make sure they and their parents felt comfortable. “The reward you get as an individual for seeing each one of these kids smile, seeing them breathe better, hear better, it’s hard to put into words,” says Mike Tavill, a Shrewsbury otolaryngologist who volunteered on the trip.Tavill reiterates that the work of Healing The Children NJ and organizations like it has only become more gravely important in recent months. "It's more important now than it than it ever was, and will continue to be, at least for the foreseeable future," he says. "It's going to fall more and more upon the private sector to do this work in order to improve the quality of life for so many populations around the world. And we can't do enough ourselves."The organization primarily relies on private and corporate donors, meaning funding is always an ongoing endeavor. To donate, visit htcnj.org.The post NJ Nonprofit Provides Lifesaving Medical Care to Kids Around the World appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Among its many assets, the Jersey Shore boasts 200,000+ acres of salt marsh, those grassy expanses we pass on the Garden State Parkway or see when recreating in local bays and other estuaries. Salt marshes are critically important because they reduce the impacts of tidal flooding on coastal communities, drive local economies, offer a beautiful and productive waterscape for our enjoyment, and notably, provide needed habitat for wildlife—including some charismatic sharks.Sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks and smooth dogfish—all non-aggressive to humans—use New Jersey’s salt marshes as nurseries. Adult females give live birth and offspring spend their first few months in these protected, resource-rich areas, eating, resting, growing, hiding from predators and learning to be sharks before venturing out to the ocean. Baby sharks, doo doo doo doo!SETTLE THE DEBATE! ADOPT A NEW JERSEY SHARK NAMED PORK ROLL OR TAYLOR HAM.[caption id="attachment_826029" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo by Monmouth University[/caption]The Nature Conservancy has partnered with Monmouth and Rutgers Universities to gain more insight into the species’ abundance and movement patterns in New Jersey’s coastal marsh environments. Scientists catch and release specimens unharmed under a special permit, outfitting them with special acoustic tags that are read by underwater sensors when they swim by (like E-Z Pass without the tolls) and monitoring the trends.Recent data indicate that adults and young of all three shark types are spending summers year after year in New Jersey’s estuaries, emphasizing the need for the local salt marshes they rely on to be strong and healthy. Unfortunately, the opposite is occurring and many of these vital habitats are eroding, sinking and drowning from storms, rising sea levels and human activities. Without action, we could lose them.There is hope though. State agencies regularly dredge sand and mud that have eroded from the marshes to keep boating channels passable. Historically, this sediment has been stored in tall piles on or near marshes or transported to landfills—neither ideal.[caption id="attachment_826030" align="alignnone" width="778"] Cape May Wetlands (Oldman Creek) near Avalon, NJ. Liz Muntean and Serena Celestino, contractors for The Nature Conservancy, surveying plants and wildlife as part of a study to see how the ecosystem is re-colonizing low areas of the marsh after dredged sediments were pumped from navigation channels. Photo by George Steinmetz[/caption]The Nature Conservancy and partners have demonstrated the success of a more beneficial use of this material: spreading it over drowning salt marshes to give grasses an elevation boost and a foothold to persist or regrow. By “keeping sediment in the system” we can simultaneously maintain clear boat channels and help salt marshes thrive into the future for people and wildlife, including sharks.Here are some ways YOU can help New Jersey’s sharks and salt marshes: Spread the word about the importance of New Jersey’s sharks and salt marshes. Advocate with legislators in support of salt marsh restoration programs and funding. Abide by state boating and fishing regulations. ADOPT A NEW JERSEY SHARK! All proceeds go to coastal restoration and shark research in New Jersey.The post Marshes, Marshes, Marshes—and Sharks—in New Jersey appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Just a few years ago, Marilyn Schlossbach was sitting at the top of the Jersey Shore food chain. Her wildly popular restaurant Langosta Lounge, which she’d opened in 2008, had elevated Asbury Park’s red-sauce food scene practically overnight and been a driving force in the town’s renaissance. Her other ventures there included the Salt Water Market, Asbury Park Yacht Club, Pop’s Garage, the Berkeley Hotel, and Market in the Middle. Labrador Lounge, which she’d opened in Normandy in 2005, was always packed, too. She seemed to have the Midas touch.But things were not as they seemed. She was deep in debt. The borrowing had started with a million-dollar loan to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. With high rents, low margins and the seasonality of the restaurant business, she couldn’t get ahead. The profits were so slim that it seemed like a choice between dumbing down the food or making money. “To create the kind of food we wanted, with quality service and labor, we were borrowing money all the time,” she says.She and her husband, Scott Szegeski, an artist, had no college fund for their middle school age twins, and no time with them in the summer. In 2023, she sold Labrador Lounge, Langosta Lounge and the rest of her Asbury properties.But Schlossbach, born and raised in Belmar, didn’t give up on the Shore. She’s set her sights on Long Branch, which she calls the “last undeveloped ocean-adjacent area around here.” She teamed up with Preston Casertano on the Whitechapel Projects, which she calls a “cultural, communal center for food, drink, arts and entertainment” in the Lower Broadway area. “I want to help shape what Long Branch can become,” she says.“Long Branch has a big identity crisis; people don’t realize all the good things that are happening and all the good things that could potentially happen here,” she says. “We’re reactivating the Arts Council and have been meeting with administrators, the mayor and the business leaders. I learned in Asbury that it takes a business village to create a community.”[caption id="attachment_825969" align="alignnone" width="778"] Schlossbach at Whitechapel Projects in Long Branch Photo: Krista Schlueter[/caption]The Whitechapel Projects, in a 120-year-old former warehouse complex, is a restaurant and venue for weddings and events, including those open to the community, such as White Lotus-themed dinners and comedy magic shows. Buzz is building, but it’s been harder than anticipated. “We have no foot traffic whatsoever,” she says. “We are literally 200 feet from Pier Village, but no one leaves there to come over here.”She has her fingers in many other pies, too. She runs a catering business, is a consultant for the Faherty clothing brand, and helps her husband with his business, Two River Gourmet Mushrooms. Two new restaurants are in the works, both with Bret Morgan of Asbury Fresh, which runs the local farm markets. One is in Avon-By-The-Sea, and the other in the former Wells Fargo bank building in Spring Lake.A venture all her own is her skincare brand, Oshin Love; its signature product, Oshin Oil, is made from the Moringa oleifera tree. The oil, which she discovered on a relief trip to Haiti, cured her daughter’s eczema, she says. Oshin Oil has been written up in Forbes, Cosmopolitan and People.Then there’s her humanitarian work. Since her early days in Asbury, she’s partnered with the nonprofit Interfaith Neighbors, giving out food every Tuesday from a van parked on a notoriously dangerous corner, and starting the Kula Café to train young people from the inner cities of Neptune and Asbury to work the front of the house in restaurants. She still provides most of the food given out at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter at Trinity Church in Asbury.But her real passion project is Whitechapel, which she hopes will help turn the Lower Broadway area into an arts district. “Our building is probably one of the most art-driven spaces at the Jersey Shore,” she says. “We have murals and music and history. We have the beams from Andy Warhol’s Factory. There are already art galleries on Broadway; we want to be an anchor for the art to spread up Broadway,” Schlossbach says.“It’s a major undertaking,” she admits, but she knows the drill. “We were pioneers on Cookman. We were scared we’d get looted. There was no police presence,” she says. Already things are changing; 400 condos are in the works across the street from Whitechapel.“We can be an impetus for change in this neighborhood and community,” she says. “We want to give, to share. My whole career, I have enjoyed collaboration rather than telling everyone how it will be. This model allows me to do that.”The post Marilyn Schlossbach’s Restaurants Helped Transform Asbury Park. Now She’s Set Her Sights on Long Branch appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Hall-of-fame quarterback Karen Mulligan and her offense know their game plan: Read the defense, connect on passes—and find a sponsor to help fund the team’s travel costs.The latter objective is just one of many ways the Jersey Shore Wave must sustain themselves as an up-and-coming women’s football team. Having already generated some early buzz, the Wave recently finished up their inaugural season in the full-contact Women’s National Football Conference. The WNFC has secured sponsors such as Adidas and Dick’s Sporting Goods and will broadcast its June 21 championship game, the IX Cup—named after the landmark anti-gender discrimination legislation—on ESPN2.But owner Dawn Sherman still gets a lot of, “Oh, I didn’t know women played tackle football,” she says. “Well, they do. These women leave nothing out of the game. They’re hard-hitting, amazing athletes.”Breaking barriers is woven into the team’s DNA in more ways than one. The Wave play their home games at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, home to Negro League baseball games in the 1930s and ’40s. The stadium is a historic venue once again as the Wave's players try to make a name for themselves in the league and as female athletes as a whole.“It’s our first year, so of course we have something to prove,” says running back Ebony Goolsby. “Often in sports, women are overlooked. We put that on our backs with every practice.”The team’s mission doesn’t come cheap, even with its players drawing no salaries. Players must adopt an all-hands-on-deck attitude when it comes to fundraising and promotion, meaning each is responsible for recruiting a sponsor and attending promotional events; some even help with social media. That’s in addition to their day jobs. Goolsby is an NJ Transit train conductor; head coach Fabian Alesandro teaches at Tenafly High School.Alesandro has been coaching football for 25 years, first for a high school boys’ team and then for the now-defunct New York Sharks women’s team. The job is personal—his daughter played football on boys’ teams growing up. He recognizes that girls don’t usually get the same exposure to the game at a young age.“It's like they're almost immigrants to the situation," Alesandro says. "They’re not born into it like the boys are, and they have to learn everything on the fly,” he says. Luckily, the Wave have a talented roster, with Mulligan leading the charge. In her career, she’s thrown more than 25,000 yards and won gold with Team USA in the International Federation of American Football Women’s World Championship.Despite this starpower, Alesandro believes a winning philosophy can’t be attained by a roster alone, and he emphasizes the importance of building a dedicated culture and atmosphere to surround the team. “Winning is the byproduct of [the culture],” he says. “It’s the difference between a finite and an infinite game. The game keeps going, so you need to establish that culture to keep the same attitude through the years.”For now, the Wave closed out their first season with a respectable 2-4 record. But with a bright future ahead, the growing attention reminds players that their mission transcends simply scoring touchdowns. “It’s not just about us,” Goolsby says. “Girls and children in general are looking up to us because they want to do what we’re doing. It’s a big weight to carry, but it’s a beautiful weight to carry.”No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.The post Yes, Women Play Tackle Football! The Jersey Shore Wave Celebrate Inaugural Season appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In 2009, bedridden with the flu and with her three young children “piled around me, poking me,” Michele Gannon found herself wondering how women undergoing cancer treatment managed without a peaceful place to rest and recover.An adjunct professor at Monmouth University, Gannon made it her mission to create one. She formed a nonprofit and rented rooms in an Ocean Grove bed and breakfast to host women with cancer on retreats. Outgrowing the B & B, she raised $3 million from local sponsors and loans, purchased two lots on Main Avenue, and built a three-story, 10-bedroom house.Mary’s Place by the Sea opened in 2009, and moved into its current house in 2016. It can accommodate up to eight guests in private bedrooms with en suite bathrooms; there’s an elevator for those with mobility issues. Therapeutic practices offered on the three-day retreats include meditation, guided imagery, yoga, reflexology, nutritional counseling and oncology massage. Plant-based breakfast and lunch are served daily.According to Gannon, who won the 2024 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Cancer Society’s Northeast Region, Mary’s Place By the Sea serves about 1,000 women annually through in-person retreats; another 4,000-5,000 participate virtually each year through an online program.The spa-like setting “is a very relaxed environment,” says Gannon. Guests bond, going to dinner together and having group chats. By the time they leave, they’ve built a supportive sisterhood, she says. One recent guest experienced that feeling the minute she walked in. “She looked around and asked if it would be okay to take her wig off,” Gannon recalls. “Everyone was like, ‘Yes, relax and let your head breathe.’”The post At Spa-Like Ocean Grove Nonprofit, Women With Cancer Find Healing Beyond Medicine appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
If you’ve ever wondered what lies behind the tall hedges of New Jersey’s most manicured properties, you’ll have the opportunity to see for yourself this spring and summer. The Garden State boasts an abundance of well-kept, “secret” destinations whose homeowners annually unveil their jewel-box grounds to the public through the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program, which announces specific days for members to offer garden tours. Since 1995, the nationwide initiative has welcomed guests to thousands of private gardens. Open Days participants delight in sharing their prized spaces, creative ideas and technical expertise with horticulture enthusiasts and gardening novices alike.Among New Jersey’s most popular Open Days venues is the casually elegant Jardin de Buis, tucked away in bucolic Califon. Jardin de Buis is designed with 25 acres of formal gardens, accentuated with stunning structures decorated with one-of-a-kind European antiques. Each visit is an intimate experience suggestive of the French countryside. This year, Jardin de Buis will entertain Open Days guests on Saturday, June 14, from 10 am to 4 pm.[caption id="attachment_824742" align="alignnone" width="778"] The structures at Jardin de Buis are home to one-of-a-kind European antiques. Photo: Courtesy of Christian Torres[/caption]The estate, which endeavors to create harmonious balance between architectural features and the natural environment, will also take part in World Topiary Days on Saturday, May 10.“I participate in Open Days to inspire and also to demonstrate how this property is managed 100 percent organically and sustainably,” says owner Andrea Filippone, president of F2 Environmental Design. Originally an architect and builder, Filippone turned her focus to landscape design after purchasing the undeveloped parcel in 1995.“I didn’t move to Hunterdon County to surround myself with a fence. I made a conscious decision to enjoy the menagerie of deer, fox, bear, pheasant and turkey that strolls up to my windows,” she says. “About 30 to 40 deer typically wander through the property each day, so I planted what they don’t eat. It was mostly trial and error, but it was a good challenge that limited my palette,” she says.[caption id="attachment_824741" align="alignnone" width="778"] Visitors to Jardin de Buis are greeted by a view of the classical orangerie. Photo: Courtesy of Christian Torres[/caption]Filippone, a former associate professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, is passionate about enhancing the health and beauty of the environment. “I teach environmental and organic practices because the design and sustainability aspect is huge for me. Jardin is lush and green, but we use no chemicals or fertilizers. Sure, there are a few weeds here and there, but I don’t overwork the property. I listen to the land and aim for a wild, natural appearance with soft edges.”The horticulture expert frequently lectures on boxwood and landscape design to institutions such as Metro Hort, a regional horticultural organization; the Frelinghuysen Arboretum; Rutgers Master Gardeners; and garden clubs across the country. She is also president of the American Boxwood Society.[caption id="attachment_824743" align="alignnone" width="778"] Guests enjoy touring Jardin de Buis’s greenhouse, which has a spacious planting area. Photo: Courtesy of Christian Torres[/caption]Over time, Filippone has developed sections of the property to include a chicken coop, duck coop and beekeeping area. The estate is also home to an organic greenhouse. Resident floral designer T.J. McGrath regularly occupies the greenhouse and hosts sustainable floral-art workshops. Jardin relies heavily on its composting and soil-mixing area and maintains its own 5-acre boxwood nursery.“All of our efforts are intertwined,” Filippone says. “This property enables me to make a long-standing contribution to the world by teaching about soil, sustainability and organic gardening.”New Jersey Open Days 2025Open Days hosts agree that the best way to learn about gardens is to experience these sanctuaries in person. For a list of more participating gardens, or to purchase 2025 Open Days tickets, visit the Garden Conservancy's website.Anna’s Pollinator Haven in Montclair, open Sunday, June 1, from 10 am to 4 pm, is a peaceful place to watch birds, butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. “My garden is where I learned how to garden. It’s full of mistakes and happy accidents,” says the owner.The Cottage in Montclair, an L-shaped property with gardens and a sunken side yard, will be open on Sunday, June 1, from 10 am to 4 pm. A wide, grassy path ambles lazily down a shady hillside through century-old oaks and spruces.The Secret Garden @ 377 in East Orange is something entirely different. Also known as the Gotelli Garden, the 74-year-old formal Italianate venue is open on Sunday, June 1, from 10 am to 4 pm. This unexpected oasis sits atop a parking garage at Harrison Park Towers and is entered through the lobby.Bird Haven Farm in Califon, the country residence of jewelry designer Janet Mavec, is open Saturday, June 14, from 10 am to 4 pm. The 25-acre parcel is home to hay meadows, fruit trees and gardens. Barns, outbuildings and a 19th-century stone house offer a breathtaking view.Garden of Federal Twist in Stockton, open on Sunday, June 22, from noon to 6 pm, is a broad landscape garden accessed through a private woodland path and glade. Visitors are treated to multiple intersecting paths, immersive plantings and tall forest trees.Stonewall Gardens in Boonton, open on Saturday, June 28, from 10 am to 4 pm, features fruit, vegetables, and woodland and shade gardens. The continually busy owner purchases bare root perennials, rails them in a “nursery,” and renovates and opens new gardens. “Now that I think I’m close to done, I’m anxious to share with others,” says the gardener.Follow our home + style editor on Instagram (@susanbrierlybush).The post NJ’s Most Beautiful Private Gardens Are Opening Their Gates to the Public appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
The smell of a young tomato vine is like perfume to me. The sweet fragrance of white nicotiana can cool me down on a humid August night. When I stir leaves of cherry, sassafras and maple into my compost bin in the fall, the woodsy aroma is a toast to the end of the growing season.I became attuned to all these scents when I took up gardening. I became more aware of what the smells signified when I officially became a Rutgers Master Gardener in 2022. And so it has been, in every spring since, that the smell of soil and seedlings in a greenhouse tells me I’ve been given a clean slate, a fresh start, much the way the smell of back-to-school notebooks and sharpened pencils energized me as a child. It’s time to learn and it’s time to grow.You’ve probably come across us Master Gardeners before. We’re the people who give presentations on pollinators at your local library or senior center. We staff the tables at festivals and county fairs with displays about invasive plants or container gardening. We give out fact sheets, pamphlets and little laminated cards that you can use to scrape the eggs of spotted lanternflies off your trees. We also run help lines. Call us to ask whether we think your spaghetti squash is suffering from a bacterial, viral or fungal infection, or if some pernicious bug is boring through your vines. We’ll give you advice, and if we don’t know the answer on the spot, we’ll do some research and get back to you. We are enthusiastic, expert volunteers.We don’t start out that way when we enroll in the Master Gardener program, which combines lectures, presentations, labs and fieldwork. “The majority have a surface-level understanding or interest in gardening and want to learn more,” says Angela Monaghan, Master Gardener program coordinator for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County, part of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.[caption id="attachment_824732" align="alignnone" width="778"] Junior butterfly enthusiasts try their nets at the Earth Center in South Brunswick. Photo: Courtesy of Rutgers Cooperative Extension[/caption]Under Monaghan’s tutelage, my Master Gardener training began in September 2021 with weekly classes at the Earth Center at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park in South Brunswick, headquarters for Rutgers Master Gardeners of Middlesex County. Our classes ran through spring of 2022, after which we interns logged at least 60 hours of fieldwork through the summer before graduating in October. The timing of the Master Gardener program has shifted since then, but the basic format remains the same.There are a midterm and a final exam, which cover material learned throughout the year: botany, entomology, pest and disease diagnostics, water quality and conservation, soil science, wetlands and wildlife, herbs and houseplants, herbaceous and woody plants, elements of landscape design, turf grass and its alternatives, aquatic gardening, invasive and native species, annuals and perennials, vegetables, weeds, fertilizers, composting, parts of a flower, pesticides and integrated pest management, fruit trees, pruning and propagation, photosynthesis and more. Those are just a few of the topics I labeled with Post-it notes in my overstuffed three-ring binder.I studied hard for a full week before the midterm, my dining room table strewn with notebooks, highlighters, pencils and scrap paper. The exams are open book, so I assumed I was overdoing it. I was the first one in class to finish the exam, and I got close to a perfect score. But, had I slacked off studying, I would have been sunk. You can’t waste time in a three-hour test period digging through pages of source material.[caption id="attachment_824727" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Courtesy of Rutgers Cooperative Extension[/caption]It was a good lesson in and of itself. The Master Gardener program is not a degree-granting endeavor. But college professors and other experts do give the lectures and presentations. It is a scholarly pursuit. By graduation, you will have mastered the elements of home gardening in academic theory and in applied practice. Then, you pay it forward, renewing your certification annually with volunteer hours and continuing education, helping members of the public find answers to their questions and teaching them how to find answers on their own. There is a fee to enroll in the program, but there’s no cost to renew your certification.“We receive support from the county in recognition of the importance of what we do,” Monaghan says. “Rutgers Cooperative Extension is the outreach branch of the university—agricultural outreach, primarily—so there is an Extension office in every county. It is a partnership between Rutgers University and the counties.”The approximately 150 active, certified Master Gardeners in Middlesex County further extend that outreach to home gardeners, students and the public, Monaghan explains. “Our three most important forms of outreach are our gardens, our help line and our speakers’ bureau.”Rutgers Master Gardeners are lucky to be able to provide outreach on the 499 acres of park space and woodlands at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park. The Earth Center at the park includes: an elaborate children’s garden; a native plants trail and nursery; a fruit garden; several vegetable and flower gardens; the Circle of Thyme herb garden; Rows for the Hungry, a veritable farm that produces fresh vegetables for people in need; and a spectacular butterfly house that is open to the public on summer weekends, with free admission. All these gardens are maintained by Master Gardener volunteers.Through the winter, we brush up on our skills, attend workshops and webinars, and page through seed catalogues with the longing familiar to any backyard gardener. By the end of February, volunteer shifts begin in greenhouses on the Rutgers Cook campus in New Brunswick. It is my favorite task and my favorite time of the growing season.When I open the door to the greenhouse on a muddy, gray, late-winter’s day, some of the heat seeps out and envelops me. I am greeted by the fresh, invigorating scent of soil and seedlings, and by the salutations of my fellow gardeners, who are bent over seed trays, sowing, watering and labeling. By the time you read this, our seedlings will be ready for our plant sales and display gardens. But right now, as I write this, we are at the very beginning of the process, when there is promise in every seed, potential in every set of true leaves, and serenity in knowing that nature will take its course.For information on the Master Gardener program, or to find the phone number for your local help line, go to njaes.rutgers.edu and click the link for your county.Kelly-Jane Cotter is a frequent contributor to New Jersey Monthly.The post Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Master Gardener appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
A monarch butterfly migrating south fluttered its way to the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center last fall. There, a team of researchers used a drop of eyelash glue to affix the orange-and-black winged pollinator with a solar-powered radio transmitter the weight of a grain of rice. Later, Lionel, as he was dubbed, was detected 726 miles away near St. Augustine, Florida, marking the longest distance recorded for a radio-tagged monarch.Part of a community-science initiative, Project Monarch collects data such as speed, direction, and where a monarch stopped to feed on nectar. “It allows us to identify critical stopover habitats that help us put resources toward preserving and restoring places that will have the greatest impact,” says Sean Burcher, science director at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center, and senior research and development scientist at Cape May-based Cellular Tracking Technologies, which created the tracker.Monarch numbers are dropping due in part to habitat loss. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide this year whether to list the monarch as a threatened species, which would target more funding for habitat-conservation projects. New Jersey classifies monarchs as a species of special concern, a designation that affords little protection, but encourages monitoring.In spring and summer, female monarchs move north in search of milkweed, a host plant on which they lay their eggs and their caterpillars feed. Last November, a New Jersey Turnpike Authority crew covered 2 acres with milkweed seed along Interstate 95 in Teaneck.“These guys are out here working hard to do the right thing,” says Don Torino, president of Bergen County Audubon Society, which advocates for state highway authorities to plant and maintain milkweed and wildflowers.Monarchs are just one of some 110 butterfly species that are resident or regularly occurring in the state. Sharon Wander has attracted 85 species to her property in Fredon since she and her husband, Wade, began recording them more than 30 years ago. But the past president of the New Jersey Butterfly Club says she’s seeing fewer. “I’m saying to Wade, ‘Remember when we got 24 species in the yard in a couple of hours?’ That doesn’t happen anymore.”This year, the state Department of Environmental Protection added 11 butterflies to its endangered-species list, bringing the number of species endangered, threatened, or of special concern to 28. Many species are habitat specific, and rarely travel beyond their local haunts.“Two years ago, we planted common hoptree, a giant swallowtail host plant. Last year, it was about a foot and a half tall, and I found six giant swallowtail caterpillars on it.” She advises planting flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees that are host plants for the caterpillars of species throughout the state.To discover what butterflies are in your area, check out the New Jersey Butterfly Club’s latest sightings in North Jersey and South Jersey.Monica Cardoza is a frequent NJM contributor.The post Butterfly Populations Are Dropping, And Here’s What NJ Is Doing About It appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Moviegoers at Montclair's Clairidge theater who want a drink to go along with their popcorn now have a new menu of options: beer, wine, hard cider and canned cocktails.The nonprofit Montclair Film, which runs the Clairidge, is selling the drinks under a newly implemented law that allows small nonprofit movie theaters in New Jersey to sell alcoholic beverages.The menu at the Clairidge offers refreshments from New Jersey-based companies such as New Jersey Beer Co., Ironbound Hard Cider, Montclair Brewery and Opici distributors. A longtime sponsor of Montclair Film, New Jersey Beer Co. even created a special new drink: The Montclair Film Director’s Cut Blood Orange IPA, available exclusively at the Clairidge as well as across the street at Story Slams and Improv Comedy nights at Montclair Film headquarters.“We are incredibly excited to be able to offer a unique program of beverages to our patrons at The Clairidge,” says Evelyn McGee Colbert, president of the Board of Trustees at Montclair Film. “We thank Governor Murphy for helping local non-profit movie theaters with this new law, and the Montclair Town Council for approving the license for our cinema.”The law, signed by Governor Murphy in 2020, makes relatively inexpensive licenses available to nonprofit theaters with as few as 50 seats. Liquor licenses are a hot commodity in many New Jersey towns; in Montclair, recent licenses fetched prices of more than $1 million.The Clairidge is a six-screen, independent art-house theater focusing on independent, documentary and international films, as well as big-studio fare. The theater hosts conversations with filmmakers, students and community organizations, and is one of the sites for the annual Montclair Film Festival every October.“This license will enhance the entertainment experience for our patrons and will help our organization continue to grow, ensuring that the cinema is here for years to come,” says Tom Hall, artistic director at Montclair Film.For more information and movie showtimes, visit theclairidge.org.The post Montclair’s Clairidge Theater Is Now Serving Boozy Drinks appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Launched in 1999 in honor of J. Patrick Barnes, the DAISY Foundation (an acronym for “diseases attacking the immune system”) recognizes nurses whose compassion, guidance and level of care exemplify the high standards of the profession.Below is the complete list of 2024 DAISY Award honorees; click here to read spotlights on three select winners.A Parking Lot Save Team at RWJBH Community Medical Center (Team Honoree)RWJBH Community Medical Center, Toms RiverRose J. Rocco RNCharlene R. Meza BSN, RNEileen C. Espiritu BSN, RNSharon AbeleDegrees: BSN, RNJefferson Health New JerseyCatia AfonsoDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupAndrea AggaraoDegrees: BSN, RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonAlexis AgriogianisDegrees: RN, BSNMorristown Medical CenterMiguel AkenaDegrees: BSN, RNPenn Medicine Princeton HealthLeadia Allison-ReidDegrees: BSN, RNTrinitas Regional Medical CenterTaisha AltomonteDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health - JFK University Medical CenterJosette AndreBerkeley CollegeArcheala AntonioDegrees: BSN, RNNewton Medical CenterPatricia ApplegateDegrees: RN, ANCCNewton Medical CenterReydi Aquilera RodriquezDegrees: AS, RNTrinitas Regional Medical CenterNatalyn ArtilesSaint Peter’s University, School of NursingRania AttiliDegrees: BSN, RNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterAndrew “Andy” AupperleDegrees: BSN, RNPenn Medicine Princeton HealthAmanda BaezDegrees: BSN, RNMorristown Medical CenterMarygrace BalagtasDegrees: BSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyCarole BallDegrees: BSN, RN, CCMMonmouth Medical CenterAlyson BarattaDegree: RNThe Valley Health SystemTaylor BarnardDegrees: RN, RN-BCHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterJohnna BarrDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterMiranda BarroqueiroDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNMorristown Medical CenterFelicia BarthelusDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterCarrie BenderDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Pascack Valley Medical CenterEileen BennettDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupBergenPassaic County Subchapter of Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey, Inc (Team Honoree)Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey, Inc.Lynda BernDegree: RNSaint Peter’s University HospitalJannelle BesaDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health– Riverview Medical CenterCoree BetronDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterEmily BettanoDegrees: BSN, RNPenn Medicine Princeton HealthMegan BillDegrees: BSN, RNHunterdon Healthcare SystemNicole BlancoDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterWilson BonillaDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterLaura BorgenDegrees: BSN, C-EFMPenn Medicine Princeton HealthMaureen BoyleDegree: LPNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupCydney BradleyDegrees: BSN, RN, OCNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterKathleen BradleyDegree: RNRegional Cancer Care AssociatesAkehila BradshawDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterLisa BrezaDegrees: MSN, RN, NEA-BCRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonAmanda BrillDegrees: MSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterKhalilah BrinsonDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupAmanda BrownDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterKelley BrzostowskiDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupGenna BuckDegree: RNAtlantiCareSandra BuenDegrees: BSN, RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetJoseph BunuanDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterRebecca BuryDegrees: RN, CMSRNJefferson Health New JerseyKaren ButwinDegree: RNRegional Hospital of ScrantonJasmine CalixteDegrees: BSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyPriscilla CallahanDegrees: BSN, RN, CMSRNJefferson Health New JerseyAmanda CalvielloDegrees: RN, BSNThe Valley Health SystemTracy CamposDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupStephen L. CannonDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNNew Jersey League for NursingMigena CapollariDegree: RNHoly Name Medical CenterLisa CardDegree: LPNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupCardiovascular Interventional Suite Team (Team Honoree)CentraState Medical CenterMackenzie CardoDegrees: BSN, RNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterTheresa CarulloDegrees: BSN, RNC-LRNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterNicholas F. CasavecchiaDegrees: BSN, RNNew Jersey League for NursingJennifer CastroDegrees: BSN, RNHackettstown Medical CenterYamila CastroDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterMadyson CatanzaretiDegree: RNHunterdon Healthcare SystemAlmira Mae CayabanSaint Peter’s University, School of NursingRonald ChaDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterJamie ChadziutkoDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupBeraca CharlesDegrees: BSN RNInspira Medical Center MullicaJulia ChestermanDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterRoseanne CianoDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health– Ocean Medical CenterNicole CiceniaBerkeley CollegeDiana CideosDegree: RNHunterdon Healthcare SystemIvana CliffordDegree: RNVirtua Marlton HospitalKelly ColuccoDegrees: BSN, RNNewton Medical CenterDawn ConnellyDegrees: RN, CMSRNHackettstown Medical CenterPatrick ConnollyDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health– Raritan Bay Medical CenterTori CorcoranDegrees: BSN, RNHackettstown Medical CenterGerard CorlessThomas Edison State University; W. Cary Edwards School of NursingDeborah CosgroveDegrees: RN, BSNCooper University Health CareDanielle V. CostaduraDegrees: BSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyLateefa CovingtonDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupSamantha CozartDegree: RNAtlantiCareMyrna CraigDegrees: BSN, RN, IBCLCSaint Peter’s University HospitalDana CroceDegrees: BSN, RNNewton Medical CenterAshlee CroweDegree: RNCooper University Health CareEva CsontosovaDegree: BSNHackensack Meridian Health - Bayshore Medical CenterSenita Cuffy-ArkuDegrees: BSN, RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonCamryn CurialeDegree: RNVirtua Marlton HospitalAmber CutoneDegrees: MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, CBNMonmouth Medical CenterStephanie D’AndreaDegrees: BSN, RN, CWON, NCCDPOverlook Medical CenterAnnabella DacpanoDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterChristina DalceDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterChantal DavisDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterJatona DavisDegrees: BSN, RN, MSNHoly Name Medical CenterMaryBeth DebritoDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupHeidi DelgatoDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterNicole DelgiodiceDegrees: BSN, BA, RNCentraState Medical CenterJohn DensonDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupSue DiBenedettoDegrees: MSN, RNSaint Peter’s University HospitalMegan DiemDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterCynthia DillDegree: RNAtlantiCareBrendan DillonDegrees: BSN, RN, CENNewton Medical CenterGabbie DominguezThe College of New JerseyRuben Dominguez-QuinteroDegrees: BSN, RNJefferson Health New JerseyFrances DuciewiczDegrees: RN, IBCLCThe Valley Health SystemKristen M. DudasDegrees: MSN, RN, CCRN-CSCNew Jersey League for NursingOsmali DuvergeDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterAntonio Joshua EbolDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterKyla EdwardsDegrees: BSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyEmergency Department at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (Team Honoree)Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyAmanda ErliDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health –Jersey Shore University Medical CenterTheresa FaiellaDegrees: RN, RNCCentraState Medical CenterMary Ann FallonDegrees: BSN, RNChilton Medical CenterJennifer FarrahDegree: LPNRegional Cancer Care AssociatesTonimarie FasanoDegree: RNRegional Cancer Care AssociatesAlyssa FavaraDegrees: BSN, RN, CEN, TCRNJersey City Medical CenterLorelei FenDegree: NPRegional Cancer Care AssociatesLillian FinlayDegrees: MS, MBA, BSN, RNVirtua Memorial HospitalLiam FinleyDegrees: BSN, RNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterAnthony FischerDegree: RNHunterdon Healthcare SystemMarlene FortilusDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupYvonne FrancisDegrees: BSN, RNHoly Name Medical CenterNadine FullerDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupTitilola GabrielDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupKathryn GalbavyDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterMichael GalinskiDegree: BSN, RNVirtua Memorial HospitalDiana GarciaDegrees: BSN, RNTrinitas Regional Medical CenterSarah GaringDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNSaint Peter’s University HospitalDiana GashajDegrees: BSN, RNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterAustin GayDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterMiriam GellisDegrees: BSN, RN, OCNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterBridget GeorgeDegrees: BSN, MSN, RNBergen New Bridge Medical CenterErin GiacobbeDegree: RNAtlantiCareBrianna GiordanoDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupMarian GiordanoDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupSabina GjonbalajDegrees: BSN, RN, RN-BCHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterJesse GonzalezDegree: RNVirtua Our Lady of Lourdes HospitalSilvanna GreauxDegree: LPNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupApril GreeneDegrees: BSN, RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonRenee GreenemeierDegree: RNBergen New Bridge Medical CenterAnne GrutzmacherDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterSteven GuerraDegrees: RN, BSNThe Valley Health SystemHaydee GuzmanDegrees: BSN, RNChilton Medical CenterAshley HallDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterMegan E HannaDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNCommunity Medical CenterKerri HansenDegrees: RN, BSNCentraState Medical CenterLeah HarveyDegree: RNHoly Name Medical CenterYara HassanBerkeley CollegeSusan HeffnerDegrees: BSN, RN, CHPNHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterMary HennDegree: RNRegional Cancer CareAssociatesTheil HennessyDegrees: APN- BC, MSN, BSN, RN-BCHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterJohn HookerDegrees: LPN, CCTMorristown Medical CenterSteven M. HorakhDegrees: BSN, RN-BCHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterImani HubbardAtlantic Cape Community CollegePatricia IadarolaDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterKathleen IannuzzoDegree: RNSaint Peter’s University HospitalMargaret IbrahimDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterLauren IgnarraDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterIntensive Care Unit (Team Honoree)Newton Medical CenterMaureen IrwinDegrees: BSN, RN, CNORJefferson HealthNicole JohnsonDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupBoby JoseDegrees: MSN, BSN, RN, CCRNAmerican Nephrology Nurses AssociationFilomena JulianDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterChristina KaercherDegrees: BSN, RNVoorhees Pediatric FacilityLauren KaneDegrees: BSN, RNChildren’s Specialized HospitalAmandeep Kaur GrewalDegrees: RN, BSNSt. Luke’s Hospital–Warren CampusColleen KayserDegrees: BSN, RNCHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterAvril KeldoDegrees: DNP, ANP-BC, NP-BC, RN-BC, OCNSaint Peter’s University HospitalNicole C KellyDegrees: MSN, CNEclRWJ Barnabas Health Trinitas School of NursingKaren KernsDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupSalma KhanDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Pascack Valley Medical CenterYoonhee KimDegrees: MSN, AGACNP-BCEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterHeather KiteRutgers School of Nursing–CamdenAna KlisiewiczDegrees: MSN, RNTrinitas Regional Medical CenterRebecca KorabelnikovDegrees: BSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyKyra KoshDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterPriscilla LabradorDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterSamantha LaffertyRutgers School of Nursing–CamdenChristina LaheyDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRN, CPANHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterBarbara LamainaDegrees: BSN, RN, CAPA, CPENJefferson HealthDaisy LantinDegrees: BSN, RNTrinitas Regional Medical CenterChelsea LeboDegrees: MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, CHSE-AThe College of New JerseyMalinda LebrunDegrees: MSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyHyesun LeeDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterAlison LemkinDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterTheresa LenehanDegrees: MSN, RN, CENHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterAmanda LewnesDegree: RNRegional Cancer Care AssociatesJarrett LigameriDegrees: RN, BSNCooper University Health CareJennifer V. LigondeDegree: RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyGeorge LloydDegrees: BSN, RNOverlook Medical CenterCaitlin LopezDegrees: BSN, RNChildren’s Specialized HospitalKristen LynchDegrees: BSN, RNCooper University Health CareWendy LynchDegrees: BSN, WCC, OMS, DFWHackettstown Medical CenterKatherine MackenzieDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterSteven MaguireDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterMeenakshi MalhotraDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterJulie MancusoDegrees: BSN, RNSaint Peter’s University HospitalCatherine ManzaDegrees: MSN, B.Ed, RN, CMSRN, GRNJersey City Medical CenterMaria ManzellaDegrees: DNP, RN-C, HNB-BCHackensack Meridian Health– Ocean Medical CenterDean MaraDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterCristine MaranonDegree: RNKessler InstituteKevin MarinChamberlain University College of NursingKarla MarshallDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupIvon MartinezDegree: RNHunterdon Healthcare SystemJeremy MasanqueDegrees: BSN, RNPenn Medicine Princeton HealthChristina MassaDegrees: BSN, RNMorristown Medical CenterTsukasa Mauro-PravednovDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterAnn McCormackDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterBreanne McDermottDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterCasey McGovernDegrees: BSN, RNCooper University Health CareJulie McGuireDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterVeronica MendezDegrees: BSN, RNMonmouth Medical CenterVanita MenezesDegrees: RN, ASNOverlook Medical CenterJordan MentoDegrees: BSN, RNPenn Medicine Princeton HealthRebecca MillerDegrees: RN, BSNCooper University Health CareAlexandra MirabuenoDegrees: BSN, RNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterPeachie MirandaDegrees: BSN, RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetJohn MisigahDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupSofia ModernoDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterAlexys MoellerDegrees: BSN, RN, RN-BCHackensack Meridian Health– Ocean Medical CenterJodi MonahanDegrees: BSN, RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonWilliam MontonDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Pascack Valley Medical CenterChristina MooreDegrees: RN, BSNInspira Medical Center MullicaPaulina MorozDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterJessica MosqueraDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterMolly MulleeDegrees: BSN, RNVirtua Voorhees HospitalSandra MurphyDegrees: RN BSNInspira Medical Center MullicaLisa Marie MyersDegrees: RN, BSNThe Valley Health SystemBrianna NapoliDegrees: BSN, RNMonmouth Medical CenterSamantha NardozaDegrees: BSN, RNChildren’s Specialized HospitalMary Narmour-BrantDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupKatia NatachevaDegree: RNAtlantiCareHollee NealeDegrees: CCRN, RNMorristown Medical CenterLily NeibartDegrees: RNHackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical CenterTina NguyenDegrees: BSN, RNPenn Medicine Princeton HealthOlha NikolinDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Palisades Medical CenterYoshua NunezDegree: RNHoly Name Medical CenterBetty OliverDegree: LPNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupStefanie OrricoDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterAnita Osei-KofiDegrees: BSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyFabienne OukessouDegrees: ASN, RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetElizabeth OwensDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterEmmanuel J OwuorDegrees: MSN, RNUniversity Hospital–New JerseyAnatoliy (Tony) PalamarchukDegrees: BSN, RN, CMSRNJefferson Health New JerseyMaria Teresa Palma-ValerioDegree: RNAtlantiCareKrystal PalmisanoDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterJohn PantanillaDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupGeraldyn ParelDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterLisa PastilhaDegrees: BSN, CPNChildren’s Specialized HospitalPayal PatelDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterJanet PatulloDegrees: BSN, RN, MBASaint Peter’s University HospitalSamuel PaulDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterLanie PeaceDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Mountainside Medical CenterAmy PelicaneDegrees: MSN, RN, OCNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonJomara J. PenaDegrees: BSN, CBN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyIndira PeraltaDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Palisades Medical CenterRoy PerezDegree: RNRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital RahwaySarah PlottDegrees: RN, BSNOverlook Medical CenterNancy M. H. PontesDegrees: PhD, RN, FNP-BC, DRCC, FNAP, FAANRutgers School of Nursing–CamdenChristine PoonDegrees: BSN, RN, RN-BCSaint Peter’s University HospitalEdith C. PradoDegrees: BSN, RNInspira Medical Center MullicaKristina QuinonesDegrees: BSN, RNJefferson Health New JerseyJennifer QuintonDegrees: BSN, RNCentraState Medical CenterChristine V. RadiceDegree: RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyEstelita RafolsDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterKimberly RakshysDegrees: MSN, CRNA, APNNewton Medical CenterZakiyah RawlinsDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterMarissa ReedDegrees: BSN, C-EFMPenn Medicine Princeton HealthCarolyn ReevesDegrees: BSN, RNC-LRNSaint Peter’s University HospitalChristine ReyesDegrees: BSN, RNHackettstown Medical CenterYesenia ReyesDegrees: RN, BSNThe Valley Health SystemAnna ReynoldsDegrees: BSN, RNOverlook Medical CenterJoanna ReynoldsDegree: RNThe Valley Health SystemSamantha RiceDegree: RNAtlantiCareAdoura RichmondDegree: RNUniversity Hospital–New JerseyVincent RielloDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterMarybeth RileyDegree: RNNewton Medical CenterEvan RinnykDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterJanet RiveraDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterStephanie RiveraDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterCarly RizzielloDegrees: BSN, RNC-MNNCapital HealthAlyssa RobinsonDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterNatise RobinsonBerkeley CollegeShea RobinsonThomas Edison State University; W. Cary Edwards School of NursingElizabeth RodriguezDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterTracie RodriguezDegree: RNAtlantiCareAntonina RoglieriDegrees: BSN, PCCRNMorristown Medical CenterTierney RojasDegrees: BSN, RNCentraState Medical CenterAmanda RosarioDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterHannah RoseDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterMichelle RotunnoDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health-Jersey Shore University Medical CenterDennison RougierThomas Edison State University; W. Cary Edwards School of NursingTracy RoysterDegrees: BSN, RN-BCHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterCatharine RozyckiDegree: LPNRegional Cancer Care AssociatesTheresa RueDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterAmanda RusinakDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupCynthia RussoDegree: MSN, RN-BC, APN-CRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonRosemary RussoDegrees: MSN, RN, CNOR, RNFAMorristown Medical CenterJihanne SaadeDegree: NPRegional Cancer Care AssociatesDevorah SackDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterEmily SampaioDegree: BSN, RNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterErika SamsonDegrees: BSN, RNEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterJosephine SandbergDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupOlenka SandovalDegrees: BSN, RNMorristown Medical CenterShannon SantoroDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterIlidio SantosDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterKatherine SawickiDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupCatherina SawoszcykDegrees: ASN, RNChilton Medical CenterStacey SchreiberDegrees: BSN, RNNewton Medical CenterBrad SchreyerDegrees: BSN, RNCooper University Health CareGisela SemeraroDegree: RNHackensack University Medical CenterCindy ShaferDegree: RNValley Home Care and HospiceJignasa ShahDegree: MSNDaVitaHilary ShanahanDegrees: BSN, RNHunterdon Healthcare SystemJessica ShepherdDegrees: DNP, RNCounty College of MorrisAmani ShihadehDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Palisades Medical CenterKatherine ShouldiceDegrees: BSN, RN, RN-BCHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterJane SimbeDegree: BSNKindred New Jersey–RahwayAshley SivertsenDegree: RNMorristown Medical CenterHelen SiyDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterLaura SlackDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterKurt SoergelDegrees: ASN, RNNewton Medical CenterAnna SolennikovaDegree: RNValley Home Care and HospiceTeresita SotoDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterJenna SpinelliDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupJennifer StaplesDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterShannon StonnellDegree: RNAtlantiCareChristina StranaghanDegree: LPNWeisman Children’sSara SturmDegrees: BSN, RNNewton Medical CenterEmily SuDegrees: BSN, RN MEDSURG-BCSaint Peter’s University HospitalMiranda TaylorDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterGenessa TerrizziDegrees: ASN RNChilton Medical CenterPat ThielDegree: RNTrinitas Regional Medical CenterLisa Sharkey ThomasDegrees: BSN, RNHunterdon Healthcare SystemMichelle TierneyDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupMatthew TisaDegrees: MS, RN, BSNInspira Medical Center MullicaJennifer TorresDegree: RNCooper University Health CareThompson V. ToussaintDegrees: BSN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyAnthony Q TranDegree: RNKessler InstituteTiffany TschinkelDegrees: BSN, MS-BC, Gero-BCHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterMaryann TulloDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRN, PCCNJefferson HealthKathleen UshlerDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterCindy ValdesDegree: ASN, RNNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyCatherine M. ValentinoDegrees: MSN, CNM, WHNPChamberlain University College of Nursing (North Brunswick)Jennie VartebedianDegrees: BSN, RNJefferson HealthClara VasquezDegrees: BSN, RNChildren’s Specialized HospitalKaitlyn VasquezDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterLinda M. VeraDegrees: BSN, RNSaint Michael’s Medical CenterRebecca VernonDegrees: MSN, RNNewton Medical CenterAmanda VeroutisDegrees: BSN, RNHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterMarcus VersaillesDegrees: BSN, RNTrinitas Regional Medical CenterFatirah VickDegree: LPNAtlantiCareJessica VigliantiBerkeley CollegeDanielle VilloneDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterBoris VinkDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupSarah VivianiDegrees: BS, RNMorristown Medical CenterMeghan VogelaarDegrees: RN, BSNThe Valley Health SystemKathleen VourlosDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupErin WalkerDegree: RNCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterMichele WatersDegrees: BSN, RN-BCNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyGabrielle “Brie” WellsDegrees: BSN, RNPenn Medicine Princeton HealthNyla WilliamsDegrees: RN, BSNVirtua Our Lady of Lourdes HospitalEva WimberleyDegrees: BSN, RN, OCNHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterBernadette WindlerDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupIdette WinecoorDegrees: BSN, RNChildren’s Specialized HospitalJoAnn WolfsonDegree: DNP, MSN, RN, CCRNCentraState Medical CenterWound Care Unit (Team Honoree)Hackettstown Medical CenterJustine YambaoDegree: RNJersey City Medical CenterNicole M YanezDegree: RNRecovery Centers of AmericaYvonne YeboahDegree: LPNNew Jersey Firemen’s HomeNoemi YoungDegrees: BSN, RNInspira Medical Center MullicaMona ZackeryDegree: RNHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterChristina ZarnowskiDegree: RNVisiting Nurse Association Health GroupShane ZurbachDegrees: RN BSNThe Valley Health SystemThe post Excellence in Nursing 2025: DAISY Foundation Award Honorees appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In this, our annual Excellence in Nursing list, in partnership with the DAISY Foundation, we honor more than 300 medical professionals from New Jersey, with diverse practice specialties at more than 68 participating hospitals and facilities.Click here to view the complete list of 2024 DAISY Award honorees from our state, three of whom we spotlight below.Imani Hubbard • RNAtlantic Cape Community CollegeAfter earning her bachelor’s degree in health and probation management, Imani Hubbard worked as an emergency room tech while serving in the United States Army Reserve. This provided Hubbard with hands-on experience, as well as encouragement to pursue nursing.Hubbard recognizes similarities between nursing and military service; both require managing huge responsibilities in order to grow into a leadership role.Hubbard says the major challenges of nursing are time management and prioritization. This makes teamwork crucial to getting things done in the hospital.“Being able to lean on each other, knowing that when you are stressed or running late or whatever, you have each other to lean on—teamwork gives a great boost of positivity on the floor,” Hubbard says.Hubbard finds that her willingness to make a difference is the most rewarding part of her work. She notes the importance of empathy for patients and says, “We have to realize that sometimes we’re all they have. And although it’s difficult and we’re stressed and we’re busy, at the end of the day, everybody’s human.” She hopes to become a military nurse one day, but for now, Hubbard intends to absorb as much knowledge about nursing as she can in her current role. —Ben WassermanIlidio Santos • RNCooperman Barnabas, Livingston[caption id="attachment_824702" align="alignnone" width="778"] Ilidio Santos Photo: Erik Rank[/caption]Ilidio Santos feels at home in the pediatrics unit, but his path there wasn’t a straight shot. Though he always wanted to go into medicine, Santos first set his sights on the academic side of the discipline. He studied cellular molecular biology at Kean University and did postbaccalaureate research on HIV, intent on a life of laboratories and analysis. Something felt missing, however. Motivated by the bedside-compassion aspect of the field, Santos was inspired to become a nurse. “I just felt the nursing component fulfilled me more,” he says. “I think that healing isn’t just medical and physical. There’s an emotional component to it.”After graduating from the Rutgers accelerated nursing program, Santos began his nursing career in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. He joined the pulmonary medical-surgical unit, working to resuscitate patients, help them recover, and assist wherever needed. “To walk in and see some of the complex situations that I saw—to say it was eye-opening is an understatement,” he says.In 2023, Santos transferred to the pediatrics unit, continuing to maximize his patients’ comfort and minimize their fear. Whether prepping a toddler for a flu shot or approaching female patients with respect and sensitivity, Santos aims to be a source of light in any situation.He notes that the strength required to be a pediatric nurse doesn’t come easy, and his team at Cooperman Barnabas, as well as his support system outside of work, make all the difference. Santos received his official board certification in pediatric nursing in February. “It’s the giggles you get from kids after their moments of fear. It’s that kind of feedback that drives me to continue,” he says. —James LaForgeLily Neibart • RNHackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center[caption id="attachment_824703" align="alignnone" width="778"] Lily Neibart Photo: Erik Rank[/caption]For Lily Neibart, going into nursing meant following in the footsteps of her mom (a nurse), her dad (a surgeon), her uncle (a doctor), her grandmother (also a nurse) and her grandfather (a physician). But she also believed the job aligned with her own strengths of working with people and making them feel better. “I grew up always hearing about medicine and the hospital setting. My mom worked as a nurse at a hospital in medical surge units and then ICUs, and my dad’s a cardiac surgeon,” says Neibart, who currently works on the orthopedic floor of Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City.In her current position, Neibart works with pre- and post-op surgical patients in recovery. For instance, she helps treat individuals who have had elective hip- or knee-replacement surgery, monitoring pain medication and ensuring they’re mentally stable enough to begin physical therapy. Neibart’s division prides itself on its efficiency—typically, patients come in for surgery and are discharged within one or two days—which she attributes to the coordination among medical staff to ensure patients heal and get home safely.All of this comes down to one crucial aspect of the job: earning people’s trust. Patients, Neibart explains, “kind of feel hopeless here because sometimes they do lose some of their autonomy,” leaving it up to her and her fellow nurses to make sure their needs are properly met. While she looks forward to obtaining more skills in the nursing field, Neibart sees being a patient’s voice as crucial to promoting a positive work environment and ensuring no one is overlooked. The key, as she puts it, is “to connect, gain respect, gain trust, and then advocate when needed.” —Ben WassermanThe post Excellence in Nursing 2025: Meet 3 Exceptional Health Champions appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
The alleged attacks aimed at Jocelyn Walters started piling up in the spring of 2022. It seemed whenever she pulled out her cell phone, the 14-year-old Middletown High School freshman found another insult from anonymous classmates. One day they removed her from a group chat. The next day they cut her head out of a class photo. The day after that, she was called a clown and told she would be pursued and physically beaten.She was so scared, she locked herself in a school bathroom and then reported the bullying to school officials.On September 9, 2022, Jocelyn Walters committed suicide. Her parents are suing the Middletown Township School District, the school board, Jocelyn’s teachers, and nearly a dozen Jane and John Does who, they claim, harassed and intimidated their late daughter.“There are failures across the board with Jocelyn’s story, and I don’t believe it’s isolated,” Fred Walters Jr., Jocelyn’s father, told local media after filing the suit that describes his daughter’s ordeal.“There needs to be change. I am determined to make change.”The harassment and death of Walters may be an extreme case, but it underscores the dilemma—some would say, threat—that cell phones and new technology pose to young people in the social media era, prompting New Jersey to consider a statewide ban on cell phones in schools.Teachers and school administrators all across the state, from elementary school up, say they’re exhausted fighting with YouTube and TikTok for the attention of students who were born and raised in the digital world. There’s ample evidence, teachers point out, that smartphones, tablets and wearable tech are not only a major disruption in class, but promote cheating and impact academic achievement overall.And they say cyberbullying, a growing phenomenon that’s been documented in studies and implicated in student-on-student intimidation, has led to an erosion of school safety in New Jersey and elsewhere.[caption id="attachment_824638" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] “Enough is enough—our children are inundated with screens," Governor Murphy has said of cell phones in schools. Photo: Shutterstock/lev radin[/caption]“The use of phones and tablets for bullying is widespread and pervasive,” says Elisabeth Ginsburg, executive director for the Garden State Coalition of Schools, a nonprofit advocacy group that represents more than 100 New Jersey school districts. “That’s one of many reasons why teachers in New Jersey are pretty much universally in favor of some kind of smartphone ban in schools.”Most schools in the state, both public and private, already have some kind of rules restricting smartphones. The policies are a hodgepodge of ad hoc practices and enforcement measures—some successful, some not—throughout New Jersey’s 600-odd school districts.These restrictions usually stop short of a total ban, bowing to parental concerns about safety in the age of mass shootings.During the coming year, however, districts across the state will likely revisit and revise their policies amid a growing sense of urgency about the threat that social media poses to young people.In 2023, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy spelled out clear evidence that social media has helped fuel a mental health crisis among American adolescents.Murthy, issuing an official advisory, reported that teens and tweens who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression, with half of all adolescents blaming social media for making them feel shame about their bodies. He called for a warning label on all social media platforms.Murthy’s warning, on top of a stream of other warnings of damage to students, prompted Governor Phil Murphy to call for a statewide cell phone ban in schools during his state-of-the-state speech in January.“Enough is enough—our children are inundated with screens,’’ Murphy said to cheering lawmakers and their guests. “Today, I am officially announcing my support for a new proposal that will direct school districts across New Jersey…to establish phone-free schools.”Legislation now advancing in Trenton after Murphy’s remarks requires all districts to develop policies that would effectively ban phones and other internet-connected tech during instructional time.But just what the word ban means in a diverse state of urban and rural school districts with long traditions of home rule is a matter of debate. Does a ban mean no phones allowed in school? Or will they be allowed if turned off? Will phones be restricted to lockers or backpacks? Can kids turn them on at lunch and between classes?Any ban proposed by Trenton risks raising the hackles of local taxpayers from Sussex to Cape May counties , who already bear the financial burden of state mandates. It also flies against conservative headwinds betokened by Donald Trump’s strong performance here in last year’s election.The tilt rightward was driven, in part, by a growing, self-styled parental-rights movement that has taken root in many school districts. Some New Jersey mothers who organized to resist state policies expanding rights for LGBTQ students say they’ll never cede control of their kids’ cell phones to politicians in Trenton.Adding to their voices is a chorus of complaints across the political spectrum, who say the post-Columbine era of active shooters and school lockdowns demands constant access to their children.“I will determine how my kids use their phone, not the state,” says Nicole Stouffer, a biostatistician from Burlington County who writes a popular conservative blog called Chaos and Control.“Kids need their cell phones for safety reasons. They need them if they get sick or have other emergencies and can’t get to school authorities. They need them because things can come up in the middle of the school day.’’Stouffer ticks off anecdotes about sick kids not being able to reach the school nurse, parents sitting home not knowing their kids are locked down in a security threat, and last-minute schedule changes they hear about from their kids rather than the principal’s office.“I’m the first one to admit that kids are disrupting class with YouTube, Snapchat, or whatever the hell they’re doing on their phones,” Stouffer says. “But the responsibility for teaching them how and when to use social media is the parents’.”Charles Gelinas is a Harvard-trained attorney and member of the Westfield Board of Education. His children, aged 10 and 13, both go to public school in their town of 30,000 people, which consistently ranks among the wealthiest communities in New Jersey, as well as one of the safest.Last year, Gelinas was named to a study commission, established by Governor Murphy, which is seeking ways to counter the negative effects of social media on New Jersey youth.As a parent, Gelinas says, he’s struck by the appeal of the smartphone to young minds. Any meaningful ban in schools must have real teeth and recognize that kids will find a way around weak policies that simply order cell phones to be shut off or stored in a locker, he says.“When the phone is off, we’re still thinking about it,” Gelinas said during an interview. “It sucks you back into wanting to check your notifications, check your social media profiles. So it’s disruptive even if it’s turned off and stowed away.”“It’s just my opinion, but I think a ban should be something along the lines of, students can’t even bring the phone over the threshold of the school door.”Like many parents across the country, Gelinas has read The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, an NYU social psychologist who has built a huge following documenting the dangers social media poses to American youth. Haidt argues that parental fixation on safety has helped replace a healthy “play-based childhood” with a much riskier “phone-based childhood.”The work of Haidt and other prominent researchers shows that the roots of childhood anxiety are manifold. Gelinas points out, for example, that even the strictest school ban can’t address the effects of digital media outside of school, on phenomena like cyberbullying or social isolation.“There’s no easy answer here to arriving at an ideal policy,’’ he says. “Convincing parents to trust the schools when there are deep concerns about security will take a lot of patience. It’s got to be a long-term commitment to dialogue between schools and parents.”Rosy Bagolie is the principal of East Newark School, a pre-K–8 public school for students living in the tiny Hudson County borough wedged between Harrison and Kearny. She’s also a first-term state assemblywoman who will have a big influence on any cell phone ban eventually passed, because she sponsored the legislation moving through the State House.Her message to parents is, Have no fear. We’ve got you covered.“I know a lot of people out there are worried about security issues; they’re worried about losing contact with their kids at school,” she says. “That’s not what this is all about.”Bagolie’s bill calls on school districts to develop sensible cell phone policies only after working with parents and teachers. The core demand in the legislation requires only that phones be excluded from instructional time.“How schools meet that demand is up to them,” Bagolie says.In East Newark, any student with a cell phone must drop it in a basket at the start of the day. They get it back at the end of the day. If kids get sick or need to call home, they do it the old-fashioned way: They go to the office. “We’ve been doing it that way for five years,” Bagolie says. “It’s simple and it works.”Public policy mavens like Tafshier Cosby of the National Parents Union, which advocates for disadvantaged families, say collaboration and common sense will be the key to any cell phone measure.Extensive polling by Cosby’s group reveals that large majorities of parents in New Jersey and elsewhere want cell phone access to their kids at all times. But they’re willing to accept restrictions if they have a say in setting up the rules, she says.“People living in large cities with big urban schools have a whole different set of needs than suburban families,” says Cosby, a grandmother of three who lives in Newark. “Please, just talk to everybody, including the tech bros. They created social media. They have a stake in fixing this.”Don’t forget to talk to the kids as well, the experts say. “Most adults are just digital immigrants,” says Ginsburg of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. “The kids are digital natives. They use cell phones to communicate like we used pencils and notepaper.”If there were ever a digital native, it is Chloe, a seventh-grader who attends public school in Montclair.On a recent Saturday afternoon, Chloe says, she had eight cell phone calls with friends, concocted a string of Instagram reels, and did some Snapchatting, all by 3 pm. At the age of 12, she aspires to a career as a YouTuber and internet influencer like MrBeast, who creates gimmicky game show-like content.Adults trying to ban cell phones, Chloe says, need to understand middle-school realities only kids can best appreciate: what it feels like having to throw up when you’re on the way to the school nurse’s office; being a kid with diabetes who can’t use your cell phone to check your blood-sugar level; the comfort of dialing up Mom if you’re being bullied by other kids.“When we come into school, we have to put our phone in a box,’’ Chloe says. “That’s a good thing because we’re not distracted in class. It’s a bad thing because sometimes we really want to talk to our parents.’’Chloe’s mom, Michelle, is split on the issue, too. “I’m very much on the fence,” she says. “Kids should be able to focus on their schoolwork, but if something bad is happening, I’ve got to be able to hear Chloe’s voice saying, ‘I’m safe, Mom; I love you.’ That’s the most important thing.”Jeff Pillets is a journalist based in Trenton who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2008.No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.The post Inside New Jersey’s Fight to Ban Cell Phones in Schools appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Life isn’t easy for the common tern, a kind of seabird that likes to nest on Hoboken's Pier 11. Recently, though, the threatened species has gotten a much-needed boost from the community.The Hoboken Tern Parade, a city-wide celebration of the city’s newly named honorary bird, is being held now through June 1. Thirty local businesses and organizations, including Fiore’s House of Quality, Lepore’s Famous Chocolates and Little City Books, are displaying fanciful tern decoys created by local artists.After June 1, the parade will be on view at the Hoboken library until June 13, on June 15 at a waterfront event, and, following that, at the Hoboken Historical Museum. Eventually they’ll be auctioned off, with proceeds going to protection efforts.The spring celebration, which includes scavenger hunts and bird walks, is an effort to bring attention to the tern’s plight. The birds were almost wiped out during the Victorian era, when they were hunted for their feathers, used to adorn hats. With protections, their numbers bounced back, only to plummet again in recent years due to habitat loss.Two years ago, local birding enthusiasts, led by activist and educator Jeffrey Train, discovered that the owner of the pier had hung nets to keep the terns away. Train started a conservation group, Our Tern, and when a bird got caught in the netting and died, local officials and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection got involved. The nets came down.[caption id="attachment_824594" align="alignnone" width="778"] A tern on Hoboken's waterfront. Photo: Courtesy of Juan Melli[/caption]The next challenge is finding the terns a new home. City officials are investigating the feasibility of building a pier where the birds can nest undisturbed. In their mission, the birders are joined by a supportive international community also fighting to preserve tern nesting sites.Our Tern was inspired by a group in Honolulu, Hawaii that named the white tern its official bird, and a community leader from a Mexican town has reached out for advice on protecting their own local population. When citizens speak up, Train says, “there is an echo effect that sends a message that everybody can do this. And that’s really, really important.”The live colony can be observed from early May through summer’s end on the waterfront at 12th Street.[RELATED: Inside the Unique Rehab Center Saving NJ Birds]The post How Hoboken is Rallying Around the Threatened Tern appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Fifty years ago, Kathleen DiChiara was collecting food and storing it in her Summit garage, then driving around Newark in her station wagon to hand it out to New Jerseyans in need. Today, the organization she founded, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, is the largest in the state, distributing more than 110 million pounds of food each year out of two massive storage facilities in Hillside and Egg Harbor Township.The nonprofit, which supplies more than 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and child and senior programs, is about more than feeding people; it also aims to give them the knowledge, skills and training to improve their lives.“We try to get to the root causes of hunger,” says president and CEO Elizabeth McCarthy.The FoodBank offers nutritional counseling, culinary and life-skills courses, and a training program for warehouse jobs. Recipients are sometimes even taught how to cook with unfamiliar veggies.Funds come from the federal and state governments, private donations, grocery stores, events (including a partnership with the Prudential Center and the Devils) and Jersey farmers. In June, the organization raised $1.6 million at its Blue Jean Ball, held at NJPAC, which provides the equivalent of 4.8 million meals to local residents in need.Still, nearly one million New Jersey residents face food insecurity, an all-time high, says McCarthy.“Prices have gone up; New Jersey is an expensive place to live,” she says. “Sometimes people are going without food.”To get help from the FoodBank, or to lend your support to the organization, visit cfbnj.org.The post Community FoodBank of NJ Celebrates 50 Years of Service appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Java Bradley and his wife, Michelle, don’t mind getting their hands dirty. In fact, dirt is their business. In 2018, the pair started Java’s Compost, which picks up food waste from residents of a dozen towns in Morris, Essex and Union counties and delivers it to facilities that turn it into nutrient-rich compost.Their company is one of several in the Garden State providing this service for residents, businesses and municipalities, including Neighborhood Compost in Bergen County, Community Compost in Jersey City and Hoboken and Un-Waste at the Jersey Shore. In addition, a host of community gardens managed by the Northeast Earth Coalition in Passaic, Hudson and Essex counties, and municipalities such as Bloomfield, Millburn and Jersey City, accept drop-offs of food scraps.An estimated 30 to 40 percent of food is wasted in the United States annually, about 103 million tons. Composting reduces the amount of organic matter that ends up in landfills and uses it to create natural, nutrient-rich fertilizer for gardens and agriculture. (Absent compost, farmers use chemical fertilizers to enhance soil.)What’s more, recycling food scraps slows the release of methane gas, a leading cause of climate change, into the atmosphere.Java Bradley calls his work “tremendously rewarding. What you don’t eat goes back into the soil and is part of the natural cycle,” he says. “It’s pretty amazing to be a part of one of the most ancient methods of managing waste.”Weekly curbside food-waste pickups from Java’s Compost cost $13, or $52 monthly. You can drop off at collection points for about $20 a month.Bradley is trying to make the pickup of food scraps more affordable, despite significant costs for trucks, gas, drivers and insurance. He’s hoping to work with more towns that will provide free drop-offs to residents. Once collected, food scraps go to Ag-Choice in Andover, the only facility in the state that produces soil from food waste. The compost then goes to garden centers, farmers, counties and interstates that use it along roadways. Because it’s extremely absorbent, compost is also useful for mitigating runoff and flooding.Builders can also use compost for new construction; in Pennsylvania, they are required by law to use it in their foundations, Bradley says. He is hoping that, in New Jersey, legislators do more to encourage the recycling of food waste and modify what he calls “antiquated” regulations.“New Jersey could be a more robust location for composting, but we’re not there yet,” he says.No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.The post Got Food Scraps? These NJ Companies Help Turn Them Into Compost appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_824325" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Brian Ajhar[/caption]I love Jersey tomatoes. Not only for their exceptional flavor, but for their distinct versatility and resolute practicality. The tomato is truly the Swiss Army knife of vegetables. Technically a fruit, they grow abundantly in the Garden State. Sometimes too well.After a multi-year sabbatical, last summer I proudly reestablished myself as a vegetable gardener. I enlisted the help of a carpenter friend, who constructed a 20-foot-by-30-foot raised-bed backyard garden, completely encased in poultry wire on four sides and top, to prevent pesky predators from interloping.On Memorial Day weekend, I carefully selected the finest vegetable and tomato seedlings I could find. I diligently planned to allow adequate room for my Big Boy, Beefsteak, Early Girl, Celebrity and Fourth of July tomatoes. Given my zeal to include as many varieties as possible, I altered my original planting design to narrow the distance between the seedlings. To further accommodate my master plan, jumbo clay containers were added within the garden’s aisles. I was determined to maximize my yield.My tiny farm was meticulously nurtured as the days grew warmer and longer. By June, all the tomato plants required long stakes or cages to support their weight as they shot up to the sun. By July, I began to harvest. First came green beans, then peppers and eggplants. Soon the early-variety tomatoes began to ripen. To fertilize, I added coffee grounds to the soil, which further accelerated their growth.By August, the garden was going full throttle. My prized tomatoes began climbing up the side walls, encroaching mere inches from the ceiling wire and yielding 20 pounds of produce a week. I had created a monster. My wife and I were forced to consume tomatoes at every meal, in every way imaginable. Tomato pie and gazpacho were commonplace for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Portly pots of red sauce bubbled daily. Any tomatoes not immediately eaten or gifted were stored until the freezer reached capacity.A week into our late-August vacation, my son called to say that the unruly tomatoes, clearly the alpha of the garden, had penetrated the chicken-wire roof, forming a thick, jungle-like canopy. Choked off from sunlight, the other vegetables had thrown in the towel. It was time to cancel tomato fertilization and hold back on the water. Bad behavior needn’t be rewarded.When my wife and I returned home, the garden was besieged in tomato vines, and I needed a ladder to pluck the produce from atop the roof. At this point, our kitchen counter was lined with bowls, baskets and even golf caps overflowing with ripe fruit. Each time I sheepishly carried a fresh yield inside, my wife’s eyes would roll. Fortunately, she didn’t lock me out of the house.As winter approached, we relished the bounty of our harvest, especially our frozen tomato sauce. Though still adored, the Jersey tomato might not enjoy most-favored status again this summer. One can get too much of a good thing.R.F. Bush Jr. is a gentleman farmer residing in Morris County.No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.The post Too Many Tomatoes! Confessions of a Jersey Garden Gone Wild appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_824125" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Mark DeLong[/caption]Chelsea Handler’s running late. Well, not really. She’s running late to the revised time of the interview, which is a half-hour earlier than the original time. So she’s running…exactly on time, which might not be what you would expect from a comedian whose onstage persona tends toward the profane and uncompromising, taking other people’s rules and breaking them. Offstage, though, she is relaxed and open, happy to discuss her youth in New Jersey and the career as a comedian, author, and actress that frequently discusses that youth.The occasion is twofold, at least—she has a new comedy special, The Feeling, that premiered on Netflix in late March on the heels of her most recent New York Times-bestselling book (seventh, if you’re counting), I’ll Have What She’s Having. Both titles refer either indirectly or directly to sexual satisfaction. This conversation also built to a peak.This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.[caption id="attachment_823517" align="alignnone" width="778"] Buy our May 2025 issue here. Photo: Mark DeLong[/caption]New Jersey Monthly: First of all, happy fairly recent birthday. You turned 50 in February. Before we move on to talk about New Jersey, I want to ask about your swimsuit ski runs. This is an event where people ski en masse in swimwear. You did one at Soldier Mountain for your birthday and then a world-record attempt at Tahoe after it?Chelsea Handler: I did the one on my birthday, then I partnered with Gold Bond to do a larger one, where anyone who was interested could participate. We had 2,000 people registered, but then they had to close down the mountain because of a blizzard. There was only the bunny hill left. So it ended up being 700 people.Did you set a world record?They broke a different world record, I think.Okay. Goodbye, Soldier Mountain and Tahoe. Hello, New Jersey. Was your family in the state for generations? Your mother was born in Germany, but what about your father’s side? Did they spend time in New York and then come out, or was it New Jersey all the way?They were in New Jersey first. My grandmother emigrated to Newark. My grandfather had an auto business, a gas station and then some auto service. When my grandfather died, my dad took over the business. He started out with three gas stations and, because he was such a good businessman, he ended up with one.[caption id="attachment_823543" align="alignnone" width="778"] Chelsea Handler, at the age of 5, in her hometown of Livingston. Photo: Courtesy of Chelsea Handler[/caption]In the new special, which we’ll get back to later, you say that you didn’t like growing up because “the thesis of childhood is so insulting.” Was this specific to New Jersey, or more general?Childhood as a whole was pretty insulting. I didn’t like the idea that there were so many guardrails. I wanted to be a woman and do my own thing. I didn’t like being hamstrung by the idea that I was such a small little defenseless thing. It wasn’t mainly about geography.Your parents tried various things to get you to buy in. One solution you talk about in the special took you out of state—it’s an East Coast van drive down to Disney World—but when you were in state, did your sense of insult let up?Livingston wasn’t bad at all. It was my family. It was my parents. My dad was a used-car dealer. Our house was strewn with used cars. We had a circular driveway on Morningside Drive, and it was like the Sanford and Son of the neighborhood. We were living in an upper-middle-class neighborhood, but we stuck out like a sore thumb. That was a big problem. I always felt like if I had been put in charge of the family, we could compete.There are all these stereotypes about New Jersey, many of them lazy. What’s the one you like the least?The main one is when people say, “What exit are you from?” That’s the question that comes up over and over again. I didn’t live off the Turnpike, so I didn’t even have an exit. But people never stopped asking. It was the most annoying, repetitive thing, almost analogous to being asked what it’s like to be a woman in comedy.So, scratch next question. New Jersey may have been just a place to grow up, but it’s also a unique place: close to New York, but not New York, with an attitude about that. Did it create you and your personality?Oh, it definitely did. It brings a nice onion. Being in New Jersey means you’re salty, down and dirty. I’m a hustler because of New Jersey. I understood at a very early age what it means to hustle. I had an attitude. I still have that attitude.[caption id="attachment_823995" align="alignnone" width="778"] Chelsea Handler as a teenager. Photo: Courtesy of Chelsea Handler[/caption]You have talked about how your high school in Livingston kept you out of their Hall of Fame as a result of your abortions—something they have denied. What's your sense of the situation with them?They thought I was too outspoken about the abortions, and that rubbed them the wrong way. I guess they’re okay with teenage pregnancy. But I barely graduated from high school, to be fair. I lived in Somerville for my junior year. I moved in with my brother. Things got carried away. I got in lots of trouble. I went back to Livingston, and they had an alternative program for people who were not able to function in the normal school program. I worked at my own pace and made up two years in a year. I think my parents figured, Let’s just get her graduated and get her the hell out of here. But I’m in the New Jersey Hall of Fame.In both your new book and your new special, you talk about an incident with Andrew Cuomo that almost led to a hook-up. Are there other governors on your list? Phil Murphy? Gavin Newsom? Sarah Huckabee Sanders?Definitely Sarah Suckabee Sanders.How about Chris Christie?Not Chris Christie. He went to Livingston High School, too. He’s in the Hall of Fame.Your second book, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, got turned into a sitcom in the 2010s. The pilot was not set in New Jersey, but the show was.I wanted the show to be reflective of New Jersey, the way the book was, since all of the stories took place there.It was cast very innovatively. Laura Prepon played you, and you played your sister. Why was that?Bob Greenblatt was running NBC then, and he wanted me to be in the show in some capacity. I was doing the Chelsea Lately show, and I did not have the bandwidth to be the star of the sitcom. Plus, I couldn’t. I was too old. So this was a fun way to be in it, to play my own sister.Your dad on that show was played by Lenny Clarke, a Boston-area comedian and, maybe more importantly, a Martha’s Vineyard comedian. I know we’re focusing mostly on New Jersey, but I wanted to talk about the Vineyard for a second, since about half of your new special takes place there. You summered there for decades. How did that fit into your sense of things?The Vineyard was the happy place of my childhood, the place where everything great happened. I remember it all: the five-hour drive from home, the ferry from Woods Hole. My family’s house was on the beach in Edgartown. It was a nice foil to my winter doldrums. I didn’t love going to school. I didn’t like the social aspect of school. I love learning, but I wasn’t a person who loved learning in school. So it was a reprieve every year.Did you ever go there when it wasn’t summer?The year I was in second grade, my mom wanted to go to the Vineyard in April. She took me out of school in New Jersey, and I attended the Edgartown School in the Vineyard for two months. After that, the school told me that if I stayed up there, I could skip something like three grades. That seemed like maybe that school wasn’t quite up to the standard of the school back home.But if you skipped all those grades, you could have gotten done quicker.True. My parents were not willing.Okay. Let’s get off the island and get back to New Jersey. Your new special was filmed at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair. Is that a venue you picked for location? For affection?Both. I love that venue, and it’s a nice one. I wanted to film in New Jersey because I talk so much about my childhood in this show.[caption id="attachment_823519" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Mark DeLong[/caption]Sean Baker, who directed Anora, which just won a bunch of Oscars, was a projectionist there when he was in high school. He’s a little older than you. Do you know him at all?No, but I met him at Oscar parties. I spoke to him briefly, mostly to congratulate him.I was going to ask about comedy influences anyway, but you get there in a big way in the final stretch of the special, with a New Jersey link, even. The story involves performing at the Borgata in Atlantic City as a young comic and being invited to meet Bill Cosby in his hotel room. I don’t want to spoil the story, but part of it involves this weird jet of venom coming out of Bill Cosby, which is different from the other weird jets we have heard about since. He starts yelling at the comedian who was opening for you, a man, about opening for a woman. Was it tough to have that kind of interaction with Cosby?That was the first experience of learning not to meet my idols, and that was a big one. I worshipped him growing up. Meeting him was a huge disappointment, and the first of many. My two idols, as I say, were Woody Allen and Bill Cosby. My dad also turned out to be pretty disappointing. I remember meeting Chris Matthews once. My brother-in-law was obsessed with him, and he was a guest on the Tonight Show when I was, so I flew my brother-in-law out. Chris Matthews came backstage and was talking about how beautiful I am and how he was attracted. My brother-in-law was like, “Oh my God, he has a crush on you!”Now that you are the famous person, how do you manage those expectations?I don’t know. I don’t have too many expectations with regard to celebrity or fame. I have met so many, and I’m not really excited about any of it anymore. It’s part and parcel of things. So I’m acclimated both to the disappointments and the pleasant surprises.But how about when you are either someone’s pleasant surprise or disappointment? Have you ever seen something online about an interaction that you thought was completely normal, and then a fan got a strange vibe?I’m sure that’s happened, but I don’t spend a ton of time reading about myself online. I don’t find that to be of much value. I read articles about myself, but more from a journalistic standpoint. I’m sure plenty of people would say that they have had plenty of different experiences with me, most of them positive. I’m pretty nice in public. It’s in private that things get bad.You have this great split career at this point, which is both performing your stories onstage and writing them in your books. You know how they ask songwriters whether it’s melody or lyrics first? Do you deal with these stories as written pieces first or as spoken bits of an act?Usually something will happen, and I’ll tell a story, start sharing it with people. Based on their reactions, I’ll know whether it’s a story for the stage. Writing it in the book is different. You can provide so much more context and backstory. You can do that somewhat onstage, but you are looking for jokes and punchlines along the way. There’s also a difference in preparation. I don’t overthink my performances. I am very impromptu with them. With writing, it’s a different kind of art form. This most recent book was my sixth New York Times number one bestseller. I am incredibly appreciative for the fan base coming back to me. I think it’s because they know that I am telling my truth, regardless of whether it’s embarrassing.You seem like a very creatively ambitious and driven person. Are there creative genres that you haven’t tried yet?I think I want to do more acting than I have done in the past, stretch the muscles that I haven’t stretched. I am 50 now. It feels like a reset. I love my podcast, my standup, my books. Nobody tells me what to do or when to do it. I get to go to Europe when I want, which will happen later this year. I’ll be doing a Vegas residency. And I believe that the time off is as important as the time on. It creates the experiences that create the work. Whatever I do, it has to come from that. In my very first book, I talked about one-night stands. That was taboo. Nobody wanted to buy that in America. Everyone turned it down. I sold it to Bloomsbury, a British publisher. You would think they would be more uptight. But they published it and sold it to, like, 50 countries. Then America started printing it. Other books have been about drinking and drug use, about not wanting children. Whenever there’s a subject matter I feel passionate about, I speak about it, and it turns out that I’m speaking for millions of women. There are so many women who can now admit that they don’t think they are mother material, or that they like sleeping around. I want to talk about female freedom. That’s my vibe. I want women to feel empowered.Let’s touch on politics, non-Cuomo politics. In your mind, what’s the biggest problem these days and how would you start solving it? Because the biggest problems are always the easiest to solve, of course.Elon Musk should be removed from government—period. Beyond that, I am waiting for some mass mobilization and protest, some huge women’s march. I don’t know—what is happening is very dark and very uncomfortable. It feels like watching democracy fall. I am as concerned as the next person. But I try to focus on the positive and beautiful things without looking away from what concerns me.I want to finish with some state-icon word association. I’ll just name some icons, and you give a quick reaction. Bruce Springsteen?A-plus. I love him. I saw him in Milan last year and in Oslo the year before. I love him, and I was a late Springsteen bloomer. I only started really listening to him about four years ago.Frank Sinatra?I appreciate him and his music, but I’m not a fanatical fan.Philip Roth?I know lots about him. I have read books about him, and I have read his books. I appreciate his writing. His personal life is a different question.Queen Latifah?I love her. Who doesn’t love her? She’s Jersey magic.She’s in the state Hall of Fame with you.She’d better be.That’s four New Jersey icons. Let’s end with you picking a fifth.Oh, Jon Bon Jovi. He inducted me into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. He’s a great guy. I love him. That was the first concert I ever went to.Ben Greenman is the author or coauthor of more than two dozen books and edited Unrequited Infatuations, the bestselling memoir by New Jersey icon Stevie Van Zandt.Hair by Eduardo Ponce; makeup by Courtney Hart; styling by Molly Levin; wardrobe: Agolde T-shirt, Iro leather jacket.The post Chelsea Handler Gets Real About Growing Up in Livingston and Why NJ Made Her a ‘Hustler’ appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_823442" align="alignnone" width="778"] Lynne Calamia is director of the Roebling Museum in the former company town of Roebling. Photo: Matt Zugale[/caption]The red diaries showed up on eBay a couple of years ago. They were jammed into a cardboard tomato box and offered for sale by a junkman.Handwritten on thin paper in the ad-packed diaries once offered annually by the Wanamaker department store, they chronicled 44 years in the daily life of a housewife in the company town of Roebling, New Jersey.To Lynne Calamia, they were a once-in-a-lifetime find, the sort of treasure of which historians dream.Calamia is executive director of the Roebling Museum, a small nonprofit that preserves and tells the story of the family of John A. Roebling, best known as the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge—and of the wire rope that made those iconic spans possible—and of the company town where the wire was produced.Calamia calls herself a public historian. Since joining the museum in 2020, she has expanded its focus to include the lives of the men and women who worked at the mill and raised families in the town. She brings that history to as wide an audience as possible, not only through museum exhibits, but through walking tours, special programs, and the ongoing restoration of a worker’s home and garden.Her work joins efforts by other historians in recent decades to uncover and bring to public attention previously unrecognized stories about the contributions of immigrants, Black people, women and other marginalized groups in American history.The diaries fit that mission perfectly. Calamia jumped at the chance to buy them for the museum.“We want to tell the story beyond the steel mill—of the community, what it would be like to live here, the life cycle of the workers,” she says. “These are not people who would have had biographies written about them.”The story of the Roebling steel mill and town—of industry and immigration, decline and adaptation—in many ways echoes the story of New Jersey.Patriarch John A. Roebling invented the process for manufacturing wire rope to tow canal boats in Pennsylvania, where he had immigrated from Prussia. He soon recognized its potential use in suspension bridges, which he designed and built. His plans for the Brooklyn Bridge, implemented by his son and daughter-in-law, Washington and Emily Roebling, after his untimely death, were a highlight of The Gilded Age’s second season on HBO.When the family company, headquartered in Trenton, needed a place to produce its own steel in 1905, it built a mill and a town to house its workers a few miles south along the Delaware.Giant spools of wire rope from the mill served as suspension cables on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, submarine nets in World War I, and elevator cables in the Empire State Building. Its jobs provided a launchpad to the middle class for generations of immigrants from Europe, as well as Black people who had joined the Great Migration. “Once you had a job at Roebling, you were set for life,” was the workers’ refrain.The town offered 750 well-built houses with reasonable rents and a convenient walk to the mill. Its streets reflected the hierarchy of the factory: executives lived in spacious homes along the river; recent immigrants in narrow row houses closest to the mill yard’s clanging metal; and skilled American workers in between.But steel production moved overseas after World War II. The mill was sold in 1953, shuttered in 1973, and demolished in 1975. It soon became a U.S. Superfund site, now mostly cleaned up. All that remains is its gateway and administration building, which houses the museum, and the mill yard, which holds a craneway, a flywheel, and a few huge pieces of industrial equipment.The surroundings have escaped the fate of many once-thriving factory towns. Nearly all of the town’s original buildings—including houses and a handsome brick commercial block—remain intact.The unincorporated community in Florence Township, Burlington County, today is home to about 4,000 people.After the mill closed, a group of local residents banded together to preserve Roebling’s history. With help from descendants of John A. Roebling’s sons, the museum opened in 2010.Many significant items in the museum’s collection come from the attics and garages of those museum founders. Their photo albums, scrapbooks and memories—recorded in oral histories—have helped to recreate what life was like in the factory town.One of the greatest treasures came from Lou Borbi, an avid historian and retired school teacher whose grandfather, father, uncles and brother worked at the mill, as he did during summer vacations.When the mill was demolished, he rescued the employment records of more than 13,000 Roebling employees. The 5-by-8-inch cards date from 1910 to 1950, with ID photos and notes about hirings and firings, languages spoken, skills learned, disciplinary records and injuries.Each card “gives a name and a face to the people who worked here,” says Calamia. Like puzzle pieces, they can be grouped to produce different pictures, such as of the ethnic groups that comprised the workforce, the family connections that linked employees, and the injuries they suffered.Their details might make today’s HR managers blush.One notes that a laborer, hired at 17, should not be rehired: “Insubordination (the boy is no good),” it reads, later noting that he was “always late for work.”The young man’s tardiness was startling, says Calamia, given his address—directly across the street from the mill entrance.The museum recently purchased that row house, with plans to eventually offer tours. Descendants have provided a trove of photographs, some of which have been enlarged to life size and are on display in its living room. Calamia is perusing vintage Sears Roebuck catalogs to identify the right furnishings.“I love the treasure hunt of history,” she says.One day, she hopes, the row house will be the factory town’s equivalent of New York’s Tenement Museum—and the village of Roebling will be industrial America’s Colonial Williamsburg.Roebling Museum is open Thursday-Saturday, March to December; 609-499-7200.Lindy Washburn, a longtime reporter for The Record/northjersey.com, was twice named the New Jersey Press Association’s Journalist of the Year.[RELATED: Ultimate Guide to NJ's Under-the-Radar Museums]No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.The post Meet the Woman Who’s Uncovering the Untold Stories of NJ’s Roebling Steel Mill appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_823251" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Alison Seiffer[/caption]Decades into my long career in sports journalism, as I reached late middle age, the game I found most alluring was tennis. It was the only one I could still play respectably—depending, I suppose, on the source of that wholly subjective evaluation.Mostly I covered American team sports, but Wimbledon, with its beautifully manicured grass courts—and the imperial presence of Roger Federer—was irresistibly inviting in early summer.No athlete I had watched from any enviable press seat moved with such mesmerizing fluidity. When I fancied myself as more than a suburban weekend hacker on courts around Essex County, I tried to mimic the Swiss legend, who won Wimbledon eight times before a knee injury forced his retirement in 2022.Delusional bliss aside, the strength of my game was actually court coverage. During the winter of 2010, at a Florida adult tennis camp while on assignment for the New York Times’ (now defunct) Escapes section, my instructor sneered at the 3.5 quality rating I claimed to have, with one grudging concession: my ability to run.Flattering myself, I recklessly chased balls into my early 70s, until a fateful morning last June on a red-clay court in Nutley. Having heard enough professional athletes describe the dreaded sensation of a torn Achilles tendon as a violent kick to the back of the ankle, I staggered to a courtside seat, knowing I had suffered my first serious athletic injury.Surgery on the shredded tendon was followed by weeks in a cumbersome boot, watching summer pass by my window, along with joggers and walkers, while the stairs to the second floor loomed like Mount Everest.My tennis partners’ sympathetic texts diminished along with the assumption that my willingness to undergo surgical repair meant that my return in the spring was inevitable. Friends suggested I transition to pickleball, which is played mostly on cement, in a more constricted space, and is potentially even harder on aged tendons and ligaments. No thank you.In weighing my options, I recalled that I had concluded my 2010 story from the adult tennis camp asking why anyone in their mid-50s would risk heat stroke for the sake of a better backhand. The short, defiant answer: because we still could.Granted, one misstep off a curb could also be ruinous. But I have spent months contemplating more complex questions than the most active among us might ever confront: How much more precious time is there to waste in recovery from surgery? Is it wiser to continue defying age simply because we can, or just surrender to the inevitable fact of encroaching frailty?My surgeon assured me I could play again, but those summer weeks on the couch had inspired much reflection and prioritization. Walks in the park, workouts at the Y, and casual running seemed more sensible, if less compelling, objectives.Having achieved them all by early winter, I occasionally chided myself for giving in so quickly and placated myself by reserving the right to change my mind. Still, retirement due to injury remained my intention into early spring, abetted by one sanguine realization: How else would I ever truly emulate Federer?Harvey Araton is a freelance journalist, author and former New York Times sports columnist.[RELATED: Playing Pickleball Helped Me Feel Like a Real New Jerseyan]No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.The post Break Point: NJ Tennis Enthusiast Ponders Retiring From the Sport He Loves appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_823265" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]In the classic film A River Runs Through It, Brad Pitt pursues trout with dreamlike ease, casting his line across a Montana river in an elegant, shimmering arc.My first attempts at fly-fishing took place in a grassy field behind a Passaic County strip mall. My casts flopped to the grass in wimpy squiggles. It was hardly cinematic.I began my fly-fishing education at Tight Lines, a fly shop in Parsippany. In addition to stocking all manner of gear, Tight Lines offers instruction and guided trips. I signed on for Fly Fishing 101, a two-hour introductory class taught mostly in the shop, amid the rows of rods, reels, pre-tied flies and assorted outdoorsy accessories.There were seven of us in the class, including a father-daughter pair. After introductions and orientation, our instructors, Erik Barton and Francis Ryan, took us to the triangle of grass behind the shop and handed out practice rods. It was a brisk and drizzly day, the sort of morning a fly fisherman might love.[RELATED: 50 Fun Things to Do on a Rainy Day in New Jersey]First, we learned to thread the polycarbonate line through the loops in the 9-foot-long graphite rod. Then came the basics: stand square; use your arm, not your wrist; swing the rod evenly back and forward; let the weight of the line do the work.Our first casts were unimpressive; some were laughable. But, with continued attempts and guidance from our instructors, my classmates and I began to catch on.“It’s a never-ending process,” offered Ryan, addressing our shared frustration. “Guys who have been doing this a long time will tell you it takes 30 years to get a perfect cast. And if you’re still alive after that, it takes another 10.”Back in the shop, we plunged into the details. There were knots to learn and a dizzying variety of flies and fish habits to understand.New Jersey has numerous popular fly-fishing streams, including the Musconetcong, Pequest and Flat Brook rivers and the South Branch of the Raritan at Ken Lockwood Gorge. The state stocks each annually with a bounteous supply of rainbow trout. Brook and brown trout appear naturally in the waterways, although only the brook trout is native to New Jersey.The essence of fly-fishing is to attract the trout with lightweight lures that mimic the insects and crustaceans that the fish prey on. A big part of the hobby is making your own flies. For our lesson, we used prepared flies made with synthetic or natural materials, including feathers, hair, and bits of animal skin wrapped around a small hook.The flies have goofy names like the wooly bugger, a small lure made with turkey feathers that imitates crayfish. The hare’s ear nymph (made with rabbit fur) mimics insect larvae; it’s meant to attract trout at the bottom of a stream. Conversely, dry flies float and attract trout at the surface as they hunt for the Mayflies, caddis flies and stone flies that flit atop the water.[caption id="attachment_823266" align="alignnone" width="778"] Schlager dons waders for his first crack at trout fishing. Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]Ten days after soaking in all this knowledge, I arrive at 7 am at the Point Mountain section of the Musconetcong to reconnect with Francis Ryan for a private lesson on the river. Ryan, 21, grew up in Denville, where he started fishing the Rockaway River with his father at age six. He still lives in Denville and has been working at Tight Lines for three years.Ryan has brought along all the fishing gear we need for the four-hour lesson, including rubber waders. As we hike upstream on a trail alongside the river, Ryan describes how to “read the water.” Riffles are fast-running, agitated sections; runs are steadier, smoother flows; pools are deep pockets behind logs and boulders.[caption id="attachment_823269" align="alignnone" width="778"] Schlager walks a trail along the Musconetcong River as instructor Francis Ryan reads the water. Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]Throughout the lesson, we move from spot to spot, reading the water and hoping to stumble upon the places where the trout are biting. For starters, we wade shin deep into a gentle run. “Fish are very lazy,” Ryan says. “They like slack water.”On the grassy field 10 days earlier, I had learned two types of casting: false casting (an overhead motion) and roll casting. Fishing on the river calls for roll casting, a sideways motion used to avoid overhead branches. With my right hand on the cork handle, I swing the rod back toward my left shoulder, then forward across the river.My initial casts go nowhere. I’m lifting the line too quickly, Ryan explains. I slow down and let the weight of the line carry itself farther across the stream. After a few tries, my casts travel a respectable distance.[caption id="attachment_823274" align="alignnone" width="778"] Ryan ties on a sculpzilla, a fly made of rabbit fur intended to mimic a sculpin, a bottom-dwelling bait fish. Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]At the end of the line, Ryan has attached two weighted nymphs about three feet apart. “I like to give the fish lots of options,” he says. “It’s like a buffet line.” He has also attached a red plastic float called a bobber or indicator. Once the line is in the water, it drifts with the river into a horseshoe shape. The goal is to keep the cast aligned with the rod, manipulating it to help the fly float in a more natural manner, a process called mending. Holding the rod in my right hand, I pull the slack back with my left hand to mend the line, a technique known as stripping.[caption id="attachment_823267" align="alignnone" width="778"] Ryan offers a refresher on line management. Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]After mending the line once or twice, I cast again. And again. And again. With no luck here, we step back on the bank and trudge upstream to try another hole. Now we’re looking for seams where fast water meets slower water. “Fish love seams,” Ryan says.At each new hole, I continue casting, targeting the seam. Finally, the bobber disappears under the surface, indicating something is on the line. Following Ryan’s commands, I pull up on the rod and strip the line until it is taut. With luck, the hook will set in the trout’s mouth. But when the bobber stays under and the line doesn’t move, it’s clear all I’ve caught is a rock.We repeat this process for several hours, trying different holes. “Each day is different,” Ryan says. “Each day, the fish want something different.”I get a few bites, but fail to set the hook and haul in the fish. Ryan tells me this is not uncommon. “Trout are experts,” he assures me. “If they recognize it’s not a fly, they spit it right out.”[caption id="attachment_823268" align="alignnone" width="778"] Schlager tries his luck again from the edge of the river. Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]But mostly, I’m hooking rocks. Freeing the line from the rocks often means losing a hook. Thank goodness Ryan is standing by, cheerfully pulling new flies from his plastic fly box. As the river rushes around our legs, Ryan expertly ties the flies onto the thin extension at the end of the line, known as a tippet. I’m impressed and a little deflated. Could I do this without Ryan’s assistance?We try a swifter, deeper section of the river, wading in with our boots pointed into the current. The bottom is strewn with slippery boulders covered with slime. “Rock snot,” Ryan calls it. I walk gingerly through water up to mid-thigh, grabbing Ryan’s arm to avoid toppling into the drink. The waders are working. Amid turbulent waters, I remain bone dry. We pick a spot to cast. No luck. We trudge farther across the river and try again. Still, nothing.Back onshore, I’m exhausted and dejected. All I’ve hauled in so far is a Y-shaped branch. Lesson time is running out, so we start downriver toward the cars. Ryan chooses a wide run for my final stand.Noting the bugs on the surface of the water, Ryan opts for a dry fly. He ties on a chubby Chernobyl, a large white-and-purple fly made of foam. I continue with repeated casts as he calls out commands: “Recast. Don’t drop the rod too low. Big mend, up and over. Mend again. Feed it some line. Good drift.”Then, much to my amazement, I hook one. I set the line, strip it tight, and swing the trout out of the water and into Ryan’s waiting net. It’s a rainbow, about 14 inches long, Ryan guesses. I’m relieved to see it has come off the hook by itself. I cradle the fish in my hands for a few seconds. It appears unperturbed. After a photo, I toss it back.[caption id="attachment_823272" align="alignnone" width="778"] Finally! After hours of casting, Ryan nets his student’s first catch. Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]More amazement: On the very next cast, I hook a smaller fish. Ryan identifies it as a creek chub, native to these waters. Back it goes. I cast again. And within five minutes, another rainbow is in the net. Ryan hands it over so I can feel its heft. This guy seems sad, as if I had ruined its morning.As we walk back to the cars, we encounter a rugged-looking fellow unloading gear from his pickup. “How’d you do out there?” he asks. And for the first time in my life, I have a fish story to tell.[caption id="attachment_823273" align="alignnone" width="778"] Schlager shows off his second rainbow trout before releasing it to the river. Photo: Chuck Solomon[/caption]GET HOOKEDFly casting is not difficult, but there’s plenty to learn. Tight Lines offers lessons in fly casting and fly tying at its Parsippany retail location and on various New Jersey rivers.Tight Lines’ introductory class, Fly Fishing 101, is held in the store on specific days throughout spring and summer. The two-hour class costs $59.95. Visit tightlinesflyfishing.com for dates.For fly-casting instruction on one of several rivers, Tight Lines charges $60 per hour. Wader rentals are $35; all other equipment is included in the hourly fee.For further information and reservations, call 973-244-5990.TROUT RULESNew Jersey freshwater lakes, rivers and streams are generally open for trout fishing year-round, except when stocking is taking place (this year, between March 17 and April 5). In 2025, the official spring trout season opens April 5, following three weeks of stocking. Close to 600,000 trout, raised at Pequest Trout Hatchery, are stocked each spring in New Jersey’s public waters; additional trout are stocked in the fall.Permits are required for anyone aged 16–69. An annual permit is $22.50 for residents 16-64, and $12.50 for those 65-69. An additional trout stamp ($10.50) is required for all permit holders. Buddy discounts are available for family members.Each year, New Jersey conducts two free fishing days, when no permit is required for freshwater angling. In 2025, those days are June 7 and October 18.Catch-and-release regulations vary by location and season. For example, at the Point Mountain section on the Musconetcong River, the daily limit for most of the year is one trout of at least 15 inches. Additional catch and all brook trout (an indigenous species) must be released immediately.For additional information or to apply for a permit, click here.Ken Schlager is a lecturer at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the former editor of New Jersey Monthly.[RELATED: Fun Things to Do Outside in New Jersey This Spring]No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.The post Get Hooked: A Complete Guide to Fly-Fishing in New Jersey appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_343542" align="alignnone" width="778"] Katie Calautti in the Frenchtown Cemetery. Photo: Courtesy of Katie Calautti[/caption]For Katie Calautti, a writer living in Hunterdon County, cemeteries are not the gloomy, frightening places of horror movies. In fact, spending time in graveyards helps lift her depression and has gotten her hooked on cemetery history and artistry.“Cemeteries are such restful, peaceful places, very park-like and beautiful,” she says. “They really are calming and grounding for me.”Her passion for graveyards, and her popular Instagram series, “Pastries With the Dead,” were ignited one Sunday in 2021, when, feeling low, she drove to Frenchtown, bought a donut and hot chocolate, and wandered into the cemetery. “It matched my mood,” she says. “I was like, This is cool. I like this.”In her Instagram series, which is also on Substack, she documents her trips to New Jersey cemeteries. “Once you visit one, you start noticing that they’re everywhere,” she says. Her interest in death—“I think about it at least 100 times a day,” she says—seems to have struck a chord; her series has nearly 3,000 followers on Instagram. “People seem to be fascinated by conversations about death,” says Calautti, who is a medium and “into the death-positivity movement.”A lover of history, Calautti was also captivated by the intricate carvings and symbols on old tombstones. She’s taken a course in cemetery history with a Harvard professor and meets monthly with academics in the field. She recently took a stone-carving class in Vermont, which her followers helped fund. “There’s this whole network,” she says. “There’s even an Association for Gravestone Studies.”[RELATED: Visit These NJ Cemeteries For a Fascinating Walk Through History]
One of her favorite cemeteries is the old burial ground in downtown Westfield, which inspired Charles Addams’s New Yorker cartoons, which in turn inspired The Addams Family TV show. There, she’s found death’s head symbols (winged skulls) and “some really incredible examples of soul effigies” (a cherub or person’s face with wings), she says. “And lots of headstones with matching footstones, which is rare.”Footstones, she explains, were meant to resemble the footboards of beds where the dead could rest in peace; headstones are shaped like headboards.Westfield’s graveyard also features the “super beautiful” work of New Jersey stone carvers Jonathan Hand Osborn, Henry Osborn and Ebenezer Price. She says, “Jonathan Hand used to sign his name at the top of the stone, so his name got billing over the dead person’s, which is hilarious to me.”Another find is the cemetery’s mistake stone, where “someone misspelled something and had to actually carve it out to fix it, and there’s a hole there,” Calautti says. “They’re so fun.” There’s also a practice stone, where apprentices would try out designs on the bottom of the headstone, which would be underground, or so they thought. “But with erosion, you can see their work,” she says. “It’s so freaking cool.”Calautti thinks Covid helped move the topic of death more into the open. “In the Victorian era, death was intertwined with our lives,” she says. “People would visit cemeteries and have wakes in their parlors.” A Latin phrase, memento mori, (remember, you must die) was popular on on old tombstones, she says. “We have always been obsessed with the idea that we are not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time.”[RELATED: Haunted Attractions Sure to Scare NJ This Fall]
No one knows New Jersey like we do.* Sign up for one of our free newsletters here*. Want a print magazine mailed to you?* Purchase an issue from our online store*.The post ‘Pastries With the Dead’: How Cemeteries Became a Source of Solace for This NJ Writer appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Merlise Diaz was 43 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. Luckily, her treatment (lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation) was successful, and she’s been cancer free for six years. Also reassuring was that her daughter apparently wasn’t at elevated risk—her type of cancer wasn’t considered hereditary, genetic testing was negative, and she wasn’t aware of any family history of the disease. “I breathed a sigh of relief,” says Diaz. “I figured my cancer was just a fluke.”But four years later, her daughter, Leslie Grullon, 29, started experiencing night sweats and a shooting pain in her breast. She was diagnosed with a different type of cancer than her mother’s and required a double mastectomy. “I thought, This can’t be happening,” says Diaz. “‘Lightning doesn’t strike twice.’” Her daughter endured five breast-reconstruction surgeries, but has been cancer free for three years. Despite struggling with anxiety following her ordeal, she plans to pursue a career in nursing.Alarming jumpWhile this mother-daughter story is, thankfully, quite unusual, it does reflect a disturbing trend: The incidence of breast cancer in young women is rising. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the number of women in their 40s diagnosed with breast cancer increased by 2 percent a year between 2015 and 2019. Doctors like Bonni Lee Guerin, a hematologist and oncologist who is director of the Breast Cancer Treatment and Prevention Program at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, are particularly alarmed by the increase among Black women in their 20s. “Their chances of getting breast cancer has jumped to double what it was just 5 or 10 years ago,” she says. “That’s mind-blowing.”Why the numbers are rising for younger women is “the million dollar question,” says Guerin. “The truth is that nobody knows.” Some of the increase may simply be because more women are getting mammograms as there’s more awareness of their importance, so more cancers are being detected, says Dr. Arnold Baskies, past chairman of the national board of directors of the American Cancer Society and a clinical professor of surgery at Rowan University School of Medicine in Stratford. In addition, he says, during the pandemic, many women deferred having mammograms, which could account for a post-pandemic bump in cases.Obesity’s roleFor her part, Guerin believes that childhood obesity, which has jumped in the past 20 years, largely drives the early-age onset of breast cancer. “Women in their 20s are the first cohort of women that experienced the prevalence of childhood obesity,” she says. “We get some estrogen from adipose tissue; the larger your fat cells, the higher your estrogen level. And we absolutely know there is a strong link between obesity and breast cancer; unopposed, relentless, long-term estrogen increases your risk. “The rise among young Black women is also “a puzzle,” she says. Deepening the mystery is the fact that, while a Black woman in her 20s has twice the risk of a white woman, by the time she’s 40, her risk is equal to her white peers. “Why would it be that, not only would a Black woman have an earlier onset of breast cancer, or we’d see it earlier, but why is it in the 20s and then it seems to dwindle away by the time she’s in her 40s?” asks Guerin.With breast cancer the second most common cause of cancer deaths among U.S. women, making up 30 percent of all new cases according to the American Cancer Society, any increase is cause for concern. The group estimates that one in eight women will develop the disease in the course of their lives.Also troubling is the fact that young women diagnosed with breast cancer tend to have poorer prognoses than older women, says Guerin. The absence and shortcomings of mammography in younger women likely play a part. “Younger women may not be getting mammograms as routinely as they should and so can be diagnosed at a later stage, when tumors are bigger. Also, tumors in younger women are generally worse, more estrogen negative, which tend to have poorer prognoses and are more likely to be involved with the lymph nodes.” In recent years, screening mammography had only been recommended for women age 50 and older.Even if a woman in her 40s or younger does get a screening mammogram, detecting early evidence of cancer on mammograms is more difficult in younger women, who tend to have dense breast tissue. (Dense breast tissue shows up as white on mammograms, as do cancerous growths, so it can be hard for radiologists to distinguish between the two.) For the same reason, mammography readings are also less useful for diagnostic purposes in younger women. And since they don’t have previous mammograms to compare them to, detection and diagnosis are further hampered.Mammograms matterFortunately, due to these concerns, the age recommendations for screening mammograms have changed. In April 2024, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which many primary care doctors rely on for testing guidelines, began advising that women get screening mammograms every other year beginning at age 40, rather than 50. Other groups, including the American Cancer Society, also lowered their starting age to 40-45, with yearly mammograms.Though there is some discrepancy in the recommendations, the important point is to discuss your family history with your health care provider by around age 40 and have annual mammograms by at least age 45, says Baskies. The conversation should be ongoing, since family histories change, says Guerin. “Young women are not thinking about their family trees, nor are the physicians. But it’s an opportunity to find out if you’re a carrier of a breast-cancer gene. And among younger women, there’s a higher chance a breast cancer is linked to a genetic mutation.”The most common genetic mutation, the BRCA1 gene, puts carriers at very high risk of developing breast cancer. If your family history indicates that a genetic test is warranted and you discover you are a carrier, most insurance carriers will pay for a breast MRI along with your mammogram, which is much better than mammography alone at picking up early signs of cancer.[caption id="attachment_345016" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: The Brave Union[/caption]Going back in timeWhen researching your family history, go back three generations—even a grandmother or great aunt with breast cancer increases your risk, says Guerin. Third-degree relatives, such as first cousins, also count. And don’t focus exclusively on female relatives or breast cancer. Pancreas, prostate and uterine cancer, for example, share risk genes with breast cancer. Ethnic background, such as being an Ashkenazi Jew or of Eastern European descent, also elevates your risk of developing breast cancer.In the new recommendations, there is no mention of monthly breast self-exam. According to the American Cancer Society, research has not shown a clear benefit to regular physical breast exams done by either health professionals or by women themselves. But that doesn’t mean they’re not an important preventive tool. In fact, the society adds that, “most often, when breast cancer is detected because of symptoms (such as a lump in the breast), a woman discovers it during activities such as bathing or dressing. Women should be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel and should report any changes to a health care provider right away.”Merlise Diaz and her daughter both credit familiarity with their breasts, gained from self-exams during showers, with helping them recognize a difference when lumps developed. “I recommend to all my very young patients to do breast exams, not because I think they’re going to find something, but because it helps keep breast health on the forefront of their minds,” says Guerin.The news about breast cancer is not all bleak. Although the incidence of the disease is increasing, far fewer women now die from the disease. In 1975, for example, the five-year survival rate was 75 percent; it is now about 93 percent. Baskies attributes this to improved detection techniques, surgery, and drugs. For instance, doctors can now analyze the genetic material from a biopsy to determine the most effective treatment. “It’s pretty amazing,” he says. “We used to think what was important was the size of the tumor or whether it had spread to the lymph nodes. But what kills a woman is if the disease spreads beyond the breast. This test actually tells you whether or not it has the potential to do that. It’s the answer we’ve been looking for.”REDUCE YOUR RISKA healthy lifestyle can decrease your risk of getting breast cancer, and improve your outlook if you do, at any age. Here’s the latest research-based advice from the American Cancer Society:Don’t drinkDrinking alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. One drink a day has a 7-10 percent increase in risk; two to three drinks a day, about a 20 percent higher risk. Limit yourself to one drink a day at most.Maintain a healthy weightHaving more fat tissue increases the amount of estrogen your body makes, which raises your risk. Women who are overweight also tend to have higher levels of insulin, which has also been linked to breast cancer.Stay physically activeExercising and limiting sedentary behavior reduces breast cancer risk. Aim for at least 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity each week.Eat a healthy dietInclude a variety of vegetables, especially leafy greens, beans, fruit and whole grains. Limit red and processed meats, sweetened beverages, processed foods, and refined grain products.
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About 40 percent of food in the United States gets thrown in the garbage. In New Jersey alone, that amounts to more than 3 billion pounds a year—while nearly a million people in the state don’t have enough to eat.Twenty-five years ago, Table to Table, the first nonprofit food-rescue organization in the state, was formed to help close this gap. Since 1999, it has supplied more than 311 million meals to the hungry.Keeping food out of landfills, where it emits methane gas as it decays, is a win for the environment, too. Table to Table has protected the planet from more than 73,000 tons of global-warming gasses.“When good food gets thrown in a dumpster instead of feeding the people who need it, that’s an injustice; it’s unacceptable,” says Heather Thompson, executive director of the Saddle Brook-based nonprofit.Unlike most food pantries that accept only nonperishable goods, Table to Table collects produce, meat and dairy products. “These tend to get thrown away much more frequently,” Thompson says. “They’re also the most difficult and expensive to access, but the most critical for health and well-being.”A fleet of six refrigerated trucks picks up food from 350-plus donors each week. Most comes from Hello Fresh’s Newark distribution center, large and small grocery stores and restaurants, and even schools with leftover lunch items. The donations are typically delivered the same day to hunger-relief organizations in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.Individuals help out by transporting smaller donations. The organization's I-Rescue app posts rescue opportunities, and volunteers pick up and deliver the food on a one-time or regular basis. “We’ve been able to expand how we support the community by adding the app,” Thompson says.In 2023, Table to Table provided more than 23 million meals to neighbors in need. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the goal is to provide 25 million meals this year.Learn more about how you can help by visiting the Table to Table website.[RELATED: New Jersey Food Banks and Nonprofits That Help Residents Facing Hunger]
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[caption id="attachment_344878" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Ryan Olbrysh[/caption]Who needs a song out in Hackensack? Many artists besides Billy Joel, apparently. A long list of creators of popular music, as well as screenplays, stage plays and TV scripts, have made a point of including the Bergen County city in their work. From Joel’s “Movin’ Out” to the original Superman movie and more, the town has long resonated as the exemplar of a place where common folk live just a stone’s throw—yet a world apart—from big-city glamour.Technically a city in its own right, with a population of 45,000 people, Hackensack has been showing up in cultural references since the mid-1920s, beginning with a foxtrot ditty and a Cole Porter tune and going all the way through Zoolander and beyond. More than a few of the scribes themselves maintain this is no accident.“It’s not Park Avenue, it’s not San Francisco. Basically, it’s the city in the shadow of the city,” says Kristian Fraga, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who grew up in nearby Leonia. “You could be in Iowa and hear, ‘Hackensack, New Jersey,’ and you know immediately it’s not Manhattan.”Fraga has vivid memories of seeing Superman in 1978, shortly after it opened, and hearing Gene Hackman’s character, the villain Lex Luthor, announce the city as the target of his second missile (the first was California’s San Andreas Fault). “I was at a theater in Hackensack, and the place erupted,” he adds. “When Superman saved the day, the audience went nuts again. For a 4-year-old, it made it all feel so real.”The only surviving Superman screenwriter, Robert Benton, 91, speculates that one of his colleagues—either script doctor Tom Mankiewicz or director Richard Donner—chose Hackensack “because the name sounded funny.”But Stephen Borg—whose grandfather Charles “Charlie” Agemian, a banker and businessman whose Hackensack Trust Company merged with Superman-producing Warner Bros.— once said Charlie had told him the city “was chosen in his honor.” Borg told 201 magazine that “as a 10-year-old boy, I really never understood how he did it, but the story sure made me feel good.”Either way, both Hackensack and the Man of Steel, played in that movie by New Jersey native Christopher Reeve, prevailed. Before Superman, Hackman’s detective Popeye Doyle in the French Connection (1971) hears from colleague “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider) that a suspect they’re eyeing “probably sells insurance, owns a chicken farm in Hackensack.”The city’s status as a less-than-first-class destination in disparate media began early, though in recent years the city, which has both urban and suburban portions, has undergone revitalization, with new construction and hip restaurants.In 1924, it was the vocal refrain in the song “Back in Hackensack, New Jersey,” written by Art Beiner and Don Russo. Beiner and Russo’s geographic background, why they conjured “a shack” there, and how dance-hall staple Benson Orchestra of Chicago came to record the song, all remain a mystery. Then, the 1929 Billy Murray/Walter Scanlan recording of a tune called “Shut the Door” ushered in the Depression by modifying the original lyrics to say, “I live up in Hackensack in a house down by the sea/Oh, you live up in Hackensack/Well, why blame that on me?”Their choice of Hackensack, miles from any beach, may be attributed to poetic license, but Cole Porter’s intention a year later was clear when he penned the musical The New Yorkers, a vehicle for Jimmy Durante. Its breakout number, “I Happen to Like New York,” includes the lines “I took a trip to Hackensack/But after I gave Hackensack the once-over/I took the next train back.” The show ran on Broadway for nearly a year and had several revivals; “Happen” became a Great American Songbook staple covered by Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.By the postwar period, Hackensack had seeped into live theater—namely, Death of a Salesman. In the 1949 Arthur Miller play, a waiter named Stanley tells Happy, Willy Loman’s son, that most diners avoid the quieter part of the restaurant, preferring “a lotta action around them…but I know you, you ain’t from Hackensack. You know what I mean?” To Stanley, and probably Miller, a Hackensack resident is likely to be the boisterous life of the party.In the mid-1950s, Thelonious Monk hopped aboard the Hackensack train with a tribute to jazz engineer Rudy Van Gelder called, simply, “Hackensack,” after Van Gelder’s home-based recording studio. That same year (1954), Rear Window premiered. As Jimmy Stewart’s wheelchair-bound character, Jeff, and his nurse, Stella, spy on a neighbor apparently poised to take his own life, Stella, played by Thelma Ritter, declares that she “has handled enough rhodium triechonol pills to put everybody in Hackensack to sleep for the winter.”Steven DeRosa, the author of Writing With Hitchcock, calls Stella a “down-to-earth person with a Brooklyn accent for whom New Jersey would be a natural reference,” compared to Jeff’s socialite girlfriend, played by Grace Kelly. DeRosa points out that Ritter started her career in theater stock in Elizabeth, “but Elizabeth doesn’t have the same ring to it that Hackensack does.”Or ease of rhyme. Paired with “heart attack” in Long Island-bred Joel’s 1977 “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” Hackensack also lined up nicely in a 1962 country tune called “I’ve Been Everywhere,” whose laundry list of locations includes Cadillac (Michigan). The song was penned by Hank Snow and later covered by Johnny Cash. Vina Moses, a spokeswoman for the Hank Snow Home Town Museum in Nova Scotia, marvels at Snow’s facility, despite having completed only fifth grade. “It didn’t matter where he was singing about, he rhymed everything off, including your town,” says Moses.Hackensack has “a certain ring to it,” says city redevelopment director and unofficial city historian Albert Dib. That sentiment was echoed by late composer Peter Schickele, aka P.D.Q. Bach, a classics satirist responsible for “O Little Town of Hackensack.” Asked about his inspiration, his daughter Karla says Schickele “replied, with his customary chuckle, that he just liked the sound of the name.”[RELATED: The 50 Biggest Pop Culture Moments in New Jersey]
The name Hackensack comes from the language of the Achkinckeshacky tribe who inhabited the region; it translates to “mouth of a river.” This definition is fitting, since it is located along the banks of the approximately 50-mile-long Hackensack River.The city figures in another novelty song, 2018’s “If I Never Get Back to Hackensack” by veteran singer/songwriter Tom Rush, a New Hampshire native, who had a memorable gig in Hackensack; and in “Lost in Hollywood,” a 2005 heavy-metal banger by California-based System of a Down (“The lines in the letter said/We have gone to Hackensack.”)Musically speaking, nearly every modern decade is represented, especially the 1970s. On Life and Times, the last album Jim Croce released before he died, the song “Roller Derby Queen” describes the queen as “my big blond bomber, my heavy-handed Hackensack mama.” Steely Dan put their own stamp on the major metro vs. Hackensack contest with “Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More”: “Driving like a fool out to Hackensack/Drinking his dinner from a paper sack.”In the aughts, alt-band Fountains of Wayne intoned, “And if you ever get back to Hackensack/I’ll be here for you” on … wait for it … “Hackensack”; late Fountains songwriter Adam Schlesinger hailed from Montclair.“In my opinion, it’s just a great word to sing, and I know Adam once said the same thing,” explains former bandmate Chris Collingwood of the Welcome Interstate Managers track, later covered by Katy Perry.Movie-wise, the 1980s saw Brewster’s Millions, with late comedians Richard Pryor as a minor league pitcher and John Candy as catcher for the Hackensack Bulls, whose playing field is bisected by railroad tracks.On the small screen, The Cosby Show, the most-watched TV series of the late 1980s (despite subsequent controversy), name-checked Hackensack as well.A season 6 episode saw Vanessa and her friends playing a drinking game in which each player must call out a city starting with a letter of the alphabet. The girl who gets H bypasses Hollywood, Honolulu and Houston for the Garden State’s most oft-cited burg.In the 2001 Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander, Will Ferrell’s fashion-executive character is threatened, “Perhaps you’d like to go back to turning out novelty neckties in Hackensack.” Bride of Chucky (1998), from the slasher-comedy franchise Child’s Play, reveals that Chucky’s human body is allegedly buried in a Hackensack cemetery; the related TV series Chucky, which came out in 2021 on Syfy, employs the city as a frequent plot location.Then there’s the video game staple Grand Theft Auto, which premiered in 1997; its alternate universe comprised a district called Hackenslash.There are enough mentions to fill a house—at least, one in Hackensack.Pamela Weber-Leaf, a writer for more than 25 years, grew up a few miles from Hackensack, in New Milford.
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Beekeeping has been around since nearly the dawn of human civilization, but how does one take up the practice in the Garden State? Ask Meghan McConnell, New Jersey’s official state apiarist (or beekeeper).It may not be the best-known position in Trenton, but it holds quite a bit of influence over New Jersey’s state insect, the honeybee. McConnell’s job is partly regulatory and partly about educating the public about beekeeping and the importance of the buzzing little insects to our state.Given New Jersey’s nickname of “the Garden State,” it should be no wonder that bees are vital here in multiple ways. A lot of our important crops, especially blueberries and cranberries, need pollination from our honeybees, says McConnell, who has been the state apiarist since 2019, noting that New Jersey is one of the top ten exporting states of both fruits.Surprisingly, more than 95 percent of honeybees in New Jersey are owned by only 5 percent of beekeepers, which are large, commercial operations. But backyard beekeepers, including retirees, enthusiasts and experts, make up the rest of the group—making it that much more important for experts such as McConnell to be available for advice and guidance. Beekeepers or wannabes can find help online or by calling the Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, at 609-406-6939.McConnell got hooked on beekeeping as a grad student at the University of Maryland. “I applied for, like, a hundred-plus different jobs, couldn’t find anything, so I started volunteering at a spider research lab,” she says. An opportunity soon arose with a professor studying bees, and McConnell leapt at the opportunity.From there, McConnell never looked back. Soon after, she set her sights on state apiarist jobs to pursue her passion. She loves the variety the job provides. “I can go out in the morning and teach kids, or I can go out and work with pesticide inspectors who wanna learn more about bees…I like it because you get to do a little bit of everything,” she says.Beekeeping in the Garden State has seen an uptick in the past 15 years, which McConnell attributes to public awareness of the global decline of bee populations in the 1990s and early 2000s.Additionally, the rise of the urban farming movement has drawn people to more sustainable food options. As the most densely populated state, New Jersey is popular for urban beekeeping. “We want this cool hobby or side business, but what do we do if we live in a really large city and there isn’t space?” McConnell says. In fact, New Jersey’s beekeeping regulations were changed in 2018 to allow beekeepers to have more colonies, encouraging more city dwellers to start up rooftop colonies.McConnell says that her biggest challenge is providing proper education to both civilians and beekeepers alike. “We want to have enjoyable spaces for everyone…I think just educating our neighbor is important, saying, ‘Hey, I have these bees, they’re helping your garden.’ It’s a collaborative thing.”[RELATED: So You Wanna Run a Farm? This Rutgers Program Can Help]
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I’m a suburban gardener with a modest proposal on behalf of the eggplant (or, if you prefer, the aubergine). With apologies to the tomato, I propose we name the eggplant the state vegetable of New Jersey.Hear me out!New Jersey grows more than 26 million pounds of eggplant every year—more than any other state. Unlike the tomato, which is New Jersey’s current state “vegetable,” the eggplant is actually a vegetable. And New Jersey soil composition is exactly right for eggplant cultivation.I discovered this and more at the New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show in Atlantic City earlier this year, when I joined more than 500 farmers and agricultural representatives to learn about everything from soil nutrition to greenhouse and wind tunnel farming.In a convention hall filled with farmers, tractors and model drones, I had my photo taken atop a big green tractor, learned about the state’s growing wine industry, and tasted the best of what local winemakers are producing.I met entrepreneur Carmen Guzman-Francesco, who makes small-batch, boutique hot sauces sourced from New Jersey pepper farms, and was inspired by the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s Farmers Against Hunger program, which provides rescued produce to underserved populations.I learned that the average age of a New Jersey farmer is 65, that many farmers find it unreasonably challenging to become organic certified in New Jersey, and that of the 10,000 farms in the Garden State, most earn less than $10,000 annually.[RELATED: The Future of Farming in New Jersey]
I also learned there’s a business that matches famers who have manure with farmers who need it—just like a dating service, the representative told me.But back to the eggplant.On Long Island, where I grew up, my father’s backyard garden yielded more eggplant, pepper and zucchini than we ever managed to stew, sauté, stuff or parmigiana in a single summer.Now, every year, my husband and I grow several varieties of eggplant in our backyard garden in Montclair. We serve them Italian, parmigiana, Asian, grilled and barbecued—also fried, mashed, sautéed and especially, stewed with tomatoes and olives in Nana’s famous tapenade recipe.Eggplant varieties are more popular than ever; a trip to any local farmers market will prove it.Still, I was surprised when Newell Thompson, executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society, told me that while our state produces millions of pounds of cranberries and blueberries each year, our 26 million pounds of eggplant put us ahead of all other states.“There’s a reason it’s called the Garden State,” Nick Benedetto of Giamarese’s Farm told me at the convention. “People forget.”Apparently, some people also forget that the eggplant is Jersey’s most important vegetable. So let’s hear it for the eggplant. Jersey may grow more berries than aubergines, but it’s the eggplant that puts us at the top of the national agricultural map!Laurie Lico Albanese is a New Jersey-based novelist who makes a mean eggplant parmigiana.
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[caption id="attachment_344490" align="alignnone" width="778"] Students in the R U Ready to Farm program at Rutgers. Photo: Linnéa Eberly[/caption]An innovative program at Rutgers University aims to address an existential threat to the future of agriculture in New Jersey: The average age of farmers in the state is 60-65 years old. “There isn’t a next generation that’s prepared to take over, and that is really a big problem,” says Bill Hlubik, a professor at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and director of the beginner-farmer program R U Ready to Farm.The training program, begun with a USDA grant in 2020, fills a gap that has developed in recent decades as the state’s farmland has been gobbled up by development, while vocational farming programs in schools have mostly disappeared. “People don’t realize how complex farming is,” Hlubik says. “If you didn’t grow up in farming, you have no idea how to get started.”The program’s popularity reflects a growing interest in farming careers. Nearly 200 students have enrolled to date; 75 vied for 56 spots in phase 1 of this year’s program. “People have been sitting behind screens too long,” say Hlubik. “With farming, they see the fruits of their labor.”The would-be farmers aren’t the homogeneous group of countryfolk you might imagine: 58 percent are women and minorities, and 40 percent live in urban areas, Hlubik says. Hands-on training is on weekends to accommodate those working other jobs. Student goals vary from traditional produce farming to running a wildflower or herb microfarm to urban farming or community gardening. One student is developing a business that will supply fresh produce to restaurants.Beginner-farmer programs are not unique to New Jersey, but two aspects of the RU program make it stand out, says Hlubik. Participants get real-world business experience and build a base of future customers, and they work with successful farmers who act as mentors.The three-phase program starts with a 15-session online course on farming basics, with weekend field trips. In phase 2, participants run a 12-week CSA (community-supported agriculture, where customers buy shares of the produce from a local farm), from planning to harvest, on the Rutgers extension farm in Cream Ridge. The program costs $500 in phase 1 and $1,200 ($2,000 for partners) in phase 2.“Students are assigned three crops and take ownership of the crops they’re growing,” says Hlubik. “We help them figure out their markets. They research pests and disease, soil and site conditions, and then we test their knowledge.[RELATED: Volunteer Farmers Save Leftover Crops to Feed NJ’s Food Insecure]
“We’re trying to initiate the experience of running a farm and making all the decisions,” he says. “They work as a team, with other students and experienced farmers and teachers. They can make mistakes and it’s okay, because they’re here to learn and and work on their leadership skills.”In the final stage, students get assistance implementing their business plan, including advice around buying or leasing farmland or working with another farmer on their land. For those looking to buy, “We’ll go out with them to look at the properties and provide advice on conditions for the crop they want to grow,” says Hlubik. “We help people ask the right questions before they buy a farm, which can be millions of dollars here in New Jersey.”[RELATED: Broadway Star Laura Bell Bundy Embraces Farm Life in New Jersey]
Those not ready or able to buy their own land can lease Rutgers farmland, if available, for up to three years, or work on the land of an established farmer.Lauren O’Hanlan, a pediatric nurse practitioner, is completing phase 2 with her husband, Dennis, a machine operator for PSE&G. The couple, both 35, and their three children live on a 3-acre farm in Burlington County, raising poultry and miniature cattle and selling eggs and produce. Eventually, the O’Hanlans hope to move to a larger farm, supply cow and goat milk directly to consumers, and sell their products at farmers markets and at a farm stand on their property.“This program’s really great because it focuses on small-scale vegetable production,” says O’Hanlan. “I wanted to learn from the experts. It’s very challenging here in New Jersey; the cost of land is very expensive. So we new-generation farmers have to be creative; we have to get higher yields in smaller spaces. The program’s been awesome, teaching us that.”Despite the challenges of farming in the Garden State, Hlubik thinks the Rutgers program will continue to attract converts and is hopeful their USDA grant, soon up for renewal, will be extended. “Once people get out and start gardening, they get hooked,” he says. “And sometimes they think, Maybe I can make a living doing this. Everybody in this program is hooked on agriculture. It’s like a bad habit.”
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Ronald Reagan was known as the great communicator, famous for clear, powerful declarations like, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” But 40 years ago, during a New Jersey campaign stop, he made an infamous blunder.With a star-studded movie and a massive new biography about America’s 40th president both out now, it’s a good time to revisit the Gipper’s Garden State gaffe.It all began with a September 1984 speech: “We’ve come to Hammonton, just as we went to Elizabeth and Hoboken…because you’re what America is all about,” Reagan said. “America’s future rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire — New Jersey’s own, Bruce Springsteen.”His comments echoed conservative columnist George F. Will, who had recently written, “the recitation of closed factories and other problems” in Springsteen’s songs “always seemed punctuated by a grand cheerful affirmation: ‘Born in the U.S.A.!’”It was off-base, but that didn't stop Reagan from co-opting Springsteen’s working-class hero image into his “Morning in America” message of national renewal.What followed was the 1980s version of a viral blowup. The Boss’s Born in the U.S.A. album was on its way to selling 30 million copies. The title track was about a Vietnam vet born “in a dead man’s town / The first kick I took was when I hit the ground.”Springsteen—and other critics—pointed out that Reagan missed the whole point.In fact, Springsteen’s previous album, 1982′s stark, severe Nebraska, was received as a nearly nihilistic take on the Reagan years.But Born in the U.S.A. was ambiguous. While the album was full of songs about characters whose lives are being squeezed by forces beyond their control, they were delivered as raucous ‘80s rock and roll, balancing a dark message with exuberant music that sold millions.After that, Bruce became more direct in his songwriting, and more political. He supported John Kerry against George W. Bush in 2004 and stumped for Barack Obama in 2008.In this approach, he was an early adopter; it has become commonplace for musicians to wear their politics on their sleeves.For more on the Reagan-Springsteen dustup, visit Max Boot’s new 900-page biography of Reagan, Reagan: His Life and Legend.[caption id="attachment_344256" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller in Reagan. Photo: Courtesy of Rawhide Pictures/Rob Batzdorff[/caption]The film Reagan, which came out August 30, stars Dennis Quaid as the former president, alongside Jon Voight, Mena Suvari and Penelope Ann Miller.If you miss them, there is a monument on Hammonton’s Bellevue Avenue (Route 54) marking the spot where Reagan made his 1984 address. It makes no mention of Springsteen.
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In a state boasting large swaths of parkland, a 21-acre tract tucked behind a residential street in Montclair might be overlooked. That would be a shame.What the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve lacks in size, it makes up for with its rich array of native plants, animal life and walking paths—all made possible 50 years ago by a consortium of nature lovers and government officials.“It’s a tale of two municipalities and some people who saw the gem this could be,” says Jonathan Grupper, president of the Bonsal Wildlife Conservancy, a nonprofit created in 2022 to oversee and raise money for the sanctuary.The tract borders Clifton and is named for a member of the Bonsal family of Montclair, which donated seed money for the project in 1974 after the land had been set aside under New Jersey’s Green Acres program.The Bonsal received further protection a few years ago with Clifton’s novel resolution to bury an above-ground sewer line that had threatened the woodlands; the preserve abuts a 9-acre parcel owned by the North Jersey District Water Commission. Today, Grupper leads a dedicated group of volunteers who perform trash cleanups, clear the preserve of invasive species like Japanese knotweed, and even conduct fish counts on the Third River, a Passaic River tributary that runs through the preserve.One of those volunteers, Cesar Presa, hopes to get the word out to a population beyond local residents and birding enthusiasts tracking warblers and dozens of other avian species.“It would be great if more people visited and gained an understanding of the natural world,” says Presa, who leads the Bonsal’s invasive species strike force. “They’d get such enjoyment, but also see how much work is needed to care for this land.”[RELATED: The South Mountain Reservation Fairy Trail Is a Magical Place to Visit]
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IMAGECARE: PINK BREAST CENTERSMammograms: A Must for *Women’s Health[caption id="attachment_343639" align="alignright" width="350"] Dr. Lisa Marie Sheppard, medical director, Pink Breast Centers.*[/caption]Dr. Lisa Sheppard, medical director of ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers, emphasizes the importance of annual mammograms for women aged 40 and older. “The latest science makes it clear that screening mammograms save lives,” she says. “There is no reason not to have one.” Dr. Sheppard highlights that women have the right to a screening mammogram without needing a doctor’s prescription and mammograms are fully paid for by insurance.
For those without insurance, programs like New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) provide mammograms. By law, women are entitled to a baseline mammogram at age 35 and a yearly exam from age 40, both fully paid for by insurance. Women who have dense breasts or who are at elevated risk for breast cancer are entitled to high-resolution screening breast ultrasounds and screening breast MRIs. At ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers, women’s health is prioritized, and further imaging or biopsies are provided if necessary.
All 15 ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers are American College of Radiology Centers of Excellence and offer high-resolution 3-D mammography with AI-enhanced overreads, ensuring every patient receives comprehensive feedback at no extra cost. “We believe in high-quality exams for our patients, leading to fewer false positives, biopsies, and callbacks,” says Dr. Sheppard. ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers utilize the most advanced breast imaging technology available to provide individually tailored, comprehensive evaluations for the early and precise detection and diagnosis of breast diseases. The highest quality interventional breast procedures are conducted, including stereotactic, ultrasound, and MRI-guided biopsies.
Experience also makes a difference. “We perform more than 75,000 breast imaging studies each year,” says Dr. Sheppard. “These studies are interpreted by board-certified and fellowship-trained doctors.” “It’s incredibly important that women get screened,” she adds. “The earlier we find breast cancer, the smaller it is, leading to less treatment and better outcomes.”
15 locations throughout northern New Jersey • 973-556-4910
SAINT PETER’S UNIVERSITY HOSPITALWireless Technology Offers Enhanced Comfort and Improved Accuracy[caption id="attachment_343764" align="alignright" width="319"] Dr. Sundus Abbasi, breast surgeon at the Breast Center at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.[/caption]Advances in breast imaging have led to earlier detection rates of breast cancer, especially for nonpalpable masses that can only be seen on imaging due to their small size. Paralleling the advances in breast imaging technology are localization techniques, including the adaptation of wireless technology, which has led to improvements in patient satisfaction and comfort.
Saint Peter’s University Hospital is implementing Magseed® technology, a unique breast marker that replaces the traditional practice of implanting a wire prior to surgery, thereby enhancing patient comfort while providing increased accuracy for the surgeon tasked with removing the cancer. “The Magseed can pinpoint the exact spot of the tumor within millimeters. In addition, because the Magseed provides additional patient comfort, it can be implanted any time after the initial biopsy, decreasing the wait time on the day of surgery,” says Sundus Abbasi, breast surgeon at the Breast Center at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.
“The Magseed has been proven beneficial for advanced breast cancer patients too. Advanced breast cancer often necessitates the removal of one or more lymph nodes, a procedure that leads to lymphedema. Particularly in advanced cancer, surgeons using the Magseed marker can now mark only the cancerous lymph nodes, preserving others and reducing the potential for lymphedema by offering less axillary surgery.”
The Saint Peter’s Breast Center provides a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer via a team of oncologists, breast surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, genetic counselors, and physical therapists who collaborate in developing individualized treatment plans. Patients also benefit from access to clinical trials.
The TrueBeam® linear accelerator, coming this fall, improves breast imaging capabilities even further, offering pinpoint accuracy in reaching hard to locate tumors. The technology can treat up to ten lesions at a time while simultaneously preserving healthy tissue adjacent to the cancer itself.
ATLANTIC HEALTH SYSTEMBetter Tools, Better Results[caption id="attachment_343635" align="alignright" width="350"] Dr. Paul Friedman of Atlantic Health System[/caption]Breast cancer death rates are down more than 40 percent from three decades ago, thanks to a combination of increased information and improving technology that has positively impacted diagnosis and treatment.
That fantastic improvement does not diminish the importance of screening, however. Currently, a number of organizations, including the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging, support the beginning of annual screenings at age 40 for women of average risk. “That should take place every year as long as you are healthy,” says Dr. Paul Friedman, radiologist. “There really is no upper age limit. Of course, those with higher risk should be screened earlier.”
Breast density has become another key factor to consider when it comes to breast health. “Every woman should know her breast density,” says Dr. Friedman. “It matters because additional screening may be required since higher density can make it harder to evaluate a mammogram.” Speaking of mammograms, those have evolved tremendously over time, transitioning from film to digital. In more recent years, the process of tomosynthesis has changed the game again, using technology that can produce hundreds of images through a breast rather than just creating superimposed images of it. “That has really elevated the specificity and accuracy in readings,” says Dr. Friedman.
The next wave of improvement is likely to come from the use of artificial intelligence, which is fitting given that Atlantic Health has always been on the forefront of technology. Equally as important is the all-encompassing care breast cancer patients receive at Atlantic Health, according to Dr. Friedman. “When you come to us, you’re not just getting your mammogram, you’re getting risk assessment, evaluation of breast density, diagnosis, and an individualized care program,” he says. “We also offer nurse navigators who will guide you through the entire process.”
Atlantic Health System • Morristown Medical Center • 844-343-3540
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Adam Sandler is the newest resident of New Jersey—at least temporarily.The comedy icon and his family have moved to the Garden State for the time being while he is here filming Happy Gilmore 2 this fall, New Jersey Monthly has confirmed.Sandler, 58, was said to have looked at houses in places like Montclair and Llewelyn Park (the historic gated community in West Orange where Whoopi Goldberg lives) for himself, his wife Jackie, and their younger daughter, Sunny. His older daughter, Sadie, recently started her freshman year at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts—her father’s alma mater.Sandler, Jackie and Sunny—who appeared last year in the Netflix comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah alongside Sadie—have been spotted all over the Garden State in recent weeks. Sandler's been everywhere from Goldberg’s World Famous Deli & Bagels in Millburn, where he posed for photos with the owners, to the swanky French restaurant Faubourg in Montclair, to the Montclair Golf Club, where we hear he ate lunch with his daughter.[caption id="attachment_343792" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Adam Sandler visited Lokl in Morristown earlier this month. He's pictured here with George Stogioglou, the son of the café's owner. Photo: Courtesy of Lokl Café[/caption]Sandler's been spotted twice at the small coffee shop Lokl Café in Morristown, where he stayed for quite a while, says owner Panos Stogioglou.“We were very excited about it. It was a nice surprise,” he says. “He was super friendly and was there for a long time, taking pictures with all the staff.”Last month, the sequel to the 1996 hit comedy Happy Gilmore held an open casting call at the Hyatt Regency in Morristown, where people came out in droves for a chance at background work.The flick is set to shoot in Bergen, Essex, Monmouth, Morris and Somerset counties from September through November.The original movie was about an unsuccessful hockey player (Sandler) who learned he had a talent for golf.The sequel's cast is set to include Bad Bunny and Travis Kelce alongside Sandler, as well as Julie Bowen, of Modern Family fame, and Christopher McDonald, who will both reprise their roles.The film is being directed by Kyle Newachek, who also directed Sandler in Murder Mystery with Jennifer Aniston in 2019. Sandler is also a writer on Happy Gilmore 2.Happy Gilmore 2 is officially in production, according to Netflix’s social media accounts, which recently showed a shot of Sandler in costume. Sandler shared the post on Instagram and wrote: “It ain’t over. The way I see it… we’ve only just begun.”Filming already took place at Steve’s Burgers, a popular spot on Route 46 in Garfield, as well as in locations in Montclair and South Orange. Reports have said the movie will film at the high-end country club Fiddler's Elbow in Bedminster, which has a beautiful golf course.One Montclair family rented their house out to the production crew for the next several months, New Jersey Monthly has learned.In recent years, an influx of movies and TV shows have decided to film in New Jersey after Governor Phil Murphy reinstated generous tax incentives for projects shooting in New Jersey, giving Jersey the nickname of "Hollywood East."Sandler has been nominated for three Grammys, five Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. Last year, Sandler was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.Sandler is known for his distinctive style of dressing. In fact, in 2021, Vogue named him the year’s fashion icon for popularizing the “grocery-run look,” which includes wearing oversized T-shirts, XXL-sized pants and Nike sneakers.We're sure he'll fit in just fine here in New Jersey.
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When Chloe Troast, a 27-year-old actress who grew up in Ho-Ho-Kus, joined Saturday Night Live in 2023, New Jerseyans were thrilled to see one of our own making us laugh. But when Season 50 premieres next month, Troast won't be among the cast."Unfortunately I was not asked back to SNL this season," she wrote in an Instagram post this week. "I wish I was going back to be with all the amazing friends I made there, it truly felt like home. But it wasn't in the cards."Since the announcement, fans have rallied around Troast with messages on social media like, "literally just talked to my therapist about how wrong it is for SNL to fumble chloe troast so hard." and "Chloe Troast was such a standout from last season. Really surprised she wasn't asked back." On a positive note, loyalists can see the actress on the stage and screen. She completed her comedy tour this summer and appears in the HBO Max feature film Sweethearts, which comes out November 28.Prior to this week's news, New Jersey Monthly sat down for a chat with the actress about her New Jersey upbringing, her early interest in comedy and what she loves watching on TV. At the time this interview was conducted, we (and Troast) did not yet know that she wouldn't be returning to SNL this season.How did you become interested in sketch comedy?I became interested in high school. A teacher asked if I’d ever heard of the Upright Citizens Brigade (a comedy theater and comedy school in New York City) and I hadn’t, so at the end of my junior year of high school I would take the train into the city and take UCB classes. I saw so much improv and sketch that summer and caught the bug.How did growing up in New Jersey influence you as a performer?Growing up in New Jersey was super formative. Being so close to the city, I was lucky to see shows in New York with my parents. There are so many professional actors that live in New Jersey and teach classes and run theater camps. We’re really spoiled being so close to New York, the opportunities to see and meet and learn from the best is unlike anywhere else. I also just love New Jersey. I love the people of New Jersey. I grew up with a lot of funny people. They taught me everything I know. I did tons of theater in high school. I went to Northern Highlands but I ended up doing all my theater at the all-boys’ school St. Joseph’s. They let any girls from the surrounding area audition for their shows. I give so much credit to that place for shaping me as a performer. I met the most talented people there. Also Saddle River Youth Theater was probably the place I did the most shows of my life. That’s where I fell in love with theater.[caption id="attachment_343747" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] From left: Chloe Troast as Mama Cass appears alongside host Emma Stone as Mitch Lester during an SNL sketch in December 2023. Photo: Will Heath/NBC[/caption]What was the Saturday Night Live audition process like?The audition for the show was super surreal. I auditioned and screen-tested last year, and then I was like, 'Well that was all I could have ever hoped for!” and then they asked me back to screen test and I was like, “Ok!” Then it happened. Both times were the two most nerve-wracking days of my life. Walking out there and performing on the stage that you only see on TV, it makes you kinda black out. But once you hear the first chuckle out of the people in the room watching, you’re like, “Oh this is just a show, pretend it’s just a show!”What is the writers’ room process like at Saturday Night Live?The writing process is interesting. Most everything that appears on the show Saturday was started on Tuesday of that week. Writers and cast will pitch ideas on Tuesday afternoon. We usually take all night writing sketches. Then on Wednesday, we get up early, edit the sketches and send them off to the producers. The producers pick about 40 sketches to read at table. And we spend the entire afternoon/evening reading 40 sketches with the host. Some things score, some things flop. Then they pick the best 13 or so, and we rehearse and edit them until dress rehearsal on Saturday. Then between dress and air about three things get cut. And that’s kinda the whole thing.Who are your favorite past or current members from SNL? Who has inspired you?I feel like the crew of people with Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig was the era of the show that I watched growing up and definitely had the most impact on me. I was super into Documentary Now and Portlandia at the same time, and those ventures really inspired me. There are also so many legendary women from the show that I am in awe of: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, the list goes on.Favorite sitcoms? Favorite shows on TV right now?I grew up watching SpongeBob pretty religiously. It has affected me deeply. I sorta think in cartoons. I was also a big musical theater person, so I was deeply into (Stephen) Sondheim and stuff at a young age. I was also a YouTube kid—I spent many nights watching makeup tutorials and stuff. Favorite show out now—I loved Stath Lets Flats (on HBO Max), an amazing hybrid of scripted and improvised TV. And, honestly, I loved Succession because it was serious and all that, but also because it was genuinely funny. The show wanted you to laugh at people’s struggles sometimes and I love that.Have you written any sketches for the show? If so, which are you most proud of?I’ve written a few sketches this year that have made it on! Which is really crazy and cool. Probably the one I’m most proud of is Little Orphan Cassidy, which was my first sketch on. It felt like something that was so me, and so weird, and I couldn’t believe it was happening every time it kept getting closer to being on air. I was like, how is this happening? I definitely kinda blacked out during that, too.
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[caption id="attachment_343287" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Gary Hovland[/caption]It’s fitting that this column is called “Only in New Jersey.” So much of my writing, as well as who I am at the core, is Jersey-centric. I’m a Jersey guy. Yet, while this column has run in New Jersey Monthly for well over a decade, this is my final one for this prestigious publication.To say I’ve loved writing this column would be an understatement. In fact, it has been a guilty pleasure to be paid to write about the state that I love so much, that runs deeply through my veins. As everyone reading this column knows, New Jersey is a unique, special and, often, frustrating state. Only in New Jersey could The Sopranos have been based and filmed. Only in New Jersey could those of us who love the Jersey Shore sit in traffic for hours on the Garden State Parkway and tell ourselves it’s worth it when we cross that bridge over the Barnegat Bay.Of course, we have the highest property taxes in the nation, and, while none of us like that and, yes, some of us are leaving the state, most of us still stay. Why is that? I say it’s a Jersey thing. There is something about us. Most of us are pretty provincial (my mother still lives in our old neighborhood in Newark). Of course, we have the best pizza, despite what New Yorkers think. And Jersey diners? Fuhgeddaboudit. (It’s my last column—I had to do that at least once.) We know we’re the best. As my good friend Nicky G. likes to say, “Do you know who I think I am?” Even when, technically, we’re not, we convince ourselves we are. We have attitude and grit. Yes, it is a Jersey thing to sometimes be in people’s faces and too quick to argue. But we also have heart and compassion, especially for our closest friends and family members—at least, the ones we are still talking to.Writing a column like this is about creating a conversation with New Jersey Monthly readers. It is the same thing I have tried to do for over 30 years as a broadcaster and interviewer on public television. I’m fascinated by compelling and interesting conversations, but like many New Jerseyans, I’m sometimes not the best listener. That’s right. We often talk too much and don’t listen enough.And “Only in New Jersey” could we have three such different Jersey politicians run for president in recent years: former New York Knicks star Bill Bradley in 2000; classy Cory Booker in 2020; and combative Chris Christie twice, in 2016 and 2020. All of them, especially Christie, left their marks on national politics. You never questioned where Christie was coming from. He told you what he thought, whether you liked it or not—and trust me, I know, having interviewed Christie as governor many times. He always told me when he was pissed off about our conversation. That’s what I liked about him most—because we both knew it was a Jersey thing. You put your cards on the table.Finally, since this is my last column for New Jersey Monthly, I want to say thank you, not just to the staff at the magazine, but also to my readers. I’ve never gotten tired of meeting folks who let me know what they think of my most recent column, whether they liked it or not. It has been an honor to write this column, to have a voice, and to share my ideas about this very special state. I wish all of you and your families good health and prosperity—and I’m praying that you don’t get too pissed off the next time you are in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Parkway, the Turnpike or any other Jersey road. Goodbye for now. Be well, New Jersey.Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of six books, including his newest, Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff. He is an Emmy Award–winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. He has also appeared on CNN, CBS News and NBC’s Today show. Steve Adubato's Lessons in Leadership video podcast, with cohost Mary Gamba, airs Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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Students at Bergen Catholic High School won’t see their three-time defending state-champion football team play a home game this season until late September, when historic rival Don Bosco Prep comes to Crusader Stadium.By then, Bergen Catholic will have played four times, including an opener in Ocean City against Florida’s mighty IMG Academy—which Bergen Catholic lost 24-17. Senior quarterback Dominic Campanile knows exactly what will happen. “During Bosco week, the whole campus will be going crazy,” he says. “The freshmen will be like, ‘What is this?’”“This” is the latest standard in New Jersey prep football. Under coach Vito Campanile—Dominic’s father—the Crusaders have won back-to-back-to-back Non-Public A state titles and are trying for a school-record fourth straight. Although some argue that the state’s seven classifications (five public, two non-public) make it impossible to determine Jersey’s best team, a strong argument can be made for Bergen Catholic, thanks to the top-notch level of competition in the state’s A group and in Bergen Catholic’s league, the Super Football Conference (United Red Division). That aggregation of powerhouses has produced five state title winners—including Don Bosco—over the last decade.“[Bergen Catholic has] been a New Jersey superpower for a long time, along with Bosco and a few others,” says Don Bosco coach Dan Sabella. “They were one of the first teams to play against out-of-state powerhouses, and the amount of success they have had and the championships they have won is impressive. They’ve had a great stretch the last couple years.”Bergen Catholic succeeds for a variety of reasons, most notably, an institutional belief that winning football benefits the entire school community. The Oradell-based, all-boys high school, with an enrollment of 750, will celebrate its 70th birthday next year and boasts strong academics and “a pursuit of excellence in all aspects of student life,” according to its website. That’s standard among the state’s private Catholic schools.What makes Bergen Catholic different on the gridiron is a top-down alignment that produces tremendous success. The school’s board, president, admissions staff, faculty and parents work in concert to create an environment in which top athletes can get into the school and, once there, receive the support necessary to succeed in and out of the classroom. If one part of that continuum falters, it becomes nearly impossible to win championships. Bergen Catholic has won seven titles this century and 17 since 1979. The payoff is not just trophies.“When the football team wins, because it’s a fall sport, it sets a tone for the rest of the year, not only for athletes in winter and spring sports, but also for admissions and fundraising and alumni relations,” says Brian Mahoney, who took over as president in 2018. “It strengthens relationships with current families and brings back alumni. They become more engaged because of football.”When Don Bosco visits on September 28, nearly 6,000 people will jam Crusader Stadium, creating multiple engagement opportunities. The team helps drive admissions, annual giving and school pride. Bergen Catholic’s other activities are important—and successful—but none creates the sense of excitement as does the championship gridiron squad.“When you talk about what makes Bergen Catholic special, winning helps,” says athletic director Brendan McGovern, ’10, a former all-state football player at the school. “We want to make sure we are always putting our best foot forward.”To say Vito Campanile comes from a football family is a ridiculous understatement. His dad was a coach. So are his three brothers. One, Nunzio, was Bergen Catholic’s head coach until 2018, when he joined Rutgers’ coaching staff, and Vito replaced him. Since then, Vito has returned the Crusaders to the heights they reached under the legendary Fred Stengel, who in 22 years at the helm (1988-2009) won nine state titles.A former all-state QB at Paramus Catholic who at one time held the New Jersey record for career passing yards, Campanile values the “top-to-bottom” agreement on football’s importance at the school.“Everybody is very like-minded,” he says. “You can feel it.”Bergen Catholic’s summer football camp helps introduce potential players to the school, and Campanile estimates former campers comprise 70 percent of this year’s team. He stresses the importance of bringing “like-minded people” to campus. Bergen Catholic’s tuition is $20,000, and the school provides financial aid but not full rides. “We want families to have some commitment to the school,” Mahoney says. At Bergen Catholic’s core is a strong academic program, and, according toCampanile, for four straight years the Crusaders have had the most alumni of any school playing Ivy League football.“If you’re just coming here because you want to go to Notre Dame or USC, you’re in the wrong place,” Campanile says. “If you want to be around people who want to help you be the best version of yourself, that’s awesome.”That “best version” includes four alumni who have reached the NFL, including Brian Cushing, a linebacker who spent nine years with Houston. This year’s squad boasts all-state wide receiver Quincy Porter, who has committed to play at Ohio State next season. Dominic Campanile is being recruited by Division I schools, as are other team members.Bergen Catholic’s national non-conference schedule is designed to prepare it for league and post-season play—and to gain attention for the school. In addition to playing Florida’s IMG Academy, Bergen Catholic will visit traditional Ohio powerhouse Massillon and Iona Prep, a strong New York City program. The Crusaders expected to beat all three teams.“It’s not an easy environment,” Campanile says. “It is survival of the fittest. It’s 100 percent about being accountable. We coach toughness in every way.”The coaches are demanding, but the successful teams are player-led. Upperclassmen create a culture of accountability across the roster. “It’s implemented through the older players that lived through it,” Dominic Campanile says. “When younger guys are coming in, they fall in and follow in the older players’ footsteps. When they get to be juniors and seniors, they do it for the younger players.”A fourth straight title is not guaranteed. Vito Campanile describes Bergen Catholic’s league as “the SEC of high school football,” a reference to the highly-competitive college conference. Should the Crusaders survive that gauntlet, they must navigate a 16-team state-wide playoff. It’s a lot. But the roster is strong. Campanile is a proven coach. The school has provided the resources needed to thrive. Matching results with high hopes is the big challenge.“It’s hard. You’re not going to win every year,” McGovern says. “But if you do the right things with the right kids and culture, you should be able to have success.” And plenty of it.Michael Bradley is a writer based in suburban Philadelphia and an assistant instructor at Villanova.The post Is Bergen Catholic NJ’s Best High School Football Program? appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_343138" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Marella Moon Albanese[/caption]At last count, New Jersey had 58 colleges and universities, from Princeton University, a private institution with a multibillion dollar endowment, to taxpayer-funded research giants like Rutgers and Rowan, to for-profit specialty schools such as the Kubert School of cartoon and graphic art, to 18 county community colleges. Many of them are scraping for an ever-shrinking pool of students and public dollars.One of the state’s leading progressive educators says it’s all a bit too much.“The higher ed environment we have in New Jersey is simply not sustainable, and we better get serious about fixing it—fast,” says Michael J. Avaltroni, a chemist who is now in his second year as president of Fairleigh Dickinson University.“Some schools are hemorrhaging money. Many students and families can’t afford tuition. The workplace and economy have changed dramatically. Yet we’re doing the same things we’ve been doing for decades—centuries even.”Avaltroni’s views reflect the growing concerns of college administrators, elected officials and students, who say change can’t come fast enough to the state’s higher-education landscape.Advocates say there’s too much competition among schools and not nearly enough collaboration. They say there are too many schools in too many silos offering the same courses and the same degrees, too many students departing for cheaper alternatives out of state, and too little taxpayer money for community colleges at a time when inflation-strapped families are desperately seeking the skills—and certification—to get good 21st-century jobs.“Do we have too many colleges in New Jersey?’’ Avaltroni asks. “That’s a touchy issue. Let me just say there is too much capacity and too much competition. We’ve got to do better at working together instead of just raising tuition. We can certainly do better building partnerships between community colleges and four-year schools.’’Community colleges face funding gapsNew Jersey rightly prides itself on the achievements of its K-12 public schools, whose students consistently test among the best in America. Princeton and Rutgers feature elite faculty, world-class facilities, and prestigious records of cutting-edge research. But state spending on community colleges here has lagged behind most other states. In 2024, New Jersey ranked 46th among the 47 states with community colleges in terms of state support per full-time student, providing $2,506 each—an astounding 71 percent below the national median of $8,555, according to data reported by the New Jersey Legislature.This year, Governor Phil Murphy’s administration threatened to cut $20 million from county colleges, even though those colleges’ leaders had actually requested a $20 million increase in state support.While the threatened cuts were restored at the last minute as part of a $56 billion budget deal, educators were clearly frustrated at what they saw as indifference from Trenton.“I had the opportunity to testify before this committee 20 years ago, and at that point, my college was getting $6.4 million in state aid,” Steve Rose, president of Passaic County Community College, told the Senate Budget Committee in testimony last spring. “If this cut goes through, I will be getting $6.4 million from the state.”While state support for county colleges did rise by $35 million over the previous three years, that increase came after 13 years of flat funding following the economic emergency of 2008 and the ensuing recession.Aaron Fichtner, president of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, says the funding gap remains critical. “We’re starting to head in the right direction, but after years and years of flat funding, and now the stress of continued inflation, there is real need out there,’’ Fichtner says. “We’re basically trying to run schools in 2024 with resource levels from 2002.’’The stress on county colleges is only part of a bigger financial squeeze on many four-year schools and the state higher education system in general. Alarm bells have been sounding for more than a decade.State college aid plummetsIn 2013, New Jersey Public Policy Perspective (NJPP), the state’s leading progressive think tank, charted chronic underfunding of state colleges stemming back to the mid-1990s, when spending on higher education comprised 8.4 percent of the state budget. By 2012, NJPP researchers found, spending had dropped to just around 6 percent of the budget, where it remains.Over the same period, state support for Rutgers University fell by 5.6 percent in real dollars. Adjusted for inflation, support for Rutgers fell a whopping 85 percent in less than two decades.Inevitably, state-supported schools responded with big tuition increases.Nearby states like Maryland, New York and Connecticut, meanwhile, increased their higher education spending and honed a competitive edge over the Garden State. The average cost of tuition and fees in public New Jersey colleges is now $15,367 for in-state residents and $26,632 for out-of-state students—which is about 25 percent higher than the national average, according to the website UnivStats.“A growing amount of college costs have been shifted to students and their families, with tuition rising much faster than household incomes and families increasingly borrowing huge sums to pay for higher education,’’ NJPP researchers wrote. ‘’New Jersey is in danger of being left behind in the competition for high-paying jobs and businesses seeking well-educated workers.’’Every year, it seems, the chronic financial pressure on New Jersey colleges and universities brings out deeper and more worrisome stress fractures.Revenue at Rider University in Lawrenceville, for example, dropped more than $20 million—some 16 percent—since the Covid pandemic struck a little more than four years ago. Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County was forced to eliminate vacant positions and consolidate others in a $1.4 million cut in planned spending.In 2023, William Paterson University was forced to cut 266 jobs to balance its budget. Two years ago, New Jersey City University made deep cuts in staffing levels as it slashed academic and sports programs. With the school declaring a financial emergency under a ballooning deficit, its president resigned, and the school received a $10 million state bailout.Tiny Bloomfield College, which saw enrollment plunge during the pandemic, was forced to merge with Montclair State University in 2023 after years of debt and financial uncertainty. The 156-year-old school primarily serves low-income Black and Hispanic students, with most having a family income of just over $30,000.The financial challenges aren’t just hitting smaller colleges; the 169-year-old College of New Jersey, a respected and selective state school that enrolled more than 7,000 students this year on a $270 million annual budget, has chalked up $350 million in long-term debt.Former TCNJ president Kathryn Foster told lawmakers in 2023 that the debt stemmed from borrowing for facilities upgrades and other improvements. “We are all wrestling with these financial-stability questions, whether you’re a very strong institution or whether you’re some of the institutions that have been the canaries in the coal mine,” she said.Other big challenges deepen the sense of financial gloom.Looming on the horizon is an enrollment cliff, expected to arrive in 2026, and worried New Jersey college administrators are already sweating.The cliff, a sharp drop-off in the number of high school graduates, is expected to last until 2037. The dip, experts tell us, stems from a decline in birth rates during the Great Recession of 2007-2009. According to the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, New Jersey will face a 6 percent decline in the number of high school graduates and, many fear, a corresponding dip in college enrollments.For New Jersey—a state that loses more than half of its college-bound high school graduates to other states—the brain drain could be critical.Minorities are losing outAnother cliff is the one facing New Jersey’s racial minorities. A report from the New Jersey Council of County Colleges found that the lack of sustained investment has stymied economic mobility for all Jerseyans, but especially for the poorest and most vulnerable.The report cites data showing that, while 60 percent of all New Jersey adults have a postsecondary credential or degree, just 37 percent of Black residents and 30 percent of Hispanic residents have one.Almost 60 percent of white and 80 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander residents, meanwhile, list some college certification on their resumes.Community college opportunity grants, championed by the Murphy administration, have made an impact on the equity gap, providing assistance in the 2022-2023 school year to some 12,000 low-income students.But Fichtner, president of the state’s county college council, says a lot more must be done to relieve the problem and the financial stress on higher education in general, especially at a time when employers are demanding a better-educated workforce and more targeted training.“We have to get more people to postsecondary education and degrees. We’ve got to address huge equity gaps in…attainment in New Jersey,’’ he says. ‘’We can do that if we work together, but it’s really about finding new models of collaboration, and we’ve got to get away from a competitive mindset.’’FDU president Avaltroni, who, in 2009, pioneered the creation of the university’s School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Florham Park, says collaboration among county colleges, traditional four-year universities and, increasingly, employers, is now the best way out of Jersey’s higher-education squeeze.Avaltroni, an upbeat innovator, sees more schools working with corporate leaders to provide tailored career training. He sees more high school students earning college credits targeted for today’s workplace and a postsecondary world where schools can’t be everything to every student.“I look around and see an industry in desperate need of reinvention,’’ Avaltroni says. “The current business model needs to be fixed—it needs to be built to truly serve the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s workforce.”But he sees a way forward: “All of the challenges provide us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to move away from the status quo, questioning every assumption about how universities should operate, who they should serve, and what the ultimate endgame is.”Jeff Pillets is a journalist based in Trenton who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2008.[RELATED: Small Colleges Are Struggling. Will They Survive?]
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A brief but intense storm on Monday felled an historic tree in Montclair’s Anderson Park that was estimated to be about 250 years old.The massive white oak, called the Olmsted Oak after the famous family of landscape architects who designed the park, provided a leafy refuge for wildlife and shade for numerous weddings, picnics, classes and musical performances over the decades.“We are utterly heartbroken,” said Lisanne Renner, co-founder and historian of Friends of Anderson Park, a non-profit conservancy. The 15-acre Essex County park is on the State and National Register of Historic Places.[caption id="attachment_343181" align="alignnone" width="778"] The felled Olmsted Oak in Montclair's Anderson Park before it was cleared away. Photo: Courtesy of Toni Martin[/caption]Photos of the tree posted on social media show it split at the trunk, and badly decomposed inside. Following cleanup this week, the stump—now adorned with a sweet tribute—is all that remains.Remembrances poured in online. “That tree has held so many children in her arms,” said Alex VanInwegen, 29, who said she spent many hours in the tree's shade with her friends while growing up.The tree was a popular gathering spot. Each June, musicians and patrons gathered underneath for a chamber music performance called "Under the June Moon." In the summer of 2022, actor Joseph Smith portrayed Frederick Law Olmsted there to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth, part of a nationwide tribute sponsored by the National Association for Olmsted Parks.Frederick Law Olmsted and his sons, John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., designed 355 parks in the U.S.—most famously Central Park—and many arboretums and college campuses. Perhaps the largest number of his parks are in New Jersey, where Frederick senior helped create the Essex County park system, the first in the country.Olmsted-designed parks in the Garden State include Brookdale Park, Weequahic Park, Watsessing Park, Branch Brook Park, Eagle Rock Reservation, Mills Reservation, Glenfield Park, South Mountain Reservation (now also home to a magical Fairy Trail) and Maplewood’s Memorial Park, which are all in Essex County. The firm also designed the Passaic County Park System, which includes Garret Mountain Reservation and Weasel Brook Park and the Union County Park System, including Warinanco Park. A bust of Frederick Law Olmsted stands on the lakefront in Branch Brook Park.John Charles Olmsted designed Anderson Park, and took an iconic photo of the oak tree in 1904. Renner said that the tree's demise reinforces how important it is to keep replanting trees in Anderson Park, a key focus of the park's mission. Since 2006, her group has planted more than 300 trees in the park.To volunteer or plant a legacy tree, visit Friends of Anderson Park.
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NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother, Matthew, were killed in a suspected drunk-driving crash while riding their bikes in Salem County on Thursday evening.Johnny, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew, a local high school hockey coach who worked for Gloucester Catholic, were hit on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township and reportedly died at the scene. Johnny was 31 years old, while Matthew was 29.The Jersey-raised brother were in town to serve as groomsmen in their sister's wedding on Friday, according to NJ.com.According to the Associated Press, a man whom police have identified as Sean Higgins, 43, was driving behind the brothers and hit them when he tried to pass two other cars in front of him. Higgins told an officer he'd consumed five or six beers before getting into his vehicle, admitted to drinking while driving, and failed a sobriety test,according to the criminal complaint obtained by the AP.Higgins is being held in a Salem County jail and has been charged with two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, according to the AP. His detention hearing is slated for Thursday, September 5. At an appearance in Salem County Court on Friday afternoon, he seemed to let out a frustrated sigh upon being told he'd remain behind bars until then, the New York Post reported.Growing up in New Jersey, Johnny Gaudreau learned to skate in Sewell at the Hollydell Ice Arena (where his father, Guy, served as hockey director) by “tracking a trail of Skittles candy on the ice,” according to the NHL.Johnny left behind his wife, Meredith, and their two children, Noa and Johnny.She shared a heart-wrenching tribute to her late husband following his death, writing on Instagram: "The absolute best dad in the world. So caring and loving. The best partner to go through parenthood with. John never missed a single appointment. Was the best at putting the baby to sleep and the Apple of Noa’s eye. I love how much she looks like him. We are going to make you proud. We love you so so so much daddy."Matthew, meanwhile, was expecting his first child with his wife, Madeline. A GoFundMe page to support Madeline and their unborn baby, Tripp, had raised roughly $400,000 as of Saturday evening, far surpassing its $30,000 goal.Following the brothers' death, Governor Phil Murphy called them "proud New Jersey natives" who discovered their love for hockey in the rinks of South Jersey.”“Tammy and I are heartbroken by the shocking and tragic loss of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau,” he wrote, continuing that Johnny, “earned the adoration of hockey fans around the world, as well as his fellow players. They all recognized that our beloved ‘Johnny Hockey’ was a star in every sense of the word—both on and off the ice."Matthew served as head hockey coach at Gloucester Catholic, where both brothers attended high school.The Blue Jackets released a heartfelt statement mourning the loss of their player. “The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy,” the team said in a statement on Friday. “Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend."Murphy addressed "every member of the Gaudreau family" in his statement: “Please know that the people of New Jersey grieve with you.”The post NHL Star Johnny Gaudreau and Brother Killed in Suspected Drunk-Driving Crash in NJ appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
When it comes to gardening, Jose German-Gomez is a master of doing more with less. The eight community gardens he runs in Montclair, Passaic, Kinnelon, Paterson and East Orange are small—one in a Montclair church parking lot takes up just six parking spots—but yield many hundreds of pounds of produce for the food insecure.Providing fresh, healthy food locally and sustainably is just one benefit of community gardens, says the retired accountant, who runs the Northeast Earth Coalition (NEEC), an urban-farming and environmental advocacy group in the tri-state area. “Community gardening promotes sustainability, better nutrition in areas with few grocery stores, exercise, and social connections,” he says.His community garden in Passaic, for example, is planted by immigrant women, some of whom are victims of domestic violence. “We integrate their ancient farming techniques,” he says. “Gardening is part of their therapy.”While conventional farming can be harmful to the environment, German-Gomez’s organic methods actually improve the ecosystem. In place of fertilizer, he and his volunteers use compost tea—a nutrient-rich brew made from food scraps dropped off by members of the community. The soil, in raised beds atop asphalt parking lots, is also regenerated naturally by nitrogen-rich beans sown in the spring. Planting is synergistic, with beans, corn and squash growing cheek by jowl to provide shade and nutrients for one other. Despite the tight quarters, the gardens’ productivity is astounding. Last year, Montclair’s tiny Pine Street garden supplied the local soup kitchen, Toni’s Kitchen, with more than 1,450 pounds of fresh produce.[RELATED: Volunteer Farmers Save Leftover Crops to Feed NJ’s Food Insecure]
The extent of German-Gomez’s environmental advocacy is equally remarkable. As a champion of pollinators, whose numbers are dwindling rapidly, and the native plants they depend on, he has worked with 250 Montclair residents, schools and houses of worship for the last 20 years to transform their yards into gardens with native species. This led to the town’s 2008 certification by the National Wildlife Federation as a “community wildlife habitat,” the first in the state, and as a pollinator pathway in 2020. As a result of his efforts to protect pollinators, Montclair was declared a Monarch City in 2022; the same year, the town passed the Jose German-Gomez Native Species Act, requiring that town property be planted with 70 percent native vegetation.With the help of the NEEC’s Dave Wasmuth, German-Gomez spearheaded the replacement of invasive species in part of Essex County’s Brookdale Park with native plants and lobbied the Montclair town council to institute a law banning gas-powered leaf blowers; it became the second town in the state to do so.Fighting food insecurity is another passion. He launched and runs the state’s Little Free Pantry program and manages gardens at several Montclair schools that provide food to soup kitchens.One formidable obstacle to his efforts is financing. The all-volunteer coalition receives no funding, and the two grants it received last year were just discontinued. “We are struggling,” German-Gomez says. Visit neearth.org to donate.[RELATED: New Jersey Food Banks and Nonprofits That Help Residents Facing Hunger]
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Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in the spring of 2022, Bergen County teen Trevor Ostfeld took a trip to the area with his synagogue, Temple Emanu-El of Closter, to deliver medical supplies, food, diapers and other necessities. While visiting with displaced families, Ostfeld heard stories of escape and survival. One in particular stuck with him, and it is now the subject of his children’s book, Finding Messi: The Miracle Cat from Kyiv.The book tells the story of a cat, Messi, and her owner, the real 11-year-old Iryna Chernyak, whom Ostfeld met at a hotel in Warsaw. Chernyak told him that she and her mother were forced to flee their home and leave Messi behind, and the cat soon went missing.The illustrated book details the journey to their reunion, through the help of their community.“I never thought I was going to write a book, but this was so compelling that it needed to be shared,” says Ostfeld, now 17.While the book only touches lightly on the war, it’s a “good lens for children to see war’s human impact, through another kid,” he says. Chernyak, now 13, coauthored the book. All proceeds benefit the children of Ukraine.
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[caption id="attachment_342316" align="alignnone" width="778"] Circle Brook in Andover Township is a small-farm success story. Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]Driving along our busy highways or looking east across the Hudson River to the vast New York City skyline, it can be hard to fathom that New Jersey is farm country. But with 10,000 farms—and growing—Jersey Grown is more than just a marketing slogan. It’s a way of life. The state is a leading producer of eggplant, cranberries and tomatoes, and home to an increasing number of idealistic younger farmers who are leading a resurgence of smaller local farms growing food naturally.“New Jersey is truly a state with remarkable potential,” says Ruthie Perretti, a small farmer who also serves as president of the board of New Jersey's Foodshed Alliance, a nonprofit working to strengthen sustainable farming, increase access to local, healthy food, and protect the environment. “We have the farms, we have the resources to produce so much regeneratively, and most importantly, we have the market.”Food and agriculture is the third largest industry in New Jersey, behind only pharmaceuticals and tourism; almost $1.5 billion of Jersey agricultural products were sold in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But there are real fears in the agricultural community about the future of farming, namely, that farmers are beginning to age out—the average New Jersey farmer is over 60 years old—and that our land is being overdeveloped. But tucked away in every corner of the state are farmers growing the healthiest possible food, if you know where to find it. And with the state’s strategic location between New York City and Philadelphia, it has plenty of buyers for produce and other goods. “In the last census, there were 1,400 farmers under age 35 in New Jersey,” says New Jersey secretary of agriculture Edward Wengryn. “That is a new wave.”It may be a small number, but these newer and younger farmers practicing healthier farming methods believe they are the future of New Jersey farming.Farming is a Calling[caption id="attachment_342313" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]Small farms typically don’t bring in enough revenue to support a family. While 220 of the state’s largest farms record more than $1 million in annual sales each, the majority of the state’s farms average less than $10,000 in sales per year. Most farmers interviewed for this story have day jobs, like Porter Little IV, a granite designer who bought his grandfather’s 58-acre farm in Hunterdon County eight years ago, at the age of 47. Little established a small herd of Angus and Baldy cows on the land and was soon selling grass-fed beef to family, neighbors and friends.Like other idealistic new farmers, the lifestyle and connection to the land brought Little back to farming. For many younger farmers getting into the field, concerns about environmental factors and chemicals in food lure them back to the land and to healthier growing methods.[caption id="attachment_342294" align="alignright" width="350"] Buy our September 2024 issue here. Cover photo: Chris Buck[/caption]“I’ve always been attracted to the farm,” says Little, who grew up in Pennsylvania, but spent every summer working and living on his grandparents’ Lambertville farm. “On the last day of school, I’d wake up, pack my suitcase, and head right from the school bus to the farm. It always felt like home here.”Set on a green stretch of highway in Hunterdon County, Lambert Farm is among the growing number of smaller farms that prioritize crop rotation, cover crops (non-cash crops that benefit the soil), and farming without pesticides or herbicides. These farmers use the term regenerative farming to distinguish their no-herbicide, no-pesticide, soil-healthy methods from those of the larger, commercial farms that grow single crops, such as corn or soy, and use chemical pesticides. For the smaller, organic-based farm, regenerative practices that nourish rather than deplete the soil are a passion, a mission and the future.On Lambert Farm, which operated for nearly 80 years as a dairy farm, Little spends weekdays and weekends feeding and tending his herd, maintaining 58 acres of timothy and clover that he harvests for hay, and selling his hay as well as grass-fed beef from a freezer in the front store-room, where his grandfather once sold local seed.In June, Little invested $20,000 in a Discbine machine for hay cutting, and brought in a bull to sire his cattle. “It’s a rent-a-bull,” he says with a laugh, adding that he hopes the bull will successfully impregnate at least four or five of his herd.Reflecting the attitude of many newer farmers, Little says, “It’s all about getting away from the factory farm and getting back to nature in the soil and a whole ecosystem that yields more healthy food.” He adds, “For me, it’s about keeping the tradition going. So many generations have been here before and made an actual living out of it—it’s inspiring.”Organically Grown[caption id="attachment_342312" align="alignnone" width="778"] Melon plants are “hardened off,” or prepared for transfer to outdoor fields, at Circle Brook. Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]Among today’s new Garden State farmers keenly focused on regenerative farming are Jason and Deborah DeSalvo, both in their fifties. After their children graduated from high school, the DeSalvos bought 43 acres in Hunterdon County, built an energy-efficient home, and began to farm their land organically. Their Cold Brook Farm earned the state’s official “organically-grown” certification in 2024.“To me, you don’t really have an option; if you care about human health you’ve got to farm organic,” says Jason DeSalvo. Though many New Jersey farmers say the paperwork and documentation to become organic certified is arduous and daunting, the DeSalvos gladly did the work to support their mission of organic farming, or growing food without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.“People trust that what we’re going to be putting on their table is healthy and is going to taste really good,” he says of the farm’s heirloom grains and vegetables. “The farm was designed not only to benefit us, but the wider ecological community. We are part of nature, and if we continue to try to live apart from nature, we’re going to run out of planet very soon.”Perretti, of the Foodshed Alliance, who is also founder of Marksboro Mills, a grain hub and communal working space for local millers and farmers in Frelinghuysen Township, is aligned with the DeSalvos and others on environmental and health concerns. “We’re living in a period of heightened awareness about the sustainability of our food system, as well as a strong demand for healthy food, as consumers become more aware and engaged in knowing about their food and where it comes from,” says Perretti. “I believe New Jersey could be a leader in smaller, local farm production, focused not on feeding the world, but the immediate community. And this example is one to be replicated wherever there is healthy soil, sun, water, and a hungry population for food with taste and health value.”[RELATED: Volunteer Farmers Save Leftover Crops to Feed NJ’s Food Insecure]
Preserving the LandAccording to state lore, a Camden man named Abraham Browning gave us the moniker “the Garden State.” Speaking at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition on New Jersey Day in 1876, Browning called New Jersey an immense barrel filled with good things to eat and open at both ends, with Pennsylvanians grabbing from one end and New Yorkers from the other. Benjamin Franklin is also on record praising our vast farm fields as a barrel that feeds from both ends.Jersey farmers want the moniker to remain true today and in the future. But development of our farmland is far outpacing preservation, and, as our farmers’ awareness of the importance of healthy soil and organic and natural processes grows, so too does the need to protect the state’s farmland from the ongoing pressure of development and large-scale farms using pesticides.One-third of New Jersey farms are protected under the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, which turned 40 last year. There are now 250,000 preserved acres in New Jersey. To encourage farming rather than building houses or commercial subdivisions, the program pays farmers to preserve their farmland from development; farmers in turn can use the payment to reinvest, expand or save for a future need at the farm.The New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program has a variety of ways to assess the value of land and pays accordingly. “Our goal is to preserve roughly 500,000 acres,” says Heidi Winzinger, communication and resource manager for the program, acknowledging the critical mass of development that’s happening across the state. “The big thing that’s happening right now—the big, big news—is that we know we need to do this much faster. The pressure is getting more intense to develop.”[caption id="attachment_342314" align="alignnone" width="778"] John Krueger, owner of Circle Brook Farm, looks out on his fields of vegetables and flowers. Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]One of the great small-farm success stories is that of John Krueger, owner of Circle Brook Farm in Andover Township in Sussex County. The 80-acre farm grows a wide variety of produce and florals in rotational crops year-round—from cover crops in winter to strawberries, broccoli, arugula, ramps, spinach, carrots, kale and more. “I came to farming from an environmental background,” owner John Krueger says. “That’s definitely my motivation.”His environmental background led him to organic farming.Keeping Food in FarmingGiven the high price of land and the pressure to develop, combined with the existential threat of New Jersey’s aging farm population, efforts to bring new, younger farmers and land together are critical to fostering healthy farming in Jersey.While traditional programs to support young and future farmers, such as the 4H and Future Farmers of America groups, are disappearing in the state, Rutgers University now runs a successful ready-to-farm training program (see story, page 53).The Foodshed Alliance, based in Warren County, also helps to bring new farmers to the land and supports a growing network of farms and farmers in Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties, including the 11-acre Cattail Hollow Farm in Lafayette. Owned by Meg Myers, 39, and her husband, Kim Skov, Cattail Hollow raises chickens, ducks and guineas. The farm also grows and sells an assortment of seasonal produce and hosts a twice-yearly farm-to-table dinner that features organic produce from their and neighboring farms.“I call myself naturally grown,” says Myers. “We don’t do any synthetic sprays.”Myers, who grew up in Basking Ridge, has a long history volunteering and working on farms, including the Clifton-based urban farm City Green.“I’m a firm believer that getting your hands dirty is good both physically and mentally,” Myers says. “When I was going through treatment for breast cancer, I totally credit staying busy and farming at the same time for my successful healing journey.”Kendrya Close, executive director of the Foodshed Alliance, reiterates the regenerative and healthy-soil mission of today’s new farmers.“Real farming is about how we treat the soil,” says Close.“I think the general public thinks that we are the Garden State, and everything is great. Especially in our area of northern New Jersey, we drive around and see big swathes of farmland,” she says. “But a big percentage of Jersey’s family farming is commodity farming,” she says, meaning soy and corn that are “degrading our soil through monocropping.” Monocropping is a method of farming in which a single crop is grown over and over on the same land, rather than rotating the crops, planting cover crops, and allowing the soil to fallow, all of which improve soil health.“A large majority of New Jersey’s family farms are growing nursery, greenhouse or sod, but not food,” Close says. “This new generation [of farmers] doesn’t want to do that. They want to do better, but also, they want to do better financially.”For smaller, organic farmers especially, the circle of connectivity provided by the Foodshed Alliance is critical to their survival. The alliance secures farmland through land trusts, conservation foundations and other avenues. “On the farm we own, we directly lease plots to farmers,” Close says.Staying Afloat[caption id="attachment_342318" align="alignnone" width="778"] Households can purchase a CSA farm share at Circle Brook and receive a weekly box of fresh produce. Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]Since small farms typically don’t earn farmers very much money—between $1,000 and $10,000 annually—some decide to supply food banks and schools with fresh produce, while others turn to Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSAs), in which many households buy subscription membership to a farm, and receive a weekly box of fresh produce—for added income. A CSA is an excellent way for consumers to support local farmers.Circle Brook Farm in Andover Township has CSA shares that cost $660 per season for a half share of fruit and vegetables to $1,000 for a premium share that provides for a family of four.After working construction and on other people’s farms, Circle Brook’s Krueger knew he wanted to have a farm of his own. In 2006, he rented 2 acres at a neighboring farm in Andover. Two years later, he took over that farmer’s hay fields, plowed them and planted vegetables for CSAs. He knew he wanted to buy the farm up the road, but couldn’t come close to the $1.3 million price tag. Instead, he rented the land and moved to the house on the property. When the place came back on the market five years later, Krueger still didn’t have enough for the down payment.Desperate, he reached out to his 600 CSA members and asked them to pledge ahead for the upcoming season. Some 150 members agreed, each bringing $600 to the table.“Basically, with the help of my CSA members, I was able to buy the farm,” Krueger says, choking back emotion.Now Krueger’s produce is sold at nine farmers markets—including Montclair, Jersey City and Hoboken—and to 600 CSA subscription members in Montclair, Westfield, Jersey City and beyond. Once a week, Krueger makes his CSA deliveries.“I started with 2 acres, then grew it...” he says. Standing in the middle of his fields, Krueger looks around in wonder. “I was never rich, I never thought I’d be able to do this.” He pauses to shake his head, look around and laugh. “I never had a lot of money in my entire life. And then I bought the farm—and lived to tell about it.”Laurie Lico Albanese is a novelist whose latest book is Hester. She lives with her husband in Montclair, where they have a lovely backyard garden.
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Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy opens a wooden gate and steps inside a muddy pen to pet a group of donkeys. She’s dressed in a wrinkled, loose-fitting linen shirt, brown cargo pants, and beige boots with red laces—an outfit to ward off ticks. Her signature long, blond locks are tied back in a low ponytail. Getting dirty isn’t of concern as she enthusiastically walks the grounds of her farm, one of two in New Jersey that she owns with her husband, Thom Hinkle, to show off the cows next.It’s a stark contrast to the image audiences probably have of one of Broadway’s most endearing—and funny—leading ladies, who has been charming theater lovers since her breakout role as Amber Von Tussle in the 2002 musical Hairspray. Bundy, who went on to originate the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical in 2007, has taken the literal meaning of her iconic character’s name all the way to the actual woodlands of Hunterdon County.[caption id="attachment_342280" align="alignnone" width="778"] Laura Bell Bundy and Thom Hinkle are raising their son, Huck, on their Tewksbury farm. Photo: Chris Buck[/caption]During the pandemic, Bundy, who grew up on a lake in Lexington, Kentucky, and Hinkle, an executive producer for television who was raised in Union County’s Roselle Park, decided to leave California, where they’d been living for the past seven years.After briefly considering farms in Kentucky near Bundy’s family, they decided to head back to the East Coast. Bundy missed working on Broadway, and Hinkle wanted to experience four seasons again.First, they looked at properties in Connecticut and New York, then expanded the search to New Jersey, where they are now raising their 5-year-old-son, Huck, on a farm in Tewksbury. In the midst of huge renovations, they bottle maple syrup, plan to open a boutique membership winery in a few years, and even expect to host farm classes and events.“I’ve fallen in love with New Jersey—I can’t believe how much it looks like Kentucky,” says Bundy.[caption id="attachment_342282" align="alignnone" width="778"] The farm's goats were rescued when they were 10 days old. Bundy bottle-fed them for three months. Photo: Chris Buck[/caption]The Hunterdon County farm they settled on in 2021 is about an hour’s drive from midtown Manhattan. “I’m not interested in living in suburbia. If I’m going to be outside of the city, I might as well be outside the city,” Bundy says, explaining why they picked a home so far west on Route 78, when their jobs are mostly in New York City.Right now, she’s filming the movie Miracle on 74th Street there. When I meet her for a farm tour, she holds up her long nails, which are part of her look as an “Eastern European lady,” she says in the character’s accent before stepping away to take a call related to the project—also starring Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Dan Hedaya as her husband. Last fall, during her run of The Cottage on Broadway, Bundy would drive into the city, leaving home between 4:30 and 5:30 pm to make it in time for a 7 pm curtain. “The only traffic we have here is you could get behind a tractor,” she says.“Or a cow,” adds Hinkle. “I never thought we’d move back. The farms we saw here were nicer than the ones we saw in Kentucky.”The welcoming community has made them feel right at home. There’s a neighborhood Facebook page, a town Christmas tree lighting, and Fourth of July festivities with potato-sack and relay races.“People wave to you,” Hinkle points out.“It’s the most neighborhoody feeling I’ve ever had in my life, even though the properties are fairly spread out,” Bundy adds.[caption id="attachment_342294" align="alignnone" width="778"] Buy our September 2024 issue here. Photo: Chris Buck; Hair & makeup: Dylan Silver[/caption]The only downsides? It takes three days to mow the lawn, and it’s an almost 20-minute drive to the nearest ShopRite, where Bundy does her own grocery shopping. “But now, with Whole Foods Amazon delivery, my life is much easier,” she adds. “I also buy from local farms, and we have a few small general stores.”Their property boasts a barn, pond, creek, sheep, goats (which were rescued at 10 days old, and Bundy bottle-fed them for three months) and maple trees. Hinkle collected sap from 80 trees over two months and boiled it down to 60 8-ounce bottles of delicious syrup, which he’s been gifting to friends.[caption id="attachment_342283" align="alignnone" width="778"] Hinkle makes maple syrup from trees on the farm and bottles it for friends. Photo: Chris Buck[/caption]There’s no cell phone reception, which Bundy feels is a blessing. Not being plugged in to the internet all the time helps clear her mind and allows for more creativity. “I would much prefer to be on a bicycle all day and jump in a creek—that’s my happy place,” she says, offering carrots to feed the goats.Perhaps it worked. It was their bike rides that inspired the couple’s next great adventure. In September 2022, they purchased another farm that they always passed on their excursions. It cost $1.2 million, and nearly every building was in disrepair. The best part about the deal was that the state offered them money to preserve it as part of its efforts to maintain open space, support local agriculture and protect the environment. “We felt it was win-win,” says Bundy. “We preserved 58 acres through the State Agriculture Development Committee, who were a joy to deal with. Although selling off lots could have been more financially lucrative, we decided to preserve the land to benefit Tewksbury, the town we deeply love, and to respect our neighbors and the community.”[RELATED: Exploring the Future of Farming in New Jersey]
Now, the couple secures their helmets and hops on electric bikes to show me just how close in proximity the two properties are. It’s an impressive two-mile ride weaving through the woods. I follow in my car. “Having a project like this farm appeals to us,” Bundy explains, who is leading on the design concept. “We are idea people. We like birthing a concept and seeing the concept through.”“She just vomits creativity. She’s a producer’s dream, the amount of ideas that she comes up with—I love it,” says Hinkle, who does a lot of the manual labor, along with hiring contractors. There are several tractors on site, too, some of which have seen better days, with Hinkle at the wheel. He works on the farm from 9:30 am until about 12:30 pm, and then goes back home to work on his TV projects on L.A. time.[caption id="attachment_342311" align="alignnone" width="778"] "We’ve really become New Jersey loyalists and want to continue to spread the message that Jersey really is a beautiful place,” says Hinkle of his and Bundy's attitudes about the Garden State. Photo: Chris Buck[/caption]The 300-year-old farm boasts five outbuildings, one of which will ultimately become a wine-tasting room and is one of the first things you see as you drive up the gravel road. “We’re uncovering things probably built in the 1700s-1800s and bringing back to life, things that have been hidden on this farm,” Bundy says as the couple points to the newly repointed stone walls that were covered up by the previous owner’s garbage. They are the fourth family to hold the deed to the property.“This could be France. This could be Spain. This could be Italy, and it’s right down the road from us,” Bundy says, imagining the possibilities as they map out their plans. Bundy outlines with her arms where custom glass doors will go to store the wine. The heralded Ironbound Farm and Ciderhouse in Asbury was a sort of inspiration to them in terms of operating a farm-to-table business.[RELATED: Forget Napa Valley! NJ Wines Are Better Than You Think]
A short walk uphill leads to the main barn on site. They envision live music, educational classes and dining events—all related to farming, due to local ordinances associated with the sale. Once covered floor to ceiling with hay, it will be the primary focus of restoration next year.Across the way, Bundy shows off her future “she shed,” a tin barn. She wants to add a dance floor.Bundy gets into the back of a Polaris ATV as Hinkle steps into the driver’s seat to show off the rest of the property. I take the front passenger seat. They point out three homes: one they plan on moving into this fall after selling their current house; a second one they updated, where Hinkle’s parents now live; and a third cottage, a Dutch Colonial built in the 1700s, stripped to its bones, the architectural plans still in the works. Bundy walks through it with ease, noting the irony that she was renovating a cottage while performing in The Cottage on Broadway. Once it’s ready, she’ll hang up a photo of her from the show as part of its decor.The cottage overlooks an acre of white pinot grigio and grüner veltliner grapes, which were planted this summer and will take roughly three to five years before they can be bottled. Until then, they’re allowed to import grapes and bottle the wine under their name—which they haven’t decided on yet. The goal is to have the tasting room—though probably not wine—ready for a soft opening for Memorial Day weekend of 2025.Hinkle aptly named the 73-acre farm the Hardscrabble, after the first home Ulysses S. Grant built with his hands, and “because Hardscrabble was already taken,” Hinkle explains of his affinity for the 18th president who summered in Elberon. Hardscrabble is also a term that means hard work, and they feel it couldn’t relate more to them. “That’s us,” Hinkle says. “It’s like we do a lot of hard work, but we’re also kind of a mess.”Along the ATV tour, we take a look at five apple trees that were once part of an apple-processing facility on-site, according to records the couple researched. One of the historic apple barns was damaged by the earthquake earlier this year, since the farm is three blocks from the epicenter.Inside, an elevated platform stage has performance-space potential that Bundy can’t help but demonstrate with a little shim-sham. “We’re going to sing ‘Little Lamb!’” she kids, referencing Gypsy, a show she did at the Paper Mill Playhouse back in 1998—staying true to her musical theater roots along the tour.Some might wonder how entertainment professionals know how to revive a farm. “Thom is one of those people that figures out how to do everything quickly,” Bundy says.“We’re kind of doing it as we go—flying the plane as we learn how to fly,” Hinkle says jokingly, adding that the state offers grants, loans and calls with experts to help them. “There’s this network where we dial in once a month and ask a question to all these experts that have been doing it forever. They give you free advice. It is like the most supportive environment we’ve ever been in.”On top of renovations, Bundy and Hinkle are filming their own mostly unscripted reality show about bringing the farm back to life. They plan to release the 22-episode show themselves as soon as they can—Hinkle’s experience as an executive producer will certainly come in handy. “We are about to approach brands to see if someone wants to sponsor the show,” Bundy adds.They’ll also show their family life. Audiences can expect to see the family’s late bulldog, Polly, being exhumed from their current home address and reburied at the Hardscrabble. “We buried her at our current farm. About a month later, we decided we’re moving here,” says Hinkle. “And so what do you do? Do you leave the dog buried with strangers, or do you take her with us?”“Partly why we’re doing this show is to familiarize people with this area and try to get more young people out here. We’ve really become New Jersey loyalists and want to continue to spread the message that Jersey really is a beautiful place,” Hinkle says of their mission, before handing me a bottle of his homemade maple syrup to take home. “We want a place where people can come together.”Leigh Scheps, who grew up in Holmdel obsessing over Broadway, is a full-time senior reporter for Inside Edition Digital and freelance writer with bylines in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and more.
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With nearly 10,000 farms across the Garden State, inevitably there will be leftover crops and not enough farmers or time to pick them. For nearly three decades, a New Jersey organization has been on a mission to save those thousands of pounds of spare crops and donate them to those who need them most.Farmers Against Hunger (FAH), a Burlington County-based nonprofit, has been working as a bridge between the state’s agricultural community and hunger-relief organizations since 1996. The program works directly with farms across the state to set up times when volunteers can go onto the farm to glean (gather and pick leftover crops), before loading the produce onto their fleet of trucks, which will drop off hundreds to thousands of pounds of fresh food to organizations that feed those struggling with food insecurity.“We were started by farmers. They noticed that fields of food were not all being used,” says program director Stacey Kennedy. “The farmers got together to think of a way to really piece together this beautiful fresh food that they’ve worked so hard to grow in the Garden State, and how that could get to people within their communities that were in need of fresh food.”[caption id="attachment_342284" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Anyone can volunteer to help out. Photo: Courtesy of NJAS Farmers Against Hunger Team[/caption]FAH, which is part of the New Jersey Agricultural Society and is based in Delran, has more than 200 farms across the state in its network and about 80 core farms it frequently works with. These farms reach out to FAH when they have a surplus of crops, then FAH sends its volunteers the gleaning details. There are typically three to five gleanings per week.Volunteers have the opportunity to be a farmer for the day. Kennedy describes the volunteer experience as a “VIP gleaning and tour” of the Jersey farms they work on. In these private gleaning sessions, farmers take an average of 15 volunteers out to designated parts of their fields that are covered in crops that would otherwise go to waste, and the volunteers work hands-on for about two hours to gather as much produce as they can.FAH has gleaned all kinds of produce, ranging from light crops like spinach and blueberries to heavier items like squash and watermelons.“It’s always an adventure. There are no two pickings that are the same,” says Harry Cross, 68, a Little Egg Harbor resident who’s been volunteering for more than a decade.Previously a farmer himself, Cross is passionate about reducing produce waste and feeding those in need. He typically gleans with FAH three or four times a year, and when he goes, he tries to fill up his own truck with crops left after the group gleaning, which he distributes to his own local food pantries.“I try to go to pickings where the produce can be kept for a longer period of time and is very usable,” he says, noting that his favorite things to glean are apples and corn. “The last time I showed up to [one of the pantries] with apples, there was a big cheer among the people in line.”Anyone can volunteer with FAH. Currently, there are more than 500 active volunteers, and many have been participating for years. Some may only participate a few times a year, like Cross.As for distribution partners, there are about 80 hunger-relief organizations, such as food banks and soup kitchens, to which FAH supplies free, fresh produce within two days of collection. Some organizations they regularly service are located in Camden, Mount Holly, Trenton and Highland Park; some of these are considered food deserts, which are areas that have limited access to affordable and fresh foods.In addition to its main hunger-relief organizations, FAH takes produce to Camden’s Cathedral Kitchen, typically giving them hundreds of pounds of food each visit. Cathedral Kitchen, which has been in operation for 48 years, is incredibly valuable to Camden, the poorest city in the state. The kitchen serves dinner on weekdays and lunch on weekends, supplying anywhere from 450 to 650 meals a day.“There are no supermarkets in Camden. Our guests are able to come here and get a hot, nutritious meal prepared by our team of chefs. It’s something they wouldn’t have access to anyplace else,” says Noreen Flewelling, Cathedral Kitchen’s senior development director.Much of FAH’s donations go towards hot meals, packaged meals sent to after school programs, and Cathedral Kitchen’s market stand, where guests can select the produce they want. Flewelling says it empowers them to have a choice, since food kitchens often just give guests a bag with preselected items.Other organizations with similar missions include AmpleHarvest.org, a West Milford-based nonprofit that works to reduce food insecurity. It has a national website where backyard gardeners can find local food pantries to which they can donate their excess harvest.America’s Grow-a-Row, a Pittstown-based nonprofit, owns more than 400 acres of land across four farm locations, and its produce is picked by volunteers and distributed to hunger relief organizations across the country.While organizations like these always welcome volunteers, helping the hungry doesn’t have to be done at a farm.“Support your local food pantry,” Cross says. “If you can’t glean, just ‘glean’ out your kitchen and take some stuff over there.”
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NJ Transit riders will soon see a silver lining to their summer commutes.
Governor Murphy announced Thursday that customers will get free fares for the week of August 26 through September 2 as a thank-you to all the riders who have had to deal with frustrating transit delays and breakdowns this year.
During the fare holiday, all fares will be waived across the NJ Transit network, including buses, trains and light rail lines. The fare holiday is a way to express appreciation for customers’ continued loyalty and patronage, particularly during a time when transit service has not consistently met their expectations, says Murphy, adding that NJ Transit recognizes the impacts these service issues have had over the past few months and remains committed to improving the travel experience for transit customers.
“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one-week fare holiday for NJ TRANSIT riders,” says Murphy. “As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief. We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we continue to be thankful to the many New Jerseyans who depend on public transit.”
Monthly pass holders who already purchased an August pass will automatically receive a 25 percent discount on their September monthly pass purchase.
As many of the recent service disruptions have occurred on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which NJ Transit shares, both entities have been working to improve service on this critical rail line—the busiest corridor in the country. Some of that actions include more equipment inspections, inspecting and repairing overhead wires, track signal systems and substations.
NJ Transit is working with Amtrak to expedite the replacement of substations, overhead wires, and transmission and signal lines.
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Michael Aron, a legendary New Jersey political broadcast journalist who was prestigiously dubbed the "dean of the state house press corps" and once served as editor of New Jersey Monthly, died this week. He was 78 years old.For more than 40 years, Aron worked as the chief political correspondent for New Jersey's public television news organizations. That included NJ Spotlight News (which is the the news division of NJ PBS), its predecessor NJTV News and the now-defunct New Jersey Network (NJN). Aron "semi-retired" in 2020 but contributed to NJ Spotlight News.“Few journalists ever garner the widespread level of respect Michael Aron achieved,” Neal Shapiro, WNET Group president and CEO, said in a statement. “He earned it with an unbiased, methodical and unwavering investigative style examining the issues, policies and stakeholders affecting state residents. He was one of a kind and will be missed; however his standards and practices live on in the NJ Spotlight News newsroom and continue to inspire our staff today.”[caption id="attachment_342035" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Photo: Joseph Sinnott/NJ PBS[/caption]Aron served as this very magazine's editor in the late 1970s-early 1980s and was instrumental in publishing one of New Jersey Monthly's most high-profile articles ever: “My Search for Einstein’s Brain.” The popular broadcaster Paul Harvey even ran a radio segment on the article. “He did a whole bit about how this little magazine in New Jersey had found Einstein’s brain,” Aron recalled to New Jersey Monthly in 2016. “That was a coup.”Upon the news of Aron's passing, condolences poured in from friends, colleagues and politicians whom he'd covered over the years."Tammy and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend, and the longtime Dean of the State House press corps, Michael Aron," Governor Phil Murphy said. "We will miss Michael dearly, and are sending our heartfelt prayers and condolences to his family and former colleagues in the press corps."Former Governor Chris Christie called Aron's passing "the end of an era."[caption id="attachment_342034" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Aron interviews former Governor Chris Christie in 2020 Drumthwacket. Photo courtesy of NJ PBS[/caption]"Michael was smart, scrupulously prepared and always on a hunt for the truth. He covered me and my team for 15 years as US Attorney and Governor. He did so without fear or favor. His eyes never blinked watching us. He was a pro," said Christie.Rep. Mikie Sherrill said, "Michael Aron was a legend, a dogged reporter, and a mentor to so many journalists in New Jersey. I always loved talking to him. He was a truth seeker who represented the best of the profession. Sending my sincere condolences to Michael’s family, loved ones, and colleagues."Former NJ PBS news anchor Mary Alice Williams called Aron a "titan."“He was a soft-spoken, hard-hitting journalist who set the standards of integrity and grit for generations of young reporters who aspired to give voice to the issues of our state and to the disparate communities it serves. He was also, and always, a gentleman and a very dear friend. We are all better for the life he lived and deeply saddened by his loss.”The post Legendary NJ Political Journalist Michael Aron Dies at 78 appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Mention New Jersey wine to a friend, and you might get a skeptical response like, “New Jersey has wine? Is it any good?” The answer is an emphatic yes. There are more than 60 wineries across the state, and the quality, on the whole, ranges from very good to excellent.In fact, the New Jersey terroir (a French term for the natural environment in which wine is produced, including the soil and climate) is thought, in some areas, to mirror parts of France, the world leader in fine wine. Cape May, in particular, has become a premier wine-growing region in the state, with its sandy soil akin to the famous grape-growing Bordeaux region of France. Cape May wineries produce excellent cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sauvignon blanc wines.But, unlike some wine-tasting rooms in France, those in New Jersey lack pretension and offer a chance to learn about an industry that is quickly becoming one of the most exciting new wine regions in the country.Susanne Wagner, the wine director at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, which has a renowned wine cellar with 45,000 bottles, has been observing the Garden State wine industry for the past 20 years and is excited by what she’s seen.“I think the quality has gone from lovely wines that are basic, and you could tell they were from New Jersey, to, Now I’m tasting wine from here that could be from anywhere in the world. It could be European or Californian. You just can’t necessarily tell anymore that they’re from New Jersey,” she says. “So I think they’re starting to play a role in the international market. They’re really up there in quality.”[caption id="attachment_341955" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Beneduce produces only 100 percent estate-grown wines, including pinot noir. Photo: Laura Moss[/caption]Beneduce Vineyards in Pittstown is considered one of the top wineries in the state. Mike Beneduce, the owner and winemaker, worked at a vineyard while studying plant sciences and viticulture/enology at Cornell University. In his junior year, he started planting grapes on his family’s farm in Hunterdon County; the vineyard opened in 2012.“Our goal was always to be a 100 percent estate-grown vineyard,” explains Beneduce, who runs the the winery with his wife, Corey. Since 2021, they have solely used grapes grown on their farm. “We’re working hard to find out which are the best varieties to grow, so that we can make the highest-quality wine possible."That tenacity has paid off. Beneduce has been recognized multiple times by the Garden State Wineries Governor’s Cup in various categories for best wine, and he was named New Jersey’s outstanding Farmer of the Year in 2022.The vineyard’s white wines are mainly riesling, chardonnay and gewürztraminer; for reds, they concentrate on pinot noir, cabernet franc, and their version of an Austrian red called blaufränkisch, which has become Beneduce’s signature red.Auburn Road in Pilesgrove, Salem County, is another top winery. Owners Scott and Julianne Donnini both left successful law practices 20 years ago to start their own winemaking business. When they began, it quickly became evident that Julianne was going to become the winemaker, says Scott. Now, they have 23 acres of vineyards on land considered optimal for growing grapes, as it's located near both the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. This helps keep the weather temperate. Auburn Road is known for their chardonnay, which is aged in French oak, as well as their dry rosé and cabernet franc blend.Like many vineyards in New Jersey, they host outdoor wine-tasting events to help bring in wine lovers, both new and old, and serve pizza and small bites.Where to Find New Jersey WineOne reason many New Jerseyans may be unaware of the high-quality wine being produced here is that it’s not that easy to find in local wine stores. That’s partly because many, such as Beneduce wines, come from smaller, boutique vineyards that only produce enough wine to sell at their tasting rooms and for their wine clubs.For instance, Beneduce produces around 5,000 cases a year, and it always sells out—both to visitors and to its wine club. Many local vineyards have wine clubs, in which a seasonal selection of wine, curated by the winemaker, is shipped to members. Membership levels vary.“For a small winery like ours, we’d rather have people visit our farm and see the attention and care we’re putting into growing the grapes and making the wine,” says Beneduce. “It creates a more loyal consumer than just putting your bottle on a shelf next to a thousand other bottles, where you don’t have the chance to tell your story or give people a unique experience.”[caption id="attachment_341954" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Beneduce has been producing wine since 2012. Photo: Laura Moss[/caption]Hawk Haven Vineyard in Rio Grande, Cape May County, has 300 members in its wine club and also sells out its wine production each year. On a recent summer Friday, the vineyard was buzzing with visitors to its lively weekly event called Rootstock, where a band was playing to an enthusiastic crowd. A food truck was parked out back. Todd and Kenna Wuerker opened the vineyard in 2009, and since then, their wines have been recognized for their quality. The 2023 petite sirah rosé and the Fizz Nouveau, a sparkling rosé, were especially lovely.Just How Good Is It?In 2012, Garden State wineries took part in a wine-tasting event at Princeton University known as the Judgment of Princeton, where the New Jersey wines surprisingly outperformed many of the foreign imports. In 2023, at a double-blind tasting, not a single person in the room was able to distinguish between the New Jersey wines and the bottles from other countries valued at several hundred dollars each, says Devon Perry, executive director of the Garden State Wine Growers Association (newjerseywines.com), which has been around for almost 40 years and promotes locally grown wine.She wants more people to be aware of state’s exceptional wines, noting that tasting is believing. “The wine really does speak for itself. We give people what’s called an epiphany wine experience nearly every day. People are shocked at how exceptional our wines are....I think the awareness of our high-quality wines has absolutely grown since 2012,” she says.Jeffrey Vasser, executive director at New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, agrees that the quality of New Jersey wines has increased tremendously over the past several years.“Our winemakers have made a commitment to producing the best wines possible, and it shows. If you haven’t had a bottle of New Jersey wine in the past 10 years, you will be astounded at how good they are,” he says.Visiting a New Jersey WineryHawk Haven Vineyard also offers wine tastings and live music events throughout the fall, as do many other New Jersey wineries. It's a great way to get to know the wine and the people behind it firsthand.Visiting a local vineyard, taking a tour, and visiting their tasting rooms may be the most enjoyable way to truly escape our day-to-day, says Perry. “At the same time, you’re supporting farmers, you’re supporting agritourism, and you’ll have an experience unlike anywhere else, where every winery you visit is family owned,” she says. “The wines in New Jersey are exceptional and rising.”So what does Beneduce say to critics who are skeptical that New Jersey wines are on par with Californian and European wines?“I think it’s up to people to decide if it’s any good—but the quality has really improved exponentially in the last decade. We finally have enough collective experience to start figuring out which varieties work here. And we’ve garnered national and international attention, with top scores from critics that taste wine all day, who are giving us scores of 92 and 93 points. I think the quality of the wine here is the best it’s ever been. And certainly, for people that are interested in eating local and drinking local, there’s nothing better than having a meal with locally grown food and local wine.”New Jersey's Top WineriesVisit one of these wineries for a wonderful bottle and experience.* Beneduce Vineyards, Pittstown * Auburn Road, Pilesgrove * Alba Vineyard, Milford * Hawk Haven Vineyard, Rio Grande * Meadowbrook Winery, Oldwick * Sharott Winery, Hammonton * Unionville Vineyards, Ringoes * Ventimiglia Vineyards, Wantage * Working Dog Winery, Robbinsville
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Putting Greek culture front and center for everyone to enjoy is second nature to the Mourkakos family, who in the early 2000s introduced the cuisine to their Bergen County community with the too short-lived, much loved Nisi Estiatorio in Englewood. Now they’ve drawn a cultural bridge from Bergen County to their beloved homeland with a resort that holds nothing back.“My dad and I visited Mykonos eight years ago and noticed the travel trends of the visitors. We decided to launch an authentic Greek hotel with a targeted American aesthetic,” says Eric (Kyriakos) Mourkakos, the property’s managing director. As the project took shape, in keeping with family tradition, Mourkakos's siblings, a cousin and his parents were all on board.Cali Mykonos—named for its stunning location and the family’s matriarch—opened in late 2022. Perched on the edge of a cliff above the Aegean Sea, Cali consists of 40 stylish Mediterranean-influenced private suites and villas that include such luxuries as marble baths, spacious terraces, outdoor showers, sea-water pools (in 35 of the 40 quarters) and awe-inspiring views of mountains and sea.[caption id="attachment_341838" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Two-room suite terrace view.[/caption]The cool monotones of the room’s interiors are decidedly modern, with sleek, clean lines that complement the Cycladic architecture. Cali offers its own secluded slice of powdery white sand beach, two private yachts at the ready for guest charter, a fitness center that includes yoga and Pilates (as well as the option of in-room instruction), an infinity pool larger than a football field, and private chefs for hire.[caption id="attachment_341594" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Cali's fleet is available for hire, for island hopping, to visit seaside dining spots and for full- and half-day excursions.[/caption]Designed to allow guests to turn off the outside world, at Cali there are no neighbors and no telephone lines (but no worries, Cali is the only resort in the area that has Wifi and cell service). Sensitive to the needs of its upscale guests, anonymity and travel flexibility are paramount here. Boat transportation offers guests the opportunity to dock private boats in the sea near the resort or to hire one from Cali.Like Jersey’s Alpine, where Mourkakas grew up, Cali seems to be a magnet for celebrities, athletes and other high-profile patrons—even members of the British royal family.Cali’s now in its first full season, with no signs of slowing down. This year, a sunset lounge with a sushi bar was unveiled and plans are in the works for a spa to open in 2025.Mourkakas, who as a child summered in his father's village in southern Greece, also runs a health-care software company in Englewood called Your Doctors. He spends about 50 percent of his time at Cali, and says, "I spend more time sleeping on planes than in beds." Its a good thing that fleet is available to usher him in!
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A slew of Garden Staters are showing off their Jersey grit at the Paris Olympics this summer, and several have even snagged medals. Congratulations to these award-winning athletes: Swimmer Jack Alexy, 21, of Mendham: gold medal in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay; silver medal in the men's 4x100m medley * Fencer Jackie Dubrovich, 29, who was raised in Riverdale and now lives in Maplewood: gold medal in women's foil fencing * Swimmer Nic Fink, 31, of Morristown: gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay; silver medal in the men's 100m breaststroke; silver medal in the men's 4x100m medley relay * Hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of Dunellen: gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles * Triathlete Morgan Pearson, 30, of New Vernon and Spring Lake: silver medal in the mixed triathlon relay * Gymnast Hezly Rivera, 16, of Oradell: gold medal for the women's artistic team all-around * Golfer Scottie Scheffler*, 28, of Ridgewood: gold medal in men's individual golf
The closing ceremony takes place Sunday, August 11, at 3 pm.
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Many of us are unaware of the countless people facing hunger in our own backyards. Hunger impacts people in every county in New Jersey, including our neighbors, coworkers, and the kids in our children’s schools. According to Feeding America, nearly 1 million people—one in nine—face hunger in the Garden State, and of those, more than 260,000 are children.If you are blessed to have food on your table and want to help others in your community, consider getting involved in a nonprofit or food bank. Or, if you are looking for food or resources for yourself, a family member or a friend, consider the following:United Way of Greater Union CountyThis organization works to close the gap of food insecurity for families living in Greater Union County. The group identifies distribution sites to ensure people have access to nutritious meals.Table to TableCelebrating its 25th anniversary this fall, New Jersey’s first food-rescue organization picks up fresh, high-quality food that would otherwise be discarded and delivers it to partners such as soup kitchens, homeless shelters and senior facilities. If you own a restaurant, catering business or other small business with food to donate, or if you want to volunteer, reach out.FulfillServing Monmouth and Ocean counties, Fulfill focuses on food distribution and more by offering culinary training, SNAP enrollment assistance, affordable healthcare insurance guidance, and tax-refund referrals. Fulfill is committed to providing resources for people in need to become financially sound and self-sufficient.Community FoodBank of New JerseyThe largest food bank in the state distributes food to over 800 pantries and soup kitchens (and worked around the clock in the height of the pandemic). Both the Hillside and Egg Harbor Township warehouses are open for volunteers and food donations. The most needed food items include canned proteins, shelf-stable milk, canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, rice and beans. Non-food items in demand include diapers and feminine-hygiene products.St. James Social Service CorporationLocated at 604 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Newark, the St. James Social Service Corporation offers a food pantry and the Soul Food Café Soup Kitchen, serving an average of 175 people per day.Food Bank of South JerseyEach year, the Food Bank distributes almost 19 million pounds of food to people in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties. According to Feeding America, one in seven children face hunger in these regions, a statistic the Food Bank looks to change. Its Health and Wellness program offers initiatives on building nutrition awareness, including cooking instruction.Mercy CenterLocated in Asbury Park, Mercy Center’s food pantry recently expanded to increase access for people with disabilities and provide emergency services. In addition to healthy food, Mercy Center addresses crucial needs such as personal care items and clothing.In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.”[RELATED: Uniting NJ Communities Around Food, One Dumpling at a Time]
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of six books, including his newest, Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff. He is an Emmy Award–winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. He has also appeared on CNN, CBS News and NBC’s Today show. Steve Adubato's Lessons in Leadership video podcast, with cohost Mary Gamba, airs Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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What strikes visitors first upon seeing the massive Hindu temple in Mercer County is the size and ornateness of this vast complex. The BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham awes first-time guests, even if they’ve seen photos and read that it is the second largest Hindu temple in the world—yes, the world—right there in Robbinsville.The temple, which took more than a dozen years and cost close to $100 million to build, officially opened last October. It was seen as a reflection of the growing size and influence of the Hindu population in New Jersey—the largest concentration of Hindus in any state, at 3 percent of the population. (California is second at 2 percent; the United States overall has the seventh largest Hindu population outside of India.) Almost all Hindus are Indian, and their visibility in public life has grown dramatically since the U.S. immigration reform of 1965 opened the door to a wave of newcomers from Asia.[caption id="attachment_341223" align="alignnone" width="778"] The temple is set on 185 acres. Photo: Courtesy of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham[/caption]At first, many did the low-wage jobs often left to immigrants—taxi drivers, motel owners and convenience store proprietors. But now, Indian Americans are following the trajectory of so many earlier waves of immigrants, becoming better educated and much wealthier, while retaining passion for the practice of the religious traditions of their homeland.And that is the main reason this new temple exists.But what is almost as surprising as the grandeur of the place is the ordinariness of the crowd. During a visit on a sunny spring Sunday, at least half the visitors appeared to be neither Hindu nor Indian—just a thoroughly Jersey mix of young and old, and out-of-state tourists. Some piled out of tour buses, but most arrived by car, guided by volunteers into one of the enormous parking lots—many still unpaved and dusty—off Route 130.[caption id="attachment_341225" align="alignnone" width="778"] Mahant Swami Maharaj, guru and president of a major branch of a Hindu denomination, doing inauguration rituals at BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham. The temple officially opened last October. Photo: Courtesy of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham[/caption]Nicole Mazurick of Lawrenceville has been there four times already; this time, she brought her two sisters-in-law from Pennsylvania. Debbie Stetzer heard about the temple from an Indian friend and came down from Fair Lawn with her daughter, who had seen a video of the temple on TikTok. “It’s awesome, it’s totally amazing,” Stetzer says. She sent a selfie to her cousin, who shot back, “Are you on vacation?”Granted, the lovely spring weather almost demanded a day trip. But the Robbinsville temple, set on 185 acres, seems well on its way to becoming a Garden State destination. A retired couple from Toms River was leaving early because the lines were so long, but said they’d come back. A group of young women came from Philly thanks to an Instagram influencer. A family from West Long Branch heard about it because a teacher they knew went on a class trip and couldn’t get over the place.Keyur Patel, who runs the food court and other temple services, says there were 35,000 visitors on New Year’s Day, mostly Hindus. “We’ve had 20,000 today,” he says, and that looked about right. In fact, just a few weeks later, the temple set up an online timed-entry system to better regulate the crowds. And, yes, they even have an app, available for both Apple and Android devices.“We did expect this,” says Darshan Patel, a tax attorney from Princeton who was my guide for the day. “The campus is meant to bring all people together from all backgrounds. That’s how the temple was built, how it operates.”[caption id="attachment_341226" align="alignnone" width="778"] The temple's craftsmanship and details are incredible. Photo: Courtesy of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham[/caption]The authenticity is truly remarkable—and purposeful. “This is not an adaptation,” Darshan Patel insists. “It is genuine, built just like temples in India.”Hundreds of stonecutters and craftsmen were brought over to work on the temple, along with volunteers from the state’s Hindu community. Nearly 2 million cubic feet of marble, sandstone, limestone and granite went into the complex, much of it from India, but some quarried in Italy and other parts of the globe to ensure it could withstand the climate of the northeastern United States.“The ancient idea is that, when you build a temple, it will last for at least a thousand years,” Darshan Patel tells me. Teakwood from Burma covers every area that is not stone. There are 10,000 carved statues (and more coming) around the vast courtyard, and at the center, the main shrine features what is reportedly the largest elliptical dome ever constructed from stone.To tour the mandir, or the temple sanctuary, visitors must remove their shoes. No photos are allowed, and cell phones must be silenced.[caption id="attachment_341227" align="alignnone" width="778"] Nearly 2 million cubic feet of marble, sandstone, limestone and granite went into the complex. Photo: Courtesy of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham[/caption]It’s a stunning and unique experience, like being inside a Lego set of Carrara marble pieces, all assembled according to the exacting instructions set down in ancient Hindu scriptures—with some concessions to local building codes, of course. The ceiling blocks are connected by dowels and held together by their own weight and very little mortar.The pool and fountains in front of the Akshardham include water brought from sacred rivers in India, as well as from 300 bodies of water around the United States. Statues of garlanded elephants welcome guests to the visitor center and into an enormous carved entrance hall. Darshan Patel smiles as we walk in, and says, “Sometimes it is sensory overload.” The real aim is to make it feel like a village in Gujarat, the western Indian state where the Swaminarayan movement began and where most local devotees hail from. “This is a reflection of ancient India,” my guide tells me. “It’s traditional Indian architecture brought here to the United States. That’s a driver for people.”Yet this authenticity may have come at a price. A lawsuit filed last year alleges that the temple was built on the backs of foreign laborers who were made to work long days in dangerous conditions for little money. Temple members express shock and regret at the claims when they are raised and hope they are unfounded because they do not represent the Hindu spirit of the Robbinsville temple. So far, the lawsuit has not moved ahead or resulted in charges.For a while, the abuse allegations popped up first in web searches about the temple. But the temple is quickly becoming the friendly face of Hinduism in America, as it was designed. Just as Catholic immigrants in the 19th century sought to establish their presence with grand cathedrals modeled after those they left behind in Europe, so too Hindus in the 21st century are showing that they belong by building monumental tributes to their faith. “It’s exactly the same thing. They are now part of the American landscape,” says Edwin Bryant, a Rutgers University professor of religion who specializes in Hinduism. “Now they want social recognition and cultural representation.”[caption id="attachment_341224" align="alignnone" width="778"] The temple is seen as a reflection of the growing size and influence of the Hindu population in New Jersey—the largest concentration of Hindus in any state. Photo: Courtesy of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham[/caption]For all the Asian authenticity, they also want to bridge the Old World and the new, which is why the complex features such amenities as a full-service cafeteria (“The family that eats together, stays together,” reads the motto of the Shayona Café) and a gift shop with all sorts of merchandise, from Hindu tchotchkes, children’s books and candies (“sanctified sweets”) to a portable puja (prayer) kit, everything branded with the temple’s Americanized logo. A museum is set to open next year. “You would not see those in a traditional temple in India,” says Vineet Chander, Hindu chaplain at Princeton University and an expert on the Hindu-American diaspora community. “It’s a bit Disneyland, it’s a bit megachurch, it’s a bit of the architectural wonder,” Chander says. “I see students wearing a Swaminarayan hoodie and I think, Wow, I’d never have done such a thing as a young person, even if I could find a Hindu hoodie.”The bigger challenge for the Robbinsville temple is educating other Americans about Hinduism. That’s a tall order in the best of circumstances. Many Americans toss around terms like yoga and karma, but what they mean is often far removed from the Hindu concepts. And they are getting to know about holidays like Holi and Diwali as those celebrations have started appearing on school calendars. But genuinely understanding Hinduism is not easy because it is so different from the Western idea of religion.[caption id="attachment_341265" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Hundreds of stonecutters and craftsmen were brought over to work on the temple, along with volunteers from New Jersey's Hindu community. Photo: Courtesy of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham[/caption]Hinduism is generally regarded as the oldest religion in the world, originating some 4,000 years ago among the peoples across the Indus River, from which the term Hindu comes. It’s as much a geographical, philosophical and cultural designation as it is a religion as described by Westerners, who often try to compare it, to the detriment of Hinduism, to traditional European religious concepts such as monotheism, dogmas and denominations. Hence, Hinduism is often described as a polytheistic religious worship of idols by different sects. But that’s not right. “It’s not polytheistic, but one manifestation of an infinity of forms,” says Bryant. “There is no pope or hierarchy.”Explains Chander, “Viewed from a certain lens, especially in the West, it can seem messy and all over the place. But there are deep complex theologies that essentially say God is a reality beyond the material limits….God is one and many, a personal, loving being we can connect with.” That sounds like something many non-Hindu Americans might relate to.That multiplicity is another reason the temple is in Robbinsville. Swaminarayan, after whom the akshardham, or temple, is named, was a yogi and ascetic who traveled around India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, developing a reputation as a holy man and Hindu reformer. A movement grew around him after his death in 1830 and split into various branches. At the same time, Swaminarayan was elevated to godhead status, a manifestation of Vishnu, “akin to the avatars Krishna or Rama, the fullest depiction of divinity,” as Chander puts it.Most Hindus don’t ascribe to that, he notes. But another novel thing about Hinduism is that such a grand claim for one line of the tradition is not cause to wage a holy war to shun the Swaminarayan Akshardham. “It is not grounds for theological debate; no one would find it offensive. The temple is something everybody would be proud of, not as a tourist attraction, but as a holy space,” he says.[caption id="attachment_341264" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The pool and fountains at the temple include water brought over from sacred rivers in India, as well as from 300 bodies of water around the United States. Photo: Courtesy of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham[/caption]If the larger story about the Robbinsville temple is the mainstreaming of Hinduism in American life, the inside story is about the mainstreaming of Swaminarayan lineage into Hinduism. “It’s brand-new by Indian standards, the new kid on the block,” says Bryant, of Rutgers. In Hinduism, newcomers do two things to establish their bona fides, Bryant says: “You write a commentary on the Vedanta Sutras”—Hindu sacred texts—“which they did. Then you want a big, huge temple, and you have arrived theologically.”Mission accomplished.Hindus in America and beyond are flocking to the Robbinsville temple, and everyone else is getting at least a sense of what this ancient religion, this culture, and above all, this aesthetic, are all about. There are bells and incense, food and chants, the sculpted sanctuary and statuary of Hindu deities, and even busts of Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King Jr. A free chamber performance dedicated to music of India will take place Friday, August 2, courtesy of New Jersey Symphony and Kulture Kool. “It’s the Indian community being part of the fabric of American society,” says Darshan Patel. “It’s all about the atmosphere here.”To schedule a visit to the temple, go to usa.akshardham.org/visit/reservations.David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, is a longtime religion writer who worked at The Star-Ledger and The Record.
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Princeton native Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who had been held in a Russian prison for more than 16 months, was freed in a dramatic prison swap on Thursday. He was arrested in March 2023 and charged with espionage during a reporting trip in the country.Along with Gershkovich, about two dozen others were freed as part of an exchange in Turkey, including Paul Whelan, a former United States Marine.New Jersey Governor Phill Murphy had been working with U.S. officials to have Gershkovich released."Thrilled that New Jersey native and Princeton High School graduate Evan Gershkovich has been freed from Russia," Murphy wrote on social media Thursday. "Thank you to @POTUS and our allies involved in this complex, multilateral negotiation for your work to bring Evan and other wrongfully detained Americans home."Gershkovich is the child of Russian Jewish émigrés and graduated from Princeton High School in 2010. He was captain of the high school’s soccer team, which won the state championship.His parents fled to America from the Soviet Union in 1979.Last month, Gershkovich, 32, was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security Russian prison, in a trial that the U.S. regarded as a sham. He pleaded not guilty; he’d been accused of gathering information on the Russian military, which the Wall Street Journal disputed.Gershkovich had been held in Russia’s notorious Lefortovo Prison. His conviction was thought to open the way for a prison swap between the U.S. and Russia.His parents, Mikhail Gershkovich and Ella Milman, spoke about their son on Good Morning America in March. They said they wrote him letters and that his father had even been playing long-distance chess with him.In 2018, a couple that had been living in Montclair, Cynthia and Richard Murphy, were revealed to be Russian "sleeper" spies and were part of a prison swap that returned them to Russia. Their two daughters, who grew up in Montclair, were also part of the swap.The post WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Freed from Russia in Prison Swap appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_341202" align="alignleft" width="350"] At the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City, Fannie Lou Hamer gave shocking televised testimony about racial violence. Photo: Alamy/Warren K. Leffler[/caption]In recent decades, political conventions have become little more than pep rallies.But 60 years ago, at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, a dramatic showdown between civil rights activists and party leaders paved the way for the passage of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, which outlawed voter discrimination in the South.Prior to the convention, civil rights leaders, distressed that Blacks were barred from participating in the Mississippi Democratic Party, had formed an alternative, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. At Convention Hall, Fannie Lou Hamer, daughter of sharecroppers, gave shocking televised testimony about racial violence against Mississippi Blacks, and John Lewis, the activist and, later, congressman from Georgia, spoke at a rally on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.As letters and calls flooded the White House, President Lyndon Johnson offered a compromise that would give two non-voting seats to the alternate party, and a promise that all future Democratic delegations would be desegregated.Among those who mulled the proposal at Union Temple Church were civil rights heavyweights John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bob Moses. Ultimately, they rejected the proposal, insisting that the entire delegation be allowed to vote.Although many saw the showdown as a setback for civil rights, the activists’ efforts in Atlantic City compelled the Democratic party to adopt a civil rights plank reflecting a commitment to racial justice. One year later, the Voting Rights Act was passed.[RELATED: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Civil Rights Career Began at a Modest NJ Café]
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[caption id="attachment_341143" align="alignnone" width="778"] Gintare Grigaite, a Lithuanian immigrant herself who speaks four languages, finds her work “so rewarding.” Photo: Chris Buck[/caption]Far from the Southwest border, America’s immigration drama plays out daily in a storefront law office on Broadway in Bayonne. From Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other nations, those who hope for citizenship arrive with legal questions for attorney Gintare Grigaite.But she asks the first question—in Spanish or one of her three other languages, Lithuanian, Russian and English. “How can I help you?”By turns problem-solver, confessor and cheerleader, she listens to the stories of asylum seekers, undocumented residents, green card holders, and others anxious to bring family members to this land of opportunity.Each client has a story and each case is a riddle: How does it fit with the intricate U.S. immigration code, which evolves with each presidential administration and shift in the political wind?Grigaite & Abdelsayed, the law firm she cofounded in 2012, has grown from its start in Bayonne to include offices in Newark, Union City and New York City.On a typical morning, a Bolivian couple arrives with their toddler grandson. Their passports contain U.S. tourist visas that are decades out of date. “How handsome you were,” Grigaite jokes as she looks at the grandfather’s photo in the well-thumbed document.The couple has never returned to Bolivia. Now their two children are college graduates with good jobs and—Grigaite pointed out—U.S. citizens who can sponsor their parents’ application for a change in immigration status.Next, an Ecuadorian woman who crossed the Southwest border last year with her husband and three children tells Grigaite they all wish to apply for asylum. Does she qualify? She unspools a story of her brother’s murder in Ecuador after gang threats, a crime that resulted in no arrests despite video evidence.“I will help you,” says Grigaite. The fee: $2,500.The attorney understands the goals of her clients because she is an immigrant herself.In Lithuania, a Baltic state that in 1991 became the first Soviet republic to declare independence, her parents sensed their future was uncertain as the Soviet Union broke up and the newly established nations of Eastern Europe realigned. Her mother, a physician, emigrated first, sponsored by an American hospital because of her specialized medical skills. Eventually, Grigaite followed.Grigaite completed high school in Brooklyn, then received undergraduate and law degrees from St. John’s University in Queens. Her father, a world-class track-and-field athlete who had stayed in Lithuania to manage a sports stadium, died just before she opened her law practice. His photo gazes down on her as she interviews her clients.The success or failure of her efforts can change lives, Grigaite knows. She has helped dozens of New Jerseyans sponsor Ukrainians fleeing their country after the Russian invasion. Her efforts enabled the mother of the first child born with Zika-virus-related abnormalities in the United States to remain in the country lawfully to care for her disabled daughter.Recently, she joined another of her clients for his final immigration interview at the central New Jersey office of the Citizenship and Immigration Service.A drunk driver had plowed into his family’s minivan four years ago during their vacation trip to Niagara Falls, killing his wife, daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter. The 60-year-old suffered a concussion that made learning English and taking a test difficult. Grigaite obtained a medical exemption from the standard citizenship test.As he awaits his swearing-in ceremony, the moment is bittersweet; the loved ones with whom he would have shared it are gone. Grigaite hugs him. He reciprocates with a rare smile.“It was so moving to me,” she says afterwards. “This work is so rewarding.”
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USA Today has just announced its inaugural list of best bars in America, and two New Jersey bars made the cut.Tierney’s Tavern, an Irish pub in Montclair, and the Wonder Bar, an iconic music venue in Asbury Park, made the short roundup of 27 favorite spots around the United States.The list was compiled by the newspaper company’s network of food writers across the country, including The Arizona Republic and Florida Today; it includes their favorite taverns, cocktail bars and beach bars, both old and new.At the Wonder Bar, the famous spot on Ocean Avenue, rock bands play onstage while barflies sit at the large, circular bar—which was built in the 1960s. Bruce Springsteen is known to be a regular and has played there several times. This summer, alternative New Jersey rock band Dramarama performed to a sold-out crowd as part of the state’s North to Shore festival. The bar’s colorful painting of Tilly, a grinning amusement-park “fun face” on the exterior of the building, has become a widely recognized symbol of Asbury Park, and can be found on T-shirts and mugs all over the city. It was painted there in the 1950s.Wonder Bar even hosts a Yappy Hour for customers who want to bring their dogs. A large outdoor space includes a tiki bar and picnic tables. Shore singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins, from nearby Neptune, is slated to play there September 12.[RELATED: How to Spend 24 Hours in Asbury Park]
Tierney’s Tavern, a 90-year-old bar in Montclair, gathers college kids, boomers and old-timers alike at its vintage wooden tables and booths. The Sopranos filmed an episode at the bar, and actors William H. Macy and Emma Roberts once shared a drink here while filming a movie in town. Famous for its burgers, this classic Irish bar also hosts local bands upstairs. They even have a secret menu, and claim to have the smallest liquor store in town, selling packaged beer, wine and spirits.Some even say the place is haunted. Bartenders have often reported hearing footsteps on the second floor, as well as the sound of bottle caps hitting the walls and floor, even when the building is closed.The Tierney family opened the bar in 1934 and still operates it to this day.[RELATED: The 40 Best Restaurants in New Jersey]
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[caption id="attachment_340140" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Jakob Hinrichsa-[/caption]New Jersey has long had border problems. For example, until 1834 and a Supreme Court decision, New York considered its border with New Jersey not the middle of the Hudson, but the high water mark on the Jersey Shore. Had that continued, half of each New Jersey beach would have been New York’s.But other border issues have endured. There is a small chunk of Delaware in South Jersey, near the town of Pennsville. The story dates back to 1682, when William Penn, wishing to affirm a border between Pennsylvania and Delaware, received approval from the British crown for a curving state line that continued across the Delaware River and then followed the Jersey Shore for 12 miles. Elsewhere, the river was divided down the middle, but here, it was all Delaware’s.Nobody paid attention to this anomaly until the Army Corps of Engineers began dredging the river in this area more than half a century ago, dumping Delaware silt along the Jersey shore and creating what is now a grassy piece of land 1.5 miles long and half a mile wide belonging to Delaware. Since patrolling it is impractical for Delaware, it has become a place where drugs are freely traded, teenage alcohol drinking abounds, and ruined automobiles are abandoned.Unlicensed by Delaware, New Jersey hunters are also attracted to the spot, in season and out. In 1987, a hunter died there, ten feet from the New Jersey line. New Jersey police expected Delaware authorities to attend to the matter, which they did, reluctantly. Since then, the bodies of suicides jumping from the Delaware Memorial Bridge invariably float to this same spot, again engaging less-than-enthusiastic Delaware authorities.One would think, as a practical matter, Delaware would happily turn over this bit of land to New Jersey, but state pride has prevented them from doing so. New Jersey has no particular interest in the land, but doesn’t appreciate Delaware’s presence. The case has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court three times. Each time, applying the 1682 royal decree, the court has ruled that the land is Delaware’s. In the most recent case, in 2005, two justices, Samuel Alito and the late Antonin Scalia, both Jersey boys, dissented. (So much for Supreme Court judicial objectivity.)Chief Justice Roberts declared that, come what may, the Supreme Court would never again consider this less-than-consequential case. So, a piece of Delaware remains in New Jersey. This hasn’t stopped the two states from gently quarreling. Delaware has threatened, tongue in cheek, to send the National Guard to protect its possession. New Jersey, also joking, has said that if Delaware does that, it will send the Battleship New Jersey downriver from its berth in Camden to settle the matter.Surely, a reader with musical talent will see that we have all the ingredients here of a comic opera.Michael Aaron Rockland is the author of some 16 books; his latest, The Other Jersey Shore, came out in May. [RELATED: Exploring Other Jersey Shores]
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Terry Cook has always loved cars. But unlike most four-wheel fanatics, he doesn’t care much about what he drives. His passion is design.Cook designs custom cars and sells them for six-figure sums to collectors at auctions around the world. His creations are low-slung and sensual, with swooping, tear-drop fenders and eye-popping color combinations.“Styling has always been my deal,” says the 82-year-old Cook, who lives in Chester with his wife, Virginia.Cook recalls making images of cars “as soon as I could draw.” As a teen, he got a job as a flagman at Island Dragway in Great Meadows and soon acquired his first Model A Ford hot rod.After studying engineering at Lehigh, Cook lit out for car-crazy California in 1964, where he covered the automotive world for Car and Driver magazine and other publications. Drawn to the Art Deco-inspired classic cars of the 1930s, Cook resolved to design more affordable versions. First, he sketches out his vision, then a professional creates a rendering. Next, a craftsman builds what’s known as a buck, similar to a dress form, and a fiberglass mold is cast.Cook’s biggest success, based on the Lincoln Zephyr, a rakish, pre-World War II luxury model, sold at auction in 1999 for $275,000. Next, he produced fiberglass Zephyr bodies and sold them for about $15,000 as kit cars—without motors or transmissions—to collectors from Australia to Slovenia.Cook also created fiberglass kit cars based on the 1937 Bugatti Type 57 and the 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster. He has also sold completed versions of his kit cars; one fiberglass Bugatti went for $220,000.Another Cook creation was Lead East, the giant car show and celebration of 1950s culture that he launched in 1983. Cook sold Lead East in 2019, but the extravaganza still attracts thousands to Parsippany each Labor Day weekend.Perhaps Cook’s best deal—and a favorite of his two sons (now grown)—was a license he granted to Mattel to make a Hot Wheels version of his Zephyr. “My children were impressed that they could walk into a Walmart and buy Dad’s car,” he says.
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Sometimes people boast about having the biggest or best of something in the world—and sometimes it’s actually true.Meximodo, a vibrant Mexican restaurant and bar in Metuchen, announced this week that it is being awarded a Guinness World Record for the largest tequila/mezcal selection in a bar/restaurant in the world.Meximodo opened last year and has more than 1,000 hand-selected bottles of agave spirits—tequila and mezcal—in its bar, ranging from large, well-known brands such as Patrón to small, family-owned artisanal brands, such as Adictivo Extra Añejo.“As we built our tequila and mezcal list for Meximodo and saw the number of bottles increasing exponentially, we realized that we had the potential for a world record,” says Saurabh Abrol, owner of the restaurant’s parent company, Le Malt Hospitality Group. “We are thrilled to have Guinness World Records confirm this achievement!”The award will be formally presented to the restaurant by a Guinness World Records official in person on July 24, which is also National Tequila Day.One of the key factors in Meximodo’s feat is that its library of tequila and mezcal is not merely in a display case; rather, the bottles are readily available for customers to indulge in. The restaurant’s team traveled to Mexico, with the help of their chef, Antonio Carballo—a native of Puerto Vallarta—to find the best rare small-batch tequila and mezcal producers unknown to U.S. distributors. They also learned about the cultivation of agave plants, saw craftsmen work and distill the raw ingredients, and tasted the finished products.Meximodo's spirits are organized like books in a library, categorized and cross-referenced by brand, region and tasting notes.New Jersey Monthly named Meximodo one of the best new restaurants in the state to try earlier this year. Patrons enjoy a regionally inspired menu of traditional and contemporary cuisine in a fabulous venue. Décor features giant flowers hanging from the ceiling as well as traditional Mexican crafts and artwork, including a massive painting of a La Catrina-style Day of the Dead face in the bar.Notable dishes include the Acapulco-style ceviche, with shrimp and avocado, and the pollo con mole, a house specialty of split-roasted chicken and mole poblano. For dessert, don’t miss the delicate churros served with Mexican chocolate and dulce de leche dipping sauces, or the spectacular corn flan.
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The New Jersey Hall of Fame has announced its class of inductees for 2024—and the group includes some of the biggest names in Hollywood.Meryl Streep, who grew up in Bernardsville, Paul Rudd, who was born in Passaic, and Kevin Smith, a Red Bank native, are on this year's list, which features 18 New Jerseyans who have achieved greatness in categories including performing arts & entertainment, sports, and education & science.“The 2024 class of inductees of the New Jersey Hall of Fame illustrate the New Jersey ethic of hard work, determination and grit,” Jon F. Hanson, Chairman of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to celebrate the contributions of 18 new Inductees so future generations can learn about their journeys.”Streep, one of our country's most celebrated actors and a three-time Oscar winner, got her start in a fifth-grade play, then starred in musicals at Bernards High School. Things came full circle for the Jersey native in the late '90s, when her movie One True Thing filmed for several months in nearby Morristown.Rudd, of Clueless and Ant-Man fame, spent his early life in Passaic but moved to Kansas City as a kid and attended the University of Kansas—but we're happy to claim him as our own.Clerks director Smith has supported New Jersey throughout his career, filming and setting his movies in his home state, including his newest, The 4:30 Movie, which comes out in September. He's also the owner of the popular comic book store Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in downtown Red Bank. In recent year he bought his childhood movie theater in Atlantic Highlands and renamed it Smodcastle Cinemas. "It’s a dream come true for a fat kid from New Jersey who spent his childhood at the movies," he told us in 2022. "I can just go down in my bathrobe and watch the latest releases on my screens.”The pre-taped induction ceremony is set to air November 13 on Fox 5 My9 and social media.A full list of inductees is below.Performing Arts & Entertainment* Lesley Gore,Tenafly, singer-songwriter of "You Don't Own Me" and “It’s My Party" * Warren Littlefield, Montclair, former NBC Entertainment president * Paul Rudd, Passaic, actor * Kevin Smith, Red Bank, director, producer, writer * Meryl Streep, Bernardsville, actress
Arts & Letters* Gay Talese, Ocean City, journalist
Sports* Dick Button, Englewood, two-time Olympic gold medalist in figure skating * Tim Howard, New Brunswick, soccer player * Ron Johnson, Madison, football player * Phil Simms, Franklin Lakes, former New York Giants quarterback
Enterprise* George Cooney, Bogota, chairman emeritus of EUE/Screen Gems Ltd * Peter Cancro, Point Pleasant, founder of Jersey Mike’s * Donald Katz, Newark, founder of Audible, Inc.
Education & Science* Elizabeth Coleman White, Whitesbog, botanist * John Forbes Nash, Princeton, genius mathematician * Avi Wigderson, Princeton, computer scientist, mathematician
Public Service* Father Edwin D. Leahy, Newark, Benedictine monk and Catholic priest, headmaster of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark * Geraldine Thompson, Lincroft, founder of VNA Health Group
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Mark Davidson still remembers the day more than half a century ago when he learned that an amusement park was being built in Jackson. It was 1971 when the Brick native and his family read the news in the local paper.“My entire family laughed,” says Davidson, now 64, who ended up working at the park for many years. “We thought it was the most ridiculous, funny thing we’d ever heard. I mean, who would build anything in Jackson? There wasn’t even an Exit 7A [on the New Jersey Turnpike] yet, there wasn’t [Interstate] 195 yet. How would people even get there?”But families and thrill seekers found their way to the park, now known as Six Flags Great Adventure, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.“Great Adventure was one of the few parks created in the wave of the big parks of the 1970s that really wasn’t in a close distance of a big population area,” says Davidson, a former longtime park employee and one of New Jersey’s assistant regional representatives for the American Coaster Enthusiasts. “It’s between New York and Philadelphia, but either city is at least an hour away, probably more.”Since the park’s opening, the populations of the surrounding Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington and Mercer counties have increased, “so there are more people who are only 15, 20 minutes from the park than there used to be, so it’s easy to pop in for a few hours with a season pass,” says Davidson. “Whereas 50 years ago, it was a major commitment: you planned your visit weeks ahead, you got in the car at 7 am, you got there when they opened, you stayed until they closed, you were there to ride rides.”[caption id="attachment_339278" align="alignnone" width="778"] Six Flags Great Adventure opened in the 1970s as Enchanted Forest, then was renamed Great Adventure in 1976. Photo: Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure Resort[/caption]Today, New Jersey is rich in amusement destinations, with Nickelodeon Universe and DreamWorks water park at American Dream in East Rutherford, the newly built Island Waterpark at the Showboat in Atlantic City, Diggerland USA in West Berlin, and Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township—not to mention ride-filled oceanfront piers in Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant Beach, Wildwood, Ocean City and Atlantic City.But Great Adventure, with its Wild Safari Adventure and Hurricane Harbor water park, stands apart, thanks to its globally renowned roller coaster portfolio, which includes Kingda Ka, the tallest coaster in the world and the fastest in North America, and El Toro, one of the world’s tallest and fastest wooden rides.“That’s the thing about Great Adventure—you know they’re going to strive to bring the biggest, the newest, the fastest, the craziest,” says Davidson, who worked as a ride operator for a decade-plus.This summer sees the opening of the park’s 15th concurrently operating coaster, the Flash: Vertical Velocity. The ride is touted as North America’s first triple-launch super boomerang coaster and is expected to hurtle riders forward and backward at nearly 60 miles per hour through a 180-degree twisted drop and zero-G roll.“We always try to be an innovative company in coasters,” says Laurie Riccardi, who has spent 42 of her 49 seasons at the park in the marketing department. “That’s why people come to theme parks, and Six Flags Great Adventure definitely has stayed in the forefront of having a lot of thrills for our guests.”The park was founded by Warner LeRoy, an entrepreneur who was described by the New York Times in his 2001 obituary as someone “who combined show business glamour with circus ballyhoo” as the creator of New York City nightlife venues and restaurants, like the iconic Tavern on the Green. As the son of Wizard of Oz producer Mervyn LeRoy and the grandson of Harry Warner of Warner Brothers Studios, creating crowd-pleasing entertainment was LeRoy’s family business. (According to the New York Times, he sold his interest in Great Adventure to Time Warner in 1993.)At its opening in 1974, the park was called the Enchanted Forest. In 1976, it was renamed Great Adventure, and it was sold to the Six Flags corporation in 1977. There are currently 27 Six Flags parks across North America.While the name has changed, the footprint has grown over the years, especially with the addition of the Hurricane Harbor water park in 2000. Rides have come and gone; don’t get 1980s and ’90s kids started on the days of Rolling Thunder and the Great American Scream Machine roller coasters, both long gone now. But one element that has remained consistent is the park’s multigenerational appeal.During recent visits this season, teenagers could be seen running toward the high-flying thrill rides, while grandparents and grandchildren rode the carousel together, and guests of all ages tried their luck in the arcades.“In one sense you just go, ‘Why Jackson? How does Jackson lay claim to all that stuff?’” says comedian and author Chris Gethard, a West Orange native.Gethard appeared in the HBO Max documentary Class Action Park, about Vernon Township’s infamous Action Park (which closed in 1996 because of ongoing safety issues) and shared his thoughts on both Action Park and Great Adventure on his 2019 album, Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese. He tied Great Adventure’s hold on the New Jersey youth zeitgeist to an overall culture of fear in the mid- to late-20th century—think slasher movies and stranger danger.“You think about when Great Adventure came about, you think about what it was like to be a suburban kid back then, where you’re constantly being told that people in vans are going to kidnap you, and that all clowns have sinister intentions, and that in any woods there’s probably animal sacrifices happening, and you go, ‘Oh, maybe a sleepy Central Jersey suburb is exactly where your customer base is when you need to find people who are setting out to conquer some fears.’”[caption id="attachment_339280" align="alignnone" width="778"] In the park's early days, patrons drove through the Safari grounds themselves. Photo: Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure Resort[/caption]For its 50th anniversary season. the Flash is but one of the changes guests can expect. The Wild Safari, with approximately 1,200 animals housed on 350 acres, is introducing Savannah Sunset Resort and Spa, an overnight glamping experience on the Safari grounds, and now offers guided tours in vehicles instead of patrons driving through it themselves.“It’ll be interesting to see how [Savannah Sunset] goes; it’s definitely different for the East Coast,” says Jeannie Golden, who has worked at the park since 1974 and at the Safari office for about 35 years.Elsewhere, Hurricane Harbor adds Splash Island, a family-focused spot with a treehouse-style structure and seven water slides for younger guests.The park nods to history with nostalgic enhancements, including refurbishments to such rides as the Saw Mill Log Flume and the Giant Wheel and with the Congo Rapids water ride being rebranded with its original moniker, Roaring Rapids.“I think people will enjoy them—especially people who came when the park first opened, and now they have their own children and grandchildren and can say, ‘I remember riding that,’ and the same thing with the giant Ferris wheel,” says Riccardi. “To share that with your family, all different generations—I think that’s exciting.”In addition to the 50th anniversary celebration, running through Labor Day, there are fireworks for the Fourth of July, specialty food and beer during Oktoberfest, the Halloween festivities of Fright Fest and Boo Fest, and the season-closing Holiday in the Park.Asked for her best-kept secret for maximizing enjoyment, Golden shared some advice for Safari-goers: “Just take your time.” As Davidson puts it, the park’s modern attractions ensure there’s something for everyone. “Not everybody rides roller coasters, even though that’s really what’s driven ticket sales and season-pass sales for the last few decades,” he says. “But there’s more than just teenagers that want to come there.”Alex Biese, senior editor of CURE magazine, has been honored by NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists and has been published in USA Today, Chicago Sun-Times, Press of Atlantic City and more.
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[caption id="attachment_339240" align="alignnone" width="778"] Nancy Loo’s Dumpling Diplomacy builds community around making and sharing food. Photo: Andy Foster[/caption]It’s not your typical Montclair eatery, but at lunchtime on a recent Thursday, the Pay-It-Forward Pop-Up Café was as buzzy as the most bougie restaurant in town. People mingled as they lined up for helpings of thick, creamy chicken soup, homemade bread and miniature apple pies in the sunny Salvation Army cafeteria. Businesspeople sat next to senior citizens; a former mayor and town attorney were there, along with a group of noisy kindergartners, the woman who runs the local tutoring nonprofit, and clients who use Salvation Army services.Conspicuously absent was a cash register. After filling their plates, some just walked away; others scanned a QR code to make a donation to Salvation Army programs, including a homeless shelter, soup kitchen and case-management services.The monthly café was founded by former physicist Nancy Loo, who runs a business called Dumpling Diplomacy, which brings people together to build community by making and sharing food, with the aim of bridging differences and fighting hunger. (The company is not a nonprofit, but a “benefit corporation,” whose business goals include having a positive impact on society.)In addition to the monthly café, Loo hosts a monthly dumpling-making workshop, called Dumpling Day of Service, at Toni’s Kitchen, the local soup kitchen. Teams of 8 to 10 volunteers shape, boil and fry 500 dumplings, which are boxed and labelled with hand-drawn cards and donated to people living with food insecurity.“Our aim is to bring people together across all divides using food as a universal language,” says Loo. “The idea is that folks who have very little in common can create something in common by working together on an activity that no one knows how to do. We have a lot of families coming in to volunteer, and organizations where there are different groups, different cultures that don’t get along, or where they need to have difficult conversations.”The company’s reach is growing. Loo now teaches dumpling making at schools, temples, churches, charitable organizations and companies, in towns such as South Orange and Maplewood, after which groups eat together.They’ve started a new arrivals program at Toni’s Kitchen for Spanish speakers who are losing touch with their English-speaking kids, and they’ve hosted discussions for the Montclair Library’s Big Read about a graphic novel called The Best We Could Do, which tells the story of a Vietnamese refugee, and a movie, Nailed It, about Vietnamese nail salons.The germ of the idea for Dumpling Diplomacy came during the pandemic, when Loo started volunteering at Toni’s Kitchen and was struck by how many were struggling with food insecurity. “The need was so great that food was stacked floor to ceiling in their huge dining room,” she says. It wasn’t confined to certain areas of town, either. “Making deliveries, I realized that hunger was all around us.”Eager to find a way to contribute, she decided to host dumpling-making sessions at Toni’s. They’ve been so popular that people began complaining that they kept getting closed out. Dumpling Diplomacy was born.“These events have a great equalizing effect; guests who normally wouldn’t interact have a chance to meet,” she says.The partnership with the Salvation Army has been a boon for both. All the proceeds for the Pay-It-Forward Café go to Salvation Army programs, which include shelter and meal programs, social work services, and youth programming. It is staffed by volunteers, including culinary students from the Essex County Schools of Technology in Newark. And it’s become so popular that many people put their orders in ahead of time on the Dumpling Diplomacy website, in case they run out of certain items.The café exemplifies the Dumpling Diplomacy mission of bringing all members of the commuter together “in the same place, on equal footing,” Loo says. “Everybody eats the same food, but they have a choice about what they get to eat, which the homeless don’t often get to do.” The café also brings attention and volunteers to the Salvation Army.Says the nonprofit’s pastor, Carl Avery, “It’s a diverse group that comes in; people who wouldn’t necessarily meet find out what’s going on with other people around them.”[RELATED: These Restaurants Keep New Jerseyans Full—and Fulfilled]
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Today, Asbury Park is a lively and welcoming place for members of the LGBTQ+ community, with many queer-owned establishments and a big Pride celebration. But it wasn’t always this way.One reason for the turnaround was the vision and drive of the founders of QSpot LGBT Community Center.The founders of QSpot, a nonprofit established in 2005, wanted to create a safe space and services for LGBTQ+ folks and allies, similar to those in New York and Los Angeles. For 15 years, the group met online or in small, temporary spaces.In 2020, the QSpot LGBT community center opened, and soon, 200 people a week were coming through its doors.The center offers events, support groups and services, including yoga classes, book clubs, addiction-recovery programs, cancer support groups and film festivals. A café is open on weekends.QSpot is intended for those 18 and up, with some programs geared to older folks.The Early Bird Social Group is a monthly dinner for people over 50; the Buddy Program pairs LGBTQ+ elders who are hospitalized, in a nursing home, or homebound, with companions.Visit the QSpot website for happenings, and to volunteer or donate.
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[caption id="attachment_339224" align="alignnone" width="960"] Illustration: Kay Wolfersperger[/caption]On a deep August afternoon, I sat in my stifling Montclair attic staring forlornly at a horrid turquoise casserole dish that hadn’t seen daylight since my wedding shower.My husband and I had sold our 1905 colonial and we were scrambling to empty out the beloved home our family had spent 23 years filling up. Paul and I had earmarked key items for the apartment we were downsizing to in town, unloaded some things on our 20-something sons, donated what we could, and rented a storage space for supposedly important objects I now only think about when paying our monthly invoice.That left a house still brimming with stuff that, while not particularly valuable, didn’t belong in a landfill: a dusty fabric doll from somebody’s Cancun vacation; a vat of screws, washers and errant metal things that belonged to something, somewhere; a purple V-neck from my mom I’d rediscover in my closet each year and swear to finally give a go. (I never did. I hate purple.)Figuring WTF, I snapped a pic of the odious casserole and listed it on Facebook Marketplace for $10. A couple of nibbles came in, one wanting additional photos and the brand (did he think it was Tiffany?), another countering $5.With the clock ticking fast toward move day, I had about as much time to quibble over crockery as I did for a spa extravaganza at the Short Hills Hilton. I settled on a new price ($0) and reposted it on my local Facebook Buy Nothing page. The description: “I hate this dish. Maybe you won’t.”A clay pot that couldn’t command $10 just days before suddenly had dozens clamoring. In a blink, a woman arrived at my house, raced up our flagstone walk with the glee of a newly named Price is Right contestant, and left with the casserole and a basket of smelly candles to boot.Pumped, I posted more, taking a brief minute to explain to Buy Nothing browsers (and myself) why the object in question wasn’t making my cut.“After 22 years of planting tomatoes and getting about five total per season, we are giving up. Please take these tomato baskets.”“Could not look less hideous in this bike shirt, no matter how hard I pedal.”“I hope that where I am going, I will never have to use this horrid Shop-Vac.”And for that sad little doll from Cancun, a simple “Help me” made her case.As the weeks ground on, my daily Buy Nothing posts and visits became a precious ray of light amid the downsizing chaos. Each exchange provided a chance to spare the landfill. To delight another person I might not otherwise have crossed paths with. To attach a face, and sometimes a name, to something I’d owned and, possibly, loved before sending it out into the world.I sit in my apartment today, loving each of the spare belongings that share our small space. I take joy knowing that, somewhere nearby, someone is appreciating something that couldn’t come with us. And I hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, my mom’s purple V-neck, still hanging in my bedroom closet, will finally get some wear this year.Peg Rosen writes for numerous print and digital publications. She lives with her husband, Paul, and moyen poodle, George, in an uncluttered Montclair rental.[RELATED: Emptying the Nest: How We Decluttered Our Home of 30 Years]
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For most South Jersey residents, the word wealth comes to mind when thinking of the historic Burlington County community of Moorestown. Less well-known is the town’s poverty, including the many residents who live in the town’s 633 affordable-housing units.For over a quarter of a century, Monique Begg has been a heroine to more than 500 of the town’s underprivileged youth.For her work to support them through the Friends Enrichment Program (FEP), a Quaker-based organization she founded in 1997 with the help of the Moorestown Monthly Meeting, she was lauded as Moorestown’s 2024 Citizen of the Year.Begg, 92, is still a driving force in the organization she founded for underserved young people and their parents. She was inspired to start FEP when she noticed that low-income children were getting in trouble with the Moorestown police, not for criminal acts, but for nuisances offenses like “making noise at all hours, picking people’s flowers, running into streets, and riding their bikes on sidewalks and people’s property,” she says. “Nobody wanted to help. People started saying, ‘They don’t belong here, they’re not like us, meaning, ‘They don’t have the money we have, they’re not the right color.’“That’s when God started pushing me around,” Begg, a devout Quaker (Religious Society of Friends), remembers. “I said, ‘We need to work with the troubled young people to train them to become leaders. The kids need more activities to keep them busy and out of trouble.’”Since its founding, FEP has provided more than 1,100 scholarships to fund music, art, dance and karate lessons, summer camp, leadership programs and sports clinics for Moorestown’s impoverished youth. Sunday-afternoon educational programs, often with an environmental focus, are also offered to FEP participants and their parents.“My hope,” Begg says, “is that FEP will be replicated in other communities.”Rachel Simmons was a troubled 12-year-old who joined FEP while a student at Moorestown’s William Allen Middle School.“I was exposed to many things that I may have never had the chance to, with my mother being a mother of six,” Simmons says. “I wouldn’t be the successful woman I am today without this program. It literally saved my life.“Mrs. Begg never gave up on me. I am who I am today because she believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”Simmons earned a B.A. in psychology from Rutgers and is working on her master’s degree in applied behavioral analysis. She’s employed as a school therapist, program director and vocational coach.“I love Mrs. Begg like she is my very own grandmother, and she will forever have the most precious place in my heart,” she says.FEP partners with the Moorestown Library and Parks and Recreation Department, and the Perkins Center for the Arts, for its programs. The nonprofit receives annual grants from the D’Olier Foundation and the local First Presbyterian Church. Fellow Quakers and other benefactors have chipped in with fundraisers and donations.Begg, a French Canadian, grew up Catholic, with wealth and a maid. Before moving to Moorestown in 1978, she and her late husband, Edwin, were known in Medford as rabble-rousers and were targets of hostility because of their support for progressive and environmental issues, especially the health of Medford’s lakes. Says her son Daniel, “None of this stopped my courageous parents from continuing their activism.”Her son notes the irony that his mother went from nearly being arrested in Medford for her outspokenness to being named Citizen of the Year in Moorestown almost 50 years later.To learn more about the Friends Enrichment Program and how you can help, click here or visit the Facebook page of the Friends Enrichment Program.
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Vin Gopal, Monmouth County's state senator for the 11th District, is the first Indian American politician elected to the New Jersey Senate and the first Democrat to hold the post in 30 years.First elected in 2017, he's been reelected twice, winning by a landslide in 2023.Gopal, 38, grew up in Neptune Township and lives in Long Branch with his wife and daughter.You’ve been a senator in the 11th District for over six years, winning three elections in a row. The post had been held by Republicans for almost 30 years. To what do you credit the turnaround?It’s important to work across the aisle. People know I’m a former Democratic chair and that I have strong feelings on issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. At the same time, I spend a lot of time building my Republican relationships. During my first campaign, the group that was really against me was the NRA. After the election, I reached out and asked if they wanted to go for a drink. They responded, “Let’s go shooting,” and I said, “Let’s go.” A bunch of them didn’t vote for me, but we were able to connect on our shared humanity. In politics at the federal level we see a lot of hostility. I’ve worked hard for that not to be the case here.How are you working to overcome partisan division?I’m trying to make life more affordable, looking out for seniors, fighting for mental health funding, and trying to lower prescription drug costs. Those go across party lines. I believe in a strong criminal justice system. Policing is a very tough job, going out there each day, not knowing what you’re going to face. Of course, like any profession, there needs to be reforms, there needs to be changes, there’s going to be bad actors. But I’ve always had the support of law enforcement groups. Right now in my district we’re getting crushed with home invasions and car thefts. Those are issues of public safety. Civility is my big thing.This spring, a federal judge abolished the use of the “county line” ballot system in Democratic primaries (grouping candidates who are backed by county political parties on the same line on ballots). What effect will this decision have on elections in the state?The county line ballot system is not relevant for me here because I’m in a county where there’s no primary for Democrats. Our fights are in November, not in June. But I’m very glad that this court case has turned out the way it has. Democrats have been doing it in more democratically concentrated areas in North and South Jersey. We see it all over. The Republican chairman, who’s also the sheriff of the county, uses the line to essentially throw people on and off like a dictatorship. This ruling is a healthy check on the power of political machines and party bosses.Your colleague Andy Kim is on track to become the state’s first Asian American U.S. senator, replacing Bob Menendez, who’s been in office since 2006. What does this mean for New Jersey politics?I’ve known Andy for a long time and he’s a great candidate, great guy, has done a lot for the AAPI community, and was very supportive of me when I ran last year. He wrote me a large check and campaigned for me. Andy is not a far-left-wing guy. He’s moderately progressive, and he’s very rational and practical. In a post-Menendez world, he’s going to really help the Democratic party in November.Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are one of the fastest growing electoral groups in New Jersey. Speaking as a member of that community, what issues do you see as important to those voters?I think it’s like other communities—public safety, cost of living, college education. A lot of Asian immigrants are very focused on education, making sure their kids and grandkids have it better than they did. Both my parents emigrated from India, so I get it. It’s hard right now. A lot of folks reach out to our office trying to get their kids internships, since there’s not a lot of AAPI legislators. We try to work with them. No matter what students want to do when they graduate, it’s important to know the political process.
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Last September, Gregory Andrus embarked on a year-long, 130-mile walk along the Jersey Shore, with the goal of overcoming personal challenges.The author and photographer is documenting this healing journey in his book, A Walk Along the Jersey Shore, to be published in 2025.Since Andrus, 54, of Toms River, began his twice-weekly walks last fall, he has covered over 45 beaches, venturing out in every kind of weather, including snowstorms and howling winds. He began at Sandy Hook and hopes to reach Cape May by December.“I’m taking my time and want to experience all four seasons,” he says.A couple of years ago, Andrus, who suffered abuse as a child and has struggled with alcoholism and homelessness, began working with a therapist to deal with this past trauma and ongoing depression.“I decided to continue my healing process at the place I find most healing—the New Jersey beaches—and walk the entire length.”He’s cheered on virtually by over 65,000 members of his Facebook group, Portraits of the Jersey Shore, launched in 2015. Since then, he’s interviewed and photographed over 2,000 individuals at the shore. Many are included in his first book, Portraits of the Jersey Shore, published in April 2018.On walking days, Andrus drives to the next town on his list, parking in a nearby neighborhood “to get a sense of each town.” He turns off his phone, using only its voice-memo app to tape conversations with locals. Once on the beach, he walks south, averaging six to ten miles per walk.“This is a personal walk of healing for me,” says Andrus.He also aims to raise awareness of the causes that matter to him: mental health, homelessness, addiction and child abuse.“I want to help people remember that life is beautiful and it’s worth fighting through the difficult times.”Follow Andrus’s journey here.
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Musician and actor Stevie Van Zandt and his half-brother, playwright and producer Billy Van Zandt, now have another honor to add to the list. This spring, the street where they grew up, Wilson Avenue in Middletown Township, was ceremonially renamed Van Zandt Way.The renaming, sponsored by the New Jersey Hall of Fame and Middletown Township, was attended by Mayor Tony Perry, former NBC news anchor and Middletown native Brian Williams, and officials from the New Jersey Hall of Fame.“We have both been awarded for our work, but being honored by our hometown is obviously very special,” said the brothers. “We will try our best to keep our street proud!”Stevie Van Zandt, musician, songwriter, and actor, is best known as a founding member and guitarist Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, but also has a solo band called Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. He gained acclaim for his portrayal of Silvio Dante in the Emmy award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, which earned him multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards and an Emmy nomination. He is an inductee of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
No one knows New Jersey like we do.* Sign up for one of our free newsletters here*. Want a print magazine mailed to you?* Purchase an issue from our online store*.Billy Van Zandt is a celebrated playwright, actor, director and producer. He is the writer of the best-selling memoir Get in the Car, Jane (Adventures in the TV Wasteland) and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his television special I Love Lucy: The Very First Show. Other credits include You’ve Got Hate Mail, Love, Sex, and the I.R.S., and Silent Laughter. He’s also a stage and screen actor, with notable performances in The Godfather Part III and Jaws 2.The post Going From E Street to Van Zandt Way appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
If you’re in need of a great dentist, look no further: New Jersey Monthly’s annual Jersey Choice Top Dentists list is here. Below, we spotlight four of them.Dr. Jessica S. LeeORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERYOffice: Florham ParkIn practice: 4 yearsDr. Jessica S. Lee was just seven years old when she tagged along to her first oral surgery. Her father, an oral surgeon in the South Korean army, was providing a free surgery to a child born with a cleft palate. “Just the experience with that imprinted on me, and I think being around the profession from such an early age opened my eyes to it,” Lee says.After graduating from college at the University of Ann Arbor, Lee, who grew up in South Korea, set her sights on dentistry at Columbia University, earning a dental degree from the College of Dental Medicine and a master of arts in dental education from Teachers College. She then earned her medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine.This amounted to 10 years of education, ending in 2020, when Lee started her practice in New Jersey.An opportunity in school helped cement Lee’s passion for cleft lip and palate surgery, when she went on a mission trip to Bangladesh. There, she helped children and others in need of surgeries. The trip made a lasting impact, inspiring her to give back and provide for those without access to high-quality medical care. To this day, she returns regularly to Bangladesh to provide these surgeries. “Those trips just put everything into perspective...like, this is why I wanted to go into this.”In addition to performing procedures such as wisdom-teeth surgery and dental implants, her practice also provides large-scale surgeries around the jaw and face, known as maxillofacial surgery.This includes her specialty of cleft lip and palate surgeries, as well as procedures for TMJ disorder and severe teeth misalignment. “We’re pretty proud of that, because a lot of patients have a hard time finding surgeons who treat those conditions,” Lee says.For Lee, the most important part of her practice, both in other countries and here at home, is giving back. “We get just as much out of it as we give back, maybe more,” she says. —Connor CarlinDr. Eric C. WeissPERIODONTICSOffices: Livingston, Morristown, Montclair, Montville, RandolphIn practice: 32 years[caption id="attachment_338444" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Eric C. Weiss is a third-generation dentist who prioritizes high-quality care, comfort and communication. Photo: Steve Hockstein[/caption]Born into a family of dentists, it’s not surprising that Dr. Eric C. Weiss’s early exposure to the field inspired him to become a dentist himself.As a third-generation dentist with 32 years of experience, Weiss says his early knowledge came from his grandfather, a general dentist with a practice in his home, where Weiss recalls spending a lot of time growing up. Weiss’s father, too, entered the world of dentistry by becoming a periodontist, and Weiss followed in his footsteps.“I found the surgical aspect of dentistry to be the most stimulating, interesting and exciting for me,” Weiss says.Periodontists focus on the structure of the teeth and gums, and their work consists of preventing, diagnosing and treating gum-related conditions, such as periodontal disease. A large part of Weiss’s work also includes surgical procedures and highly cosmetic dental implants, like the immediate replacement of teeth.Weiss says an important component of periodontics is “building longstanding relationships with patients” over multiple visits and years.Weiss founded his primarily referral-based practice, Periodontal & Implant Associates, 20 years ago in his hometown of Livingston, where he still lives and primarily practices.Since then, the practice has expanded throughout Essex and Morris counties, with additional offices in Morristown, Montclair, Montville and Randolph.“It really allows us to provide uniform quality level of care throughout our multiple practices, to all the patients that we serve and to all the referring dental community that we serve,” Weiss says.Weiss prioritizes high-quality care, comfort and communication. Whether it’s calling to check in with a patient the day after a procedure, collaborating with other dentists and specialists on a patient’s treatment plan, or completing a patient’s implant in one day so they can leave smiling and confident rather than temporarily toothless for days or even months, Weiss recognizes the importance of always putting the patient first.“It sounds cliché, but to see them really smile and be happy after something we’ve done for them…is for sure one of the most rewarding parts of what I do,” he says. —Emily MelvinDr. Jason M. SussGENERAL DENTISTRYOffice: BergenfieldIn practice: 21 years[caption id="attachment_338443" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Jason M. Suss was inspired to become a dentist as a kid, witnessing his grandmother's frustrations with her dentures. Photo: Steve Hockstein[/caption]Dr. Jason Suss, a 13-time Top Dentist, was just seven years old when he decided he wanted to become a dentist. His inspiration was his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who lived to the age of 103, but whose dentures were a “quality of life” issue.“She was frustrated with the inability to eat and speak properly,” says Suss, who has been practicing for over 20 years. “It immediately sparked an interest in the field.”His drive to help others through dentistry led him to volunteer as a high school student in the dental division of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. “The director took a special interest in the passion I showed, and I developed a great rapport with the nurses and assistants, which segued into my college years,” he says. “It became a dream to attend that residency program.”Suss was so eager to pursue dentistry that he skipped his last semester or two of college at Yeshiva University. “I applied to dental schools as an early admissions applicant, which is not a common thing to do,” he says. The University of Pennsylvania invited him for an interview. “They said, ‘This is kind of strange. You didn’t graduate; you didn’t even take your dental entrance exam.’” Still, they offered him a spot, contingent on his taking and passing the exam, which was “pretty unprecedented,” he says.Fate had a different plan in store. Two weeks after putting down a deposit at Penn, Suss met his future wife, Pnina, in Manhattan. “I said, ‘Gosh, I’m going to marry this woman,’” he says. Realizing that commuting between Philly and New York would be a challenge to their new relationship, he asked the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark if the spot he’d been offered there was still open. It was. “So I went to UMDNJ. Crazy, right? But I ended up marrying her,” he says.After a “phenomenal” experience at UMDNJ, Suss focused on building his practice in Bergen County. His focus is on general dentistry, as well as implants and prosthetics. (He completed NYU’s two-year dental implantology, surgical and prosthetic program soon after finishing dental school.)Suss has been approached by private equity firms looking to buy and expand his practice. “It just doesn’t appeal to me. I want to have a connection to my patients; I want them and my staff to feel like they’re party of a family.” —Julia MartinDr. Robert James BrayORTHODONTICSOffices: Brigantine, Marmora, Somers Point, Wildwood, Absecon, Egg Harbor TownshipIn practice: 49 years[caption id="attachment_338441" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Robert James Bray had such a positive experience getting braces as a kid that he became an orthodontist himself. Photo: Steve Hockstein[/caption]When Dr. Robert James Bray was in the sixth grade and living in a Philly suburb, he started seeing an orthodontist in Philadelphia for his braces. Every time he went to the doctor, he found that he had a really positive experience there—mainly because his orthodontist was so nice, and the people who worked in the office seemed to be having so much fun.So, when his parents asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he immediately knew the answer: an orthodontist.“And you know, I never changed my mind,” says Bray, who lives in Brigantine. “It’s unbelievable, really, how someone can have such an influence on you.”Now, 49 years after he started practicing, Bray still loves his work. He and his partner, Dr. Robert J. Tarby, have six orthodontic offices in South Jersey. In a twist of fate, Tarby chose to become an orthodontist after having seen Bray to have his own braces fitted as an eighth-grader.Bray continues to instill in his work and his offices the same positive energy that he experienced as a kid dealing with braces.As well as working with children, Bray specializes in helping adults with their orthodontic needs. He says that Invisalign, clear aligners, and braces becoming more comfortable have brought more adults to his practice.Another significant change Bray has witnessed over the years is that children are getting braces earlier. That’s due in part to recommendations from the American Association of Orthodontists, of which Bray is a past president. The association came up with the idea several years ago that children should be seen by an orthodontist by age seven.“It really has made a difference, because everyone now knows that the earlier we see the problem and the earlier you correct it, the better you are,” he says. “I think that’s made things a lot better for all of us in the sense that we’re actually beginning to finish cases early so that people don’t have to be in braces for a long time.” —Jacqueline Mroz
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[caption id="attachment_338226" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Dan Page[/caption]A few cents’ difference in the price per gallon of gas might seem minor, but it can have a big effect on your wallet.Gas prices are typically higher in summer—there’s more demand with more people traveling, and the EPA mandates a special type of gas, called “summer blend,” which cuts down on smog, but is more expensive to produce. Add the conflict in the Middle East, where much of our crude oil is produced, and you have a bigger chunk of your change going toward gas money this summer.New Jerseyans used to get a break, with the lowest gas prices anywhere in the country, except for Alaska. That changed during the Chris Christie administration, when the gas tax was hiked 23 cents per gallon to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund for repairs to roads and bridges.Recently, Governor Phil Murphy approved an increase in the gas tax of 10 cents per gallon over five years; a 2-cent increase goes into effect in July.Still, gas prices here tend to be a bit lower than in neighboring states like New York and Pennsylvania; the fact that the state has three major oil refineries helps.There is one place in the state, though, where you can still get old-fashioned gas prices. Surprisingly, it’s on the Garden State Parkway, right on your way to the Shore.A rest stop on a major toll road is an unlikely place to find discounted gas. Service stations on highways cater to people on long drives who are willing to pay more for convenience, rather than spend a lot of time (and gas) price-shopping in an an unfamiliar area.That’s true in New Jersey, too, where nearly all gas stations on the Turnpike and the Parkway are Sunoco stations regulated by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. (There are 9 state-regulated Sunoco stations on the Parkway and 12 on the Turnpike.) Sunoco has to pay the state a cut of all sales and can pass that cost along to the consumer.But the Parkway’s Colonia rest stops, in Middlesex County between exits 131B and 135, are notable exceptions, due to a historical anomaly: The gas stations were there before the Parkway was built in the 1950s. Unlike the 21 Sunoco stations on the state’s toll roads, which were all built on land owned by the state, the four stations at the Colonia rest stop—two northbound, two southbound—sit on privately owned land, says Tom Feeney, spokesperson for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. They can set their own prices and don’t have to pay a cut to the state.In late May, for example, prices at the Colonia rest stop Shell and Exxon stations (there are both brands at the northbound and southbound rest stops) were $3.15 a gallon for unleaded regular, cash, compared to $3.60 at the Sunoco stations. If you’re filling up a car with a 15-gallon tank, that’s a savings of $6.75.“The difference can have a big impact when gas prices are either rising or falling quickly,” says Feeney. “It really defies expectations on a toll road. It catches people by surprise.”Prices at the state-regulated Sunoco stations, by contrast, are subject to a strict and complicated formula. They can change prices only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 am; must rely on a thrice-weekly survey of the state’s stations; and can’t charge more than four cents above the state average, says Feeney. Current fuel prices at the Sunoco stations can be found on the New Jersey Turnpike Authority website.The Colonia rest stops’ prices can even be significantly lower than those non-rest-stop gas stations. For years, Susanne Hughes, a middle-school band teacher who lives in Roselle Park, filled up at a Colonia rest stop on her daily drive to Matawan, since the other rest stops had higher prices.A few years ago, she started filling up at Wawa instead before getting on the Parkway, because it was more convenient. But she’s thinking about switching back. Recently, she noticed that Wawa’s price was $3.07, while the Colonia rest stop charged only $2.93. “Fourteen cents is a big difference,” she says.
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New Jersey will be well represented this summer at the Paris Olympics by a host of athletes with ties to the Garden State.Jesse Grupper, a 27-year-old Montclair native, is one of four men on the U.S. climbing team. “Watching the Olympics on that TV screen when I was a kid, it became a dream of mine,” he recently told NJM.The person with perhaps the deepest connection to New Jersey (at least in the public’s mind) is equestrian and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Jessica Springsteen, 32. The name gives it away: Her parents are the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, and Patti Scialfa. Springsteen has credited her family’s horse farm in Colts Neck for inspiring her lifelong passion for the sport.Three Olympic fencers have Jersey roots: Jackie Dubrovich, 29, who was raised in Riverdale and now lives in Maplewood; Elizabeth Tartakovsky, 24, who grew up in Livingston; and Mitchell Saron, 23, who hails from Ridgewood. A handful of others on the team, including Philadelphia’s Maia Weintraub, attended Princeton University.Randolph’s Amanda Golini, 29, is co-captaining a resurgent women’s field hockey team, which also includes Ryleigh Heck, 20, of Ocean City, and Caroline Ramsey, 22, of Morristown, in the sport’s first Olympic appearance since 2016.Two Jersey soccer stars are competing in Paris. John Tolkin, 21, known to soccer fans as JMi (for John Michael), is a defender for the New York Red Bulls and hails from Chatham. Casey Murphy, 28, goalkeeper for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, grew up in Bridgewater and played at Rutgers University.Amy Wang, 21, of Sewell, looks to help USA table tennis win its first gold medal since the sport’s 1988 Olympic debut. Wrestler Helen Maroulis, 32, of Hoboken, is back for her third Games, and Keturah Orji, 28, of Mount Olive, is attempting to become the first American woman to win gold in the triple high jump.Two athletes are following in family footsteps. Jack Yonezuka, 20, of West Long Branch, son of five-time US National Judo champion Nick Yonezuka, is making his Olympic debut in judo. Rower Molly Reckford, 30, of Short Hills, is Olympian biathlon team leader Bill Spencer’s granddaughter.
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Jesse Grupper plots his ascent, grabs onto a hold, and effortlessly scales the wall at Fairfield’s New Jersey Rock Gym. The 27-year-old climber, a Montclair native, got his start here more than two decades ago, when no one could have imagined he would one day reach the pinnacle of his sport. Grupper is headed to Paris this summer, one of four men on the U.S. Olympic climbing team.Grupper’s path to this point has been no more a straight line than your average climbing route. In his life, Grupper, who started climbing at the age of six, has striven for excellence in academics, made time for his family and friends, and pursued meaningful volunteer work. Yet, through it all, his sights were set on competing at the highest level.“Watching the Olympics on that TV screen when I was a kid, it became a dream of mine,” says the Montclair High School graduate. At the time, he was partial to the swimming events because his mother competed locally in synchronized swimming.“Michael Phelps was super motivating for me as I was doing my floor crunches,” Grupper remembers of the legendary American swimmer, who remains the most decorated Olympian in history. “But, of course, climbing wasn’t in the Olympics at the time.”RATCHETING UP THE STAKESThings changed with the sport’s Olympic debut in 2021 and, for Grupper, with an announcement that this year’s Games will include only the two traditional indoor climbing disciplines at which he excels: bouldering, which is performed on lower walls without using a rope, and lead, which is similar to the role of the lead climber in outdoor rock climbing, where the athlete is attached to a rope for protection and clips it into a series of hooks, called carabiners, anchored at progressively higher points on the nearly 50-foot wall.[caption id="attachment_336964" align="alignnone" width="778"] Grupper has been climbing since he was six years old. Photo: Michael Paras[/caption]Of course, in Paris, both disciplines will involve holds spaced in unfathomably difficult patterns that test the skill of each world-class climber who attempts them.Grupper was faced with a challenge nearly as great last fall at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where he topped the podium in combined bouldering/lead by a sizable margin, clinching his berth on the U.S. Olympic delegation. Though a two-time World Cup champion in 2022, Grupper was trailing stiff competition from some of the 11 countries represented, making his come-from-behind victory all the more stunning—to the crowd as well as to Grupper’s parents, who were watching their son compete on television from New Jersey.“We were crying. It was like a feature film,” says Grupper’s father, Jonathan, who deems the Pan Am gold medal “Willy Wonka’s ticket” to the biggest stage of all. “We were sitting in our home in Montclair with our hearts and brains totally across the universe in Chile.”[caption id="attachment_336963" align="alignnone" width="778"] Grupper shows off his strength while bouldering. Photo: Michael Paras[/caption]One key person who experienced the emotional moment firsthand was Grupper’s longtime coach, Randi Goldberg. Watching her most famous student capture his biggest prize reminded her of her first interaction with a young Jesse, then about nine years old and part of the New Jersey Rock Gym’s (NJRG) junior development team.At the time, Goldberg coached only the gym’s advanced climbers.“I was walking around at a competition we were hosting, and here’s this kid I’d never seen, who doesn’t compete,” Goldberg recalls of Grupper. “He asked me if he should try this one particular climb he had never done before. It wasn’t pretty, but he refused to let go, and he nailed it. That was exactly the kind of attitude I wanted on my team.”From there, Grupper’s rise to the top of the sport was steep. He qualified for USA Youth Nationals the very next year, notching a third-place finish in sport climbing, the rope-assisted event in which athletes compete before they begin lead at age 12.[caption id="attachment_336965" align="alignnone" width="778"] Grupper makes his way to the top of a lead wall. Photo: Michael Paras[/caption]A DELICATE BALANCEBy then, Grupper’s life was heavily focused on a range of indoor walls in New Jersey and elsewhere. But beyond those walls were home and school, where he had friends outside the climbing community who admired his achievements, even if they did not fully appreciate the logistics of a sport that was still, in the late aughts, somewhat niche.As Grupper progressed through middle school, he practiced four or five times a week, balancing training and competitions with classes and homework. Eventually, he followed Goldberg when she left NJRG for Philadelphia Rock Gym, preserving their winning coach-climber combination with trips to Philly once or twice a month. Goldberg supplemented those in-person sessions with customized workouts she sent him to follow, and he continued to train at NJRG.Along with competition, Grupper used his passion to pay it forward, becoming heavily involved with Peak Potential, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that holds adaptive climbing clinics for children with disabilities. He volunteered regularly at NJRG, one of the group’s host locations, where he and other climbers belayed, or secured the ropes, while harnessed participants moved from hold to hold as their bodies allowed. Grupper also helped organize fundraisers at the gym throughout his teen years for a range of other causes, and ultimately chose a college major he could parlay into helping others.[RELATED: Hoboken Climbing Gym Teams With Nonprofit to Help Kids Reach New Heights]
After graduating from Montclair High School in 2015, Grupper matriculated at Tufts University, where he studied mechanical engineering and founded the school’s Biomechanics Club, which created assistive devices to help people with disabilities.He balanced these activities with bouldering and lead, competing on the collegiate circuit as a member of the Tufts climbing team. Someday, college varsity climbing may become a reality, just as Olympic climbing did in 2020. A primary objective of USA Climbing, the sport’s governing body, according to CEO Marc Norman, is to be officially sanctioned by the NCAA.For the past four years, Grupper has been a research fellow at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, designing exosuits and similar robotic devices for post-stroke and other paralysis patients.This work, like climbing, requires a keen understanding of human musculature and its interplay with limbs. But Grupper sees a greater analogy. “In climbing, you’re given a problem,” he says, using the technical term for a bouldering challenge. “Engineering is the same. There are many ways of doing both, but the point is making it to the finish successfully. If you’ve used your creativity to get there, the satisfaction is huge.”Currently, Grupper is working remotely for the biodesign lab, on a part-time basis, from his temporary home near the USA Climbing facility in Salt Lake City. He relocated there in March 2023 to devote himself to trying to make the Olympic team. Olympic climbing hopefuls—and even those who have qualified—are compensated only for their cost of travel to the Games and certain competitions. Unlike other prominent countries that compete in the Olympics, like Russia, whose athletes’ training is federally funded, U.S. athletes rely on their respective sports’ governing bodies, although better-established sports tend to have more robust coffers. Grupper and his elite climbing peers also receive some limited sponsorship from gear manufacturers.Grupper’s move to Utah followed several years of honing his technique, punctuated by news of the revised Olympic format. Climbing in the 2021 Games, the sport’s initial appearance, had included a third discipline, speed, in a single combined event for men and women. Although bouldering and lead are timed events, speed climbing is done at a breakneck pace and requires a very different skill set. The best at the discipline do not tend to be the best at bouldering or lead. Each country’s delegation at the 2024 Games includes two men or women in the combined event, and two more in speed.Armed with the knowledge that his dreams converged on Paris, Grupper further harnessed his energy and threw himself into competition. In his breakout season, 2022, he exceeded his goal of one World Cup medal by earning four. He had reached a crossroads. “I was really surprised by that phenomenal season after a lot of smaller wins,” Grupper says. “I had had some setbacks, too, and then to hone in on my weaknesses and conquer them, it showed me there was a lot more I could do in the sport.”[caption id="attachment_336967" align="alignnone" width="778"] Grupper says he dreamed of competing in the Olympics long before climbing was added to the competition. Photo: Michael Paras[/caption]EYE ON THE SUMMITGrupper has faced other obstacles along the way. Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis during his first year at Tufts, he began a regimen of oral medication until that eventually stopped working. He began receiving infusions every eight weeks for his condition, requiring a short hospital stay each time, and now avoids dairy and gluten, which can trigger a flare.He is also navigating a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend of seven years, Hannah Smith, a doctoral student in biology at Harvard. The couple met through Smith’s college roommate, with whom Grupper had climbed growing up. A casual climber herself, Smith says she “loves it when he teaches me a little bit.” She and Grupper are planning a late-summer trip to Norway, after she completes her PhD, that will include some destination spots for outdoor, or “trad” (short for traditional), climbing. But first, Smith will be cheering Grupper on in Le Bourget, a Paris suburb whose brand-new climbing venue is the only facility built expressly for the Olympics in any sport. “It’s been so much work for Jesse to get there,” she says, “so I hope he can give it his all and have an amazing experience, whatever happens.”Joining Smith in the stands will be Grupper’s immediate family: his father, Jonathan, his mother, Cathlin, and his sister, Maddy. A nationally ranked climber in her own right, Maddy also got her start at NJRG in Fairfield, where Jesse, who is four years younger, would tag along for the car ride to her team practices. Just six years old at the time, he was immediately hooked. “It’s probably hard to watch someone do something and love it and not want to do it, too,” Maddy says with a laugh.Their differences in age and gender allowed them to avoid direct rivalry, she adds, and they have several close friends in common from climbing, as well as a shared bond with their supportive parents. Maddy will join Grupper and Smith in their Scandinavian travels.For now, Team Grupper’s attention is trained squarely on the Olympics. The other men’s combined sport climbing athlete, Colin Duffy of Colorado, competed in 2021 in Tokyo at just 17 years old—the youngest climber from any country at those Olympics. Grupper is particularly strong in lead, but the pair will face formidable competition from each other as well as a host of standouts, including Austria’s Jakob Schubert, the bronze medalist in Covid-delayed Games.Until then, Grupper has been attacking the walls in Salt Lake City, with an occasional swing back east to see loved ones. This spring, during a climb at NJRG, he paused after topping the hardest lead route the gym had ever set up, in anticipation of the returning hero.On the facility’s wide-screen TV, the Pan Am Games played on an endless loop, Grupper’s win highlighted. He grinned, never tiring of his sport. “I definitely have these external goals, and of course Paris is at the center of that,” he said. “But I also have an internal drive to be better than I was yesterday—in climbing, but other things, too. I don’t see that ever changing.”Pamela Weber-Leaf, a writer for more than 25 years, has been following climbing since 2016, when her daughter fell in love with the sport.
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Atlantic City has seen its fair share of challenging times. Hurricane Sandy and the Covid-19 pandemic made one point clear: When disaster leaves a casino operating at 25 percent capacity, they won't hire 100 percent of the workforce. That's why a proposed smoking ban in casinos is creating concern about a potential reduction of gamblers, which could impact jobs and the economy.According to Mark Giannantonio, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ), “An immediate and complete smoking ban, while smoking is still permitted in casinos in Pennsylvania, against the backdrop of an already weakened and worsening economic climate, would hurt working-class people, endanger tens of thousands of jobs, and jeopardize the millions of dollars in tax revenue dedicated to New Jersey seniors and people with disabilities, as validated by multiple independent studies.”Yet, every two years since 2006, state senator Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge) has introduced a bill to ban smoking in casinos and simulcasting facilities. At press time, the bill is poised for a vote by the full Senate. But at a January New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens committee meeting, Donna Decaprio, the president of the main casino workers union in Atlantic City, Local 54, urged the committee to reject the proposed bill, saying, “A total ban is going to result in an economic catastrophe for Atlantic City, Atlantic County and the state; there are very broad reaching impacts of this.”Decaprio argued that a smoking ban would eliminate 3,000 Atlantic City jobs because gamblers who smoke would travel to Philadelphia, where smoking is permitted in 50 percent of casino buildings. Decaprio called for “a balanced compromise,” something between a total ban and smoking everywhere.In response to those who say that a total ban on smoking in casinos would hurt jobs and revenue, Vitale, one of the Legislature’s leading voices on health-related matters, says, “It’s a false argument that is meant to deceive policymakers and the public that Atlantic City will suffer. There is an evidence-based, data-driven study conducted by C3 Gaming that concludes, among other things, that business is likely to improve if the casino loophole is closed.” Vitale also reminds us of the argument made in 2006 that businesses would fold and jobs would be lost if smoking were banned in restaurants, but that didn’t happen.Yet other legislators are seeking a compromise. State senator John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro) introduced a bill in February allowing gamblers to smoke on the casino floor, but with additional restrictions, such as allowing smoking in unenclosed areas of the casino floor that contain slot machines that are more than 15 feet away from the table games staffed by live dealers. The bill would also allow smoking in enclosed, separately ventilated rooms, provided that no employee would be assigned to work there unless they volunteered to. Burzichelli told the Associated Press, “It’s about what we can do to keep casinos open, and how do we get it right…Losing one casino means thousands of jobs lost.”In response to Burzichelli’s bill, Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Harmful Effects (CEASE) said in a statement, “This bill would retain the same level of smoking as is currently permitted and will not decrease in any way the amount of exposure workers have to secondhand smoke.” And Vitale agrees, saying, “We cannot compromise the public health or the health of employees. Secondhand smoke is poison. No compromise is acceptable.”[RELATED: New Jersey’s Clean-Energy Future]
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of six books, including his newest, Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff. He is an Emmy Award–winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. He has also appeared on CNN, CBS News and NBC’s Today show. Steve Adubato's Lessons in Leadership video podcast, with cohost Mary Gamba, airs Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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Ever think about hosting a late-night talk show? Singing on stage beside iconic hitmakers? Flying to the moon? Well, soon you can—holographically—at the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s (NJHOF) Entertainment and Learning Center.Located in East Rutherford’s American Dream mall, just across from the Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and DreamWorks Water Park, the new 10,000-square-foot center is a combination of inspirational learning and fun, interactive activities. While the surrounding attractions may be geared towards youngsters, the Entertainment and Learning Center is intended to inspire and engage people of all ages—because “everyone needs a hero,” NJHOF’s slogan declares.Back in May, New Jersey Monthly got a behind-the-scenes tour of the new center, slated to unveil on June 18 for the Governor and media, and then to the public by month's end. At the time of our visit, the NJHOF team was still hard at work, busy perfecting the final details—but the space was already glistening with Jersey magic.Since 2008, NJHOF, a nonprofit organization, has honored more than 230 inductees, including a variety of actors, musicians, athletes, scientists, politicians and more. “New Jersey really has exported more greatness than just about any other state,” says Hall of Fame president Steve Edwards.You're greeted by these Jersey greats the moment you walk into the center. A large screen displays various inspirational quotes and video clips of Hall of Fame inductees; another screen plays videos of other smiling celebs with Jersey ties.Also upfront? One of the center’s most precious artifacts: the exact Ford Model T that Henry Ford gifted Jersey transplant Thomas Edison. (There's also an entire corner dedicated to Edison, designed to be a visual replica of his West Orange laboratory.) You can take an 8-minute, action-packed ride in a simulation of the Ford Model T, in which you’ll travel to the moon and meet holographic icons, including Edison, and hear Hoboken native Frank Sinatra sing “Fly Me to the Moon.”[caption id="attachment_336347" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Sing karaoke next to holograms of Jersey icons like Gloria Gaynor and Frankie Valli. Photo: Courtesy of NJHOF[/caption]Other interactive exhibits let you get up close and personal with Jersey inductees, too. At the karaoke stage, which takes inspiration from Sweden's ABBA Museum, you can belt out tunes beside holograms of Jersey singers, like Newark natives Gloria Gaynor and Frankie Valli.[RELATED: Frankie Valli on Jazz, His Go-To Jersey Restaurant and What He Sings in the Shower]
At Late Night Jersey TV, sharpen your interview skills by asking questions to holograms of Danny DeVito or journalist Connie Chung. The interactions are recorded and can be sent to you to keep.[caption id="attachment_336348" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Interview holograms of Jersey celebrities at the Late Night Jersey TV exhibit. Photo: Courtesy of NJHOF[/caption]In the middle of the center, a Wall of Fame features small plaques for all inductees, surrounding a screen that plays excerpts from their induction speeches.And while the center mainly spotlights formal inductees, NJHOF acknowledges that they aren’t the only heroes the state has to offer. Adjacent to the Wall of Fame, the Everyday Heroes Wall encourages New Jerseyans to think about the heroes within their own lives. They can even nominate them to be featured on the wall’s screen.“Heroes are not just rock stars and athletes,” says Edwards. “I love them dearly, but heroes are firemen and police and educators: People that make New Jersey go round. And we want to showcase them in this exhibit permanently.”Other fun exhibits include a small movie theater, a selfie station, a virtual-reality ride in a replica of Jon Bon Jovi’s Chevelle convertible, and much more.For out-of-staters, ticket prices are $24.99 for adults and $20.99 for children. New Jersey residents get a discount: $19.99 for adults and $15.99 for children—just be sure to bring valid forms of ID. Talk about some Jersey edge!For more information and updates, visit the Entertainment and Learning Center's website.
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When Trés Hanley-Millman and Paul Millman adopted their rescue dog, Shira, in 2017, she was small and sickly, the runt of the litter.After nursing the border collie mix back to health, the Rumson couple noticed that she could understand language; when told to fetch, say, the cat toy, or the spider, she would retrieve the right one. Still, they didn’t think much of it. “A lot of dogs do that,” says Hanley-Millman.In late 2022, after seeing some videos on Instagram of the “Genius Dog Challenge,” Hanley-Millman posted a video of Shira fetching toys and was contacted by researchers at a Budapest university.[caption id="attachment_335994" align="alignnone" width="778"] Shira is known as a gifted word learner. Photo: Courtesy of Trés Hanley-Millman[/caption]The team was studying gifted word learners—dogs with a strong receptive vocabulary and the ability to associate a verbal label with an object. (This differs from the ability of most dogs to learn a task.) Shira, who could identify 25 toys, was part of a study of 41 dogs from nine countries, published by Scientific Reports in 2023. Seventeen were from the United States; Shira was the only one from New Jersey.[RELATED: At Montclair Café, People Come for the Cats, Not the Coffee]
Shira can now identify almost 200 toys. During training sessions, Hanley-Millman asks her to retrieve a specific toy from a pile of 20 to 30; when her owner adds a new toy, it only takes Shira a few minutes to learn it.“It’s incredible to watch. You just think, How do they do it?” Hanley-Millman says. “There’s nothing wrong with rescues. Some of them even turn out to be extraordinary.”
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When J.P. Hand was growing up in Cape May County in the 1960s and ’70s, “gunning on the salt meadow”—hunting ducks in the marshes—was a favorite pastime. Learning to carve decoys to lure his prey happened naturally: first, because he had no money to buy them; then, as a hobby; and finally, as a livelihood.“Decoy carving has provided me with a living doing something I enjoy,” he says. “After half a century, when I go out to my workshop to carve, I still enjoy what I do.”Hand, 70, was mentored by other decoy carvers, who practice a craft that dates back to the Native Americans who lived along the Atlantic coast. “No one carver could have developed the arts and mysteries of making a traditional South Jersey decoy,” he says. “Many carvers over many generations have added to the craft.”[caption id="attachment_335921" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Hand says that carving allows him to make a living doing something he enjoys. Photo: Dave Moser[/caption]He uses planks of Atlantic white cedar to carve the hollow decoy, and only one power tool, a bandsaw, to cut out the rough shape according to his pattern. The bird emerges with the aid of hand tools—a hatchet, spokeshave, curved gouge and knife—and is then painted in colors mimicking the bird’s plumage.The patterns and style differ slightly among master carvers. Hand’s carvings are sleek and minimalist, typical of the South Jersey style. One of his signatures is the snaky head and neck he gives some of his waterfowl. His favorite subjects are the green-winged teal and the mourning dove, but he’s also carved geese, swans, shorebirds, raptors, turkeys and songbirds.[caption id="attachment_335922" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Prices for Hand's decoys range from $100 for a songbird to $1,500 for a life-size swan. Photo: Dave Moser[/caption]Hand, who traces his roots to the English whalers who migrated to coastal South Jersey from Long Island in the 1690s, has customers all over the world who find him via word of mouth and decoy shows and dealers. (He doesn’t have a website.) Prices range from $100 for a songbird to $1,500 for a life-size swan.His decoys have been exhibited at the Ward Museum and the Havre de Grace Museum, both in Maryland, and at New Jersey’s Tuckerton Seaport Museum.Would-be carvers can apply to apprentice with a master carver through the New Jersey Council for the Arts, or take a seminar at the Philadelphia Maritime Museum, the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, Tuckerton Seaport, or the South Jersey Carver’s Association in Cumberland County. In North Carolina, there’s the Core Sound Carver’s Guild at Harkers Island. Try online carving forums to find someone to work with hands-on.
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[caption id="attachment_334363" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Debbie Galant[/caption]Six years ago, on my 62nd birthday, we were having friends over for brunch when my friend Noel, a recently retired physician, pulled out his phone and started showing photos of his new oil paintings. I’d had no idea he was painting, let alone doing it so well. We were all oohing and aahing when my son turned to me and said, “Mom, I’ve never seen you look so jealous in my entire life.”Rarely does life give you such clear signals. For many decades, I’d been a writer. But after that birthday, I turned to art and began to see the world in such a different way, I barely understood it myself.Noel was my first art friend. He cheered me on, introduced me to titanium buff and Payne’s grey and praised my work. (One thing artists and writers have in common: Praise is our oxygen.) But the most important thing he shared was his art friends. When he invited me into his critique group, I met the people who would become my lion, scarecrow, woodman and Glinda as I navigated a new beginning I was, arguably, too old for.Of course, over the years, I’d developed a nice cadre of writing buddies. I clearly remember going to a reading in 2003 at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, the epicenter of writing life in this neck of the woods, and discovering that someone I knew, if only slightly, had written and published a novel. Though I’d been a journalist for years, fiction—my true love—felt unattainable. Suddenly, I was walking through the looking glass and beginning to flex my literary imagination.But I’ve discovered these past six years that New Jersey is brimming with visual artists, too. My art friends have now begun to outnumber my writer friends. I’ve met them in classes, on urban sketching expeditions, and, mostly, through my critique group.The biggest art event in my local universe is the annual Open Studios at Manufacturers Village in Orange. Originally built as a factory in the 1880s, Manufacturers Village is a jumble of brick walls and iron catwalks that provides studio space for 55 artists. Every October, thousands of visitors descend on the complex to see the paint-splattered spaces where art is made and to buy directly from the people who make it.I’d been going to the event for years, but after becoming an artist, it was a different experience. I began to know a few people exhibiting. Then came more connections.During the pandemic, an art friend was looking for a studio. When I heard that another artist friend needed to relinquish hers, I matched them up. Another year, I met an artist whose eyes went wide when I mentioned that I belonged to a critique group. She joined, we became friends, and this winter, she helped me get a show with a respected New Jersey gallery.And this past year at Manufacturers Village, I could barely walk 10 feet without running into someone I knew. I didn’t get to see all the art I wanted to, or to buy something I really loved, but I discovered something even better: I belonged.Debbie Galant has an art studio in Clifton and welcomes visitors.
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Robert Simek, a lifelong surfer, didn’t want anyone to be excluded from the intense feelings that riding waves can bring. So six years ago, Simek and his wife, Lisa, started Waves of Strength, a nonprofit that brings surfing to children and adults with cognitive and physical challenges in the Ocean County and Long Beach Island area.“There is this sense of freedom, there’s a sense of exhilaration, like you are on a wave of energy,” says Simek, who lives in Montville and has a vacation home on LBI.The organization’s signature event is a massive day of surfing lessons at the beach on LBI. This year’s takes place on July 14th from 8 am to 1 pm at 68th Street Beach in Long Beach Township. Get registration and volunteer details here.The benefits of surfing can be mental and physical and are shared by the participants (85 percent are under the age of 18), their families, the volunteers, and the locals who always gather to cheer on the first-time surfers. Last year, MSNBC Stephanie Ruhle, who has a home on LBI, volunteered at the event.“The kids laugh and smile...You get choked up,” says Simek. “Some of the parents are like, ‘I haven’t seen my kids smile in [so long].’ One father actually had a nonverbal child who basically became verbal for a month after the event.”[caption id="attachment_334912" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Participants, their families, volunteers and spectators all feel the benefits of Waves to Strength's big surf event. Photo: Courtesy of Aaron Karp[/caption]There are three volunteers for every participant. Two experienced surfers go out in the water with the newbie, holding onto the board and helping to navigate. One volunteer stays closer to shore, so that “as they ride the wave in, there’s someone there to catch them.”Other volunteers help with checking people in and other logistical tasks.Simek says many of the participants are not only surfing for the first time, but heading into the ocean for the first time. “Some parents tell us their kid never went into the ocean because they couldn’t handle them in a safe manner,” Simek says.That’s not a problem at the annual Waves of Strength event.After the event, the organization helps some kids continue surfing, even if they cannot afford it. In March, Waves of Strength held a wave-pool event at American Dream in East Rutherford.
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[caption id="attachment_334641" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Sarah Hanson[/caption]It was 1968. LBJ was in the Oval Office, with the race for his presidential successor in full swing between Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Woodstock was still a year away, and our troops were still very much engaged in battle in Vietnam. Meanwhile, back here in New Jersey, a store with a funny but unmistakably catchy name opened in Vineland, about halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City.That was New Jersey’s first Wawa. Actually, in the early years, Wawa called each of its stores Wawa Farm Markets, then changed the name to Wawa Food Markets, and finally realized that the one four-letter word was all you really needed: Wawa.“For people on the go,” proclaimed an advertisement for Wawa in one South Jersey newspaper. “When you’re in a hurry and on the go, stop at Wawa food market. We’re a grocery store, delicatessen, dairy, and a general store, all in one modern market. Easy to drive in—easy to park.”While one can debate the practicality of Wawa’s parking lots these days—one regional media outlet recently ran a contest to determine the worst Wawa parking lot—there’s no denying that: If Wawa is nothing else, it is certainly convenient. And that convenience is, no doubt, one of the leading factors in Wawa’s success in New Jersey. Just how successful is Wawa here? Massively.There are now more Wawas in New Jersey than in any other state, including in neighboring Pennsylvania. That’s where the company was born in 1964, four years before Wawa crossed the Delaware River into South Jersey. This year, Wawa has been celebrating its 60th anniversary with lots of giveaways and special merch.Yes, Wawa is even more popular here than in its birthplace. New Jersey Wawas account for more than a quarter of all Wawa stores up and down the East Coast—Wawa has become a ubiquitous presence as far away as Florida, where hundreds dot the sunny state—and there’s approximately one New Jersey Wawa for every 30,000 residents, by far the highest Wawa rate in the country.Plus, while Wawa has been limited to the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania—the company has just begun making inroads westward, but not very far—Wawa has managed to completely cover New Jersey with locations. If you’re anywhere in New Jersey, from the southernmost tip of Cape May to the northernmost township of Montague, chances are there’s a Wawa within a 15- or 20-minute drive, and usually much closer.At the first New Jersey Wawa, you could get Wawa-branded hamburger and frankfurter rolls for 25 cents per eight-pack. A half-gallon of premium Wawa ice cream made from Wawa’s own cows would cost you about a buck. Deli workers would slice up boiled ham (99 cents per pound) and American cheese (49 cents per pound) to order; freshly sliced deli meats are something Wawa has, regrettably, since done away with.Unlike many local markets, New Jersey’s earliest Wawa was open every day—including Sunday, which wasn’t all that common back then—from 7 am to 11 pm. Wawa was even open on certain holidays when other stores would normally close, including the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. “When they’re closed, we’re open” was Wawa’s tagline in 1968.The original Vineland Wawa proved to be popular with the locals. By December of that year, Vineland boasted three Wawa stores. Wawas opened in Mount Laurel, Pleasantville and Millville around the same time. The whole Wawa thing was starting to catch on. When South Jersey newspapers announced a new Wawa opening in those days, they sometimes had to explain this new kind of shopping experience to their readers.“A convenience store is a small grocery store which opens early in the morning and closes late at night,” read the Millville Daily in 1968. “It provides convenient service to the hurried worker and harried housewife.” (Hey, it was the 1960s.)My first memories of Wawa date back to the late 1980s, when you could get a Shorti hoagie for less than $2.50, and it came with a free fountain soda. My nerdy friends and I would rendezvous at our local Wawa near Pine Hill after school and on weekends for snacks, sandwiches and those free fountain sodas. Or, if we had enough money on us, we’d spring for that addictive Wawa iced tea or lemonade. Some kids hung out at the local malls—Deptford, Echelon, or Cherry Hill. We all hung out at Wawa.Well, here it is, 2024, and mall culture is on a swift decline, while Wawa culture is anything but.I visited several New Jersey Wawas while reporting this story, and I’m here to tell you: Business is strong, and a new generation of Wawa devotees is in the making, something that’s key to the brand’s continued success.Once the teens I approached at South Jersey Wawas got over their understandable, “Who is this old dude coming up to me?” reaction, they were more than happy to share their thoughts on the company and favorite items at the store.“We’ve been going to the beach in Ventnor each summer since I was born,” one kid told me. “We’d always get subs from Wawa. And we thought it was so cool when we were old enough that our parents would let us start walking to Wawa ourselves to fill the cooler with subs. Now we just complain because carrying that full cooler can get hot in August!” (I suggested he invest in a cooler with wheels.)Another youthful Wawa devotee told me that, while her dad goes on and on about how bad Wawa’s new pizza is, she and all her friends love it. “Wawa’s pizza is lit,” she insisted. Another said his parents tell him he can get any food he wants for his birthday party each year, and each year, he and his friends all scarf down dozens of Wawa hoagies. His favorite: “Meatball parmigiana Shorti. I can eat two.”Wawa devotion has trickled down into my own family. While my son will eat pretty much any Wawa hoagie you put in front of him (he’s 18, so…), his go-to is an Italian, though he insists on no tomatoes unless he’s eating it right away because, he says, tomatoes make the sandwich soggy. Pro-tip! My daughter, 16, only eats Wawa chicken salad as far as the hoagies go, but she’ll happily indulge in Wawa’s quesadillas, something I’m afraid to admit to my foodie friends. Just the other day, I needed to order lunch for my kids and their church friends who were participating in a volunteer event. I offered pizza. I offered Chipotle. I offered to get pretty much whatever they chose. And what did every single kid want? Yep, Wawa.Wawa has also spilled into our lives in ways neither us nor Wawa could have ever predicted. Kate Winslet talked about Wawa in the hit HBO crime series Mare of Easttown. Harry Styles declared his love for Wawa at a concert a few years back. Jack Antonoff alludes to Wawa on his latest album. Grace Potter pianist Eliza Hardy Jones has penned a wistful tune, “Where the Streets Are Lined With Wawa” in which she envisions a Wawa utopia. And get this: People are even getting engaged and married at Wawas. Clearly, we’ve reached peak Wawa-ness—or have we?What may have originally caught on just because of convenience has morphed into something much more: true tradition. When we think back on those beach-blanket memories at the Jersey Shore, we remember when that seagull tried to snatch that Italian Shorti right out of our hands. (Yes, this actually happened to me.) Birthday memories include sharing Wawa subs with our friends as much as they include memories of blowing out the candles on the cake. Wedding photos now sit on our mantles with Wawa workers in the background.Wawa has truly become a part of our lives and doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Which is good. Because now I’m craving a meatball parm.Victor Fiorillo grew up in South Jersey and is a lifelong writer and meatball Shorti fan.
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This is a very special graduation year for the Povolo family, as the couple's quintuplets are all set to graduate at the same time from Montclair State University on Monday.And when the 21-year-old siblings walk across the stage at Newark’s Prudential Center, it’ll be the first time a set of quintuplets have graduated from a New Jersey college at the same time.The quintuplets grew up in Totowa. They are first-generation Americans and the first generation in their family to attend college—and they are the couple's only children.They will earn degrees in five different majors:* Victoria, Biochemistry; minor Italian * Ludovico, Political Science, minor Pre-Law, Business * Ashley, English, Teacher Education Program, certification in P-12 * Michael, Nutrition and Food Science, concentration Dietetics * Marcus, Business Administration, concentration International Business
The chances of giving birth to quintuplets are rare—roughly 1 in 60 million. And this set entered the world with a bang on July 4, 2002. On their first birthday a local newspaper dubbed them “Five Little Firecrackers.”[caption id="attachment_334600" align="aligncenter" width="778"] They're earning degrees in five different majors. Photo: Courtesy of Mike Peters/Montclair State University*[/caption]The siblings say their parents, Paolo, a building engineer for Cushman & Wakefield, and Silvia, a housekeeping supervisor at Montclair State University instilled a strong work ethic and encouraged them to follow their dreams.Each Povolo sibling had choices when it came to colleges and thought about splitting up. But in the end, they elected to stay together. It also helped that the high-achieving students qualified for generous academic scholarships and need-based grants that in total amounted to a tuition-free four years for the family at Montclair State.What’s next for the siblings?[caption id="attachment_334605" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] *A local newspaper dubbed the quintuplets the "five little firecrackers" when they were born. Photo: Courtesy of Montclair State University[/caption]Victoria wants to work and save money for medical school to study forensic medicine.Michael will continue at Montclair State to earn a Master of Science in Nutrition.Ludovico “Vico” plans to begin work as a sales and marketing representative for Techtronic Industries in northern New Jersey.Ashley, a future teacher, is completing her clinical experience as a high school advanced placement English teacher.[caption id="attachment_334602" align="aligncenter" width="778"] All five students will graduate at the same ceremony. Photo: Courtesy of Mike Peters/Montclair State University****[/caption]Marcus has landed a job with the financial giant JPMorgan Chase & Co.But first they have to manage commencement which will likely be an emotional one for the whole family—and a very busy one. Five kids, five different majors. But the university, which holds two commencements for students based on their college or school, has made accommodations so the Povolos can receive their diplomas together at the morning ceremony on May 13.The post NJ Quintuplets Are All Graduating From Montclair State This Year appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Visitors to the East Greenwich Township home of the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Ralph don’t have to worry about finding a place to sit.The longtime baseball fan, historian and collector has taken his interest in the sport to another level, with more than 250 seats from 45 major and minor league ballparks displayed throughout his home. With seats from classic fields, such as the original Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field, to current stadiums, including Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the residence serves as a journey through the past of the national pastime.That becomes evident after descending the steps to the basement, which could serve as a South Jersey annex of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Seats are carefully arranged by team, with framed newspaper articles on the walls and baseball memorabilia displayed throughout. A “We Win!” headline from the front page of the Philadelphia Daily News of October 22, 1980, celebrates the first time the Phillies won the World Series. A photo with the number 2131 marks the September 6, 1995, game when Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record of most consecutive games played.Not surprisingly, Ralph says, “I bought this home because it had a large basement.” What led the local pastor to collect seats? His answer comes as quickly as a fastball on the outside corner of the plate: “I like old stuff. It’s the history of the game.”[caption id="attachment_334223" align="alignnone" width="778"] Ralph has been restoring ballpark seats in his basement workshop since 1997. Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]“It takes a lot of time to decide how to set everything up,” notes Ralph, who has served as pastor of New Brooklyn United Methodist Church in Williamstown since 2011. “I got a lot of stuff, more than you should be allowed to have,” he adds with a smile.The seats reflect an evolution in ballpark seating. There are seats made of wood and plastic, with and without armrests; folding chairs; seats with a straight back or a curved back; and those with cupholders.Some seats are more than a century old. One, from the Palace of the Fans, a Cincinnati stadium, is a rare example from a ballpark named for its team’s supporters. He also owns a seat from Exposition Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early years of the 20th century.Ralph’s collection is diverse. He owns a Rockford Peaches pennant from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954), which was featured in the 1992 film A League of Their Own. He also has turnstiles from Municipal Stadium in Kansas City and the Polo Grounds in New York.New Jersey baseball history is represented by seats and a home plate from Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium, the home of the Jersey City Giants from 1937 to 1950; the Brooklyn Dodgers played 15 games there during the 1956 and 1957 seasons. He also has a scorecard from the Newark Peppers, a team that played one season in the short-lived Federal League in 1915, and a pennant for the Jersey City Jerseys, who played two years in the International League in the early 1960s.[caption id="attachment_334222" align="alignnone" width="778"] A Jersey City Giants program Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]A basement workshop allows Ralph to refurbish and repaint seats. “Some need the wood repaired; sometimes they need welding,” says Ralph, who has been fixing up seats since 1997.One recent project involved the painting of 12 seats from Fenway Park in Boston. Ralph follows a standard procedure.“First, I clean the seats and apply three coats of oil-based paint,” he says. He waits three days between each coat for the best results.The New Jersey native’s longtime love of baseball can be traced to his family. “My grandmother was a big Dodgers fan,” says Ralph, 75, who was born in Princeton and grew up in Hightstown and Point Pleasant Borough.“I’m a baseball purist,” says Ralph. He remains opposed to the designated hitter, more than a half century after it was first introduced in the American League.His favorite era is from the end of World War II through the 1960s. “To me, that was the golden era of baseball,” he notes. “The players were accessible to the fans.” Nevertheless, he still enjoys the sport and has seen games played at all 30 Major League Baseball parks.Ralph took an early interest in items associated with the sport. “As a boy, I’d walk around the ballpark to pick up ticket stubs,” he recalls.“I always loved collecting baseball cards and memorabilia,” he says. More importantly, he adds, “my mom made sure my stuff was saved.”[caption id="attachment_334218" align="alignnone" width="778"] Raincheck tickets for Newark International Baseball Club Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]In the early 1990s, his interest in ballpark seats started while working on the grounds crew of the Bowie Baysox in Maryland. The club, which played at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore in 1993, gave him three seats from the park.He made his first purchase—three seats from Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia—a year later. That kick-started his interest in collecting.Steve Archer, the owner of Archer Seating in Vineland, has bought and sold seats since 1995. He calls Ralph the Seat Doctor, a reference to his baseball knowledge and doctorate in education.“He’s an expert, for sure,” Archer says of Ralph. “He’s put a lot of effort into the field.”Archer and Ralph even worked with the producers of 42, the 2013 film about Jackie Robinson and the integration of Major League Baseball. Archer’s company provided 1,500 seats for the movie.“Bob provided filmmakers with information on what type of advertising was on the outfield walls of ballparks [in the 1940s],” Archer says, to ensure it was historically accurate.Seats are popular collectibles for fans, according to Archer, whose seat prices range from $235 to almost $1,000.“It’s the one physical thing from a ballpark that has utility,” he points out. “It’s something that can be used in your home. In some cases, you can buy the seat that you sat in.”Archer and Ralph take steps to determine the authenticity of seats, particularly older ones.“Ballpark seats are unique in terms of design and structure,” says Archer. The paint and font of a seat number are also distinguishing characteristics that link a seat to a particular ballpark.In 2001, Major League Baseball launched a memorabilia-authentication initiative to certify autographs and game-used sports items, such as baseballs.[caption id="attachment_334217" align="alignnone" width="778"] A 1947 program from the Trenton Giants[/caption]As a man of the cloth and a baseball fan, Ralph has combined his twin pursuits. The desk where he does church work features an autograph of baseball broadcaster Bob Uecker and patches honoring longtime announcers Harry Caray and Harry Kalas.Ralph says religion and baseball overlap. “There are a lot of Christian athletes in the major leagues,” he notes. “There’s also a book called Green Cathedrals,” a history of ballparks, he adds. Both baseball and religion feature gatherings of the faithful, the former in ballparks and the latter in houses of worship.For now, Ralph will continue to serve as pastor and baseball aficionado and preservationist. His collecting, he says, “is a nice break from my regular job.”Like most collectors, his quest for that hard-to-find item continues. “You’re always looking for something,” Ralph says. “The most difficult item for me to find has been a Shea Stadium seat with the original wood.”For now, there’s work to be done in his basement workshop. “I’m going to run out of time before I run out of seats to restore,” he says.Contributing writer Tom Wilk has rooted for the Philadelphia Phillies since the early 1960s. He saw his first Major League game at Connie Mack Stadium in July 1962.
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Walt Whitman, one of America’s most important literary figures, spent the final 19 years of his life as an esteemed resident of Camden. The internationally acclaimed poet of the body and soul famously and unashamedly declared, “I celebrate myself,” and, “I am an acme of things accomplished.” This month, the people of New Jersey will celebrate him. Whitman’s 205th birthday (he was born on May 31, 1819) is being observed with festivities at two Camden County venues directly associated with his South Jersey residency: Laurel Springs is sponsoring WaltFest on May 18, and the Walt Whitman House on Mickle Street in Camden is hosting a birthday poetry event on May 29.May also marks the 151st anniversary of Whitman’s arrival in Camden, where he revised his most famous work, Leaves of Grass, putting the city on the literary map of the United States. “Making Camden his home meant Whitman could be connected to everything he liked about city living, yet be close to the rural environment he loved—an environment that abounded in late-19th-century southern New Jersey,” Leo Blake, curator of the historic Walt Whitman House, wrote in a 2019 essay. As Whitman put it himself, “Camden was originally an accident, but I shall never be sorry I was left over in Camden. It has brought me blessed returns.”[caption id="attachment_334459" align="alignnone" width="778"] Poet Walt Whitman at his Camden home in 1891. Photo: Public domain[/caption]In 1873, the poet, then 53 years old, suffered a paralytic stroke shortly before traveling from Washington, DC, to Camden to visit his ill mother, who died three days later. He stayed, living with his brother George and his sister-in-law on Stevens Street until 1884, when he purchased his first and only home on Mickle Street. Upon his death in 1892, he was buried at Harleigh Cemetery, less than two miles from his residence.By early 1876, the Good Gray Poet, as Whitman came to be known, had met Harry Stafford, who was 18 years old and worked at a local print shop. The two developed an intimate bond; it seems to have been the last serious romantic liaison of the poet’s life. In a letter dating from 1882, Whitman assured Stafford, “I think I understand you better than anyone—(& like you more too).” In a recent email, Whitman biographer Jerome Loving wrote that he suspects their friendship had “a little hanky panky on the side.” Intriguingly, Whitman presented a ring to Harry, who wrote to the poet, “When you put it on there, was but one thing to part it from me, and that was death.”Soon after they met, Stafford introduced Whitman to his family in Laurel Springs (then called Kirkwood). Over various seasons, the poet relished his numerous visits to the Stafford farmhouse on East Maple Avenue, which was only about 12 miles from Camden. The unpretentious, six-room home played critical roles in Whitman’s life.The Song of Myself author enjoyed the family’s hospitality, including meals prepared by Susan Stafford, Harry’s mother, maintaining, “There is not a nobler woman in Jersey.” The poet especially liked her curry-glazed chicken breast. He slept in one of two upstairs bedrooms or the barn, where he may have also done some writing.While in Laurel Springs, Whitman was drawn to nearby Timber Creek. Like Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond, Whitman kept copious notes of his communion with nature, writing, “Nothing can exceed the quiet splendor and freshness around me.” Looking like a prophet from the Old Testament, but cavorting like a flower child of the 1960s, Whitman relished his “Adamic air-bath,” romping naked amid the trees, birds and wildflowers; he even covered his body with mud from the marlpit. In the autobiographical Specimen Days, he reminisced, “Never before did I get so close to Nature.”For the ailing, middle-aged author, it was a regenerative experience. The poet, in a letter dated February 28, 1881, confided to Stafford: “If it hadn’t been for you & our friendship & the kindness of your mother...I believe I should not be a living man to-day.” As an indication of gratitude, Whitman bequeathed his silver watch to Harry Stafford and a small sum of money to Susan Stafford.In 1884, Whitman bought his “little old house” for $1,750 (approximately $54,770 today) at 328 Mickle Street, in a neighborhood of Camden with a mix of social classes, not far from the ferry to Philadelphia. Although he referred to it as “the shanty of my own,” the two-story, wood-frame residence comprised approximately 1,700 square feet, with two parlors, a dining room, a kitchen and three bedrooms. Whitman added an upstairs bathroom with a copper tub. The Greek Revival townhouse has been open to the public since 1923.“Visitors have a window into the past and a look into the life of one of America’s truly great poets...living in 19th-century America—a time of change, challenges and triumphs for a young nation growing towards maturity,” Blake, curator of the the carefully restored property, tells New Jersey Monthly.On a recent tour, the home gave the impression Whitman might still have been in residence. The rooms had a homey feel, with most furnishings having originally been brought in by Mary Davis, Whitman’s housekeeper. Her needlepoint still hung in the kitchen. At this address, the poet entertained admirers like Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde.On the second floor was Whitman’s bedroom, where he spent considerable time by the window after his second paralytic stroke in 1888. The approximately 360-square-foot space served as a commodious office/bedroom setting. Today, the floor is still strewn with papers. The poet was often photographed in his rocking chair, which is still there, along with its animal-skin throw, his boots, and the cage for his feathered pet, named Canary Bird.In 1890, just a few years after Harleigh Cemetery was founded, Whitman personally selected and was gifted a prominent hillside burial site, measuring 20 by 30 feet, just west of the entrance gate. It was clever marketing to capitalize on his celebrity status to promote the new garden cemetery. (Some years ago, Whitman’s free verse and voice, which had been recorded by Thomas Edison, was posthumously used to sell Levi’s 501 jeans!)At the age of 72, Whitman died in bed at his Mickle Street home. His body was carried down to the back parlor on the main floor, where an autopsy was performed. “The end came peacefully,” announced the original death notice posted on the front door; it was written by Dr. Alex McAlister and remains on view in the house.On March 30, 1892, there was an open-casket viewing at the poet’s residence before the coffin was driven by carriage for the short ride to Harleigh Cemetery, where a graveside funeral service was held. Upwards of 5,000 people were reported to have attended. Several dignitaries served as pallbearers, including Thomas Eakins, the noted Philadelphia-based painter.Inspired by a William Blake illustration, Whitman designed his own rough-hewn granite mausoleum. Its massive stone door is still left ajar so visitors can peer through the original iron gate and see a marble-walled chamber, where the poet is placed between his mother and father. The 15-foot-tall masonry tomb, with his name prominently on its pediment, is a formidable shrine to a luminary who had proclaimed, “My foothold is...mortis’d in granite. “To honor the birth of Whitman, Laurel Springs hosts WaltFest on May 18 from 11 am to 3 pm at the historic Stafford farmhouse. Walt Whitman (played by David Scott Taylor) will receive admirers. A trolley will shuttle visitors to Crystal Springs Park, a spot along Timber Creek that Whitman enjoyed. There is now a half-mile boardwalk to stroll amidst the natural setting. The celebration at the park is also set to feature the 12th New Jersey Infantry Regiment Civil War Reenactors.At the poet’s historic residence in Camden, the 205th Walt Whitman Birthday Celebration is being held on May 29 at 5 pm, just two days before his actual birthday. Winners of the Walt Whitman Association’s High School Poetry Contest are set to read, and professor Edward Whitley of Lehigh University is the special guest speaker.The Pope of Mickle Street continues to inspire Whitmaniacs.As Blake describes it, “Whitman is many things to many people.” And, back in 1889, the New York Tribune proclaimed, “If Camden has a patron saint, it certainly is the ‘good, gray poet.’”Fred B. Adelson, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Art History, Department of Art, at Rowan University.
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Bridget Cutler had just given birth to her first child in 2011 when she read an article about a mother forced to put her baby up for adoption because she couldn’t afford the child’s care. The story moved Cutler, who had more than enough, so she began collecting donations of baby essentials in her Hoboken community.Cutler’s future co-founder Megan Deaton, who had infant twins, began bringing products to Cutler. Soon, the two moms were working together. Every month they’d alert families in need, who would flock to Cutler’s garage to collect free supplies. Moms Helping Moms was born.The organization, which became a nonprofit in 2013, is now based in a warehouse in Warren Township and collects diapers, formula, gently used baby essentials and period products. Other organizations help distribute the donations across the state.According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in two U.S. families can’t afford enough diapers to keep their children clean and healthy. Over 13 years, Moms Helping Moms has collected millions of diapers and accepted thousands of donations, with the help of more than 600 volunteers. The nonprofit has hosted diaper drives, spread advocacy and awareness, and improved the lives of countless babies and families.To donate or volunteer, visit momshelpingmoms.org.
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There’s a new café in Montclair, but the draw isn’t the food or beverages; people come for the cats.The feline-friendly gathering place, called Catfé Montclair, joins a trend begun in Tokyo in 1998 that has since spread internationally; there are three other cat cafés in New Jersey. While self-serve coffee is available, and there are occasional yoga, guided-meditation and sound-bath sessions, the café’s simple aim is to be a place where people and cats can relax together.“It’s a great way for people to interact with cats and learn about them,” says owner Tara Ford. “We believe in the therapeutic power of the bond between humans and their feline companions, and the joy that cats bring to our lives.”Ford also hopes that the cats wandering around the café, which are all rescues from local animal shelters, will find a home through Catfé patrons. When rescue cats have a chance to get used to being around people, it increases their chances of being adopted, she says.Reservations for visits, available Friday through Sunday, are recommended; time slots are half-hour ($12) or hour ($24). Kids aged 7 and up can join sessions, and there are “Mommy or Daddy & Me and the Cats” events for kids 5 and up.“Some people come in and just watch, others get down on the floor,” Ford said. And if they fall in love, visitors can sign up to adopt or foster a furry friend right on catfemontclair.com.
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Pulling over along the Garden State Parkway for a bathroom break or a bite to eat? You can learn about some iconic New Jerseyans during your stop.Launched in 2021 by the New Jersey Hall of Fame (NJHOF) and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, nine Parkway service areas have now been re-named to honor Garden State celebrities; they feature exhibits with photos, memorabilia and more. Some even have selfie-ready holograms.Millions of people drive the Parkway daily, making these service areas a great way to spread a “daily dose of positive inspiration,” says NJHOF president Steve Edwards.[RELATED: 50 Biggest Moments in NJ Pop Culture History]
An interactive museum featuring all NJHOF inductees, called the Entertainment and Learning Center, is opening at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford this June. Satellite exhibits can also be found in various transit hubs.In addition to these nine rest stops, one named for actor Bruce Willis is under consideration to open in Ocean View. The Salem County-raised Die Hard star retired from acting in recent years and is battling aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.Here are the service areas, from north to south:James Gandolfini, MontvaleThe northernmost service area—dedicated to the late Sopranos star who played one of the most iconic Jersey characters ever, Tony Soprano—is set to open this summer. Gandolfini, born in Westwood to Italian immigrants, was a Rutgers-New Brunswick graduate. He passed away in 2013.Larry Doby, BloomfieldThe barrier-breaking baseball player grew up in Paterson. Doby became the first Black American League baseball player in 1947 when he made it onto the Cleveland Indians, breaking baseball’s color barrier and inspiring the country. Doby lived in Montclair for years with his wife, Helyn Curvy, and died there in 2003.Connie Chung, BloomfieldThe legendary journalist, born in Washington, D.C. to Chinese immigrants, was a longtime Middletown resident with her husband, talk show host Maury Povich. Chung, who worked for almost every major news network in the U.S., was the first woman to anchor the CBS Evening News.Vince Lombardi, RidgefieldOne of the most successful football coaches of all time got his start in Englewood when he began coaching at St. Cecilia High School in 1939. The Brooklyn native eventually made his way from high school football to the NFL, where he coached for the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers. In 1970, after Lombardi’s death, the Super Bowl MVP trophy was renamed in his honor.Whitney Houston, Union/VauxhallThe Newark native is regarded as one of the greatest singers and best-selling artists of all time, with hits like “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and “I’m Every Woman.” Her diamond record for “I Will Always Love You” is even on display at her service area. Houston got her start singing at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church, where her funeral was held in 2012, and her service area is located just under ten miles away.Jon Bon Jovi, South AmboyWho says he can’t go home? The Perth Amboy rock star’s service area is just minutes away from where he grew up and about 20 minutes from Sayreville, where he formed his iconic band, Bon Jovi, in 1983. The star keeps close ties to New Jersey with his philanthropic JBJ Soul Kitchen Community restaurants in Red Bank, Toms River, Newark and Jersey City. His service area is set to reopen this summer with updated exhibits and LED monitors.Judy Blume, Wall TownshipThe Elizabeth native and beloved children’s, young adult and adult author has sold more than 82 million copies of her books, including her best-known work, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. In the service area, visitors can see old photographs of Blume, displays of her books and facts about her life.Celia Cruz, Forked RiverThe Queen of Salsa, though born and raised in Cuba, was a longtime Fort Lee resident until her death in 2003. Cruz is one of the best-selling Latin artists of all time, and visitors to her service area can see unique pieces from her closet: an open-toed shoe designed for her by Willie’s of Hollywood; a multi-colored sequin top she wore on stage during the 90s; and one of her beautiful headpieces.Frank Sinatra, AbseconHe may be a Hoboken native, but the singer enjoyed spending time at the Jersey Shore, so it’s fitting that Sinatra would have a service area dedicated to him just miles from the Atlantic Ocean. He had it “his way” by owning multiple homes before his death in 1998, including the signature Sinatra House at Point Pleasant Beach off the boardwalk, overlooking the beach. The singer also frequently performed in Atlantic City (about 15 minutes away from his service area) during his career, including at the infamous 500 Club on Missouri Avenue.
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One of New Jersey’s roadside intrigues is the enigmatic Teterboro Airport just off Route 80 in Bergen County. It’s big (827 acres) and old (in operation since 1919). This enclave of private jet travel is the country’s busiest private airport by far, averaging more than 200 takeoffs per day.Popular though it may be, Teterboro Airport is a rarefied outpost. Private jet travel is expensive: well into thousands of dollars for every hour of flight time. While most of us would be ecstatic to get upgraded to business class on a flight from nearby Newark Liberty, Teterboro caters to people who are done altogether with flying commercial.When I pass the Teterboro exit, I picture radiant celebrities and billionaires striding a red carpet to a shimmering silver jet. A flunky has stowed their Louis Vuitton luggage, and all they carry is an Hermès bag or Tom Ford briefcase. Inside their cushy jet, I imagine, flight attendants who are part-time models proffer champagne, caviar, truffles and lobster throughout the flight. Hunched over iPads in the back of the plane,assistants labor over itineraries for movie premieres, couture fittings,six-figure guest appearances. This must be the private jet life, right?Well, not exactly. Yes, image-obsessed celebs and billionaires’ children like to post about their party-hearty private flights. But the typical private jet passenger is a much more private character: “either a top executive flying to meetings and so on, or a well-to-do family going to or from a vacation home,” says private jet industry expert Doug Gollan. “These customers are the bedrock of private jet business.” They’re not in it for the selfies, he says. “They choose private flights not for the glamour, but for their incomparable convenience, ease and time-saving [perks].”The advantages are numerous, says Gollan. “At private airports,” he says, “you skip all the time-wasting waits and hassles of commercial flights—which afflict even first-class passengers. By contrast, the entire private flight experience is streamlined. You save hours and hours, and often a hotel night.”“I like to call [a] private flight ‘a time machine,’” he says. “First of all, you don’t spend half a day getting yourself to, and then waiting forever at, Newark or Philadelphia’s airport.” While private jets can and sometimes do take off and land at commercial airports, “there’s bound to be a convenient private airport a short drive from wherever you are in Jersey, and another near your destination, too.” (Around three dozen local private airports dot New Jersey.) Manhattanites, Gollan says, often minimize travel time to Teterboro by traversing the 12 miles by helicopter.“Proximity is a blessing, but it gets even better,” says Gollan. “You choose your flight time. You show up, honestly, just minutes before. You park, free, at your terminal....They call your pilots, who meet you and take you to the aircraft. Your luggage is loaded onto your jet; the only baggage restrictions are weight and storage considerations for items like golf bags on the smaller planes,” he says. “[You're] in and out of the terminal. Most of the time people stop only to use the restrooms, as lavatories on smaller jets can be cramped.” If passengers are running late, most planes will wait for them for up to an hour for no extra charge.Private jet travel exploded during the pandemic. "It was the answer," Gollan says. "No airport crowds. Built-in social distancing. This was the low-risk way to travel.” Newcomers to private flights included myriad families, “who discovered that along with the medical peace of mind, it was so easy to travel as a family. You could include staff like a nanny and, of course, the dog.” Gollan notes that “95 percent of people who got into private aviation during Covid have stayed with it. If it works for you financially, there’s no turning back,” he says. “Travel is just so much less stressful this way. You can’t believe you ever did it the other way.”The vast majority of flights from Teterboro fly up and down the Eastern Seaboard, says Gollan, “up to around three hours’ flight time.”Since smaller jets lack kitchens, do private passengers preorder deluxe in-flight catering like bubbly, sushi and steak? “You can if you want to," Gollan says, "but the jet will always have a minibar and simple snacks.” And, he adds, “The favored time for takeoff is after lunch. Passengers love this because they can relax or work in-flight and be at their destination before dinnertime,” he says. “[Their] flight hasn’t wasted an entire day, the way it does when flying commercial.”Nowadays, flying private doesn’t necessarily mean you own a jet. “Today, many private flight passengers have fractional ownership of a jet,” says flight broker Adam Steiger. “It’s popular but it can necessitate some juggling.” Jet charters comprise the hottest segment of the market, he says. “You can rent an aircraft just like you can rent a yacht or a Ferrari. You and your family or friends can fly to a game, concert or festival, graduation, wedding—anything, anywhere.”At Steiger’s Pennsylvania-based company, Air Charter Advisors, private flight brokers advise new and repeat private-aviation customers on their best options, and then supply them. The company zeroes in on providing on-demand charters for “when you need a plane to go anywhere in the world,” he says. “Even on just a few hours’ notice, we help clients choose the right aircraft for their needs and then get it for them. The jet comes with a crew and the fuel you need, and we coordinate options like catering, entertainment, accessibility concerns and ground transportation.”Another form of jet rental, jet cards, are intended for clients with recurrent private flight needs. “It’s like a debit card you load with funds so you can prepay and not have to shop for each flight,” says Gollan. Numerous companies, whether or not they offer their own jets, sell jet cards and manage every flight detail. These often include club-like perks such as luxury hotel and designer discounts. Gollan’s business, Private Jet Card Comparisons, based in Miami, helps potential jet-card buyers find the card company and flight deal that's right for them.If you end up joining the private jet movement, you’ll get to know Teterboro Airport from the other side of the fence. Happy travels!
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Kevin Kelly opened his first salon when he was only 18 years old. Now, at 25, the Keyport salon owner and celebrity hairstylist has a mission of making people feel beautiful and empowered, in and out of the styling chair.That’s why Kevin Kelly Salon began its charitable fashion shows four years ago, where local boutiques and designers are celebrated while local non-profit organizations are supported.This year’s show was an all-white, Vegas-themed brunch at Piazza di Roma in Aberdeen, packing in more than 150 guests. It was hosted by Real Housewives of New Jersey star Danielle Cabral, who joined the cast in season 13. This year’s beneficiary was Hazlet’s Hope Network, a peer-based non-profit organization that lends support to those struggling with substance abuse.“One of the reasons I chose this charity was that I did have a father who struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, so it just touched home,” Kelly says. “Hazlet Hope actually helped one of my really good friends, too, so they’re near and dear.”The organization, in short, provides hope to the Bayshore area. Those in crisis or looking to live a sober life can call Hazlet’s Hope Network any hour of the day and be connected with a certified coach to seek help. The coaches’ part of the peer-based program have first-hand experience with addiction and recovery.More than $5,000 was raised for Hazlet’s Hope Network, from ticket sales, raffle tickets, casino games and donations. Phil O’Hara, a representative from the organization, says the money will go toward providing financial support for patients who may be in need of housing, treatment, and other costs that are difficult to cover during recovery.The highlight of the event, of course, was the spectacular outfits. Nearly everyone was draped in white head to toe, including the guests; glitzy Vegas show girls; NJ-based drag queen Jolina Jasmine; Cabral (who was in a lacy white jumpsuit with a tulle skirt from Monmouth County-based Pretty Chaos Boutique); and Kelly (who rocked a solid white suit, then a white suit with abstract faces painted on by his grandmother).The only people not in white—but just as chic—were the runway models, showing off pieces from Bijoux Boutique in Middletown, Jenna Rose’s Boutique in Old Bridge, Ronny Kobo, Zemer Jewelers and The Shoe Fairy. On the back of each program was a QR code for a look book of all the runway looks.There will be more fashionable, charitable fun this Friday night, April 26, when another New Jersey salon and housewife will hit the runway for a good cause.Melissa Gorga, veteran RHONJ cast member, will host the 9th Annual Renaissance Runs the Runway, a charitable fashion show by celebrity hairstylist Jennifer Korab’s Renaissance Salon in Hillsborough. Proceeds benefit Steps Together, a Hillsborough-based non-profit that supports families enduring medical crises.The event is already sold out, but keep an eye on their social media for the looks of the evening.
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For the last couple of years, New Jerseyans have relished the playful, snarky safety messages plastered across digital road signs around the state by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).Memorable signs have included, “Driving distracted? Fuhgeddaboudit”—channeling Jersey attitude—and “Texting and driving gives me the ick.” During the holidays, drivers saw, “Only Rudolph should be lit, drive high get DUI” and “Don’t be a Grinch, let them merge.” And around Valentine’s Day this year, a message read, “No Valentine? Your seatbelt will hold you.”[RELATED: Retro Road Trips to Take Through New Jersey]
Earlier this year, after some language from the Federal Highway Administration made it seem like these types of signs could be banned, officials clarified that they are okay as long as drivers can understand their overall safety messages. That said, officials did note that humorous messages could still potentially distract or confuse drivers.“NJDOT’s messages are designed to deliver critical safety messages with a little humor to increase awareness and effectiveness,” NJDOT’s Steven Schapiro wrote in an email. “The Department strives to have the content of the messages understandable by all audiences. It’s about making sure people read them, remember them, and drive safely.”Keep an eye out for fun road signs—just don’t look for too long!
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[caption id="attachment_331910" align="alignnone" width="778"] A group ventures out for a canoeing adventure in Newark. Photo: Courtesy of City of Newark Press Office[/caption]A gas-fired power plant, an incinerator and a pair of smokestack-topped factories all sit in close proximity in a primarily African American community. A child from that neighborhood is diagnosed with severe asthma attributed by their doctor, in part, to poor ambient air quality. Another student from that area notes she doesn’t pass a single park on her walk to school. Yet, discussions about racial inequalities rarely address these kinds of environmental issues.Pollution has historically had a disproportionate impact on minorities, who have also been underrepresented in environment-related jobs and activities. Now, a statewide nonprofit, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), has created a primer to help remedy these disparities. The organization’s executive director, Jay Watson, recently launched the Conservationist of Color Playbook, a downloadable, online resource designed to inform policy and engage the next generation of natural-resource stewards.[RELATED: Meet Three Gen-Z Activists Who Are Fighting for Environmental Justice]
Seeds for the playbook were planted in the mid-1980s, when Watson started his career as one of few African Americans at the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). “This was born of years of frustration, trying to engage more people of color,” says Watson, who, after three decades at the DEP, spent nine years at a Princeton-based nonprofit land conservancy. “This movement needs to reflect the beautiful diversity of our state,” he says.A 2020 study by the Center for American Progress found that people of color, as well as those from lower-income communities, are less likely to have unfettered access to nature. In cities across the state, officials have been working to make green spaces more user friendly. “Some of the most beautiful parks in New Jersey are in Newark, but a lot of neighborhoods aren’t near them,” says Jonathan Gordon, interim chief sustainability officer for the city, where more than 60 percent of residents do not own or have use of a car. One solution to the transportation obstacle has been NewarkGo, the city’s subsidized, shared e-scooter and bike program, which surpassed 1 million rides last summer since its 2021 launch.Equally important is beautifying areas beyond major public spaces like Branch Brook Park. To that end, the city has added shade trees and amenities like benches and restrooms to places like Rabbit Hole Farm, a community garden in the South Ward. The city also runs a summer program out of Riverfront Park, Camp Watershed, where kids ages 7-14 spend three weeks learning to canoe on the Passaic River at a cost of just $5 for a community pass that gives access to all public recreation areas. “You get youths excited about the outdoors in a way that’s not just an annoying field trip, and you’ll provide an experience they’ll remember their entire lives,” Gordon says.For Camden, whose nine-square-mile footprint is several times smaller than Newark’s, proximity to its 56 parks was not the problem—but no one was using, them says Justin Dennis, Camden program director at the Trust for Public Land (TPL). When budget cuts forced the parks department to be absorbed into public works, TPL worked with the nonprofit Camden Community Partnership to invest in parks infrastructure, maintenance and programming. With help from Watson’s NJCF, as well as city and Camden County agencies, Dennis solicited input from 700 residents regarding which parks should be prioritized for revitalization and what each facelift required.The group’s most recent focus was on Whitman Park, a small area adjacent to a polluted, abandoned property Dennis calls “a one-story-high mountain of home-demolition debris.” Based on the community-survey responses, Whitman now has fields and a basketball court. The junk next door is gone, but it represents a fraction of the illegally dumped material whose cleanup Dennis estimates to cost Camden $4 million a year.“That’s the crime. Government money is being spent to clean up an area used by contractors from Cherry Hill or Philadelphia, that could otherwise be put toward more pressing community issues,” Dennis says. “If you’re a young person who lives here and sees that [debris], it’s an enormous challenge, from a quality-of-life perspective, to feel so dumped on.”The New Jersey DEP has been working for years to stem the tide of illegal dumping, a nationwide problem. The department has also focused attention on strengthening rules against legal pollution. Until recently, any company wishing to build a factory or other facility that released emissions into the air or water was permitted to if the emissions were under the state’s allowable threshold, explains Kandyce Perry, director of the DEP’s newly expanded Office of Environmental Justice.In 2020, New Jersey became the first state to pass an environmental-justice law. This assesses the cumulative emissions from all polluting facilities within a block group—a statistical unit recognized by the U.S. Census and averaging 50 blocks—when permitting or denying a building application. The law also requires the applicant to hold a public hearing in the community, followed by a period for comments to be submitted.“We need power plants and scrap yards to make society work, but historically, because of redlining, these things were located within communities of color,” says Perry. “The level of environmental protection you receive from the government should not be dictated by ZIP code, how much money you have in your pocket, the color of your skin, or how well you speak English. It’s society’s duty,” she adds, “to protect everyone—not just the people who can afford to move away from threats.”Environmental justice figures prominently in the Conservationist of Color Playbook. Equally important is workforce development for people of color. The nature gap is all too evident in the professional world, notes Watson’s friend Daniel Van Abs, a professor at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, who helps his students secure watershed-management internships at Raritan Bay- and New Brunswick-area organizations. “When I started in the environmental movement, you could look around the state and count the people of color in professional positions on maybe two hands; it was so lonely,” says Van Abs, a contributor to the playbook. “Lately, my classes are half from underrepresented groups, but they’re still building their careers. It will take awhile for a significant percentage to reach the management level.”For Watson, the earlier young people are exposed to the possibilities nature holds, the more likely some will pursue jobs in the environment. This was clear one Saturday last fall in East Trenton, where the NJCF and New Jersey Tree Foundation oversaw a group planting linden and black-gum trees along a busy thoroughfare and in a park that had replaced an abandoned gas station. The teens had already visited a nursery where the saplings were cultivated and had a crash course in arborism. Now, they were training to become Tree Ambassadors, a program run by Trenton-based Outdoor Equity Alliance.Janelly Estrada, 14, grabbed a shovel, and dug into the soil. “We drive past here all the time,” said Estrada. “It will be so nice to see these trees and know I was a part of this.”Pamela Weber-Leaf has covered the environment beat at two newspapers. She was formerly an environmental lawyer.
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[caption id="attachment_332963" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration by Ale + Ale[/caption]When adult-use cannabis sales were legalized in New Jersey in February of 2021, it wasn’t just pot smokers who celebrated. Town leaders saw tax dollars and tenants for empty storefronts, and entrepreneurs saw a chance to get in on the ground floor of a lucrative new industry. Since then, business has indeed boomed: 219 operating licenses have been issued, and 110 dispensaries have opened in 20 of the Garden State’s 21 counties. (58 are recreational only, 12 are medical, and 40 are both.) Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, says he expects weed sales in New Jersey to top $1 billion dollars this year. According to some estimates, at least one cannabis business will open in the Garden State every week for the next two years.But breaking into the brave new world of adult-use cannabis has been anything but easy money for towns or business owners. Would-be owners must fulfill arduous application and licensing requirements and pay hefty fees at the state level, and then again at the local level, while laws are still evolving. Applications, regulations and fees vary for each of the six recreational weed licenses–dispensary, wholesale, cultivation, delivery, distribution and manufacturing—and applications for conditional licenses and then annual licenses must wend their way through town councils and planning boards. (Medical sales, legalized in 2012, require a separate license.)For cannabis entrepreneurs, the odds are doubly daunting. Unlike multistate corporate operators with deep pockets, experience and in-house lawyers, mom-and-pop owners are on their own, navigating the legal hurdles and delays while paying for their buildings, sometimes for years, with no revenue coming in.Corporate operators have a big leg up. They were first to open adult-use dispensaries because they’d been first to open and dominate medical sales, and it’s a relatively painless process to switch from medical to adult-use. In fact, the first 12 recreational-weed stores to open in New Jersey were all multistate operators who converted their medical licenses to recreational. These corporate operators were also well established as growers and suppliers of marijuana to the medical market, so they were able to control the wholesale recreational market from the get-go.CORNERING THE MARKETThe dominance of corporate wholesalers like Ascend, Curaleaf, Columbia Care, Terrascend and Verano is the reason New Jersey has the highest prices for the lowest-quality marijuana anywhere in the country, says Chris Goldstein, an activist with the cannabis lobbying group NORML. “Prices are insane even for low-end products,” he says. “You’ll see shake, which is basically the trimmings off the floor, for $10 a gram. For that amount of money, the marijuana should clean my bathroom and shovel my snow.” High prices push consumers away from dispensaries and back to dealers, he says.The poor quality of Garden State weed is also due to a virtual corporate monopoly, Goldstein says. Right now, there is only one non-corporate grower supplying the state’s cannabis market, Brute’s Roots of Egg Harbor. “Corporate cannabis is typically grown under electric lights in an industrial setting; they use approved pesticides and chlorophyll enhancers, and the product is homogenized and irradiated,” he says. “Craft cannabis is usually sun-grown in greenhouses in smaller batches. There’s a huge difference in look, taste, smell and effect—the difference between produce grown by Monsanto and produce from your local organic farm.”The dominance of multistate operators in the Garden State has also created a predatory market, say cannabis activists. “The large corporations try and monopolize and eat up the smaller guys by making repeated, aggressive offers to buy their businesses, and they buy up the supply of popular products,” says Jesse Marie Villars, co-owner of Baked by the River dispensary in Lambertville, which has been a victim of such practices. “They’re making it hard for microbusinesses to even exist,” Villars adds.[RELATED: Cannabis Helped Them Conquer Opioid Addiction. Now They’re Helping Others.]
“The deck is stacked against small operators,” says Goldstein. Peter Yacobellis, a former Montclair councilor who was a small business expert at American Express, says that’s an understatement. “The odds are already against small business owners, most of which fail within a few years of opening,” he says. “Make that a cannabis business, and the odds are that much longer.”Bringing dispensaries to Main Street is no cakewalk for local governments, either. Because of home rule, each of the state’s 564 municipalities has seemingly endless decisions to make and laws to create. Each has the right to prohibit cannabis businesses within their borders, despite weed’s legalization statewide, even if their residents have voted to allow it. Town leaders must decide which types of licenses to allow and how many, and where in town they’ll be allowed, and then must craft regulations for everything from where people can congregate to HVAC systems for odor control. “It’s a paperwork nightmare,” says Yacobellis.RIGHTING WRONGSIn legalizing pot, state leaders were attempting to reverse some of the damage that criminalization had inflicted on the tens of thousands arrested for marijuana offenses in New Jersey every year, disproportionately people of color. The resulting social-equity parameters make cannabis regulations even knottier, but they do give give smaller operators a much-needed boost.The state prioritizes the applications of operators from the pre-legalization legacy market who had cannabis convictions or were otherwise harmed during the war on drugs. Also prioritized are those who have lived in economically disadvantaged zip codes or who pledge to hire 25 percent of their workforce from these zip codes. Minorities, women, disabled veterans and owners of microbusinesses, which are limited to 10 employees and 2,500 square feet, are also given preference.Many municipalities that decide to allow adult-use cannabis also prioritize legacy, minority and female applicants.The system is working, according to Brown. “Twenty percent of the state’s cannabis licenses have gone to social-equity businesses, and we’re beating the census population when it comes to Black ownership,” he says. These incentives give smaller operators an edge over multistate operators who dominate the retail and wholesale markets.But a bias against marijuana dating back to the war on drugs and earlier isn’t easily erased and contributes to the Byzantine regulation landscape, according to cannabis advocates.”There’s I.D. verification, distances from schools and churches, so many stringent regulations that make this business highly regulated compared to other types of industries that we see on Main Street,” says Chiral Patel, an attorney with the cannabis-advocacy group Blaze Responsibly. “It’s antiquated thoughts. Certain council members who’ve been there for 30 years don’t want change and don’t understand what this business is. This is a plant that hasn’t killed anybody. It’s better than your local liquor store.”Even in an ostensibly progressive town like Montclair, where well over 80 percent approved recreational adult-use marijuana, among the highest in the statewide ballot question in 2020, leaders can be resistant. Little more than a year after opening the town’s first retail cannabis dispensary in 2022, Ascend is leaving. Though corporate officials blame parking problems and competition, a conservative bias against cannabis played a role, says former councilor Yacobellis. “The town government was almost hostile toward Ascend,” he says, keeping the company waiting for months while they crafted the application, then shutting them down and fining them when they opened a day early. “The council’s all-powerful finance committee is arch-conservative and against anything cannabis related,” says Yacobellis. “They created roadblocks every step of the way. It wasn’t a friendly climate.”Town leaders also have to deal with their constituents’ sometimes shifting views on recreational-weed sales. Public meetings can be raucous. Last year, the Paterson city council twice blocked efforts by Mayor Andre Sayegh to increase the number of stores that sell cannabis, which would bring in much-needed revenue for the cash-strapped city. Vocal members of Paterson’s Islamic community, who feared that dispensaries would attract an unsavory element, protested so vocally that a town meeting had to be temporarily adjourned.Two-thirds of New Jersey towns prohibit cannabis businesses, according to Brown. They are opting out of significant revenue; towns can charge up to 2 percent tax on all marijuana sales. “Of 564 or 565 municipalities in New Jersey, there were less than 10 where residents didn’t vote 50 percent or more in favor of legalizing cannabis,” says Patel. “Yet 60 to 65 percent do not allow any type of cannabis business. They are not listening to their constituents.”With so many levels of bureaucracy, the complications can be Kafkaesque. Kelly Gatto, owner of Brute’s Roots dispensary in Egg Harbor, waited more than two years to find out if her application with the state was approved. Finally green-lit in October 2021, the state took another 18 months to vet the application. “We had an empty building that sat there ready to go for 3-1/2 years, our point-of-sale machines gathering dust,” she says. “We had to hire a lawyer. We were bleeding money.”[RELATED: Egg Harbor Cannabis Dispensary Is a Mom-and-Pop Success Story]
The couple survived the process largely because they own their property and didn’t have to pay rent for 3.5 years without any revenue. Even so, Gatto almost gave up, but she and her partner/fiancé, Jim DiNatale, didn’t want to lose what they had already paid Egg Harbor and the state toward their licenses, which totaled $800,000. “Each use–cultivation, manufacturing, dispensary and delivery–has separate paperwork and a huge fee,” she says. (Application fees have since gone down, but Gatto and DiNatale are still on the hook for the original amount.)LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATIONSecuring a storefront is typically the biggest obstacle to prospective cannabis-business owners. Few own buildings in a sections of town approved for marijuana sales, and even if they do, they probably can't be used to sell cannabis if there’s a mortgage on the property. That’s because most mortgage agreements stipulate that the property can’t be used for an illegal business—and cannabis is still illegal on the federal level.For the same reason, landlords who hold mortgages are unlikely to be able to rent to dispensary owners. Exempting New Jersey cannabis businesses from this mortgage prohibition can be done, but it is a “heavy lift, which is why so many banks choose not to deal with it,” says Max Thompson, an attorney and co-owner of Hoboken’s Blue Violets dispensary.Then there are the sky-high rents, especially in northern New Jersey towns like Jersey City, Hoboken and Montclair, which issue the most licenses.“If you’re a small cannabis operator and you get a conditional license, you’re like, ‘hooray,’” says Goldstein. “But then they cattle-chute you into this one area, and all of a sudden you’re paying an inflated price for rent while waiting on your application.”Thompson and his wife, Lauren Chang Thompson, spent eight months looking for a North Jersey location for their Blue Violets dispensary. Hoboken rents were daunting, and Jersey City was “saturated” with weed shops. Then, miraculously, they found a storefront in Hoboken, in a cannabis-approved zone, within their budget. Even luckier: The landlords, two retired teachers, are “very supportive of small businesses,” says Thompson.That became crucial when, during their long wait for town approval after they’d submitted their application, the Hoboken planning board decided that dispensaries couldn’t be located within 600 feet of a school. The Thompsons, whose shop would be on the same block as a school, thought they were grandfathered in, and so did town officials, who approved their application. But the approval triggered a lawsuit by a cannabis watchdog group. “It’s been a circus,” says Thompson. “The combination of Hoboken’s size, the number of schools and daycare centers, and the 600-feet buffer zone makes it nearly impossible to find a viable location.”Recently, a judge ruled that Blue Violets could open while the case goes through the courts, and an opening is imminent. It helped that Thompson, a corporate attorney, was able to do some of the legal work. Another lifesaver: Their landlords halved the rent during the first six months of their legal delays.Even so, their business’s future hangs in the balance until the judge makes a ruling.CONFLICTING INTERESTS When politicians try to cash in on the cannabis gold rush, things can get messy. Take Hoboken. Despite the town’s size and strong support for cannabis, there's only one dispensary there, The Station. Another dispensary, Story, settled a 17-month legal battle with residents of the condo building above it in September. They allege that the owners of the storefront, Jaclyn Fulop, wife of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, and Drew Nussbaum, who runs a superPAC linked to Fulop, led them to believe that they intended to install a physical therapy practice there. Story has yet to open. Hoboken city councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher has vowed to continue fighting the business, which, she says, has “sham ownership going to enrich a gubernatorial candidate.” (Mayor Fulop declined to speak about the case on the record.)And that’s not all. Hoboken’s state senator, former assemblyman Raj Mukherji, is a corporate cannabis owner who helped connect Fulop and Nussbaum with Story’s owners. At the time, he was running for state senate, endorsed by Mayor Fulop, who is now running for governor. In neighboring Jersey City, council president Joyce Watterman voted to approve the Butler and Baldwin dispensary, which is co-owned by her daughter. (She later apologized for not recusing herself.) That council also approved a dispensary co-owned by Hudson County commissioner Jerry Walker and Tuesday Caldwell, wife of state senator Sandra Cunningham’s top aide.Advocates say that the cannabis industry in New Jersey is rife with these conflicts. “It’s not just Mayor Fulop’s wife,” says Goldstein. “It’s state legislators, city counselors, appointed officials, land-use and zoning officials, judges, union folks, up and down the state. Everybody wants in on this.”When recreational weed was legalized in 2021, state government officials wrote ethics rules into the legislation prohibiting elected or appointed officials from being financially involved in the cannabis industry in New Jersey. But in a January lame-duck session, state legislators walked those rules back, NORML's Goldstein says, making it easier for officials to have a stake in cannabis businesses. “Officials at every level are toeing the ethical line,” he says. “There can be an illegal conflict of interest simply because there appears to be a conflict of interest. If it looks like corruption, it probably is.”THE FUTURE OF NEW JERSEY CANNABISThough it’s been a bumpy rollout, there are signs that the road to opening a cannabis business in New Jersey is getting smoother.The application process is a heavy slog, but much of that is to the good, boosting small owners and the disadvantaged, says Brown. And the waits are getting shorter: Conditional licenses are now approved within 90 days, and annual licenses, which require criminal background checks and financial investigation, within six months, he says.Even critics like Goldstein admit that state officials “did some things right,” stopping arrests cold and formulating strong social-equity incentives. “It’s going to take awhile to work out the business and tax angles,” he says. “But police aren’t using marijuana as a premise to terrorize communities of color anymore.”Another positive is that more small growers are poised to start supplying the market, which will help bring down prices and improve quality.The state is trying to helping cannabis entrepreneurs access capital through a partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which gives grants to social-equity businesses, Brown says. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission also launched a Business Action Center this year, which will provide free courses and technical assistance to those in impact zones.“I think we’ve been pretty successful in establishing a safe, sensible framework for regulating cannabis, one that prioritizes both social equity as well as consumer safety,” says Brown of the CRC.Access to capital will continue to be a problem as long as marijuana is illegal federally, which prevents institutional investors from lending to cannabis startups, he points out. Fortunately, there are “a couple of banks” in New Jersey that will issue loans to cannabis companies, he says.When it comes to the state’s role, he says, “obviously, there’s room to improve. But overall, the future for cannabis in New Jersey is bright. We’re starting to see a competitive market where small businesses can flourish. Having a consumer-driven market with equity at its core is going to make New Jersey successful.”
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Brute's Roots Dispensary in Egg Harbor is known for its low prices and sun-grown cannabis, both a rarity in New Jersey. Owned by Kelly Gatto, a registered nurse, and her fiancé, Jim DiNatale, who rehabs old industrial buildings, their adult-use dispensary opened in September of 2023 and was voted best dispensary in the state three months later by the industry group Cannademix. Their success hasn’t come easy. A 3.5-year wait for approval because of missteps by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission almost had them throwing in the towel. And then supply-chain issues left them without a key part for their cultivation facility in Winslow.[RELATED: New Jersey’s Cannabis Business Is Booming—But It Sure Isn’t Easy Money]
The missing part became their silver lining. “Rather than sitting and waiting, we asked for a modification to our cultivation license to grow in greenhouses, under natural sunlight, and bought five large greenhouses from the Amish,” says Gatto. “It was something different, and people really, really liked it.” (Most products sold in Garden State dispensaries are corporate-grown indoors under electric light.) They also sell their cannabis to about 30 other New Jersey dispensaries.Growing their own, without the corporate markup and electric costs, has allowed them to stand out on price. “New Jersey prices are really high,” says Gatto. “We want to be able to provide affordable, safe cannabis, because our biggest competition is the street.”[RELATED: Cannabis Helped Them Conquer Opioid Addiction. Now They’re Helping Others.]
The long delays and being a loss leader haven’t exactly brought the profits pouring in. But the couple have begun to make up the $800,000 they owe in license fees and are hopeful about the summer, their first for retail sales. With little competition in the southern Shore area, a location just a mile off the Atlantic City Expressway, and their low prices, they are optimistic. Says Gatto, “People walk in and are like, ‘Oh my God,’ because you’re not used to getting this in New Jersey.”
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For Jesse Marie Villars and Cord Schlobohm, opening an adult-use cannabis dispensary in Lambertville has been a dream—and, at times, a nightmare.Both are former opioid addicts with past marijuana convictions who credit medical cannabis with saving their lives by ending their opioid dependency. They became activists, educating patients on healthy ways to consume cannabis and break the cycle of pain meds, through YouTube tutorials and a popular course on edibles and infusion baking at a local restaurant. When Lambertville shut them down and proposed a ban on recreational sales in 2022, despite 80 percent voter approval, the couple brought their many fans to council meetings. The city listened, crafting a new ordinance and allowing four licenses.[RELATED: New Jersey’s Cannabis Business Is Booming—But It Sure Isn’t Easy Money]
By December 2023, Baked by the River was on track to become the first recreational-cannabis store to open in Lambertville—but then the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission lost their application. “We couldn’t afford a lobbyist,” says Villars. “I went to numerous public hearings without a response. There is a well-reported level of corruption within this industry, and representing yourself as a small business owner doesn’t seem to have a lot of weight, unfortunately.”Their three months in limbo gave Union Chill, a dispensary with corporate ties, the chance to open first and get a foothold in the market.[RELATED: Egg Harbor Cannabis Dispensary Is a Mom-and-Pop Success Story]
Another snafu emerged when negotiations with their landlord broke down because the proposed rent was unsustainable. The silver lining: A historic firehouse went on the market that very day. With the financial support of two local businessmen, Villars and Schlobohm bought the firehouse and opened Baked by the River in December 2023.The couple has stayed true to their mission of bringing cannabis's benefits to the community. Eighty percent of their employees were harmed by the war on drugs, and they emphasize education. “We’ve created a warm, welcoming community space, where you can sit down, hang out, and get your questions answered,” says Villars. “We’re living the dream.”
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There is a lot of talk about clean energy these days: Electric cars, offshore wind energy, LED lightbulbs, natural-gas versus electric appliances. But what exactly is New Jersey’s clean-energy future?Governor Phil Murphy’s Energy Master Plan has set an ambitious goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and includes key strategies to get there, such as reducing energy consumption and emissions from the transportation sector, accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, maximizing energy efficiency and conservation, and decarbonizing New Jersey’s energy system—just to name a few.Yet state Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco has shared his concerns about the cost of this plan. Says Bucco, “They understand that it’s going to be a tremendous cost to every homeowner and every resident....And when you consider that people are living paycheck to paycheck, we’re talking about some large costs here to the low- and middle-income families.”While Senator Bucco’s concerns about economics are worth considering, the environmental status quo is unacceptable. Sure, we need to debate the issue of electric cars and a reasonable timeline to achieve auto-emission goals, but according to Democratic state senator Bob Smith, chair of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, the key is to keep our focus on renewable energy. “Nobody wants to take anybody’s stove or any of their appliances,” says Smith, responding to Republicans who have accused Governor Murphy of this. “What the governor and the Legislature are trying to do is to provide incentives. Incentives, not demands. Not laws saying you have to change anything over but giving you incentives for you to use electric appliances and more electrification of buildings, but not penalties against you if you don’t.”According to Smith, the way to make serious progress on carbon emissions is by electrifying as much as possible using renewable resources instead of burning coal, oil or even natural gas. Complex stuff, I know, and a rational, honest and sobering conversation must take place.Other interest groups are also weighing in. I spoke with Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, to get some clarity on offshore wind energy, another huge part of Governor Murphy’s Energy Master Plan. When Ørsted, the world’s largest developer of offshore wind power, decided it was too expensive to continue to do business here, that complicated things. It also reignited the debate between Republicans and Democrats on the pros and cons of offshore wind energy. Ramos-Busot reminds us that, with wind energy, cost is a concern especially due to inflation and supply-chain issues, so we would need more help from the federal government. It’s not so clear if and when that help is coming. (The outcome of the 2024 presidential election clearly matters.)Most reasonable people don’t dispute that we need a cleaner environment. Cleaner energy is a key to that goal. However, an honest discussion about the cost of these initiatives is just as important. None of this stuff is easy. These conversations will sometimes be painful and uncomfortable. But the stakes are too high not to confront these issues. Clearly, our elected officials in the Statehouse and all concerned citizens owe it, if not to ourselves, then to our children and grandchildren who will inherit the environment we leave behind. That is not debatable.Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of six books, including his newest, Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff. He is an Emmy Award–winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. He has also appeared on CNN, CBS News and NBC’s Today show. Steve Adubato's Lessons in Leadership video podcast, with cohost Mary Gamba, airs Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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[caption id="attachment_332664" align="alignnone" width="778"] Mary Jane Genuino Photo: Erik Rank[/caption]Launched in 1999 in honor of J. Patrick Barnes, the DAISY Foundation (an acronym for “diseases attacking the immune system”) recognizes nurses whose compassion, guidance and level of care exemplify the high standards of the profession.Below is the complete list of 2023 DAISY Award honorees; click here to read spotlights on four select winners.Advanced Care Unit at Newton Medical Center (Team Honoree)Newton Medical CenterMaria AbadDegree: RNClinical Decision UnitThe Valley Health SystemKristen AdamowitzDegree: RNLabor and DeliveryCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterMary Pat AdamsDegrees: BSN, RNPre-Admission TestingRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetNigel AlexanderDegree: RNPediatric ICUCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterMichelle AlstonDegrees: MA, BSN, RN-BCEmergency DepartmentInspira Medical Center VinelandMichelle AmaralDegrees: BSN, RN5 WestHunterdon Healthcare SystemEmmanuel AnakwahDegree: RNOncologyCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterElizabeth AndriulliDegrees: BSN, RNLabor and DeliveryHackensack University Medical CenterJamie AngelineDegree: RNOncology ServicesHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterBilal ArabiDegrees: RN, BSNPediatric Epilepsy MonitoringHackensack University Medical CenterSamantha AtamianDegrees: BSN, RNMedical–SurgicalEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterPriti BawaDegrees: BSN, RN, CVRNCardiac ObservationHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterMellecia BecklesDegrees: MSN, CNOR, RNNursing EducationUniversity Hospital–New JerseyJasmine BejarDegrees: BSN, RNSurgicalJersey City Medical CenterJennifer BellewDegrees: RNOutpatient InfusionHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterKim BeltonDegrees: MSN, APN, FNP-C, CCRN, CHPNMedical–Surgical ICUMorristown Medical CenterJasper D BesaDegrees: BSN, RNNeurosurgical ICUHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterAleksandra BlazejowiczDegrees: BSN, RN, PCCNIntermediate Care UnitHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterJulia P BoberickDegree: RNRutgers School of Nursing–CamdenNicole BonaduceDegree: RNEmergency DepartmentHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterGiannella BozzoDegrees: BSN, RNOncologyHoly Name Medical CenterMarie BrackettDegrees: RN, PMH-BCPsychiatric Emergency Screening ServicesMonmouth Medical CenterDeborah BraidaDegrees: BSN, RN, CICInfection PreventionInspira Medical Center VinelandAlexandra BrunoDegree: RNNeurosurgical ICUHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterBrandi BrydgesCapital Health TelemetryStudentThomas Edison State University; W. Cary Edwards School of NursingJoshua BucurDegree: RNNeuro Medical UnitMorristown Medical CenterSarah BuffaDegrees: BSN, RN, CNOROperating RoomMonmouth Medical CenterMichael BurcherDegree: RNEmergency DepartmentUniversity Hospital–New JerseyJessica BurgioDegrees: BSN, RN, ONCOrtho NeuroEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterCharmaine BurtonDegree: RNCare and Behavioral HealthHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterRocio V. CaberteDegree: RNSurgical OutpatientNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyNicolas CampagnoloDegree: RNMedical–Surgical TelemetryHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterDaniele CampbellDegrees: RNC-MNNMother–BabyOverlook Medical CenterMaryvelle CapangpanganDegrees: BSN, RN-BCMedical–SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterMarilen CarreDegree: RNIntermediate Care UnitThe Valley Health SystemAdrienne Carson-GunterDegrees: MSN, RNNeuro Step DownUniversity Hospital–New JerseyMegan CarrDegrees: RNEmergency DepartmentJersey City Medical CenterSheri CarterDegrees: RN CHPNHospiceHunterdon Healthcare SystemChona CastilloDegrees: BSN, RNNeonatal Intensive CareEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterAlexis CavezzaDegree: RNNeonatal Intensive CareHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterAlessandra CervoneDegrees: MSN, RNCounty College of MorrisMini ChackoDegree: APNNeonatal Intensive CareCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterBernadette ChildsDegree: RNOncologyRegional Cancer Care AssociatesMelissa ChirlinDegree: RNIntensive Care UnitThe Valley Health SystemDaphne ChungDegrees: MSN, FNP-C, NVRN-BC, GRNMental HealthNew Jersey League for NursingElizabeth CiesielskiDegree: RNPost-Anesthesia Care UnitCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterCassandra ClarkDegrees: RN, BSNMedical Intensive CareHackensack University Medical CenterDanielle CoatesDegrees: BSN, RNMedical–SurgicalJefferson Health New JerseyBrittany CoganDegree: RNCritical CareVirtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital & Virtua Willingboro HospitalMinh Thu ColeDegrees: MSN, CMSRNMedical SurgicalInspira Medical Center VinelandAshley CollegioDegrees: BSN, RNPediatric Emergency DepartmentCentraState Medical CenterBrett ConnellyDegrees: BSN, RN-BCBehavioral Health Englewood Hospital and Medical CenterLinda ConnorsDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNIntensive Care UnitNewton Medical CenterChelsea ConsoliniDegrees: RN, BSNMedical Intensive CareHackensack University Medical CenterJillian CooperDegrees: BSN, RNMedical–SurgicalCooper University Health CareTori CorcoranDegrees: BSN, RNSame Day SurgeryHackettstown Medical CenterPatricia CortezDegrees: BSN, RNOncologyTrinitas Regional Medical CenterSofia CoveleskiDegrees: RN, BSN, OCNOutpatient Infusion Center RockawayMorristown Medical CenterAlexandru CristeaDegrees: RN, BSNCardiacThe Valley Health SystemHeather CroceDegrees: BSN, RNMedical-Surgical ObservationJefferson Health New JerseyTheresa D’ErricoDegrees: BSN, RNPediatric Emergency RoomHackensack University Medical CenterAnne DeBoskeyDegrees: RNIntermediate Care UnitCapital HealthGina DeFuriaDegree: RNOncologyOverlook Medical CenterRuth V. Del CampoDegree: RNFloat Pool AdultTelemetryNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyCaitlyn DeleskyDegree: RNMedical-Surgical TelemetryHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterColleen DenteDegrees: BSN RNWound Care CenterChilton Medical CenterTammi DiniDegrees: BSN, RNCardiac Step DownHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterAlicia DiPalmaDegrees: BSN, RNIntensive Care UnitHunterdon Healthcare SystemBrenda DoebblerDegree: RNMedical OncologyThe Valley Health SystemChris DoneganStudentThomas Edison State University; W. Cary Edwards School of NursingShawna DouglasDegrees: BSN, RNMedical–SurgicalNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyDavid DovellDegrees: BSN, RNPediatric Care UnitVirtua Voorhees HospitalBlair EbnerDegrees: BSN, RNEmergency DepartmentNewton Medical CenterBarbara EckDegrees: BSN, RNCenter for Endocrine Health; Diabetes and Endocrine Associates of HunterdonHunterdon Healthcare SystemUzunma EmezuaDegrees: BSN, RNOncology PavilionRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetAlysia EschnerDegree: RNOrthopedicsHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterCarol Grace FaisanDegrees: BSN, RNPediatric Intensive CareHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterMellissa FalzoneDegree: RN-BCIntermediate Care UnitCapital HealthLauren FergusonDegrees: RN, BSNCardiovascularMorristown Medical CenterCorrine FlanneryDegree: RNHospiceValley Home Care and HospiceMary Ellen Fletcher-DegnanDegree: RNOncology ServicesHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterChantell ForbesDegrees: BSN, RNEmergency DepartmentHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterShawna FrancisDegrees: MSN, RNNeurosciencesVirtua Memorial HospitalFrederick B. Cohen MD Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (Team Honoree)Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyDiane FriswellDegrees: RN MSN NE-BCCardiac Progressive CareChilton Medical CenterAlexa FureyDegree: RNMedical-SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health-Pascack Valley Medical CenterAimee GabuyaDegrees: DNP, RN, CEN, PMH–BCMental HealthNew Jersey League for NursingVickie GaffeyDegrees: RN, PCCNSurgical Access UnitMorristown Medical CenterKathleen GarlandDegrees: RN, OCNOutpatient InfusionHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterStephanie GarnerDegrees: RNCardiac ServicesThe Valley Health SystemMary Jane GenuinoDegrees: DNP, RN-BCSchool of Nursing and Clinical in HospitalNew Jersey League for NursingMary GerrityDegrees: RNRosa Inpatient Behavioral UnitHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterSherry Lynn GerwerDegrees: MSN-ED, RN-BC, RN, CDPChamberlain University College of Nursing (North Brunswick)Gabrielle MoralesDegrees: RNObservation UnitJersey City Medical CenterAngelica GonzalezDegrees: BSN, RN, CRRN, WCCPhysical RehabEncompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Toms RiverKellie GrafDegrees: MSN, RN, CPANSame Day Surgery and Pre-Admission TestingMonmouth Medical CenterLindsey GrantDegree: RNMedical Intensive CareMorristown Medical CenterConnie GrossDegrees: BSN, RNEmergency DepartmentTrinitas Regional Medical CenterKevin GroveDegree: RNMedical-SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterBryan GuzmanDegrees: BSN, RNIntermediate CareChilton Medical CenterGenevieve GuzmanDegree: RNCardiac Step DownHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterTatiana HamarcakDegree: RNStep DownNewton Medical CenterMelissa HannahDegree: RNLabor and DeliveryVirtua Voorhees HospitalPatricia HannamDegree: RNIntensive Care UnitHackettstown Medical CenterAmber HartDegrees: BSN, RNAcute CareJefferson Health New JerseyAlexandra HayDegree: RNNeuro Step DownHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterEmily HeitkampDegrees: BSN, RNSurgical UnitHunterdon Healthcare SystemTaylor HenningDegrees: BSN, RNOncologyHackensack University Medical CenterAshley HernandezDegrees: ASN, RNCardiac PavilionRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetAmal HerzDegree: RNMedical–SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterDanielle HoweyDegrees: BSN, RN, MED-SURG-BCLabor and DeliveryHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterCaroline HuelsterDegree: RNTrauma Medical-SurgicalCooper University Health CareToshiba V. HughesDegrees: BSN, RNMedical-SurgicalNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyAmelia InterieriDegrees: BSN, RNMaternityNewton Medical CenterJennifer IsakenDegrees: BSN, RNMedical-SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterSarah JarrarDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRNIntensive Care UnitEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterCatherine JimenezDegree: RNOncologyRegional Cancer Care AssociatesDawn JohnsonDegrees: MSN, RN, BCMedical Day Stay / Center for Wound HealingHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterGiorgi KajaiaDegrees: BSN, RNMedical–SurgicalFloat PoolHackensack Meridian Health– Riverview Medical CenterAlex KamenetskiyDegrees: BSN, RNCardiovascular ServicesTrinitas Regional Medical CenterTheresa KampkaDegree: RNCardiac TelemetryNewton Medical CenterBaljot J KaurDegrees: BSN, RN, CENDiagnostic Cardiology CenterHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterKelsea KeenanDegrees: BSN, RNStep DownInspira Medical Center MullicaSameera KeshwaniDegree: RNMedical–SurgicalUniversity Hospital–New JerseyEunice KimDegrees: BSN, RN8 DeanEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterJeong KimDegrees: BSN, RN, PCCNIntensive Care UnitJefferson Health New JerseyDavid KirkenirDegree: RNTelemetryRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonMary KloubeckDegrees: BSN, RNCardiacHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterKerrie KoniorDegree: RNOncologyCentraState Medical CenterApril KotwickiStudentThomas Edison State University; W. Cary Edwards School of NursingJustin P LabutongDegree: RNRutgers School of Nursing–CamdenNicolle LakeDegree: RNMaternityNewton Medical CenterVictoria LamzonDegrees: BSN, RNCardiac PavilionRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetCatherine LauroDegrees: RN, CBCMaternityHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterMercy LavarezDegrees: BSN, RNCare Transition UnitHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterKayleigh LawrenceDegrees: BSN, RNIntensive Care UnitCooper University Health CareSophie LazickiDegree: RNMedical Intensive CareHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterAudrey LeslieDegrees: BSN, RNLabor and DeliveryMorristown Medical CenterAnna LevinsonDegrees: BSN, RNCardio PulmonaryEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterLindsay LevitasDegrees: BSN, RNPediatricHunterdon Healthcare SystemJohanna LopezDegrees: DNP, RNMaternal Child Health–Labor and DeliveryHackensack Meridian Health–Palisades Medical CenterSabina LubasDegrees: BSN, RNStep DownHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterLuckow Infusion Team at The Valley Health System (Team Honoree)The Valley Health SystemKim MacAvoy-SorochenDegrees: MSN, RN, CEN, CHSEThomas Edison State University; W. Cary Edwards School of NursingMartina MacenkovaDegrees: BSN, RNTelemetryTrinitas Regional Medical CenterVictoria MacolinoDegree: RNRegional Cancer Care AssociatesAshlyn MalaveDegrees: BSN, RNAmbulatory Care CenterHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterDomingo Maldonado-RosarioDegree: RNOncologyHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterHeather MartellDegrees: BSN, RN, SCRNNeuro Intensive CareOverlook Medical CenterTamiko MartinezDegree: RNRespiratoryOverlook Medical CenterMaria (GiGi) MartinezDegrees: BSN, RNMedical-Surgical TelemetryCooper University Health CareBrianna N MartinsDegrees: BSN, RN, CNML, PCCNMedical–SurgicalNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyKerry MassaroDegree: RNWomen’s ServicesHackensack Meridian Health–Pascack Valley Medical CenterJessica MastrocolaDegree: BSNEmergency Medical ServicesHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterMaternal Child Health–Bereavement Community at CentraState Medical Center (Team Honoree)CentraState Medical CenterEmily MatliDegree: BSNEmergency DepartmentHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterJamie MazzaDegrees: BSN, RN-BCAmbulatory Care CenterHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterPaul McClernanDegrees: BSN, RNIntensive Care UnitVirtua Memorial HospitalPamela McConvilleDegree: RNFloat PoolThe Valley Health SystemAnn McLaughlinDegrees: RNPediatricsHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterLeidilin Medrano DiazDegrees: RN, BSNIntensive Care UnitHackensack Meridian Health–Palisades Medical CenterMaria MendicinoDegrees: BSN, RNMedical-SurgicalHackensack University Medical CenterJoyce MerriganDegrees: DNP, CPLC, CBC, CBCC, TIP, C-EFM, RNC-OBMaternal-Child Health ServicesCapital HealthJudith MilettoDegrees: MSN, RNRutgers School of Nursing–CamdenJoann MillerDegree: RNCardiac ObservationHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterTenzin MingyurDegree: RNSurgicalUniversity Hospital–New JerseyMinor Procedures Department (Team Honoree)Hackettstown Medical CenterModia Alexandre (Team Honoree)Chamberlain University College of Nursing (North Brunswick)Joshua MolinoDegree: RNCritical Care UnitOverlook Medical CenterRoselin MoncrieffeDegree: RNBehavioral CareBergen New Bridge Medical CenterBarbara MooreDegrees: BSN, RNCardiac TelemetryNewton Medical CenterMallory MullenDegrees: BSN, RNLabor and DeliveryPenn Medicine Princeton HealthHenry MulokiDegree: RNMedical–Surgical DiabeticHackensack University Medical CenterChristina MurphyDegree: RNHome CareValley Home Care and HospiceYara NakouziDegrees: BSN, RNHome Care–HospiceHackensack University Medical CenterAlexa NarducciDegrees: MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BCTelemetryHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterElizabeth NavarroDegrees: BSN, RNOncologyTrinitas Regional Medical CenterMaria NawrockiDegree: RNIntensive Care UnitHackettstown Medical CenterElaine NguyenDegrees: RN, BSNClinical Decision UnitCooper University Health CareCiara NicholsonDegrees: BSN, RNIntermediate Care UnitCapital HealthGuerdie NonezDegree: RNMedical-SurgicalHackettstown Medical CenterMegan NortonDegree: RNNeonatal Intensive CareCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterChinedu NwadikeDegree: RNNeuro Step DownUniversity Hospital–New JerseyAlanna O’HaraDegree: RNIntensive Care UnitHoly Name Medical CenterBrianna O’LearyDegrees: BSN, RNTelemetryHackensack Meridian Health–Bayshore Medical CenterLinda OhnikianDegree: RNRadiation TherapyThe Valley Health SystemMichelle OrsinoDegree: RNMedical-SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health–Pascack Valley Medical CenterMary Ann OttenDegree: RNNeonatal Intensive CareHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterMaria PaivaDegree: RNKindred New Jersey-RahwayShraddha PantDegrees: BSN, RN, OCNOncologyHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterNeal V. PatelDegrees: BSN, RNStep DownNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyAlyssa PediDegree: RNNeonatal Intensive CareHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterElizabeth PhairDegrees: BSN, RNIntensive Care UnitHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterAmy PierceDegree: RNEmergency DepartmentNewton Medical CenterShirley PierreDegrees: MSN, RNFloat PoolHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterKristina PoliDegrees: BSN, RN, ONCOrthopedicHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterAnna PortalatinDegrees: MSN, RN, OCNBehavorial HealthHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterAlexa PovelaitisDegrees: BSN, RNMother/BabyRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetLaura ProficoDegrees: BSN, RNC-OB, CBC, CBELabor and DeliveryCooper University Health CarePamela PublicoDegrees: BSN, RNHemodialysisTrinitas Regional Medical CenterGlad QuinonesDegrees: BSN, RN-BCCritical CareHackensack Meridian Health–Ocean Medical CenterJanet RamasDegree: RNIntensive Care UnitChrist HospitalMonika RamirezDegrees: MSN, RN, PCCNStep DownHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterMercedes RaneroDegrees: MSN, RNOncologyTrinitas Regional Medical CenterKatelyn RathofDegrees: MSN, RNEmergency DepartmentInspira Medical Center MullicaSara RenziDegrees: BSN, RNOperating RoomInspira Medical Center VinelandDeborah RichardsonDegrees: MSN, MEDSURGE-BC, AGPCNPObservation UnitCentraState Medical CenterSavannah RiotteDegree: RNEmergency DepartmentUniversity Hospital–New JerseyKatherine RobertsonDegrees: RN, BSNMedical Step DownMorristown Medical CenterDebra RoditskiDegree: APNPalliative CareHoly Name Medical CenterPharlya RodriguezDegrees: BSN, RN-BCTelemetryHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterMelissa RogersDegree: RNPost Anesthesia CareHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterRachell Rosales CardenasDegrees: BSN, RNCardiac ObservationHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterWendy RosenDegrees: MSN, RNCMaternal NewbornInspira Medical Center MullicaThomas RoweDegrees: APRNCardiac DiagnosticHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterKatarina SadlonDegrees: RN, BSNIntensive Care UnitHoly Name Medical CenterJohara SamaraDegree: RNMedical-SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health–Pascack Valley Medical CenterPamela SantamarinaDegree: RNInfusionHackettstown Medical CenterSamantha SantorelliDegree: RNMedical–Surgical Telemetry Trauma Step-DownHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterIlidio SantosDegree: RNPediatricsCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterMatt P SaulDegree: RNCritical CareVirtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Virtua Willingboro HospitalTracie SaylesDegrees: RN, BSNMedical-SurgicalHackensack Meridian Health–Palisades Medical CenterKelly ScaccianoceDegree: RNOncologyRegional Cancer Care AssociatesMarcella ScandDegree: RNMaternityOverlook Medical CenterDiane SchechtmanDegree: RNLabor and DeliveryCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterJanice SchenckDegrees: RN, CPENPediatric Emergency DepartmentCapital HealthBrittany Rae SchwartzDegrees: BSN, RNPediatricsMorristown Medical CenterHolly ScuralliDegrees: RN, MSNOutpatient InfusionMorristown Medical CenterMichael SeeleyDegrees: BSN, RNBehavioral Health InpatientHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterRana SekeenDegrees: BSN, RNPediatricsHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterTyler ShawDegrees: BSN, RN, APHON-CPediatricsMorristown Medical CenterAlivia SiedleckiDegrees: BSN, RNCritical Care UnitCooper University Health CareSamantha Smith-BeaversDegrees: BSN, RNLabor and DeliveryCooper University Health CareTimothy SodoraDegree: RNBehavioral HealthBergen New Bridge Medical CenterGreysi SotoDegrees: RN, BSNAdult Emergency RoomHackensack University Medical CenterDamien SouthreyDegree: RNAcute CareInspira Medical Center MullicaSuzanne SpivakDegrees: BSN, RN, OCNCancer Center at Penn Medicine Princeton HealthStacey SuttonDegree: RNAcute CareJefferson Health New JerseyAdele SweetenDegrees: BSN, RNStep DownNewton Medical Center (NJ)Jeffrey SzurekDegree: RNEmergency DepartmentJefferson Health New JerseyParvina TahiriDegrees: BSN, RNRehabilitationHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterCharina TalloDegrees: BSN, RN, RN-BCOrthopedicHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterJarnisa V. Tatis-ColladoDegree: RNEmergency DepartmentNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyLoudjie TheodoreDegree: RNOrthopedicHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterRhonda Sue ThomasDegrees: RNRehabilitationHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterLucy TorresDegrees: MSN, PMH-BCAdult Mental HealthInspira Medical Center VinelandVanessa TrancosoDegree: RNOncologyHackensack Meridian Health–JFK University Medical CenterLaura TunneroDegree: RNCardiac Care UnitCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterAnne VagDegrees: RN, BSNPost Intensive Care IIIRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital RahwayJaved VahoraDegrees: BSN, RNCritical Care UnitPenn Medicine Princeton HealthDorothy ValentiDegree: LPNBehavorial HealthBergen New Bridge Medical CenterKelly VanDegrees: RN, BSNMedical–SurgicalCooper University Health CareMarshall VanCampDegrees: BSN, RNEmergency DepartmentVirtua Memorial HospitalRosemarie VenturaDegree: RNIntensive Care UnitHackensack Meridian Health–Raritan Bay Medical CenterGenevieve VidasDegrees: RN, CRRNCardiac CareHackensack Meridian Health–Riverview Medical CenterMarilyn WagnerDegree: RNTransplant Intensive Care UnitCapital HealthDonna WardCardiologyCapital HealthAbigail WarnerDegrees: BSN, RNIntensive Care UnitInspira Medical Center MullicaDesiree WeanDegrees: MSN, RN, CNMLEmergency DepartmentInspira Medical Center VinelandKarla WeekesDegrees: BSN, RNTransitional Care UnitPenn Medicine Princeton HealthTiffany V. WestDegrees: BSN, RNEmergency DepartmentNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyJaclyn WesterveltDegree: RNTelemetry Float NurseCooperman Barnabas Medical CenterJonathan WhitelamDegree: RNIntensive Care UnitInspira Medical Center MullicaHeather WiseDegrees: APN, MSN, FNP-C, PMHNP-CFamily PracticeHunterdon Healthcare SystemDiane WolffDegrees: BSN, RNMinor ProceduresNewton Medical CenterJustine YambaoDegrees: RNCardiac Catheterization LaboratoryJersey City Medical CenterTak M. YanDegrees: MSN, APN, RNIntensive Care UnitChilton Medical CenterMaria Xenia YapDegrees: BSN, RNCardiac TelemetryNewton Medical CenterMarilou YosuicoDegrees: BSN, RNPediatricsHackensack Meridian Health–Jersey Shore University Medical CenterLaura YoungDegrees: RN, CSRNPediatric SedationNewark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New JerseyAlexandra ZebrowskiDegrees: BSN, RNIntensive Care UnitHunterdon Healthcare System
No one knows New Jersey like we do.* Sign up for one of our free newsletters here*. Want a print magazine mailed to you?* Purchase an issue from our online store*.The post Excellence in Nursing 2024: DAISY Foundation Award Honorees appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In this, our annual Excellence in Nursing list, in partnership with the DAISY Foundation, we honor 270 medical professionals from New Jersey with diverse practice specialties at more than 70 participating hospitals and facilities.Click here to view the complete list of 2023 DAISY Award honorees from our state, four of whom we spotlight below.Uzunma Emezua • BSN, RNONCOLOGYRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, SomervilleUzunma Emezua fell into nursing almost by happenstance when she decided to try the nursing program at Rutgers University, Camden. After graduating in 2021, she sought a position at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset and was randomly placed in the oncology department, which she now believes was fate. “I’ve fallen in love; whatever I do in the future will definitely be oncology based.…It’s very interesting [and] rewarding,” she says.Emezua works in what can be an emotionally taxing department, often dealing with end-of-life patients and people receiving life-altering diagnoses upon admission. “I remember one time I had three [patients pass] at the same time, and it was just a ‘whew’ moment. It’s definitely the emotional part that’s the hardest for me, not the day-to-day operations,” Emezua says. Nevertheless, she still deeply enjoys the work, particularly the human connections she makes while on call. “Just being a listening ear, just being present and [letting them] know there’s someone who’s seen others through it—it just makes me feel good.”Emezua makes sure to prioritize the comfort of her patients and the worries of their families. A family member recently commented on her care of his mother, “I didn’t know there were still angels out there until I met Uzunma.” Emezua aspires to become a nurse practitioner, but has no intention of leaving oncology. “What gives me the most joy is when a patient is discharged and they say, ‘Thank you so much, you’ve been such a great help, I felt safe here’—that just makes everything that was hard worth it.” —Connor CarlinPaul McClernan • BSN, RNINTENSIVE CARE UNITVirtua Hosptal, Mt. Holly[caption id="attachment_332666" align="alignnone" width="778"] Paul McClernan Photo: Erik Rank[/caption]When Paul McClernan was in high school, his grandmother, who lived with his family in Cinnaminson, suffered a medical emergency that left a mark on him. “I just remember how helpful the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) were at calming everyone down and giving her care.” When it came time for McClernan to make a career choice, he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do, but thought becoming an EMT would be a start. It turned out it was a good fit, and he decided to stay in the medical field.He enrolled first in Rowan College’s community college arm and later matriculated into the university, where he earned his nursing degree. McClernan, who has worked in the intensive care unit, and is now in the emergency department, says his work challenges him to think critically and quickly. “It makes you think about how you would want someone to address things if you were in their situation,” says the 27-year-old Mt. Laurel resident. “It is rewarding to be able to offer comfort when you see people going through a difficult time and to be able to cushion it in some way—if you are able to, you should,” he says.Still early in his career, McClernan is considering going back to school to study anesthesiology, but for now, he is satisfied with his sometimes hectic career in the ER. “There is not a lot in life that you can control, but you can create a peaceful environment for yourself. When not working, he says he creates peace by painting, taking long walks on the beach, and enjoying his cat, Bianca. —Deborah P. CarterJessica Mastrocola • BSNHackensack Meridian Health-JFK University Medical Center, Edison[caption id="attachment_332665" align="alignnone" width="778"] Jessica Mastrocola Photo: Erik Rank[/caption]Jessica Mastrocola knew she wanted to be a nurse since high school. She grew up watching her mom and grandmother work as nurses, and she admired the way they cared for patients—as if their patients were their loved ones. However, she didn’t jump right into nursing. Mastrocola initially studied mechanical engineering and spent her winter and summer breaks working for Marlboro’s fire department as an EMT. She fell in love with it, and it inspired her to pursue nursing. “I liked that, even during someone’s most difficult moment, day or series of days, I could be there to help that person. Being an EMT, you get to do that for a little bit, but then you drop them off at the hospital and you don’t get to follow through with them,” Mastrocola says. “I liked the idea of being able to follow through and see them progress, get better, and hopefully, discharged.”At 26, Mastrocola got her first job as an emergency trauma nurse at Capital Health in Trenton, where she met her mentor. “Everything I embody is what she taught me and who she is as a nurse,” she says. She recently celebrated three years at JFK University Medical Center, where, as a specialty-care transport nurse, she brings patients in emergencies from hospital to hospital to receive the best care, even if they are “sick and unstable.” In most cases, she says, she has been “able to bring them [to] the services they needed, and they ended up having very good outcomes.”Even through moments of tragedy, Mastrocola continues to put in the utmost amount of care for patients, and families are grateful for her efforts during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. —Emily MelvinMary Jane Genuino • DNP, RN-BCSchool of Nursing, Felician University[caption id="attachment_332664" align="alignnone" width="778"] Mary Jane Genuino Photo: Erik Rank[/caption]While the entire world was tasked with finding resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic, for some, the challenges were greater. As a health care educator, Mary Jane Genuino was acutely aware of the pressure the epidemic was putting on hospitals and workers. Though she had left bedside nursing many years earlier, Genuino, who had earned her doctorate in nursing from Rutgers, was working as the chair of the nursing and patient care programs at Berkeley College while fearlessly volunteering on the front lines.Genuino and her husband of 27 years contracted the virus in 2020. While she recovered in a few weeks, he lost his life. In response to the grief, Genuino decided not just to return to work, but to bedside care at Valley Hospital. “I needed to help,” she said. “I needed to keep myself relevant and to have interactions with patients and families.”A tireless professional, Genuino also returned to teaching, joining Felician University as an assistant professor in 2020. “Teaching brings me joy. You see the fruit of your labor years later. When I see students who have become my peers, it lifts my heart,” she says. The Fairlawn resident, who originally studied journalism in her native Philippines, has published several books, including the second edition of a children’s book, Nurse Mayumi in the USA (Book 2), about a young Filipino girl who dreams of becoming a nurse in the United States. “Nursing is a trusted profession that has prominence globally and politically, and nurses will continue to impact health care on many levels,” Genuino says.In addition to her children’s book, Genuino has also written a book of memories and recipes called Tasting Echoes and Savoring Memories: Nurses’ Narrative of Grief and Comforting Recipes. “It is a compilation of stories and recipes from other nurses who have lost loved ones,” Genuino says. After her loss, writing and playing with her four dogs became her solace, she says. “It was either write another book or get another dog!” Her newest book, Amazing Grace: Navigating the Post 21 Autism Journey, will be out in April. —Deborah P. Carter
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[caption id="attachment_332613" align="alignnone" width="778"] Avi Schnall, Democratic assemblyman for NJ’s 30th legislative district. Photo: Courtesy of Agudath Israel of America[/caption]Avi Schnall may not be the most well-known name in many parts of New Jersey—but travel to Lakewood Township, and it's a different story. Originally from Brooklyn, Schnall, 39, settled in the Ocean County town for Rabbinic study at Beth Medrash Govoha, the second-largest yeshiva in the world. The religious institution has drawn scores of Orthodox Jews such as Avi to Lakewood, which has helped make it one of NJ's fastest-growing communities.Schnall made a name for himself with the Orthodox nonprofit Agudath Israel, serving as the director of its New Jersey office until last year. In that role, he became a voice for New Jersey's rapidly expanding Orthodox community, advocating for issues around education funding and religious liberties while building relationships with a wide range of politicians, business folks and average citizens. Last year, Schnall, formerly a registered Republican, made the decision to run for the State Assembly as a Democrat, and—in one of the biggest upsets of this past election cycle—won overwhelmingly in one of the most heavily Republican areas in New Jersey.Donald Trump won in Lakewood by 65 points in 2020, his best performance in the state. Yet you won there as a Democrat with 86 percent of the vote. How do you explain that?Lakewood is unique in that people don’t go down the line like sheep. We may vote one way on the national level, but on the local level, we’re willing to change. You have Sean Kean, a Republican assemblyman who got 36,000 votes while the mayor, Ray Coles, is a Democrat. There’s frustration in the status quo, and when there’s frustration, people come out to the polls.Not long ago you were a registered Republican. Why did you run as a Democrat?As I’ve gotten involved in politics, I’ve built relationships on both sides. Some of our Republican representatives couldn’t produce over the years; many Democrats have been there for us.Seventy percent of the Lakewood population is Orthodox Jewish, and, because they tend to have very large families, that number is growing. How does being a leader in this community affect your policy priorities as a legislator?My priorities are education and infrastructure. Drive through here any day between 1 and 4 pm and you’ll understand; it’s a disaster. The roads are outdated and congested; several of our main roads are state highways. Lakewood has the largest school-age population in the state, with over 60,000 children. The closest district is Newark with 38,000. It’s a 100 percent school-lunch-eligible district, poverty across the board. We have a public school deficit of $175 million. There’s this huge monstrosity of 55,000 kids who go to private yeshivas and get (free) busing, which they are 100 percent entitled to. The state gets $12 billion from taxpayers for schools. They need to pay attention to this. The problem is that all these years, we haven’t been in the room, waving our hands, saying, “Hello, there’s a place called Lakewood, which has a lot of kids.”How is increasing anti-Semitism affecting New Jersey’s Jewish community?It is a scary time. But at any flareup of anti-Semitism, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and state police are all over it. In Ocean County, the prosecutor reaches out to community leaders on a consistent basis. When the war in the Middle East began, the governor, speaker and Senate president put out very strong statements in support of our community. I don’t experience any prejudice in the Statehouse. You do have these comments, but we let it roll off the shoulders. That’s life.Where do you see the New Jersey Orthodox community heading politically?There are large Orthodox communities in Bergen, Passaic and Monmouth counties, and they tend to have exceedingly high voter turnout. It’s the beginning of a statewide movement.
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[caption id="attachment_332448" align="alignnone" width="778"] Environmental justice organizer Chloe Desir poses under Newark’s Jackson Street Bridge, which has become a trash dumping ground. Photo: Chris Buck[/caption]No community in the Garden State is immune from rising temperatures and extreme weather caused by global warming. But residents of marginalized neighborhoods are often doubly oppressed, subject also to pollution from power plants, runoff from pavements, a lack of green space, and illegal dumping. Meet three members of Gen-Z who have grown up with these problems and are fighting to fix them, in their regions of the Garden State and beyond.Chloe DesirENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZERElizabeth native Chloe Desir recalls passing her city’s port on the way to the mall and being struck by its noxious odor. Inspired to work for social justice, she majored in political science at Rowan University and became an environmental justice organizer with the nonprofit Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark.At 24, Desir organizes community events and door-knocking campaigns to raise awareness about potentially harmful proposals, such as Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s plan to build a fourth power plant in Newark. She connects with activists in other states trying to pass environmental justice bills, and is a presence at Newark’s City Hall and the Statehouse.Desir cites New Jersey’s groundbreaking Environmental Justice Law, which requires the state to evaluate facility applications for their impact on overburdened communities, as progress. Her experiences have led to a new perspective on Elizabeth’s olfactory offenses. “Now I say, ‘It’s environmental racism you’re smelling!’”Jermaine BrownRIVER PROTECTOR[caption id="attachment_332456" align="alignnone" width="778"] Jermaine Brown Photo: Courtesy of Jermaine Brown[/caption]Camden native Jermaine Brown traces his commitment to protecting waterways to a freshman earth sciences class he took at UrbanPromise Academy. He enjoys being on the water so much, in fact, that when he was in high school, he was a canoeing guide on the Cooper River—despite not knowing how to swim.In June 2022, hoping to raise awareness about the importance of keeping Trenton’s rivers clean, Brown co-led a six-day kayak trip organized by the Upstream Alliance and the Camden County Parks Department. The goal: Find the Cooper River’s source. “A lot of people have the Cooper River in their backyards and think it’s a stream,” says Brown. The journey, which traced the artery to its narrow beginning in Gibbsboro, was captured by PBS in an award-winning documentary, Search for the Cooper River: A River Hidden in Plain View.Brown continues to fight for clean water. “When I see someone littering in the park, I tell them, ‘This will be washed into the river when it rains,’ and they pick it up,“ he says. He would like to see more emergency water reservoirs along local roads to keep potentially polluted water from flowing into the Delaware and Cooper rivers. Now a freshman architecture student at Morgan State University, he says that every building he designs will have a green roof and solar panels.[RELATED: How to Enjoy New Jersey’s Wild and Scenic Rivers]
Raghav AkulaSIERRA CLUB YOUTH LEADER[caption id="attachment_332457" align="alignnone" width="778"] Raghav Akula Photo: Lors Photography[/caption]Even as a high school freshman, Raghav Akula was ahead of his time. In January 2020, he launched a petition to ban single-use plastics in his hometown of Moorestown and garnered enough signatures before the pandemic shut everything down. Later that year, New Jersey passed the strongest single-use bag ban in the nation, which, he says, “thrust New Jersey to the front of the environmental conversation.”As a sophomore, Akula became the Sierra Club’s New Jersey Youth Climate Alliance student liaison, and as a senior, he inaugurated a youth committee to help turn out pro-environment voters in the 2023 state elections and endorse legislators with favorable voting records. While still in high school, he also provided regular commentary to the Jersey Sierran and put out a podcast about the clean-energy revolution through Duke University.Now a freshman at Georgetown University, Akula edits articles by climate change professionals in the Georgetown Journal of Academic Affairs.
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More than 25,000 children with experiences of abuse and maltreatment have received care from the Audrey Hepburn Children’s House since it opened at Hackensack University Medical Center 22 years ago.Made up of board-certified child-abuse pediatricians, psychologists, nurses and social workers, the team gives cohesive, comfortable and appropriate care to patients and families in physical examinations and therapy sessions, setting them apart from standard pediatricians or psychologists.About 95 percent of cases are referred through the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, which covers the cost of treatment, says mental health director Dr. Brett Biller. Even after their cases close, the Children’s House continues to help clients, cost free.[RELATED: Wynona’s House in Newark Empowers Community to Aid Abuse Survivors]
“Some kids are here for 6 to 12 weeks, some for over a year and a half. It really is up to the needs of the children and families,” Biller says.Prevention is a big focus, too. The No Hit Zone program offers parent-coaching sessions that are supportive spaces for families to unlearn a history of physical discipline. Donations can be made online.
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You’ve heard of all-terrain vehicles. Soon, there will be an all-terrain wheelchair available at Wharton State Forest to help people of all mobility levels enjoy the great outdoors.New Jersey is one of the first states in the country to make available to the public an electric wheelchair that can safely traverse rocky, sandy or snowy terrain. The $23,000 TrackMaster wheelchair can go up to 5.5 miles per hour, has an anti-tip feature, and can hold a charge for up to 10 miles. Sometime this spring, it will be available at Wharton State Forest, free of charge, for any visitor with a physical disability or who has difficulty walking long distances. A grant from the Ford Motor Company Bronco Wild Fund covered the cost.[RELATED: The Best Outdoor Activities in New Jersey]
Wharton State Park in the Pinelands, the largest state park in New Jersey, has an inclusive focus. Last summer, a playground with rubber surfaces and accessible equipment opened there, and there are designated trails whose lengths work for the wheelchair’s battery life.New Jersey State Park Service administrator Rebecca Fitzgerald says accessibility is a growing mission of the park service, and the state hopes to eventually add more wheelchairs to Wharton and other New Jersey parks.
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[caption id="attachment_332245" align="alignnone" width="778"] Max Hill received financial assistance for his dog, Prada, from Marty's Place in Allentown. Photo: Courtesy of Debbie Williamson[/caption]When Prada, an elderly Maltese mix, began having heart problems, his owner, Max Hill, started selling his furniture to pay for Prada’s medical care. Hill, 69, who lives alone in Highland Park and subsists on social security, would be heartbroken without his dog.But one day, at the veterinarian, he was forced to ask about putting Prada down. Seemingly on cue, the dog stood on his hind legs and started dancing. “Prada still had so much life,” Hill says.Soon after, a social worker told Hill about the Senior Pet Assistance Program, sponsored by Marty’s Place, a sanctuary for elderly dogs in Allentown. In May 2023, Debbie Williamson, the program’s coordinator, visited Hill, promising to reimburse him for a month’s worth of medication and to send a six-month supply of Prada’s favorite dog food.The program was launched in September 2022, when some older folks hit by high inflation were, regretfully, looking to give up their dogs. It provides qualifying owners with medicine, blood screening, food and checkups for their beloved pets. Those 60 and older, on a fixed income, with a dog age 7 or older, who live in Monmouth, Mercer, Middlesex or Ocean counties can apply. The program, which relies on donations, has helped more than 75 seniors keep their dogs. This “gets them out and gives them a reason for living,” says Williamson.Prada, now 16, enjoys his daily walks. “He’s living a good life,” says Hill. “I’m humble and grateful.”
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[caption id="attachment_332218" align="alignnone" width="778"] Lauren Curley of Cranford’s Legacy Salon is all-in on the TerraCycle program that allows her to recycle waste from her salon with ease. Photo: Courtesy Lauren Curley[/caption]Most people who visit one of the thousands of hair salons in New Jersey don’t think about where all the excess dye, chemicals, foils and hair they generate end up. Spoiler: It typically goes to landfills or gets dumped down the drain, leaching into our soil and contaminating our water.Some conscientious salon owners, however, are finding ways to keep these products out of the waste stream. Lauren Curley, owner of Legacy Salon in Cranford, uses a program called SalonCycle, run by the Trenton-based recycling company TerraCycle.Curley is thrilled with the program, which she started using about a year ago. In contrast with a previous salon-waste pickup program she was using, TerraCycle’s system is inexpensive and simple to use, she says. TerraCycle provides two boxes and a bucket, into which Curley and her employees toss empty bottles, foils, hair and excess dye; when the receptacles are full, they are picked up by UPS as new ones are dropped off.“Everything is recycled, not just safely disposed of,” she says. “The chemicals are burned for energy and become a resource; the recycled hair is used to clean up oil spills. It blows my mind.”The program does cost more than simply tossing the waste into a dumpster, but she passes that cost on to customers in the form of a $3 “eco-fee” for each visit. The vast majority of customers are happy to pay it, she says. “The reception to our sustainability focus has been phenomenal; it’s actually brought in clients who say nature and biodegradability are important to them.”Curley also saves money on trash pickup. Previously, she was paying for a dumpster she shared with two other business. Now, because she only has one bag a week, she doesn’t have to pay for the dumpster.And the good feeling she gets from knowing that her trash is being recycled and not polluting the earth is priceless, she says.“When I bring my one small bag of trash out to the curb, I’m so proud.”
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New Jerseyans were shaken up once again on Friday night when a 4.0-magnitude aftershock hit the state roughly eight hours after a rare 4.8-magnitude earthquake.The "notable" aftershock, as the U.S. Geological Service called it, occurred around 6 pm. It was the largest of a number of aftershocks reported throughout Friday.The aftershock was centered in Gladstone in Somerset County. "New Jersey just experienced an aftershock," Governor Phil Murphy wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Please follow the emergency guidance below and avoid calling 911 unless you have an actual emergency."The initial quake, centered in Whitehouse Station in Hunterdon County (which is about 15 miles from Gladstone), occurred at 10:23 am. It was felt by millions of people in New Jersey and New York, and as far away as Maine and Virginia.“Earthquakes in this region are uncommon but not unexpected,” Paul Earle of the USGS National Earthquakes Information Center said during a news conference on Friday.On Friday afternoon, Sara McBride of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program said there is a 3 percent chance of a magnitude-5 aftershock in the next week. The USGS reported a 38 percent chance of a magnitude-3 aftershock within the next week and a 9 percent chance of a magnitude-4 aftershock, like the one that hit New Jersey on Friday evening. Additional aftershocks have the potential to occur over the coming weeks.In the event of an earthquake, people are advised to drop, cover and hold on, says the USGS.New Jersey’s largest known earthquake struck in 1783, and is typically listed as 5.3 in magnitude. Over the last several decades, there have been “a number of” magnitude 4-6 earthquakes in this region, Jessica Thompson Jobe of the USGS Hazards Program said Friday. Magnitude-5 earthquakes have been reported just three times in the last few hundred years, according to Jobe.New Jerseyans were certainly shocked by the quake, with residents taking to social media to share their disbelief (and a lot of funny GIFs). "We thought the dryer downstairs was off-balance, but then there was more shaking of the whole house and louder rumbling," one person commented on Facebook. "A few things fell off a shelf and my oldest son yelled 'Earthquake- get out!' Very scary!""Plates flew out of my closed kitchen cabinets," another person wrote.Former Governor Chris Christie, who lives about 20 miles from Whitehouse Station, wrote on X, "A few moments ago our entire house shook for about 25 seconds or so here in Mendham, NJ. Did we just have an earthquake?"Governor Murphy was just as surprised as the rest of us when the shaking started. “Who saw a pandemic coming four years ago? Who saw an earthquake coming this morning? You live and learn,” he told CBS News New York on Friday. He says officials will “do a full post-mortem" to assess the situation.On Friday after, the USGS said the organization couldn't yet attribute this quake to a specific fault, as scientists were still investigating. Northern New Jersey straddles the Ramapo Fault, the longest fault in the Northeast. The fault begins in Pennsylvania and moves into New Jersey, trending northeast through Hunterdon—where Friday morning’s earthquake was centered—as well as Somerset, Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties before ending in New York’s Westchester County.
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A 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey shook the Garden State on Friday morning, with rumblings felt as far away as Maine and Virginia.The earthquake was centered in Whitehouse Station in Hunterdon County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and occurred at 10:23 am. It was felt by millions of people."Earthquakes in this region are uncommon but not unexpected,” Paul Earle of the USGS National Earthquakes Information Center said during a news conference on Friday.A number of aftershocks were reported later in the day, including a "notable" one with a magnitude of 4 a little after 6 pm, according to USGS. It was centered in Gladstone.As for additional aftershocks, there is a 3 percent chance of a magnitude-5 aftershock in the next week, said Sara McBride of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. There is a 38 percent chance of a magnitude-3 aftershock within the next week and a 9 percent chance of a magnitude-4 aftershock. Aftershocks have the potential to occur over the coming weeks.No major damages have been reported.In the event of an earthquake, people are advised to drop, cover and hold on, says the USGS. Governor Phil Murphy emphasized during an interview with CBS News New York that New Jerseyans should "use your head, stay level-headed, don’t panic, and do the smart, common sense-based thing," should any aftershocks be felt.New Jersey’s largest known earthquake struck in 1783, and is typically listed as 5.3 in magnitude. Over the last several decades, there have been “a number of” magnitude 4-6 earthquakes in this region, Jessica Thompson Jobe of the USGS Hazards Program said Friday. Magnitude-5 earthquakes have been reported just three times in the last few hundred years, according to Jobe.Governor Murphy was just as surprised as the rest of us when the shaking started. "Who saw a pandemic coming four years ago? Who saw an earthquake coming this morning? You live and learn," he told CBS News New York. He says officials will "do a full post-mortem."At this time, the USGS cannot attribute this quake to a single fault; the organization's scientists are still investigating. Northern New Jersey straddles the Ramapo Fault, the longest fault in the Northeast. The fault begins in Pennsylvania and moves into New Jersey, trending northeast through Hunterdon—where Friday morning’s earthquake was centered—as well as Somerset, Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties before ending in New York’s Westchester County.
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On a windswept dune skirting the vast Atlantic coast in Cape May last summer, a mini-miracle unfolded. A mottled egg gave a twitch and then a wiggle. Crack! In a poignant moment, a tiny oystercatcher chick emerged to a new and wondrous life.He was little, the smallest of his brood, a gray-and-white cotton ball on toothpick legs. But his head—his head! It dominated his diminutive figure, wobbling comically as he moved. I nicknamed him Bobblehead.The beach presents a mosaic of dangers for defenseless shorebird hatchlings. Gulls and other predators always loom, and high tides can wipe out nurturing home habitat in the blink of an eye. Yet Bobblehead showed adventurous spirit while exploring his special corner of the universe.[RELATED: The Best Outdoor Activities in New Jersey]
My observations told me that, like his home state of New Jersey, this baby bird was small but mighty, punching above his weight and smart, too. Wisely he spent his first weeks in the nest, under the vigilant watch of his parents. They taught him about camouflage, the importance of quick reflexes to seek cover, and when to use each strategy.One warm afternoon, the garrulous shorebirds went silent as a hawk’s shadow slid across the dunes. The oystercatcher siblings raced to safety in the dense beach grass, but Bobblehead had wandered farther afield and was exposed. He froze, his little heart doubtless pounding in his chest as the raptor circled again. I held my breath and closed my eyes.When I reopened them, I saw Bobblehead flattened against the sand, his speckled body indistinguishable from the ground even to a hawk’s sharp vision. I imagined him thinking, Not today, like a character from Game of Thrones. The raptor retreated, and, newly confident, Bobblehead rejoined his family.Weeks later, a lashing storm blew in and again Bobblehead was separated from his circle. Cold and hungry, he sheltered under some driftwood with visions of a mollusk smorgasbord in his mind’s eye. When the clouds cleared, he saw that his dream had come true; the churning sea had washed a feast ashore, all his for the taking.Bobblehead eventually grew into a well-proportioned oystercatcher. He mastered finding his own food and departed on his first solo flight south for the winter. But he’ll be back this spring, and when I see him, I plan to thank him from afar for the lessons he taught me:* Listen to your parents—they know. * Our struggles develop our strengths, and sometimes, we must endure a storm to enjoy the greatest bounty. * Resilience is built into the character of New Jersey and its denizens, from people to shorebirds, and nature plays an important role. * New Jersey is always home to those who love it, no matter how far we may fly.
Damon Noe is The Nature Conservancy’s critical lands manager in New Jersey. He created the protected shorebird nesting area at South Cape May Meadows where Bobblehead successfully fledged.
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When Steve and Judy Mura moved to South Orange in 2017, they became friendly with their next-door neighbors, Michael and Miriam Sang. The couples chatted, spent time outside together with their children, and had joint barbecues. But over time, the Muras realized that their friend Michael Sang was no longer outside barbecuing, and that he was using a cane to walk. Concerned, Judy Mura asked Miriam Sang if he was okay. She was saddened to learn that he was far from it; Michael Sang had kidney failure caused by an aortic hematoma, a condition in which blood leaks through the aortic wall. He desperately needed a kidney transplant.In an extraordinary gesture, Judy Mura offered to donate one of her kidneys to her neighbor. “I wanted to help him and his family,” she says. “Also, my father had a liver transplant, so I had a special connection to Mike needing an organ donor.”But, alas, she was not a match for Michael Sang, who is now 49 years old. So, in another incredible act of kindness, her husband, Steve Mura, who is now 38 years old, offered to donate a kidney. Fortunately, this time it was a match.Kidney donations often come from family members, but friends, colleagues and even strangers volunteer in about equal numbers. “Kidney donations have extended beyond family members,” says Dr. Praveen Kandula, medical director of the Living Donor Institute at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center. “More than half the donations [in the country] are from unrelated people, such as friends and acquaintances.”Sang’s health issues began in 2020. “I was lying in bed, exhausted, unable to eat,” he recalls.“Food, even water, started to taste like poison.” Realizing something was very wrong, Sang contacted his primary care physician, who wanted to run tests but, because of the pandemic, couldn’t schedule an appointment in a timely fashion.Meanwhile, his condition worsened. His wife, alarmed at how quickly he was deteriorating, rushed him to the hospital, where Sang found out he had kidney failure. The news left him in shock. “It was very traumatic,” he says. “My world just crashed.”Sang, who works in billing for the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, immediately started dialysis, an intense and time-consuming treatment that removes waste from the body when a person’s kidneys can no longer do the job. “All of a sudden, I was in a chair with big needles in my arm,” says Sang, who was on dialysis three times a week for two years. Each session lasted four hours.Dialysis was keeping him alive, but it was punishing his body.“It beat me down so much that I didn’t know how much longer I could do it,” he says. “I would drive myself home, crawl up the steps, and get into bed for two days to recover.”According to Kandula, dialysis is not a good option for kidney failure. “A machine can never replicate the function of a human organ,” he says. “A transplant is much better than being on dialysis.”Sang desperately needed a kidney transplant, but it wasn’t going to be easy. He was required to undergo thorough testing before he could be cleared to receive a kidney, due to his aortic hematoma. Once testing was complete, he needed to find someone willing to donate a kidney.Since the outcome is more favorable when a kidney comes from a living donor, Sang needed the generosity of someone special.Steve Mura says that, when he first met Sang, he never dreamed that he would one day be saving his neighbor’s life. Sang was equally surprised. “My next-door neighbor was a match; what are the odds of that?” he says. “If the wives didn’t coordinate with each other, I’d probably still be on dialysis and waiting for a kidney.”Sang and Mura underwent surgery in June of 2022 at the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas. Mura’s kidney was removed laparoscopically, through two small holes. A camera connected to a monitor, providing the surgeon with a clear view of the area, was placed in one hole; the second hole provided a space for the surgeon’s tools. Sang was then able to receive the kidney through traditional open surgery.Both surgeries lasted about an hour. Donors are usually discharged from the hospital the day after surgery. Recipients go home after a few days and can resume their normal activities in about 10 days.“I feel very blessed,” says Sang, whose recovery has been a little slower because of his aortic hematoma. He says, “I have more energy, with a better quality of life.”An unexpected matchBecause she has no children of her own, 61-year-old Judy Herman wanted to give life in some other way. “I saw a TV program where a contestant promoted the idea of living-donor donation,” says Herman, an emergency room billing specialist at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and a volunteer EMT. “I had no idea that was a thing, and I googled, How to go about donating an organ.”In 2019, the Emerson resident went to the hospital for testing to ensure that she was healthy enough to become a donor. Unexpectedly, a CT scan of her abdomen found a large, benign mass on her spleen. Doctors removed her spleen and, after waiting six months, she was able to move forward with her plans to donate a kidney.“I needed to give my kidney to someone who needed it,” Herman says.[caption id="attachment_331473" align="aligncenter" width="736"] Judy Herman of Emerson donated a kidney to Park Ridge firefighter Mark Eisen after reading about his need in a local newspaper. Photo: Peter Murphy[/caption]At first, Herman thought she would be a non-directed donor, meaning the kidney would go to an unknown recipient. But, as it turned out, her gift would restore the life of someone she knewIn 2021, Herman saw an article in a local paper about 63-year-old Mark “Cookey” Eisen, a firefighter, needing a kidney. She knew Eisen from a shared event with the Park Ridge Fire Department and the Ambulance Corps, where she volunteered as an EMT for Triboro Ambulance.A former Navy cook, where he earned the nickname Cookey, Eisen did all the cooking at the firehouse.Herman contacted Eisen, then a resident of Park Ridge, and, after learning that they both had B-positive blood types, she logged onto the Hackensack University Medical Center website, where Eisen was on the waiting list for a transplant. She filled out an application specifying that she wanted to be Eisen’s donor. She was a match.“Judy saved my life,” says Eisen, whose kidney troubles, due to type 2 diabetes, started eight years ago.The doctors informed Eisen that, if a kidney wasn’t found, he would need dialysis.Eisen knew that the wait for a kidney in New Jersey was four to nine years but as a minor celebrity in Park Ridge—Eisen’s volunteer work for the fire department, Elk’s Club American Legion, and board of Triboro Ambulance Corps, was well known—people came forward. In fact, 32 people offered a kidney, and the best match was Herman.“Cookey is a special guy,” says Herman.When Herman, Eisen and Eisen’s wife met, they ended up spending a three-hour dinner together and forming a bond. “We’ve been friends ever since,” says Eisen.Things moved quickly after the three met. Eisen wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible so that he could be healthy enough to attend his son’s wedding on Martha’s Vineyard on Memorial Day weekend of 2021.On April 5, 2021, Eisen and Herman were in adjoining operating rooms at Hackensack University Medical Center. Herman’s kidney was removed laparoscopically and placed into Eisen’s abdomen using open surgery. Eisen was in the hospital for five days. After six weeks, he was back to his job as a manager in the dental industry. He’s also resumed volunteering at the firehouse, and, after being the sole cook there for 30 years, he’s still making his specialties: paella, burgers and ribs. Herman was home 24 hours after surgery and, six weeks later, returned to her full workload as an EMT for Dispatch Health, a mobile urgent-care service.“I’m living a healthier life,” says Eisen, who was able to attend his son’s much-anticipated wedding. “I want to be around for my grandkids and live as long as possible.” As a token of gratitude, Eisen presented Herman with a silver kidney on a Tiffany & Co. chain.Both Herman and Eisen now volunteer as mentors for donors and recipients, sharing their experience and knowledge. “It’s not just doing something for someone else, but also for yourself,” Herman says.Herman mentors potential donors through the National Kidney Donation Organization. “Most potential donors want to know about the surgery, the recovery, and any restrictions following donation,” she says. “I also guide them through the tests needed for consideration to be a donor and benefits offered through the National Kidney Registry, which covers expenses and lost wages.”Eisen mentors patients awaiting a kidney through the Patient to Patient Monitoring Program of Quality Insight Network 3. “Before my transplant, a mentor walked me through the steps and gave me information, so I wanted to do the same for others,” he says. “The transplant team provides information, but patients seem to feel more confident talking to someone who has had a transplant.”The need is greatAccording to the National Kidney Foundation, the organ most commonly donated is the kidney, with a transplant from a living donor lasting about twice as long as one from a deceased donor (approximately 12-20 years for a living donor versus 8-12 years for a deceased donor). In 2022, there were 620 donors in New Jersey, 240 living and 380 deceased, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.“Thanks to social media and increased information about donating, more people are donating kidneys,” says Dr. Kandula. Still, he says, there aren’t enough people to meet the demand of patients who need a kidney. In 2021, more than 2,300 New Jerseyans were on the kidney transplant waiting list.When Steve Mura decided to donate one of his two kidneys to his neighbor, the decision was partly inspired by his father-in-law, who had received a liver transplant from a deceased donor.Mura says the new liver gave his father-in-law a good life and a chance to enjoy spending time with his young grandchildren. “We were very grateful,” says Mura. “I wanted Mike to have the opportunity, too, for a good life.”Still, Mura gave a lot of thought to his decision. “I’m an athlete,” he explains. “I needed to know if I would be able to continue as an athlete.”As an avid runner, professional running coach, and manager of runner training and education for New York Road Runners, Mura questioned the effects, if any, of losing a kidney. When the doctors told him he would still be able to run, except during a short period after surgery, his mind was made up.Mura went through extensive testing to make sure that his kidney was healthy and that he was strong and well enough to live with just one kidney for the rest of his life.Awaiting the surgery, Mura ran a half-marathon in every month from January until June 2022. “I wanted to be in the best shape possible for the surgery, and to make sure I’d be fit after the surgery,” he says.Mura’s recovery went well. “I was never in pain; the only frustration was not being allowed to lift my children for a while,” he says. “I did this for Mike and his family. It’s great to see him walking without a cane and back outside doing yard work.”To demonstrate the normalcy of life after donating a kidney, Mura picked World Kidney Day in 2023 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. He climbed with the group Living Donor Adventures, a nonprofit that brings awareness to organ donation through life-affirming adventures. “Whatever your summit is, you can do it,” says Mura of what the trip showed. Mura then ran the London Marathon a month later.“When one kidney is removed, the other kidney picks up the slack,” explains Kandula. “There is an initial lull and, in three to six months, kidney function comes up from 50 percent to 70-75 percent. You can live normally with 80 percent; it’s more than enough to carry you through your life going forward.”He uses the analogy of a car with a gas tank that’s half full, saying, “The car doesn’t drive any differently with half a tank of gas.”Eleanor Gilman is a frequent contributor to New Jersey Monthly.
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Situated beyond New Jersey’s city streets and suburban sprawl is a bounty of natural beauty. Our forests, lakes, rivers and Shore are assets to residents and visitors alike.Many of our state’s natural wonders, and access to them, would not exist without the work of the New Jersey chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a nonprofit established in 1951 that works to conserve land and water, improve life, and address climate change and biodiversity in more than 70 countries.[RELATED: The Best Outdoor Activities in New Jersey]
TNC began its work in New Jersey in 1955, and its priorities continue to be our coasts, rivers, land and cities, which all benefit nature, critters and human life. Some of TNC’s biggest projects include working to plant more trees in Newark, which helps to reduce urban heat, and building and maintaining Bobcat Alley to provide a protected wildlife corridor for endangered bobcats to move safely between the Kittatinny and Highlands ridges within the Appalachian Mountains in New Jersey.Year-round, TNC works across the state to “ensure that we don’t lose some of the characteristics of New Jersey that are so important,” says New Jersey state director Barbara Brummer, who has been leading New Jersey’s team for 20 years. TNC is a 501c3 nonprofit that is funded by private donors, foundations and public grants. TNC in New Jersey currently has more than 25,000 members.But the best way to get involved, Brummer says, is to get outside and experience nature for yourself, which can also be a great way to improve personal health.[caption id="attachment_330464" align="alignright" width="350"] Buy our April 2024 issue here. Cover photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]Brummer recommends visiting any of New Jersey’s flagship preserves, which are run by TNC and offer a wonderful chance for residents to get out in nature. They are South Cape May Meadows Preserve, Garrett Family Preserve at Cape Island Creek in Lower Township, Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve in Middle Township, Maurice River Bluffs Preserve in Millville, Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve in Warren and Sussex counties, Blair Creek Preserve in Stillwater and Hardwick townships, and High Mountain Park Preserve in Wayne and Passaic counties.Special features and experiences abound at the preserves. At the Garrett Family Preserve, a haven for migrating birds, raptors, bumble bees and butterflies; there’s even a monarch-butterfly statue people can pose in front of to look like a butterfly with big, orange wings. From the top of the Summit Trail at High Mountain Park Preserve, there are incredible views of the New York City skyline and North Jersey.TNC is working on improving accessibility at all of its preserves, including South Cape May Meadows, an internationally known birding spot and the most visited preserve in New Jersey. A fully ADA-compliant, wheelchair- and stroller-accessible boardwalk trail will allow all visitors further access when it opens within the year.“I want people to appreciate the natural wonders that we have in New Jersey,” Brummer says. “One way to do that is to take a look at the kinds of work we’re doing and support our efforts to protect this wonderful state we’ve all chosen to live in.”Visit nature.org to learn more.
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Taking a hike off the beaten path can be a wonderful experience—until it isn’t. What happens if you get lost? Kathy Gardiner is a master naturalist who volunteers at Bass River State Forest. She teaches a class for campers and hikers on what to do if you get lost. Here are her tips.[RELATED: The Best Outdoor Activities in New Jersey]
Stay togetherDo not separate from your group, and don’t follow a pet. Members of your group should also keep away from rivers and lakes.Make yourself visiblePull out something bright, colorful and/or shiny so that rescuers can see you. You can also make yourself look bigger for searchers by lying on the ground and acting like you’re making an angel in the snow.Remain in one place or areaDon’t wander. Find a cozy waiting place, but make sure it isn’t a hiding place.Keep warmPack a hat and layers to bring with you, and put them on if you’re lost in cold weather.Create a survival bedUse sticks, branches and pine needles to create a bed as big as the one you have at home. Then put it on top of yourself; it will keep you warmer and drier than being on the ground.Do not eat anything you can’t identifyIt is better to be lost and hungry than lost and sick.
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Eric LeGrand is a motivational speaker, sports analyst, philanthropist, entrepreneur, author and all-around amazing young man. He is a former Rutgers University football standout whose life was dramatically changed while making a tackle against West Point in a game at MetLife Stadium on October 16, 2010, suffering a severe spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down.Despite having experienced a life-changing injury, he quickly turned his focus to educating himself on spinal cord injuries and using that information to help others. “I heard devastating stories of how people get injured and what they are going through. Some have a support system, and some do not,” says LeGrand. “I realized how blessed I was to have what I had and the people that are there for me. So it was about two years into my injury when I asked myself, How can I help others?”In 2012, he reached out to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury. In 2013, he launched Team LeGrand, which has raised well over $1 million for supporting quality-of-life initiatives and accelerating the discovery of treatments and cures for spinal cord injuries.That is just the type of person Eric LeGrand is— always thinking of others.But LeGrand didn’t stop there. He became a motivational speaker, talking to students and professionals. “The best part about it is I get to share my story of adversity, overcoming and pushing through,” he says. “No matter who you are or what age you are, we all have adversity. We all have times of doubt. When people hear my story, I share that if I’m going through a tough time, look what I am able to do. So why can’t you do the same thing?”Because of his service to others, he was presented in 2012 with the Unsung Hero Award by the New Jersey Hall of Fame and the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 20th annual ESPY Awards. He later received the WWE Warrior Award in March 2017 for his unwavering strength and perseverance.In March of 2020, the pandemic challenged LeGrand and millions of people across the globe. But in true Eric LeGrand fashion, he continued to share his powerful message with young adults. Says LeGrand, “Stay on task. Obviously, this is not a task that we ask for. Stay disciplined, stay hard thinking. Don’t only think about yourself. Think about other people, because no matter how hard your situation may be…there is always someone that has it worse than you.”LeGrand shows no signs of slowing down. In 2022, he opened LeGrand Coffee House in Woodbridge, where, he says, “you can get your ‘daily cup of bELieve,’ which reminds customers to attack their goals.” An online store can be found on the coffee house's website.What’s next? “The next step for me to accomplish,” he says, “is getting back on my feet, walking again, and inspiring as many people as I can along the way. The awards are great, the accolades are great, but until I’m up out of this wheelchair, and the 5.6 million people that are dealing with some sort of paralysis have hope and belief that they can go back to live their able-body life, the job is not done.”I’ve been a student of leadership for well over two decades. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and in different forms. But one thing I know for sure: Eric LeGrand is an extraordinary leader who makes a difference in the lives of others every day. That’s what great leaders are supposed to do. Job well done, Eric LeGrand—one of New Jersey’s finest.Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of six books, including his newest, Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff. He is an Emmy Award–winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. He has also appeared on CNN, CBS News and NBC’s Today show. Steve Adubato's Lessons in Leadership video podcast, with cohost Mary Gamba, airs Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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Bada bing!The booth where Tony Soprano and his family sat in the series finale of The Sopranos sold at auction Monday night for a whopping $82,600. The finale's iconic last scene was filmed at the popular Bloomfield ice cream parlor Holsten's, which had, until now, seated customers and fans in the booth.Holsten's decided to sell the booth because it and the restaurant's other booths were in disrepair.The auction lot included both seats, the table and the divider wall with the plaque "Reserved for the Soprano Family." Not included was the jukebox that Tony famously turned to the Journey song "Don't Stop Believin."There were 238 bids on the piece of TV history. It went up for auction about a week ago with an initial listing price of just $3,000 but quickly skyrocketed.Holsten's has enjoyed a lot of fan attention since the series finale aired in 2007, even selling Sopranos-inspired mugs and T-shirts.Holsten's said the decision to sell and renovate was a tough but necessary one."Please understand that we don't want to do this. But the integrity of the booths are now compromised," the owners wrote on Facebook. "They have been repaired many times and this furniture is over 60 years old. Obviously, we do not want to do this, however it has come to a point where they are structurally not safe anymore as a whole and we need to think about the safety of our patrons first."Fans flooded social media with their thoughts, with some lamenting the loss of the special seat. "Keep it!!!! It’s a great photo op and brought the company business. People want to sit EXACTLY where Tony sat, not a replica/replacement," one person wrote on Facebook.But others said Holsten's should be celebrated for its longevity in the community, not just its place in TV history."Holsten’s is so much more than a Sopranos memory!! For me it is six decades of fond family memories, and countless delicious ice cream sodas (with coffee chip ice cream)," one person commented. "Though the booth was definitely a fun novelty, and the story will continue to be a piece of Holsten’s history, it is not what has made Holsten’s great since 1939!"
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People may like to poke fun at New Jersey, but our stories are undeniably American. From newspapers to broadcast to viral moments, these Garden State stories went national in a big way.The Jersey Devil Is Born in the Pinelands1735As legend has it, the mysterious creature said to roam the Pinelands was born as the devil-esque 13th child of a woman named Mother Leeds. Today, the Jersey Devil is reportedly the only state demon in the country. Our NHL team is also named for it.Nearly Whole Dinosaur Fossil Found in Haddonfield1858William Parker Foulke discovered the world’s first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton in a marl pit in Camden County. That discovery, the Hadrosaurus foulkii, a plant-eater with a duck-shaped bill, is now the official state dinosaur. Read about a Haddonfield home redesign inspired by the 19th-century discovery here.Thomas Edison Invents the Light Bulb in Menlo ParkJanuary 1880Thomas Edison, who had labs in Menlo Park and West Orange, created some of the most important inventions of all time, among them the movie camera, the phonograph, the automatic telegraph and, most famously, the light bulb, for which Edison received the patent in January 1880. Today, Edison-focused tours are available in both towns.
President James A. Garfield Dies in Long BranchSeptember 19, 1881Garfield was the only president to die in New Jersey. He was shot and wounded in Washington by Charles J. Guiteau, and later died of an infection while staying at Francklyn Cottage, a Shore escape from the country’s capital. Garfield had been president for just four months before the shooting. Guiteau was executed in 1882.Roselle Is First U.S. Town With ElectricityJanuary 19, 1883It’s fitting that a Jersey town was the first one lighted by electricity from one generating station.Paterson Silk Strike Changes HistoryFebruary 25, 1913About 25,000 workers went on strike, shutting down the important silk industry in Paterson for five months. The workers, mostly immigrants, sought improved conditions in the mills. Although the workers didn’t get everything they desired, the strike played an important part in the country’s movement to improve workplace conditions.Cliffhanger Joins Movie Lexicon From Fort Lee1914The film term cliffhanger originates from the silent serial The Perils of Pauline. It starred the actress Pearl White, who literally hung over the cliffs of the Palisades of Fort Lee and left audiences on the edge of their seats with anticipation as they wondered what would happen next. Fort Lee is known as the birthplace of film, with many early studios and projects.Prohibition Fuels Atlantic City DebaucheryJanuary 17, 1920The start of Prohibition sparked an era of Mob activity, bootlegging and political corruption in Atlantic City. Today’s New Jerseyans saw a slice of that time when the HBO drama Boardwalk Empire ran from 2010 to 2014. The series starred Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson (based on real-life political boss Nucky Johnson) and West Orange’s Michael Pitt.Lindbergh Baby KidnappedMarch 1, 1932In one of the most infamous crimes in American history, famed aviator Charles Lindbergh and wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son was kidnapped from the family’s home and found dead two months later, just a few miles from their residence. Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed for the murder of baby Charles A. Lindbergh in 1936. In 2023, a judge shut down a possible re-examination of the case.M&Ms Created in Newark1941The first batch of the iconic candies was made at 285 Badger Avenue. The Mars Wrigley factory is now in Hackettstown. (Read more about iconic candy brands born and bred in Jersey here.)Self-Service Gas Ban Begins1949Today, New Jersey is the only state left in the country that doesn’t allow people to pump their own gas at service stations. The practice stems from the state Legislature passing the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act, citing driver safety and convenience. Government players have attempted to get the self-service ban reversed over the years, but so far, it has never happened.Three Planes Crash in Elizabeth1951-52In one of the most shocking and tragic stories in New Jersey history, three planes crashed in Elizabeth in a 58-day period from December 1951 through February 1952. All either took off from Newark Airport or were en route to land there. Judy Blume, an Elizabeth native, used the events as the setting for her 2015 novel, The Unlikely Event.Newark Riots Tear the City ApartJuly 12-17, 1967The five-day uprising left Newark devastated for decades. An incident of police brutality sparked the riots in the midst of frustrations about housing discrimination, unemployment, and the failure of leadership to reflect the mostly African American community. The governor sent in the National Guard. Twenty-six people died and many were injured.Grateful Dead Concert in Englishtown is Biggest Ever in U.S.September 3, 1977More than 107,000 fans rocked out, making it the biggest ticketed concert in U.S. history.Physicists Win Nobel Following Discovery in Holmdel's Bell Labs1978Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered cosmic background radiation, proving the Big Bang Theory.Baby M Case Stuns the Nation1987-88New Jersey was at the center of the nation’s first surrogacy controversy when Mary Beth Whitehead decided she wanted to keep the baby she’d birthed as a surrogate for the Sterns of Tenafly. Whitehead used her own egg. The Sterns won custody. The case ignited a debate on the morality and legality of surrogacy and helped gain protections for parents. These days, hopeful parents are increasingly choosing surrogacy in the Garden State.‘Crazy Eddie’ Gets Prison Time1996[caption id="attachment_328696" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Courtesy of Paul Hayes[/caption]Crazy Eddie, the electronics store chain that rose to prominence in New Jersey for its cut-rate prices and notoriously frenetic TV commercials, later become notorious for its dramatic fall from grace amid a colossal fraud scheme. Founder Eddie Antar ultimately pleaded guilty to one charge of racketeering conspiracy. He served time and died in 2006.JFK Jr.'s Fatal Flight Leaves From FairfieldJuly 16, 1999John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren took off from Fairfield’s Essex County Airport at 8:38 pm with Kennedy piloting his new Piper Saratoga, headed to Martha’s Vineyard. At 9:41, the plane hit the water, killing all three. The accident was caused by Kennedy’s spatial disorientation descending over water at night; hazy weather reduced visibility.9/11 Claims 750 New Jerseyans’ LivesSeptember 11, 2001An estimated 750 New Jerseyans were among the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11, 2001. We had the second highest death toll of any state, following New York. Ten years after the attacks, New Jersey dedicated its official 9/11 memorial, called Empty Sky. Located in Liberty State Park, the powerful memorial faces the World Trade Center site. Twenty years after the attacks, New Jerseyans shared personal stories with NJM about 9/11's impact on their lives.Jim McGreevey Comes Out as 'Gay American'August 13, 2004Then governor Jim McGreevey shocked the world by resigning, admitting to an affair with a man, and declaring, “I am a gay American.” Nearly 20 years later, in 2023, McGreevey announced a run for mayor of Jersey City. In recent years, he’s been working with formerly incarcerated people through his New Jersey Reentry Corporation.Charles Kushner Weaves a Sordid Web of Scandal2005Real estate mogul Charles Kushner was embroiled in scandal long before son Jared married Ivanka Trump. In pleading guilty to various charges, he admitted to hiring a prostitute to seduce his sister’s husband, and paying someone $25,000 to film the tryst. The reason? Kushner's sister was a cooperating witness against him. Kushner got two years in prison.Sopranos Series Finale AirsJune 10, 2007When The Sopranos ended its six-season run, the series finale sparked an intense debate that never died. The final scene was filmed at Holsten’s in Bloomfield, making the eatery a household name far beyond the Garden State. For years a plaque hung in the booth where the Soprano family sat that read, “This Booth Reserved For the Soprano Family.” In late February, the restaurant announced that it was auctioning off the booth on eBay amid desperately needed renovations.Bob Dylan Detained in Long BranchJune 2009When cops got a call about an “eccentric-looking old man” walking around Long Branch, it turned out to be music legend Bob Dylan. The 24-year-old police officer who responded to the call didn’t recognize Dylan, nor did she initially believe him when he told her who he was and that he was in town on tour. It was a a shock when she used his passport to verify his identity.Hurricane Sandy Wreaks Havoc on Jersey ShoreOctober 29, 2012[caption id="attachment_328725" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Courtesy of Anthony Quintano[/caption]Hurricane Sandy left destruction and years of rebuilding in its wake. It devastated our Shore and caused billions in damages. Read about what's next for the Jersey Shore a decade later here.Bridgegate Scandal in Fort Lee Shocks EveryoneSeptember 9, 2013Staff members of then governor Chris Christie apparently schemed to shut down the busy lanes into the GW Bridge during rush hour in retribution for the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee’s refusal to back Christie’s bid for re-election—even though Christie is a Republican. The misadventure resulted in massive headaches for drivers and a nine-count indictment.Super Bowl Held at MetLife February 2, 2014The game between the Broncos and the winning Seahawks was the first Super Bowl played outdoors in a cold-weather city.Tracy Morgan Nearly Dies in Cranbury Car CrashJune 7, 2014[caption id="attachment_329278" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Alex Millauer/Shutterstock[/caption]Comedian Tracy Morgan was in a wheelchair for five months, broke every bone in his face, and says he considered suicide after a Walmart truck crashed into his limo on the Turnpike. Morgan’s friend James “Jimmy Mack” McNair, died in the crash. The truck driver pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and four counts of third-degree aggravated assault.'The Situation' Sentenced to PrisonOctober 5, 2018[caption id="attachment_328723" align="alignnone" width="778"] Photo: Courtesy of Mike Sorrentino[/caption]Jersey Shore star Mike Sorrentino spent eight months behind bars for tax evasion. He spoke candidly with New Jersey Monthly last year about his road to redemption following prison and drug addiction.Ivana Trump Buried in BedminsterJuly 2022Even though she'd been divorced from Donald Trump for three decades when she died, Ivana Trump was buried at his Trump National Golf Club. Her gravesite is reportedly located in a quiet spot, away from the hubbub of golfers passing through. The former president has said in the past that he wants to be buried at the golf course.Senator Robert Menendez IndictedSeptember 22, 2023Did anyone say gold bars? That’s what was found in the home that Senator Robert Menendez shares with his wife when it was searched by federal agents, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash—all central to the stunning charges against the pair. He has been accused of acting as a foreign agent to Egypt and helping to advance the interests of Qatar in a bribery scheme.MORE FROM OUR POP CULTURE ISSUE*:The 50 Biggest Pop Culture Moments in New JerseyGet to Know NJM Cover Star Jack AntonoffWhy New Jersey’s Live Music Scene Will ‘Always Be Booming’How Frank Sinatra Became Hoboken's Favorite SonJon Stewart and Stephen Colbert Aren’t Jersey Natives, But They’re Local IconsMartha Stewart Is a New Jersey Icon Who Always Keeps Fans GuessingShaquille O’Neal Has Never Forgotten His Newark RootsAlpine Is the Beverly Hills of New Jersey: Why Celebs Are Drawn to Bergen County HamletWhy Jersey Is the Perfect Home for the Latest Era of Satirical Tabloid Weekly World News*
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Chatting with Richard Lewis, as I fondly look back on it, was less an interview than a ride on a wild and crazy comedy roller coaster. You’d hang on for dear life and let out shrieks—of laughter—at his fantastical ad-libs.This only encouraged Lewis, who’d spin ever crazier stream-of-consciousness riffs on his fears and neuroses and supposedly traumatic memories of growing up in Englewood.He used to joke that he made so many trips to his school nurse that a plaque to him was erected in the Dwight Morrow High School nurse's office.Did he really work as a paper carrier for The Record, his hometown paper, for just one dreadful day?“I only delivered the papers to therapists’ houses,” Lewis claimed the first time I spoke with him, when he was starring in the ABC sitcom Anything But Love, in 1989. “You can’t throw the papers up against the door, because they might be having sessions, so I would tiptoe...“I got so nervous, because I was so frightened of dogs. In one house, it wasn’t a dog; I think it was one of these huge box turtles. It was a horror. I blame The Record for most of my fear of animals, because of that one day on the route.”Lewis, who died on Tuesday of a heart attack at age 76 in Los Angeles, is credited with coining the phrase “(Blank) from hell," (as in day and date and dream from hell). He was born June 27, 1947 in Brooklyn, but grew up in Englewood. His father, Bill, a co-owner of Ambassador Caterers in Teaneck, died in 1971. His mom, Blanche, was an actress in community theater.Their son came of age as a comic in the late 1970s and early '80s, just as cable television was about to make stars out of standups. Lewis’s HBO comedy specials had names like I’m in Pain, I’m Exhausted and I’m Doomed. That last one was nearly identical to a show I saw at BergenPAC in April 1990. Dressed in trademark black, with slightly stooped shoulders, and hands touching his forehead, he’d pace the stage like a nervous panther, periodically stopping to consult a topics list, six feet long, placed atop a prop grand piano.Lewis made 48 appearances on Late Night With David Letterman and had a sold-out show at Carnegie Hall. But he never stopped performing in his home state—from Englewood to Atlantic City—and never missed a chance to talk to his hometown newspaper.When Lewis said he’d grown up in “the house that guilt built” (aka “the Suffer Dome),” one sensed that there was real pain behind many of these references. He confronted his struggles with alcoholism and substance abuse in his standup routine and his memoir, The Other Great Depression. Sober since August 1994, Lewis is survived by his wife Joyce Lapinsky, whom he married in 2005. And despite having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years ago, Lewis told his fans, via a video he posted on social media last April, that he was doing well and was happy.Lewis became known to a younger generation of fans thanks to HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, for which Larry David tapped his longtime friend to play a version of himself. As David said in a statement on Wednesday, the two were born in the same Brooklyn hospital, three days apart. But they did not meet up until their pre-teens—at an upstate New York State sports camp. Their on-screen chemistry was incomparable.While going through my old Lewis clips, I found one from 2010, to promote a comedy show he was doing with Susie Essman at Montclair’s Wellmont Theater. Lewis started off by explaining why he’d mistakenly called me the day before, when I was at a meeting. He blamed the mishap on a nightmare from hell.“Five minutes before I call you, eight Hasidic dinosaurs were chasing me, saying, “You’re not religious enough,” he said, adding, “ You should see the size of the skullcaps they had on.”There was only one Richard Lewis.Virginia Rohan is the former longtime TV critic for The Record newspaper.
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If you’re an ardent Sopranos fan and want to own a bit of pop culture history, now's your chance. The famed booth at Holsten’s ice cream parlor and restaurant in Bloomfield, where the final scene of The Sopranos was shot, is up for sale.Holstein's has announced that it’s auctioning off the booth used in that scene. This little slice of pop culture history is available on eBay here—and as of Saturday evening, the bidding had surpassed $76,000. The auction ends on Monday, March 4, at 10:02 pm.It’s a fitting coda to the 25th anniversary of the year The Sopranos premiered. Fans still flock to the Soprano house in North Caldwell as well as Holsten’s. It was at this ice cream shop that James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler filmed the show’s infamous last scene. A plaque at the booth reads: "This Booth Reserved For the Soprano Family." The spot is on the Sopranos tour, and even sells Sopranos-inspired t-shirts and mugs.According to Holsten’s Facebook page, they are renovating the restaurant and will be replacing all of the booths there:“The time has come. All good things sometimes need an upgrade," the restaurant wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. "The famous Sopranos booth is getting a much needed face-lift. ... Obviously, we aren’t going to change the nostalgia of our beloved shoppe…we aren’t crazy! Just polishing up the place!”The post also says that the owners didn’t want to remove the furniture, but the integrity of the booths are now compromised; they’ve been repaired many times as they are over 60 years old. “Customer safety is a priority for us and should be for our patrons as well. Thank you and we hope you understand!”In a new book, On Locations: Lessons Learned From My Life on Set With The Sopranos and in the Film Industry, Mark Kamine, the show’s location manager, talks about how the show’s New Jersey backdrop was a key component of the iconic HBO series.Owning the Sopranos booth could be a perfect ending to that very New Jersey story.MORE ON NJ POP CULTURE:The 50 Biggest Pop Culture Moments in New JerseyGet to Know Music Superstar Jack AntonoffWhy New Jersey’s Live Music Scene Will ‘Always Be Booming’How Frank Sinatra Became Hoboken's Favorite SonMartha Stewart Is a New Jersey Icon Who Always Keeps Fans Guessing
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New York City’s controversial congestion pricing plan will soon require drivers crossing into Manhattan below 60th Street to pay a fee around $15 per car and $24-$36 for buses and trucks. Added to the tolls at the Hudson and Lincoln tunnels, which rose in January to $13.75 per car roundtrip with the EZ-Pass discount, starting this spring it will cost New Jersey drivers nearly $30 round trip to use the tunnels before 9 pm.The aim of the Central Business District Tolling Program is to reduce traffic in one of the country’s most congested cities; the revenue will go to improve the city’s mass transit. Similar plans have been successful in Singapore, London and Stockholm.Most local politicians condemn the plan. “It’s just another unfair double tax on New Jersey commuters and a shameless money grab from New York’s MTA,” says Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, who represents North Jersey communities like Morristown and Montclair.Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer calls “New York and the MTA’s anti-environment, anti-commuter and anti-business Congestion Tax...nothing but a cash grab that will lead to more pollution and more traffic for Jersey families.""Anyone who believes the woefully mismanaged MTA needs even a nickel more from Jersey drivers just needs to look at the billions of taxpayer dollars they waste every year,” says Gottheimer, who represents New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Bergen County and parts of Passaic and Sussex counties.Two lawsuits have been filed opposing the plan, by Governor Phil Murphy and Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, arguing that drivers will flock to the George Washington Bridge to avoid the fee. “We [already] deal on a daily basis with the pollutants, the soot, the filth,” Sokolich tells the New York Times.But Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a 2025 gubernatorial candidate, says the plan is an important step towards transportation equity. “The wealthiest 5 percent of New Jerseyans can afford to drive in every day, pay for parking in New York City, and commute home,” he says in an interview with New Jersey Monthly. “It’s a tax on the wealthy to pay for mass transit, which 95 percent use.”Fulop pooh-poohs Sokolich’s argument that the plan will increase pollution as drivers toll shop. “Congestion pricing means more people use mass transit and fewer drive, which is good for the environment,” he says.Some are calling on New Jersey to turn the tables and start charging New Yorkers who reverse commute. “They should be contributing to our mass transit the same way,” Fulop says.
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Nine million people call the Garden State home. But New Jersey is also a home of sorts to a boy-bat hybrid, an ape who holds a PhD, and at least one mermaid. These are just some of the hundreds of characters in Weekly World News (WWN), a satirical tabloid that launched in 1979. A cultural touchpoint, Weekly World News has collected mentions from Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Weird Al Yankovic, Travis Scott and more big names.While WWN has not been a print publication since 2007, it continues to regularly post articles online. However, the tabloid has entered a new era over the last half decade under CEO and editor-in-chief Greg D’Alessandro. And that new era is largely New Jersey-based.
We're still here!! :)
— WEEKLY WORLD NEWS (@weeklyworldnews) February 6, 2024
Since D’Alessandro, 63, took over in 2019, WWN has expanded into film projects, opening its own studio in Vineland, and securing a project deal with Warner Bros.MORE FROM OUR POP CULTURE ISSUE*:The 50 Biggest Pop Culture Moments in New JerseyGet to Know NJM Cover Star Jack AntonoffWhy New Jersey’s Live Music Scene Will ‘Always Be Booming’How Frank Sinatra Became Hoboken's Favorite Son*Martha Stewart Is a New Jersey Icon Who Always Keeps Fans Guessing
Although WWN draws on the national fascination with cryptids, tall tales and legends, D’Alessandro, a resident of Ho-Ho-Kus, says New Jersey is the perfect home for it, especially given the lore of the mysterious Jersey Devil. “The Pine Barrens are close to Vineland,” he says. “There’s a lot of fun to be had there, because the Jersey Devil is from the Pine Barrens.” An upcoming project, written with Japanese director Lisa Takeba, will focus on mermen in Manasquan, based on a series of WWN stories.New Jersey features prominently in the first WWN Studios film, Zombie Wedding, which has already screened in film festivals and has a wider release planned for this summer. The movie was entirely shot and set in Vineland, a town of roughly 60,000 in Cumberland County, about an hour south of Philadelphia. Produced with the full support of the town, the project injected more than $800,000 into Vineland's economy. “I made Vineland a character in the movie,” D’Alessandro says. Over the coming months and years, D’Alessandro hopes to solidify a presence in New Jersey, partly by attracting more projects to WWN Studios. He also plans to train film students at Rowan College of South Jersey in Vineland.As D’Alessandro charts a new course for the company, he draws on a distinct understanding of its style, having himself written 5,000 of its articles since 1999. “I had seen it, like everyone else, in the ’90s in supermarkets and grocery stores,” he says. “And the headlines were just wacky and surreal.”D’Alessandro says that WWN’s out-of-this-world appeal offers a contrast to frustrations some people have with the way the news covers real-life events. But even that has shifted in recent years. “The term ‘fake news’ became popular in 2016, from Donald Trump, obviously,” says D’Alessandro. “But we were never called fake news before....We were just sometimes satire, or playful news. Then we started getting calls: ‘Oh, were you guys the original fake news?’...It has such negative connotations. But that’s not us. We’re just this playful, fun publication.”At the root of WWN is a nonpartisan approach that separates it from competitors like the Onion or the right-leaning Babylon Bee. “[WWN] was very imaginative, and straight-on fun,” D’Alessandro recalls. “It didn’t really have an agenda either side, one way or another, right or left.”Daniel Greenman is a reporter at the Martha’s Vineyard Times.
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[caption id="attachment_327671" align="alignnone" width="778"] A climber learns the ropes at Hoboken's Gravity Vault gym. Photo: Courtesy of Jahn Anderson[/caption]Indoor climbing in New Jersey is booming in popularity, especially among young people. Unfortunately, the cost of gym fees and equipment has made the sport out of reach for many.But a new collaboration between the Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County and the nonprofit Climbing for Community is bringing youngsters who could not otherwise afford it to Hoboken’s Gravity Vault climbing gym at greatly reduced rates.There, guided by high schoolers on the gym’s climbing team, they learn to scale 40-foot walls via brightly colored holds of all shapes and sizes, boosting their physical and mental fitness.The initiative is the brainchild of team co-captain Mila Huang, a sophomore at Montclair Kimberley Academy. Huang founded Climbing for Community after learning about the positive effects of climbing on mental health while researching a school project.[RELATED: This Jersey City Camp Is an Arts-Centric Safe Space for Kids]
The new monthly clinics are so popular that Boys & Girls Club director Shyam Martinez has to rotate climbers, since sessions are capped at 15.“Besides the physical aspect, it raises kids’ self-esteem,” he says, watching Chris Fields, 8, as he’s slowly lowered to the floor, a big grin on his face. “A lot of times the kids say, ‘There’s no way I can do that.’ Twenty minutes later, they’re like, ‘Wow!’ It was achievable.”More opportunities may be afoot. Gravity Vault has eight gyms in New Jersey, and its management hopes to bring the program to other locations. Meantime, the gym’s walls are anything but barriers to the cohort of students Huang and her teammates are mentoring, such as seventh-graders Tyrone Johnson and Emiliano Atenco. Good friends from Jersey City, they race to the top, then whoop and high-five on the ground. They will likely be quieter on the ride home, Martinez says. “It’s almost like a blanket of calm poured over them.”Donations to the nonprofit can be made on Climbing for Community’s GoFundMe page.
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[caption id="attachment_328184" align="alignnone" width="778"] The Montclair Bike Bus readies for go time. Photo: Andrew Hawkins[/caption]Nearly every Friday morning outside Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, a group of kids balances on bikes, waiting for their signal to start pedaling.With the ding of a bell and a “let’s go,” the students and adult chaperones start their ride to school, pedaling as they chat with friends. Soon they’re halfway across town, connecting with more bikers who are excitedly waiting to join what’s known as the Montclair Bike Bus.During the pandemic, Barcelona, Spain, launched a bike bus—an adult-led kids’ bike ride with a fixed timetable and route. It has since spread to the United States; in New Jersey, there are bike buses in Montclair as well as Jersey City, Fair Haven and Asbury Park. The herd of small bikers is called a bus because there is strength and safety in numbers; some refer to it as a “kidical mass.”[RELATED: What a New, Protected Bike Lane Means for Hoboken and Jersey City]
Montclair’s Bike Bus was started in 2022 by a group of parents who wanted to make it safe for their kids to bike to school; there are now up to 300 riders daily to eight of Montclair’s eleven schools.Drury Thorp, a STEM teacher in Montclair, is a cofounder of the Montclair Bike Bus. She grew up in town, riding her bike everywhere, but wasn’t comfortable giving her kids that same freedom. “With faster drivers, more and larger cars on the road, and less cyclists, I wasn’t feeling it was safe,” says Thorp.According to a 2009 study from the Centers for Disease Control, in the late 1960s, nearly 50 percent of American school-age children walked or biked to school; today, it’s about 13 percent. Reasons include a decline in neighborhood schools and an increase in traffic.On a bike bus, the adults have key roles: the captain leads the ride and keeps track of time, the caboose shepherds stragglers, and the corker ferries young riders through intersections.The Montclair Bike Bus began with volunteers mapping routes, then biking them. Routes are available online, and participants communicate via group chats on What’sApp.So far, the bike bus goes only one way. After school, some kids ride home with an adult; others get picked up. But that could change if the bike-bus movement jumpstarts a trend toward more bikes on the road, fewer cars, and safer streets for all.
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As a Scarlet Knight, Baker was a standout. One of only two players in Rutgers history to reach 1,550 points, 450 assists, 350 rebounds and 150 steals, he helped the Knights to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years as a senior during the 2020-21 season before returning to the March Madness tournament the following year.Even then, though, the hoops star found time for service, co-founding the Knight Society, which helps Rutgers student-athletes navigate the NIL law allowing them to profit from their “name, image and likeness.”After graduation, Baker, now 25, passed on the pros, preferring to focus full time on training and mentoring young athletes. With that aim, he founded GB Go Beyond, with a foundation that provides training to underserved New Jersey communities. He still helps run the Knight Society.What inspired you to start the Geo Baker Go Beyond Foundation?About a year ago, I started a basketball training business in Woodbridge called GB Go Beyond. I noticed...there were kids who couldn’t afford the training. My next thought was, If they can’t pay here, imagine what’s going on in other areas around New Jersey. How can we create something that provides for the underserved?What are your goals?It’s a lot more than just basketball training. Our four pillars are responsibility, mentorship, education and athletic development. We want to help kids in life, too, and create mentorship for kids who don’t have it in their lives. Financial literacy is another big one we’re trying to home in on.You made a name for yourself at Rutgers, but you’re from New Hampshire. Why did you base your foundation in New Jersey?I fell in love with Rutgers and New Jersey very fast. It really feels like home. A lot of people have showed love to me, to my family, and I want to continue to build off that. One day, I do want to do something back home as well.Any favorite on-court memories at Rutgers?When we beat Purdue on the road my junior year. The NCAA Tournament got canceled that year due to Covid, but that got us to 20 wins. Purdue was the hardest place I’ve ever played.You retired from basketball after college even though you could have kept playing professionally. Why?My body was very messed up. I got some ankle injuries that just wouldn’t go away. To this day, I can crack my ankle on demand. On top of that, I realized that I enjoy coaching, teaching and giving back. The thought process was, I could play overseas for a couple years or, if I’m blessed, make it in the NBA and maybe stick it out for a couple of years. But how is my body going to hold up? I wasn’t sure.What else have you been up to since leaving school?I also run the Knight Society [with former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand], an NIL [name, image and likeness] collective for student-athletes. We help them learn they’re a brand, a business, and they can market themselves and make some dollars. We’ve done deals with pretty much every team.
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[caption id="attachment_328121" align="alignnone" width="778"] Tierney Miller, head of Adult Services at Cherry Hill Public Library, shows off an autoharp from the library’s musical instrument collection. Photo: Courtesy of Cherry Hill Public Library[/caption]Need to borrow a WiFi hotspot? A projector and screen for a neighborhood movie night? Or maybe you want to learn to play an instrument but aren’t sure whether you’re ready to spend the money.Your local library can probably help.More and more New Jersey libraries offer a Library of Things—borrowable items you might not expect to find at these institutions.At the Morristown and Morris Township Public Library, patrons can check out, among other things, snowshoes, a ukulele, or a metal detector, one of the most popular items. “People check it out all the time—it’s funny,” says director Chad Leinaweiver.He says many patrons aren’t aware of everything the library has to offer.The Ridgewood Public Library, too, has a metal detector in its Library of Things; one patron used it to find a lost ring, says assistant director Roberta Panjwani.In the summer of 2023, Ridgewood held an open house to show the public everything the library had in its collection, from gardening kits to a sewing machine, and demonstrated how everything worked.“The library’s always building these bridges,” Panjwani said.One item, a portable air-quality meter, got some use due to the smoke drifting down from the Canadian wildfires. Families can also check out nature backpacks for adults and kids to take on hikes.The Princeton Public Library places a lot of emphasis on its technology items, says assistant director Erica Bess. “Ours is mostly focused on tech because we feel we can make the biggest impact in removing barriers” to technology access, she says. In its Library of Things, patrons can check out hotspots, Chromebooks, or a smartphone media kit. The Princeton Public Library also has low-tech items, such as binoculars, on offer.The library received a grant from LibraryLinkNJ to purchase special Little Thinkers kits, which include Toniebox audio systems that children can use to listen to songs and stories, or act them out. Those items have been extremely popular with families, she says, adding that they are almost always on loan and have a long waiting list.At the Cherry Hill Public Library, patrons can borrow a wide range of musical instruments like guitars, ukuleles, and violins. Youth services supervisor Erica Moon says the violins are almost always checked out. Gardeners can take advantage of Cherry Hill’s extensive seed library of flower and vegetable seeds. Younger children and their families can check out jigsaw puzzles, or even an American Girl doll in the library’s collection. Each of the dolls comes with something extra: a journal for kids to fill in and a historical fact sheet about life in Cherry Hill corresponding with the doll’s time period.“It’s just another way to be creative in the way libraries have always been,” says library director Laverne Mann.
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For nearly two decades, an empty lot in Newark’s South Ward stood as a testament to the failure of the state school-building agency that had razed a thriving neighborhood in 2005, promising to construct a new high school on the site. The high school was never built. But recently, thanks to $17 million from philanthropist Brian Maher, former CEO of Maher Terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey, and his daughter, Amanda Maher, a state-of-the art school, the Clinton Hill Early Childhood Education Center, has finally opened on the site.The cheery building is bright with sunshine, plants and wall decorations at eye-level for little ones; the courtyard sports climbing structures, toys, and padded flooring. The school is making quality child care, which is both limited and expensive, accessible to those who need it most.Last fall, the learning center for 198 children age six weeks to five years, which opened in 2022, received a New Jersey Future 2023 Smart Growth Award for “transforming a long-vacant urban site in Newark into a thriving and vibrant destination for the youngest community members.”The Mahers have been working to improve early childhood education for the poorest New Jersey families for decades, ever since the family sold their business, one of the largest privately held container terminals in the world, in 2007. Determined to find a philanthropic mission that would truly make a difference in the lives of the economically disadvantaged, the Mahers focused on early education.The state had led the way in the push for early education with the New Jersey Supreme Court’s 1985 Abbott decision, which decreed that all 3- and 4-year-olds in the highest-poverty school districts receive a free, high-quality pre-K education. The problem: The state neglected to provide the necessary funding. The Maher Charitable Foundation was formed with a primary mission of providing educational opportunities for financially disadvantaged students and families, and one of its first initiatives was an early-education advocacy group, PreK Our Way. The nonprofit’s aim was to persuade the state to fulfill its mandate to fund pre-K for the poor.Putting their efforts into education was a no-brainer for the family. Brian’s wife, Sandra, was an elementary school teacher; Amanda has a PhD in political philosophy and teaches at Drexel University. The family had a lot of help from early-ed gurus such as Barbara Reisman of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, who became a senior advisor to the Maher Foundation.“Education is one of the most effective tools we have for empowering individuals, overcoming inequity, and realizing social progress,” says Brian Maher. His daughter adds, “Early childhood education, and having the school embedded in the community, is incredibly important for the long-term success of children. This was the obvious work we should be doing, could do, and that would make a difference.”[RELATED: These Unique Programs and Courses Engage NJ Students of All Ages]
Helping expand preschool facilities wasn’t new to the Mahers. In 2012, they built an infant-and-toddler addition to the early-education center run by Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark; following that, they partnered with the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation to renovate Children’s Day Preschool in Passaic, which provides early education primarily to children of recent arrivals to the country. Their efforts, and those of other pre-K advocates, have borne fruit: Access to preschool for the state’s poorest families has dramatically expanded. New Jersey now has pre-K in more than 275 school districts, up from just 31 in the 1990s, and ranks fourth in the nation for early childhood education, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers.As recognition of the importance of preschool education in combating poverty grows, universal pre-K has become the new rallying cry. Last February, Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey’s 11th District and other lawmakers introduced a child-care bill in Congress that would offer high-quality early education to every child in the country.Building the Clinton Hill facility on state land from the ground up was challenging, with red tape aplenty. Though abandoned, the land had to be purchased from the state, and private providers had to be found to run the programs with state and federal funds. The pre-K provider, Clinton Hill Early Education Center, moved from its cramped location across the street, where children had been attending pre-K in trailers, and La Casa de Don Pedro was chosen to provide the instruction for children aged three and under.Before building, the Mahers traveled to see various models of early childhood education. “One of the things that really resonated with us was schools that were embedded in the community,” says Brian Maher. “They didn’t just provide early childhood education. We saw one in New York that had a health center and a dentist, and also provided opportunities for parents to come in and connect with services and other members of the community.”By a stroke of luck, Clinton Hill Early Learning Center has ended up being just such a vibrant center of community. The Mahers had hired an “amazing” local man, Khaatim Sherrer El, during the building phase as a consultant and then as building manager. During the process, they discovered that he was also helping residents obtain fair housing, environmental justice and food security. The Mahers provided seed money for Sherrer El to launch the Clinton Hill Community Action group, which is based in the building and has become a “huge force” in the community, says Amanda Maher.“We didn’t plan on having Clinton Hill Community Action from the beginning; it happened organically, but the fact that it happened is really awesome,” she says. “It ended up being much more of a community-oriented project than we had originally envisioned. We were just going to build a building—and then this whole thing kind of came out. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we just kept meeting really great people doing great work and wanted to support them.”The work of Sherrer El and the community-action group is becoming more important as the area gentrifies, thanks in part to the Clinton Hill Early Learning Center. Sherrer El and others in the action group advocate for residents, 60 percent of whom are impoverished, as rising rents and prices make their day-to-day survival more precarious.[RELATED: NJ’s Acting Education Commissioner Talks Teacher Shortages, Safety and Mental Health]
Addressing families’ practical needs is entwined with the Mahers’ mission of putting children on a long-term trajectory to success, they say. “Equally important to an early education for kids is their parents’ security in term of employment and housing and all the other things that go into making a kid’s life manageable,” says Amanda Maher. “Embedding the students in a larger ecosystem of services and community really is important to their long-term success.”Now that the Mahers have found the people and programs to run the school, the final stage is letting it go. They’re looking to transfer the building’s ownership to the community and thinking about their next project. “It has to be something that moves the needle, that has an impact,” says Brian Maher. “Building a school like this, kids benefit from it on a daily basis. It’s a tall order to find projects like that.”
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Every February for 17 years, Crystal Walker has run into the icy ocean off Manasquan at the annual Valentine Plunge to support the Joan Dancy and PALS (People with ALS) Foundation.Last year, just before taking their frigid dip, she and her then boyfriend, Matthew Lee, decided to take the plunge on marriage, too. Dressed in cat-printed swim trunks and furry cat costume, Lee got down on one knee and asked for Walker’s hand in marriage. Friends and family who take the Valentine Plunge every year to honor Walker’s father, who passed away from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2015, were on hand to help celebrate.“Matthew felt it would be a way to include my father,” she says.[RELATED: NJ’s Quirkiest Places to Go Ice-Skating]
The Walker family were supporters of the foundation long before their father’s diagnosis, “so we knew exactly who to go to [when he got sick],” she says.Founded in 2005, the Joan Dancy and PALS Foundation provides service and support to families in Monmouth and Ocean counties affected by ALS. The Valentine’s Plunge, where hundreds pledge money for the chance to race into the biting cold water, is a vital source of funding.This year’s plunge is February 10 at noon. Register or donate online. Read more about New Jersey's polar plunges here.
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[caption id="attachment_327738" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is seen at the March on Washington in August of 1963. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo/Pictorial Press LTD[/caption]February is Black History Month, and there is no better time to think about one of the most essential African American leaders in the history of our nation, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968 at just 39 years old.Many people remember King for his electrifying “I Have a Dream” speech, which played an important role in helping pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Less known are his significant New Jersey years. King lived in Camden from 1948 to 1951 while serving as a seminarian in Philadelphia. It was in that house where, historians say, his initial fight for civil rights began, after he and some friends were denied service at a tavern in Maple Shade.To a student of leadership, King is a case study in servant leadership, as he focused on the well-being of others with dignity and respect for all, and he used public communication to move people to act. Recently, I interviewed Jonathan Eig, author of the much-acclaimed book King: A Life, who told me, “One of the miraculous things about King is that he had an ability to speak across lines: Black and white, North and South, left and right. His appeal was based on the fact that he was calling out to our principles as Americans and our belief in God, and he was able to unite that. ...People found something in his message that resonated, even if they weren’t necessarily on board with the Civil Rights movement. And I think that gives us hope that there may still be things that unite us.”I also spoke with Reverend Forrest M. Pritchett, director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program at Seton Hall University. (Full disclosure: Seton Hall University is an underwriter of the public-policy programming I anchor on public broadcasting.) Pritchett says that, beyond the “I Have a Dream” speech, King’s most important contribution was “to appeal to the moral consciousness of America.”Pritchett is a longtime civil rights activist and mentor of minority students. During his more than 40-year tenure at Seton Hall, he has coordinated the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Symposium, which provides perspectives on racism, privilege and justice while educating students and schoolteachers on King’s principles as a civil rights leader. The university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program started in 1970 and provided full scholarships to African American students; today, says Pritchett, “we offer scholarships to students from around the world who have a vested interest, whether they’re from Africa, Venezuela, or from Newark, and who can articulate strategies and plans for very specific action and social justice projects.”It is important that we recognize King, a courageous and impactful leader who gave his life for the cause of civil rights. Says Pritchett of honoring him, “It is important because the issue of race and the issue of systemic racism is not going away. It’s almost cyclical.”Pritchett is absolutely right. The struggle for civil rights and the fight against institutional racism goes on, yet King’s contributions continue to be felt.I often wonder, if King were alive today, how he would impact our often contentious race relations, and help us more honestly and empathetically talk about both our differences and similarities—regardless of race. He is missed now more than ever.Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of six books, including his newest, Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff. He is an Emmy Award–winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. He has also appeared on CNN, CBS News and NBC’s Today show. Steve Adubato's Lessons in Leadership video podcast, with cohost Mary Gamba, airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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[caption id="attachment_327606" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: John W. Tomac[/caption]Dozens of people, some on their knees, some clutching rosaries, some weeping, gathered in small circles and prayed for God’s help in what some were calling the next American Revolution.Children carried handmade signs and banners. One neatly lettered sign read, “Protect me from the state.’’ Another said, “Freedom.’’ Several senior citizens quietly sang church hymns and said they were preparing for the fight of their lives.This was the scene on an otherwise tranquil morning last summer, when the New Jersey state school board gathered in Trenton to vote on changes that would implement new policies and protections for LGBTQ+ students in New Jersey’s 593 public school districts.The new policy bristles with acronyms and legalistic definitions of terms like cisgender, gender queer, gender expansive and ASAB (assigned sex at birth). But, in simplest terms, the policy is about freedom for transgender students to call themselves what they want, take part in the gender-segregated classes and activities where they feel most comfortable, and, most controversially, to do it all with or without a parent’s knowledge or consent.“A school district shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required,” says the state Department of Education in a document titled “Transgender Student Guidance for School Districts.”The state school board approved the new policy by a 6-5 vote, but only after angry parents disrupted the meeting and forced the board to adjourn to a private room.The raucous school board meeting was an emblematic scene in what promises to become a long-running drama in New Jersey, a war over culture and parental rights that is coming to your local school board—if it hasn’t already arrived.Transgender-rights advocates, including thousands of kids who belong to LGBTQ+ clubs and gay-straight alliance groups that have sprung up in schools across the state, cheered the decision and welcomed what many view as a new era for civil rights in New Jersey.“This is about the safety and well-being of young people across the state,” says Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality, a leading LGBTQ+ advocacy group. “LGBTQ+ youth represent over 40 percent of the youth homeless population,” he says, adding that studies show that more than half of the transgender students in New Jersey feel unsafe at school.“Even on a good day, young transgender people in New Jersey face daunting fears and challenges,” Fuscarino says. “I have listened to parents all over this state for many years now, and I can tell you that most parents want these policies.”[RELATED: What Gender-Affirming Care Looks Like in New Jersey]
Andrew Mulvihill, a conservative member of the state school board who opposed the policy changes, says the new policy is part of a “political agenda.”“Our students can’t pass a standardized test, and this is our priority?” Mulvihill asks. “After the vote, a woman came up to me and she was sobbing. She said she couldn’t afford to pull her kids out of school, but couldn’t stand subjecting them to this stuff. She truly didn’t know where to turn. It’s a shame.”In May 2023, New Jersey attorney general Matthew Platkin filed a lawsuit against the Morris County community of Hanover Township after school board members there enacted a new policy requiring educators to tell parents about any change in a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation reported at school. In June, Platkin filed similar complaints against school boards in the Manalapan-Englishtown, Marlboro and Middletown districts.Platkin and his litigators in the state Division of Civil Rights argue that state law demands equal protection for LGBTQ+ students. They say these policies also reflect the reality that, for some LGBTQ+ students, coming out at home can lead to rejection by parents or even expulsion from the family home. They argue that, for some LGBTQ+ kids who are at odds with their parents, public school may be the only safe space.“We are extremely proud of the contributions LGBTQ+ students make to our classrooms and our communities, and we remain committed to protecting them from discrimination in our schools,” Platkin said last year.*
The courts, for now, have enjoined the dissenting school districts from enacting their own parental-notification measures in violation of state guidelines. But as the lawsuits continue to wind through the courts, more local school board meetings have become intense battlegrounds.Nicole Stouffer is a biostatistician and self-described math geek from Medford in Burlington County. She is a founder of the parental-rights group New Jersey Project and the author of the Substack newsletter called Chaos and Control, which lists more than 10,000 subscribers.Speaking about the parental-rights movement, she avoids right-wing political cant and speaks sympathetically about accepting LGBTQ+ people and the need to protect trans kids in schools. But Stouffer says the parental-notification measure in the new state policy went too far.“There’s a big culture clash in New Jersey, and the state is taking the side of one group over another,” Stouffer says. “Not even close to everyone accepts the idea that we should accept boys in the locker room who think they’re girls,” she says, using language that LGBTQ+ advocates consider transphobic. “I’m just saying the state should let every school district decide for itself and not force the same decision on everyone.”Like many in the parental-rights movement, Stouffer says she was provoked by state policy during the pandemic that kept all students out of class and learning remotely. “Parents were watching all the nonsense schools were pushing on the kids,’’ she says. “It wasn’t Donald Trump or anything like that that started this movement; it was masks on schoolkids.”In the vast and fevered world of social media-based social dissent, voices like those of Stouffer and others in New Jersey’s parental-rights push are legion, as are the voices of their detractors. But critics of the right-wing culture warriors point out that the parental-rights message is often fraught with misinformation and plain old hatred for gay and transgender people.Some school districts, succumbing to demands from parents, have yanked books and media with queer and transgender themes from school libraries. Others are stripping rainbow flags and posters from school grounds. Sex education policies put forth by the state have been ignored or altered, with some schools preferring to let all sex ed happen at home, if at all. State laws requiring instruction about LGBTQ+ history have also been ignored in some districts.School board races, usually sleepy contests largely ignored by registered voters, have become flash points for ideological struggles where candidates debate issues like free speech and the separation of church and state. Groups such as Moms for Liberty, NJStandsUp, Gays Against Groomers, and Team PYC (Protect Your Children) have formed chapters across New Jersey and post daily on blogs and websites that claim thousands of viewers.The stream of rhetoric flooding social media under the banner of parental rights has a marked religious fervor and often repeats Trump-era tropes that have become common currency on the political right.Facebook posts and newsletters juxtapose quotes from Genesis and Matthew, the New Testament evangelist, with screeds against drag queens, vaccine and mask mandates, New Jersey wind farms, and “unhinged” school librarians.Shawn Hyland, a former Republican congressional candidate for New Jersey’s Third District, travels the state in what he describes as a “ministry dedicated to reversing the trend of unbelief.” One of the right’s most outspoken culture warriors, Hyland says his aim is to teach “the importance of Christians having a biblical worldview, influencing public policy, defending the biblical family, and protecting parental rights in education.”In one YouTube post on what he calls “the social contagion of gender dysphoria,” Hyland says, “There has been a systematic attack against the biblical nuclear family. The attorney general of New Jersey is trying to use the intimidating power of his office to force school districts to keep a secret shadow medical file on children....Welcome to New Jersey in 2023.”Another outspoken warrior in New Jersey’s parental-rights push is Greg Quinlan, a 65-year-old retired nurse who spent much of his youth as a gay activist. “I watched a hundred friends die of AIDS,” he says. When he was 34, Quinlan says, he turned away from a “very unhappy gay lifestyle” and eventually began working to connect with other “lapsed” homosexuals in what he says is a vast but largely hidden ex-gay community.Now, Quinlan is president and founder of the Center for Garden State Families, a nonprofit ministry that promotes “faith, freedom, and the natural family in culture and public policy.’’ The group’s website lists low taxes and a strong Second Amendment as major legs of its family-centered mission, tagged as “One man, one woman and their children.’’Quinlan pans public schools as “government schools” and describes Trenton as the center of New Jersey’s “educational-industrial complex.’’ He says high school graduates are being sacrificed on an altar of social justice and what he deems to be scientifically flawed assumptions that gender is fluid and homosexuality is genetic.“Let me make this abundantly clear,’’ says Quinlan. “Nobody’s born in the wrong body. This is a developmental gender-identity disorder. It’s developed, not innate.’’Despite the consensus among major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, that age-appropriate gender-affirming care improves mental health and saves lives, Quinlan claims that, “Parents have been blackmailed and actually terrorized that if they don’t do this their child will commit suicide. The point is that mutilating your body to change genders doesn’t fix anything. You’re changing your appearance. You’re not dealing with the heart.”All rhetoric aside, the vocal opponents of the state’s new policy are a decided minority in a blue state that remains predominantly progressive, both politically and culturally.Despite all the clamor about gender in the classroom and all the grassroots blogging in support of parental rights, the movement came up limp in the fall 2023 legislative races. Republicans campaigning against the LGBTQ+ policy failed to flip a single Senate or Assembly seat in a statehouse that remains overwhelmingly Democratic.Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, says that movement’s appeal in a diverse state like New Jersey, though considerable, is likely to remain on the local level.“It’s a question of scale,” says Rasmussen, regarding the pull of parental-rights politics. “You can get people hyped up in a town, but turning a state legislative election of 50,000 votes is another question.’’Michael Gottesman is a retired attorney and former substitute teacher who founded the nonprofit New Jersey Public Education Coalition, which describes itself as “a nonpartisan group of educators, administrators, municipal leaders, parents and concerned citizens who seek to protect our public schools and communities from right-wing extremism.”He says New Jersey can’t afford to sit back and assume the parental-rights movement is just a passing fad or the latest iteration of the MAGA culture wars. He’s developed dossiers on many of the right-wing leaders and groups fueling the Jersey debate and says they have been largely funded by national conservative groups looking to sow political division.Ultimately, Gottesman says, the goal of parental-rights proponents is to dismantle bedrock liberal traditions such as public education and the separation of church and state.“These people are very well organized, very well financed and they’ve got the jump on us,” Gottesman says. “I formed the coalition because we need to level the playing field and give the real majority of parents a way to be heard above the harassment, intimidation and bullying used by the other side.”***
Another favorite tool of right-wing parent groups, Gottesman says, is misinformation. A study his group conducted showed only about 3 percent of all public school parents chose to opt their kids out of the state’s health and fitness curriculum, which names body parts and describes sex acts. The curriculum, intended partly to arm students with language to report sexual abuse, has been attacked by some parents as inappropriate sex education that turns kids into pornography addicts.“The fact is that the vast, vast majority of parents in New Jersey want their kids to have this very basic information,’’ Gottesman says. “Does the curriculum talk about vaginal, oral and anal sex? Yes, in a basic way that’s necessary to defend against rape and unwanted pregnancy.”Jennifer Velten has chosen not to take sides in Jersey’s parental-rights war. She’s too busy helping families that have been shattered as young people take the step to come out as LGBTQ+. As director of trauma services for CarePlus New Jersey, a nonprofit mental health provider in Bergen County, she’s spent nine years counseling families split apart by sexuality issues who want to come back together.Velten says the pressures on young transgender people in school are immense. A large percentage, she says, are subject to verbal harassment or bullying. “There is no doubt that these kids experience fear at school—it’s real," Velten says. “For some, coming out at home may ultimately mean getting kicked out. The school becomes their only safe space.’’“But I’ve found that, for the vast majority of families I’ve worked with, the bottom line is that parents still love their kids, even if they can’t agree politically,’’ Velten says. “I think we’ve got to always remind ourselves of that, despite all the disagreement and controversy we hear about, parents still want to support their kids.”Jeff Pillets is an award-winning investigative reporter.
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[caption id="attachment_327302" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Chris Gash[/caption]When this magazine was in its infancy, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, New Jersey was the national joke. You didn’t have to say much more than the words New Jersey and people laughed—even New Jerseyans, myself included. Traveling, North Jerseyans would tell people elsewhere that they were from greater New York. Mostly, our sense of inferiority emanated from New York, the big city that disparaged what it considered its benighted country cousin.[caption id="attachment_327308" align="alignright" width="350"] The April 1979 cover of New Jersey Monthly, featuring a photo of SNL star Gilda Radner—in character as Roseanne Roseannadanna, who loved to take digs at the Garden State.[/caption]Saturday Night Live always put New Jersey down. John Belushi routinely referred to our state as “the armpit of America.” An issue of this magazine had SNL’s Gilda Radner on the cover using a catchphrase of her character, Roseanne Rosannadanna: “New Jersey? It makes me wanna die.” (Yours truly wrote the accompanying cover story, “How New Jersey Became a Joke.”) Certain accusations against him aside, Woody Allen never let New Jersey alone in his movies. In Sleeper, his character, cryogenically frozen for 200 years, is asked whether he learned anything while in that altered state. “Yes,” he answers. “I discovered that there is intelligent life in the universe—except in certain parts of New Jersey.”But the Jersey joke has all but disappeared. Jokes generally grow tired and inconsequential, but more importantly, New Jersey has distinguished itself in myriad ways. Bruce Springsteen has been acclaimed as the world’s greatest rocker. The Sopranos is celebrated by many as perhaps the greatest show to ever appear on television. America’s finest actors come from New Jersey: Meryl Streep grew up in Bernardsville and Jack Nicholson in Neptune. The musical Jersey Boys was a hit on Broadway. Toni Morrison, teaching at Princeton University, won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and George Segal was widely celebrated as America’s greatest sculptor. It became cool to be from New Jersey.[RELATED: Jersey-Born Celebrities at a Glance]
New Jerseyans began to realize how important their state was. It has the Turnpike, the world’s widest and most traveled road, and the George Washington Bridge, the world’s busiest. On its east side are fine beaches; on its west, the beautiful Delaware River. Every year, the Rutgers-Eagleton poll has shown increasing enthusiasm for the state among its residents. Jersey travelers no longer come from greater New York. Even SNL no longer makes Jersey jokes.When the great French photographic artist Henri Cartier-Bresson was sent over to capture the essence of America in the 1970s, he restricted his work to New Jersey. Asked why, he said that New Jersey was the most varied and typical American state. Similarly, historian John Cunningham suggested in the subtitle of one of his books that New Jersey was “a mirror on America.”New Jersey is now widely seen as the most representative American state. A small part of me misses the Jersey joke, though I’m perfectly happy to do without it.[RELATED: Finally Getting Into a Jersey State of Mind]
Michael Aaron Rockland is Professor of American Studies emeritus at Rutgers University. His latest book is The Other Jersey Shore, due out in May.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/C2fYkXFubUi/Who needs car service?Although he lives in New York City, Al Roker was out riding the NJ Transit rails like a regular New Jerseyan this week—and even posted a photo on Instagram to prove it."Riding @njtransit to go see my #grandaughter Lotsa seats and no traffic. Whooo whoooooo!!" the "Today" show personality captioned a smiling selfie on the train.Roker's ride came amid news that NJ Transit plans to increase fares by 15 percent starting July 1, and an additional 3 percent each year after that.Roker, 69, became a grandfather in July when his daughter Courtney Roker Laga and her husband, Wesley Laga, welcomed a baby girl named Sky Clara. Since then, Roker has been a doting grandpa, posting photos of Sky and gushing about his newly expanded family.Following his visit with the baby this week, Roker posted a video from the train station platform of his ride pulling into the station. "Just finished a visit with @ouichefroker and my grandbaby, Sky Clara. She’s is the best. But time to head back to the city," he captioned the video. Roker also has a weekend home in the Hudson Valley.For his day trip, the famed weatherman, who is known for his snazzy dressing style, was bundled up in a scarf, a hat and a gray overcoat with a blue flower pinned to it.[RELATED: 'Today' Host Dylan Dreyer Calls NJ 'The Reason I Am Who I Am']
NJ Transit happily commented, "Welcome aboard, Al! 😁🚂," on Roker's initial post.Courtney, a recipe developer and content creator, is Roker's oldest child. She and Wesley tied the knot in the Garden State in 2021 at the Ashford Estate in Allentown.She gave birth at Holy Name Medical Center over the summer, later sharing details about her "wonderful" experience with "the most amazing doctors, nurses & birthing team" in a cover story for the Bergen County-based hospital's magazine.
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When Brigantine native Nick Pittman, 31, was in third grade, he started doing the weather as part of the morning announcements and invited the chief meteorologist of NBC’s local affiliate to school. Pittman longed for a cool weatherman nickname.Nor’easter Nick, replied the station’s meteorologist.Pittman went on to become an on-air weather forecaster for NBC-40 when he was just 17 years old, and later the chief meteorologist of WJLP-TV. Today the president/CEO of Norcast Weather,“Nor’easter Nick” is thriving as an engaging and independent weather forecaster in South Jersey, specializing in hyperlocal weather specifically for local communities. He lives in Sewell.Every weatherperson has a story about how they were infatuated with the weather from a young age.I was raised by my grandmother. She was amazing, but it was just she and I in this big old house in Brigantine that would creak. When I would see a thunderstorm watch or tornado warning, I would hide under my bed. It was an actual phobia I had to overcome through learning about the weather.I didn’t ask for fairy tales. I asked for books on meteorology. So there I was at eight or nine years old, teaching myself thermodynamics.So now you have your own media company. Are you basically a cool indie rock/alternative weather forecaster?When my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, I had to grow up fast. I was hired to do the weather at TV 40 when I was 17, while working full-time as a manager at ShopRite. I had to turn down a full ride to Penn State to take care of her and pursue my degree online.There was a point in 2019 where I could have either gone to another market to rebuild or turn my following of 50,000 people on Facebook into a career. I contacted local businesses and asked them about creating a hyperlocal weather service. Pretty much everyone said they would sponsor it … a lot of home-service providers, mom-and-pop operations.I don’t do the weather-hype thing because I have a loyal following, and they’re going to come to me for the truth. My husband is in marketing and went to school for video production. He left his job last summer, and now we work together.Why do weather forecasters seem to take so much heat?When I was younger, I used to take every Facebook comment to heart. It would destroy me. I’d think, Do I suck? Am I bad at my job?But I realized that, if someone’s biggest concern in life is criticizing the local weather guy, I want their life. They’re mad that their property wasn’t destroyed. I take solace in that, whatever the storm threat is, I did my job explaining what the potential outcome could be.What aspect of New Jersey weather do you hate?Probably the humidity. I’m a runner. I like to start my day with a two-mile jog. But I take a break from mid-June to early September because I don’t like that feeling of being suffocated. If it wasn’t for the humidity, from the standpoint of meteorology … and being a weather weenie ... everything can happen here, from blizzards to hurricanes to tornadoes. We get it all.
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Tucked away among the rolling hills of Morris County, Mountain Lakes is a little-known gem of a town that has one of the largest collections of Craftsman-influenced houses in the country and was a forerunner of planned suburban communities in the 20th century. Established 100 years ago, in March 1924, the town was originally known as Mountain Lakes Residential Park. Nearly a third of all private residences in the 3.1-square-mile borough are so-called Hapgood homes, named after Herbert J. Hapgood, the builder who had the vision, along with local engineer Lewis Van Duyne, to transform a pristine tract of woods, rocks and wetlands into a thousand-acre community around nine lakes.Since 2005, Mountain Lakes has been on both the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places.By 1923, around 500 Hapgood homes had been built in the town to meet the demand. Today, 454 of those original houses are still standing, making it one of the largest collections of Craftsman-influenced homes in the country.“Herbert Hapgood’s houses in Mountain Lakes are important examples of Arts and Crafts architecture in the United States,” says Mark Alan Hewitt, author of Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms. “His planning ideas also contributed much to the development of railroad suburbs during a key period of exurban expansion from major cities.”Today, Mountain Lakes is still a residential lake community that hasn’t lost its signature identity or picturesque appeal. With stone pillars at its east and west entrances, the town has the aura of a country estate.[RELATED: 12 Small Towns in New Jersey to Visit Now]
The borough’s ability to prevent intrusive development and protect its man-made and natural features is regarded as unique in American town planning. As a safeguard, the municipality owns approximately 40 percent of its acreage, preserving the land as open spaces and active recreational venues for residents.Some affectionately call their tony suburb Camp Mountain Lakes, and the people who live there, Lakers.From 1910 to 1923, Hapgood built several hundred year-round single-family houses. The first resident/owner in 1911 was Lawrence W. Luellen, originator of the disposable Dixie paper cup. Once the impressive stone train station (now a restaurant, the Station at Mountain Lakes) opened the following year, the commute to New York took under an hour, luring affluent urban professionals to “the freedom and beauty of country life.”[RELATED: Hapgood’s: A Cozy Brunch Spot in Mountain Lakes]
Over the years, Mary Pickford (silent film star), Arthur Stringer (author of Perils of Pauline), Charles Steinway (great-grandson of the founder of piano maker Steinway & Sons), and Liz Claiborne (fashion designer) were residents of Mountain Lakes.Hapgood was influenced by Gustav Stickley, the leading American designer promoting the Arts and Crafts aesthetic, who lived in nearby Morris Plains. The builder appropriated many of Stickley’s innovative core Craftsman principles, such as simplified designs without fussy ornamentation; straightforward use of local natural materials like puddingstone for foundations, fences, and chimneys, as well as chestnut wood for interior paneling and beams; and indoor-outdoor living areas enhanced by verandas, terraces, and sleeping balconies off the upper bedrooms.A unique resource for homeowners is the Preservation Shed, administered by the borough’s Historic Preservation Committee, which collects and offers for reuse authentic architectural salvage like irreplaceable doors, windows, paneling, trim, flooring and even hardware for the historic homes in town.Sueanne Sylvester grew up in Mountain Lakes and later moved back to raise her family. “If you want to be in Mountain Lakes, you will likely end up in a Hapgood,” says Sylvester, a Realtor in the borough.
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The crisis of Christianity has been proclaimed so insistently and so convincingly in recent years that it makes the worship service in a converted tech factory in Parsippany at nine o’clock on a Sunday morning this past spring that much more astonishing. Welcome to Liquid Church, where the faith is not only alive—it rocks. From a state-of-the-art stage, an electric band fronted by sneaker-wearing singers pump out high-octane hymns that sound like Taylor Swift anthems, while strobe lights coordinated by the tech team at the front of the house strafe the packed auditorium. The pounding thrum of contemporary praise music goes on for 20 minutes, piped around the warehouse-like facility on speakers and enormous video monitors too numerous to count. You don’t want to miss anything, and you can’t. The band revs up the growing crowd until Cuyler Black, one of about 100 people who work at the Parsippany site and six other campuses around New Jersey, comes onstage. “Good morning, church fam!” Black shouts at the throng gathered in the club-like darkness of the cavernous hall. “This is a good-looking group out there!” he says to cheers. Black is doing warm-up today, running through announcements with such verve that you barely notice the popcorn buckets passed around for the collection. Next up is Pastor Zach Taylor, a youthful, fit guy in jeans and a hoodie, groomed like the archetypal megachurch male: an undercut fade on top and a carefully curated shadow beard below. Zach is part of the Liquid ministry team, and he describes himself as “a natural entrepreneur” who, with his wife, manages a dozen Airbnbs in California and Florida when he is not preaching. ‘CHURCH IS FUN!’On this Sunday morning, Pastor Zach is the main speaker for both the nine and eleven o’clock services, and in his homily, he channels Marie Kondo as he confesses to his sin of keeping too much stuff—especially digital junk like apps and text messages (275,000 of them!). “I’m a hoarder, but don’t leave me up here as if I’m the only one who does that,” he says to laughs. Then he pivots to his main point: that God wants that kind of intense relationship with you, only more so, and not just digitally. “Pray without ceasing,” Pastor Zach says, reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. “Have faith in the Lord come what may.” To reinforce his point, he brings his wife onstage and, after some playful banter for the audience, wraps a blindfold around her head. He then dumps hundreds of Lego pieces on the floor, instructs her to take off her shoes, and asks her to trust him to lead her through the maze of sharp plastic bits safely—just as she must trust that Jesus will do in life if you believe in Him.“Church is fun,” as one of Liquid’s core values has it, and the crowd is loving this performance.[caption id="attachment_315932" align="alignnone" width="778"] “Look around in any direction and wherever you look you’re going to find a different answer for why people come,” says Keon Carpenter, head of the Liquid Morris County pastoral team. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]From start to finish, the vibe is cool. It connects. And it works when some say little else in organized religion does. “Look around in any direction, and wherever you look, you’re going to find a different answer for why people come,” says Keon Carpenter, head of the Morris County pastoral team. Consider that the number of megachurches—Protestant congregations defined as having a regular attendance of more than 2,000—have tripled from about 600 in 2000 to about 1,800 today. New Jersey isn’t exactly part of the Bible Belt, but the Garden State appears to be especially fertile ground in this fast-moving transformation of American Christianity. There are about two dozen megachurches in New Jersey today, more than double the number just a decade ago, according to Scott Thumma of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, one of the nation’s top experts on megachurches and congregational dynamics. Congregations like Emergence Church in Totowa Change Church in Ewing, Rutgers Community Christian Church in Somerset, and Bethany Baptist Church in Lindenwold have all supersized in the last few years. A SHIFT IN DYNAMICS[caption id="attachment_315934" align="alignnone" width="778"] A member of Liquid Church prays with the congregation during a service. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]“It’s basically the Walmarting of churches,” says Bob Smietana, a longtime religion journalist and author of Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters. “While most churches are small, most people go to big churches.”Some are new churches, while others are congregations that already existed and just got bigger. Thumma says that the megachurch trend works in New Jersey, in part, because the demographics are shifting from the old-fashioned town-based landscape to a more exurban lifestyle. That’s why you shop at a mall and worship at a megachurch. “As a state gets suburbanized, megachurches are more likely to crop up,” Thumma says. “That’s why you saw them early on spread so much in the Sunbelt and the suburban South. It’s taken industrial areas, and certainly the Northeast longer to really start to grow in the number of megachurches.”[caption id="attachment_315925" align="alignnone" width="778"] Members of Liquid Church after a service. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]Todd Downing has lived that trend from coast to coast. Nearly 10 years ago, when Downing was on the coaching staff of the Oakland Raiders, he and his wife helped start a contemporary worship church they called Eastown, which grew into a thriving megachurch. When he was hired last February to be the passing-game coordinator for the New York Jets, Downing did some Googling and hit upon Liquid Church, close to his new home in Madison. “It’s a come-as-you-are environment, and I think that’s comfortable for people from all faith backgrounds and church backgrounds,” says Downing, 43. “I think this more comfortable environment of church is helping to break some of the strongholds of traditions where you feel like you have to be rigid and worshipping a certain way—that ‘God is a one-size-fits-all’ mentality.” WELCOMING EVERYONE[caption id="attachment_315924" align="alignnone" width="778"] Lead pastor Tim Lucas says that at Liquid Church, “we like to say that faith is a journey, not a guilt trip.” Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]The very trends that are killing old-time religion are boosting megachurches and like-minded modern congregations. Megachurches are generally conservative in their teaching and preaching, but they shun culture-war issues and focus on warmth and welcome over doctrine and dogma. “At Liquid Church, we like to say that faith is a journey, not a guilt trip,” lead pastor Tim Lucas says in an introductory video so friendly you want to give him a hug. “What that means is we are not here to judge anybody or tear anybody down. Liquid Church exists to build people up with the word of God.” To do that, churches like Liquid avoid strong denominational ties, so each church is freer to adapt to the needs of their audience, and they aren’t yoked to centralized, old-line traditions that are dying.That’s a real plus in New Jersey, where evangelical Protestants in 2020 edged out mainline Protestantism in overall numbers. And while Catholics still dominate, with just over 30 percent of Garden State residents identifying as Catholic, dozens of interviews at megachurches around the state found that many megachurch attendees are former Catholics who left the church out of boredom as much as doctrine. “Being non-denominational is more welcoming to everybody,” says Greg Collora between services as he nurses a coffee at Liquid Church’s Clean Water Café, a Starbucks-looking coffee shop that Liquid created; it is staffed by developmentally disabled congregants and 2 percent of sales go to provide clean water to places in need in Africa.Collora was raised Roman Catholic but moved away from the church and fell into drugs. When he entered recovery, he also found Liquid Church, where many people seem to be recovering from bad religious experiences as much as from bad life choices. “The messages I heard were very relatable,” says Collora. “It wasn’t as archaic in thinking, wasn’t as rigid. Coming back to church, this was a very soft welcoming. It felt welcoming as soon as you walked through the door.” THE NEW ‘FLEXI-DOXY’ CHURCHESMegachurches also tend to avoid direct political involvement and messages in an effort to be as inclusive as possible and to maintain peace in the congregation. Like the country as a whole, churches are often polarized into conservative and liberal ones, and staying above that fray is smart marketing if you’re looking to grow. “We are not here to worship a donkey or an elephant,” Pastor John Wagner of EPIC Church International in Sayreville told worshippers at a recent Sunday morning service. “Amen!” returned the assembly. This “flexi-doxy” is manifested to such a degree in megachurches that many attendees feel comfortable occasionally attending the Pentecostal, Catholic or Mainline church they grew up in. [caption id="attachment_315935" align="alignnone" width="778"] “We’re here to make one person famous and his name is Jesus, nobody else,” says John Wagner, co-pastor of EPIC Church in International in Sayreville. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]Whatever you might think of the megachurch approach, it’s hard to argue with their track record, given the wider context of a virtual collapse of Christian practice. Consider that a record number of Americans today say they don’t identify with any religion, an epochal shift in a country that G.K. Chesterton famously described as “a nation with the soul of a church.” The ranks of what Pew Research calls the “nones,” or those who don’t identify with any religion, have nearly doubled in the last 15 years, to about 30 percent of all Americans. That’s bigger than any other Christian denomination, be it Baptist or Catholic. At the same time, self-identified Christians overall made up just 63 percent of the U.S. population in 2021, down from 75 percent a decade ago. Fewer congregants mean fewer churches. That decline has an outsized impact in New Jersey, where small-town churches once formed the backbone of community life. No longer. The vast majority of American congregations are dramatically shrinking in size, with a median attendance of under 65 worshippers weekly and falling, according to the latest national survey from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. The median megachurch, on the other hand, on average drew about 4,200 attendees to its worship services in 2020, up from about 3,800 in 2015. The average megachurch budget is $5.3 million annually, an astonishing figure to pastors in the vast majority of churches that are struggling to survive week to week. And some 70 percent of megachurches have multiple campuses, up from 23 percent two decades ago. “Nothing creates new Christians like new campuses,” reads a slogan painted in huge letters across a wall in the second-floor offices at Liquid Church. About 4,000 adults and hundreds of children attend Liquid’s main church or one of its satellites on any given Sunday. That’s down from 6,000 or so pre-pandemic, but like other megachurches, Liquid’s in-person attendance is bouncing back, and its online presence is bigger than ever, about 2,500 viewers per week in 2023.DIVERSITY AND YOUTH[caption id="attachment_315929" align="alignnone" width="778"] A woman prays during a service at EPIC Church International. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]Megachurches are also more racially diverse than other churches, which tend to be divided along racial and ethnic lines. While some 72 percent of attendees at the average megachurch are white, that’s less than most churches, and more than three-quarters of megachurches say they are trying to diversify. That dynamic is a boon to New Jersey megachurches, given the state’s diversity. Some traditionally Black churches in cities like Newark and New Brunswick continue to represent urban communities even as they grow in size, but the farther into the suburbs you go, the broader the megachurch audience profile becomes. The racial and ethnic diversity in New Jersey’s megachurches is eye-opening. “The diversity is so important for me,” says Shumuel Ofosu, 25, who was at a Sunday morning service at EPIC Church. (Drive down the Parkway and you can’t miss EPIC; you’ll see the huge building and sign right as you cross the Driscoll Bridge.) As notable as their diversity is the relative youth of megachurch attendees. “One of the things that really attracted me is the worship—it really targets our age group,” says Lidia Vickery, a 21-year-old from Tampa who was visiting Liquid with friends in May. “It just makes it easier to connect and have a relaxed atmosphere and not have so much pressure of the tradition of the church.” Maura O’Hare, 19, was at Liquid for her second visit, this time with her sisters, 21-year-old twins Madison and Marina. They are all from Sparta and grew up Catholic, but churches like Liquid give them an experience that they just don’t get at Mass. “I was looking for a different vibe, where people were talking to you more,” says Maura. She likes the intensity, the enthusiasm, the emotion. “There’s so much more love, and places like this show you can come as you are to Jesus,” she adds. Her sister Madison goes to a Catholic college and Catholic Mass, but “I occasionally go to a nondenominational church because, honestly, I really enjoy contemporary music. It’s just a lot more fun.” Marina echoed that. “I go to Mass with my family, but I’m looking for a church I can make my own.” [caption id="attachment_315930" align="alignnone" width="778"] Services for EPIC Church International take place in an auditorium in a 14-acre site in Sayreville that used to be a PSE&G training facility. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]Style, for megachurches, is as important as size. EPIC Church, for example, was founded in 1980, growing out of a bible study that Pastor David Demola held in his home in Staten Island. It quickly grew under the name Faith Fellowship Ministries and moved to Iselin, then to a larger facility in Edison, and—after one too many conflicts with their neighbors—in 2000, to the current auditorium and office complex on a 14-acre site in Sayreville that used to be a PSE&G training center. Despite the size of Faith Fellowship Ministries and the renown of Demola, the church’s approach was dated, and everything was declining. After Demola died in February 2018, the church decided to go for a makeover. John and Ilena Wagner were hired as co-pastors and quickly saw that change was needed, and fast. “It was in trouble financially. Attendance had declined to about 2,000 people a week,” Pastor John says during a half-hour break between services on a recent Sunday morning. John Wagner had been a drug addict whose life was “a train wreck” when he found Jesus at Demola’s church in 1984. Three years later, he became the church’s youth pastor, then left in 1991 to lead other churches whose flagging fortunes he revived. Returning to Sayreville in 2018, John and Ilena quickly tackled the administrative problems, but they also invested $300,000 in a new sound system, ripped out the threadbare pews, and spent half a million dollars on state-of-the-art stadium seating. They repainted everything and replaced all the old floral carpeting. “We used to kid around and say to people that the ’80s are calling and they want their church back.” The upgrade worked. [caption id="attachment_315931" align="alignnone" width="778"] Co-pastors John Wagner and Ilena Wagner of EPIC Church International in Sayreville greet worshippers. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]PASTORS WITH STAR POWEROn New Year’s Day 2019, the Wagners rebaptized the facility as EPIC Church International. The music pulsates and the production values are top-of-the-line. Attendance has doubled, to nearly 4,000 weekly with some 20,000 regular online viewers. “EPIC” stands for Every Person in Christ, says Maryanne Percy, a longtime member and current EPIC staffer. “It’s a name we felt reflected who God is.” If New Jersey is on the leading edge of the megachurch wave today, the state is really playing catch-up to a trend that church experts say began in the 1970s and ’80s.“Church leaders across denominations are in a panic at what they see as the coming collapse of Christianity, so pastors are looking to whatever works. And the answer is megachurches,” says Katelyn Beaty, author of Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church.This also means that the success of the megachurch goes beyond their impressive growth and attendance numbers; the megachurch style has taken over American Christianity as smaller and midsize churches adopt megachurch praise music and production values, though usually without the mega-budget to make them work as well. What has also changed, however, and what is also difficult for smaller churches to replicate, is the expectation of what a successful pastor should be. When megachurches first started, the environment they wanted to recreate in the sanctuary was closer to a shareholder meeting, with the preacher as CEO. That’s what suburban folks knew and liked. [caption id="attachment_315927" align="alignnone" width="778"] Congregants sing and pray during a service at EPIC Church International. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]Now, the tastes of the client base have changed—they want the reassuring embrace of an appointment at the Apple store, the thrill of a Peloton session, the convenience of a Starbucks, and the ease of a Costco shopping trip. And they want pastors (for all the innovations, men dominate megachurch leadership) who are social media stars, men who you want to look like as much as Christians you want to act like. The priority is “to be cool,” and to evoke a nightclub party vibe, which Beaty says was explicitly the approach that leaders in the Hillsong international megachurch movement were aiming for. That approach generated enormous success, media attention and—in the case of Carl Lentz, the New York-based Hillsong pastor who spent a lot of time at Montclair’s Hillsong campus—friendships with celebrities like Justin Bieber. Given that lifestyle, it was also perhaps inevitable that a tattooed “hypepriest” like Lentz would crash in scandal. Following accusations of inappropriate relations, bullying, sexual abuse and financial misconduct, Lentz was fired in 2020, and the entire Hillsong empire has been under a cloud of scandal. They aren’t the only ones. Places like Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Echo Church in California, Hope Church in Texas, and Journey Church in Florida have all been brought low by allegations of sexual and spiritual abuse by pastors who got too high and mighty. The problems have at times replaced the successes, to the point that there is a new megachurch mockumentary podcast called The Rise & Fall of Twin Hills.“The common thread in these stories is that of a central charismatic leader who is allowed to evade accountability,” Beaty says. “Pastors are celebrities among their supporters. So how do you go toe to toe when you idolize them?” The problem, she notes, is that a key to the megachurch appeal is the narrative of growth, and popular pastors are seen as the cornerstone to that success. Sacrifice them, and you can end up destroying what makes the church work. So pastors live glam lifestyles and wear $5,000 sneakers and nobody says anything. It’s the road to ruin, says EPIC’s John Wagner. “We’re here to make one person famous and his name is Jesus, nobody else.” TOO BIG TO FAILWith that kind of focus, megachurches in New Jersey and elsewhere are likely to survive and thrive. At this point, they are almost too big to fail. “It takes a serious scandal to stop the momentum of a church with a couple thousand regular attenders,” says Thumma, of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Besides, he says, megachurches have the resources and the savvy to be endlessly adaptive. The best ones have laser-focused leadership teams that examine every service and song to see what worked, what didn’t, and what could be improved. “There’s a real intentionality,” Thumma says. “The worship service comes off like this is just kind of happenstance. And, you know, we finish one song, and somebody comes out and does a little informal talk. But all of that is scripted.” At Liquid Church, in fact, Pastor Zach’s anti-hoarding homily was so engaging and effective in part because it seemed so impromptu—until you turned around and realized that the entire text, including pauses, was projected against the back wall so he could read every word from the stage. Some things work for some people, other things work better for others, which is why megachurches offer a range of choices, and why New Jerseyans will always have a range of options. They can go to a place like Hillsong or they can check out EPIC, where Pastor Wagner and his wife, Ilena, deliver services that are a blend of old and new—contemporary music and top-shelf production values combined with a traditional sermon based in Scripture and sprinkled with life-coaching aphorisms (“You are a human being, not a human doing”). “The word of God doesn’t just change your fonts; it changes your default settings,” as Wagner likes to tell the congregation. “Okay, we’re kinda like neo-traditionalists,” he says with a laugh during our conversation. “I think there’s a balance between reverence and relevance. But if we come to a crossroad where we have to choose between relevance and reverence, we’re gonna go with reverence.” It’s a balance that megachurches seem to get right. Mo Coutinho of West Caldwell was raised Catholic, but she came to Liquid Church earlier this year and liked it much more than the Mass she was raised on. “Way more,” she said as she sat at the church’s Clean Water Café. Coutinho was sitting with a friend she had brought along for his first visit, Sebastian Madrigal, 29. “It’s nice, with a lot of bells and whistles. But that’s not why we come to church. At a certain point, I don’t care who you are, life’s going to bring you to your knees.” That’s when the bedrock faith bails you out. Coutinho agreed, sort of. “I know we don’t need all of this,” she said, looking around at the church’s flash and pop. “But it helps.” David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, is a longtime religion writer who worked at the Star-Ledger and the Record.
No one knows New Jersey like we do.* Sign up for one of our free newsletters here*. Want a print magazine mailed to you?* Purchase an issue from our online store*.The post This Isn’t a Rock Concert, This Is Church! Inside the Rise of NJ’s Megachurches appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Injuries are an inevitable part of life in the NFL, as are other types of medical issues and emergencies, but most fans know little about how the players are protected before, during and after games—and who the team physicians are.As the Jets and Giants get ready to kick off their seasons at MetLife Stadium—the Giants on Sunday, September 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, and the Jets, led by new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, on Monday, September 11 against the Buffalo Bills—the doctors on the sidelines need to be as prepared as the players.“It’s a 24/7 commitment. You’re always on call, and you need to be available to the players, the coaches, the staff,” says Dr. Damion Antonio Martins, head physician for the Jets. “I warn [medical] fellows: If you are a 9-5 person, sports medicine is not for you.”PAGING DR. NFLRonnie P. Barnes has seen the evolution of medical care for NFL players during his four-decade career with the New York Giants.When Barnes joined the Giants’ medical staff in 1980 as head athletic trainer, he worked with one orthopedist, one medical doctor and one assistant trainer. Now, each team has about 30 game-day medical professionals on the sidelines, the NFL says.“There’s no limit. The NFL talks about 30, but in some places, it’s a lot more,” says Barnes, now senior vice president of medical services and head athletic trainer for the Giants. “We’ve been increasing not only the care but the knowledge in sports medicine astronomically over the years, and we’re still growing.”In addition to Barnes, the Giants’ medical staff includes six athletic trainers, three of whom have doctorates of physical therapy and are responsible for the rehabilitation of athletes; a primary care physician; a primary care fellow; and orthopedic surgeons. Also present on the sidelines during games are emergency room physicians, paramedics, a chiropractor and an airway management specialist.A gastroenterologist is on the field before games–did a player vomit because of nerves or illness?—and then is on call in the stands all four quarters. An ophthalmologist is on call but not in the stadium. And the NFL requires each team to have an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant on the sidelines to evaluate any player who may have a concussion.Barnes says additional doctors on the medical roster can include a hand surgeon, a spine surgeon and a spine neurosurgeon.The most dramatic addition to the Giants medical team came in 1986, after tight end Mark Bavaro broke his jaw during a game. “[After Bavaro returned to play], the dentist was there [on the sidelines] in the event that we needed to cut some of the wires, if he got sick or, you know, couldn’t breathe," Barnes says.A dentist stayed on the sidelines for the rest of the Super Bowl-winning year, but now sits in the stands, with tickets provided by the Giants.NATIONAL ATTENTIONThe role of NFL teams’ medical staff received national attention in January, when Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game. The on-field response was broadcast live until Hamlin was carted away and the game was canceled. Hamlin is making his big return to the field when the Bills take on the Jets Monday night.For the Jets, a hotly anticipated return this season is running back Breece Hall, whose hot rookie season was sidelined last year when he tore his ACL during a game against the Denver Broncos in October. He returned to practice at training camp just a few weeks ago.Like the elite athletes on the field, the medical staff works hard at training camp during the summer, handling heat illness and other issues that arise.“I’m responsible for making sure that they’re properly hydrated all day long, not just on the field. So if you want to call us water boys, we’re water boys–water boys and girls, because we have men and women athletic trainers on the staff,” says Barnes, 71, of Cedar Grove. “Part of my job is to educate [players] about hydration, even though they’ve been playing for a long time.”The medical teams have their own training every spring, making modifications as needed to improve the care plan for the next season.On game days, the doctors start their day three to four hours before kickoff, checking to see if the athletic trainers need anything and evaluating any player who does not feel well. The NFL's 60-Minute Meeting is "an essential checkpoint to ensure officials, team medical staff, and gameday medical personnel are aware of all in-game player health and safety procedures and resources," according to the organization.“We meet outside the officials’ locker room, and the officials, the head referee, is there. That is so important because if they recognize something, they can let us know,” Barnes says. Throughout each game, everyone is alert to a potential injury or problem with a player.During the game, the physicians have a designated area at the two 30-yard lines and generally stay at their spot, while athletics trainers will move up and down the sidelines, following the ball, if they are not up in the booth.After the game, the physicians typically stick around for one or two hours. “If there were any injuries or issues during the game, players are seen immediately and then evaluated,” says Dr. Dean W. Padavan, associate team internist for the Jets.The physicians travel with the team to away games, but there is also a local doctor designated as the VTML, or visiting team medical liaison. The VTML can write prescriptions, which the traveling doctors can’t do in another state, and also escalate care to a local hospital when necessary.Dr. Martins and Dr. Padavan work as doctors for Atlantic Health System, which has a multiyear partnership agreement with the Jets. During the season, they staff the Jets sparkling training facility in Florham Park—the setting of recently aired season of HBO's Hard Knocks, which was filmed during training camp—evaluating a player who may feel ill or administer testing.Doctors working for pro teams know they have a dream gig, but the public may not realize how intensive the work is.“It’s an amazing job. I’m not gonna lie,” says Dr. Padavan. “But there’s a lot of help and support that goes behind it. I think a lot of people who don’t do it, maybe don’t understand how much work goes into it. So you have to love it, and we do.”BUILDING BONDSThe medical staff also strives to build trust with the players, a bond that is fostered by the doctors eating with the team and staying at the hotel for away games.“Sports is a real community. They get to know you, and I think the most important thing is for them to know that you really care,” says Barnes, who was inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor last year.Dr. Kameno Bell, an emergency medicine physician with the Giants, believes his playing days help him relate to the players. “They can confide in me more casually, maybe, than some others,” Dr. Bell says.Dr. Bell was a walk-on football player at University of Illinois and then drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 12th round in 1992, spending two years in and out of the team’s system, mostly on the practice roster. Dr. Bell says he saw a “frustrating, fledgling career, trying to get my foot on the playing field in football” and decided to go to medical school, taking the entrance exam while in training camp in Miami.He had been pre-med at Illinois, and returned there for medical school. “Half the class knew who I was when I walked in, and they were like, ‘What are you doing here and not playing football?’” he recalls. “I would have rather remained anonymous.” In school, he switched from surgery to emergency medicine and then had an opportunity for a fellowship in sports medicine. “It was kind of like coming home, combining medicine with sports, something I had done all my life,” Dr. Bell says.A DREAM GIG Turnover in these NFL physician positions is rare. “It is one of those jobs where, once you are afforded the opportunity, people don’t leave. At all,” says Dr. Bell, 53, of Montclair.When there is an opening, it is usually filled through referrals or a fellowship program at a medical school.One of Dr. Bell’s coaches in college, Denny Marcin, became a coach for the Giants, leading Bell to connect with Barnes and eventually land a spot with Big Blue 15 years ago.Dr. Padavan was first introduced to the Jets during a sports medicine fellowship with Atlantic Health in 2011; the team hired him in 2014.During a fellowship in sports medicine at University of Maryland, Dr. Martins served as a fellow team physician for the Baltimore Ravens. He began consulting for the Jets in 2002 and then started a full-time role in 2009. Dr. Martins is also the director of orthopedics and sports medicine at Atlantic Health.Barnes was referred to the Giants in 1976, helping during summer camp, while he was an athletic trainer during grad school at Michigan State University. In 1980, the New York team hired Barnes full time as head athletic trainer, then he was promoted to vice president and then senior vice president of medical services.Many of the team doctors work at a hospital too. “It’s sometimes a little bit tricky to juggle, but we try our best so that we’re making sure that the players get the best care, as well as our patients in the clinic,” says Dr. Padavan, 43, of Morristown.Dr. Bell works full time at Hackensack University Medical Center and says the hospital is accommodating of his work with the Giants. “I just kind of coordinated to make sure things run smoothly,” he says.Some doctors also have roles with nonprofessional teams. “What we try to do is take [our pro experience] and try to mimic it at our college teams and high school teams. Obviously, the resources aren’t the same. The NFL and professional organizations set the standard for how to take care of an athlete,” Dr. Padavan says.One trait that distinguishes the pro athletes is they are highly motivated to get better. “It is very rewarding to see someone who has an illness, injury or issue overcome that because they’re highly motivated to get back to participation,” says Dr. Martins, 51, of Harding.The medical staff may have to rein in that enthusiasm, at times. “I think our biggest job is protecting athletes from themselves,” says Barnes, noting players may want to return to the game after an injury before they’re fully rehabilitated. “That’s our job to make sure that they can return safely, and that’s the job of everyone in the league.”Enthusiasm of a different sort comes from the physicians’ families. Dr. Bell has three daughters, who are becoming more interested in football. “Up until maybe a year ago, they wouldn’t have had a clue what I did. But as they get older, in school, their friends have found out, and now all of a sudden they have questions about it,” he says. “Everybody thinks it’s cool.”With all the travel involved, the doctors credit their spouses and children for being understanding. Dr. Padavan has two sons, ages 10 and 7, who watch every game on TV, looking for their father on the sidelines.Sharon Waters is a writer living in Bloomfield. The post Inside the Life of a Jets or Giants Doctor: Pressure, Passion and Purpose appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
On a cloudy June day by the Passaic River, with car sounds from Route 21 audible across the narrow waterway, a group has gathered at the Nereid Boat Club in Rutherford for a National Learn to Row Day open house. Kids and adults are in sculling boats on the river, while others try out rowing machines on the club’s outdoor grounds, groups of teens carry long boats over their heads, and adults mill about with drinks and burgers.Competitive rowing, which has existed in New Jersey since the mid-1800s, is fiercely popular among its followers but has remained more under the radar for the general public. National Learn to Row Day, organized by USRowing, the sport’s Princeton-based national governing body, aims to change that by exposing non-rowers to the sport and, hopefully, sparking their interest in getting involved.When people think of rowing (also referred to as “crew”), some picture it as an elite pastime for Ivy Leaguers. While Princeton University does have a long-established program, rowing is also offered at other colleges, public and private high schools, a few middle schools, and numerous rowing clubs all over the Garden State.Rowing clubs are a vital part of the rowing scene in New Jersey and are found most anywhere there’s a suitable river, lake or inlet. According to USRowing, there are 88 rowing clubs in New Jersey. They offer members the use of boats and other equipment, training, the chance to join competitive teams, and the opportunity to row recreationally. Typically, clubs charge an annual fee similar to a gym membership. In addition to Nereid on the Passaic, notable clubs include the Viking Rowing Club in the Atlantic City area, Row New Jersey on Lake Hopatcong, the South Jersey Rowing Club in Mt. Laurel, and the Delaware River Rowing Club in Burlington. In most parts of the state, you can find a rowing club within a reasonable driving distance.[caption id="attachment_315811" align="alignnone" width="778"] Rowing is great for groups and families. Photo: Laura Baer[/caption]ROW, ROW, ROW!The sport of rowing can be divided into two distinct types. One is sculling, where each rowers has a left and right oar. The other is sweep, in which each rower has a single oar. The rowers in a sweep boat are deployed in an alternating left-right pattern to keep the energy even on both sides. In both rowing styles, the boats (called shells) are long, thin, and made of lightweight kevlar or carbon fiber. In both sculling and sweep, competitive meets, called regattas, feature a variety of sprints and distance races organized by boat size and type. Sprints are typically 2,000 meters, and distance races can be as long as 6,000 meters.Regattas usually feature separate men’s and women’s sweep and sculling events as well as mixed races. Overall, the sport is pretty well-balanced between male and female participants. Rowing is a quintessential team sport, where each boat crew is only as good as its weakest link. “If you have one person in the boat who is subpar,” says Stan Bergman, who has coached the successful Holy Spirit High School rowing team in Absecon and the Penn rowing team, “it doesn’t matter how good the other ones are—it’s going to drag them down somewhat.”That said, rowing doesn’t require the same level of athleticism or hand-eye coordination as many other sports. “You don’t have to be an incredible athlete to be a good rower,” says Alex Del Sordo, a longtime rower who hosts the Rowers Choice podcast and runs a boat-repair business. “You just have to be dedicated.”[caption id="attachment_315808" align="alignnone" width="778"] "It gave me a new group of friends; it gave me a sport that I love and want to do in college now," says Alisha Raja, a rower who started this year. "I couldn't imagine my life without it." Photo: Laura Baer[/caption]To ensure fair competition, boat lengths in sculling and sweep are standardized based on the number of rowers they hold. Sculling boats hold one, two or four people and include the 26-foot- long single, 31-foot-long double, and 40-foot-long quad.Sweep boats hold two, four, five or eight people. They include the 31-foot-long pair; the 41-foot-long four with coxswain; the 40-foot-long four without coxswain; and the 60-62-foot-long eight with coxswain.One rower steers in a sculling boat using a foot-operated rudder pedal. Sweep boats carry one non-rower, called the coxswain (pronounced “cox’n”), who steers the boat and acts as the onboard coach. Another important aspect of rowing is that it can accommodate people with various disabilities through adaptive rowing programs. Not only is rowing an Olympic sport, but a Paralympic one, too. Some school programs and clubs offer adaptive rowing. “For anyone with a disability who’s interested in getting involved—if they can’t find an adaptive rowing program nearby—they could absolutely reach out to us,” says Jennie Trayes, the chief community engagement officer at USRowing.[caption id="attachment_315810" align="alignnone" width="778"] Boats stored at Nereid. Their lengths vary based on the number of rowers. Photo: Laura Baer[/caption]BOATLOAD OF BENEFITSThe competitive aspect of rowing is a significant part of the sport’s appeal, but it’s not the only one. Among adults (anyone over 27 is considered a “master” in the rowing world), it’s also a noncompetitive recreational and fitness activity. You can row by yourself in a single sculling boat. If you’re an adult rowing-club member and have learned how to row—which typically takes four to six sessions over two weeks—you can take out a single boat.Although it’s repetitive, the sculling motion provides you with an excellent workout. Not only do you use both arms, but you push off with your feet on every stroke, giving your legs an excellent workout. On its website, USRowing states that rowing burns more calories than biking for equivalent effort. It provides both strength and aerobic conditioning and is entirely impact free. Rowing exercises all major muscle groups and provides aerobic and strength training.Dr. Glenn Gero is a 76-year-old naturopathic doctor and medical exercise specialist who rows three times a week at Nereid. Like many master rowers, he no longer competes. Instead, rowing is a vital part of his fitness regimen. “Rowing is probably the premier exercise because you’re engaging almost 80 percent of your muscles simultaneously,” Gero says. “Essentially, you’re doing repetition—leg presses—every time you do a stroke. And the arms and the upper body come in after that.”[caption id="attachment_315855" align="alignnone" width="778"] Jessica Eiffert-Spitzer, a former NCAA championship rower, is a coach at Nereid Boat Club in Rutherford. Photo: Laura Baer[/caption]Besides the fitness aspect, rowers often find being on the water a zen-like experience. “You can almost get in a meditative state when you’re out there,” says Jessica Eiffert-Spitzer, who’s the head of athlete development and head varsity girls coach at Nereid—and a former NCAA championship rower. “The idea of becoming one with the water and the boat, and then just doing it, whether it’s by yourself or with your team.”“The motion is nice and soothing,” says Briant Canha, a master rower in charge of membership at Nereid. “I try to row every day. If I’m not on the water, I’m on the rowing machine.”EXPLORING THE STATEBesides rivers and lakes, people row in coastal waters off the Shore. Coastal Rowing is an offshoot of flat-water rowing, but requires larger boats to handle the waves and ocean currents. Coastal rowing is expected to be added as an Olympic sport starting with the 2028 games.One of the advantages of coastal rowing is that it provides a more dramatic natural setting than a river or lake. “One of the things that I love is how close you can get to wildlife,” says Elinor Comlay, who often rows in the bay near Atlantic City. “Osprey nesting stations are close to our boathouse and along the bay. We regularly see blue herons, egrets and dolphins.”Spring and fall are the prime seasons for competitive rowing, but there are also regattas in the summer. Summer is also an excellent time to partake in rowing camps, learn-to-row programs, and individual rowing opportunities at clubs.It’s not safe or practical to row outdoors in New Jersey during the winter. To keep fit and continue to hone their skills during those months, people use rowing machines—called ergometers or ergs— available in rowing clubs, school rowing facilities and many gyms.For those who want to keep competing through the winter, there are even indoor rowing tournaments using ergs, where the fastest rowers win. US Rowing sponsors the Indoor Rowing Championships every year in Atlantic City.Whether you’re looking for competition, fitness, a new way to enjoy the outdoors, or just a chance to watch exciting amateur sporting events, New Jersey offers plenty of opportunities to get involved in rowing. Mike Levine is a writer, editor and content producer who lives in Bloomfield.
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Telemarketers, the three-part HBO docuseries set in New Jersey about corruption in the telemarketing industry, is a rollercoaster ride of raucous humor and dark human pathos.Released last month, it instantly resonated with anyone whose dinner was ever interrupted by a pushy phone salesman. Telemarketers exposes what's happening behind the scenes, then goes much deeper, revealing who has masterminded this scourge—and who continues to protect it from accountability.The series opens with grainy footage from a New Brunswick telemarketing office, Civic Development Group (CDG), in the early 2000s. The workers, a rough bunch of ex-convicts, drug addicts and unemployable delinquents, spend their days on the phone trying to convince people to donate to charities—talking with the precision and cheerful lawlessness of experienced criminals.The team’s star salesman is Patrick J. Pespas, a surprisingly fun-loving heroin addict, filmed by a 14-year-old boy hired by CDG for his ability to imitate a “cop voice,” as many calls were for police-related charities.CDG's practices were questionable, to say the least. The company was eventually ordered by the Federal Trade Commission in 2010 to pay an $18.8 million fine for misleading donors into thinking the majority of their donations were going to charity, when in actuality, only a small portion was.[caption id="attachment_315823" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Patrick J. Pespas was the star salesman at New Jersey-based telemarketing agency Civic Development Group. Photo courtesy of HBO[/caption]Over the course of several years, this teenager, Sam Lipman-Stern, documents the goings-on at the agency, slowly becoming submerged in the corrosive environment himself. In one memorable moment, Pespas leans unsteadily into the camera lens and laughs, “We call people up on behalf of some bullshit organization, and chisel ‘em out of money.” The turning point in the film comes when the duo discovers how deep the rot goes in the telemarketing industry: the police not only know about the scam, some of them may be in on it themselves.In this documentary, New Jersey is such a prominent presence, it’s practically a character itself. Everything about the film, from the strong regional accents to the gritty streets of Plainfield, to the pan shots playfully captioned, “Somewhere in New Jersey,” makes the case that Telemarketers, for better or worse, is a story New Jersey can’t deny.But Telemarketers is much more than local color. It’s a classic David and Goliath story, told from the perspective of two unlikely heroes who dare to fight a system designed to grind down powerless, small-town guys like them. Telemarketers is, deep down, a story about class struggle, how the rich and powerful prey on the downtrodden and the weak, and then force them to prey on each other. When Sam and Pat decide to blow the whistle on their industry, it’s about more than contrition. It’s an act of redemption.[caption id="attachment_315825" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Sam Lipman-Stern began working at CDG at the age of 14. Photo courtesy of HBO[/caption]The film took 20 years to make. The throughline is Sam and Pat's ongoing project to expose the telemarketing industry, and if possible, shut it down.To this end, they encounter liars, cheaters, bureaucratic red tape and guys with guns. They endure one humiliation after another, as the audience watches them get older and more philosophical. Finally, at the end of the film, they find themselves in the hallowed halls of Congress. “We have arrived,” Pat says exuberantly. “We are at the halls of power.”But in Telemarketers, everything is a twisty road, and this is no exception.The series is streaming now on Max.
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[caption id="attachment_315485" align="alignnone" width="778"] Plainfield native George M. Johnson is one of the most banned authors in the country. Photo: Courtesy of Macmillan Publishers[/caption]The critically acclaimed author of one of the most banned books in the country, All Boys Aren’t Blue, George M. Johnson grew up in Plainfield and lived in New Jersey for many years.Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of books being banned or challenged in school districts across the country, including here in New Jersey. All Boys Aren’t Blue is a story about growing up Black and queer in New Jersey and Virginia.Johnson, 37, is also the author of We Are Not Broken and has two more books coming out soon. The author (who uses they/them pronouns) recently moved to Los Angeles.How did your upbringing in New Jersey help shape you as a writer?I grew up in Plainfield, and my entire family for the most part is still there. We had this very tight family dynamic that my grandmother instilled in all of us. I grew up knowing I was a little different, just because I was effeminate, and I didn't feel like every other boy. But no one in my family ever shunned me for that. I was always included; I was always protected. I think because I got to grow up in that type of upbringing, it allowed me the space to be myself and to kind of grow into the person that I wanted to become, and not the one that society was trying to force me to be. And I think that because of all of that, it gave me the freedom to be a writer and to tell my story and other people's stories. Writing is a form of liberation in many ways. And so as a person who was often fighting against these systems that tried to oppress who I naturally was, writing was how I was able to fight against it.[RELATED: Jersey Towns Battle It Out Over Book Bans]
Why do you think that queer Black voices have been so threatening to some people in this country?It’s interesting because it's not like our voices are something new. If you look back to the Harlem Renaissance, there were multiple Black voices then, and if we look at James Baldwin or Nikki Giovanni or Angela Davis, there have been people who were Black and part of a non-heterosexual community who have always been at the forefront of writing and thought and being critical of the systems at play in this country. What I think is happening now is there’s this fear that because we are more visible now, it is making the youth choose to be like us. But what’s actually happening is that because we're more visible now, other people feel safer to be visible, too—people who have always been like us. And now we don't feel like we have to hide in the ways we did during Stonewall or during the Harlem Renaissance or during other periods in this country. And I think that's really what the greatest fear is—that the more space we allow for people who don't fit into society's mold of hetero norms, [... the more space it allows] for other people who [didn't always publicly identify in ways that they actually wanted to].Why do you think there's been such a dramatic increase in the number of books being banned in the United States?It’s interesting because sometimes I'm caught between: Is it an intentional thing? Or is it just, like, We ran out of ideas, so let's ban books? One question I've been asking a lot of these people who want to ban books is: What’s the difference between a 17-year-old in high school and a 17-year-old or an 18-year-old in college reading these books? When they go to college, they can read whatever they want. So, what is the difference? What is that one year difference making besides the fact that it's blocking important information that they need so that they can be better in college? There's a direct correlation between the rise in sexual assault and rape on college campuses, and the fact that the materials that discuss rape and assault in high school to try to teach kids about consent are being blocked.I think that there is a fear that they have of Generation Z, that is now starting to become very clear after the last couple of votes have happened. Generation Z has very quickly become the largest voting bloc, and they are young adults who love reading YA books like mine, that open them up to worlds of other people—because books are bridges that build empathy for others. And so what happens is: Gen Z will become the next leaders at some point, but if they go into their leadership already knowing trans people, knowing Black people, then when they're making decisions and building this country the way they want to build it, they will want to make sure that they are supporting people that don't [necessarily] look like them. I think that's really what the fear is—that our books help them to understand the lived experience of people who don't look like them, and that it makes them want to change.Do you think that banning books makes young people want to read them more?Yes! It's human nature. When I talk with teens, I find that my book is not their first introduction into things that are sexually explicit. I always think about my own experience. By the time I was 10, I knew what pornography was. When I was 13, the Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton case was the biggest story in the country. There was no way you could shield us from not knowing what happened between them. I always find it funny that [critics] say these books are sexual. I’m like, this country is [sexual]. The former president [was] literally indicted [over alleged hush-money payments to] a porn star. [People] just think [their] teens don't see what actually is happening around them when it comes to sex. [...] Sex is all around them.Can you talk about the efforts in Glen Ridge to ban your book and others?It was so close to home … and it was one of those moments where I had to sit with myself, because I would [have thought] that, at least in my own state, I wouldn't have to deal with this. When it came time for the meeting, I knew I couldn't make it, but I knew my mom and my aunts could go. We didn't know it was going to be that big. [Several hundred people showed up.] For me, it was about defending my book and defending the other books, and standing up for somebody who grew up in this state. When I was a teenager, I didn't have access to this stuff. And so I created these books for the person that I was back then, who deserved to be able to read this stuff. I needed to stand up for 15-year-old me who didn't have a voice back then. I went to Catholic high school, so I already know my book can't be read there. This was me fighting for that person who deserved to have this type of book and this type of resource when I was growing up.It was six people in Glen Ridge trying to remove seven books. I don't even think they had kids in the [schools]. What’s also been interesting with this fight is that people from other places have been coming into other counties to ban books. There was an 11-year-old who spoke [at the Glen Ridge meeting], who identifies as bisexual, and he said, “I've been forced to read heterosexual books my whole life and they're not turning me heterosexual. So, reading books are not going to turn your straight kids gay,” and everybody erupted into applause. Because that's really at the heart of it. I was forced to read heterosexual books my whole life. We all have been, but you still see LGBT people exist, and the only type of books we were forced to read weren't about us.You were named Honorary Chair for Banned Books Week 2022. Can you talk about how censorship can harm young people? What can be done to inform people about it?Censorship harms young people because it places them into a world without any knowledge, resources or capacity to navigate the actual world they're going to live in. When you censor Black books, Latinx books, or books by indigenous people, the child then leaves school with only one frame of reference. When they get to college and they see people of different cultures and they're like, I don't understand this culture. Why do y'all do this? It’s because [of censorship], and that's when the irrational fear starts to build up. That's what censorship does: It creates irrational fears in young adults because it doesn't expose them to the real world that they're going to live in. It's also interesting that they’re not censoring TV, or social media. The same things that I talk about in my books are on TikTok and other places. And so these young people are still getting the information, and I think we can see why they're marching and they're walking out of school [in response to book bans].The best way to keep people informed is to make sure there are other access points where people can get this information, such as libraries.Some of the books that have been banned in the past and present are surprising, such as Charlotte’s Web, The Color Purple and Fahrenheit 451. What are your thoughts about that? When does it end?And where does it start? Some [banned] book lists have 800 books on them. There's no way that [the people wanting to ban them] have read all 800 of these books. That's why I keep saying it's nefarious, because they don't really know what it is they're trying to ban. The Diary of Anne Frank gets caught up in there, and you have to wonder why people shouldn’t know about Nazism and World War II? It’s a part of world history. You remove Charlotte's Web, and you remove Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and you remove my book … then which books do they actually want kids to read? And, of course, it was the Nazis who also banned books, right? Which was [an early] sign of fascism.We are in a moment where people are tired of always having to answer to the smallest group of people that are affecting all of our lives. That’s what I learned with the Glen Ridge situation, where 500 people had to show up because a few people had issues with our books. That's why we have to fight book bans.Do you ever have young readers come to you and say that reading your book did something important for them?Yes, I've had several young people who have said that reading my book saved their life. I've had people who publicly have changed their name because of the chapter that I wrote about the fact that you have the right to change your name if you don't like it. One teen said that after he read my book, he named his sexual abuser. I get messages about how people say they feel seen for the first time, and they feel heard, and how having the book makes them feel like they also have a space in this world. It's been really beautiful to witness that.I’ve also heard from people who say my books help them build empathy for their friends. There have been heterosexual Black boys who have read the book and had questions about navigating the world as a Black person. And so it has a universal tone to it that allows all young adults to be able to get invested in it.
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[caption id="attachment_315492" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Tim Bouckley[/caption]When a group of parents in Glen Ridge calling itself Citizens Defending Education asked the town’s public library to pull from its shelves six books they deemed inappropriate for children, it caused a massive outcry in the town. Lawn signs decrying book bans sprang up, and a thousand people showed up at a meeting in February to oppose the proposed book ban. Even though New Jersey is considered a stronghold of the Democratic party, the state has seen growing attempts by conservative groups and parents to ban books. In the past year, officials have either removed books from shelves or fought those attempts in several towns, including Roxbury, Sparta, Bernards Township, Washington Township, Westfield, North Hunterdon and Wayne Township. To be sure, book bans in classrooms and libraries are also rising nationally, and few states have escaped the furor. Book bans rose 28 percent in the first half of the 2022-2023 school year according to free-speech advocacy group PEN America, with many of the attempts centered on books about race, sexual orientation, gender and history. Often, the challenges are brought by a vocal minority demanding that books be withdrawn from a public or school library or a classroom. That was the case in Glen Ridge, where eight families banded together to request that the library director and library board remove books they found offensive, including This Book is Gay, by Juno Dawson, and All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George M. Johnson. Fran Deacon, one of the Glen Ridge residents who spearheaded the drive to remove the books, says she and the others in her group found them vulgar and inappropriate for children. Ultimately, the group’s request was unanimously rejected by the library board. Organizations such as PEN America, a nonprofit that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and around the world, are closely watching as cases such as this one unfold. Kasey Meehan is the organization’s Freedom to Read program director and is leading its initiative to protect the rights of students to access literature. “This has certainly become a nationwide issue, and we see it growing and shape-shifting almost every week,” she says. “It’s being driven by individuals and group actors. In New Jersey, in addition to the movement to ban books, we’ve also seen a really strong effort by people mobilizing against book bans. That’s showing up both in proposed state legislation as well as with some of the groups that successfully resisted book bans in their own communities and school districts.”In May, state Senator Andrew Zwicker (D–Princeton) introduced a bill that would target libraries and public schools in New Jersey that move forward with book bans, resulting in a loss of state funding. Public libraries would also be required to adopt the American Library Association’s “Library Bill of Rights” under the bill, which calls for libraries to challenge censorship, bar book removal for “partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” and offer books with all points of view on current and historical issues. Meehan says she’s cautiously optimistic about such legislation, because too often, PEN has seen instances where county commissioners and library boards are willing to forgo funding in order to remove certain books. Many public school districts are finding themselves in the crosshairs, facing threats and pressure from parents on both sides of the issue. Librarians are often on the front line of the issue. Zwicker says he was moved to introduce his bill to prevent book bans after hearing Martha Hickson, a North Hunterdon High School librarian, speak about her successful effort to fight a group’s efforts to ban five LGBTQ-themed books at her school.This spring, a row erupted over a decision by the Bernards Township School Board to remove a new sociology textbook that it said was too extreme and ideological. A vocal group of parents and students tried unsuccessfully to push back against the decision.Last year in Wayne, parents challenged eight books they said were unsuitable for students and available in school libraries, including Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe. The effort to remove the books failed. School Superintendent Mark Toback said in published reports that the goal of the district was to provide books in which students could see their lives and struggles reflected. Overwhelmingly, books that are targeted for banning feature LGBTQ characters and are written by LGBTQ authors. Book-ban advocates also often target stories about racism, death, grief, violence, abuse and people of color. [caption id="attachment_315485" align="alignright" width="350"] Plainfield native George M. Johnson is one of the most banned authors in the country. Photo: Courtesy of Macmillan Publishers[/caption]One of the most banned authors in the country is George M. Johnson, a Plainfield native who penned All Boys Aren’t Blue, a memoir about growing up Black and queer in New Jersey and Virginia. The book was one of those targeted for removal by the Glen Ridge group. Johnson (who uses they/them pronouns) was unable to attend the Glen Ridge library board meeting regarding the book-ban requests, but their mother and aunts went in their place and spoke.Johnson was surprised when he learned that a group in Glen Ridge wanted to ban All Boys Aren’t Blue.“It was so close to home… and it was one of those moments where I had to sit with myself, because I would think that, at least in my own state, I wouldn’t have to deal with this,” Johnson says. “For me, it was about defending my book and defending the other books, and standing up for somebody who grew up in this state. When I was a teenager, I didn’t have access to this stuff. And so I created these books for the person that I was back then, who deserved to be able to read this stuff. I needed to stand up for 15-year-old me, who didn’t have a voice back then.” Johnson attended a Catholic high school and doesn’t believe their book would be allowed there now. “This was me fighting for that person who deserved to have this type of book and this type of resource when I was growing up,” Johnson says. Reagan Arthur, publisher of Alfred A. Knopf, lives in Montclair and says that a number of her authors have been banned around the country, including Julie Otsuka, who penned The Buddha in the Attic, about a group of young women who were brought from Japan to San Francisco to become brides, and notably, Toni Morrison for her novel The Bluest Eye.In January, Washington Township in Gloucester County removed The Bluest Eye from its curriculum after a parent objected to it, creating a controversy there.Arthur says she’s troubled that people are trying to ban books in this day and age. “It’s a slippery slope,” she says. “In any society where we’ve seen book banning, even worse things happen. I don’t think anybody can point to an instance of books being banned where society thereafter became more free, more equal, or better in any way. So, if history is a guide, I think we should take heed and note that ideas —both good and bad—need air, and that people need the freedom to find them, and that if we try and suppress them, it only leads to further trouble down the road.”While some authors may gain a measure of notoriety—and more book sales—for having their books banned, Arthur says they are in the minority.“For every story about an author whose banned book gets in the news and sells some copies, I think there are many more who can quietly disappear. It takes place at the local elementary-school library level where, say, a librarian decides they’re not going to stock Beverly Cleary anymore; then those books are suddenly just not available to kids. It not only affects an author’s income, but in the long term, it could inhibit what authors feel free to write about,” she says. “If freedom of speech is threatened, then it threatens all of us.” A SELECTED HISTORY OF BOOK BANNING Here are some of the books that have been banned in the United States with their original publication dates: All Boys Aren’t Blue (2020) by George M. Johnson * Almost Perfect (2009) by Brian Katcher * Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell * The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain * And Tango Makes Three (2005) by Justin Richardson * Beloved (1987) by Toni Morrison * The Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison * Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley * The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger * The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker * Dear Martin (2017) by Nic Stone * Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury * Gender Queer: a Memoir (2019) by Maia Kobabe * The Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck * The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood * The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas * How to Be an Antiracist (2019) by Ibram X. Kendi * I Am Jazz (2014) by Jazz Jennings * Killing Mr. Griffin (1978) by Lois Duncan * The Kite Runner (2003) by Khaled Hosseini * Lawn Boy (2018) by Jonathan Evison * Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding * Of Mice and Men (1937) by John Steinbeck * The Satanic Verses (1958) by Salman Rushdie * Slaughterhouse Five (1969) by Kurt Vonnegut * Speak (1999) by Laurie Halse Anderson * To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee * Tricks (2009) by Ellen Hopkins * Ulysses* (1920) by James Joyce
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It’s not unusual for Lisa Ford, senior director of the Arc of New Jersey, to see parents crying while touring college campuses with their children. They shed tears because, a few years ago, college was unimaginable for their children, who have autism and/or other developmental disabilities.
“One mom told me that, because of these programs, her daughter, who has autism, can now attend college like her [neurotypical] brother,” Ford says. “Some of the earlier support programs for students with autism have been around for almost 10 years, but families are unaware these programs exist.”
She points to programs at Raritan Valley Community College and Mercer County Community College as two of the first to offer extended services and support to students with special needs. Broader supports at Rowan University, the College of New Jersey, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutgers University and Stockton University are among the newer programs.
While all higher-education campuses have disability offices, what sets these newer programs apart are the weekly counseling sessions, the meetings with graduate students, the social get-togethers, and programs that teach self-advocacy and organizational and time-management skills.
“It’s a game-changer for many of these students,” Ford says. “Families want these programs.”
Julie Gerber, 19, who hails from Chester, is in her sophomore year at Rowan University.
“I don’t think I would have made it this far at a different school,” she says. “The support systems, as long as you use them, are plentiful and helpful.”
Rowan University’s PATH (Preparation and Achievement in the Transition to Hire) program originally focused on students with autism.
“We’ve listened to a lot of parents and students who want to go to college,” says Chiara Jean Latimer, PATH program coordinator at Rowan University and codirector of the Center for Neurodiversity, says. “We expanded PATH to students with ADD, ADHD, and other learning disabilities. Our program was designed to teach good study habits so our students stay on track.”
Counseling sessions take place once or twice a week and cover everything from mental health to making sure students keep up with their course loads.
“For many of these students, this is the first time they’re away from home. College is a time when students start to see themselves as adults, and we treat them as adults,” says Latimer.
Latimer adds: “It’s exciting and, at times, overwhelming. We tailor PATH to the individual student, and we offer guidance so our students can be successful and have fun.”
Gerber says she chose Rowan for three reasons: “The disability support, the engineering program, and the vibe of the campus.”
“Plus it’s only a couple of hours from home,” she says.
“Navigating all the issues I’ve run into with my disabilities has been the biggest way PATH has helped me,” says Gerber. “In addition to autism, I have anxiety and nasty migraines. PATH has helped me with speaking to teachers about the accommodations I need, with finding medical resources—both physical and mental—and with managing classwork and life.”
Rumson native Noah Mazzeo, who graduated from Ramapo College’s ENHANCE program in 2021, wanted a marketing job covering sports. After graduating from Ramapo, he worked with the Jersey Shore Blue Claws, a minor league baseball team,studying sports business.
“Not only did Ramapo’s ENHANCE support my academic and social success, it provided me with the necessary resources and tools to flourish well beyond life on campus,” he says.
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The post NJ Colleges, Universities Offer Increasingly Inclusive Campus Cultures appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
The Lord & Taylor department store was a mainstay in Westfield for nearly 60 years, a venerable anchor on the edge of the Union County suburb’s vibrant downtown.
But the store turned off the cash registers and shut its doors in 2020. That left a void—but also an opportunity to reengineer a walkable and bikeable “downtown of the future,” says Mayor Shelley Brindle, who is backing a plan to use more than $400 million in private investment for mixed-use redevelopment, totaling 14 acres, at the Lord & Taylor site and nearby town-owned parking lots.
Like the Westfield Lord & Taylor, many stand-alone downtown department stores have become relics, swept aside by suburban malls and, more recently, online shopping. A number of cities and towns around the state—including Asbury Park, Morristown, Newark, Hackensack and Millburn—have acted to remake the sites that were once the heart of their downtowns.
The projects take advantage of a wider trend in the Garden State: a surge of downtown multifamily and mixed-use development reflecting residents’ growing interest in living in dense, pedestrian-friendly environments—the same vibe that attracted the department stores so many decades ago.
“People want to live in compact, walkable places. They want to be able to drive less, and that’s historically how our cities and towns and downtowns were developed, before the car was king,” says Peter Kasabach, executive director of NJ Future, a Trenton-based nonprofit that advocates for smart growth and redevelopment. The best downtown redevelopments, he adds, offer pedestrians a variety of experiences: window shopping, people watching, getting coffee, eating in a restaurant.
[RELATED: 12 Small Towns to Visit Now]
Developers and municipalities see opportunity in the old department store properties, which often include large parking lots and can offer a relatively expansive canvas for their ambitions.
Short Hills-based Garden Communities is building a $110 million, 270-unit apartment and townhouse rental community called the Metropolitan on the site of a former Saks Fifth Avenue in Springfield, adjoining Millburn.
“For a 10-acre parcel to be available on Millburn Avenue on the border of Springfield and Millburn is really something that was hard to come by,” says Scott Loventhal, managing director of Garden Communities.
Another nearby department store, a former Lord & Taylor in Millburn, has already been converted into a mixed-use building that holds medical offices, a Trader Joe’s and a CVS.
[caption id="attachment_315026" align="aligncenter" width="778"] The One Westfield Place proposal includes retail space, 300,000 square feet of office space, more than 200 apartments and townhouses, parking garages, green space, and pathways adjacent to the train station. Rendering courtesy of Streetworks Development[/caption]
Saks left its Springfield site in 1994, moving to the Mall at Short Hills (That location then closed in 2016). The Springfield property sat empty for decades, as local opposition and fears about traffic stymied a proposal to build a supermarket. According to Loventhal, the Metropolitan is expected to generate revenues for Springfield of about $1.1 million a year, projected to rise to $2.2 million in later years, through a 30-year payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement. Before the redevelopment, the site generated annual property taxes of about $200,000, Loventhal says.
PILOTs are based on a percentage of a project’s yearly revenues and typically generate less than the actual tax rate. They’re frequently used to encourage redevelopment; in some places, municipal officials say, the deals wouldn’t happen without the tax breaks. But some critics, including those opposing the Westfield plan, complain about the use of PILOTs in well-heeled suburbs, which they say can attract development without them.
Shuttered Spaces
Many of the departed department stores have colorful histories and memorable stories that still resonate. At Steinbach’s in Asbury Park, holiday shoppers got a shock in 1949, when a mechanical Santa toppled over and burst into flames. The Seeing Eye of Morristown used Epstein’s department store in the heart of town to train guide dogs to navigate interior spaces, because “it offered elevators, escalators and a variety of floor surfaces,” says Michelle Barlak, a spokeswoman for the Seeing Eye. And the facade of the Century 21 in Morristown features medallions honoring George Washington and other notables of New Jersey’s Revolutionary history.
Between Epstein’s and Century 21, Morristown has more experience than most communities with obsolete department stores. The family-owned Epstein’s closed in 2004, after 90 years in business. By 2010, the site was redeveloped into 40 Park, consisting of condos and ground-floor retail and restaurants. Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty says the redevelopment, along with other projects, has helped enliven the downtown, where folks relax on the Green, stroll the sidewalks, and eat and drink at the many restaurants.
It’s also a financial help. According to the mayor, Epstein’s used to pay about $300,000 a year in taxes; in contrast, 40 Park brings in annual tax revenues of about $2.8 million.
“We’re in it to get more ratables and bring people into our downtown,” says Dougherty. “If you walk this town, you can see the result of what’s going on— people are walking around and spending money in our businesses. People want to live in downtowns. Small urban centers like Morristown are very attractive.”
[RELATED: Downtowns Are Breathing New Life Into Empty Old Banks]
But diagonally across the Green from 40 Park, the red-brick Century 21 department store has been vacant since the discount retailer declared bankruptcy in late 2020, the victim of a Covid sales slump. The building dates to 1949, when it opened as a Bamberger’s; it was later rebranded as Macy’s, but closed in 1993 and sat empty until Century 21 took the space in 2002. A recent peek through the storefront windows showed empty counters and shelves, and clothing racks huddled in forlorn groups.
What comes next for the building is not clear. The owner, Penobscot Management, which also owns most of the nearby properties along that side of the Green, has not announced plans and did not respond to requests for comment.
A Destination Downtown
In Hackensack, plans are taking shape for the redevelopment of the landmark Sears built in 1932, as the city was becoming “a destination downtown,” says Albert Dib, director of redevelopment and economic development for the city. The Sears closed in 2020. The city expects the site to be redeveloped as a mixed-use project, part of a larger effort to revive Hackensack’s old shopping district and other neighborhoods, with an estimated 4,000 apartments planned or built in recent years.
In many of these redevelopment projects, developers find it’s not practical to keep the old buildings. But Hackensack officials want the Sears redevelopment to preserve the original Art Deco architecture.
In Asbury Park, the iconic V-shaped building that housed the flagship Steinbach department store was renovated with restaurants and retail on the ground floor and 63 loft-style apartments on the three floors above. The building, which dates to 1897 and became an eyesore after the department store closed in 1979, is considered a linchpin in the rebirth of Cookman Avenue. At around the same time, the Steinbach in Red Bank was remade into a home for the high-end clothier Garmany, reflecting the rising fortunes of that downtown.
The redevelopment of Hahne’s in Newark preserved the 1901-vintage store, including its airy, open atrium. The 400,000-square-foot store was vacant from 1987 to 2017, when it reopened as a Whole Foods Market, 160 apartments, a Barnes & Noble book store serving the Rutgers-Newark campus, and Express Newark, a Rutgers-created center for socially conscious art and design.
Another Hahne’s store, in the heart of downtown Montclair, has been replaced by apartments.
An Ambitious Plan
The Westfield redevelopment plan, dubbed One Westfield Place, is one of the most ambitious department store rehabs. It includes retail space, 300,000 square feet of office space, more than 200 apartments and townhouses, parking garages, green space, and pathways adjacent to the downtown train station.
Backers say it will draw more foot traffic to the central business district, but opponents say it’s too big and fear it will compete with existing businesses. A suit has been filed to block the plan, and there are more than 2,400 signatures on a petition urging town leaders to rethink the development.
But town review and approvals are proceeding, and Mayor Brindle says the first stages of the redevelopment could begin in late 2024. The Westfield plan is spearheaded by Streetworks Development, the redevelopment arm of the Canada-based Hudson’s Bay Company, owners of Saks and Lord & Taylor.
Like other projects around the state, the Westfield plan is a public-private partnership that uses PILOTs.
Brindle notes that the Westfield plan includes more than $54 million in long-term public improvements funded by the PILOT, such as upgraded intersections and new green space.
“Our community is going to be in good hands for the future,” she says.
Kathleen Lynn and Patricia Alex are contributing writers to New Jersey Monthly. Both are former reporters and editors at The Record of Bergen County.
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The post How NJ Downtowns Are Reinventing Themselves in the Face of Change appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
If you’re about to buy school supplies for your back-to-schooler and were worried about the cost, there’s some good news because for the second year in a row, New Jersey is offering a sales tax holiday for school supply purchases, including notebooks, pens and pencils.
The tax holiday starts this Saturday and continues for the next 10 days, ending September 4. New Jersey’s sales tax is 6.625%, although clothes and groceries are permanently exempt.
Also included in the sales tax break are computers that cost up to $3,000 (and not used for business), art supplies and sports equipment. School computer supplies that cost less than $1,000 are also exempt under the special holiday.
There is no limit to how many supplies customers may purchase under this program, and anyone can buy them. The sales tax holiday applies to both stores and online outlets.
“Back-to-school excitement can easily turn to stress for both parents and teachers, particularly those who are struggling to make ends meet,” Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement. “We’re committed to making New Jersey more affordable in ways both big and small.”
The tax holiday was created to address concerns about inflation and the high cost of living in New Jersey.
This week, the state also enacted a new law that requires merchants to be transparent about any fees they are passing on to customers who pay with a credit card instead of cash.
In an effort to address “period poverty,” Murphy this week also signed a bill requiring public school districts to provide menstrual products free of charge to girls in grades 6 through 12.
A 2021 study found that one in four American teens struggle to afford these products—girls of color and those from low-income families are especially in need of them.
Murphy said that the stress and stigma for students who could not access menstrual products was potentially distracting them from their classes or forcing them to skip school.
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The post Back-to-School Shopping in NJ Just Got Cheaper: Sales Tax Holiday on School Supplies appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_314644" align="alignnone" width="778"] "I'm always training," says race-car driver Frankie Montecalvo. Photo: Courtesy of Rick Dole[/caption]
A dozen times a year, Frankie Montecalvo races cars on the AIM Vasser Sullivan team, competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The 32-year-old Highlands native is a 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Champion, and is currently chief of field operations at Bayshore Recycling, his family's business. Montecalvo recently chatted with New Jersey Monthly.
How do you explain a SportsCar Championship?It’s a series of races with different levels of cars that are either prototypes or similar to a street car that comes off the showroom floor. It’s the highest level of sports car racing in the world.
What do you drive?A Lexus RC F GT3 is my car. It looks similar to a Lexus RC F at the dealer—headlights, taillights, shape of the car—but we have a massive aero wing, a rear diffuser under the car, and splitters.
How fast do you go?The tracks with the longest straightaways are the fastest, like the Daytona International Speedway. There, we’re right under 190 mph for 24 hours. At Daytona, we have four drivers on the same car, and I probably drive three or four times for a total of six hours. For the shorter races (such as Battle on the Bricks in Indianapolis, September 15-17), it’s two drivers per car, splitting driving time roughly in half.
Is there an ideal body type for the sport?The lighter the driver, the lighter the car. I’m 5’8”, which is a great size for a race car driver. My co-driver and I are identical in size. We fit in the same seat.
How do you prepare for a race?I’m always training—cardio, running, weights, kayaking. We have a great area here (Hartshorne Woods in Highlands) for mountain biking. Cars get extremely hot. You have fire suits on, everything is closed up in the cockpit. Airflow’s not great. It’s always hot; it’s always hard.
And for a race weekend?Racing is very mental. Get the track fresh in your mind. Luckily, my team has a simulator in Charlotte, North Carolina.
What advice would you give aspiring race car drivers?Get an engineering degree. Every driver can drive. If you can talk to the engineer in terms he can understand, it gives you a leg up on the competition.
What’s the most frequent question you’re asked by people who aren’t racing car fans?When I say I’m doing a 24-hour race, they ask, ‘How do you go to the bathroom in the car?’ The answer is that you’re sweating so much, you don’t have to.
How young were you when you started working in the family business, Bayshore Recycling?I feel like you’re born into that. I’ve been there since my dad could hold me in his arms on a bulldozer. I have a lot of respect working for my parents because they grew the business to what it is today.
When did you decide to concentrate more on your work at Bayshore Recycling instead of race car driving?When I started getting a little older, I made a decision to take it more seriously. I really needed to be there, to be more involved and to help grow our company to be more successful. It’s a family business. If I didn’t have a family business, I’d still live here in New Jersey. I love it here.
What’s your favorite Jersey drive?I always love going to Sandy Hook in the offseason. You can drive along the water on a motorcycle or in a car with no one there and the sun setting. It’s beautiful.
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The post Frankie Montecalvo Talks Racing, Training and His Favorite Jersey Drive appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_314620" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Daniel Diosdado[/caption]
In the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, the title character, played by Madonna at the height of her black leather-and-lace-wearing fame, is asked where she has been. She’s been gone so long that people thought she was dead. “No,” Susan responds. “Just in New Jersey.” That line has stuck with me my entire life—and so has a sense of shame.
I was born and raised in New Jersey, but my mother, a transplant from Brooklyn before Brooklyn was cool, would not admit in conversation to our New Jersey address. When asked where she lived, she would say, “Englewood, outside of the city,” as if somehow that wasn’t New Jersey. I never saw the waterfalls in Paterson. I went to the Bronx Zoo. We went to the beach on Long Island, taking day trips to Jones Beach and vacations in Montauk. Honestly, I did not know the Jersey Shore even existed.
Sad to say, when I received a scholarship to attend Rutgers, I did not give it a moment of consideration. I was not going to live in New Jersey for another day. After college in Pennsylvania, I hightailed it to San Francisco. I knew no one there at the time. I had no friends and no place to live, but the city represented an idea of the literary life I wanted to lead. I got a job in a bookstore.
Life, as I am sure everybody over 30 knows, takes you places you don’t expect, like San Francisco, where I lived for five years; like Kenya and Tanzania, where I traveled with a friend just because she invited me; like Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a town famous for its golf courses and hospitals, where I went to graduate school for a degree in creative writing because I got my second offer of free tuition. I did not pass it up, but I was not destined to live in Mississippi.
My roundabout journey took me to Astoria, Queens, then Germany with my then husband, and now—can you guess?—back to Jersey.
And not by default. New Jersey is a proud choice I made. This is the state where I chose to raise my daughter as a single mother. Where I send my daughter to public school, where I vote for candidates who represent my values. We go to Asbury Park for a fun beach day, with coffee at Asbury Park Roastery, popsicles at Betty’s, and Korean tacos on the boardwalk at Mogo’s. When we want a quiet beach day, we go to Spring Lake.
I live in Montclair, a town where I can get my hipster literary kicks at Watchung Booksellers readings and the Montclair Literary Festival. Sometimes, I run into the book editor of the New York Times at my favorite café. It’s called Local, which I suppose is what I am.
My daughter is proud of her New Jersey roots. I ask her, sometimes, if she would rather live in New Jersey or New York, where her cousins live. Her answer is always, unflappably, New Jersey. I wonder where she will go to college.
Marcy Dermansky is a best-selling novelist who lives in Montclair with her daughter and two cats. Her novel, Hurricane Girl, is out in paperback.
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The post Getting Into a Jersey State of Mind appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Affirmative action. The discussion has changed dramatically since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June on two critical cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the impact of which will surely be felt by public universities and colleges here in New Jersey.
The court’s decision dealt with the consideration of race as one factor in higher-education admissions, but the rejection of the use of race in these cases has far-reaching implications. The conservative, right-leaning court did what it was expected to do, and the ruling’s effect will not be limited to barring the use of race as part of the admissions criteria to college; it will potentially impact affirmative action initiatives in corporations and organizations large and small.
Race-conscious criteria in college admissions had been used to create greater diversity and to address long-standing discrimination against people of color. Now that the Supreme Court has banned it, I believe deeply that every leader must be committed to creating greater diversity and inclusion in our organizations. How we go about that is going to have to change. Simply put, what’s next?
Let’s acknowledge that there is no perfect way to do this, but there is strong sentiment in favor of putting greater emphasis on socioeconomic factors in place of race. But what does that really mean and how would that work? There is a high correlation between socioeconomic status and race. So why not give more weight to socioeconomic status when it comes to competing for admission to college or a coveted job? Even without affirmative action as we know it, those who care about diversity and creating opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized Americans still bear a responsibility to come up with a viable alternative.
If we are going to be honest, we must acknowledge that using race-conscious criteria has created some degree of white resentment. I’m not talking about resentment from right-wing, Trump-loving MAGA zealots, but rather from decent, common-sense, empathetic non-minorities who worry and wonder about future opportunities, not only for themselves but their children. However, to argue that affirmative action (in any form) is no longer needed when it comes to racial equity is unrealistic and unjust. We are playing catch-up for years of racial discrimination and exclusion, not to mention historical government and corporate policies that denied opportunities to people of color.
So where is the middle ground? What is a legitimate alternative to race-conscious affirmative action policies? There are no easy answers. It’s complicated. It’s messy. But let’s have the uncomfortable but necessary conversation about what’s next when it comes to affirmative action. I suggest we start by giving more weight to socioeconomic factors for coveted opportunities in institutions of every form.
What are your thoughts on the future of affirmative action and what should we do next? Write to me at SteveAdubato@gmail.com.
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award–winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show, and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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The post The Future of Affirmative Action in New Jersey appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_314210" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Frank Stockton[/caption]
When I first moved to Madison a few years ago, after more than two decades in Brooklyn, I set about trying to replicate all the little rituals that had gotten me through my days. Most of these seemed to involve food; in the strip malls of Parsippany I was pleased to find a smaller approximation of the global food center that is Queens.
There was one staple missing, however, and with a pang, I wondered if it was destined to be a ghost of my Brooklyn days. I am talking here about soccer. In some form or another, whether competitive league or casual pickup, I’d been playing the “beautiful game” since I was in my 20s.
In Madison, there was soccer everywhere, but it always seemed to involve kids, with parents shouting on the sidelines. When I met a neighbor, Andrea, a native of Bologna, he confided in me the same wish. But he didn’t know of any games. Then, a few months later, I got a text: He’d found one on Thursday nights at the local recreation complex. I wrangled an invite to the WhatsApp list—the glue that binds all kinds of modern social arrangements. The group was called Madison Soccer and Beers. As you might expect, it involved playing soccer and then, afterwards, drinking a few beers (local pub 54 Main has a standing order for two plates of nachos).
It quickly became the highlight of my week. Sure, there was the game itself, competitive but jovial, played semi-officially in the final hour the lights were kept on at the field, after the teenage lacrosse teams had packed up for the night. But what I was really missing, I realized, was the social aspect. When it comes to making new friends, middle-aged men (I’m in my mid-50s) are essentially a high-risk group. But here, I’d suddenly met an incredibly diverse range of people—nearly a dozen nationalities among several dozen members—united by this simple, powerful passion. And it wasn’t confined to the pub or the field. We would gather for a home-cooked meal at the home of Andrea, later indulging in a sing-along around the fire pit led by James, a Liverpudlian, on guitar. During the last World Cup, Alberto, a Mexico City native, had us over for tacos and mezcal. We’re already making plans for the 2026 World Cup—happily, a number of games, maybe even the final, will be held at MetLife Stadium.
I have opted out of any number of Thursday-night invitations, vaguely citing some preexisting event. My dedication pales, however, compared to Phillip, who was among the group’s founding members. He moved to San Diego, where he found, to his dismay, that he couldn’t recreate what he’d had in New Jersey. But his work often brings him to New York. After a day’s meetings, he begs off drinks with colleagues and finds his way to the field, then the pub. The late-night foray to Madison doesn’t make his intercoastal commute any easier, but it’s worth it, he says, to play the old game with old friends.
Tom Vanderbilt is the author, most recently, of "Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning."
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The post Cultivating a Community Through Soccer appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In the late afternoon sunlight of a brilliant day in May, Joseph Mulvanerton knelt beside Timmy Wiltsey’s grave and apologized to a boy he had never met. He reached out and ran his fingers over the gravestone’s cool, marble face. “We really tried, Tim. We really, really tried,’’ said Mulvanerton. “I’m sorry for it all.”
In 1992, police found what was left of 5-year-old Timmy Wiltsey half buried on the banks of Red Root Creek, a stream that drains the swamps and salt marshes along the Raritan River in Edison.
Mulvanerton, an easygoing man in his early 60s who works as an account manager for a New York financial firm, was juror number 2 in the first-degree murder trial of Michelle Lodzinski—little Timmy’s mother.
For 43 days in 2016, Mulvanerton sat in a Middlesex County courtroom and fought back his emotions while prosecutors argued that Lodzinski had killed her son, dumped his body in the swamp, and then concocted an elaborate cover-up to escape detection.
After the jury found Lodzinski guilty of first-degree murder, Mulvanerton went home and sobbed for two hours. “The jurors were just ripped up,’’ he says. “We watched Michelle Lodzinski just sitting there day after day, cold as ice, not showing the slightest bit of emotion, even as they talked about how wild animals had torn up the body of her son.”
“We tried to get it right for Tim. We wanted to give this child some kind of peace, and we walked out of that courtroom feeling a guilty verdict was right.’’
But barely five years after Lodzinski had been sentenced to 30 years in prison, a deeply divided New Jersey Supreme Court overturned her conviction and set her free. Justice Barry Albin, who cast the tie-breaking vote on the seven-member court and wrote the majority opinion, said there wasn’t enough hard evidence showing Lodzinski had actually done it.
The court’s ruling on December 28, 2021, brought an official end to one of most tortuous criminal-justice sagas in recent New Jersey memory, and ensured that Lodzinski would remain free, under the principle that criminal defendants in America can only be tried once for the same crime. Police say the court’s decision has effectively closed off further investigation into Lodzinski, the only serious suspect, and precluded the hunt for DNA evidence or other physical evidence.
But more than a year and a half after Lodzinski’s conviction was overturned, people who were involved in the case are still coming to terms with the reality that there may never be justice for Timothy Wiltsey, who would have turned 38 years old this month.
They still recall every jarring fact about the little boy’s disappearance, the discovery of his body, the bizarre behavior and fabrications of Lodzinski as police pursued her, the stalled investigation and two decades of cold-case limbo, the eventual prosecution and conviction, and the stunning reversal.
New Jersey Monthly is revisiting the case to tell those people’s stories. They say they have decided to speak in fresh detail now in order to help bring closure and to commemorate the lost boy.
“It was the case of our lifetime,’’ says James Ryan, the deputy police chief of South Brunswick.
On May 25, 1991, Ryan was just 22 years old and working as a member of the rescue squad in South Amboy, the Middlesex County town where he was born and raised. About 7:30 pm, a call came in about a young boy who had gone missing from the Elks Club carnival at Kennedy Park in Sayreville.
Timmy, a kindergarten student at St. Mary’s Elementary School, had been wearing red shorts, a red tank top and his favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sneakers. Lodzinski told police she’d brought her son to the park around 7 pm, put him on three rides, and then left him by himself—for just a moment—while she went to buy a soda. “I turned around and he was gone,’’ Lodzinksi told police.
The carnival shut down as officials scoured the grounds. By dawn, hundreds of volunteers had spread out around the carnival site, surrounding woods and fields. A scuba team got involved. Searchers trolled the town’s bayfront and playgrounds around the duplex apartment where Lodzinski, a single mother, lived with her son. Within 24 hours, the New Jersey State Police and FBI had joined the hunt.
“If we didn’t find Timmy right away, the chances of ever finding him would go down dramatically,’’ Ryan tells New Jersey Monthly. “I think everyone in the whole town knew these hours were critical.’’
Before cell phones and social media, getting word out about a missing child was a challenge. Ryan didn’t even have access to a working copy machine that Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, so he asked local businesses to print fliers.
Within days, news of Timmy’s disappearance had aired on TV news across the region. His picture was printed on milk cartons. Ryan and teachers at Timmy’s school began raising money for a campaign designed to keep the boy’s name out there. But weeks passed with no news.
Five months later, a high school chemistry teacher with an interest in birdwatching was tramping through wetlands behind the Raritan Center industrial park in Edison when he stumbled on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sneaker in the mud. Daniel O’Malley had heard about Timmy’s disappearance and turned the shoe in to the police.
The discovery turned out to be the key to finding Timmy’s remains.
“I’d like to think our efforts to keep the public looking for clues had some part in the discovery of that shoe,’’ Ryan says. “I only know we kept trying; we kept hoping that some kind of answer would show up.’’
About three weeks after Timmy disappeared, Lodzinski sat for an interview with New Jersey State Police lieutenant Jerry Lewis. Now retired, Lewis was, even at that early stage of his career, considered perhaps New Jersey’s most effective detector of lies.
Like many in law enforcement, Lewis was trained in the use of the polygraph. He was supervisor of the state’s polygraph unit for many years. But his signature skill lay in the obscure discipline known as statement analysis, which, as Lewis explains, is a kind of deep listening that can reveal clues hidden in the words of a suspect. Lewis has conducted more than 4,000 criminal examinations and extracted dozens of confessions, even in homicide cases. He has taught his techniques to more than 30,000 professionals.
By the time Lodzinski sat down with Lewis, she was already the prime suspect. She had changed her story several times. Initially, she said, Timmy had simply vanished. At another point, she claimed another person had been involved, a mysterious go-go girl named Ellen. Her latest story involved a claim that Timmy had been snatched by a man with a knife.
Police never found Ellen. But they built a thick file on 23-year-old Lodzinski, who was financially stressed and sometimes stayed out all night, leaving Timmy with babysitters. Timmy had missed school more than 20 days that year and been recorded late for class more than 60 times.
“When I entered the picture, they had their suspect, but they didn’t have a confession and they didn’t have a body,’’ Lewis told New Jersey Monthly in May.
At the outset of an interview that stretched more than five hours, Lodzinski uttered words Lewis found revealing. She repeated the words several times: “I would never hurt my son.’’ The suspect’s careful and repeated choice of the same words, Lewis says, signaled she knew the truth about Timmy’s disappearance.
“Nobody wants to see themselves as a criminal; they want to see themselves as a normal person who made a mistake,’’ Lewis says. “She saw herself as a good mother, and she wanted the world to see that too.’’
Lewis asked Lodzinski to remember all she could about the man who she claimed had held a knife to Timmy in woods near the carnival. Lodzinski, he says, drew a picture of the knife and described the woods as a place next to an abandoned building. He then asked her, “Where exactly are these woods?’’ Lewis says his question was followed by a long silence where Lodzinski slumped and looked at the floor. “She was in the classic confession pose,’’ Lewis says.
It was then that a police officer who was also in the interview room broke the silence in a fit of anger: “Jerry, she’s a liar and she killed her kid!’’ The outburst, Lewis says, broke off the interview.
Neither Lodzinski nor her lawyer responded to requests to be interviewed for this story.
Despite the publicity surrounding Timmy’s disappearance and the mass of circumstantial evidence, prosecutors decided in 1992 that there was simply not enough to charge Lodzinski.
Twenty years passed. In the interim, Lodzinski had moved to Florida, gotten married, and had two more boys. Then, in 2011, the Middlesex County prosecutor’s office revived the case in a general review of cold cases. In the evidence locker was a blue blanket that had been found near Timmy’s remains. Lodzinski said she didn’t recognize it, and forensic tests did not yield clues that could tie it to her.
The prosecutors then took a simple step they had not taken in 1992 when the blanket was found: They showed it to one of Timmy’s babysitters, who immediately recognized it as the boy’s favorite blanket. Another sitter described snuggling with the boy under it.
Wielding the blanket and new testimony, prosecutors arrested Lodzinski on August 6, 2014—the day Timmy would have turned 29. Two years later, Lodzinski was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years without the possibility of parole.
Gerald Krovatin, Lodzinski’s lawyer, argued that it would be a miscarriage of justice to convict her without physical evidence proving where and why she had killed Timmy. Six years later, a majority of the state Supreme Court agreed.
For Joseph Mulvanerton, the overturning of Lodzinki’s conviction reawakened his feelings in the jury box. Once again, he could see the graphic images and see Timmy’s mother sitting there.
Standing over Timmy’s gravestone at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Keyport this past May, he picked up toy cars someone had placed on the grave along with flowers. Someone had also left behind a smiling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy.
“Well, Lodzinski got her appeal,” Mulvanerton said. “But where’s my appeal? Where’s Timmy’s appeal?’’
Jeff Pillets is an award-winning investigative reporter.
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Maybe you’ve seen those stickers that say Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas? Now, New Jersey has become the only place in the country where drivers won’t have to pump their own gas.
On Friday, Oregon—the only other state with full-service gas stations—began allowing drivers there to choose whether they want to pump their own gas or choose the full-service option. Governor Tina Kotek signed a bill lifting the state's 72-year-old ban on self-service pumping.
The New Jersey legislature passed the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act way back in 1949, saying residents here shouldn’t pump their own gas due to safety concerns, such as fire hazards.
Since then, there have been multiple attempts to lift the ban in the Garden State, but they’ve always failed.
In 2006, former Governor Jon Corzine proposed a pilot program to allow self-service gas stations on the New Jersey Turnpike, but he changed his mind after receiving 1,400 angry emails and phone calls, saying: “This is not a fight that you want to take to the death.”
Then, in 2009, Chris Christie brought up the idea of self-service gas stations in the Garden State, while he was on the campaign trail. But by the time he became governor, he’d changed his mind, saying it was never going to happen.
Last year, a bill in the state Legislature to allow drivers to fill up their tanks on their own died before it even came up for a vote.
A 2022 Monmouth University poll found that more than half of New Jersey residents favored allowing motorists to pump their own gas—but only if a full-service option was also available.
Despite the ban, New Jersey still has some of the lowest-priced gas in the nation: According to AAA, the national average price is $3.829 per gallon, and here it’s only $3.272 per gallon.
After bagels, pizza and beaches, it’s just another reason New Jersey is the best state in the nation.
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[caption id="attachment_313895" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver cared deeply about her fellow New Jerseyans, and wore it on her sleeve. Photo courtesy of Tim Larsen/Governor's Office[/caption]
Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, who passed away suddenly at the beginning of August at the age of 71, was an extraordinary public servant. She cared deeply about making a difference for New Jerseyans, particularly those in urban communities. She entered public service for all the right reasons, which is all too rare in government and politics today.
I knew Sheila for well over 30 years. She was from Essex County, as I am. For those around the state who may not be familiar with Essex County politics, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s rough, it’s nasty, it’s dirty, and for decades it was dominated by older white men—otherwise known as political bosses, many of whom were not particularly interested in public service. That’s the political environment that Sheila Oliver entered.
What was so amazing to me about her was that she could stand toe-to-toe with those bosses. While she was Assembly speaker—the first African American woman to serve in that prestigious role—she stood her ground with then Governor Chris Christie. She never backed down. Christie could be stubborn, but so could Sheila Oliver. No matter who raised their voice and tried to intimidate her, she never raised hers. She was classy and dignified, but that shouldn’t be confused with weakness or subservience. Sheila was willing to put her political career on the line when she stood up for what she believed in. In fact, that was in part what cost her the Assembly Speakership in 2013, when the political bosses decided her time was up.
She was an educator at her core who came from a teaching background. In 2010, the Stand & Deliver youth leadership development program I helped found honored her with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award. At the awards ceremony, she delivered a powerful message to several hundred Newark teenagers about making a difference through public service, caring about others, and, yes, standing up for what you believe. She was never an overly fiery public speaker, but when she spoke, you somehow knew you would be better off by just listening.
The tributes to Lieutenant Governor Oliver have been pouring in since she passed away, including from those who knew her best, like Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, the first African American woman to serve in the New Jersey congressional delegation, who said, “Sheila was a fierce advocate for the economically disadvantaged, for equal opportunities, and was one of the finest examples of a public servant our state has seen.”
One of the last times I saw the Sheila in person was in September 2022 at an annual 9/11 memorial service at Eagle Rock Reservation, organized by Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo. I emcee the event every year, and every year since 2002, Sheila has been there. When I introduced her to speak last year, her gait was a bit shaky, as was her voice, but her words were no less moving. She talked directly to the families of the 9/11 victims from Essex County. She spoke with empathy, grace and compassion. While Sheila got emotional, so did those family members, and the rest of us in attendance. Simply put, Sheila Oliver cared deeply about others and wore it on her sleeve. No prepared, scripted, staff-written speech. It was from the heart, just trying to offer a sliver of hope to those in need.
New Jersey and the nation will miss Sheila Oliver. We are in need of more leaders like her. A life well lived, Sheila made a difference for so many. May she rest in peace.
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award–winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show, and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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[caption id="attachment_313811" align="alignnone" width="778"] Montclair employment lawyer Nancy Erika Smith has made a name for herself by winning cases for those who face discrimination in the workplace based on age, race, gender or sexual orientation. Photo: John Sotomayor/The New York Times/Redux[/caption]
Nancy Erika Smith, an employment and civil rights lawyer, famously represented former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson in her successful sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, taking him down in the process. A Montclair resident, she has made a name for herself by winning cases for those who face discrimination in the workplace based on age, race, gender or sexual orientation, and has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. She’s been practicing for more than 42 years.
You represented Gretchen Carlson in her lawsuit against Roger Ailes and Fox News. What was the most surprising thing about the case for you?At the time, I didn’t know that Roger Ailes was such a serial sexual predator, but that was revealed during the case. Probably the most surprising thing was that our society allowed a man to abuse women for 50 years. I talked to women in every decade, from when he was on The Mike Douglas Show, and there were women abused by him in every job he had who came forward after Gretchen came forward, really bravely.
And that’s really what the Me Too movement is about—women supporting other women coming out because they want to say, “It happened to me too,” in order to support other women. And I think that’s really changed things, because apparently one woman saying she’s been sexually abused is not enough in our culture.
Why do you think some powerful men sexually harass women?It’s all about power, because power is what these men want. I think the [Donald] Trump [civil] trial [during which a Manhattan jury found he’d sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll] really showed the misogyny. It’s truly hatred of women, and it’s needing to dominate and exert power. And those two things together create sexual abusers.
Let’s talk about Tucker Carlson. After he was fired, it was revealed that he’d sent emails in which he made derogatory remarks about women, allegedly using the C-word. One of his producers is now suing Fox News, alleging a hostile work environment. What are your thoughts?There are so many toxic men out there, and more than usual at Fox News. I think it’s wonderful that Dominion brought that lawsuit and that those emails and texts were revealed. I think Abby Grossberg is very brave to come forward.... But we should not be surprised, because who is still the president of Fox News? Suzanne Scott, who was Roger’s very loyal lieutenant.... Nothing has changed because Rupert Murdoch still runs Fox News, and it wasn’t a mistake that he chose Roger Ailes to create a right-wing lying machine. It was planned, it was a decision, and it’s still his decision.
During Donald Trump’s recent civil trial in a case brought by E. Jean Carroll, he essentially said that powerful men can assault women with impunity.Yes, it’s been going on for centuries, and finally there’s some accountability. There’s been accountability for [Harvey] Weinstein, for [Bill] Cosby, who only got off on a ridiculous technicality. Jeffrey Epstein was starting to be held accountable before he took his own life. So it is really, really important. Trump is probably the most blatant misogynist out there. It’s rare to see somebody attack women so frequently in such vile terms. I’ve taken depositions of horrible sexual harassers for years, and Trump takes the cake for being disrespectful and misogynistic. And he’s proud of it. And his cult-like followers love it. Because that’s his brand—sexism and racism.
On a local level, you’re representing Montclair CFO Padmaja Rao in her lawsuit against the town and former Township Manager Timothy Stafford for harassment and gender discrimination. Were you surprised that this was allegedly happening in your own backyard?As you know, we’re supposed to be the “People’s Republic of Montclair,” yet most of this town council, unfortunately, has been shown to be quite the opposite. They operate in secret. They lack transparency with the public. The lawyer overturned a thoughtful report about a hostile work environment being created by the town manager. It’s troubling that this is our town. This idea that you can hide behind everything you’re doing and all the decisions being made with the claim, “Oh, the lawyer said I can’t talk about it,” is outrageous. We deserve better. Luckily, we have an engaged population in Montclair. And I hope that keeps up. It goes way beyond Ms. Rao’s case, which is important certainly to her and the town. And like most whistleblowers, she’s very, very brave. It’s very brave to sue your current employer. But, you know, she has shined a light on problems that go way beyond her case.
Did you ever think you would work on a sexual harassment case in your own town?No, I never imagined that Montclair was being run this way. Actually, I have been remiss. I’ve been to a few town council meetings, but obviously not enough, because I had no idea what they were up to. It’s really shocking. It’s shocking that they act with such impunity. They just feel like nothing they do is going to be revealed, or that they’re not going to be held accountable for anything they do.
Do you think women are feeling more empowered now to come forward and to initiate complaints about sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace?I absolutely think women are feeling more empowered. And when I speak to younger women, they are really informed in their view of the world, that they don’t have to tolerate the abuse that all the rest of us have felt, on some level, that we had to tolerate for years. So, I am hopeful. But there’s always a backlash. Trump and Fox News show us that sexism and racism sell. So we can’t be complacent. They’re taking our rights away—even our right to medical care. Somebody introduced a bill in some state legislature to make women take their husband’s last names. I mean, there’s no end to the misogyny. When I’m thinking optimistically, I think it’s a reaction to our progress. When I’m thinking not optimistically, I think, Oh my God, we’re going to be living in The Handmaid’s Tale soon.
Do you think it’s starting to change for women? Are men becoming more aware?I think that women are sticking up for themselves. I think Trump’s election motivated women to take action. I think the big cases, the Weinstein abuse, the Cosby abuse, the [Bill] O’Reilly and Trump abuse, have made women want to step up and protect one another and speak out. And there are many, many men who support us. And there were six men on the Trump jury and three women. And as you can see from the Trump crowds, I mean, women can be as misogynistic as men. When we pick a jury in a sexual harassment case, it’s astonishing what women say about other women who complain about sexual harassment. So I don’t think it’s just men that are the problem. Our culture is the problem. But I do believe it’s changing.
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Aaron Rodgers is officially a Jersey boy.
The Jets quarterback has been revealed as the mystery buyer of a multimillion-dollar contemporary mansion on the Montclair-Cedar Grove border, according to reports.
Sources told the Daily Mail that Rodgers bought the eight-bedroom, 9-bathroom home for $9.5 million.
[caption id="attachment_310403" align="aligncenter" width="778"] The ultra-modern home spans 10,000 square feet. Photo courtesy of Stanton Company[/caption]
As New Jersey Monthly first reported in June, rumors had been swirling that Rodgers could be the mystery buyer of the new-construction, modern glass pad, which has incredible views of New York City and is located near the Mills Reserve, a wooded county park that sits on top of the First Watchung Mountain.
Super Bowl stud Rodgers, 39, was traded to the New York Jets in April from the Green Bay Packers. The team’s practice facility is located in nearby Florham Park.
As for the new pad, it spans a whopping 10,0000 square feet. The sleek design includes walls of windows, an open floor plan that seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor living spaces, and a gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances, custom cabinetry and a large center island with bar seating. Impressively, the back of the house is almost entirely made of glass.
[caption id="attachment_310406" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The house features an open-concept floor plan. Photo courtesy of Stanton Company[/caption]
The home was listed and sold by Stanton Company Realtors in Montclair. Rich Stanton, the broker and owner of the agency, previously told us that he didn't know the identity of the buyer, as the home was purchased through an LLC.
He described it to us as “a very unique, modern home." And Carol Apprendi, a realtor with Brown Harris Stevens real estate office in Montclair who toured the home, previously told us it was "beautiful" and “very unusual for the area because it’s so modern. It’s a great home for entertaining and the views of the city are breathtaking.”
The mansion sits on 2.39 acres of land atop the mountain, making it very private but giving Rodgers easy access to all the nearby goings-on in Montclair, including the town's top-notch restaurant scene.
Other features of the house include a gym, media room, wine cellar and three-car garage.
New Jersey Monthly has reached out to the Jets for comment on the home purchase.
The post Aaron Rodgers Revealed as Mystery Buyer of NJ Mansion appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
The infant sperm whale lay on its side in the cold sand, sleek and shining in the December sun. Adult sperm whales can grow up to 67 feet and weigh as much as 45 tons. This one was tiny by comparison—weighing about a ton and, at 12 feet long, measuring roughly the size of a kayak. Authorities from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) in Brigantine noted that it was still nursing before it died and speculated that it might have gotten separated from its mother and starved to death.
What made this whale particularly significant, though, wouldn’t become clear for several months. As it happens, it was the first of an alarming number of dead whales that washed up on, or were spotted near, East Coast beaches between December 2022 and March 2023—30 in all, 11 of them in New Jersey. (More than two dozen dolphins were also stranded in New Jersey during that time.) Of those 11 whales, 9 were humpbacks; the other two were a sperm whale and a pygmy sperm whale. In comparison, the average number of annual humpback strandings in the entire U.S. is between 6 and 22.
In fact, the number of whale strandings along the East Coast has increased markedly since 2016, a year before the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared an unusual mortality event (UME)—defined as “a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response”—for humpback whales and North Atlantic right whales, an endangered species whose population has dropped to around 340. As of this writing, the East Coast has seen 200 humpback strandings and 98 strandings of right whales since the UMEs were announced.
Ever since environmental organizations raised the rallying cry “Save the Whales” in the late 1970s, the awe-inspiring marine mammals have become symbolic of the negative impact we humans have wrought on the natural world. So it should surprise no one that this latest surge in strandings has raised deep concern for the whales’ wellbeing and a clamor for a definitive explanation of their deaths. One potential cause has received more press recently than any other: the geotechnical and geophysical surveying of the seafloor in preparation for the construction of Ocean Wind I, 99 wind turbines to be built off the coast of Atlantic City by the Danish company Ørsted—the first wind farm authorized for New Jersey but likely not the last.
[caption id="attachment_313632" align="alignnone" width="778"] Illustration: Shutterstock[/caption]
In our highly polarized era, it was almost inevitable that the issue would become politicized, with (mostly) Republicans pointing to the offshore wind exploration as a potential cause of the whale strandings and (mostly) Democrats rejecting that explanation as baseless. As calls for an explanation mount, the split down party and political lines isn’t likely to contribute positively to the search for clarity.
EXPLORATION It was the fifth dead whale on New York and New Jersey beaches, a female humpback that washed up in Atlantic City, that sounded the alarm for Cindy Zipf, executive director of the Long Branch-based nonprofit Clean Ocean Action (COA). “It caused us concern enough to ask, ‘What is happening?’” she says. “We looked into what was different about this December and early January.” The only thing that she and Kari Martin, COA’s advocacy campaign manager, could point to, she says, was offshore wind exploration. “We looked at shipping, and shipping didn’t seem to be any different. The same fishermen were fishing. And the only thing we noticed were the number of IHAs that had been issued.”
IHAs—Incidental Harassment Authorizations—are allowances granted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, authorizing the incidental, but not intentional, harassment of a specified number of marine mammals for no longer than a year. What Martin found was that IHAs had been issued to 11 companies engaged in offshore wind exploration activities, allowing them to incidentally harm more than 63,800 marine mammals. (Since then, additional IHAs have been issued.) When a sixth dead whale washed up, again in Atlantic City, Zipf and Martin were moved to send a letter to President Biden demanding, among other things, an immediate investigation into the whale deaths in New York and New Jersey and a moratorium on offshore wind activity off the two states until an assessment of the cause of the deaths was determined.
No one is blaming the deaths on wind power itself or on the construction of wind farms, since that construction isn’t planned until 2024. Instead, critics have expressed fears that the sonar and other sounds used to map the ocean floor could be detrimental to whales, perhaps by frightening them or deafening them, both of which, they suggest, could lead to ship strikes or fishing gear entanglement—the two leading human-caused means of death in marine mammals. If so, that would be difficult to prove through a necropsy, since it would entail examining certain microscopic parts of the ear bones, which, according to Allison Ferreira, NOAA’s communications and internal affairs team supervisor, decompose within hours. “If a whale is already in moderate to advanced decomposition, as is often the case unless a whale is alive when first stranded,” she says, “then microscopic changes in the ears are no longer detectable.” Critics like COA also posit that an increased number of ships working in the area to survey the sea floor could be leading to an increase in ship strikes.
After the COA’s White House letter, additional demands for a moratorium and/or investigation followed. At the end of January, 12 mayors of Jersey Shore towns—Bay Head, Brigantine, Deal, Linwood, Long Beach Township, Mantoloking, Margate, North Wildwood, Point Pleasant Beach, Spring Lake, Stone Harbor, and Wildwood Crest—sent a letter to New Jersey members of Congress, urging them “to take action now to prevent future deaths from needlessly occurring on our shorelines.” A similar letter, this one calling for a moratorium on offshore wind exploration and signed by 30 New Jersey mayors, was sent to representatives Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) in late February. On March 22, Van Drew introduced a congressional resolution demanding a moratorium on offshore wind development. And on March 30, Smith introduced an amendment calling for an independent investigation into the environmental review processes for East Coast offshore wind development, which lawmakers approved, 244 to 189.
Like Zipf and Martin, Van Drew believes that the timing is telling: “The dates [of the whale deaths] alone coincide with when they really started to do the research,” he says, referring to the surveying of the sea floor. That work began in January 2019, two years after the latest humpback and North Atlantic right whale UMEs were announced.
It should be noted that 26 of the 30 mayors and a town council member who’ve proposed a connection between whale strandings and offshore wind exploration, along with the two New Jersey congressmen who’ve done the same, are Republicans, and Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to oppose or criticize wind power. (A 2021 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 91 percent of Democrats favored the creation of more wind farms, as opposed to 62 percent of Republicans, the latter figure down from 80 percent in 2016.) Certainly, Van Drew was a critic of offshore wind before he and others suggested a relationship between wind and whales. He admits that even if it were proved that there was no connection between the two, he’d still be loath to endorse wind power. “And that wasn’t always my opinion,” he says. “It has changed over time for sure.” Among reasons for that change he lists potential negative effects on fishing, tourism, and the environment.
At least one of the New Jersey-based environmental organizations calling for a moratorium on wind exploration, Protect Our Coast NJ, has been linked to the Caesar Rodney Institute, which has received funding from the fossil fuel industry. Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the nonprofit League of Conservation Voters, says that the South Jersey politicians clamoring for a moratorium “are opposed to offshore wind possibly because it will obstruct their view. When you ask questions, in every instance—and we’ve been through this on many issues—the main connection is that they’re opposed to offshore wind at all costs.”
IF NOT WIND, WHAT? Since the beginning of the year, when questions about offshore wind activity as a cause of whale strandings began to arise, government agencies—including NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management—and many environmental groups have made the point, as Potosnak does, that “there is no evidence of a connection between the strandings and offshore wind, and there’s no evidence that wind exploration has caused the death of any marine mammal.” (In April, NOAA issued a report stating that offshore wind activity—not, specifically, offshore exploration—couldn’t kill or seriously harm marine mammals but might “adversely affect” them.)
What evidence of death we do have consists of necropsies conducted by the MMSC, who examine the whales on the beach and, when possible, send tissue samples off to be examined in a laboratory. One of the 11 whales that washed up recently on New Jersey beaches was too badly decomposed to be necropsied; two were only witnessed floating offshore; and one necropsy couldn’t be fully completed due to a coastal storm. Of the others, four showed evidence of ship strikes; further research may reveal whether the strikes occurred before or after death. More than half of all whales found dead on beaches, in fact, evidence no clear cause of death, either because decomposition is too advanced or because they may have died of an infection that isn’t easily detectable. As of this writing, no reports based on the tissue samples have been issued, and on its blog, MMSC notes that “final necropsy results can take several months to be returned.” (MMSC declined to be interviewed for this article, and while it didn’t offer an explanation, it’s possible that the organization has become media-shy after receiving threats from offshore wind opponents accusing the center—without evidence—of hiding the truth about the whale deaths and taking money from the offshore wind industry.)
One simple explanation for the increase in whale deaths may be the increase in whales. Research has shown that the number of humpback whales feeding off New Jersey and New York has burgeoned in recent years. A 2019 study published in the journal Marine Policy, for example, reported a substantial uptick in both humpback sightings and strandings in the area since 2011.
The humpbacks are likely following food—notably menhaden, an oily fish that makes up a substantial portion of their diet, along with herring and sand lance. Malin Pinsky, an associate professor in Rutgers’ department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, notes that “warmer ocean waters, along with other factors, have been linked to more menhaden in our region.” Documentably cleaner waters may also be drawing the whales closer to shore.
Of course, it’s possible that at least some of the ship strikes evidenced in the recent strandings originated from vessels engaged in offshore wind exploration. But Potosnak believes that’s unlikely. He notes that every vessel involved in wind exploration is required by the federal government to have a Protected Species Observer (PSO) aboard. The PSOs, he explains, “listen with headphones to the water to hear if any whales are around, and visually, they’re looking constantly for evidence of whales. And if they find that evidence, they stop activity right away.”
Should a PSO miss whale activity, it’s not clear that sonar and other sounds generated during seafloor mapping would cause significant harm. Ferreira notes that “existing data indicate that the acoustic sources used during site assessment surveys do not have the potential to injure, seriously injure, or kill whales.” These low-frequency sounds differ from the seismic air guns often used during surveys for offshore oil and gas drilling, which have been shown to affect the feeding rates of sperm whales and breathing patterns in bowhead whales.
BACK AND FORTH Despite the recent outcry, Governor Murphy has said several times that there will be no moratorium on offshore wind exploration. On February 22 his office responded to calls for such a moratorium by noting that “the results of investigations have been unanimous and unmistakable: at this time, there is no evidence of specific links between recent whale mortalities and ongoing surveys for offshore wind development.”
That hasn’t stopped calls for a moratorium or, in the case of a March 28 letter from four Democratic U.S. senators—including New Jersey’s Cory Booker and Robert Menendez—calling for more transparency from NOAA regarding its investigations into the whale deaths. Potosnak observes that we’ve already had a moratorium of sorts, during the period after NOAA noticed a spike in whale mortality in 2016 and before seafloor mapping began in 2019.
Amid the high-decibel back-and-forth about offshore wind, one important point is in danger of being drowned out, and that’s the predicted impact of ocean warming on marine life. “If folks are really interested in protecting our marine mammals,” Potosnak says, “then they need to understand that the greatest threat to them is climate change itself.”
Leslie Garisto Pfaff, a contributing writer to New Jersey Monthly, has had a longtime interest in the environment.
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City Green, a nonprofit that builds community and provides access to local produce, has been committed to growing healthy cities for nearly two decades.
It began as a community garden, started by a women’s Bible study group in Paterson, and has blossomed into a large-scale operation that includes 100 school gardens throughout nine counties, 75 community gardens in Passaic County, and six therapeutic gardens. City Green has operations in Paterson and Mt. Olive, as well as its Clifton headquarters. At all of these locations, City Green strives to build community while providing access to nature and healthy food.
Jennifer Papa, City Green’s founder and executive director, says the community takes the lead on everything, from the educational programs and workshops available to the types of produce that are grown. From eggplant to okra, cabbage and potatoes, Papa says it’s important to provide ingredients for meals that remind New Jersey’s diverse communities of home.
“They’ve been informing us of what they want to eat, and that’s what we grow,” she says.
The food is distributed to local supermarkets and City Green’s farm stands, which run from June through November, largely operated by seasonal employees, volunteers and high school interns.
City Green’s work directly combats food deserts throughout northern New Jersey. With the help of its Veggie Mobile, City Green brings fresh produce to local communities. Papa says people shouldn’t have to take three buses out of the city to find fresh produce at full-service supermarkets.
City Green is committed to making healthy food affordable and accessible to everyone. City Green accepts federal food benefits at its farm stands.
“You don’t fill up a family on just arugula and carrots,” Papa says.
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Make-A-Wish New Jersey is committed to granting life-changing wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.
This year, the New Jersey chapter is celebrating 40 years of wish-making here in the Garden State.
“This mission is profoundly special and it gets into your blood,” says Tom Weatherall, president and CEO of the New Jersey chapter of Make-A-Wish.
For Weatherall, helping to grant wishes in his home state is extra special. “I get to meet some of the most extraordinary and generous people in the New Jersey community,” Weatherall says.
One of 58 chapters throughout the United States, Make-A-Wish New Jersey serves children facing critical illnesses throughout the state and has granted nearly 12,000 wishes here since the chapter’s founding in 1983.
The New Jersey chapter is the only one that operates out of a castle. The Samuel and Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place, located in Monroe Township, has been operating since 2011, providing children with the space to dream up their wishes, free of the confines and stressors of hospital rooms.
Make-A-Wish would not be able to grant these wishes without the support of their community of donors, volunteers, corporate partners, medical partners and friends. In September, Make-A-Wish New Jersey is set to hold a gala to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
To learn more, visit wish.org/nj.
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The post Make-A-Wish New Jersey Marks 40 Years of Supporting Critically Ill Children appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Look up at a water tower on the Jersey Shore and, most likely, you’ll see the name of a beach town, a tourist slogan or a local attraction, such as Lucy the Elephant. On the southern end of Long Beach Island, the water tower reads Holgate, along with an image of what appears to be a modest beach house. Near the base of the tower along Barnegat Bay, the image becomes reality—a private house with a thin lookout tower.
That Holgate home shares a heritage with more than two dozen buildings along the Jersey coastline that are hidden in plain sight. They are former life-saving stations from the 1800s and early 1900s—essentially large boathouses built along the oceanfront. Upon seeing a ship in distress, locals would go to a station and wheel life-saving equipment and boats across the dunes to the water’s edge to rescue people from drowning and, if possible, save personal effects and cargo.
[caption id="attachment_312352" align="alignnone" width="788"] The Monmouth Beach station became a cultural center in 1999. Black-and white photo: Courtesy of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association; Color photo: R.C. Staab[/caption]
Today, these stations have been renovated as private homes in Bay Head, Strathmere, Sea Bright, Spring Lake and Avalon, or repurposed for diverse uses such as a cultural center in Monmouth Beach, the meeting hall of the Kiwanis Club in Cape May and the tax office in Seaside Park.
All of these buildings, in one way or another, owe their existence to New Jersey physician William Newell, who witnessed a shipwreck and death of 13 crew members in 1839, not far from today’s Holgate water tower. When later he was elected to Congress, Newell was instrumental in securing funding in 1848 to create the United States Life-Saving Service to preserve “life and property” along America’s coastline. For more than 65 years, the Service built small boathouses, then larger life-saving stations, every few miles from Sandy Hook to Cape May. Despite the stormy waves of nor’easters and the pressures of real estate development, more than two dozen of these structures built between 1849 and 1915 have become part of the fabric of the Shore.
Remarkably, two such boathouses built more than 150 years ago survive.
In the shadow of the lighthouses at Twin Lights Historic Site in Highlands sits the last boathouse of its kind from the 1849-1850 era. After having been replaced by a newer structure in 1872, sold by the government to a local businessman to use as a horse stable, repurchased by the government in 1930 to refurbish as a museum, decommissioned by the government after World War II, and then finally given to the Borough of Highlands in 1956, the station was moved to the highest spot along the Jersey Shore overlooking its former home at Sandy Hook.
Today, visitors to Twin Lights can see the boathouse and its lifecar, an invention seemingly right out of a Jules Verne novel. In the mid-19th century, a rescuer on the beach would fire a line from a cannon-like gun to tie to the mast of a ship that was sinking or stranded. Then, the lifecar was hoisted onto the line and sent over the waves to the ship. Passengers and crew would climb into the car, lying beside or on top of each other, and then the car would be hauled safely back to the beach. It was first used at Squan Beach (Manasquan) to rescue passengers from the British ship Ayrshire and subsequently helped to rescue thousands of people.
[caption id="attachment_312353" align="alignnone" width="788"] A former boathouse–turned–private home in Bay Head. Black-and white photo: Courtesy of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association; Color photo: R.C. Staab[/caption]
Another interesting tale of a boathouse is told by John Beers, who owns a two-story Dutch colonial house in Bay Head. The front part of his home was originally a boathouse, built in 1871 in what was then Point Pleasant Beach. In 1871, Elijah Chadwick, a local fisherman and farmer, bought it.
“Of all the buildings that the Life-Saving Service built, 99 out of 100 were purposely designed to move. They would jack them up and move them to prevent damage from sea encroachment,” explains Tim Dring, past president of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association and a retired Navy commander.
That was what Chadwick did, moving the house one block west to Main Avenue. He replaced the pitched roof with a Dutch colonial to make a comfortable home at the sparsely populated beach. When Lake Avenue was created, he moved the house one last time, to a quieter street near the bay.
Years went by as rooms were added under different owners. In 1982, Beers and his wife, Gail, purchased the property. As Beers says, it would have been a prime candidate for a McMansion because it sits on a double lot. But Beers says that the town historian “almost made me swear that I wouldn’t muck up the house and tear it down.” The family kept the historic parts of the house intact, adding a new kitchen, family room and second-floor addition in the back.
[RELATED: Inside the Jersey Shore’s Unique Community of Tiny Houses]
Though the life-saving stations were initially successful, Dring says federal support was sporadic, there weren’t trained crews, and eventually “the stations were broken into and the equipment pilfered.” By the end of the Civil War, the federal system had fallen into disrepair. In 1871, the Treasury Department convinced Congress to increase spending to hire full-time staff and build new stations that could accommodate larger boats, more equipment, staff lodging, and rooms for rescued people who needed a place to stay before continuing their journeys.
The stations that the government built, rebuilt, remodeled and moved along the Shore from 1871 to 1915 have inspired Shore architects for more than 100 years. The turrets, lookout towers, peaked roofs and dormer windows of the Life-Saving Service era are now such a part of Shore style that, in some beach towns, it’s easy to mistake a recently constructed home for a restored life-saving station.
After 1915, the Life-Saving Service was merged with the Revenue Cutter Service and became the United States Coast Guard, which eventually had little use for these stations, except for the Townsend Inlet station in Sea Isle City, which the Coast Guard still uses as a recreational facility. Why would the Coast Guard decommission or abandon prime beachfront property? Dring says the advent of steel ships with powerful engines and an increasing focus on recreational boating accidents steered the Guard away from the beachfront to locations on inlets and rivers where they could directly launch into the water.
Each remaining station took a different route to its present use.
[caption id="attachment_312355" align="alignnone" width="788"] The former Cold Springs Station is now the meeting space for the Kiwanis Club in Cape May. Black-and white photo: Courtesy of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association; Color photo: R.C. Staab[/caption]
Imagine paying $120 (or $2,600 in today’s money) in Cape May for a building across from the ocean, where today there are million-dollar Victorian homes and hotels. In 1939, that’s what the Kiwanis Club paid for the Cold Springs Station along Beach Avenue in an auction of decommissioned federal property. “There was a Coast Guard officer who had been at Cape May station who had been very friendly with the Kiwanis guys. He was transferred to New York Fourth Naval District,” Cape May Kiwanis member and former mayor Robert “Bob” Elwell explains. With a wink and a chuckle, Elwell says, “He happened to be the guy who opened the bids. And so it turned out that the Kiwanis Club bid was a few dollars higher than the highest other bid!”
Throughout the world, most Kiwanis Clubs meet in restaurants. But in Cape May, meetings at the clubhouse are often followed by lively card games upstairs, following in the tradition of surfmen who used the space as their bunkroom.
Farther up the Shore, in Stone Harbor, American Legion Post 331 and its Auxiliary were meeting in the Borough Hall and in firehouses. In 1948, when the Coast Guard deactivated what had been a life-saving station at the southern tip of Seven Mile Island, the legionnaires and auxiliary bought the building, plus its two-lot property, for $2,539. The men and women of Post 331 have enthusiastically embraced the history of the building, restoring its exterior. The building is open for free tours from Flag Day to Labor Day. In addition to a military museum on the second floor, visitors can climb to the lookout tower for remarkable views.
[caption id="attachment_312359" align="alignnone" width="788"] This private home, originally built in southern Ocean City, was dismantled in 1924 and rebuilt in Strathmere. Black-and white photo: Courtesy of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association; Color photo: R.C. Staab[/caption]
It’s not only social organizations that were able to buy stations. Stephen and Wendy Bell have a home in Strathmere that served as a station on an island farther north. The station, built in 1872 in southern Ocean City, was imperiled by shifting sands and storms. So, in 1924, the Coast Guard dismantled it, put it on a barge to cross Corson’s Inlet, and rebuilt it on Bayview Drive in Strathmere. In a more protected space and with a new boathouse across the street along the bay, the Coast Guard used it until 1964.
The Bells took care to restore the property after buying the house in 1994. The couple and their four children use the house as a summer home that, when stretched to capacity, can sleep 14 people. A special guest feature of the house is the queen size bed in the lookout tower, a room they’ve dubbed the honeymoon suite.
“In the summer, people often walk down the street and ask questions,” Bell says. “Sometimes, to my wife’s disdain, I invite them inside!”
Communities have united to help save stations. With the threat of a wrecking ball looming in 1999, local residents banded together to save the Monmouth Beach station and turn it into a cultural center. In Seaside Park, the borough purchased the building in 1966 and then, 30 years later, moved borough offices into the newly restored building. At Island Beach State Park, the state created an interpretive center in part of one old station, while in another section of the park, a former life-saving station serves as a maintenance facility, visible from the road near the entrance.
[caption id="attachment_312349" align="alignnone" width="788"] The Spermaceti Cove station in Sandy Hook National Park, built in 1894, recently underwent an exterior renovation. Black-and white photo: Courtesy of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association; Color photo: R.C. Staab[/caption]
Another branch of the federal government has also joined the effort. In Sandy Hook National Park, the Spermaceti Cove station, built in 1894, survived several government transfers, as well as Hurricane Sandy. The exterior was recently renovated by the park service in a near picture-perfect setting atop a dune overlooking the ocean. One can easily imagine a turn-of-the-century station keeper in the tower searching the New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean for ships in distress.
In many ways, the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service has been eclipsed by the life-saving efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and its fleet of modern, mechanized boats. Yet two restored stations are keeping the memory of the Service alive.
In Manasquan, Ron Jacobsen, president of the Squan Beach Life-Saving Station Preservation Committee, describes former Station No. 9 as “the most beautiful historic structure in New Jersey.” Although the town bought the building for just $1 in 2000, the town and the committee have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars removing asbestos, redoing the plumbing, replacing shingles covered with lead, and collecting and displaying artifacts. The station is open May through September. Admission is free.
For the most colorful and historic look at life in a station between 1885 and 1905, visit U.S. Life Saving Station 30 in Ocean City. “When you come in the building, you are living the way men lived during the Life Service,” says its president, John Loeper. “You’re seeing what they saw day to day.”
The boathouse section of the building features a 26-foot surfboat, life-saving equipment, and even gear that the men used for hunting and fishing. Recreated rooms include the station keeper’s office, kitchen, dining room, and an upstairs bunk room with a ladder to the lookout tower.
The keepers of Station 30’s history are doing a deep dive into the individual histories of the 65 men who worked there, rescued people from shipwrecks, and were buried nearby. They are giving life to the history of a service that, in 60 years, with non-motorized boats and equipment, helped to save more than 186,000 people from treacherous waters around New Jersey.
Beyond the life-and-death stories of survivors, Loeper tells the story of the service’s other mission: to protect cargo: “There was a produce ship sailing up the coast full of watermelons that got in trouble at a sandbar. The captain said ‘lighten the loads,’ so the crew threw the watermelons overboard.” The ship safely docked, but the life-saving crew, not the ship’s, had one more task. Loeper says, “They spent two or three days rowing the inlet to save the watermelons and return them safely to the ship in Somers Point.”
R.C. Staab writes extensively about the Jersey Shore, including the book 100 Things to Do at the Jersey Shore. In the summer, he runs, swims, kayaks and walks the beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May.
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The post Jersey Shore’s Historic Life-Saving Service Stations Infused With New Purpose appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
They cover nearly 2 million acres across the state—verdant expanses, rich in varied wildlife, that have caught the attention of equally varied human advocacy groups. New Jersey’s forests account for two-fifths of its land—proportionally greater than half the states in the country. And, with the increasing recognition of trees’ importance in combating climate change, proper management of these wooded parcels has never been more critical.
In 2023, few would contest the value of large, resilient and connected forest landscapes for the conservation of biodiversity, plant and animal migration corridors, and to combat global warming; healthy trees reduce atmospheric carbon by storing the element in new growth. Preserving forest health also means protecting soil and water quality, controlling invasive plant species, and limiting risk of wildfire. Among environmentalists, commercial loggers, government agencies and outdoor-recreation enthusiasts, the best way to achieve all this has long been hotly debated, but has never been officially determined—at least not in the eyes of the law.
The matter is now getting a formal hearing. New Jersey’s first ever Forest Stewardship Task Force submitted its report this year to the state Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Environment, with the full Senate and Assembly expected to vote later this year on binding regulations that follow from the report. The rules would apply to all forests under state or local control. This encompasses nearly 900,000 acres, from the oak, maple and hickory-dotted Highlands in northwestern New Jersey down to the Pine Barrens, whose namesake trees include large stands of pitch and a half-dozen other pine species. According to just about everyone who cares about these arboreal gems, a clear mandate is long overdue.
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[caption id="attachment_312241" align="alignnone" width="778"] Pakim Pond along a portion of the Batona Trail in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]
“Every forest in New Jersey is up for grabs,” says Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the state’s Sierra Club and one of four task force members. “We needed a framework that addressed things holistically and reached a consensus for all the stakeholders. This promotes a science-based approach to achieve climate and ecological objectives.”
The main controversy is whether and where to continue allowing logging, and it has inflamed passions to wood-scorching levels. As designed by state Senator Bob Smith, a Central Jersey Democrat who chairs the Senate’s Environment and Energy Committee, the rules were crafted to incorporate the ideas of two-thirds of the organizations and individuals involved in the process. The resulting compromise permits some logging, which, advocates argue, generates less emission of carbon dioxide and other ozone-depleting greenhouse gasses than the transportation required to import the hardwoods New Jersey’s construction industry needs. But, the dissenting third disputes this, claiming that much of the state’s harvested wood is exported anyway.
“When we talk about deforestation in the Amazon or Indonesia, everyone goes, ‘That’s so horrible,’” says Ken Dolsky, vice president of New Jersey Forest Watch, a statewide nonprofit that submitted an extensive rebuttal to the report. “But here in New Jersey, the [practice] is twisted into something they’re doing for the health of the forest. That is just outrageous.”
[caption id="attachment_312258" align="alignnone" width="778"] The trunk of an Atlantic white cedar. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]
Outrage over clear-cutting on a relatively small tract at wildlife-rich Sparta Mountain led to the creation several years ago of Forest Watch. The group is part of an organized Highlands Coalition intent on preserving a continuous tree canopy that many environmentalists say is essential to curtail stormwater runoff and maintain a clean drinking-water table. But beyond the patchwork of old- and newer-growth forest lies a tangle of other issues the task force addressed, namely, preventing the region’s ubiquitous deer from destroying new forest growth and curtailing invasive plant species that jeopardize biodiversity. Also beyond the reach of the proposed regulations lie the other half of the state’s forests—the 48 percent on privately owned land and another 7 percent under federal control, in places like the Delaware Water Gap and New Jersey’s 72-mile segment of the Appalachian Trail.
[RELATED: Meet the Handful of Locals Rescuing Our State’s Threatened Trees]
Neither of these forest categories has been the source of frequent protest. Development proposals on federally owned land are few and far between. The 950,000 forested acres outside any government jurisdiction run the gamut from hundreds of small family- and company-owned parcels to larger tracts still under a square mile, plus a small percentage that nonprofit land conservancies have purchased over the years to preserve in perpetuity. These groups also buy public lands; when the New Jersey School of Conservation (NJSoC) in Stokes State Forest, the nation’s oldest resident environment field center, was slated for closure due to budget cuts at owner Montclair State University, a hastily assembled Friends of the NJSoC stepped in to acquire and manage the property. Occasionally, the government buys directly from a landowner for preservation purposes; the Catholic Church sold approximately 32 acres of pristine forest, called Bretton Woods, to Ocean County after local outcry over a planned housing development. But, as other privately held land is slowly tapped for timber, the task force’s forest-industry representative points out that lessons learned from his consulting experience apply to all proposed logging on public lands.
“I literally work in the woods,” says Andy Bennett of the New Jersey Forestry Association. “Some forests are crowded or completely overfull. They face immense pressure and need shepherding to help along the natural aging processes. The science absolutely doesn’t support leaving everything alone.”
[caption id="attachment_312239" align="alignnone" width="778"] New leaves sprout along a creek which has been darkened by pine tannins. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]
One generally accepted form of shepherding is limiting the spread of non-native flora and fauna, including insects and microorganisms, that suffocate their native cousins. A task force recommendation to reconvene the Invasive Species Council, created in 2004 but dismantled by former governor Chris Christie, was widely applauded; New Jersey is one of three states with no comprehensive strategy on invasives. Proposed legislation would require a permit to grow and sell species such as honeysuckle; Japanese barberry, a popular ornamental plant; and garlic mustard, an herb used for cooking.
Almost everyone following the latest developments also champions prescribed burns, setting carefully controlled fires to reduce overgrown brush and some trees that provide fuel for wildfires. Yet preemptive strikes were no match for this past spring’s drought-like conditions, which sparked a conflagration in Manchester’s Pine Barrens and two other large blazes across the state in one terrible week in April. Almost 6,500 acres were decimated. And, in June 2022, a single blaze more than twice that size, likely caused by an illegal campfire, scorched the Pine Barrens’ Wharton State Forest, New Jersey’s largest forest.
Equally destructive, if less dramatically so, is New Jersey’s white-tailed deer population, currently around 125,000. A century ago, it was essentially zero. Today, while some might say the deer’s beauty compensates for traffic disruption, trampled gardens and other suburban inconveniences, they are far more dangerous to Jersey’s forests. Considered an ecosystem engineer, the deer is the forest’s main wildlife villain on many levels, degrading deciduous, or non-evergreen, trees on a huge scale. But, the best way to thin the herd has divided forest stewards, perhaps more than any other question.
[caption id="attachment_312242" align="alignnone" width="778"] Bark on a pine tree in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Vincentown. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]
At the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), one person has made it his life’s mission to thwart deer from devouring the understory—the layer of shrubs, vines and saplings between the forest floor and the mature tree canopy. This forest lifeblood can thrive only if hunting rules are designed to facilitate ecological sustainability rather than recreation, says Emile DeVito, the organization’s manager of science and stewardship, who holds a doctorate in ecology. With wolves long gone from New Jersey’s wilds, the deer have no natural predators.
An experiment the NJCF launched in the mid-1990s to demonstrate the importance of deer scarcity was wildly successful. Installing small fenced-in areas at Watchung Reservation prevented the animals from browsing, and the bucks from the habitual antler rubbing that strips protective outer bark from trees. The fences have space underneath to let in rabbits and rodents, proving that smaller mammals are not the real problem. Sheltered from their own biggest predator, the trees inside these enclosures have matured to shade the understory, allowing growth of maple leaf viburnum and other native species well adapted to low light.
Nature, it seems, loves a deer vacuum.
“Thirty years ago, this looked like a bowling alley,” says DeVito, sweeping his arms dramatically beside the original chain-link Deer Impact & Plant Regeneration Study Area, lush even in late March, before leaves appear on the deciduous trees. “Today, you’ve got no invasives here at all. The forest has completely regenerated.”
Short of fencing the entire state, DeVito says, officials need an aggressive strategy that de-emphasizes trophy hunting of the antlered males and legalizes commercial venison, as Pennsylvania has done. New Jersey Fish & Wildlife, a division of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), has no plans to do so.
But Larry Herrighty, a former Fish & Wildlife official who represents the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA), a consortium of hunters, notes that the practice has helped reduce the population by 40 percent from its mid-1990s high. “This state has one of— if not the most—liberal deer-hunting regulations in the U.S.” says Herrighty, who cited other control measures such as widespread contraception, as impractical. “To call deer overabundant everywhere is a huge overgeneralization.”
[caption id="attachment_312259" align="alignnone" width="778"] Pine needles on the forest floor. Photo: Bryan Anselm[/caption]
Deer aside, it is the fight over logging that has the most people upset. Certain forested areas of the state already benefit from some level of protection. Development in the Pine Barrens was limited by a 1979 state law, although the new rules would significantly increase scrutiny of any proposals. In the vast New Jersey Highlands region, whose eastern boundary stretches 60 miles across seven counties, commercial intrusions are largely forbidden in certain areas, such as West Milford, by existing legislation. The task force report also includes a provision to prioritize reforestation of previously cleared areas that will best sequester carbon dioxide. Small consolation to the stalwart defenders of Sparta Mountain, which sits outside the strongest protection zone, and to those outraged over removal of 21 acres of mature upland forest in Glassboro earlier this year with scant public notice. The DEP had authorized that project to create a meadow habitat for a shorebird, the American woodcock sandpiper, which it considers a “species of concern”—a classification two steps short of endangerment.
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For most New Jersey residents, including the cohort watching the regulatory process unfold in Trenton, naysayers focused on these isolated preservation lapses aren’t seeing the forest for the trees. Regardless, forest stewards whose job it is to promote public enjoyment of nature’s majesty encourage people to get out and appreciate it for themselves. The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, which maintains 682 forested miles throughout the state, saw a large uptick of visitors during the pandemic, according to spokesman Don Weise—and that’s a good thing. Pausing during a hike below Ramapo Reservation’s picturesque MacMillan Falls, Weise says, “These forests are an invaluable resource. We hope everyone can come experience this nature and instill in their kids the need to value and protect it.”
And, perhaps, own it, in the best possible way. Chief Vincent Mann of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, denizens for centuries of the land where Weise lightly treads, states it simply: “We ask that the trees in public forests be accorded the respect of a living person, as our cousins or grandparents. They may willingly give of themselves, as we would give of ourselves, as our mothers would give to sustain her children.”
Pamela Weber-Leaf’s editorial career included the environment beat at two daily newspapers. She is a nonpracticing environmental lawyer.
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The post Why Proper Management of NJ’s Forests Has Never Been More Important appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one in Trenton is there to hear it, does it make a sound? As the New Jersey Legislature is poised to vote on its first-ever binding laws on management of the state’s forests, Todd Wyckoff might best be described as the government’s chief listener. He was named this spring as the new State Forester, tasked with overseeing the rules as steward of the land and all trees growing on it, including those in urban areas.
A Morristown native, Wyckoff studied forestry in the land of big trees, at the University of Montana, then spent several years in the Rockies and Alaska with hotshot crews, the U.S. Forest Service’s elite firefighting corps. He returned to New Jersey in 2003, joined the Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Parks, Forests & Historic Sites, and has been here ever since.
In two decades working with his wooded charges, Wyckoff says he’s watched the landscape evolve amid a host of ecological challenges, from the greenhouse effect to the 2014 arrival of an insidious pest called the emerald ash borer. Without preventive measures, the beetle’s larvae can ravage nearly 100 percent of the ash trees they reach in three years. With 25 million ash in New Jersey, mostly concentrated in the state’s northern and western areas, this invasive species poses a far greater threat than the spotted lanternfly.
“Seeing what this insect can do is just one example. We’re trying to create diverse, resilient ecosystems that can withstand all the forces on them,” says Wyckoff. “The goal is a balanced approach that limits the opportunity for catastrophic carbon emission levels. There’s no one-stop shopping to manage these forests.”
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The post Meet the Man Who Oversees All of NJ’s Trees appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Shot almost entirely on the streets, piers and rooftops of Hoboken, On the Waterfront stunned film critics with its gritty depiction of Mobbed-up labor rackets and workplace violence that ruled the lives of Jersey longshoremen in the mid-1950s.
Audiences were aghast at the sleazy doings of cargo thieves, two-bit loan sharks and corrupt union bosses who made life hell for underpaid dockworkers.
It wasn’t entirely made up—in fact, the film was based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles that appeared in the New York Sun in the 1940s exposing corruption in the longshoremen’s union.
Then New Jersey governor Alfred E. Driscoll was so incensed by all the thuggery that he pushed for the creation of an independent agency with special powers to fight organized crime on the docks. The result was the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, an agency designed to span the harbor in the true spirit of bistate cooperation. As Driscoll described it, “Organized crime does not respect state boundaries.”
Nearly 70 years later, the Waterfront Commission is officially going out of business, the victim of political and economic trends that Driscoll could not have foreseen. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that New Jersey could unilaterally withdraw from the agency that had been created by an act of Congress in 1953.
The decision ended a long-running legal battle that pitted the bistate Waterfront Commission and its supporters in New York against New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and his allies in the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the North Bergen-based union that has controlled hiring at the Port of New York and New Jersey since before On the Waterfront was ever filmed.
Union leaders claim the commission is a patronage mill that has outlived its usefulness and overstepped its authority, enforcing picayune regulations to justify its own existence. The commission, they argue, treats everyone like mobsters and scares business to other ports while dragging its feet on routine background checks and license approvals for new dock workers.
A 2018 law signed by then governor Chris Christie would transfer all of the commission’s oversight duties to the New Jersey State Police.
“The commission made a habit of harassing and retaliating against the honest, hardworking women and men of the ILA,’’ union president Harold Daggett said in April. “The people of New Jersey have the right to be free of this rogue agency.’’
The push to kill the agency was driven in part by an assumption that the heyday of organized crime on the waterfront was long past, especially in the era of container shipping, when mechanization has replaced many dock workers. But both the FBI and federal prosecutors supported the commission in its fight for survival, citing continuing Mob activity at the port.
“This is nothing less than a total win for the union, a total win for the Mob,’’ says Walter Arsenault, who became the commission’s executive director in 2008 after a career spent investigating street gangs as chief of the Manhattan district attorney’s homicide investigations unit. “Organized crime is still a major factor in the port.’’
Arsenault ticks off notable Mob families prosecuted by the commission, or with its help, during his 15-year tenure, which ended with his retirement in February, including “the entire Lucchese leadership, a dozen Colombos, a dozen Gambinos, half a dozen DeCavalcantes.’’
Crime at the port, Arsenault says, comes with a steep cost: no-show jobs, work slowdowns, extortion rackets, container-repair scams and other schemes that drain millions from the public. “That’s one reason New York is the most expensive port in the world,’’ he says. “It all just gets passed to the consumer.’’
The waterfront commission, the dock workers, and the union that represents them have played a huge part in the economic life of the port, an engine fueled by a record $271 billion in cargo last year alone, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The port is now the second largest in the nation, importing almost 10 million standard container units a year, with about 80 percent of the traffic on the Jersey-side docks. An estimated half a million people owe their jobs directly or indirectly to economic activity driven by the port. Among them are members of the 65,000-strong International Longshoremen’s Association, many of whose members work at docks and terminals stretching from Port Elizabeth to Red Hook.
In 2022, the union reported $74.5 million in assets, taking in nearly $53 million in receipts last year, mostly in the form of member dues and fees, according to recent union filings with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Executives and top employees were paid handsomely. Daggett, a third-generation longshoreman from Sparta who was first elected union president in 2011, received $759,231 in compensation last year. Six other top executives earned up to $600,000 last year, and 21 other employees listed as vice presidents were well into six figures.
The filings show ILA spent more than $1 million last year on meetings, entertainment and club fees. These expenses included nearly $145,000 for New York Yankee stadium tickets, nearly $20,000 for membership at the New York Athletic Club, and more than $592,000 to the Diplomat Beach Resort in Florida for an ILA convention.
Throughout much of its history, investigators say, the longshoremen’s union was riddled with corruption connected to Mafiosi who have historically preyed on port operations. During the past decade alone, a string of top union figures were sentenced to prison after convictions in Mob-related rackets that preyed on the rank and file.
In 2013, former ILA member Edward Aulisi was given 30 months after pleading guilty to extorting tribute payments from members of Local 1235 in Newark. Prosecutors said Aulisi conspired with a captain of the Genovese organized crime family in the scheme.
A year later, two other ILA members, identified by prosecutors as Genovese family “associates,” admitted to being part of a Mob racket that held sway on the docks for nearly three decades. One of the men, Albert Cernadas, was a former president of the Newark local as well as a ILA executive vice-president.
That’s not all: In 2018, ILA member Paul Moe was sentenced to 24 months in prison for fraudulently collecting a nearly $500,000 annual salary, much of which was for work he never performed. Prosecutors said he showed up at his Port Elizabeth worksite as little as eight hours a week.
Over the years, the corruption rubbed off onto the commission itself.
In 2009, the New York State Inspector General issued a scathing report detailing “numerous abuses of authority in hiring, supervision and fiscal oversight” at the bistate commission. The report detailed how the commission, which had about 100 staffers and an annual budget of $11 million, did favors for convicted felons while dragging its feet on routine licensing duties. “Instead of ridding the waterfront of corruption, this agency itself was corrupt,’’ the report concluded.
In the scandal’s wake, the commission reformed itself under the leadership of Arsenault and Ronald Goldstock, a Mob buster who had directed the New York State Organized Crime Task Force for 14 years.
The pair were credited with cleaning up the agency and reinvigorating its mission to keep organized crime off the docks. They also pressed to end what they said was the union’s lock on hiring and discriminatory employment practices.
“We built a modern regulatory agency, created an intelligence operation, and began investigations with experienced cops,’’ Goldstock says.
The newly reformed commission enforced a plan that opened more work positions to minorities and military vets. It curtailed the union’s ability to refer its own members for port jobs. “We ended the union’s control of hiring, and they were absolutely furious,’’ Arsenault says.
Union officials did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment for this story. But allies of the union who pushed for an end to the commission said the reformed agency had abused its authority in an overzealous hunt for Mob influence.
“They were hellbent on extending their reach,” says former New Jersey state Sen. Ray Lesniak, the initial sponsor of the bill to kill the agency. “They were scaring business to other states.’’
The Shipping Association of New York and New Jersey, which represents carriers and port companies regulated by the commission, welcomed the agency’s demise and said that innocent work applicants with Italian-sounding names had been unfairly singled out by the agency.
John Nardi, the group’s president, says the association did a study and found that port applicants whose last names end in a vowel had to wait an average of 97 days for approval—about twice as long as all other applicants. “The commission was constantly putting forth new and changing [hiring] provisions,” he says. “We were always in the middle.”
Nardi says the association will go to court if the commission does not return millions in surplus it built up over the years through assessments on its members. “It’s our money. We want it back.”
Jeff Pillets is a journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist whose work has appeared in ProPublica, New Jersey Spotlight News, WNYC-New York Public Radio and The Record.
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The post NJ Is Leaving the Commission Overseeing Port Corruption. But Does the Mob Still Lurk? appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
After acting in an astounding 54 movies, Montclair's Patrick Wilson decided it was time to try his hand at directing his own film.
He chose Insidious: The Red Door, the fifth and final chapter in the popular supernatural horror franchise, for his directorial debut—and it did not disappoint.
The film, which opens Friday, July 7, held a private screening this week at the Village at SOPAC cinema in South Orange, a theater Wilson jointly owns with his other partners in the company Cinema Lab. Wilson, who lives in Montclair with his wife, actor Dagmara Dominczyk, spoke about what it meant for him to show his film there:
“I always thought about what it would be like to screen a movie that I made here. I kept thinking about this moment. This is a huge bonus for me,” Wilson, 50, said to applause.
The film stars Wilson and Rose Byrne as Josh and Renai Lambert, a couple that has divorced after their family experiences a series of terrifying incidents.
[caption id="attachment_312113" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Patrick Wilson, Andrew Astor, Juliana Davies, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins in "Insidious: The Red Door" Photo courtesy of Sony[/caption]
“In this film, I wanted to deal with trauma, and what it does to your memory,” says Wilson, who has also starred in Aquaman and The Conjuring films; Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to be released in December.
Parts of Insidious: The Red Door were filmed in New Jersey, including Morristown, Chatham and Florham Park. Drew University in Madison was the filming locale for scenes involving the couple's son, Dalton, at college. Ty Simpkins, who stars as Dalton, also acted as a kid in Little Children, a film that starred Wilson and was based on the book by novelist Tom Perrotta, a Garwood native.
At an audience Q&A after the screening this week, Insidious actor Peter Dager called Wilson “an actor’s actor. So it was a dream to work with you.”
The film closes with another first for Wilson: He sings the song Stay, which plays during the credits. The song is a cover of the Shakespears Sisters track and is an original collaboration between him and the Swedish rock band Ghost.
“Not too many directors sing on their own soundtrack,” said Wilson with a laugh.
Of course, not too many directors have also been nominated for two Tony Awards for acting in musicals.
The post Patrick Wilson’s Directorial Debut Is Scaring People in His Own Backyard appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
There are already plenty of reasons to pay a visit to good old Atlantic City: the beach, the Boardwalk, the flashy casinos, the delectable food and restaurants. But there could be a new attraction to the city that would appeal to Formula 1 racing enthusiasts: a $3.3 billion racetrack.
The proposed project, called the Renaissance at Bader Field, would also include commercial development and residential housing. The site of the track is proposed for the former Atlantic City Municipal Airport located near Route 40, south of the bustling casino area.
DEEM Enterprises, a local company, is expected to pay $115 million for the land. The project would then move forward under the terms of a City Council resolution that calls for studies over the next six months. DEEM would pay all costs associated with land assessment and analysis.
The 2.44-mile track would be built to fit Formula 1 standards. If approved, the project would take six to nine years to complete and would provide housing and job opportunities for the community.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Mayor Marty Small Sr. at a press conference. “What I don’t think gets discussed enough is, this won’t cost city taxpayers a dime. This project won’t just change the landscape of Atlantic City, but it will give our taxpayers relief like never before.”
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[caption id="attachment_310885" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Jason M. Auerbach, the official oral surgeon for the New Jersey Devils, documents his surgeries on Instagram. Photo: Scott Jones[/caption]
If you’re in need of a great dentist, look no further. New Jersey Monthly’s annual Jersey Choice Top Dentists list is here.
Below, we spotlight five of them and learn what makes them smile, both in and out of the office.
Dr. Jason M. Auerbach ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY Offices: Riverside Oral Surgery in River Edge and 9 other locations throughout New Jersey In practice: 20 years
As the official oral surgeon for the New Jersey Devils, Dr. Jason M. Auerbach’s practice has seen a lot of blood.
“Facial injuries and dental injuries in hockey players are pretty substantial,” says Dr. Auerbach, who lives in Bergen County. “They take sticks, pucks and elbows to the face. A puck can hit a guy in the face under the mask. Guys get in fights and get broken jaws, teeth knocked out. There are injuries in practice, too.”
In fact, Dr. Auerbach has seen so much blood that he started an Instagram account, @bloodytoothguy, that is so popular it has amassed more than 184,000 followers. The account features videos of Dr. Auerbach performing oral and maxillofacial surgery; hence, the bloody part. He says that dental surgeons from around the world follow his page and learn from his techniques. “I love what I do—it’s a passion,” he says. “I love oral surgery because I like problem solving and fixing things. It’s a real creative outlet.”
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a hybrid of medicine and surgery. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons, Dr. Auerbach says, are the primary treaters of facial injuries in hospitals. He opened his office in 2007 and grew it to 10 locations with 15 surgeons, the largest oral surgery practice in New Jersey. Procedures performed include wisdom tooth extraction, dental implants and bone grafting.
He says that while some of his patients dread seeing him at first, he prides himself on converting them into fans of his work. “Most people come to me in pain, and they’re scared,” he says. “But they leave relatively comfortable. I shoot for the optimal patient experience every time.” —Jacqueline Mroz
Dr. Rosalie P. Nguyen PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY Office: Edgewater Pediatric Dentistry in EdgewaterIn practice: 18 years
[caption id="attachment_310884" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Rosalie P. Nguyen has been working with dentists since she was in high school. Photo: Scott Jones[/caption]
Dr. Rosalie P. Nguyen knew from a young age exactly what she wanted to do when she grew up—become a pediatric dentist—and for the last 18 years, she’s gotten to do just that.
While she was in high school, she went through the yellow pages of the phone book looking for pediatric dentists. She called one in Piscataway and asked to shadow her. The dentist agreed, and after a week of volunteering, Dr. Nguyen was offered a job there as a dental assistant, making $5 an hour.
“Once I got my foot in the door, that opened up more opportunities for me,” she says.
That summer, she took another temporary dental-assisting position, this time with a dentist in Somerville. Dr. Nguyen also worked for a general dentist whose office offered specialties including oral surgery and periodontal work.
After receiving her dental degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Dr. Nguyen completed her general practice residency at St. Joseph’s Children Hospital and University Medical Center in Paterson.
She underwent extensive training at the Rose F. Kennedy Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center in New York City, where she provided dental care for young patients with physical and developmental disabilities.
She began practicing in 2005, and four years later, she founded Edgewater Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Nguyen is also specially trained to treat children of all ages with sedation dentistry options, including nitrous oxide, oral sedation, in-office intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia, which is done in a hospital setting.
She says she’s driven by the philosophy that all children, including those with special needs, deserve excellent dental care that meets their personal needs. —JM
Dr. Nihal Kamel GENERAL DENTISTRY Office: Aesthetic Dental Solutions in Cranbury In practice: 21 years
[caption id="attachment_310878" align="alignnone" width="778"] At her practice in Cranbury, Dr. Nihal Kamel and her team work to create a collaborative environment where each employee has the opportunity to flourish in both their career and family life. Photo: Dean Michaels[/caption]
Dr. Nihal Kamel always knew she wanted to be a dentist, teach and have a family. Today, she runs a dental practice in Cranbury, teaches at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, and is a mom of two.
“I have, I think, the best of all the worlds,” she says.
Dr. Kamel opened her practice in 2002 when she was nine months pregnant. Since then, she has maintained a philosophy that suits her mostly female workplace: “We’re moms, but we’re also good at what we do, and we can do both.”
The team works to create a collaborative environment where each employee has the opportunity to have both a career and a family life. Sometimes, that involves one employee pitching in when another needs to care for a sick child at home.
Because of this, Dr. Kamel didn’t have to choose between being a dentist and an involved parent. Dr. Kamel was the parents’ association president of her kids’ elementary school, and made sure to be on every class trip. “I was not going to give up any time with my children for my career, but at the same time, I was able to have this successful career, and I think people respected me more because they saw me out and about in town and doing normal-people things. I wasn’t just the dentist,” she says.
Beautifully, Dr. Kamel says, “we found a way to make it a great environment for the staff, but also for the patients.” Patients use massage chairs and watch TV while waiting. “We really try to relax them as much as they possibly can be,” Dr. Kamel says, adding that she looks at patients’ “overall health, not just their dental health. Everything’s tied in together.”
And, she says, being confident in your smile is a major factor in happiness and success. “I’m a very function-based but also aesthetic-based practice,” she says. “How your teeth feel is just as important [as] how they look.”
One of her greatest joys is “being able to give the person that confidence that they have a beautiful smile and that they can take on the world.” —Olivia Bardo
Dr. Jared Eisen GENERAL DENTISTRY Office: New York-New Jersey Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry in West Orange
In practice: 21 years
[caption id="attachment_310883" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Jared Eisen been known to play guitar chairside for his patients. Photo: Scott Jones[/caption]
When patients first enter Dr. Jared Eisen’s dental office, they smell vanilla and hear their favorite music.
The reason? Dr. Eisen, a general practitioner who focuses on reconstructive work, wants patients to feel at ease the moment they walk in the door. “We really try to make the office as approachable as possible,” he says.
For Dr. Eisen, a graduate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, music is a key part of his office life and also his out-of-office life. In the office, patients get to choose the tunes they hear while getting work done. “When they come in and the music they want to hear is playing in the office, it makes a big difference for them,” he says.
Growing up in Livingston, he learned to play the violin and drums, and as an adult, he taught himself to play the guitar, bass, piano and saxophone. Dr. Eisen also writes and records his own music in the home he shares with his wife and two daughters. Sometimes, he plays recordings of his own music in the office, from rock to blues to pop, and has even been known to play guitar chairside for his patients.
Dr. Eisen says he and his team are committed to putting patients at ease, taking the guesswork out of the experience, restoring the feeling of control, and giving them the best care possible. “It’s very much a collaborative process between me, the other doctors I work with, the patients and my staff,” he says, including his wife, Lara Merker, a periodontist.
He says the best part of his job is when a patient is able to eat favorite foods for the first time in 20 years—or feels confident to smile again. —OB
Francis William Short ORTHODONTICS Office: Short Orthodontics in Linwood
In practice: 20 years
[caption id="attachment_310879" align="alignnone" width="778"] Dr. Francis William Short pivoted from a career in engineering to orthodontics. Photo: Scott Jones[/caption]
Dr. Francis William Short had been working as a structural engineer for five years when he came to a realization: He wasn’t as happy as he could’ve been. He decided to achieve a childhood dream and become an orthodontist.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, Dr. Short had braces as a child, and his interactions at the orthodontist’s office made him feel like it would be an ideal career to pursue. But when he was a high school student applying to colleges, he was intimidated by how much schooling it would take.
Dr. Short decided to go into engineering like his father. While he enjoyed the profession, he left it behind to fulfill his orthodontics dream, earning his degree from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
“There’s a lot of overlap in structural engineering and orthodontics because we’re using forces to move teeth,” Dr. Short says, explaining how his engineering background applies to his current career. “It was very helpful [in my schooling] as well; my background helped me understand certain concepts.”
He had planned to open a practice in Florida, but he and his wife, who is from New Jersey, realized they would miss friends and family. Dr. Short fell in love with the Shore, so he opened his practice in Linwood 20 years ago. But Dr. Short’s surfing-themed office keeps his Florida days alive. A big surfboard hangs from the ceiling in the waiting room, and TVs around the office play surfing movies on loop.
Dr. Short says the biggest change he’s seen during his time in the field is the introduction of intraoral scanning. This tool, a toothbrush-sized wand that takes thousands of pictures of the inside of patients’ mouths, provides an easier yet more precise alternative to teeth impressions.
Helping his patients feel comfortable in their own smiles is a top priority for Dr. Short, and it warms his heart when young patients tell him they want to follow in his career footsteps.
“It really touches me and makes me feel good about what I’m doing and how it went for them that they would consider it,” he says. —Thomas Neira
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If you’re in need of a great dentist, look no further. New Jersey Monthly’s annual Jersey Choice Top Dentists list is here.
To compile this year’s rundown of excellent practitioners in the state, we polled dentists around New Jersey and asked them whom they would want to treat their own families. Their responses make up this list of 582 dentists in ten specialties.
Below, we present additional information about this year's list and how it was compiled.
METHODOLOGY [caption id="attachment_310285" align="alignright" width="351"] Buy our July 2023 issue here. Cover photo by Scott Jones[/caption]
For this year’s list of Jersey Choice Top Dentists, New Jersey Monthly commissioned an independent survey of the state’s dentists by Leflein Associates Inc., a Ringwood-based research firm.
Here’s how the survey was conducted:On October 14, 2022, one-page questionnaires were mailed to all 6,733 New Jersey-based dentists who have been licensed in the state for at least five years (but less than 50 years). The mailing list, which is used by the Board of Dentistry for licensing purposes, was obtained from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Respondents could either return the original paper questionnaire or complete the questionnaire online. Web survey participants were required to enter their dental license numbers to avoid duplication. Each printed ballot had a unique code number to further protect against duplication.
A total of 1,208 ballots were received by Leflein Associates (194 by mail and 1,014 online). After checking for duplication, a total of 1,052 ballots were accepted, for a response rate of 16 percent.
Once all the eligible ballots were tallied, dentists with sufficient votes were placed on a preliminary list. A handful of dentists were then excluded because of significant prior disciplinary actions. Only dentists treating patients at the time of this magazine issue’s publication were eligible for inclusion. Finally, the preliminary list was submitted to our advisory board of 24 dentists (see section below) for professional review. The dentists on the advisory board were chosen from among the top vote getters in last year’s survey.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How do dentists get on the Jersey Choice list?There are two ways: They are either voted onto the list by their peers (as explained above), or they are nominated by our professional advisory board (see section below).
How many votes does a dentist need to appear on the list?
It depends. Most specialties have a standard threshold based on the number of dentists responding to the survey. We lower the threshold for certain specialties and for regions of the state with fewer practitioners.
Many dentists advertise in this issue. Does that help them get on the list?
Absolutely not. Only after the list has been finalized are dentists notified. At that point, they can choose to purchase advertising to promote the achievement. Many of these ads appear in the Special Advertising Section that begins on page 81 of the print issue. For clarity, all of the pages in that section are identified as Special Advertising Section.
I have a great dentist. How come my dentist is not on the list?Unlike some online professional directories, we do not add dentists to the list based on reader suggestions. The Jersey Choice list is based purely on balloting by licensed New Jersey dentists and the professional advisory board. Our advice: If you are happy with your dental practitioners, stay with them.
Why do some areas of the state have so few dentists on the list?
Eight of the state’s 21 counties—including five thinly populated southern counties—have only 2 percent or less of the state’s licensed dentists. That makes it difficult for dentists in those counties to get a statistically significant number of votes. However, by lowering the number of votes needed in those areas, we’ve enabled the eight southern counties to place 105 dentists on the list, 18 percent of the total number.
I see some of the same names on this list every year. Does it change?Yes! This year’s list has 108 names that were not on last year’s list. That’s 19 percent of the total 582 Top Dentists.
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY BOARD The following 24 dentists comprise the professional advisory board for this year’s Top Dentists survey. Members of the board reviewed the preliminary results of the survey and were asked to make suggestions for improving the final list.
John J. Archible IIIEndodontist • Phillipsburg, Annandale
Philip S. EngelO/M surgery • New Brunswick, East Brunswick, Middlesex
Joshua Z. EpsteinOrthodontist • Manalapan, Hightstown, Freehold
Mohammed S. ErakatO/M surgery • Princeton
Marian FaragGeneral dentist • Hoboken
Robert GriggsGeneral dentist • Old Bridge
Purnima Rathi HernandezPediatric dentist • Fair Lawn
Sebu IdicullaProsthodontist • North Haledon
Baqir JaffreyGeneral dentist • Turnersville
Shahin KazemiPeriodontist • Cherry Hill
Daniel KubikianPeriodontist • Sewell
Michael LateinerPediatric dentist • Newton, Cedar Knolls
Jonathan L. NicozisisOrthodontist • Princeton, West Windsor
John R. NostiGeneral dentist • Mays Landing, Somers Point
Anna K. ParkEndodontist • Mullica Hill
Amy PlanzPediatric dentist • Hillsborough
Naren RajanGeneral dentist • Mendham
Russell M. SandmanOrthodontist • Closter, Hoboken
Jay S. SchusterGeneral dentist • Morristown
Robert M. SternOrthodontist • Cherry Hill, Vineland, Bridgeton, Pennsville
Jason M. SussGeneral dentist • Bergenfield
Richard P. SzumitaO/M surgery • Little Falls
Brian P. TravaEndodontist • Hawthorne, Ho-Ho-Kus, Wayne
Elisa J. VelazquezPediatric dentist • Toms River, Cream Ridge, Manahawkin
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The post Jersey Choice Top Dentists: Methodology, FAQ & Professional Advisory Board appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_309753" align="aligncenter" width="750"] This brownstone at 55 Lincoln Park in Newark was formerly owned by Newark historian Clement A. Price.[/caption]
The former home of Clement A. Price, a historian and Rutgers professor who died in 2014, recently went under contract before it even hit the open market.
“A few people who saw the house were mainly interested in buying it because he owned it—and it’s a beautiful house,” said Compass Real Estate's Carissa Borraggine, who listed the home exclusively to Compass agents.
Interest in the 1887 brownstone Price owned at 55 Lincoln Park in Newark was amplified by the affection many felt—and still feel—for this stalwart supporter of the town.
A native of Washington, D.C., Price adopted Brick City as his home during the turbulent sixties, eventually settling in the Lincoln Park district. He became known for his fervent love of New Jersey and the city of Newark.
[caption id="attachment_309754" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] The dentil moulding along the ceiling line, and the deep baseboard moulding, are signatures of a bygone era.[/caption]
Once sought after by the turn-of-the century rich and famous, many of the homes in the Lincoln Park district reflect classic architectural elements. Price's 2,904-square-foot former residence features a handsome golden brick exterior with an arched entryway. Inside, there are original hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, crown moulding and carved trim.
[caption id="attachment_309755" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Price's home has maintained its original, ornately detailed 1887 staircase.[/caption]
The Lincoln Park area earned distinction on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The neighborhood, which spans 23 acres, includes performing arts venue Symphony Hall, historically significant landscaping, and prominent statues.
Considered the arts district, the area is host to the Lincoln Park Music Festival, and encompasses the City Without Walls gallery, as well as the Newark School of the Arts, a performance and fine arts institution.
A full-circle moment? Clement’s Place, a cabaret-style jazz club that honors Price’s passion for the music, is located on nearby Washington Street.
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Angela Andersen wears many hats. They include a full, brimmed sun hat and a beanie, depending on the season when she is out on the bay.
Andersen, 54, is the sustainability director/field station manager for Long Beach Township on Long Beach Island.
Her career has included roles with the American Littoral Society, which promotes the study and conservation of marine life and habitat, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, as well as coproducing three locally based documentaries.
Of all her work, Andersen’s legacy will likely be her role in the return of the wild oyster, a staple harvest of our Shore waterways, long since erased. It’s been an overwhelming ecological success story.
“Oysters grow on hard structures, traditionally on the back of their dead ancestors,” Andersen says. “As we were filming our documentary The Oyster Farmers, the ecosystem told us it was healthy enough to support a renewed industry of sustainable shellfish growth and harvest, but also complete habitat restoration. That cycle can’t happen in an unhealthy system.”
Andersen was integral in building oyster reefs by implementing a system that brings together environmental, municipal, academic, business and aquaculture groups to collect oyster shells from restaurants, introduce them to millions of oyster larvae (called spat), and then place them into lease areas on the bay floor.
[RELATED: Former Shore Restaurateur Turns to Recycling Seafood Shells]
Oysters are now growing on the reefs, as well as in an increasing number of commercial oyster farms, and have even been found in the wild for the first time in 50 years. The reefs filter microplankton and absorb carbon from the bay—both dangerous in overabundance. Moreover, the well-publicized projects educate residents and create jobs for a new generation of bayworkers.
Now, Andersen is building on that success to protect the ecologically important 160 islands (a total of 3,000 acres) in the Barnegat Bay watershed. She recently secured an $87,000 National Fish and Wildlife Community Resilience grant to fund the restoration of habitats on the bay islands of New Jersey. And she’s happy to take you on a kayak tour of it all.
“Bay islands absorb storm surge and fetch energy coming across the open bay, as well as being critical nursery habitat for our fisheries—and the birds love them too,” she says.
The restoration means engineering clam- and oyster-shell reefs adjacent to the islands.
“The funds we’ve secured for community resilience will enable restoration of the bay islands protecting our waterfront communities,” she explains. “The projects grow upon each other over time for the greater good, just like oysters. I’m lucky to be in the middle of it all, making the connections.”
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The post This LBI Environmentalist Helped Bring Long-Gone Wild Oysters Back to the Shore appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_310531" align="alignnone" width="778"] Rep. Josh Gottheimer, seen here at the New Milford Fire Department, has worked to help secure grants for police and firefighter training. Photo: John Emerson[/caption]
With the loudest voices in government shouting from the extremes, Josh Gottheimer, the four-term congressman from northern New Jersey, has staked out his turf in the political center. That’s where he thinks most Americans can be found.
“The far left and far right are both only 10 percent of the population. The rest of the country is in the middle somewhere—middle-left, middle-right, middle,” says the 48-year-old Gottheimer, who represents New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District, encompassing Bergen and parts of Passaic and Sussex counties.
As cochair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, Gottheimer, a Democrat, has positioned himself to deliver votes from both sides of the political aisle, as he did last November when he helped pass President Joe Biden’s signature Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Gottheimer and his caucus could be key factors on additional major legislation in the coming months, given the fragile nine-seat margin Republicans hold in the House of Representatives.
In an era of divisiveness and derision, Gottheimer says real progress can only happen when politicians set aside their differences and seek common ground. Citing Social Security, he says, “If you look at anything we’ve done historically, when you do it in a bipartisan way, it tends to last longer.”
Gottheimer’s roots in what he considers common-sense governance go back to his earliest exposure to politics. Born and raised in North Caldwell, Gottheimer is the son of a preschool teacher mother and an entrepreneurial father, who co-owned a cosmetics business. Growing up, Gottheimer worked behind the counter selling items from candy to shampoo at the Outlet, the family’s retail location in Fairfield.
While attending West Essex High School, Gottheimer stuffed envelopes for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and worked as a Senate page for New Jersey Democrat Frank Lautenberg. As a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he landed internships with C-SPAN, the U.S. Senate secretary and Speaker of the House Tom Foley, and worked on Clinton’s 1996 reelection campaign.
By the time Gottheimer was 23, he was working for Clinton as a speechwriter, helping draft two State of the Union messages. Gottheimer says he learned two big lessons from the 42nd president: “One, in general: the idea that it’s okay to work with both sides to get things done. Two: your job is to work incredibly hard.”
Gottheimer continued his education at Harvard Law School and worked as an advisor to John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004. It was exhausting work, but not without fringe benefits. On a campaign flight to Madison, Wisconsin, Gottheimer found himself seated next to his musical idol, Bruce Springsteen, who was to perform at that night’s rally.
“You can imagine, I’m having a nervous breakdown sitting next to Springsteen,” Gottheimer recalls. As they neared their destination, Springsteen leaned over and asked for advice on what to say at the rally. “I said, ‘Who, me?’ So, he said, ‘Well, you’re the writer.’ And I said, ‘I know, but you’re Bruce Springsteen.’”
Ultimately, Gottheimer wrote a few paragraphs for Springsteen, which are now signed and framed in the congressman’s office in Washington. “That,” says Gottheimer, “was pretty cool.”
Before plunging full-time into politics, Gottheimer worked for the Ford Motor Company, the PR firm Burson Cohn & Wolfe, the Federal Communications Commission (as senior counselor), and Microsoft (as general manager for corporate strategy).
Gottheimer met his future wife, Marla Tusk, at the University of Pennsylvania, but they didn’t become a couple (“I dated her friend”) until years later, when they were both attending law school (Tusk at Columbia) and summered at the same law firm. Tusk went on to become a federal prosecutor, serving as assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, where she worked as chief of the Appellate Unit.
The couple lived in Washington, D.C., before moving back to New Jersey to be near family. They settled in the Bergen County township of Wyckoff, where they are raising their two children, Ellie, now 14, and Ben, 11.
Disturbed by the divisiveness he was seeing in Congress, Gottheimer made the move into politics in 2016, seeking the House seat of seven-term GOP incumbent Scott Garrett. Gottheimer prevailed—in the same election cycle that saw Donald Trump win the presidency—and headed to the nation’s capital with a determination to work across party lines. With that goal in mind, he and Tom Reed, a similarly inclined Republican colleague from New York, revived the dormant Problem Solvers Caucus.
Congress has a seemingly endless array of caucuses. Most are informal, bipartisan groups of like-minded members that focus on noncontroversial interests, from adult literacy to zoos and aquariums. The more high-profile and formal caucuses, such as the far-right House Freedom Caucus and the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus, are highly partisan.
The Problem Solvers Caucus is different. Its invitation-only membership is always evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, and its rules require significant participation in meetings. The idea is to “actually build relationships and trust,” Gottheimer explains. When 75 percent of members agree to endorse a bill, the members are rules bound to stand together.
While he has often clashed with his more left-leaning Democratic colleagues, Gottheimer and his allies in the middle can cite several key achievements. In 2018, they helped initiate a House rules change that makes it harder for the speaker to block a bill from coming to the floor for a vote. In 2020, Gottheimer played a leading role in getting the necessary support for the Trump administration’s final Covid-19 relief package.
Gottheimer’s crowning achievement to date came in 2021, when he and 15 other Problem Solvers took part in a bipartisan summit helmed by Larry Hogan, the centrist Republican governor of Maryland, to hammer out a mutually agreeable version of the infrastructure bill. The $1 trillion spending bill, much as they outlined it, passed the Senate, but seemed doomed in the House. After much political wrangling, Gottheimer delivered 13 Republican votes (mainly caucus members) in favor of the bill—more than enough for House passage, despite the opposition of six Democrats.
“You just have to keep fighting and keep going and get it across the finish line,” Gottheimer says of his approach to legislating.
Indeed, through all of these battles, Gottheimer has earned a reputation for combativeness that rubs some colleagues the wrong way. Others welcome Gottheimer’s feistiness. Fellow Problem Solver Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, told Politico that Gottheimer has “a brashness and an assertiveness about him that I think is very New Jersey, that is helpful.”
Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York and a new member of the caucus, describes Gottheimer as “probably one of the hardest-working members I’ve seen.” He shares with Gottheimer an interest in finding common ground on major issues. “The reality is, you have to be willing to find solutions and work across the aisle,” Lawler says.
In its latest incarnation, the Problem Solvers Caucus has expanded to more than 60 members. Newcomers include two New Jersey representatives: Republican Thomas Kean Jr. and Democrat Donald Norcross. Another Republican from New Jersey, Chris Smith, is a long-time member of the caucus. (On June 29, Gottheimer will join Republican Brian Fitzpatrick at NJPAC for a conversation about the caucus.)
Despite his bipartisan proclivity, Gottheimer expresses concern about whether the GOP-controlled House will be able to make headway on such heavy lifts as immigration reform and gun control.
“The question will be, ‘Do [Republicans] really want to govern?’” says Gottheimer. “Are they going to bend to their extremists? Are they going to try to find some common ground to stand on? That’s really up to their leadership.”
Among other issues, Gottheimer, who is Jewish, is deeply concerned about anti-Semitism and expressions of hatred in general, “whether it’s toward Muslims or anyone.” He turns to his cell phone to show this reporter a clip of a neo-Nazi rally in Florida and notes that New Jersey had the third highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the country last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
[RELATED: New Jersey Has Shockingly Become a Case Study for Hate Crimes]
He also fears for the safety of his fellow elected officials. At least two of 13 Republicans who voted for the infrastructure bill reported receiving death threats after a Republican colleague, Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, labeled them “traitors” and posted their contact information on Twitter.
“This gets back to how angry people are,” says Gottheimer. “They’ve been incentivized to fight and scream and yell and disagree.”
Also on Gottheimer’s radar: protecting women’s right to choose, mental health legislation and affordable child-care. He serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Financial Services Committee.
Beyond the national issues, Gottheimer boasts of his achievements for New Jersey, including federal funding he says he has clawed back to the Garden State in the form of grants for nonprofits as well as initiatives such as police and firefighter training and security at religious institutions. “We’re up 357 percent since I got elected,” he says.
In April, Gottheimer joined with Senator Bob Menendez and a host of other legislators, including eight fellow House members from New Jersey, to announce bipartisan legislation to restore the SALT deduction, which would lift the cap imposed by the 2017 GOP tax bill and once again allow taxpayers to fully deduct state and local taxes on their federal tax returns. New York’s Lawler confirms that SALT “will be a big focus” in the coming months.
After meeting with this reporter in Fair Lawn, Gottheimer headed to Fort Lee, where he joined local officials in speaking out against the MTA’s proposed congestion tax, which they say could cost New Jersey drivers up to $25 a day if they commute by car to New York City.
Gottheimer has been in the conversation as a potential New Jersey gubernatorial candidate in 2024. “I’ve read those rumors,” he says, neatly dodging the speculation.
For now, Gottheimer appears content to be in the trenches in Washington—even if they are as loud and contentious as ever.
“People are going to throw stuff at you,” says Gottheimer. “But if you’re from Jersey, you can take a few punches.”
Ken Schlager is the former editor of New Jersey Monthly and a frequent contributor.
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A luxurious $11 million contemporary mansion in Cedar Grove that is under contract by a buyer has the area buzzing with speculation that the new owner could be a celebrity like New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers or someone in the music industry.
The new construction, modern glass house has stunning views of New York City and is located on the Montclair-Cedar Grove border near the Mills Reserve, a wooded county park that sits on top of the First Watchung Mountain, and the Upper Montclair downtown area.
[caption id="attachment_310403" align="aligncenter" width="778"] The ultra-modern home spans 10,000 square feet. Photo courtesy of Stanton Company[/caption]
This very private, 10,000-square-foot architectural home has a sleek design, with walls of windows that let in plenty of sunlight, an open floor plan that seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor living spaces, and a gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances, custom cabinetry and a large center island with bar seating. The rear of the home is almost entirely made up of glass.
The home was listed and sold by Stanton Company Realtors in Montclair. Rich Stanton, the broker and owner of the agency, says he doesn’t know who the buyer is as the home was purchased through an LLC.
“It’s a very unique, modern home,” he says.
[caption id="attachment_310405" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The house sits atop a mountain. Photo courtesy of Stanton Company Realtors.[/caption]
Local gossip started mounting about the identity of the buyer once area residents found out the glamorous home was under contract. The rumor mill has speculated that 39-year-old Rodgers, a recent East Coast transplant who was traded to the Jets in April from the Green Bay Packers, could be the buyer. The team’s practice facility is in nearby Florham Park.
The house was previously owned by Matsumi Kaneda, who owned the popular Japanese restaurant Daikichi in Montclair, along with her husband Aki Kaneda. Their son, Benji Kaneda, recently took over the establishment, which has been open since 1988.
[caption id="attachment_310406" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The house features an open-concept floor plan. Photo courtesy of Stanton Company Realtors[/caption]
The 8-bedroom, 9-bathroom home was built in 2022 and also has a luxurious primary suite with an open-plan, spa-like en-suite bathroom (the large glass shower stall has two entrances) and a walk-in dressing room, as well as a home office, media room, gym, in-law suite, wine cellar, a whole house generator and a 3-car garage.
Additional bedrooms are generously sized and have en suite bathrooms and custom closets. The house sits on 2.39 acres of land atop the mountain.
[caption id="attachment_310408" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The primary suite features an open-plan, spa-like en-suite bathroom; notice the tub on the right of this photo. Photo courtesy of Stanton Company[/caption]
Carol Apprendi, a realtor with Brown Harris Stevens real estate office in Montclair, toured the home.
“The house is beautiful, and very unusual for the area because it’s so modern. It’s a great home for entertaining and the views of the city are breathtaking,” she says.
[caption id="attachment_310411" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The views of New York City are stunning. Photo courtesy of Stanton Company[/caption]
The closing is scheduled for the end of the month.
The post Jaw-Dropping $11 Million Cedar Grove Mansion Finds Buyer appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
In 1831, James Howe was deeded 6 acres and a small house on Claremont Avenue in Montclair. That house still stands. For many years, the worn clapboard house was known locally as the slave house. James Howe was owned by Nathaniel Crane. A member of one of the town’s founding families, Crane left the property to Howe (rumored to be his son) upon his death.
American slavery began in 1619 and eventually spread to all 13 colonies. By the late 1700s, Garden State neighbors like Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, followed 20 years later by New York, began adopting policies to abolish legal human bondage.
New Jersey, however, was slow to outlaw the practice and adopted brutal laws restricting rights, including reading, writing, and ownership of firearms and property, for the nearly 12,000 enslaved Africans who lived here at the turn of the 19th century.
After 185 years of slavery in New Jersey, in 1804 the state passed the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery. The mandate required enslaved men born after July 4, 1804, to serve 25 years, and enslaved women, 20 years before manumission.
By the start of the Civil War in 1861, records indicate slavery in New Jersey had dwindled, but remained legal. In 1866, the state ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, making it the last Northern state to end slavery.
Today, historically significant properties like the Howe House bear witness to New Jersey’s past. The nonprofit Friends of Howe House (FHH) are seeking historic landmark status and recently rallied support to purchase the building. “We are forming a steering commitee and seeking community input to determine the next steps for Howe House,” says committee member Kimberly Latortue, adding turning it into a house museum is an option.
The town “prides itself on being the epitome of diversity,” says Aminah Toler, a Montclair native and founding member of FHH. “We want to ensure that the Howe House remains to tell the story of the African American history that shaped this town and this country.”
So you think you know Jersey? Check out our list of fascinating things you might not know about our state.
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The post Montclair’s Howe House a Testament to NJ’s Uncomfortable and Dark Past appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
[caption id="attachment_310150" align="alignnone" width="778"] Frank Mortimer says he became a beekeeper out of a pure love for being around stinging insects. Photo: Dave Moser[/caption]
New Jersey is the Garden State, but our state insect since 1974, the honeybee, is crucial for us to keep that moniker.
“We have some significant crops that are pollinated by honeybees and rely upon the honeybee to maintain [them], specifically, cranberries and blueberries,” explains Frank Mortimer, certified master beekeeper and former president of the Northeast New Jersey Beekeepers Association.
Though Ridgewood-based Mortimer makes and sells honey and other products, from beeswax candles to lip balm and hand cream, his interest stems from a desire to simply “be around stinging insects” and the wildlife they inhabit.
If you’re interested in beekeeping—a practice that has been growing in New Jersey as of late—Mortimer advises joining one of the 10 branches of the New Jersey State Beekeepers Association. “No matter where you are in the state, if you’re opening up a beehive and you’re holding a frame of bees in your hands, you become one with that nature,” he says.
Non-beekeepers can take steps to benefit our buzzing creatures, too. Mortimer’s tips: Grow some native plants in 3-foot clusters—they’re easier for bees to find. Flowering plants that bloom in August and September are ideal. Also: Try to reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides on your property.
Another reason honeybees represent New Jerseyans well?
“At their heart, they’re sweet,” Mortimer muses. “But if you do something to hurt them, they’re gonna sting.”
So you think you know Jersey? Check out our list of fascinating things you might not know about our state.
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The post Why Honeybees Are Crucial to NJ’s Identity appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Even lifelong New Jerseyans can still be surprised by our state: the beauty of a sunset at the Shore, the sight of sea life off the coast, the architecture of a building. Then there are the interesting pieces of forgotten history, the shocking factoids and the attractions you wouldn’t expect to find here.
Here you’ll find New Jersey Monthly’s extensive list of things that even the most seasoned and knowledgeable New Jerseyans might not know about our home. It’s a must-read for Garden State newbies and longtime residents alike.
SURF SCENE, USA [caption id="attachment_310149" align="alignnone" width="778"] 34-year-old Ben Graeff, better known as Ben Gravy, is one of New Jersey's most famous surfers. Photo: Dave Moser[/caption]
Maybe you’ve seen someone trying to ride waves on a summer afternoon at the Shore, attempting to stand on small, poorly formed Atlantic chop. You might get the impression that real surfing only happens in Hawaii or California. But you didn’t witness an October day with a hurricane offshore, or the frosty barrels from a February blizzard, or even a warm August morning with perfect little peeling waves. Very few Jerseyans know our state has a thriving surf scene. “I think that the average waves in New Jersey aren’t as good as the average waves in California or Florida. And a lot of the time our best conditions are in the off season or very early in the morning, so the general beach-going public doesn’t see it,” says surf industry veteran Kevin Morris, the buyer and manager of Heritage Surf in Margate and a surfer for 43 years. “But when our waves get good, they are world-class. And they can be very technical and powerful.” Read more here. —Jon Coen
BY DESIGN Dating from 1853, Llewellyn Park in West Orange is America’s first planned residential community. Comprising nearly 422 acres, the suburban park has a mountainside setting with the ambience of a country estate, with wooded, communal grounds. Today’s residents, including famous names like Whoopi Goldberg, continue to enjoy easy access to Manhattan. Llewellyn Park established the concept of a commuter suburb. —Fred B. Adelson
WHO'S NEXT DOOR? They’re creepy and they’re kooky, they’re altogether ooky—and have Jersey roots. America’s oddest brood, the Addams Family, is the brainchild of Westfield cartoonist Charles Addams, whose 1940s and ’50s illustrations for the New Yorker became the basis for movies, a Broadway musical and TV shows, including the 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday, where eagle-eyed viewers spied Jersey plates on the family’s hearse. (Past Addams Family works have had New Jersey mentions, too.) Every October, Westfield hosts AddamsFest, with events like a masquerade ball, cemetery tours and a house-decorating contest. —Julie Gordon
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HOME GROWN Abraham Browning of Camden, the former state attorney general, gave the Garden State its nickname. While speaking at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition on New Jersey Day in 1876, Browning coined the phrase while comparing the state to an immense barrel filled with good things to eat—that are grabbed by New Yorkers at one end and Pennsylvanians at the other. The name stuck. In fact, food and agriculture are the state’s third largest industries. As of 2017, more than 10,000 farms generated over $1 billion in cash receipts from more than 100 different crops. While the state is known for its tomatoes, its most valuable crops are blueberries and cranberries, followed by apples, peaches and strawberries. Salem County has the most farmland in the state, with Hunterdon and Burlington counties close behind. —Jacqueline Mroz
OPEN SPACE If you’ve ever driven down the New Jersey Turnpike, it may be hard to believe that this state has more undeveloped than developed land. As of 2019, around 53 percent of the Garden State’s total land area—some 2.48 million acres—was protected from development, according to New Jersey Future, a nonprofit organization that promotes sensible and equitable development in the state. —JM
CLOTHING OPTIONAL If you’re looking to partake in the nudist or naturist lifestyle, you may be surprised to learn that the state is home to quite a few nudist clubs. The Rock Lodge Club in Stockholm is one of the oldest nudist clubs in the country, founded in 1932. The Goodland Country Club and Spa in Hackettstown and Sky Farm in Basking Ridge have also been around for decades, located on large grounds with multiple recreational activities for members. —Thomas Neira
NOT MOUNT VESUVIUS But, yup, there is a volcano located in New Jersey. Don’t worry—experts estimate that Rutan Hill, in Sussex County’s Beemerville, has been dormant for hundreds of millions of years. Scientists say that erosion following its last eruptions destroyed its volcanic cone, obscuring the typically pointed mound. Though it is located on private, residential property, its rocky remnants are said to be visible from hikes in High Point State Park (which is the highest point in New Jersey). —Jennifer Finn
OUR SUMMER OF LOVE [caption id="attachment_310153" align="alignnone" width="778"] Two weeks before Woodstock, Jersey had its own massive festival in Atlantic City. Photo: David Weitz[/caption]
Woodstock wasn’t the only three-day music festival during August of 1969. The Atlantic City Pop Festival, which was held two weeks before music fans camped out at Max Yasgur’s farm, somehow slipped through the cracks of history despite hosting an incredible array of talent. Janis Joplin, the Byrds, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane and B.B. King were just some of the legends who performed August 1-3 at the Atlantic City Racecourse in Hamilton Township for more than 100,000 fans. A ticket for the entire weekend was $15, and it was $6 per day. Read more here. —Ed Condran
A PIECE OF THE WEST Picture this: You pile into open-air bleachers on a Saturday night to watch bull riding, barrel racing and steer wrestling. Is this Texas? Wyoming? No! It’s Cowtown Rodeo right here in New Jersey—Pilestown to be precise. Even more surprising, Cowtown, which has been in operation since 1929, is believed to be the longest-running professional rodeo in the United States. One of NJM's 52 Things You Must Do in New Jersey, Cowtown is open Saturdays from Memorial Day weekend through September, as well as for special events, so head there this summer. —Olivia Bardo
INDIA TO THE SHORE Some of the earliest Asian American immigrants to New Jersey came from the Bengal region of India in the 1880s. Many settled in Shore destinations such as Asbury Park and Long Branch, where they sold handicrafts to tourists. At the time, there was a craze for trinkets and other goods from India. —JM
[RELATED: Some of America’s Favorite Toy Brands Originated in New Jersey]
WHITMAN'S LAST DAYS Walt Whitman lived in Camden for the last eight years of his life but spent the summers of 1876-1881 at the farm of his friends, the Staffords. Sometimes he slept in an upstairs bedroom of the farmhouse, at other times in an outbuilding. He spent his days exploring the woods, taking mud baths in the creek, and, not surprisingly, writing. The Whitman Stafford House is now a museum honoring the poet. In 1891, incorrectly assuming that Whitman was dead, workmen constructing the tomb the poet had designed for himself in Camden’s Harleigh Cemetery carved that year above the tomb entrance. Upon discovering the error, Whitman had the number 1 chiseled away. The 1 was replaced with a 2 the following year (1892) after Whitman really did die. Traces of the error can still be seen today. —Barbara Leap
LANDMARKING A LEGACY [caption id="attachment_310160" align="alignnone" width="778"] The Howe House on Claremont Avenue in Montclair is an important part of Garden State history. Photo: Courtesy of Zillow[/caption]
In 1831, James Howe was deeded 6 acres and a small house on Claremont Avenue in Montclair. That house still stands. For many years, the worn clapboard house was known locally as the slave house. James Howe was owned by Nathaniel Crane. A member of one of the town’s founding families, Crane left the property to Howe (rumored to be his son) upon his death. Read more here. —Deborah P. Carter
OUR UNDERWORLD [caption id="attachment_275398" align="alignnone" width="778"] Gregory D. Lattanzi, New Jersey’s state archaeologist, says there’s evidence of humans in the region dating back 11,000 years. Photo: Rebecca McAlpin[/caption]
The majority of drivers speeding past Exit 15X on the New Jersey Turnpike have no idea they’re rolling over a fascinating archaeological site, let alone one that highlights a unique—if macabre—slice of history. When the Turnpike Authority built the interchange in 2002, giving drivers access to the Secaucus Junction train station, dozens of archaeologists were called in to join the massive effort because of what was located deep below: hundreds of bodies from a graveyard dating back to the 1880s. “If you want to go all Sopranos about it, there are bodies everywhere.…Hey, it’s Jersey!” Gregory D. Lattanzi, who is New Jersey’s state archaeologist, told New Jersey Monthly in 2021. “But seriously, you’re always walking or driving on streets built on land used by humans for thousands of years.” Read more here. —Sharon M. Goldman
PANIC IN JERSEY Everyone associates the infamous 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast with aliens and sheer panic. But the New Jersey connection to the event is often forgotten. Orson Welles’s radio drama, based on H.G. Wells’s sci-fi novel of the same name, caused alarm when radio listeners heard that Martians had invaded Grovers Mill, a small town located in Mercer County, and thought the fictional story was a real news report. Since the 1980s, a large, bronze monument to the broadcast has stood in Grovers Mill. —JG
HISTORIC REMAINS The Garden State is home to more than 600 battlegrounds, skirmishes and graveyard sites from the Revolutionary War—more than any other state. George Washinton’s famous crossing of the Delaware River occurred as the Continental Army traveled from Pennsylvania to Mercer County, leading to the Ten Crucial Days of important victories for Washington and his troops in Princeton, Trenton and Assunpink Creek. Washington also set up headquarters in Morristown, which history buffs can still visit today. —TN
PILE O’ PASTA A big batch of pasta in New Jersey is no surprise at all. But how about 500 pounds of the starchy stuff mysteriously appearing in the woods? Now that’s unexpected! In late April, a massive amount of spaghetti, elbow macaroni and ziti was spotted (and photographed) in the Middlesex County town of Old Bridge, causing social media users to run amok with theories as to how and why it ended up there. The answer? According to reports, a local man cleaning out his late mother’s home found a stockpile of pasta and, instead of donating or trashing it, dumped it in the woods. —JG
NJ FAULT LINE While not as common as in other states, New Jersey still gets its fair share of earthquakes. This is due to the Ramapo Fault, the longest fault in the northeastern United States. It runs from Pennsylvania to New York, cutting through Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties along the way. There is typically at least one earthquake in the state each year, ranging between 1.5 and 3 magnitude on the Richter scale. The largest earthquake in state history happened in 1783, believed to have been about a 5.3 magnitude. —TN
A JAPANESE ENCLAVE [caption id="attachment_310167" align="alignnone" width="778"] Masaru Nakawatase, 79, came to Seabrook Farms at three years old. Photo: Dave Moser[/caption]
In 1944, a farm in a quiet corner of South Jersey was looking for more workers to help with its crops. Seabrook Farms, a 57-acre farm located in Cumberland County, was a major supplier of vegetables to the military, but it faced a labor shortage due to World War II. To fill that void, Charles Franklin Seabrook began hiring Japanese Americans who were being held in internment camps during the war. By 1947, nearly 2,700 Japanese Americans were living and working on the site—the largest concentration of Japanese Americans in the country at the time. Masaru Nakawatase, 79, was born in an internment camp in Arizona and came to Seabrook at three years old. He and his family lived in dormitories on the farm property. “The hours were crazy. In the growing season, when the crops were coming in, from June until the end of summer, you had to work 12-hour shifts,” he says. Read more here. —JM
SAND GEMS [caption id="attachment_310156" align="alignnone" width="778"] Cape May diamonds are actually polished, faceted quartz. Photo: Jessica Orlowicz[/caption]
At Cape May’s Sunset Beach, water-tumbled quartz stones sparkle when they are wet, earning the name Cape May diamonds. The stones, which are most easily found by beachcombers after, can be faceted into sparkly gems that can be mounted as jewelry. The Sunset Beach gift shop sells ready-made bracelets, necklaces and more featuring the stones. —DPC
CHINESE COMMUNITY [caption id="attachment_310155" align="alignnone" width="778"] This 1876 etching captures one of Belleville’s earliest Chinese New Year celebrations. Illustration: Courtesy of Belleville Historical Society[/caption]
In 1871, Chinese immigrants to the small town of Belleville, in Essex County, celebrated the Chinese New Year—making it the first celebration of its kind and attracting revelers from across the East Coast. Most of the immigrants, who came to Belleville to escape racial violence on the West Coast, worked at Passaic Steam Laundry. They decided to settle there and were welcomed into the town, creating the first Chinese community in the area. —JM
BURIED TREASURES? There are thousands of shipwrecks off the coast of New Jersey just waiting to be explored by certified divers (an activity on NJM's Jersey Shore bucket list). The R.P. Resor, located 120 feet below the surface and 32 miles off Long Beach Island, and the Gulf Trade, which split into two dive sites at Barnegat Inlet, are two examples. Both were oil tankers torpedoed by World War II-era German U-boats. The USS Algol, meanwhile, remains intact beyond Point Pleasant, where it now serves as an artificial reef after sinking in 1991. —Gary Phillips
ELLIS ISLAND, NJ New York isn’t the only state that can claim the historic Ellis Island as its own. In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, while the island’s National Museum of Immigration, located in the hall where 12 million immigrants were processed from 1892 to 1954, is located in New York, most additional buildings are actually part of New Jersey. A nonprofit, Save Ellis Island, is working to stabilize, restore and preserve the Ellis Island Hospital Complex on the Jersey side. —JF
NJ, WE DIG IT One of the world’s first nearly complete dinosaur skeletons was discovered in Haddonfield in 1858. The Hadrosaurus foulkii is named after William Parker Foulke, who excavated the fossils after hearing of others being found—and even given away to friends—by unsuspecting farmer John E. Hopkins 20 years prior. Replica bones cast from Foulke’s finds are on view at Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. —JF
[RELATED: Haddonfield Home Redesign Inspired by Neighboring Dinosaur Landmark]
DANCE FEVER Anyone down for a do-si-do? The square dance has been New Jersey’s official state dance since 1983. When local dancers attend events like the National Square Dance Convention, they often don green ensembles as a nod to the Garden State. If you’re interested in joining clubs or classes, consult the Northern New Jersey Square Dancers Association, which was founded in 1958 and is comprised of 13 clubs with hundreds of members. —JF
A TOWN COMES TO LIFE [caption id="attachment_310236" align="alignnone" width="778"] Zombie Wedding filmed in Vineland this past fall. Photo: Courtesy of Zombie Wedding/Jeff Harris[/caption]
Vineland, a small city in Cumberland County—once home to the Progresso soup company and the poultry industry—is on the verge of becoming a filmmaking hub in South Jersey. Greg D’Alessandro, a writer and producer who grew up in Franklin Lakes, has opened a 40,000-square-foot production studio in town. His company, Weekly World News Film (yes, that Weekly World News), filmed its new movie, Zombie Wedding, there this past fall. Zombie Wedding is part of a trilogy, and WWN is also producing a documentary about the newspaper. D’Alessandro also plans to rent the studio to other production companies. “We want people to use the building and help Vineland,” he says, noting his crew spent more than $800,000 in town on hotels, restaurants and bars during a recent filming. They also used residents as crew members and extras. Read more here. —JM
PHONEY FARM [caption id="attachment_310295" align="alignnone" width="778"] Highlands Ridge Park in Chester was a testing facility for AT&T. Photo: Courtesy of Terence McKenna[/caption]
There is something curious at Chester’s Highlands Ridge Park: nearly 700 abandoned telephone poles standing like trees. For almost 50 years, the park, often called the telephone pole farm, served as a testing facility for AT&T. The story of this unusual park begins in 1928, when 15 acres of farmland were rented by the phone company and set up to test the durability of its telephone poles. By 1930, the company purchased an additional 85 acres to expand their research. The farm was abandoned in the 1980s as advancements discovered at the testing facility made it continued operation obsolete. Read more here. —OB
ALL ABOUT THE BUZZ [caption id="attachment_310150" align="alignnone" width="778"] Frank Mortimer says he became a beekeeper out of a pure love for being around stinging insects. Photo: Dave Moser[/caption]
New Jersey is the Garden State, but our state insect since 1974, the honeybee, is crucial for us to keep that moniker. “We have some significant crops that are pollinated by honeybees and rely upon the honeybee to maintain [them], specifically, cranberries and blueberries,” explains Frank Mortimer, certified master beekeeper and former president of the Northeast New Jersey Beekeepers Association. Though Ridgewood-based Mortimer makes and sells honey and other products, from beeswax candles to lip balm and hand cream, his interest stems from a desire to simply “be around stinging insects” and the wildlife they inhabit. Read more here. —JF
DRONE SCHOOL The drone craze burst onto the scene as a mainstream trend in the 2010s, but learning how to fly and operate one can prove very challenging. Luckily, there are a number of organizations in the state dedicated to teaching students of all ages the ins and outs of flying a drone. The first Drone Academy opened in 2015. —TN
WE'RE TREE LOVERS The Tree City USA program recognizes cities and towns across the country that work on planting and taking care of their trees, and awards grants to help maintain and further tree growth. Over 160 municipalities in Jersey have been recognized as Tree Cities USA since the program started in 1976. Paramus and Parsippany lead the way for most years recognized by the program at 46, with Kearny and Morris Plains following closely at 45 each. —OB
WATER EVERYWHERE Jutting into the Atlantic, curving around Delaware Bay and up the Delaware River, South Jersey is surrounded by water, which makes New Jersey flanked by more water than any state except Florida. California has a longer coastline, but is exposed to the sea on only one side. —Eric Levin
[RELATED: Iconic Candy Brands Born, Bred and Made in New Jersey]
TRAILBLAZERS Did you know the Appalachian Trail winds through New Jersey? The 2,190-mile trail, which spans from Maine to Georgia, includes 72 miles of trailway in the northwestern part of the Garden State. Beginner and expert hikers alike can enjoy the trail. Pochuck Boardwalk in Glenwood is a great choice for easy hiking on a scenic pathway. For a bit more of a challenge, give Stairway to Heaven in Vernon a try. The view from the summit makes the scrambles worth it. Whatever your preference, the Appalachian Trail is a great way to escape for a day, and maybe spot Jersey’s state bird, the eastern goldfinch. —OB
WOMEN'S RIGHTS In 1776, New Jersey’s first constitution allowed female property owners to vote (in fact, it allowed all property owners to vote, including African Americans). Sadly, by 1807, that right was revoked, and the right to vote was only granted to free white men. These voting restrictions remained in place until 1920, when the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving white women the right to vote. —DPC
MYSTERIOUS DEVIL The legendary creature known as the Jersey Devil is said to roam the Pine Barrens at night. While variations of the creature’s origin story have been told for over 250 years, the most popular account claims that the creature is the 13th child of a poor woman called Mother Leeds, who gave birth in 1735. The myth holds that the baby transformed into a beast—said to have a horse’s head, wings, hooves and red eyes—flew up the chimney (or out the window, or to the basement) and headed for the marshy parts of the Pine Barrens. People have reported seeing this curious figure in the Pine Barrens after sundown, some say they have even heard the Jersey Devil screeching. —OB
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When Maryjo Welch discussed plans for retirement with a friend, she had no idea their conversation would lead to helping more than 1,700 people furnish their homes.
Her nonprofit, Interfaith Furnishings, supplies furniture to Morris County neighbors in need. It started in 2004, after Welch shared the idea with her church to connect those with extra furniture to individuals who might need the items.
Social workers connect the organization to people who are moving into apartments and homes. Interfaith Furnishings plays interior designer, carefully selecting furniture that works well together based on the person’s needs and tastes, adding in rugs and lamps to make a space feel more like home. Welch says “the most important thing is to see people happy and with a home.”
Interfaith Furnishings’ work is made possible through donations and volunteers. “We always need volunteers. Always,” she says.
For the past 20 years, their moving crew has delivered furniture to homes and apartments on the third Saturday of each month. Welch, 85, previously drove the delivery trucks.
At the end of each moving day, volunteers feel grateful to know they have brought someone in need a soft light to illuminate their room, a rug beneath their feet, and a place to rest their head, says Welch.
To donate furniture, fill out a form at interfaithfurnishings.org.
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The first time Anthony Volpe experienced Little League baseball, it didn’t go too well. He was about 9, and he had been playing the sport ever since he could walk, often with older kids. Hanging out with a bunch of novices who could barely put their uniforms on properly wasn’t too appealing.
“He hated it,” says Michael Volpe, his father.
When Volpe was a toddler, his father would roll him balls in the hallway of their Manhattan apartment. A family friend gave Volpe a souvenir New York Yankees bat, and he would hit his dad’s pitches in the living room. “We used magazines for bases,” Michael Volpe says. When he got a little older, Volpe joined his father at a nearby park to play ball “from morning until night.” A group of about 20 kids eventually gathered with them, and Michael Volpe pitched to everybody.
“[Anthony] was so much more advanced,” Michael Volpe says. “He played more than all the other kids combined. He really latched onto it at an early age.”
Volpe’s passion continued to grow over the years, eventually leading him to Yankee Stadium, where the 22-year-old from Watchung (where the family moved when he was in fourth grade) is the starting shortstop for Major League Baseball’s most legendary franchise. Those long hours spent at the park presaged a baseball journey during which Volpe would dazzle coaches, players, parents and, ultimately, scouts with his talent. But just as important were his work ethic, commitment and respectful approach to the game. Volpe won state titles and gold medals. He starred on school teams and elite travel outfits. He represented his country through USA Baseball.
In 2019, the Yankees chose him in the first round of the MLB Draft. Four years later, Volpe plays the position that had belonged for 20 years to his hero, New Jersey native Derek Jeter. Volpe isn’t Jeter, but the success he enjoyed while growing up certainly recalls the Yankee Hall of Famer.
“He’s a unicorn,” says Bruce Shatel, Volpe’s high school coach at the Delbarton School in Morristown. “It’s in his DNA. Everything he does is excellent.”
[caption id="attachment_310042" align="alignnone" width="778"] Volpe played high school baseball at the Delbarton School in Morristown. Photo: Courtesy of the Delbarton School[/caption]
Early on, Volpe displayed remarkable defensive skills and otherworldly instincts for the game. As he grew older, his power hitting and speed improved. When Volpe was in sixth grade at Valley View Middle School, he was so good that then coach Matt Buglovsky allowed him to play on the school’s team, which had previously been open only to seventh- and eighth-graders. “As a sixth-grader, he was probably the best one on the team,” Buglovsky says.
Volpe was also an outstanding student. “He never received a B grade,” says Shatel, who taught Volpe geometry in ninth grade and accounting in 12th.
Volpe started all four years he was at Delbarton, one of the state’s top schools for athletics. Coaches of high-powered travel teams from hundreds of miles away recruited him. He began playing for USA Baseball at 12. Volpe liked other sports, but baseball was his year-round fascination.
“I can’t be more thankful to have had a first-row seat to watch him develop from a ninth-grader to a Major League prospect,” Shatel says. “It was a treat to watch him develop into a special player.”
Kyle Wagner went into Red Land High School in central Pennsylvania one Monday morning about a dozen years ago and told a fellow teacher, “We just played against a future big leaguer.”
Wagner’s friend laughed.
“Kyle, they’re 10 years old,” he said. “You can’t say that.”
Yes, he could. Wagner’s GoWags travel team had faced the Flemington-based Diamond Jacks squad for which Volpe played, and the coach was impressed. How impressed? Through the parent of a GoWags player who knew the Volpes, Wagner reached out and asked if Anthony wanted to join his squad—which was based in central Pennsylvania. (GoWags is a collection of nine travel teams of players aged 10-18.) Over the next four years or so, in addition to playing for local travel, USA Baseball and school squads, Volpe trekked two-plus hours for GoWags practices.
“I drove him to Harrisburg on weekends,” Michael Volpe says. “I felt it was important for him to practice with the team. Coach Wagner ran the best practice I ever saw. He made baseball so much fun.”
Volpe had superior confidence and the ability to think about the game at a level well beyond his peers. He inspired his teammates to work harder, and that made everyone better.
“It would be Friday night, and here is this kid showing up at our facility from Watchung, New Jersey,” Wagner says. “You could hear parents tell their kids, ‘This kid is traveling here. I don’t want to hear your excuses.’ You could feel it: Anthony’s here. Bring your A game.”
[caption id="attachment_310044" align="alignnone" width="778"] Volpe started all four years he was at Delbarton. Photo: Courtesy of the Delbarton School[/caption]
Wagner wasn’t the only travel-team coach to recruit Volpe. He also played for the Houston-based Banditos and the Virginia-based Canes, perhaps the nation’s premier amateur outfit. Volpe spent two seasons—before his junior and senior high school years—with the Canes, who have had more than 40 alumni reach the Major Leagues, according to Jeff Petty, coach of the under-18 squad. Even in a group of all-stars, Volpe stood out.
“His leadership qualities were as good as I’ve seen, and I’ve been doing this 18 years,” Petty says. “He was always locked in, not just to winning the game, but wanting to win every inning and every pitch. It was elite.”
Volpe never abandoned his schools. At Valley View in Watchung, Volpe was so good that Buglovsky told his uncle he had a player “who was the next Derek Jeter.” Buglovsky says Volpe never missed a middle school practice and always rooted for his teammates. “He was the perfect kid,” Buglovsky says. “He was a kid you hope your kids are like. He was hardworking, respectful, nice to everybody, and as humble as could be.”
Shatel says it was “easy to root for him,” and that opposing coaches “would be impressed with his ability level but also how he carried himself.” Michael Volpe insists neither he nor his wife, Isabella, both of whom are physicians, ever spoke with their son or his 20-year old sister, Olivia —whom Michael Volpe calls “the best athlete in the family”—about how to behave on teams. “We never had to sit him down to talk about how to treat people,” Michael Volpe says. “That’s just the way he was. We never had problems with him talking down to other kids.”
The summer after his seventh-grade year, Volpe attended a camp at Delbarton and impressed Shatel with his defense. “His glove-to-hand speed was unbelievable,” Shatel says. Because Volpe was undersized, he didn’t hit for power. He instead sprayed line drives all over the field. That changed as he got older. What didn’t need to improve was his desire to work. Volpe was always hitting and fielding grounders after practice. “And he was the best bunter ever,” Shatel says.
Volpe played second base as a freshman at Delbarton and shortstop his next three years there. The Green Wave won state titles in 2017 and 2019, and by then, college coaches and pro scouts were highly interested in him. Shatel says “10 or so MLB cross-checkers” were at every game to see Volpe, as well as Jack Leiter, a pitcher whom Texas chose second overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. Volpe committed to play for Vanderbilt, an excellent university with a great baseball program.
Then, the Yankees stepped forward.
Matt Hyde began scouting for Volpe’s favorite team in 2005 and had learned about the shortstop while following various USA Baseball outfits. As the Yankees’ lead Northeast region scout, Hyde began tracking Volpe more closely in the summer of 2017, when Volpe earned a spot on a team in the Area Code Games in California, which brought together top prospects from all over the country and were run by MLB scouts. Volpe’s talent was obvious, but Hyde was more impressed with how much Volpe could be constantly “in the moment,” something Hyde says only the absolute best athletes can do.
“He has an amazing ability to be present and not stray into distractions or what’s next,” Hyde says. “That really translates to success. You don’t go beyond the next pitch or the play or the situation. The guys who can do it don’t let anything take them away from what’s right in front of them. All the good ones have it.”
The Yankees chose Volpe 30th overall in 2019 and gave him a $2.7 million signing bonus. After being selected by the Yankees, Volpe began a minor-league sojourn that featured time with five teams in three seasons. (There was no minor-league ball in 2020.) Included was last year’s 110-game stint with the AA Somerset Patriots, in Bridgewater, for whom Volpe hit .251 with 18 homers, convincing the Yanks he was ready to compete for a starting job in the Majors.
Hyde believes Volpe would be comfortable with Yankees greats of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, like Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle (his grandfather’s favorite player), and the 1970s Reggie Jackson-led World Series champs. “He’s a winner,” Hyde says. “He’s got a Major League smile.”
Big success with the Yankees is not guaranteed, but the long list of those impressed with his development bodes well for future achievements.
“We found over time that the differences between good prospects and Major Leaguers are reliability and availability,” Hyde says. “Reliability means they show up every day. Availability means they are there when you need them.
“That’s Anthony. He’s going to be there. He’s going to be prepared. He’s going to show up and bring energy and do his job. That’s who he is.”
And who he has always been.
Michael Bradley is a writer based in suburban Philadelphia and an assistant instructor at Villanova.
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Steve Hiltner was hiking through Princeton’s Herrontown Woods in 2007 when he came across an abandoned house and cottage. “It was like being in the wilderness, on the frontier,” says Hiltner, who is a jazz musician, writer, actor and botanist from Princeton. The house was open, and Hiltner ventured inside. A few boxes of paperbacks sat on the living room floor—a sign, he thought, that someone had found shelter there in the not-too-distant past.
“I said, ‘Wow, what’s this?’” he remembers. “So that’s when I took steps to work to fix it up.”
That hike sparked a decade-long effort to restore not just the house, but the entire 150-acre nature preserve in northeast Princeton on which it sits. The garden is open to the public; the house is under renovation.
Hiltner’s nonprofit group, Friends of Herrontown Woods (FOHW), has removed downed trees, invasive shrubs, and poison ivy to turn barely passable paths into some of the region’s best easy hiking trails. Volunteers created a “botanical art garden,” called the Barden, at the entrance, while the house and nearby cottage are being prepared for renovations as meeting, performance, and educational-programming spaces.
The house, a prefab that was moved there from Morristown in 1930, played a noteworthy role in Princeton history: It became the home of mathematician Oswald Veblen, one of the first faculty members at the Institute for Advanced Study, and his wife, Elizabeth. Albert Einstein used to join the mathematician for walks in the woods and tea in the 1875 cottage, which Veblen used as a study. The Veblens donated the property to Mercer County; today, it is owned by the municipality of Princeton, but the volunteers of FOHW have been transforming it.
Work began in 2013, led by Hiltner and artists Kurt and Sally Tazelaar of Princeton, who spent much of that hot summer clearing trees and plants from trails, a massive undertaking. Builders digging out basements nearby contributed stepping stones.
It’s no surprise that the original volunteers came from the arts, Hiltner says: “You learn to make something out of something everyone else doesn’t pay much attention to. It was very much a vision, seeing beyond what’s there, seeing what it could be.”
The project grew organically from there. As a bar mitzvah service project, a local boy helped clear a looped trail in the woods. Sculptures—donated or created from repurposed materials—appeared in the Barden. The pandemic brought more volunteers.
Last year, the woods hosted an Earth Day event, outdoor readings of poetry and nature writing, a concert of Celtic music, and yoga classes. Lawn chairs dot the house’s garden.
Hiltner believes the restoration of the woods and house is in the tradition of Veblen himself.
For more information, visit herrontownwoods.org.
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[caption id="attachment_309564" align="alignnone" width="778"] Constance Zappella became the first female deputy chief of the Jersey City Fire Department in November. Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Brown/City of Jersey City[/caption]Firefighting is clearly a male-dominated profession, but that didn’t deter Constance Zappella. The Jersey City native, 44, is a graduate of Saint Peter's College who rose through the ranks at the Jersey City Fire Department (JCFD) and is now that city’s and the state’s first female deputy chief. We asked Zappella about her job and how she made history.
The qualification exam is a competitive, timed, demanding test. How did you prepare?I had been training for the test in college, running track and running up and down stairs with weights. I was in great shape for the test, which involved dragging a 165-pound dummy through an obstacle course while wearing a 45-pound vest and running up and down 12 flights of stairs. I did very well, coming out 24 out of 800 applicants.
What gave you the confidence you needed?My mother was a strong female role model. My father died of cancer when I was 14, and my mother went back to nursing school. She raised five children, working nights. She supported us and worked hard.
Having a woman on the team was unusual. How did your colleagues react?I never had a problem because I wasn’t afraid to work and I did my job. The guys who worked with me were very good to me and treated me like one of them. They taught me. I love my job, but I still have to prove myself every day. My sister knows how much I enjoy my job and she, too, joined the JCFD.
You have been assigned to training. What do you do?We train every day. It’s the most important aspect of the job, because firefighting involves so many different facets, and training enables us to learn new skills and techniques to make our jobs safer. We need to know about building construction, how buildings collapse, and what paths smoke and fire spread in different types of buildings.
How did you accomplish your rise through the ranks?Success in the fire service requires constant studying, training and doing. I put great time and effort into studying and continued my education by taking college-level fire science classes. As a firefighter, captain and battalion chief, I chose to work in the busiest fire companies and areas of the city, under the best and most experienced fire officers to gain experience and sharpen my skills.
You left a job [in the corporate world] that you called cutthroat and competitive, and said you prefer working as part of a team. Explain.You cannot put a fire out by yourself. I work with good people [whom] I respect and trust. Every day in the fire service is different, and we never know what to expect. For instance, when Sully Sullenberger landed his plane in the Hudson, we were there assisting people getting off the ferry.
You rose to the top in your chosen field. What message does this send to other women who may want to enter a field that is nontraditional for women?Women can do anything they want, but they have to want to do it. It’s not just something you do to prove a point. I realized that with everything you do, you get exactly what you put into it.
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[caption id="attachment_309494" align="alignnone" width="778"] Former FBI director James Comey has found a new passion in crime fiction. Photo: Courtesy of James Comey[/caption]Former FBI director James Comey has taken a surprising turn with his latest project, a crime novel called Central Park West, much of which is set in his home state of New Jersey.Comey grew up in Allendale, where, as a teenager, he was the victim of a frightening home invasion. He and his brother were held at gunpoint by a man thought to have been the Ramsey Rapist, a criminal who terrorized Bergen County in the late 1970s. For years, Comey had nightmares about the incident. (No one was ever sent to prison for the crimes.) Comey, who raised his children in Maplewood and now lives in Virginia, went on to become a prosecutor, a U.S. attorney and a defense lawyer before joining the FBI and taking the job of director in 2013. He was fired by former President Donald Trump in 2017, prompting an investigation into Russian election interference and collusion with the Trump campaign. His new book draws on his experience in law enforcement and the legal system and his background in prosecuting the Mob, which figures prominently in the novel. [caption id="attachment_309493" align="alignright" width="350"] Central Park West is out now. Photo: Courtesy of James Comey[/caption]Why did you want to write a crime novel, and have you been wanting to do so for a long time?I was first nudged by my editor from my last nonfiction book, Saving Justice, which is a set of stories from cases I did. It’s funny, he would refer to something in the book as a scene, and he would say it reads like fiction. Then he asked if I’d ever considered writing crime fiction. I said no. And then he would nudge me again. I sort of ignored it. But then I was talking to Patrice, my wife, about it, and she said, “You know, you might have more fun with it than you think,” ...and then she pitched me on this story about the Mob in New York, and I started writing it and found it harder than nonfiction—but addictive. So I never expected to be here, but I’m very glad that my old editor nudged me. Because I really did enjoy it as much as he thought I might.What is your writing schedule like?The day began with my wife, Patrice, and I having coffee and talking about her comments on what I’d written the day before. I write on a Google doc—I learned how to type at Northern Highlands High School. She makes editorial comments like, “This doesn’t make sense,” or, “This looks good.” And then we discuss those comments. Then I go to work. Some days I run out of gas after a few hours, and some days you just get lost and look up and it’s been six or seven hours, and you didn’t eat. When the weather’s OK, I’ll sit on our back porch, or I’ll go sit in the corner of our living room and work on my laptop.How much of your experience in law enforcement did you use in the story?A ton of it is drawn from my experience—really in three different ways: first, as a line prosecutor in Manhattan doing Mob stuff; then, as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan after 9/11; then, as the FBI director, because it gave me insight into a lot of things that the bureau does. What I tried to do is write it as real as fiction can be. I mean, it’s still fiction, but I tried to bring people into the courtroom, into the cases, in an accurate way, so the reader will get a sense of how it really works. The people are drawn from witnesses and lawyers and colleagues I really dealt with. The character Frenchie is closely based on a real, high-end art thief who was a witness for me. One of my current editors wanted to change something about the way in which Frenchie stole a Remington from an Upper East Side gallery. And he said, “That just doesn’t seem realistic.” And I said, “Look, it actually happened that way.”When you were a teenager growing up in Allendale, you and your brother were held at gunpoint by someone thought to have been the Ramsey Rapist. That must have been a frightening experience. Did it give you insight into how victims feel?I was a senior in high school in the fall of ’77, which for the New York metropolitan area was the summer of the Son of Sam, when the killer was preying on people. But in Bergen, especially Northern Bergen, there was a figure who was all over the media called the Ramsey Rapist, who was a serial robber and rapist who was preying on babysitters. It was a really big deal in that area at the time. I was home one night in my family’s little ranch house in Allendale. And the police thought that this guy thought he saw my sister in the basement alone—it turned out it was actually my brother, and he obviously didn’t know that I was home. It’s a really, really scary story. [The intruder] had a ski hat on and had a gun, and he held my brother and I captive. We escaped out a bathroom window; then he caught us again. I was certain he was going to kill us. It was just a crazy, crazy night.People used to say to me, “Thank God you weren’t hurt.” And I would say, “Yeah, we’re very lucky.” Of course I’m thinking, What does that mean? I thought about that guy every night—not most nights, every night—for five years.I’m 62 years old, and my parents are both gone now. But when I drive past that house, I still think of it. And so it gave me, I hope, empathy for victims of crime. I hope it made me a better prosecutor [and] law enforcement person, because I could try to understand a piece of what violent crime does to innocent people.Is that partly why you got into law enforcement?I don’t think so. That’s what’s so odd, is I think I still wanted to be a doctor after that. But, you know, we’re all poor narrators of our past. I have to think it was something that nudged me, but I didn’t know I wanted to be in law enforcement until I went to law school. I worked in the legal aid clinic and thought, This is part of helping people that I like—just like the reason I wanted to be a doctor. And then I was struck by lightning in a courtroom in the Southern District of New York, watching the government try and detain a Mob boss. I’ve always hated bullies. And I thought, These are the biggest bullies there are. If I can be part of saving people from these people, wow. And that’s when I went home and called my girlfriend, now my wife, and said, “I know what I want do with my life.”Your novel is set partly in Hoboken and Maplewood. What are your ties to those places?I used to live in Hoboken for four years—first, right near 10th and Bloomfield, and then 8th and Willow. When we got married, we lived at 12th and Washington. I wanted to have Nora [the main character in the novel] live near there because I know that area really well. Then, we moved out to Maplewood.What made you want to set your novel in those places?They are places that I have fond memories of, and I could go there in my mind and feel it—the sidewalk and the train station. I just spent so much time in those places. Hoboken is a walking city, and I spent so much time walking around that I could imagine it in a way that I was really there, which is harder with places that I’ve never been to.Have you started working on your next book yet?Yes, I’ve finished the draft of the next one, and it’s in the process of “family review.” I have five kids and they’re really smart, so they read it and give me feedback. Then I’ll send it out to friends who know law enforcement. I imagine this as at least a trilogy. The next book will move the locus of action to Westport, Connecticut, to an enormous hedge fund—which I also worked at— between government stints. I was the general counsel of Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor—so that’ll figure in future books, and then Bridgewater Associates, which is a hedge fund.Will the next book feature the same characters?The character of Nora will be at the center of the next book. She’s a great character.Yes, I can see her. It’s another thing that happens in fiction—they become real. And when someone suggests a change, your reaction is, “I can’t change that. That’s Nora.” And my wife has to say, “Dear, Nora is made up.”Some novelists say that they sit down and the characters kind of guide the story.It’s true. Nora is inspired by my oldest daughter [Maurene Comey], who’s a federal prosecutor in Manhattan. She prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein, until Epstein killed himself. And she prosecuted the Maxwell trial in courtroom 318. Here’s where it’s really strange. It’s the same courtroom where I prosecuted John Gambino when she was a little girl growing up in Maplewood. I wanted to go watch the trial. I was writing this book while she was doing that trial, and I wanted to go watch, but she banned me because she said, It’ll be too much of a thing. How do you compare the pressures of working in law enforcement and being the FBI director to writing a novel?They’re similar in the sense that your work is going to be judged by people you don’t know. And that’s true in a high-profile public job and in this. But [they’re different] in the sense that this is a lonely, almost solitary job in the way that being director of the FBI is not, because you’re surrounded by people literally all the time. You have a security team around you all the time. The job never leaves you. And that’s a different kind of pressure. It makes it much harder than being a novelist. [New Jersey author] Harlan Coben described himself to me in a way that fits me. He said, “I am a socially adept introvert.” And so am I. I can do all the public stuff, but I don’t get energy from it.I would much rather be alone or with my family in my backyard, sitting on my porch working on something like this. So it’s easier for me in that way too. Whereas being FBI director was hard because I don’t want to be famous. I don’t want to be out there with big groups of people. I know I’m going to have to go on the road and promote this book, but that public profile for someone with my kind of personality is a lot of work, in a way that being a novelist is not.Do people still ask you about the Hillary Clinton email investigation? Does that still come up when you talk to people?It does sometimes. But far less as time goes by, and almost never with younger audiences. But people do. And I tell them it’s one of the biggest nightmares I’ve ever been involved in. I had two choices, and, as one of my colleagues said, there were two doors, and they both led to hell. There was no good option for me, for us then. But now people recognize me much less, which is a good thing. Now I get, “I think I know you?”I’ll tell you a true story from this week. I was in the supermarket just outside of Richmond, Virginia, and a lady came up to me and said, “I think I know you.” And I kind of shrugged. And she said, “I think I do.” And I said, “Well, I used to work in the government.” And she said, “No, my husband works in the government, that’s not it.” And I said, “Well, I used to be the FBI director.” And she says, “Nah, that’s not it. I’ll think of it.” And she walks away.”
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In a bid to tamp down on the growing problem of teens gone wild, Garden State Plaza in Paramus is cracking down on underage shoppers on weekend evenings, requiring them to bring a chaperone who is at least 21 with them—or leave.The new policy, which recently went into effect, came after mall officials started seeing large crowds of teens roaming the mall, with fights sometimes breaking out. It appears some of the mayhem was fueled by a desire to post the incidents on TikTok.Some young shoppers at the mall actually thought the new policy was a good idea.Mikita Thompson of Paterson, 19, says she agrees with the new policy.“I grew up going to this mall and I understand how popular it is. I think the new plan is smart because it will calm things down. Things can get really hectic here, so I think it’s a good way to contain the situation,” she says. “When I was kid coming here, it was fun, but when I come now, it’s just a swamp of kids. It’s a lot. There shouldn’t be hundreds of kids roaming the mall.”Mall officials said the teens were running through the mall in large groups, fighting and disrupting business, making it uncomfortable for shoppers.But Ciarra Sanchez, 17, of Ridgefield Park, disagreed with the new policy.“I think it’s stupid. I’m not immature and I shouldn’t be stopped from coming here,” she says. “It’s the kids who are 13 and 14 who need control—not the 17-year-olds like me.”The policy goes into effect starting at 5 pm on Friday and Saturdays, and security guards will be at every entrance, carding anyone who looks underage.
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[caption id="attachment_308396" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Martha Stewart covers the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on newsstands May 18. Photo: Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated[/caption]This Jersey girl knows how to work it!At 81 years old, New Jersey native Martha Stewart covers the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in a plunging white one-piece bathing suit—and she rocks it."Usually I'm motivated by pay, but this time I was motivated by showing people that a woman my age can still look good, feel good, be good, blah blah blah," the home-design guru says in a behind-the-scenes video for the publication.Svelte Stewart grew up in Nutley in the 1950s, where she earned extra cash by working as a model after school at the now-defunct department store Bonwit Teller. As a teen, she was also very focused on her schoolwork and served on student council, as she told New Jersey Monthly in a past interview. “It was very important to me to be an all-around student,” she said in 2011 of her time at Nutley High School. “I was pretty centered on being smart and well read and had a lot of hobbies, and I was the art director of [the school's literary magazine] The Gauntlet.”Back then, her name was Martha Kostyra. “I lived for every day, and I tried to get all my work done, and I was a good child, basically,” she said. She went skating, attended high school football games and bonfires, and caught tadpoles.Today, she lives in Bedford, New York and has a home in East Hampton.Anyone who's followed Stewart recently won't be too surprised by her turn as a cover model. Her Instagram account has featured sultry swimsuit shots. The sexy white suit on her SI cover is by Monday Swimwear, while her vibrant cover-up comes from Torso Creations and her ring was designed by Jacob & Co.[caption id="attachment_308373" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Martha Stewart reveals her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover on Monday's episode of the "Today" show. Photo: NBC News/Today[/caption]Still, she said that posing for the SI cover was not easy. "To be on the cover at my age was a challenge, and I think I met that challenge," she said while revealing the cover on Monday's episode of the Today show.She got a call from the magazine in November and had to be ready to shoot by January. So how did she prepare?"I didn't starve myself, but I didn't eat any bread or pasta for a couple of months," said Stewart, noting she always lives a "clean life." "I went to Pilates every other day, and that was great.... I'm still going to Pilates every other day."Her past modeling experience, which helped her pay for college at Barnard, also helped.
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Eleven-year-old Carter Doorley of Brigantine has become something of a celebrity in the Garden State after successfully surfing for 1,000 consecutive days—getting into the water even when it snowed, hailed or rained.Dawn Doorley, Carter’s mother, says that “every day he goes out there, we’re still amazed.”As if 1,000 straight days of surfing weren’t enough, the sixth-grader then set his sights on reaching three years of daily surfing (1,095 days), which he is expected to reach on May 24.To stay busy when Covid-19 forced playgrounds, skate parks and other locales to shut down in early 2020, Doorley decided to set a goal to surf 100 days in a row before school began in the fall. After he reached his initial goal, he decided to keep on surfing.Along the way, he cleaned up beaches and raised money for several charities. He has donated to SurfAid, the Humane Society of Atlantic County and the Save the Children Fund, among others. Dawn Doorley says her son has transformed since he began his journey: “He definitely sees and thinks more about doing good for people.”Doorley says his dad taught him how to surf. “I’ve gotten so much better,” Carter says about his skills since beginning the surf mission.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carter (@cartercatcheswaves)
Through the sport, he has connected with several well-known members of the surfing community, including pros like Ventnor’s Ben Gravy, Will Skudin, Ian Crane and Kai Lenny. “My inner voice tells me to surf, so I surf,” Doorley said in an Instagram post, perfectly summing up his reason for continuing.He says he has no plans to stop, adding that he hopes to someday surf in Hawaii, California, Indonesia and Nicaragua.
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In this, our annual Excellence in Nursing list, in partnership with the DAISY Foundation, we honor 302 medical professionals from New Jersey with diverse practice specialties at more than 70 participating hospitals and facilities.
Click here to view the complete list of 2022 DAISY Award honorees from our state, four of whom we spotlight below.
Gabriella Chilelli • RN, BSNMEDICAL-SURGICALCooper University Healthcare, Camden
Gabriella Chilelli faced a unique challenge with her first job after nursing school: She started her career in the midst of the Covid pandemic.
Chilelli says she knew she wanted to become a nurse ever since the nine-month period in high school when she was in and out of her doctor’s office. The nurses she encountered were all genuinely caring and made her feel comfortable during her visits, and she realized she wanted someday to help people in the same way.
“Everyone showed how much they cared about me. They wanted to see me get better and back to my normal lifestyle. They were very diligent and trying to figure out what was going on, and I thought, I want to be able to do that for someone else,” says Chilelli. “I wanted to be able to nurse someone back to health, get them back onto their feet and help them during such a difficult, vulnerable time.”
Chilelli works in the trauma unit, where patients need extra care from their health care providers. While the workload can be a lot at times, she credits her team for always being there for each other and willing to lend a hand where needed. Chilelli says even administration will step in to help carry out duties if the nursing staff is overwhelmed with patients.
“You have to learn how to rely on people and trust your coworkers,” says Chilelli. “I’ve developed great relationships and friendships with my coworkers. Not everyone has that luxury.” —Thomas Neira
Erin Ciklic • RNRADIATION ONCOLOGYCooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston
Erin Ciklic says she can’t imagine a life where she isn’t a nurse. Photo by Erik Rank
Erin Ciklic has always had a heart for others. “Whenever anyone got hurt when I was little, I always wanted to put a Band-Aid on,” she says. Ciklic grew up in Livingston, earned a degree from Seton Hall University, and has worked at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center for the past 21 years. She has been leading her team as charge registered nurse since 2018.
Ciklic says she can’t imagine a life where she isn’t a nurse. She says it can be difficult, especially when patients have a recurrence and need to have cancer treatment again. “I give them a big hug, and I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry you’re here again, but I’m so glad I’m able to take good care of you again.’” From discussing individualized cancer wellness to physical, mental, spiritual and holistic support, Ciklic is happy to give them access to “anything they can do to get their body and mind to get through [treatment].” For Ciklic, it is an honor to be in this line of work, where patients trust her with their care. She doesn’t take the responsibility lightly. —Olivia Bardo
Sheela Alex • RNPEDIATRICSUniversity Hospital Newark
As a pediatric nurse in her hospital’s trauma center, Sheela Alex engages in “compassionate work” with both children and their parents. Photo by Erik Rank
Sheela Alex treats all her patients as if they were her own children. Alex works as a pediatric nurse in the trauma center. She says that it is heartbreaking to see children go through difficult moments, but she feels led to what she calls “compassionate work.” Alex feels she makes a difference by spending time to engage with children and give them the care they need. “I try to spend time with them, play with them, and talk to the parents [about] their concerns,” Alex says, adding that part of her job is talking to parents when their children experience crises—“Because I am a parent, too.”
Growing up in Kerala in southern India, she recalls accompanying her mother to the hospital, where she would see nurses in beautiful white uniforms. “I thought, Oh my God, I should be like her. She smiles, she’s happy, she walks so fast and [takes] care of patients.”
Alex studied nursing in New Delhi. After completing her training in 1987, she moved to Kuwait, then immigrated to the United States with her husband and two children in 2004, where she continued working as a nurse.
Alex says that, through her faith, she feels called to care for others. On the job, she hopes to embody some of the qualities of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who cared for the poor, the sick and the vulnerable.
Now, Alex’s own daughter is a nurse. Alex says, “She saw how her mom works hard.” —OB
Joseph Mazzone • ASN, RNCARDIACRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerset
“I’ve always wanted to help people,” says Joseph Mazzone. Photo by Erik Rank
Joseph Mazzone was working as a security officer at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Somerset when he realized he wanted to do more to help people. Prior to security, Mazzone had worked as an EMT for the hospital, a job, he says, that was a pivotal inspiration to ultimately pursue nursing.
In 2005, Mazzone began working as a certified nursing assistant, eventually enrolling in Raritan Valley Community College’s nursing program. This October, Mazzone will celebrate his 19-year tenure at the hospital. “I’ve always had an interest in the medical field,” says Mazzone. “I wanted a secure career, but also wanted to give back. I’ve always wanted to help people.”
When patients don’t have visitors during their stays, Mazzone says he goes out of his way to compensate, by treating each patient with kindness and providing compassionate care. “I treat them the way [I’d like] my family to be treated if they were in that situation,” says Mazzone. “Sometimes family members can’t be there, and [nurses] have to be their advocates, give them comfort and hold their hands through anything.” —TN
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The post Excellence in Nursing 2023: Meet 4 Exceptional Health Champions appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Launched in 1999 in honor of J. Patrick Barnes, the DAISY Foundation (an acronym for “diseases attacking the immune system”) recognizes nurses whose compassion, guidance and level of care exemplify the high standards of the profession.
Below is the complete list of 2022 DAISY Award honorees; click here to read spotlights on four select winners.
1 West Step Down (Team Honoree)Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
The 4 South Team at Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center (Team Honoree)Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Nelio AbdonDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Adolescent Unit (Team Honoree)Children’s Specialized Hospital
Olufunmilayo AdubolaDegrees: RN, MSN
Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Carol AffordDegrees: BSN, RNC-OB
Labor and Delivery
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Arlene AgustinDegrees: BSN, RN
Endoscopy
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Maria AlarconDegrees: BSN, RN
Intensive Care Unit
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Sheela AlexDegree: RN
Pediatric
University Hospital
Elisabeth AlmeriniDegrees: RN, BSN
Monmouth Hospice
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Janine AltnerDegree: RN
Cardiac Care
Morristown Medical Center
Gilbert AnyangweDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Orthopedics
University Hospital
Jennifer AquinoDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Overlook Medical Center
Marissa AradaDegrees: BSN, RN
Maternal Child Health
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Jessica ArteagaDegrees: RN, BC
Surgical Trauma
Capital Health
Kevin ArtiagaDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Ashley AustriaDegrees: RN
Post Intensive Care Unit
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
Ekaterina AvanesovaDegrees: BSN, RNC-MNN
Mother Baby
Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Antonia BadaiDegrees: BSN, RN
Progressive Care Unit
Hackettstown Medical Center
Donna BaileyDegree: RNC
West Orange Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Mary Bailey-RepsherDegree: RN
Post Anesthesia Care Unit
Newton Medical Center
Raymond BalahadiaDegree: RN
Pediatrics
Hackensack Meridian Health – Palisades Medical Center
Charito BancaleDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Jaz Barredo
Degree: RN
Cardiothroacic
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Daniela BedoyaDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Ocean Medical Center
Katherine BeiningDegrees: BSN, RN, CRRN
Inpatient Oncology
Hackensack Meridian Health – Ocean Medical Center
Nir Ben-DavidDegree: RN
Oncology
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Natalie BeneventoDegrees: RN, BSN
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT
Hackensack University Medical Center
Sheila BennettDegree: RN
Acute Care
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Andrew BergmanDegrees: BS, RN, MSN, CCRN
Intensive Care Unit
Cooper University Health Care
Tammy BeringerDegrees: RN, CPN
Pediatrics
Cooper University Health Care
Kimberlee BesemerDegrees: RN, BSN, CEN
Emergency Department and Trauma
Morristown Medical Center
Ashley BeverlyDegree: RN
Cardiology
Virtua Voorhees Hospital
Madisen BirminghamDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Dawn BlauveltDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
The Valley Health System
Joyce BoatengDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
St. Francis Medical Center
John BogojovskiDegrees: BSN, RN
Post Anesthesia Care
Overlook Medical Center
Maria “Tweet” D BonoanDegrees: RN, CCRN
Labor and Delivery
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Jamie BoothDegrees: BSN, RN
Intensive Care
Hunterdon Healthcare System
Jacquelyn M. BorgiaDegree: RN
Mother/Baby
Morristown Medical Center
Lauren BronnerDegree: RN
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Jose Bueno VenturaDegrees: RN, BSN, PCCN
Critical Care
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Zachary BurkeyDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Jovelyn BustilloDegrees: BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Samantha ButterDegrees: RN, BSN
Orthopedic
Overlook Medical Center
Barbara CadamuroDegree: RN
Rehab
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Rosa CalixtoDegrees: BSN, RN
Pediatric Health Center
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Jacqueline CamachoDegrees: BSN, RN, CPN, PED-BC
Pediatric Intensive Care
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Cynthia CannizzaroDegrees: BSN, RN, HN-BC
Labor and Delivery
CentraState Medical Center
Masouheh CarlstromDegree: RN
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
University Hospital – New Jersey
Jacqueline CaroneDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Nicole CaruanaDegrees: BSN, RN
Adult Emergency Department
Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Lisa CaudillDegrees: BSN, RN
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Jennifer CavanaughDegrees: BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, CBC
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Monmouth Medical Center
Joselissa CerdaDegree: RN
Neuro
University Hospital
Kristin CervizziDegree: RN
Oncology
Regional Cancer Care Associates
Erika CheaversDegrees: RN, BSN
Monmouth Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Gabriella ChilelliDegrees: RN, BSN
Medical-Surgical
Cooper University Health Care
Ronni Ching ChanDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
University Hospital
Uyen ChungDegrees: BSN, RN
Cardiac Observation
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Danielle CiciyasviliDegrees: BSN, RN
Acute Care Elderly
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Erin CiklicDegree: RN
Radiation Oncology
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Magdalena CiubaDegrees: BSN, RN
Nurse Navigator
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Sean ClarksonDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Ryann ComerfordDegree: RN
Intensive Care Center
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Marie ConneelyDegrees: BSN, RN-BC
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Bayshore Medical Center
Bethany ConnerDegrees: BSN, RNC-EFM
Labor and Delivery
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Rosemary CorriganDegree: RNC
Monmouth Hospice
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Logen CraigDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Cooper University Health Care
Donna CribbDegree: RN
Intensive Care Unit
Newton Medical Center
Sabrina CruzDegree: RN
Oncology
Regional Cancer Care Associates
Rachel Ann CuaDegree: RN
Intensive Care Unit
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Christy Cundari RussellDegree: RN
Pediatrics
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Justyna CzerniakDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical, Neurology, Oncology
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Briana D’AngeloDegrees: BSN, RN, TNCC
Emergency Department
Newton Medical Center
Carla DanielsDegree: RN
Oncology
Inspira Medical Center Mullica
Jamie DelauriaDegrees: RN, BSN
Reuten Clinic
Hackensack University Medical Center
Mallory DelMauroDegrees: BSN, RN
Intensive Care Unit
Overlook Medical Center
Leslie DemarkDegrees: RN, BSN
Trauma Surgical
Cooper University Health Care
Ryan DevaneyDegree: RN
Float pool
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Juan DiazDegrees: RN, BSN, ENPC
Pediatric Emergency Department
Morristown Medical Center
Shay DickersonDegrees: BSN, RN
Post Anesthesia Care
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Brendan DillonDegrees: BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Newton Medical Center
Rebecca DominguezDegrees: BSN, RN
Children’s Crisis Intervention Services
Monmouth Medical Center
Alvin DoradoDegrees: BSN, RN
Infectious Disease
Virtua Health and Rehabilitation Center – Mount Holly & Berlin
Branka DragisicDegrees: RN, BSN
West Orange Hospice
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Jacqueline DupreeDegrees: BSN, RN, RN-BC
Medical-Surgical
Newton Medical Center
Emma G. DybaDegree: RN
Oncology
Regional Cancer Care Associates
Sandra EitelDegree: RN
Telemetry
Newton Medical Center
Emergency Department at Newton Medical Center (Team Honoree)Newton Medical Center
Taylor EngelhartDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Linda FarmerDegrees: BSN, RN, OCN
Infusion Services
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Elyse FearonDegrees RN, BSN
Surgical Intermediate and Neuro Critical Care
Hackensack University Medical Center
Eugenie FeleoDegree: RN
Neonatal Intensive Care
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
David FentyDegrees: RN-BC
Psychiatric Unit
Overlook Medical Center
Brenda FieldsDegree: LPN
Long-Term Care
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Kevin FogartyDegrees: RN, CPN
Pediatric Intensive Care
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Ryan ForneyDegrees: RN
Intensive care unit
Cooper University Health Care
Ryann FountasDegrees: BSN, RN
Washington Township Cancer Center
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Rosa FralonardoDegree: RN
Surgical/GYN Unit
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
David FrankDegree: RN
Parker Advanced Care Institute
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Narmadha FranklinDegrees: BSN, RN
Surgical/GYN Unit
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Carissa FrutcheyDegrees: BSN, RN
Progressive Step Down
Hunterdon Healthcare System
Samantha FunkDegrees: RN, BSN
Same Day Surgery
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Amanda FuriaDegrees: BSN, RN-BC
Medical-Surgical
Morristown Medical Center
Diana GaldieriDegrees: MSN, RN
Post Anesthesia Care
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Noreen GarciaDegrees: RN, BSN
Telemetry Central
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton
Taylor GardnerDegrees: BSN, RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Giselle M GartlandDegrees: BSN RN
Intensive Care Unit
Chilton Medical Center
Marc-Elie GeorgesDegrees: BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Newton Medical Center
Carolina GiannoulisDegree: RN
Emergency Department
Hackensack Meridian Health – Palisades Medical Center
Mayra Giz-MarinDegrees: BSN, RN, OCN
Outpatient Infusion
Overlook Medical Center
Tara GoldinDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Overlook Medical Center
Miledys GonzalezDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
University Hospital
Marissa GorgolDegrees: MSN, RN
Pediatric Services
Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell
Alfreda Graine-McNeillDegree: RN
Endoscopy
The Valley Health System
Valerie GrambyDegrees: BSN, RN, CRRN
Rehab
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Megan GrecoDegree: RN
Peripherally inserted central catheter Team
The Valley Health System
Tracy GreenDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical Outpatient
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Martyne GreenblattDegree: RN
Interventional Radiology
Cooper University Health Care
Gary GreenfederDegrees: RN, BSN, CCRN
Critical Care Unit
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Amber A. GrimesDegrees: RN, BSN
John Theurer Cancer Center – Infusion
Hackensack University Medical Center
Ralph L GuarinDegrees: RN, BSN
Progressive Care
Hackensack Meridian Health – Palisades Medical Center
Helen GudinDegrees: BSN, RN
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Jennilyn GuiangDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Digna GuillermoDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Jazmine GutierrezDegrees: BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Alice HagertyDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Cooper University Health Care
Alyssa HandelmanDegrees: BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Hackettstown Medical Center
Dana HargroveDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
MaryAnn HarrisDegree: RN
Intensive Care Unit
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Christopher HebreoDegrees: BSN, RN, CPAN
Post Anesthesia Care
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Hannah HernandezDegree: RN
Pediatric Intensive Care
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Joann HodgesDegree: RN
Same Day Surgery
The Valley Health System
Steven HorakhDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Bayshore Medical Center
Janita HutchinsonDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Nnamdi IkeDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Orthopedics
University Hospital
Intensive Care Critical Care Unit at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (Team Honoree)Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Jennifer IrigoyenDegree: RN
Operating Room
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Sharon IsaacsDegree: RN
Hospice
Valley Home Care and Hospice
Analiza JacintoDegrees: BSN, RN, CPAN
Post Acute Care Unit
Newton Medical Center
Sandra JohansenDegrees: BSN, RN, CWON
The Center for Wound & Burn Healing and Inpatient Wound & Ostomy
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Maureen JorgeDegrees: BSN, RN
Radiology
Hackensack Meridian Health – Ocean Medical Center
Kunjunjamma JosephDegrees: RN, BA
Orthopedic and Joint
Cooper University Health Care
Mercedes KallalDegrees: BSN, RN
Surgical Service
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Smyth KathleenDegree: RNC
Ocean Hospice
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Jennifer KaurDegrees: BSN, RN
Adult Medicine
Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Aman KaurDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
St. Francis Medical Center
Erin KearnsDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Brenda KellyDegree: RN
Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Cheryl KeyesDegrees: RN, BSN
Englewood Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Nicole KishDegree: RN
Pediatric Emergency Department
Capital Health
Diane KosterDegrees: BSN, RN, ASPAN, AORN
Post Anesthesia Care
Hackettstown Medical Center
Alyssa KostiukDegree: BSN, RN
Labor and Delivery
Cooper University Health Care
Angela KravetsDegrees: BSN, RN-BC, OCN
Medical-Surgical
Holy Name Medical Center
Astrid KretschmerDegree: RN
Englewood Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Elizabeth KudrickDegrees: RNC, BSN
Monmouth Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Kristy KuehlkeDegrees: RN, BSN
Center for Ambulatory Surgery
Hackensack University Medical Center
Courtney KurtasDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRN
Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Jolly KuruvillaDegrees: APN, MSN, RN
Stroke Center
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Nicolle LakeDegree: RN
Maternity
Newton Medical Center
Melissa LaTraceDegrees: AAS, BA, RN
Medical-Surgical
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Chaneka LawrenceDegrees: BSN, RN
Surgical Care Unit
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Minerva LayugDegree: RN
Nursing Education
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Shannon LeahyDegrees: BSN, RN, CPN
Pediatric Intensive Care
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Isabel LealDegrees: BSN, RN
Neuroscience
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Nataliya LegkyDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Maida LewisonDegree: RN
Emergency Department
The Valley Health System
June L LezynskiDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Hoboken University Medical Center
Lori LittleDegree: RN
Emergency Room
Virtua Berlin & Virtua Camden
Madeline (Maddie) LondonDegree: RN
Infusion Center
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Megan LucasDegrees: BSN, RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Morristown Medical Center
Dean LucchesiDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical Neurology Oncology Unit
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Anne LyonDegrees: BSN, RN, CEN
Care Center
Hackensack Meridian Health – Ocean Medical Center
Christopher MacatoDegree: RN
Neurology
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Kelly MackeyDegrees: BSN, C-EFM
Labor and Delivery
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Marilou MagatDegree: RN
Hemodialysis
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Kenny MahDegree: RN
Emergency Medical Services
University Hospital
Robyn MahonDegrees: BSN, RN
Intensive Care Unit
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Amber MalloryDegrees: RN, BSN
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT
Hackensack University Medical Center
Rodolfo ManaloDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Pascack Valley Medical Center
Cheri ManningDegree: RN
Surgery Center
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Mallory MarconiDegree: RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Alexandra MarinoDegrees: RN, BSN
Pediatrics
Morristown Medical Center
Rebekah “Katie” MarthalerDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRN
Cardiac Intensive Care
Morristown Medical Center
Catherine MasonDegrees: RN, BSN
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes & Virtua
Willingboro hospitals
Marisol MateoDegree: RN
Infusion
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
Jennifer MatteraDegrees: BSN, RN, CMSRN
Medical-Surgical
Newton Medical Center
Stephanie MatulionisDegrees: MSN, RN, Medsurg-BC, CEN, NPD-BC
Professional Development
Hackensack Meridian Health – Bayshore Medical Center
Joseph MazzoneDegrees: ASN, RN
Cardiac Pavilion
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Shirley Lisa McColliganDegree: RN
Intensive Care Unit
Hoboken University Medical Center
Karen McCuskerDegrees: RN, MSN
Cancer Center
Jefferson Health
Tonya McDonaldDegree: RN
Women’s Services
Hackensack Meridian Health – Pascack Valley Medical Center
Kelly MckennaDegrees: BSN, RN
Intensive Care Unit
Newton Medical Center
Alwyn MedranoDegree: RN
Post-Cath Procedural
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Clara MembaDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
University Hospital – New Jersey
Bobby MessaiahDegree: RN
Behavioral Care
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Ashley MickelDegrees: BSN, RN, OCN
Intensive Care Unit
Hackettstown Medical Center
Karie MinerDegrees: BSN, RN, AMSN
Acute Care
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Stephanie MinerviniDegrees: MSN, RN, CCRN
Cardiac Services
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Sarah MoodyDegree: RN
Pediatric Intensive Care
Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Lauren MorrisonDegrees: MSN, RN
Acute Care Unit
Inspira Medical Center Mullica
Charity MuchiriDegree: RN
Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Doris MuriithiDegrees: BSN, RN, WWC
Respiratory
Overlook Medical Center
Christina MurphyDegree: RN
Home Health
Valley Home Care and Hospice
Dale MurphyDegree: RN
Pediatric Acute Care
The Valley Health System
Darlene MutchkoDegrees: BSN, RN
Home Health
Valley Home Care and Hospice
Glen NavarraDegrees: BSN, RN
Pediatric Acute care
Capital Health
Alexandra P NicholsDegree: RN
Progressive Care Unit
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital & Virtua Willingboro Hospital
Antonio NikolicDegrees: RN, BSN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Hackensack University Medical Center
Lisa O’BrienDegree: RN
Oncology
Regional Cancer Care Associates
Elizabeth O’DonnellDegrees: MA, RN, OCN
Cancer Infusion
Monmouth Medical Center
Shannon OgurkisDegrees: BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Hunterdon Healthcare System
Yannett OsortoDegree: BSN
Inpatient-Infant/Toddler
Children’s Specialized Hospital
Kaylee PaolellaDegree: RN
Oncology
Regional Cancer Care Associates
Dean Michael PasatiempoDegrees: RN, BSN
Urology/Kidney Transplant Unit
Hackensack University Medical Center
Mildred PascuaDegree: RN
Post Cath Unit
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Dipixipen PatelDegree: RN
Acute Care
Jefferson Health
Shelley PatersonDegree: RN
Cardiac Surgery Step-Down
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Ansara PersadDegrees: RN, BSN
Surgical Intermediate and Neuro Critical Care
Hackensack University Medical Center
Melissa PineiroDegrees: BSN, RN
Cancer Care
Cooper University Health Care
Erika PiserchiaDegrees: RN, BSN
Mother/Baby Postpartum Unit
Hackensack University Medical Center
Lauren PoeckertDegrees: BSN, RN
Surgical Trauma
Capital Health
Michelle PooleDegree: RN
Dual Diagnosis APH
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Danielle PorporaDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Sashawn PottingerDegrees: RN, BSN
Women’s Surgical Unit
Hackensack University Medical Center
Theresa A PowellDegrees: BSN, RN
Oncology Infusion
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Brittany PruneauDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Sabrina RamirezDegree: RN
Intensive Care Center
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Cody RamosDegree: RN
Jefferson Health
Nicole ReaganDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Stacey ReinauerDegrees: RN, BSN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Hackensack University Medical Center
Megan ReinholdDegrees: BSN, RN
Pediatrics
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Joanne ReitanoDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Edgar RelevanteDegree: RN
St. Francis Medical Center
Kathryn RepettiDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Christine J ReycraftDegrees: MSN, RN
Emergency Department
Holy Name Medical Center
Christine ReyesDegrees: BSN, RN
Intensive Care Unit
Hackettstown Medical Center
RMC Cardiac Rehab Team at Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center (Team Honoree)Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Estefany RoblesDegrees: RN, BSN
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT
Hackensack University Medical Center
Christie RodriguezDegrees: BSN, RN
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Elizabeth G RodriguezDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Caitlyn RovelliDegrees: BSN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Sandra RuelaDegrees: BSN, RN-C
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Morristown Medical Center
Maria RufinDegrees: MSN, RN
Pediatric Acute Care
Jersey City Medical Center
Katilin RushDegree: RN
Wound Care
Morristown Medical Center
Andrew SaboDegrees: BSN, RN
Hospice
Inspira Medical Center Mullica
Beata SadowskaDegree: RN
Chilton Medical Center
Geri SanfillippoDegrees: MSN, RN, SCRN
Neuro Intensive Care
Capital Health
Rachele SantosDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Chilton Medical Center
Jessica SarubbiDegrees: RN, BSN
Pediatric Emergency Department
Hackensack University Medical Center
Abass SavageDegree: RN
Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Hannah SchwarzmanDegrees: BSN, RN
Acute Care
Jefferson Health
Nicole SchweighardtDegree: RN
Cardiothoracic Step Down
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Alexandra SerraDegree: RN
Pediatrics
The Valley Health System
Lauren ShannonDegrees: BSN, RN, PCCN
Same-Day Surgery
Hackettstown Medical Center
Julia SilerDegrees: BSN, RN, CMSRN
Ortho/Spine
Virtua Health and Rehabilitation Center – Mount Holly & Berlin
Vanessa SilvaDegree: RN
Pediatric Intensive Care
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Queenie SimplicianoDegrees: BSN, RN-BC
Telemetry
Hackensack Meridian Health – Bayshore Medical Center
Nalina SinghDegree: RN
Englewood Hospice
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Vince SobalDegree: RN
Emergency Medical Services
University Hospital – New Jersey
Taylor SobelDegree: RN
Oncology
The Valley Health System
Ashley SpinksDegrees: BSN, RN
Maternity Newborn
Hunterdon Healthcare System
Sindy SpitaleriDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Holy Name Medical Center
Samantha StavarDegrees: BSN, RN
Pediatrics
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Christie StoryDegrees: RN, BSN
Ocean Home Care
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Audrey Stuart-TaylorDegrees: BSN, RN
Post-Interventional Cardiac
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Noresa M SuelanDegrees: BSN, RN, BC-RN
Rehab
Hackensack Meridian Health – JFK University Medical Center
Eun SuhDegree: RN
Long-Term Care
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Adele SweetenDegree: RN
Step Down
Newton Medical Center
Susan SwoklaDegree: RN
Oncology
Regional Cancer Care Associates
Kaitlyn SzeDegrees: BSN, RN
Telemetry
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Kathleen SzilezyDegrees: BSN, RN
Cardiac Progressive Care Uit
Chilton Medical Center
Corinne TakachDegrees: BSN, RN
Maternity Newborn
Hunterdon Healthcare System
Khaila TanDegrees: BSN, RN
Cardiac
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Gustavia TarawaliDegrees: BSN, RN
Rehab
Virtua Health and Rehabilitation Center – Mount Holly & Berlin
Magnolia TarrielaDegree: RN
Ambulatory Surgical Center
Capital Health
Holly TarwackiDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical Telemetry
Hackensack Meridian Health – Bayshore Medical Center
Corazon TinanaDegree: RN
Labor and Delivery
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Danielle TorcedoDegrees: RN, BSN
Inpatient Oncology
Hackensack University Medical Center
Bobbi L TorresDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Hoboken University Medical Center
Peter ToscakDegree: RN
Step Down
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Mirtha TunDegrees: RN, BSN
Monmouth Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Michelle TuriDegree: RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Iffy UzonduDegrees: RN, BSN
Orthopedic Unit
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hannah VanCleveDegrees: ADN, RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Bayshore Medical Center
Kelly VargaDegree: RN
Emergency Car
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Maria VazDegrees: RN, BSN
Monmouth Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Mercedes VegaDegree: RN
Medical-Surgical
Hackensack Meridian Health – Riverview Medical Center
Elena VolkovDegrees: RNC, BSN
Monmouth Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Amirah WalkerDegrees: MSN, RN
Wound Center
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Maya WashingtonDegrees: BSN, RN
Critical Care Unit
CentraState Medical Center
Zoe WassermanDegrees: RN, CLC
Labor and Delivery
Overlook Medical Center
Sara WertzDegrees: RN, BSN
Medical-Surgical
Cooper University Health Care
Margaret WestfallDegrees: RN, BSN
Obstetrics Unit
Inspira Medical Center Mullica
Toia WhitakerDegrees: RN, MSN, WCC, ACHRN
Wound Center
Overlook Medical Center
Pamela WilkinsonDegree: RN
Monmouth Home Health
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Gladys WilliamsonDegree: RN
Behavioral Health
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Michelle ZakroffDegrees: BSN, RN, CCRN
Rehab
Virtua Health and Rehabilitation Center – Mount Holly & Berlin
Ashley ZapolskiDegrees: BSN, RNC-MNN
Mother Baby
Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Dorothy F ZarilloDegrees: RN, MSN, NEA-BC
Wound Care
Morristown Medical Center
Alexis ZweidingerDegree: RN
Critical Care
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
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An estimated 500 pounds of pasta mysteriously ended up in the woods in Old Bridge. Photo courtesy of Nina Jochnowitz
This too shall pass-ta.
Neighbors have put an end to spiraling social-media speculations surrounding the recent mysterious materialization of hundreds of pounds of pasta in a wooded area of Old Bridge.
According to NBC 4 New York, neighbors say the noodles came from a nearby house up for sale. A military veteran was reportedly cleaning out his late mother’s home, found a massive stockpile of pasta and disposed of it in the woods.
Though the pasta appears cooked in since-viral photos posted to Facebook last week by Old Bridge resident and former city council contender Nina Jochnowitz, the pasta is said to have been dumped raw. Heavy rainfall over the weekend made it appear cooked.
Social media users had a field day with posts, noodling around with just about every pun out there in their comments. Photo courtesy of Nina Jochnowitz
“I really feel like he was just trying to clear out his parents’ house and they were probably stocked up from Covid,” neighbor Keith Rost told NBC 4 New York. “My grandparents always had a cupboard full of cans and pasta, just to be safe.”
The State Department of Public Works cleaned up the enormous mounds of spaghetti, ziti and elbow macaroni using 15 wheelbarrows, New Jersey 101.5 reported—but not before word spread far and wide, sparking plenty of pasta-centric puns, a Reddit thread and even a Facebook group, 500 Pounds of Pasta! A True Crime Story, described as “dedicated to determining who this macaroni dumper is.”
Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry said the case is now closed, according to NBC 4 New York.
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The post Solved! How Hundreds of Pounds of Pasta Ended Up in the Woods of NJ appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
That’s a whole lotta pasta!
Hundreds of pounds of spaghetti, ziti and elbow macaroni were mysteriously dumped in the woods in Old Bridge—and stayed there long enough to be photographed—until the town’s Department of Public Works cleaned up the mess, according to reports.
Resident Nancy Nina Jochnowitz, a previous contender for city council, posted a series of bizarre photos to Facebook last week showing the massive mounds of noodles, which mysteriously showed up in a wooded area in town near a stream, she wrote.
Taking aim at the current political leaders in Old Bridge, she wrote: “The Mayor and his possy continue to ignore the Sixth Ward. No surprise when we see the dumping of construction and other garbage spewed in all of the neighborhoods. This week, there was a new type of dumping, of excessive food, PASTA.”
She told nj.com that Old Bridge is the only town in Middlesex County without bulk garbage pickup—although that issue may be unrelated to the strange pasta situation.
The Department of Public Works removed the noodles and police were notified, according to nj.com. Cops are investigating.
“We would estimate several hundred pounds of uncooked pasta that was removed from the packaging and then dumped along the creek. It looks like it was only there for a short time but moisture did start to soften some of the pasta,” Himanshu Shah, Old Bridge’s business administrator, told the site.
Unsurprisingly, social media cooked up some pretty hilarious responses to the mystery.
“We should send the perpetrators to the state penne tentiary,” one person commented on Reddit.
“Lead suspect is a guy named Al Dente,” wrote another, prompting the response: “Don’t forget his partner Lin Guini.”
Another added: “Most New Jersey crime ever.”
The post Hundreds of Pounds of Pasta Mysteriously Dumped in NJ Town appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken said the U.S. government has been “intensely engaged” in efforts to persuade Moscow to free former Princeton resident Evan Gershkovich, who works for the Wall Street Journal as a reporter and has been held in custody in Russia for more than a month. He was arrested in March and charged with espionage during a reporting trip in the country.
New Jersey Governor Phill Murphy has been working with U.S. officials to have Gershkovich released. In a recent press conference, Murphy referred to the reporter as a “Jersey guy” who has been jailed by “that complete pig, Putin.” “Evan still has huge roots in Princeton. I’ve been back and forth on many occasions with his mom and dad and his many friends in Princeton,” he said.
Gershkovich is the child of Russian emigres and graduated from Princeton High School in 2010. He was captain of the high school’s soccer team, which won the state championship.
Last month, an appeal by Gershkovich, 31, was rejected by a Russian court, and he remains in custody. He’s been accused of gathering information on the Russian military, which the Wall Street Journal has disputed. If convicted, he could face 20 years in prison.
Gershkovich has been held in Russia’s notorious Lefortovo Prison, where inmates are rarely allowed visits from lawyers. He apparently has been receiving letters in jail and was said to be thankful and reading every letter that he’s received, according to the Journal’s publisher, Almar Latour.
The post U.S. Officials Work to Free Princeton HS Grad Held in Russia on Spying Charges appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Every journey begins with one step, and Tommy Pasquale’s first step led to the journey of a lifetime. Pasquale recently completed a cross-country walk, raising more than $120,000 for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
From the Smokies of Tennessee to the moody lights of distant cityscapes, to the great expanse of nothingness in Joshua Tree, every step was farther than Pasquale had previously explored.
“I definitely met a lot of really interesting characters along the way,” says Pasquale, who is from Randolph.
After graduating from Seton Hall University in 2020 and working full time in software sales, he realized he wanted to pursue something more meaningful. “Jobs will come and go and I’m going to have more than my fair share of time to be working, to be in an office, to be making money,” he says.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Tommy Pasquale (@tommy_walks_america)
Roughly 30,000 veterans are currently experiencing homelessness in the United States. Pasquale sought out ways he could do something about it. “The thought of brave men and women going over and serving valiantly and then coming home and having to live under a bridge—that’s tough, and it doesn’t sit right with me,” he says.
So Pasquale left his job, sold his car, and started to plan his route. On September 19, Pasquale’s friends and family gathered at Manasquan Beach to wish him well on his 3,000-mile journey.
Every morning along the way, Pasquale would stretch, listen to music, take a deep breath and say a prayer before heading down the road pushing his tricked-out red-white-and-blue shopping cart filled with his gear. At night, he often camped in a tent. Other times, he stayed with friends and, on a few occasions, in hotels. “When I was missing home a lot, I’d listen to a lot of Springsteen,” he says.
[RELATED: Inside One NJ Man’s Wild Walk Around the World With His Dog]
During his walk, Pasquale had the opportunity to speak with several people experiencing homelessness, many of them veterans. He felt encouraged by their desire to share their stories.
Ten pairs of shoes and 143 days later, his journey ended in Venice Beach, California.
Pasquale is currently making the transition from adventurer to author, working on getting the stories of the veterans he met out into the world.
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The post 10 Pairs of Shoes, 143 Days: NJ Man Walked Across the U.S. to Fundraise for Veterans appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
It’s no secret that New Jersey is an expensive state in which to work, live and raise a family. The cost of living here is 15 percent higher than the national average, according to a March 2023 report published by the Council for Community and Economic Research. That’s not a number we should be proud of.
In terms of individual cities and towns, the cost of living in Newark is 7 percent higher than the state average and 23 percent higher than the national average, according to the report. On the other end of the spectrum, Vineland, in Cumberland County, has a cost of living 15 percent below the state average and 2 percent lower than the national average.
In addition to the rising cost of living in New Jersey, ever-increasing housing costs are an ongoing issue. Demand for housing persists, but higher mortgage interest rates make housing less affordable, with total home sales down 17.8 percent in 2022 from the previous year, according to a January 2023 report published by New Jersey Realtors. One silver lining, according to the report, is that mortgage rates declined steadily through January, falling to their lowest level since September 2022, which should boost affordability. But we still have a long way to go.
Regardless of mortgage rates, the cost of housing continues to rise, with the median sales price of a single-family home rising from $400,000 in January 2021 to $450,000 in January 2023, an increase of 12.5 percent. Townhouse and condo prices increased almost 15 percent, and adult communities saw a rise of almost 17 percent. Meanwhile, supply chain shortages and the rising costs of goods, including lumber needed to build and repair our homes, exacerbate already high housing costs.
Research has shown that affordable housing plays a critical role in building and sustaining strong and stable communities, that—along with the families that call them home—are essential to our state’s economy.
[RELATED: Are Tiny Houses a Solution to the Housing Crisis in NJ?]
Covid-19 has had a tremendous social and economic impact on families in New Jersey. “One in six households spend 50 percent or more of their income on housing,” says Melissa Flynn, executive director of Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization helping families build and improve places to call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage, which helps them achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. For families who may not qualify for a mortgage just yet, Flynn says, “we are kicking off a program called Almost Home, where families get help to prepare for their finances, improve their credit and gain the tools necessary to one day become homeowners.”
In addition to services provided by nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity, there are numerous bills in the state Legislature tied to expanding affordable housing assistance, eviction protections and energy-efficiency programs.
While housing affordability is a nagging and persistent challenge in the Garden State, and no one action or magic bullet will solve this problem, for many of us living here, with all of its challenges, it’s kind of a Jersey thing.
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award–winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show, and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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The post NJ’s Housing-Affordability Problem Needs Urgent Attention From Nonprofits, Lawmakers appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Illustration by Steven Salerno
We loved our neighborhood in Glen Ridge but after 26 years, three kids, a cat, a dog and too many goldfish, it was time to move house.
We knew it would be hard to leave. We had a block party every September, complete with a bouncy castle and a band. On Halloween, the sheer volume of little Cinderellas and pint-size Spidermen required that you sit on your stoop, candy bowl in hand, to cater to the never-ending parade of trick-or-treaters. On Christmas Eve, those observing lined their patches of sidewalk with luminaries. During blackouts, as gas generators began to hum, strings of orange extension cords would appear, crisscrossing the street so those without generators could at least keep their fridges going till electricity was restored.
But now the movers had gone, the house was nearly empty, and two of our dearest neighbors, Bridget and Mary, were joining us in giving the house a final cleaning so it would be ready for the new owners. My wife, Jackie, had bonded with Bridget many years ago as they commiserated, heavily pregnant, in the summer heat—my wife with our first child, Iain, and Bridget with her second. Jackie met Mary in the park at the top of our street as her son, Owen, played with our twins, David and Simon. Coincidentally, we discovered, Owen was born on the same day and in the same hospital as our boys. To this day, everyone in town knows them as the triplets. They’re 22 now, but still the best of friends.
As I swept, I recalled the day we moved in. I had bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate, and not being particularly suave, managed to send the cork directly toward the kitchen window, leaving a cork-sized hole—and our first home repair—in its wake. Perhaps out of some psychic need to bookend home repairs, on the day before the new buyers’ final home inspection, I backed the minivan out of the driveway unaware that a haphazardly thrown garden hose was wrapped around the side-view mirror. As I drove away none the wiser, the faucet it was attached to pulled away from the house, leaving water to gush into our window well. Luckily, a neighbor noticed the broken faucet, retrieved a spare key we had left with another neighbor, and cut the water supply before it could flood the basement. Yet another neighbor, who happened to be a plumber, fixed the faucet in time for the inspection.
We only moved 15 minutes away, and while our new neighbors welcomed us with open arms, it’s hard to replace the bonds created while chatting at the school playground or huddled together in the bleachers for a sporting event. It took me several months to even drive down our old street because I missed it so much. But upon visiting friends there now, including the young couple who moved into our old house and whose little ones now occupy the same bedrooms ours once did, it’s not hard to realize that, “for everything there is a season.”
Our home served us well, and now it’s time to pass it on to another young family. We take great comfort in knowing the house is once again filled with toddlers and their toys, and a couple who, like us, appreciate the value of great neighbors. We wish them many years of happiness in their new home and offer only a single piece of advice: Be careful where you throw the garden hose!
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The post Love Thy Neighborhood: Saying Goodbye to Our Family’s Beloved Glen Ridge Home appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Joe Signorello III, the mayor of Roselle Park, surprised pundits and the public in February when he announced his decision to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Menendez in the 2024 Democratic primary.
Signorello says his choice to challenge a powerful—though scandal-mired—opponent baffled observers, but he is up for the challenge.
What makes you qualified for statewide office?I grew up in New Jersey in a middle-class family, raised on public schools. But I’ve also, through work, spent half of my adult life in Europe, starting and building tech companies. I think that gives me a good purview of not only what works here in New Jersey, but what works around the world.
I’ve seen your candidacy described as “bonkers” and a “long shot.” What makes you think you have a chance?People thought John Fetterman [of Pennsylvania] was bonkers, too. People really want a fresh face. The sad reality is there’s a core protest vote out there because people are sick of Senator Menendez. Six years ago, Lisa McCormick got almost 40 percent of the vote and spent, like, $5,000 on her campaign.
Why do you feel Menendez should lose his seat?It’s egregious that he’s under his third federal investigation, and we’ve had senators step down for less than that. It’s also egregious that his son is a current sitting congressman and basically saw no competition. There’s plenty of people out there that are qualified to lead the state. This isn’t the empire of Menendez.
You called him “an embarrassment” to New Jersey and voters in your campaign launch.I still think both are true…. I love our state, and I think we’re smart and cool and forward thinking, and I’m really sick of having this baggage and his style of politics.
Is there a breaking point for you, whether it be financially or polling, where you would need to drop out?I think the only thing that would change my mind would be if Bob Menendez actually stepped down. But also—and let me be super clear—I’m not just doing this to be anti-Menendez. I’m doing this because I can make a case that I’m actually a better fit than potential would-be competitors in this state.
Will you support whoever wins the Democratic primary for your race?Yes. As much as I have a distaste for some of the Democrats… our country is facing, in my view, an existential threat. There’s only one normal party now.
The Republicans have totally gone beyond the pale. So as much as I have ethical issues with Senator Menendez in certain cases, I’m sure he’ll uphold things like election integrity, which the Republicans just want to end up tearing down.
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The post Why This Small-Town Mayor Thinks He Should Be NJ’s Next Senator appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Since 2011, Keri Urban and her husband had been trying to have a second child. At the age of 40, after suffering her 10th miscarriage, Urban was told by her doctor that her chances of carrying a baby to term were slim.
Their daughter, Gianna, had been born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 2009. As a young child, Gianna wished for a baby brother or sister, yet she understood the struggles her parents were facing. When she was 8 years old, she watched a TV show in which a friend of a character who couldn’t get pregnant carried her baby for her; Gianna casually mentioned it to her mother.
“She put it in my head that it would be OK to use a surrogate,” says Urban, 46, who lives in Hasbrouck Heights with her family. “It just wasn’t a big deal to her.”
That led Urban and her husband, Anthony Urban, down a path that would ultimately bring them to their surrogate, Yesenia Rosario of East Windsor, who last April gave birth to the couple’s baby girl, Annabella, at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center.
The family was overjoyed with the baby—and thrilled with the woman who became their surrogate. “She was incredible—she was so good about keeping in touch and telling me what was going on,” Urban says of Rosario. “I told her, ‘You’re the best!’ And she said, ‘No, we’re the best team.’”
Urban turned to surrogacy after suffering her 10th miscarriage. Her daughter, Annabella, was born last April. Photo by Colin Miller
The Urbans are part of a growing cadre of people in New Jersey who are turning to surrogacy when they need help bringing a child into the world. Since 2018, when it became legal in this state, more people have begun exploring the option of surrogacy. What changed was that gestational carriers could be compensated, and parents who engage surrogates were offered more protections, such as having legal rights over their child before birth.
For many people, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Sarah Jessica Parker come to mind as women who have used surrogates, but surrogacy among the non-famous is becoming more common in the United States. Most women who use this method do so because health issues prevent them from either becoming pregnant or carrying a baby to term.
A gestational surrogate is someone who carries a pregnancy created from an embryo using the mother’s or a donor’s egg and the father’s or a donor’s sperm. She doesn’t share any genetic material with the baby. Traditional surrogacy, in which the surrogate’s egg is used to create the baby, has become much less popular in recent years because of the legal and emotional complexities involved.
[RELATED: Egg Freezing Helps Millennials Put Motherhood on Hold]
Same-sex couples are also increasingly using surrogates to have children. NBC 4 New York meteorologist Raphael Miranda and his husband, who live in Union City, welcomed both of their young children via surrogate. Singer Elton John and his husband also had two children through a surrogate.
According to one CDC study, between 1999 and 2013, there were around 18,400 babies born in the United States via a gestational surrogate. But no statistics are kept on the frequency of surrogacy on state levels.
Surrogates are usually paid anywhere between $30,000 and $80,000, but the total cost, including travel expenses and medical care, can amount to more than $100,000.
MORE PROTECTIONS IN NEW JERSEYMelissa Brisman is a reproductive attorney in New Jersey who helped write the state’s statute on surrogacy. The new law makes it easier for parents who wish to use a surrogate, either in the Garden State or in another part of the country. It stipulates that the child’s birth certificate names the intended parents as the sole legal parents of the baby, without requiring a court order, as some other states do. The law also allows the carrier to choose her own medical care for the pregnancy and delivery, while the intended parents pay for her medical care and related expenses.
Brisman, who lives in Montvale with her family, used a surrogate herself at the age of 26 because she was unable to get pregnant.
“I couldn’t carry the baby, but we had [our own] embryos,” she says. “At the time, surrogacy wasn’t really done. I did everything myself, advertising and putting out fliers. It wasn’t easy.”
Brisman and her husband found a surrogate in Maine who was able to get pregnant with their embryos right away and later give birth to the couple’s twin boys. At the time, Brisman had to go to court to have her name added onto the babies’ birth certificates.
A few years later, the Brismans moved to New Jersey and decided to have another child with a surrogate. Their daughter was born five years after their sons.
Now Brisman, 51, has found a way to help other couples have babies. In addition to a law firm, she runs an agency in New Jersey, Reproductive Possibilities, that connects potential parents with surrogates around the country. When she started, there were only a few agencies in the United States helping with surrogacy; now, there are more than 300.
In New Jersey, where the surrogacy law is fairly new, surrogates are still relatively scarce.
“You often have parents in New Jersey with surrogates elsewhere,” says Rachel Wexler, an attorney who specializes in reproductive and parental rights here and in New York. “It’s definitely a hardship for parents to go out of state,” she says, adding that the cost of flights, hotels and other expenses can add up.
There’s also the complication of navigating surrogacy laws in other states, which are often not as progressive as New Jersey’s. In some states, parents are required to adopt their child after the surrogate gives birth—but that’s not the case here.
“The whole story of surrogacy is people going to such great lengths and putting a lot of time, money and emotional effort into the journey to have kids,” says Wexler.
Brisman was one of the early proponents of legalizing surrogacy in New Jersey, working on it for more than a decade with a committee of attorneys. She lobbied former Governor Chris Christie to have it legalized, but he vetoed it every time the bill came before him. When Governor Phil Murphy came into office, he quickly signed it into law.
Prior to 2018, compensated surrogacy arrangements were prohibited in the state and were unenforceable. In addition, women in New Jersey were not allowed to act as paid surrogates—although it was legal to ask a relative or friend to become an unpaid surrogate.
Previously, surrogates could travel to New Jersey and have the embryos transferred to them here, but the gestational carriers had to live elsewhere, says Brisman.
“New Jersey has great legislation now,” says Brisman. “It’s super easy to do surrogacy here.”
The surrogacy law in New Jersey is considered progressive because parents here don’t have to be married or biologically related to the embryo, as long as the surrogate isn’t related, she says.
Surrogacy became legal in New York state in 2021, but the law is more onerous for intended parents there, making the practice more costly.
A TRANSFORMATIVE CASEIllustration by Anna Godeassi
New Jersey was at the center of the nation’s first surrogacy controversy in 1985, when Mary Beth Whitehead decided she wanted to keep the baby girl she’d given birth to as a surrogate for William and Elizabeth Stern of Tenafly.
Whitehead had used her own egg—along with William Stern’s sperm—making her the baby’s biological parent. (IVF was not widely available at the time, and Whitehead was inseminated with William’s sperm.) After the baby’s birth, Whitehead named her Sara and fled with the child to Florida. The baby was brought back to New Jersey four months later under a temporary custody order, which the Sterns had obtained.
The Sterns sued, and in 1988, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the couple’s $10,000 payment to Whitehead for carrying the baby was “illegal, perhaps criminal and potentially degrading to women.” Despite this ruling, the court awarded custody of the child to the Sterns, indicating it was in the best interest of the child. The case was the nation’s first court ruling on the validity of surrogacy and ignited a national debate on the morality and legality of the practice.
“Because that case was so public and so awful, it set off a reverberating effect across the country and set off anti-surrogacy legislation in the U.S.,” says Wexler.
The surrogacy law in New Jersey now offers legal protection to couples, in the hope of averting cases such as the one involving Baby M. It has become rare to use a surrogate’s egg now, partly because of this case.
The girl in the case, Melissa Stern, is 37 today. She has kept out of the spotlight, but in 2007, she spoke to New Jersey Monthly and said of the Sterns, “I love my family very much and am very happy to be with them. I’m very happy I ended up with them. I love them, they’re my best friends in the whole world, and that’s all I have to say about it.”
SURROGACY EVOLVESThe surrogacy experience is very different today.
In November 2022, Tracy Ellis and her husband, Mark Ellis, welcomed their second daughter, born through a surrogate who lives in Ohio. When they started the process in 2016, it still wasn’t legal to have a gestational surrogate in New York, where they lived at the time, but they were able to transfer their embryos out of state (although they were not used for their daughter).
Ellis, who works for an insurance company and lives in Glen Rock with her family, had a devastating pregnancy loss when she and her husband were first trying to have a child. A few days later, she had a pulmonary embolism, and her doctor determined that it was unsafe for her to try to get pregnant again. They began looking into surrogates.
They were able to find a surrogate in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tricia had two daughters of her own and worked with kids getting dialysis in a children’s hospital. “We were beyond nervous during the pregnancy, but Tricia was so reassuring and confident. She is kind beyond words and funny, and we get along very well,” says Ellis.
Still, the search to find a surrogate can be challenging. There’s always a long wait list for intended parents, and the situation worsened during the pandemic, says Wexler. “There are women who want to be surrogates, but not everyone will be cleared both medically and psychologically,” she says. “The standards are so high. The surrogates that I’ve worked with were people who wanted something meaningful to do that afforded them some flexibility.”
The requirements to become a surrogate in Jersey are stringent: A woman must be at least 21, in good health, have had at least one child of her own without a difficult pregnancy, be a non-smoker, and have no history of drug or alcohol abuse.
The Urbans were fortunate to find their surrogate, Rosario, in New Jersey, as it made doctor’s visits, as well as the legal aspects, that much easier for the couple.
Keri Urban says their daughter was thrilled when she learned that they had found a surrogate, and that she was pregnant.
It was Rosario’s second time as a surrogate, which she learned about after finding an ad on the Internet. She did some research and explained it to her husband, who at first was confused. (The couple has three children of their own.)
“He said, ‘Wait, is that going to be their baby or your baby?’ In the beginning, he didn’t understand—but later he did,” says Rosario, 39. “I have a friend who had a lot of issues having a baby and getting pregnant. Seeing her so sad like that made me want to help. I said, ‘I’m going to do this for someone. Let me sign up with an agency and see if they choose me.’”
The Urbans were grateful that their surrogate, Rosario, also lived in New Jersey. “She made me feel so comfortable,” Keri says. Photo by Colin Miller
When she first met the Urbans, Rosario was touched by their story. “It really made my heart break when I heard that she had 10 miscarriages,” she says. “I can’t see my life without my kids.”
She became a surrogate as a way of giving back. “I did this out of kindness,” she says. “I grew up in a Catholic family and I felt that I had to help others. I loved to help these two families. They really deserved it and needed it.” And she believes that after her experience as a surrogate, her life changed for the better. It seemed to open doors for her—she now has a good job and financial security. The money she earned will pay for her children to attend college.
Rosario was pregnant and gave birth during the pandemic, which was challenging in terms of attending doctor’s appointments, she says. In the past, she had had fast births, so when she went into labor, she immediately called the Urbans and said to come right away.
“I said, ‘Hurry, the baby wants to come!’” she says. She asked doctors for an epidural to slow down the birth so that the Urbans could be there for the delivery.
“I thought, if I’m going to do this, I have to do it right,” she remembers.
The Urbans made it just in time for the birth, which Keri says was a wonderful experience: “People asked me how Yesenia was able to do it,” says Keri, adding that during their first phone conversation, she asked Rosario how she felt about carrying someone else’s baby. “She said, ‘I’m not giving up a baby, because it’s not my baby.’ She made me feel so comfortable.”
She adds that having Rosario in the same state made the whole experience seamless. Previously, they had been talking to a surrogate in Tennessee, where they would have had to adopt their own baby—because the laws are different there.
Rosario says she would encourage others to become a surrogate. “It’s not about the money…it’s about what you’re going to do for someone to help them have a family. To give that kind of happiness to someone is incredible,” says Rosario. “When I see the baby in Keri’s arms, it makes me so happy for them.”
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Thanks for the shout-out!
Bill Hader, of Saturday Night Live fame, showed New Jersey some love while out for a stroll in Los Angeles on Wednesday, wearing a red T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Jersey City Recreation Sports Program,” as seen in photos published by Page Six.
Hader’s rep told us the star was given the tee as a gift, but that the actor, who was born in Oklahoma and lives in Los Angeles, doesn’t know where his friend got it.
The shirt appears to be a re-creation of a vintage tee worn by Blondie member Chris Stein back in 1977. According to the brand Worn Free, which currently sells a version of the shirt, Stein found his original item in a thrift store.
Hader has no obvious ties to the Garden State. Neither does his on-again girlfriend, the stand-up comedian Ali Wong, with whom he was photographed on Wednesday.
That said, Hader did once star in a pretty funny Jersey-themed SNL skit, where he played the host of a game show called Ohhhhh!—an over-the-top fictional show “by guys from New Jersey for guys from New Jersey”—that co-starred real New Jerseyan Jon Bon Jovi. Hader even tried his hand at a New Jersey accent (you can decide for yourself how well he measures up!).
Funnily enough, Hader was photographed wearing another New Jersey-themed T-shirt last year. Henry Winkler, Hader’s co-star on the HBO show Barry, tweeted a photo of the pair last August, in which Hader was rocking a vintage-looking tee from the long-shuttered store Star Music in Morristown.
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After the pandemic devastated nursing homes around the country, many elderly people wanted to find a different way of living out their golden years—one that would keep them in their homes and communities.
That’s just one reason why Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)—small, single housing units located on the properties of larger, single-family homes—have become popular in New Jersey.
“Many [elderly] people want to age in place. They want to keep the same doctors and houses of worship and neighborhoods. Disruptions can be difficult for older people to adjust to,” says Ann Lippel, a Montclair Gateway Aging in Place board member who has been advocating for ADUs in the Essex County town since 2015.
After more than a decade of discussion, Montclair finally passed an ADU ordinance in February, making it legal to have one of these tiny homes. Montclair joins a short list of other municipalities around the state that have passed ADU ordinances, including Princeton, Maplewood, East Orange and Bradley Beach. Restrictions regarding things such as square footage and number of stories an ADU can have vary by town.
An ADU adds “gentle density” to communities, says affordable-housing advocate Harold Simon. Photo courtesy of Todd Mason/Halkin Mason Photography
Harold Simon, an affordable-housing advocate and expert who lives in Montclair, recalls trying to get the same ordinance passed in town back in 2011—to no avail. “Montclair, like every other community in New Jersey, has a need for more housing, but it’s an old community,” says Simon. “There are real limits to how much more housing you could put into a place like Montclair. So you could either build apartment buildings, or you could add an ADU.”
Buy our May 2023 issue here. Cover photo by Chris Buck
ADUs aren’t just for the elderly. The units can be an alternative for any adult looking to rent. And because ADUs are built on already-owned properties, more homes can be added to the market without the need for more space. Many say ADUs are a potential solution to the housing crisis.
“It doesn’t add new infrastructure, for the most part,” adds Simon. “It’s a great way to add housing units to the community without additional cost to the community. The impact is marginal, and it adds gentle density.”
An ADU on a family member’s property can also be a great place for a recent college graduate to live if they can’t afford to pay rent, yet want some independence. Most ADU ordinances also allow for homeowners to rent out the pads for additional income.
Property taxes do increase when an ADU is added to a home, but that’s usually offset by the added value of having rental income or a free place for a relative to live.
Or homeowners can choose to move into the ADU and rent the main house, giving them extra income. Lippel says sometimes homeowners work out deals where their renters shovel snow or do other chores in exchange for a break in rent.
So what’s the next step for ADUs in New Jersey? State legislators are currently working on a bill that would allow homeowners statewide to build units on their properties. The bill, sponsored by state assemblyman Raj Mukherji, could be a step toward making more affordable housing available in the state.
Architect Marina Rubina Rubina aims to “make small places feel large.” Photo courtesy of Todd Mason/Halkin Mason Photography
There is a lot to consider when building an ADU on your property. Marina Rubina, a Princeton-based architect who has been in practice for over 20 years, has designed many ADUs ranging from 400 to 1,200 square feet, and says the tiny home and the main residence must work in unity.
“[I think of] how to make small places feel large and how people can live together on the same property and not be in each other’s way,” says Rubina, who has seen ADUs rise in popularity in recent years. “With ADUs, you get to know the people who are living next to you. It’s more of a friendly relationship than living in a giant apartment complex.”
An ADU must work in unity with the main residence, Rubina says. Photo courtesy of Todd Mason/Halkin Mason Photography
That was true for Montclair couple Joel Patenaude and Judy Hoffstein. When they moved into their home, they were thrilled to realize they could convert the former doctor’s office attached to the back of their house into an apartment for Hoffstein’s aging parents. “It made for a nice lifestyle for them,” Patenaude says. “Initially, they had their independence, and we ate with them a couple of times a week. Then we had all of our meals with them.”
The apartment had a separate entrance, giving his in-laws privacy. The arrangement worked out well for everyone, he says, including his children, who were able to spend quality time with their grandparents. As his in-laws aged, Patenaude and his wife eventually brought in hospice workers. ADUs were legal in Montclair at the time if they were used for elderly parents.
“When my mother-in-law died, I buried my friend,” says Patenaude. “We were able to develop a great relationship; that’s a really nice aspect of this.”
Jacqueline Mroz contributed to this article.
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A small cluster of tiny homes is offering a measure of hope and a fresh start for formerly incarcerated men in New Jersey.
The half-dozen 100-square-foot homes are part of the Village of Hope transitional housing program in Bridgeton, which opened in November. Each individual unit is heated and cooled and contains a bed, storage space and desk. A shared kitchen, communal bathroom and community room are located on the property.
“Approximately 10 to 15 percent of parolees are homeless or become homeless upon release from prison,” says Kevin McHugh, executive director of the Reentry Coalition of New Jersey. “Without stable housing, it is not possible to help address the challenges that these individuals face.”
[RELATED: How a Chocolate-Making Program Helps Formerly Incarcerated]
The program’s goal is to provide free, temporary housing to formerly incarcerated people for up to six months.
Buy our May 2023 issue here. Cover photo by Chris Buck
As well as a place to live, Village of Hope helps residents secure employment and permanent housing and offers services such as help getting a driver’s licence and gaining access to health and wellness resources.
Village of Hope is a collaboration between the Kintock Group, the Gateway Community Action Partnership and the Reentry Coalition of New Jersey, with significant backing from Bridgeton mayor Albert Kelly, who has been pushing to get these homes built. He has said that he’d like to see the Cumberland County program expand statewide.
“The coalition is looking at this as a demonstration project,” McHugh says. “I see this as an opportunity to try an alternative approach to address what has been an intractable situation.”
Find more information and an application at kintock.org/village-of-hope or by calling 856-459-2701.
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A new cross-shaped pier is set to open in Ocean Grove on Saturday, April 15.
Ahead of the ribbon cutting, some residents have voiced concerns that the pier’s T-shaped design resembles a Christian cross. Public officials and members of the LGBTQ+ community say that the use of religious imagery should not be permitted on the public beach.
Other New Jersey residents who are not religious or come from different faith backgrounds share that they have no qualms about the cross shape, and that the design does not conflict with their desire to use the pier.
Speculation about the intentionality of the cross shape began after the design was unveiled in July 2022.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist community that has been living in Ocean Grove for over 150 years, privately funded the reconstruction project. They originally settled in Ocean Grove for tent-revival meetings in the summer months on the Jersey Shore. Today, the Camp Meeting Association owns Ocean Grove’s land, beach and new boardwalk.
The Camp Meeting Association has been embroiled in legal trouble on several occasions, including a 2007 lawsuit for refusing to allow LGBTQ+ couples use of a pavilion for civil union ceremonies; though in the subsequent years, some members of both the Camp Meeting Association and the LGBTQ+ community have sought restoration and understanding.
Still, some New Jersey residents worry that the pier represents a renewed effort toward religious coercion.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the end of a 10-month-long reconstruction project to restore the Ocean Grove pier to its historic 500 feet, since it was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Despite its religious implications, many beach-goers are looking forward to a sunny season in Ocean Grove, viewing the finished pier as a symbol of perseverance and a blessing to the Jersey Shore.
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When you get off the plane with the legendary Joan Baez you know it’s a movement of the spirit. She stands with us in our struggle in Tennessee and said she’s hopeful to see young voices leading.
“WE SHALL OVERCOME…”
Serendipitous, indeed. pic.twitter.com/f4bj5akUte
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) April 9, 2023
Two Tennessee state legislators—Justin J. Jones and Justin Pearson—became national celebrities after they were expelled from the state Legislature for joining protestors calling for gun safety legislation after six people were killed in a school shooting there last month.
Another member of the legislature who protested with them, Gloria Johnson, survived a motion to expel her. After Jones, 27, was reinstated to his seat, he led a march of thousands—mostly young people—back to the Tennessee Capitol building. (Pearson has also since been reinstated.)
On Sunday, Jones and Johnson were on a plane to Newark when they realized that folk-music legend Joan Baez was on the same flight.
In Newark Airport, after the plane landed, Jones approached Baez and asked her to sing some protest songs with him. As Johnson filmed, they held hands and sang two freedom songs from the Civil Rights Era: “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” and “We Shall Overcome.”
[RELATED: NJ Artist Hopes His Mural at Newark Airport Makes Everyone Feel Welcome]
Later, Jones wrote on Twitter:
“When you get off the plane with the legendary Joan Baez you know it’s a movement of the spirit. She stands with us in our struggle in Tennessee and said she’s hopeful to see young voices leading. ‘WE SHALL OVERCOME…’
Serendipitous, indeed.”
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Sustain & Serve NJ is on track to distribute more than 5 million meals in New Jersey. Photo courtesy of New Jersey Economic Development Authority
We are now three years into the pandemic. When so much came to a screeching halt in March 2020, no one could have predicted the impact Covid-19 would have on our state. Lives were lost, businesses and restaurants shuttered, and organizations both big and small had to pivot to survive.
Covid also exacerbated food insecurity, causing more people to seek food assistance. In true New Jersey fashion, within months of the start of the pandemic, organizations and leaders jumped into action to help. One of those initiatives, Sustain & Serve NJ, is as impactful as it is innovative.
Launched by Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) in late 2020, Sustain & Serve NJ provides eligible groups with grants to purchase meals from New Jersey-based restaurants that have been hurt by Covid and distribute those meals free to the community. Full disclosure: NJEDA is an underwriter of the public-policy programming I anchor on public broadcasting.
Since its launch, Sustain & Serve NJ “has grown from a $2 million pilot to a $57 million program that’s on track to support the purchase of more than 5 million meals,” says Tara Colton, NJEDA’s executive vice president of economic security.
One of Sustain & Serve’s partners is the Coalition for Food and Health Equity, which has invested more than $1 million in small businesses and helped dispatch more than 150,000 meals.
[RELATED: These Restaurants Keep New Jerseyans Full—and Fulfilled]
“Our clients are now able to eat healthier and be exposed to healthier food options that they would not have been able to afford; and on a consistent weekly basis, they can rely on us,” says the coalition’s CEO and founder, Leeja Carter. “We’ve been able to deepen our work, make it more consistent, reach harder-to-reach areas, mobilize food, and do this in loving partnership with our restaurant partners.”
The Coalition for Food and Health Equity is just one example of a Sustain & Serve NJ grantee that is committed to feeding its neighbors and supporting its communities with respect and dignity. There are countless others working together in this multipronged strategy to strengthen the economic security of all New Jerseyans while also helping to eliminate food deserts.
According to Colton, just like food deserts are caused by multiple factors that have taken root over generations, driven by structural racism and underinvestment, there is no one solution to the challenge. Says Colton, “Sustain & Serve NJ is central to our holistic approach to addressing food deserts, in alignment with the Food Desert Relief Act championed by Speaker Craig Coughlin and Governor Murphy. True food security means that residents can access fresh, nutritious, healthy food at times and locations that are convenient to them and meets them where they are, literally and figuratively.”
The Sustain & Serve NJ initiative is truly making a difference, not only for the nonprofit grantees, but also for restaurants in the Garden State and, ultimately, the people they serve.
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award–winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show, and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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Newark climate-justice advocate Marcus Sibley understands how important open space is for people who live in cities. Photo courtesy of Erin Patrice O’Brien
Growing up in Newark, Marcus Sibley saw firsthand the negative impact on people in his community by a lack of access to open space.
“My background is in mental health. I know the data supporting the benefits of open spaces. If people don’t have access to the outdoors—people who bear the brunt of being Black, brown, poor and Indigenous in this country, and never have a release of that anxiety and frustration—what does that manifest into?” asks Sibley, 41, who trained as a social worker.
The experience led him to become a national activist for climate justice. He is now the Northeast director of conservation partnerships for the National Wildlife Federation.
The path that led him there was circuitous—and it started with music.
As a young man growing up in Newark, the soundtrack of his upbringing was undeniably hip-hop.
“Hip-hop is the voice of the people. It’s a form of protest. I wanted people to be drawn in and act toward empowerment, love for community, and respect for the Black woman. Good music can be a class that people don’t even know they’re sitting in,” says Sibley, a poet and musician himself, who has released three albums as Walkin Contradiction.
He uses that fundamental education from hip-hop to amplify the voices of the people.
Sibley began his professional career as a family-crisis intervention specialist, but he wanted to help a greater number of people. He felt he could impact more families by becoming a speaker. By 2006, he was traveling around the country, speaking at universities and conferences.
But after 10 years, he says, his friends told him, “Instead of complaining about what’s not being done, why don’t you hop in here and do the work yourself?”
“Once I got involved in the NAACP in 2017, it dawned on me that we were spending time and energy addressing police brutality, voting rights and segregation—all very important, but [we] weren’t as alarmed about the environment, which impacts us worst and first.”
Then he was appointed the NAACP’s statewide environmental and climate chair.
Sibley points out that our society doesn’t associate environmental activism with Black and brown communities because they are busy putting out other fires, the root causes of which go back generations.
“It’s a result of racism and redlining. Different communities have traditionally laid claim to the outdoors. So if marginalized people don’t have an opportunity to release their stress…if these parks, forests and open spaces are not inclusive environments, what happens to those people? When you take the cumulative impacts of exploitation, degradation and stress manifesting inside of people and add it the exposure to pollution, you have sick people walking around without a chance to heal themselves in the outdoors.”
But as Sibley builds momentum for climate justice, he understands the links between the ecological and the social.
Sibley, who is also the environmental and climate justice chair of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference and chairman of the New Jersey Progressive Equitable Energy Coalition, is a proponent of offshore wind energy, one of New Jersey’s hot-button issues, especially at the Shore.
“None of the groups I represent are saying we should develop offshore wind willy-nilly. We recognize that it lessens our reliance on fossil fuels. But if we don’t carefully assess the potential environmental impacts or be intentional about the job creation for the communities overlooked and exploited forever, we’re not much better off,” he says.
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Once upon a time, a king lived in Bordentown.
Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s older brother and the ex-king of Naples and Spain, fled Europe after the Battle of Waterloo and improbably settled in New Jersey, just south of Trenton in Burlington County.
Between 1816 and 1839, the former monarch, known as the Count de Survilliers, built a sumptuous home overlooking the confluence of the Delaware River and Crosswicks Creek at Bordentown. His estate, named Point Breeze, became a center of social life, where he entertained such dignitaries as Henry Clay, the Marquis de Lafayette and Daniel Webster.
After more than 175 years, the Bonaparte property is set to open to the public this spring, bringing renewed interest to a landscape that will now be preserved. There will be public recreational access to the historic site, renamed Delaware and Raritan Canal Park at Point Breeze. The property was purchased in October 2020 by the State Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program, the City of Bordentown, and the Delaware & Raritan Greenway Land Trust.
Unfortunately, Bonaparte’s first residence was destroyed by fire in 1820; however, locals saved most of his personal possessions, including furniture, paintings and jewels. Bonaparte publicly thanked his honest, courageous neighbors. He quickly constructed an imposing second home with grounds modeled on his Mortefontaine chateau and the adjacent park at Ermenonville in France. It was razed around 1850.
Bonaparte (1768-1844) created a picturesque compound that anticipated later 19th-century American landscape design. Winding carriage paths, charming stone bridges, and vestiges of subterranean tunnels still survive. Bonaparte’s residential buildings are long gone, but the gardener’s house and approximately 60 acres of its picturesque park remain, with trees that are remnants of Bonaparte’s design.
The D&R Greenway Land Trust now oversees the gardener’s house. Linda Mead, president and CEO of this land-preservation organization, says the renovated building will open on May 20 as the Discovery Center at Point Breeze. Its mission will be to spotlight the area’s history, and it will include exhibits about Bonaparte and a recreated kitchen garden.
The Bordentown Historical Society is showcasing a special exhibition celebrating the city’s royal resident that will run until the end of the year. On view is an array of artifacts including Bonaparte’s traveling library of miniature books, a gaming table, prints and paintings. Also notable is the rare public display of the ornate gold chalice from Bonaparte’s private chapel at Point Breeze, which he gifted to Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in Bordentown.
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Illustration by Taylor Callery
As New Jersey City University professors watched, listened and conversed in a conference room in early February, they soon realized the challenges—and opportunities—that awaited them.
The group, more than 15 strong, met for a workshop on ChatGPT, the chatbot-style artificial intelligence (AI) program that’s garnered global attention since its launch in November 2022. Some in the room were already well acquainted with the technology, which was created by OpenAI, a company that specializes in AI research and development. Others were only vaguely familiar.
But when the workshop’s leader, Yufeng Wei, a chemistry and biochemistry professor and the inaugural director of NJCU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, asked ChatGPT to write an essay on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, everyone swiftly understood what the bot was capable of.
The group watched in equal parts horror and amazement as ChatGPT typed a passable essay in a matter of seconds. Those reactions only intensified as Wei demonstrated how a user—in this hypothetical case, a cheating student—can tailor results to their writing or grade level by refining the prompt entered.
“You can tell the engine who you are,” Wei explained.
“We’re doomed!” one attendee responded.
“It is becoming the Terminator!” another professor joked.
That one-liner, a reference to a movie franchise in which an AI program becomes self-aware and nukes the world, drew laughs. But it—and the overall presentation—underscored the difficulties that the pedagogical community is facing as AI becomes increasingly available.
[RELATED: Our State of Education: How NJ Schools and Students Are Faring]
Already, universities and school districts all over the world are trying to restrict students’ use of ChatGPT. The New York City Department of Education even banned the bot from its schools’ devices and networks in January. New Jersey Monthly inquired what, if anything, the Garden State might do about ChatGPT with regards to school use. While the New Jersey Department of Education declined comment for this story through a spokesperson, state educators and students willingly discussed the pros and cons of the tech and how it can be used. As many noted, ChatGPT’s potential extends far beyond cheating. “It’s a tool,” Wei said at the start of his presentation. It’s a point he made multiple times.
What is ChatGPT?If you’re not a student or teacher, or otherwise involved in schools, you may not know what ChatGPT is. Luckily, the bot can introduce itself.
“ChatGPT is a computer program designed to hold conversations with humans,” ChatGPT wrote when we asked it for a simple explanation of what it is. “It uses advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to understand and generate human-like responses to text input. Essentially, it’s a smart AI language model that can answer questions, engage in conversation, and perform a variety of language tasks. The goal is to make the interaction with ChatGPT as similar as possible to a conversation with another person.”
In simpler terms, ChatGPT lets you enter a text prompt and gives you a text response. Prompts can range from simple tasks such as, “Tell me a joke,” to complex topics like, “Explain quantum computing.” A prompt that is more specific, such as, “Explain quantum computing as if a computer science grad student is writing,” will get a more detailed response. ChatGPT can also code, solve equations, stick to word counts, and follow formatting instructions, which is why it’s become so popular with students.
ChatGPT gets its information from the internet and other digital resources, including websites, books and articles. Its large dataset was collected and curated by OpenAI.
“If you get really good at asking the right questions, it’s gonna give you really great responses,” said Erica Holan Lucci, the assistant director of instructional design and technology services for the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers.
However, ChatGPT, which is free to use and was still in a research phase at press time, has its limitations. For starters—and pay attention, students—the information is not always factual, even if it’s written coherently. And, should your assignment require you to cite your sources, be aware that the program sometimes spits out bogus ones.
Also, sometimes it’s hard to log into ChatGPT during peak hours, when there are too many users on the site (OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus gives users priority access, among other benefits, for $20 per month).
As of February 2023, ChatGPT had limited knowledge of world events that took place after 2021. And while the bot has been trained to decline inappropriate requests, it may occasionally provide harmful instructions or biased content, which is why the potential to disseminate misinformation is another major fear associated with AI.
For educators, however, academic integrity is the gravest concern. But, not all in the teaching profession believe ChatGPT should be banned. “Students have cheated since the dawn of time,” Holan Lucci reasoned. “If students want to cheat, they’re gonna do it. So it’s not like introducing this tool is introducing them to a new way to cheat.”
How can students & educators use ChatGPT?Shortly after returning from Thanksgiving break last year, a Montclair High School senior noticed that use of ChatGPT had become widespread among their peers.
Some were having it write entire essays and complete other assignments, scoring passing grades without revising the bot’s output. So the senior began utilizing ChatGPT for classwork that they didn’t feel like doing, but they were unsatisfied with the results and made it a point to rephrase answers.
“I feel like it takes a lot of emotion and depth out of writing,” said the student, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. “It’s definitely, to me at least, obvious that it is AI generated. “I feel insecure and kind of guilty using it and then putting it into an assignment because it just feels like it’s not representative of my capabilities and it doesn’t sound like my voice.”
That’s not to say the student stopped leaning on ChatGPT. Rather, they changed how they use it.
The student, and nearly every educator New Jersey Monthly spoke to, said that ChatGPT can be ethically used as a powerful brainstorming tool when it comes to tasks like forming outlines and lesson plans. The anonymous student added that the bot has helped them overcome writer’s block.
ChatGPT can also be beneficial to those who speak a foreign first language and for teaching information literacy—which will soon become part of New Jersey’s K-12 curriculum—since not everything it types is accurate.
Holan Lucci, meanwhile, praised the bot’s ability to help students digest complex subjects. “I saw the potential for the tool to be used as a way to help students understand content that may be loaded with jargon that may not make sense to them,” she said.
Other professors rejoiced at the idea of ChatGPT generating time-consuming recommendation letters for them, and Wei said it could be useful for research purposes.
Still, “ChatGPT does the work for them,” argued Venessa Garcia, a criminal justice professor at NJCU.
Her colleague, biology professor Meriem Bendaoud, worried that overreliance on AI could lead to underuse of one’s own brain and poor development of critical-thinking skills and memory. She compared that to a muscle growing weaker if it’s not exercised.
But other NJCU professors pointed out that work- and thinking-reducing technology, like graphing calculators and spellcheck, have become commonplace in classrooms for decades.
“Those things are not that far away from this,” said Joseph Moskowitz, a political science professor. Moitrayee Chatterjee, who teaches computer science at NJCU, mentioned that chatbots have been around for a while now; ChatGPT is just more advanced.
AI will continue to evolve, and keeping certain tech, like smartphones and laptops, out of classrooms has proven unenforceable in the past. The way some see it, students and educators will be better off understanding and adjusting to something like ChatGPT.
“Teachers should start thinking about, how do you adapt these technologies in education rather than completely banning them like [was done in New York City public schools], which is, in my viewpoint, not sustainable,” said Princeton senior Edward Tian.
Tian continued, “It’s like, this future is going to happen. You’re kind of entering it blindly if you’re banning something rather than having a tool that sees the usage and what’s happening.”
What can be done about chatbot cheating?Tian is offering more than just advice to educators. He’s also come up with a way to combat unethical uses of ChatGPT.
The computer science major and journalism minor—Tian is also mindful of AI’s ability to spread fake news—spent his most recent winter break developing GPTZero, a counter bot that can detect if text was written by ChatGPT. Tian, a 22-year-old from Toronto, developed his beta program at a hometown coffee shop over the course of a few days.
“The motivation for GPTZero is to build the safeguards so this technology is adopted responsibly,” Tian said, though he warns that educators and administrators should not base academic and disciplinary decisions solely on his bot.
Like ChatGPT, the most basic version of GPTZero is free and not 100 percent accurate. But Tian introduced a more precise model (GPTZeroX) for educators in late January. At the time, the product’s waiting list had signups from more than 40,000 teachers in 40 states and 30 countries. Tian also said he’s spoken to Blackboard, an education technology company, about integrating GPTZero.
Educators already use Blackboard’s SafeAssign and Turnitin services to detect non-AI plagiarism.
It wasn’t long after GPTZero’s debut that OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, introduced its own program for identifying AI-written text. However, the company’s announcement came with a caveat: “Our classifier is not fully reliable.”
Again, technology evolves over time.
“We don’t want ChatGPT to be used for misleading purposes in schools or anywhere else, so we’re already developing mitigations to help anyone identify text generated by that system,” an OpenAI spokesperson wrote in a statement. “We look forward to working with educators on useful solutions, and other ways to help teachers and students benefit from artificial intelligence.”
Meanwhile, there are old-fashioned methods that schools can use to curtail misuse of ChatGPT. Drastic options include limiting graded assignments to the classroom, where teachers can keep a watchful eye on students. Some have suggested combining that approach with a return to pen-and-paper assessments.
Another idea is to complicate assignments in a way that prevents or limits how much students can depend on ChatGPT. “If your assignment can be done by a bot in a few seconds, is it worth it to assign to your students?” Wei asked fellow faculty.
Others noted that knowledge is power for students and teachers alike. If students are taught about ChatGPT’s advantages and pitfalls, more may use it responsibly. “The earlier that we get into sharing with students how to properly use these tools, the better off we’ll be,” Holan Lucci said.
On the flip side, educators should make concerted efforts to familiarize themselves with their students’ original writing early in the school year or semester, if they’re not already.
“Teachers who have worked with you before or read your writing before know the quality of your work and know what it usually looks like,” the anonymous Montclair student said. “And a lot of times, because a student may copy down an auto-generated response, it sounds absolutely nothing like them. And that can be a dead giveaway.”
The student acknowledged that such use of ChatGPT “is cheating” and warrants punishment in the form of a failing grade.
Because ChatGPT is so new, many institutions have yet to craft specific policies for the AI and similar technology. “There’s a plagiarism, an honesty policy, that one could interpret as covering some of these issues,” Moskowitz said of NJCU—but is that particular enough?
Holan Lucci said that syllabi and codes of conduct should explicitly mention AI and specify the repercussions for abusing it, once such policies exist. What exactly those polices should be is still up for debate, however.
“That’s why more discussion and awareness are needed,” Bendaoud said. “Because at the end of the day, everybody’s going to approach it a different way, depending on who you are. It might be a good tool. It might be a destructive tool. It depends how we use it, but we need to be aware of it.
“It cannot be one size fits all.”
CHECK OUT CHATGPT’S WORKIllustration by Taylor Callery
Now that you have a better understanding of ChatGPT, we want to show you just how human-like the AI’s writing is (or is not, depending on your perspective).
New Jersey Monthly asked ChatGPT to write 200 words on why students shouldn’t use ChatGPT to cheat, which you can read below. The results read like an essay, and the program does not acknowledge that it’s not always 100 percent factually accurate. But you will notice coherent sentence structures and points that are argued by real-life educators, all of which were generated in a matter of seconds.
What follows was written entirely by ChatGPT and was not edited by NJM.
As a language model trained by OpenAI, ChatGPT has been programmed to provide helpful and accurate responses to a wide range of questions. However, it is important to remember that ChatGPT is not intended to be used as a tool for cheating in academic settings.
Cheating undermines the integrity of the educational system and can have serious consequences for students who are caught. In addition to the ethical concerns, cheating can also have long-term negative effects on a student’s academic and professional career. By using ChatGPT to cheat, students are not only cheating themselves out of an opportunity to learn and grow, but they are also risking their academic and professional future.
Furthermore, using ChatGPT to cheat can also be detrimental to a student’s personal growth and development. The process of learning and problem-solving is an essential part of a student’s educational experience, and by relying on ChatGPT to provide answers, students are depriving themselves of the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.
Ultimately, the decision to use ChatGPT to cheat is a short-sighted and self-defeating strategy that can have serious consequences for a student’s academic and professional future. Rather than relying on ChatGPT to provide answers, students should focus on developing their own skills and knowledge through hard work, perseverance and dedication.
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The post How Concerned Should NJ Schools And Parents Be About ChatGPT? appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
A premise behind this June’s inaugural North to Shore Festival—a monthlong extravaganza uniting Asbury Park, Atlantic City and Newark for shows by acts including Halsey, Santana and Southside Johnny—is that it doesn’t take a lot of persuasion to lure major talent to the state’s stages.
The festival, announced in March by Gov. Phil Murphy after two years of planning with his input, amounts to a statewide bid to be recognized as a festival destination, says John Schreiber, president and CEO of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, which will produce the event.
Comparisons to Austin’s long-running and wide-ranging South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) are inevitable. In addition to the music, North to Shore, which hopscotches from Atlantic City from June 7 to June 11, to Asbury Park from June 14 to June 18, and winds down in Newark from June 21 to June 25, will run film screenings, tech talks, stand-up comedy acts and dance events.
The SXSW comparisons, Schreiber says, are not entirely misplaced. The governor mentioned SXSW in their initial talks about the festival: “What’s happening in Texas relative to voting rights and the legislature’s handling of democracy is something he found not right,” Schreiber says. “New Jersey is a progressive, inclusive state. He said, ‘Why can’t we have something like that here?’”
David Rodriguez, NJPAC’s executive vice president and executive producer, says we can—and easily. “Artists like Halsey, who’s from New Jersey, made it a point to be one of the first people on board,” he says. The lineup “is either an artist from New Jersey or one who wishes they were. They know enough about the wealth and diversity of talent we have here to want to come celebrate with us.”
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The post NJ’s North to Shore Festival Echoes SXSW Model—But Promises Jersey Flair All Its Own appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Illustration by Dola Sun
One evening, in 2017, I went to a meeting at my synagogue, Bnai Keshet in Montclair, to join a discussion about converting the apartment above the Hebrew school into a sanctuary space for undocumented or asylum-seeking immigrants. We debated how “free” the family would be to roam the campus of the synagogue and whether ICE agents could stage a raid on the space. Then we went up the steep, narrow back stairs to a neglected set of rooms. There, under the slanted eaves and peeling plaster, shuffling on old planks, we talked about a microwave, sofa, table, beds and painting to turn this into someone’s home.
I am not religious and only half Jewish, but the Bnai Keshet community, during my own times of loss and stress, took me in. When my mother died and I was sitting shiva, a Jewish mourning tradition, I was stunned to have members come to my house and sit with me. It was a level of kindness and inclusion from virtual strangers that I had never before experienced. Now, the effort to shelter vulnerable immigrants caught in an often-unjust immigration system, felt like a larger folding in, a way of imagining sanctuary and community for us as a state and as a nation.
That night, an opening scene for a young adult novel came to me: a family of four arriving in such an apartment and beginning their life in open hiding. I imagined the frightened teenage daughter wondering what her life would be like.
The parallel, of course, is to Anne Frank and her family hiding in the secret annex of an Amsterdam building during World War II. The difference, however, is that sanctuary is open hiding. By providing sanctuary, a religious institution is publicly supporting the concept for immigrants. Real risks exist; ICE could get a warrant and stage a raid, and it is not always clear what would happen to family members who leave the grounds.
It is this tension that struck me as ideal for a YA novel: A teenager confined by political circumstances and, literally stuck with her family, who must try to carry on with school and friends.
My novel, We Are All We Have, ultimately took another direction, becoming a road story about a Pakistani teenager whose mother is swept up in an ICE raid and who must find her own form of sanctuary. I re-imagined the synagogue’s apartment, with the same slanted ceilings and narrow stairwell, as one of her refuges.
In real life, the need for sanctuary became more urgent during 2018-2019, when families were separated at the border, and the very category of asylum was in peril. In Montclair, we all pitched in with paint rollers at the synagogue apartment, preparing it for the first group. Since then, several families have lived there.
My initial inspiration and core idea remained: a group of congregants—wielding paint buckets and brooms—whose flames of caring lit the spirit of my novel, and the dark New Jersey night.
Marina Budhos’ most recent novel is We Are All We Have.
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After five-plus years as an executive with the Miami Marlins, Caroline O’Connor has developed strong ties to her adopted community. But in early February, the baseball executive reconnected with her New Jersey roots when she caught fellow Freehold native Bruce Springsteen in concert.
O’Connor wasn’t just looking for a reminder of home at the Hollywood, Florida show. She has always been a Springsteen fan, and anyone in need of proof can reference the pilgrimage she and her husband, Derek, made the day they were married in Asbury Park. “We took some of our wedding photos outside the Stone Pony,” she remembers.
The legendary Shore venue helped Springsteen launch his career, and it made a perfect addition to the newlyweds’ photo album. O’Connor may be living in South Florida, but her time in the Garden State and the surrounding area aided her trailblazing career.
For a while, it appeared as if O’Connor would never leave New Jersey, but her life took a sharp turn in 2017 when she joined the Marlins’ front office. Another life—and industry—milestone occurred last November when O’Connor, 46, became the second female president of business operations for a Major League Baseball team (the Seattle Mariners hired Catie Griggs to the same role in July 2022). By taking the job, O’Connor joined a select but growing group of high-ranking women in the male-dominated world of professional sports. And with Ridgewood High School graduate Kim Ng already serving as Miami’s general manager, the Marlins are believed to be the first major United States sports franchise with women operating the entirety of a team’s day-to-day business.
With O’Connor, left, and Kim Ng, Miami has women running all daily operations. Photo courtesy of Kelly Gavin/the Miami Marlins
Although O’Connor does not necessarily consider herself a pioneer, she understands the grand-scheme importance of her job. Still, she looks forward to the day when a woman’s elevation to a position of influence won’t make news simply because of her gender.
“I think most of the people who know me know that I don’t like a lot of attention,” she says. “I’m overwhelmed by it. It’s great recognition, but it would be nice to see this become commonplace.”
Ng, who became the first female general manager in the history of major North American men’s pro team sports in 2020, lauds O’Connor as “proactive,” “detail-oriented” and “incredibly thorough.”
O’Connor developed those traits growing up near Fort Monmouth, where her father, a West Point graduate who reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, was stationed. There was discipline in the house, but also plenty of fun.
“I had a great family life in New Jersey,” says O’Connor, the sixth of eight children, including four older brothers. “We were outdoors a lot and went to the park often. I loved going to the Shore, Ocean Grove.
“It was great, an idyllic childhood.”
After graduating from Freehold Township High School in 1995, O’Connor earned a B.A. in Computer Information Systems at Rutgers-Newark. While there, she took the PATH train into New York for a two-year internship at Bloomberg. Even though O’Connor played basketball, tennis, soccer and softball as a kid, she did not continue her on-field career at Rutgers and only engaged in some casual tennis and jogging after graduation. She grew up a Yankees fan, but that was the extent of her baseball interest. “I never thought I would work in sports,” O’Connor says. “I don’t know why. I don’t think I knew about the business of sports and what happened behind the scenes.”
From 2000-17, she held executive positions at IBM, UBS and Morgan Stanley in New York City. During that time, O’Connor worked with members of a team headed by Bruce Sherman, who bought the Marlins in September 2017. That group included Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who recruited O’Connor to join the team that October as a senior vice president. In 2019 she became Miami’s chief operating officer.
While the Marlins reached the playoffs during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, they have mostly struggled on the field during O’Connor’s tenure. They have made strides off it, however.
The franchise has always had a hard time drawing fans, but Miami’s 2022 attendance was 12 percent higher than it was in 2019—the last time there was open seating for an entire season—even though the Fish finished 32 games out of first place. O’Connor has led efforts to improve baseball facilities in South Florida and helped beef up the Marlins’ presence in the talent-rich Dominican Republic. Miami recently hosted the World Baseball Classic, an international World Cup-like tournament watched by baseball fans all over the globe.
O’Connor played an instrumental part in starting and growing the Marlins’ tee-ball program, a huge success that included her younger son, James. She and her husband have another boy, Jonathan.
“We feel like we’re building momentum,” O’Connor says. “When you walk on the streets, you see kids wearing Marlins jerseys. Our Little League program has more than 200 teams playing in it.”
Adds Ng: “Caroline cares deeply about the community, and that is very impactful.”
When the Raiders named Amy Trask their chief executive officer in 1997, she became the first woman in NFL history to hold a position of such stature. The move attracted attention, but the team was more concerned with Trask’s talents than her gender. “The players want to know if you are going to be a teammate who can help them win,” she says.
Trask left the Raiders in 2013 after being described as “the glue” that helped keep the team together. Trask now works as an attorney, author and host on CBS Sports Network, and she is considered something of a godmother to women looking to build careers in sports.
“Teams who want to win are going to get the best people to help them win,” she says. “They don’t worry about individualities.”
Trask admits there remains some resistance to hiring women within men’s pro sports. But with each step forward by people like O’Connor, opportunities grow, and teams remove barriers. As more women are hired for entry and mid-level positions, the pool of candidates for future executive jobs deepens.
Pennington native Val Ackerman has been commissioner of the Big East Conference since 2013 and was the president of USA Basketball. She believes the increased participation of girls and young women in sports helps prepare them for careers in the business world and in the athletic sphere. But the number of powerful women in sports is still lower than she feels it should be.
“The number of women leaders at the professional and college levels and on TV doesn’t line up with the number of women playing sports,” Ackerman says. “There is work to do, but you can’t debate the progress made.
“The real progress will come when [hiring women executives] is not a story anymore.”
O’Connor is happy to mentor women who want to gain traction in professional sports, but she is more focused on helping the Marlins prosper on and off the field. She describes working for the franchise as “inspiring” and enjoys being around Marlins players. “It’s like a SportsCenter commercial,” she says. “It’s surreal.”
Working with Ng, another woman with New Jersey ties, also gives the Marlins a perspective other teams don’t necessarily have. “We both have a little bit of an edge that peeks out in appropriate circumstances,” Ng says.
While O’Connor’s priority is her vision for the franchise, she understands that she is proving to young women that their dreams of working at the highest levels of pro sports can be realized.
“We see the impact in terms of people applying for jobs and letters that come in the mail,” O’Connor says. “People are seeing who we are and that this is a good place to be.
“I like inspiring people.”
Michael Bradley is a writer based in suburban Philadelphia and an assistant instructor at Villanova.
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The post NJ’s Caroline O’Connor, Miami Marlins Exec, Breaking New Ground in World of Men’s Sports appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
After a quadruple bypass surgery and a lung procedure, Donald Cooper competed in a half-Ironman warm-up race, and then the Ironman Maryland triathlon. Photo courtesy of Donald Cooper
When Donald Cooper learned he had to have two critical operations over the span of six months, he thought he would never compete in an Ironman triathlon again. But remarkably, he overcame heart failure and lung cancer and, at 69, is competing again.
Cooper, an IT specialist from Lakota Harbor, started running more than 20 years ago, but soon wanted a bigger challenge. He started competing in Ironmans, which include a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a full, 26.2-mile marathon run.
But Cooper’s athletic endeavors were put on hold in 2020 when he was diagnosed with heart failure. He had to undergo a quadruple bypass surgery that December. Soon after, he was diagnosed with lung cancer when a nodule was found on his lung. Six months later, he had to undergo another procedure. It was performed by Dr. Thomas Bauer of Hackensack Meridian Health, a former Ironman competitor himself who understood Cooper’s concerns.
Both operations were successful, and Cooper was soon back to competing, first in a half-Ironman warm-up race, and then the Ironman Maryland triathlon. Cooper says he’s grateful to be competing again, but is thinking about taking some time before his next Ironman. “I don’t want to just finish next time; I want to be a little bit faster.”
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A week after George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, Michelle Miller’s cell phone buzzed.
The CBS Saturday Morning cohost had covered other stories about violence and racial animus: the shootings of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin, the mass murder in a Charleston, South Carolina, church, the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Now, with the nation aflame over Floyd’s fate, a senior producer at CBS News’ weekday morning show—where Miller sometimes served as cohost— wanted her perspective.
The resulting television segment was more personal than anyone expected.
“I exposed why stories like that really resonated with me,” says Miller, who lives with her husband and children in South Orange. The contours of her childhood—indeed, of her entire life—had been etched by racism.
She had been abandoned by her mother, whose Mexican immigrant parents disapproved of her relationship with a Black man, a prominent surgeon and civil rights activist.
Michelle Miller says her husband, Marc H. Morial, has been asking her to write a book for 25 years.
In the television piece, Miller described herself as “the product of an interracial union that my father celebrated and my mother to this day does not acknowledge.”
After it aired, a tearful Miller added: “No one on that side of my family knows who I am, knows that I exist.”
“The story lasted just minutes, but its impact on me was indelible,” says Lisa Sharkey, a former journalist who is senior vice president of creative development at HarperCollins Publishers. Sharkey encouraged the writing of Miller’s emotional new memoir, Belonging: A Daughter’s Search for Identity Through Loss and Love, published by Harper in March.
Working with cowriter Rosemarie Robotham, Miller artfully details her struggles with her motherless childhood and racial identity. The memoir also chronicles happier events: Miller’s rise through the broadcast-journalism ranks (she has won Emmy, Gracie, DuPont and Edward R. Murrow awards) and her marriage to Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans.
But the book’s most powerful theme is Miller’s continuing efforts to find maternal surrogates and, finally, connect with her biological mother, the pseudonymous Laura Hernandez.
“My husband’s been asking me to write a book for 25 years,” Miller says.
She had promised her mother never to expose her. She also may have been afraid of the emotions the project would stir. “I sprint through life, and, for whatever reason, I am racing to take care of everything that I need to take care of,” Miller says. “It almost allows me this superhero ability not to feel in the moment.”
The book rips away that defense. It tells a complicated story of racial rejection and acceptance, and of Miller’s longing for a more conventional upbringing.
“I wanted the nuclear family—a mother and a father, this idyllic life,” she says.
Instead, Miller lived with her paternal grandmother, “Bigmama,” with herfather making frequent visits. “Look, my story is not a story of tragedy. It’s not a story of a hard-knock life,” she says. “I grew up in South Central Los
Angeles, but I did not want for anything because my dad was a physician, and my grandmother was an astute investor and businesswoman, outside of being a retired teacher. We had means. I was an entitled kid”—even a debutante—“growing up in the hood.”
Bused to predominantly white schools, she excelled academically but had trouble fitting in, sometimes feeling like a “racial imposter.” Multiracial by heritage, with a mix of European, Native American and African ancestry, she identifies as Black.
Belonging is filled with complex, vivid characters, including her late father, Dr. Ross Miller Jr. A brilliant Howard University graduate, he was the first doctor to minister to Robert F. Kennedy’s fatal wounds on the night of his 1968 assassination.
Miller would later tell that story on the air, too.
Michelle Miller with her happy brood, husband Marc H. Morial, center, their children and son-in-law. Photo: Courtesy of Randi Baird
The scion of a distinguished family that included a federal judge and a college president who was also an ambassador to Sweden, Miller’s father was staunchly supportive of his daughter, though worried, reasonably enough, about her choice of broadcast journalism as a career. He was also, the memoirsays, “a charming rogue” who pursued overlapping, sometimes dishonestrelationships with the many women who loved him. In his professional life, however, he remained “a great proponent for women,” Miller says.
The doctor and his first wife, Iris, had just adopted two little girls when Hernandez, with whom he was having an extramarital affair, got pregnant. When Iris discovered the situation, she retaliated by taking one of the girls—the darker skinned child— back to the adoption agency. No one in the family ever saw her again.
Ross continued to date Hernandez intermittently for years and offered to marry her. But because of her family’s opposition, she declined and asked him to stop bringing their daughter, a toddler who would cry nonstop when they said goodbye, to their meetings.
The couple later parted ways, and Ross would eventually divorce Iris and remarry.
Miller has no recollection of those early visits with her mother. She does remember that, when she was about nine, her father took her, without warning, to see Hernandez, who was about to marry and leave the country with her new husband. “That was not a good move,” says Miller.
The visit set up a clash between her father, angry at her mother’s neglect, and her mother, afraid of having her past exposed. The reunion ended abruptly.
Years later, when he was dying of cancer, Ross urged his daughter, then 22, to seek out her mother. As the memoir recounts, they had an emotional lunch during which Hernandez told her daughter that Ross Miller was, for years, “the love of my life.”
“There was wonder about being physically in the presence of this woman,” Miller recalls of their lunch. “But I didn’t feel a burning attachment to her. I didn’t feel that she had a burning attachment to me. I felt politely pleased that she met with me and that she answered my questions. I genuinely felt lighter in the moment. I thought, once she had met me, she would slowly begin to change her mind about having a relationship with me.”
That never happened, despite Miller’s attempts to keep in touch by phone. Hernandez, civil but emotionally detached, emerges from the memoir as a tragic figure, caught in the web of both America’s racism and her own mistakes.
“She was stuck in her loop. She was stuck in her lie,” Miller says.
In the end, her insistence that Hernandez acknowledge her publicly created a rift that continues to this day.
Among the lessons Miller says she has learned is, “You can long for things your whole life and not appreciate what is in front of you.” One of her deepest regrets involves her grandmother’s late-life caregiver, Vondela, who helped raise her after her grandmother’s death.
“When I lived with her those five years, we were thick as thieves, but when I left” to attend Howard University, “I did not give her what she needed,” including an invitation to her college graduation.
Miller says she remains open to reconciliation with her mother, who, in 2016, stopped answering her calls. The book is “a nudge for her to come out,” Miller says. “If there’s something so fundamental to who you are that you’re hiding, you can never be yourself. You’re always looking over your shoulder. I don’t know how you live with something like this.”
But Miller stresses that she wrote the book for herself, as well as “to pay homage to my father and my grandmother, and to knock down the stereotype that Black men don’t care for their family.
“The through line for me is that, despite this sense of longing, I always did belong,” Miller says. “You have to find belonging within yourself. Appreciate what you do have. Everything I lived through got me here—every mistake, every misunderstanding, every vulnerability. I hope that my life and my mistakes and my triumphs are a lesson to others.”
Julia M. Klein, a cultural reporter andcritic in Philadelphia, has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Mother Jones, Slate and other publications.
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Waste remains a weighty issue in New Jersey, both literally and figuratively. The state produced 21.8 million tons of solid waste in 2019.
“You can’t really comprehend the amount. It’s hard to wrap your head around it,” says Jordan P. Howell, author of Garbage in the Garden State (Rutgers University Press).
Due out April 14, the book traces New Jersey’s efforts over the decades to regulate and dispose of waste through landfills, recycling, incineration and composting, which Marie Kruzan, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Recyclers, recently told NJM is “the next frontier for recycling.”
Howell, an associate professor of sustainable business at Rowan University, examines the social, political and economic implications of waste disposal in the Garden State.
While New Jersey helped lead the way in recycling in the 1980s, economic factors have complicated matters. For instance, China no longer accepts many of America’s recycled goods.
It’s an issue that won’t go away, as then-Governor Tom Kean noted in 1984: “Nobody likes garbage. Everyone creates it. Everyone must cope with it.”
Howell, a Haddon Township resident, has been studying and writing about waste for a dozen years. He believes solutions to waste disposal go beyond government actions.
“Managing the technical problems of waste and recycling are pretty well clear at this point, but that’s offering a cure,” he notes. “The problem…is the amount of waste folks generate in the first place. That’s almost totally dependent on behavior change.”
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You would expect the most densely populated U.S. state—called the Garden State for its rich farming history—would boast a multitude of facilities that leverage its enormous volume of food waste for composting. You would be wrong.
In the far reaches of Sussex County, New Jersey’s sole commercial-scale, open-air organics composter has, since 2005, been quietly converting table scraps from supermarkets and food-distribution centers all over the region.
To date, Ag Choice in Andover has transformed nearly 6.48 million cubic feet of organic waste into usable topsoil for garden centers, athletic fields and some of the state’s remaining farms. For co-owner Jay Fischer, aiding a life cycle as old as time is just good business.
Ag Choice is the only large-scale, open-air organics composter in New Jersey. Photo by Christopher Lane
“The amount of waste going into landfills is staggering. If you can collect some of it and take advantage of the natural decomposition process, you’ll have a reusable product we really need,” Fischer says on a rare break from overseeing the company’s cavernous 15-acre intake facility.
Staggering is an understatement.
More than 9 million tons of garbage are deposited in New Jersey’s registered landfills each year, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Despite controls to prevent leakage of toxins from these dumping grounds, some is inevitable, adversely impacting soil, water and air quality. And nontoxic gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, landfills’ primary emissions, are the main drivers of climate change.
But without an understanding of the science of composting, it can cause similar hazards.
In the wrong hands, Fischer cautions, the open-air tract where his staff deposits all this organic matter would be full of toxins that could ultimately leach into nearby waterways—and emit a stench that would bring flies in swarms.
“It has to be done properly,” he says. “You can’t beat Mother Nature.”
As stewards of the environment know well, fighting nature, even if well-intentioned, has serious consequences.
Ag Choice is able to avoid the problematic, smelly aftereffects of composting and instead create a delicate, chemical-free (and non-stinky) balance of nitrogen and carbon.
This is achieved by spreading food waste atop leaves and lawn clippings from the company’s extensive municipal public-works clientele.
A truck delivers leaves to be composted. Photo by Christopher Lane
The greenery, in turn, sits on a bottom layer of wood chips that provide the necessary oxygen component to the mix. This stew is arranged in massive windrows at the 14-acre property that Ag Choice leases a few miles from their warehouse.
The path from concept to successful operation began in 1997, when Fischer, a Newton native, and his parents launched a lumber mill and earned extra income selling the wood shavings to area horse farms for bedding.
Realizing horse and other livestock manure could be turned into compost, Fischer made notes for a future project, stowed them away, and turned his attention to the construction boom of the aughts.
When his mother died in 2004, Fischer’s wife, Jill, assumed her bookkeeping duties and discovered the dormant file with his project idea. In 2005, after drafting a business plan, the couple applied for and received a DEP permit for a small composting operation.
With research and development funding they received the following year from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a U.S. Department of Agriculture agency, the Fischers were able to finance the purchase of waste-collection containers and a specially sealed truck for transporting them.
Ag Choice was off and running.
That was 16 years ago, and Evan Madlinger, state resource conservationist, says the NRCS in New Jersey “is happy to have been a small part of Ag Choice’s success. We knew we wanted to assist them in solving the problem of agricultural and food waste across the state, and their continued progress toward tackling this issue is encouraging.”
Currently, the company processes discarded supermarket produce from a handful of ShopRites in the region, while the other two-thirds of its incoming materials are comprised of municipal leaves and manufacturing organics such as coffee, nut, leaf, snack food and tea waste.
Chief among this last group is the entire North American stock of spent Nespresso aluminum capsules; aluminum is far more easily recyclable than the plastic pods favored by most other coffee makers.
Nespresso capsules are bundled and sent for further recycling. Photo by Christopher Lane
Arriving by trailer load in prepaid recycling bags from one of the Swiss company’s thousands of collection points, the capsules move on a conveyor belt through an apparatus Fischer fashioned to remove miscellaneous consumer garbage. The aluminum is crushed and bundled into half-ton bales—seven per day.
The magnitude of the operation is proof positive of the environmentally sound “choice” that Fischer explains seeded the business’ agriculture-based name. In 2008, when the building market collapsed and the couple was forced to close the sawmill, the Fischers were able to focus solely on composting. Almost immediately, the business turned a profit.
Students from local high schools take part in Ag Choice’s employment training. Photo by Christopher Lane
In an attempt to give back to their largely rural host community, where vocational opportunities can be scarce, the company also hosts employment training for students at more than a half-dozen area high schools. Job-skills coaches oversee students unpacking cartons and cardboard sleeves of unused coffee capsules that failed to meet Nespresso standards. The rejects are fed into a machine Fischer designed to separate aluminum from coffee.
This task falls to Jeff Bond, one of Ag Choice’s 16 full-time staffers and a participant in an employment program at Sussex County’s chapter of ARC, an organization that serves people with developmental disabilities.
Jeff Bond is one of 16 full-time staffers. Photo by Christopher Lane
Fischer was impressed with Bond’s work ethic; the Newton resident, 39, bicycled to Ag Choice during a snowstorm when his parents could not navigate the roads with their car. “You really smell the coffee,” says Bond, smiling as he climbs a bale of Nespresso capsules to check its wrapping, the aroma of grounds permeating the air beneath the facility’s 30-foot ceiling.
Once transported to the composting site, the coffee joins a rich stew that includes loose organic waste which Ag Choice receives directly from its sources.
The material is aerated twice weekly by the long arms of a turning machine employees steer up and down the 35 rows, driving the ambient temperature to 150 degrees; the level is necessary to kill off any harmful microbes in the food waste.
Site scientist Kristine Paff monitors the windrows’ moisture content, aiming for an equilibrium that fosters the desired breakdown while minimizing smells. Staffers use a screen to weed out large sticks and errant plastic from the finished compost.
Site scientist Kristine Paff measures temperature and oxygen levels in a windrow. Photo by Christopher Lane
Some compost is converted to topsoil by mixing in sandy loam purchased from a local quarry. From food-waste deposit to a product ready for removal and sale, the process takes 11-14 weeks. Paff may oversee more waste and finished product down the road.
Although the DEP has raised Ag Choice’s allowable annual intake substantially from their initial threshold of 5,000 cubic yards, the Fischers say they hope for another increase at their upcoming permit renewal, sometime in the next few years.
In the meantime, the near total lack of odor around those windrows is one reason the business has flourished where so many others have failed, according to Marie Kruzan, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Recyclers.
Kruzan cites multiple composters over the past few decades whose neighbors couldn’t bear the smells, whose processes hindered efficient decomposition, or whose end products proved to be inferior fertilizers. That’s a shame, she says, because the amount of raw material is virtually infinite.
“Food waste is approximately 25 percent of the waste stream, and it can be recycled,” adds Kruzan. “Composting is the next frontier for recycling.”
Pamela Weber-Leaf’s editorial career included the environment beat at two daily newspapers. She is a nonpracticing environmental lawyer.
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Illustration by Gary Hovland
Now that spring is around the corner, the state Legislature should take time to find a new official bird for New Jersey. After all, it was that body who anointed the American Goldfinch back in 1935 (it was called the Eastern Goldfinch in those days), and for one reason only: The goldfinch was the symbol of the New Jersey Audubon Society.
Why find a new state bird? None other than Governor Phil Murphy suggested on April 1 that the time had come for a change. He tweeted that “it is important for state symbols to reflect New Jersey’s culture and values,” and, since “New Jersey drivers are famous for their skills, enthusiasm and expressive hand gestures,” it was time to switch the state bird from a goldfinch to the middle finger (also known as the Jersey salute). Although Murphy’s tweet was an April Fool’s joke, he got the first part right. New Jersey’s symbols should reflect the state. The goldfinch doesn’t cut it anymore, if it ever did.
BREAKING: I just signed an Executive Order changing the New Jersey State Bird to the Middle Finger. pic.twitter.com/TKDYLFC3SF
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 1, 2022
First of all, the goldfinch is not particularly emblematic of the Garden State. It is at least a part-time resident of all lower 48 states—and the official bird of two, Iowa and Washington, in addition to New Jersey.
While most folks associate the bird with a bright, canary-yellow hue, only males have that plumage, and only during breeding season, in spring and early summer. The rest of the year, both males and females lean toward the drab side.
Interestingly, state legislators were not particularly thrilled when they made their choice 88 years ago. When Senator Dryden Kuser of Somerset first proposed the idea, he was greeted with whistling from spectators and some colleagues. Although Kuser said that it was “a very pretty bird,” Senator Blase Cole of Sussex suggested instead the crow, vulture, sparrow or pigeon, “for at least we see them once in a while.”
New Jersey Audubon weighed in, explaining that the goldfinch was well-known in bird-study circles, a year-round resident, and a beneficial consumer of weeds and insects. That apparently did the trick, and the bill became law, despite a lack of enthusiasm from the state press corps.
One newspaper columnist observed, “I thought it was just another name for the same old bull (finch) that has been coming out of Trenton for years.” Another wrote,“No self-respecting bird would accept honors from the Legislature without questioning the distinction involved.”
Postscript: New Jersey Audubon dropped the goldfinch as its emblematic bird years ago. (It’s now the dynamic and endangered northern harrier.)
There are other worthy candidates for a state bird—from the Jersey Shore’s laughing gull to the peregrine falcon of the Palisades. Either would be preferable to a dinky little bird or half a peace sign.
Jim Wright is the author of the upcoming Screech Owl Companion. He is the birding columnist for The Record in North Jersey.
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Illustration by Jean Tuttle
“A high point of my life, and I’m 58, was a close encounter with the queen,” muses Marty Mendetta. “Not the queen of England, but the queen bee in my first hive.”
The queen, he explains, “is the mother of the entire colony and stays safe in seclusion. But this queen was out and about, searching for the right honeycomb cell for her eggs. She was encircled by young bees that serve her, and I felt their awe. I still do.”
Mendetta, an IT specialist who lives in Pine Hill, Camden County, and his entire family, “from 11 to 78,” pitch in to care for the hives, which produce his locally sold Amber Glow honey.
“We share the feeling that a beehive is a miracle,” he says. “A honeybee cannot live alone; it exists for the greater good. A healthy colony is a perfect world, and we’ve helped make it happen.”
The buzz around beekeeping in the state is that it’s increasingly popular. “In 2007, New Jersey Beekeepers had 400 members,” says Tim Schuler, former president of that organization and a former New Jersey state apiarist. “Membership is 1,400 now, and we estimate that another couple thousand Jersey beekeepers are out there.”
What’s more, “beekeeping is very good for New Jersey,” notes Schuler. “Bees are a critical pollinator, and New Jersey’s fruit and vine crops would collapse without them.” The state does not require a permit or license to raise bees, nor does it regulate the production and sale of raw honey.
“Beekeeping is surprisingly low-maintenance and low investment, but the rewards are immense,” adds Dave Elkner, current president of New Jersey Beekeepers. “Honeybees are peaceful, hardworking and mesmerizing to watch. By raising them, you assist the ecosystem and connect with nature. It’s a win-win.”
Like any agricultural pursuit, beekeeping is seasonal, and March is a good time to begin. “Beekeeping is active from spring through fall, with a longer season in South Jersey,” says Elkner. “If your colony is set up when the dandelions sprout in the yard, your bees will get strong enough to produce a lot of honey and overwinter safely.”
Fledgling beekeepers will need to purchase a starter hive (a “nuc”), complete with a breeding queen bee, male drones and female worker bees. When the nuc arrives, it’s transferred by a beekeeping supplier to a wood-and-wire hive box that can be built from a kit (learn more at njbeekeepers.org).
Generally, nucs are shipped from warmer Southern states, but queens are increasingly bred in New Jersey. John Gaut, a lifelong beekeeper since age nine, breeds locally adapted queens in Mahwah in northern Bergen County. “I started raising queens here because they’re healthier and more fertile than queens who’ve endured a stressful journey,” he says. “New Jersey queens are ready to mate, and they pass down their climate adaptations.”
One thing even a fierce Jersey queen can’t protect her hive from is a bear. “True to cliché, bears crave honey and can destroy your colonies and your investment,” says Schuler. “You can count on bears in rural and suburban areas north of Trenton. If they’ve been seen in your neighborhood, you’ll want an electrified fence. It can be set up to encircle your colony, and can be solar, battery powered or electrical, for a few hundred bucks.”
Once set up, a hive requires only about an hour a week of maintenance in spring and summer. Honey is collected once or twice, between April and mid-July. Many keepers sell their honey to defray costs. “One colony generally produces about 30 more pounds of honey than it needs to live on while overwintering,” says Elkner. “Your surplus can mean a nice little side business, maybe run by your kids, and/or gifts for skeptical neighbors afraid of getting stung.”
In fact, Elkner notes, “Honeybees sting only when their hive is threatened, and male bees don’t even have stingers. Though you’ll need protective gear when you gather honey, you don’t need it to sit and watch your colony work.”
Frank Mortimer, former president of New Jersey Beekeepers and author of the 2021 book Bee People and the Bugs They Love, tends his hives with his three kids at their home in Ridgewood. “We’re all on the bees’ team,” Mortimer says. “The bees have a job to do. They do it well, and it shows the value of hard work.” Miles Mortimer, 19, says he intends to become an entrepreneur “using what beekeeping has taught me about time and resource management.”
New Jersey is rich in local honeys. Kam and Summer Johnson of Pittstown in Hunterdon County founded Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm after two daily spoonfuls of pollen-rich raw honey eradicated their young son Zach’s severe allergies in 2015 (Zoe is their daughter). Today, Zach & Zoe’s 20-plus honey varieties are sold locally and on Amazon. Raw honey, which is unpasteurized, used for dressing wounds since antiquity, “is a proven natural antibacterial, antimicrobial and antioxidant,” says Summer Johnson.
“Every beekeeper I know feels there’s no better escape from overscheduled life,” says Elkner. “You don’t have to take a vacation when you raise bees. Just step into your backyard.”
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Airlines are recruiting pilots, hoping to ease the current shortage, and women are eager to jump on board. But many are wary about their chance of success. They see few women pilots and often feel the industry isn’t welcoming. For Black women, the picture has been even more discouraging. According to 2020 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise only 5.6 percent of pilots in the United States, with Black women making up just 1 percent of that total. Two Black women from Jersey, both pilots, are aiming to change those numbers and inspire others.
CAROLE HOPSONCarole Hopson recalls lying on the grass in her grandmother’s West Collingswood backyard, watching planes fly above. “We wondered where they were headed, how many engines they had, and what airline’s name was on the plane,” says Hopson, who lives in Jersey City with her husband and two sons. Later, she flew on family trips and, on a flight to Jamaica, encountered a Black pilot for the first time. Hopson knew she had seen something special, something that was a remote possibility for her, a Black girl.
After graduating from the University of Virginia, Hopson received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. For seven years, she worked as a reporter for the Bergen Record and then shifted gears, taking a job as vice president of training and development at Foot Locker. Other high-level positions followed, including director of human resources at L’Oreal, but there was something missing. Piloting a plane was what Hopson really wanted to do, but she didn’t know where to start.
On her first date with her husband, he asked what she wanted most, and she answered, “I want to fly an airplane.” On their next date he gave her a gift certificate for flying lessons, and so began Hopson’s journey.
Flying lessons are expensive—about $100,000 a year—and it generally takes two years to become certified as a professional pilot. Hopson continued to work in the business world while researching the best way to pursue her goal and saving for more lessons. In 2000, she had enough to go to flight school, and by Thanksgiving of that year, she had her private pilot’s license. By 2001, she was a certified flight instructor, training others how to fly. At age 36, Hopson left her six-figure salary at L’Oreal to make $17 an hour as a flight instructor. “The goal is to get through certification as quickly as possible, and then to teach until you get a certain number of hours,” she explains. “It takes a profound kind of understanding to teach. Then, the traditional path is working for a regional airline, and then a major airline.”
Friends questioned Hopson’s choice to give up such financial security. “I would be more afraid to stay with what I know and spend the rest of my life wishing for something I wanted,” she readily told them. “Regret was the greater fear.”
At age 40, Hopson took a hiatus to raise her sons, though she continued to work part-time, giving flight lessons and working on a simulator to keep her skills fresh. In the evenings and while her children were in school, she was writing a historical fiction novel about one of her heroes: Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to earn her pilot’s license. A Pair of Wings was published in 2021, 100 years after Coleman’s death, and was an Oprah Daily Pick. “When I wasn’t flying, I was writing,” says Hopson. “It’s amazing what you can do when you’re passionate about something.”
In 2014, Hopson entered the next stage of her career, becoming a pilot with ExpressJet, a regional airline. Three years later, she was hired by United Airlines, where she has been flying a Boeing 737 for the past five years. It took Hopson 35 years to find her way to a career as a pilot. “What looks like an overnight success,” she says, “took steadfastness and help from friends and mentors.”
Hopson would like to help others achieve similar success, but job prospects for would-be Black aviators have not improved in 20 to 30 years. To change those numbers, Hopson founded the nonprofit 100 Pairs of Wings, which offers financial assistance and mentoring to Black women interested in aviation. Funding comes through donations, and, to date, the organization has raised $45,000. While the focus is on younger women, Hopkins says women are always reinventing themselves. “Although women may be gray in the temple, they still have a lot to contribute,” she says. “We all have a good second act.”
ANGEL HUGHESAfter a career in the Coast Guard, Angel Hughes now flies for United Parcel Service. Photo courtesy of Angel Hughes
Angel Hughes’s journey from dreamer to aviator was also filled with determination and grit. Growing up in East Orange, one of four children of Haitian immigrants, she was inspired by a sixth-grade science teacher’s astronomy lessons. “It was fascinating,” recalls Hughes, now 36 and living in East Orange with her three children. “I wanted to go up in the sky, maybe become an astronaut.” But she eventually realized that becoming a pilot was a more attainable goal.
Flights with family increased her interest. Every summer, en route to her grandparents’ home in Florida, she was invited to the flight deck to meet the captain and crew. “It was cool to see the controls,” says Hughes. “It spurred my curiosity and my passion for flying.” Although all the pilots she saw were white men, she wasn’t deterred. “I never thought about it,” she says. “I didn’t need someone to look like me to affirm my dreams.”
In high school, Hughes joined Eagle Flight Squadron, a program that awards members with flight lessons if they maintain good grades. She earned her private pilot certification before starting college at Jacksonville University in Florida.
Graduating in 2008 during the recession, Hughes discovered that opportunities for pilots were limited. “The economy wasn’t good,” she says. “Pilots were being furloughed and laid off.” For the next year and a half, she worked as a flight instructor. A year later, she became the second Black female pilot in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard, where she served for 11 years. As a Lieutenant Commander, her primary focus was search and rescue operations. Hughes recalls her last flight before going on maternity leave. Her mission: to find a boater stranded off the coast of Louisiana. The boater’s wife had called the Coast Guard in the middle of night, reporting her husband missing. After spotting the boat, Hughes and her crew air delivered food, water, and a phone to the boater, who had lost his engine and was alone. They then coordinated with the Coast Guard to tow the vessel to land.
Hughes left active duty in 2020 and now flies for United Parcel Service. In all her years of flying, Hughes says, she never saw another Black woman pilot. There were no other Black women in the aviation program at college or working as flight instructors.
But scrolling down a Facebook page one day, Hughes found another Black aviator, Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw. In 2017, the two launched a networking group, Sisters of the Skies (SOS), with the goal of increasing the number of Black female pilots through mentorship and scholarships. The organization now has about 200 members. SOS has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to recipients aged 18 to 56 through donations, mostly from airlines. The money goes to those who have already taken flight lessons and show they are invested in a career in aviation. “Because of the pilot shortage due to the pandemic, airlines will need more pilots for the next 5-10 years,” says Hughes. “Every airline needs pilots. It’s a perfect time to consider a career in aviation.” Despite the high cost of training, Hughes tells students they will reap the benefits within a couple of years with salaries as pilots.
“The pilot shortage will have to be eased by women,” says Hughes. “They are the savior for the aviation industry.” But they will have to overcome gender bias, which Hughes says can be subtle, adding, “I would venture to say that all women pilots have flown with or will fly with a male pilot who believes women shouldn’t be flying.”
Eleanor Gilman is a frequent contributor to New Jersey Monthly.
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“Horses are like humans,” says Dana Spett, founder and executive director of Pony Power Therapies. “They want their basic needs met: food, water, shelter, companionship—and a purpose.”
For the 22 horses and ponies on Spett’s 13-acre, ADA-accessible farm in Mahwah, their purpose is to serve as therapists and teaching tools for clients of all ages with special needs.
The nonprofit serves about 200 clients weekly through customized therapeutic horseback riding, horse-assisted learning and a sensory garden program. Clients with autism learn teamwork through animal handling. Visitors with PTSD practice feeling secure in their surroundings. Students with ADHD work on concentration while riding.
“The horse doesn’t care about your diagnosis, your criminal record, your bank account, your religion, your politics [or] age. They don’t know an agenda,” Spett says. “And that’s where we take our lead.”
Spett—a lifelong equestrian, social work professor at Ramapo College, and a candidate for a doctorate of social work at Rutgers—started Pony Power in 2000 with just one horse. At the time, she was seeking alternative therapies for her daughter, who had core-strength issues.
Spett purchased the Mahwah property in 2003. The peaceful parcel is equipped with outdoor and indoor riding arenas, outdoor classrooms, educational barns and various trails.
There are two benefits to interacting with horses, Spett explains. “When you sit on the back of a horse, the input is the same as human gait,” she says. “When the horse is moving, it moves your body as if you’re walking.”
If riding a horse is not an option for a client, there are other ways to connect with the animal. “A horse will mirror what is going on with the other living being in front of them,” Spett adds. “Learning how to manage yourself around a horse is important for your interpretation of body language, safety, awareness, empathy, compassion and work ethic.”
Another feature of the property is the Farm in the Forest, a sensory garden where participants learn about everything from plant care to nutrition. A garden-expansion project is slated for completion in March, and the herd’s manure is used to fertilize the garden. In 2022, Pony Power collectively donated more than 2,000 pounds of food from the garden to Paterson’s Oasis—A Haven for Women and Children and Mahwah’s Center for Food Action.
The impact of Pony Power’s programs extends beyond the farm. “Families have different conversations after coming [here],” Spett says. “It’s not about going to treatment. It’s, ‘What horse did you ride? What did you do on the farm? How did that feel?’ Those experiences teach us that living in the moment is really what’s important.”
Pony Power Therapies was founded in 2000 by Dana Spett. The nonprofit uses horses and an accessible farm to enhance the physical, social and emotional well-being of clients who need extra support. There are also nine chickens, four sheep, three goats, three beehives and two pigs on the farm. Visit ponypowernj.org to learn more.
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The post Mahwah Farm Gives Those With Special Needs a Chance to Horse Around appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
With the proceeds from sales of embroidered bags, shirts and pillows, Afghan refugees can help support their families. Photo courtesy of Veronica Yankowski
In August 2021, Montclair resident Leila Faridi was horrified to see Afghan families fleeing their country in the wake of the American military withdrawal. “The scenes at the airport—it was incredibly heartbreaking,” Faridi recalls. “I felt like those little kids were my own kids.”
Determined to help somehow, Faridi contacted a refugee-assistance organization in Jersey City, Welcome Home, which introduced her to Afghan families newly arrived in New Jersey.
Faridi instantly bonded with a woman named Sofia (who asked that her last name not be used), who had spent four months at refugee camps with her husband and four children.
Faridi took the children on outings and helped Sofia navigate the practical challenges of starting a new life in the United States. In gratitude, Sofia made her a beautiful handbag.
“She embroidered the entire front of the bag in this amazing traditional design, with mirrors and everything,” Faridi marveled. “It was so beautiful; it started the whole idea of the Bibi Collective.”
Faridi, together with her friend Stephanie Sheerin, also of Montclair, brainstormed how Sofia and other Afghan refugees could earn income through their unique skills. An advocate of fair-trade practices, Sheerin found ethically sourced fabrics for the women to work with and bought them in bulk. Then the pair contacted a local law firm, Spiro, Harrison and Nelson, to help the women set up their business. The attorneys not only provided pro bono counsel, but they set up individual LLCs for each of the seven textile artists, so they could manage their own earnings.
Thus, the Bibi Collective was born. Bibi means “a woman, full of life” in Afghan culture—the perfect name for their new venture.
Then came the matter of finding vendors. The Bibi Collective’s first pop-up event was at Le Souk, a Montclair café owned by a Syrian refugee. This was followed by Kimaya Kama in Maplewood, Mimi and Hill in Westfield, the Montclair Art Museum gift shop, and the General Store in Montclair.
Faridi and Sheerin also set up individual Etsy shops for the women and rented tables at craft fairs throughout the northern New Jersey area.
For Faridi, meeting Sofia and the other Afghan women has been immeasurably rewarding. “I love going to their houses and cuddling all the babies,” she says.
Setting up the Bibi Collective has also been a deeply meaningful experience, in a different way, for everyone involved.
“For these women, who aren’t even literate in their own language, being in business for themselves is an amazing opportunity,” Faridi says.
“They have some financial independence and can still take care of their children while learning English. This experience has been really powerful for them.”
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The post New Venture Helps Female Afghan Refugees in NJ Earn a Living appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Illustration by John S. Dykes
New Jersey’s tallest building, biggest restaurant appetizer, youngest member of the high-IQ society Mensa—New Jersey Monthly’s new Book of Records, which we are excited to present to you, has all of that and so much more.
To create this comprehensive list, the editors at NJM scoured the state for the biggest, boldest and one-of-a-kind wonders and feats among our state’s people and places.
We hope you enjoy reading our Book of Records as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
FOOD & DRINKMOST MASSIVE APPETIZERAt the Brookdale in Bloomfield, the staggering mozzarella stick weighs one full pound. Photo by Georgia Kral
The Big Cheese isn’t your diner standby. This mozzarella stick is more like a log, weighing in at 1 pound and requiring a fork and knife to eat. But when you encounter the crispy, cheesy, hilariously out-of-proportion item on the menu at the Brookdale in Bloomfield, order it—health concerns be damned. More than anything, it’s fun and intended to garner gasps and social media shares. The bonus, of course, is that it’s delicious. Then again, how could a pound of fried cheese not be? —Georgia Kral
LONGEST STRAND OF PASTAWhen he worked on the Ligurian coast of Italy, chef Joseph Voller learned to make mugnaia, a single strand of sauced pasta curled into a mound weighing about half a pound. “I use a mix of three flours, from soft to hard wheat, so it’s stretchable but keeps its bite,” he says. “It’s handmade, time-consuming, tough on the hands and forearms, but sauced with different peppers, it’s delicious.” Voller is making the dish at his new post at the Jasper Stone Italian Steakhouse in Monroe. —Eric Levin
DEEPEST WINE LISTThe subterranean wine-storage area at Restaurant Latour measures almost a square acre. Photo courtesy of Restaurant Latour
Serving NJM Top 30-listed Restaurant Latour and the rest of the sprawling Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, a subterranean wine-storage area measures almost a square acre and contains about 45,000 bottles. “Our list is known for French—white and red Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhone, the Loire and champagne,” says wine director Susanne Wagner, who conducts lively tastings for guests. “But we’re also excellent in Italian and domestic, the Finger Lakes, and New Jersey. Ventimiglia in Wantage makes an excellent cabernet franc—balanced, elegant, classic.” The most expensive bottle is an $82,500 magnum of red Château Latour from 1900 (a magnum equals two standard bottles). The oldest bottle, meanwhile, is a Château Latour from 1888, which costs $15,000 for a standard bottle. —EL
BOOZIEST CITYIt’s not hard to find a good bar in Hoboken. The Mile Square City, as it has been nicknamed, actually occupies 1.25 square miles and is home to more than 120 drinking establishments. From Irish pubs like Finnegan’s and Mulligan’s to sophisticated cocktail bars like the Sinatra Room Speakeasy and the Stingray Lounge, there’s a drinking establishment for everyone. —Shelby Vittek
OLDEST EATERY STILL SERVINGIn 1742, when Ebenezer Byram built Mendham’s Black Horse Tavern & Pub, the tavern served the likes of George Washington, while what is now the pub was used as stables. These days, cars have replaced horses, but good service and reliable chow remain for the state’s oldest continuously-serving restaurant. (The upscale tavern is currently only open for private events, while the family-friendly pub serves everything from burgers to fried chicken.) “Being a small town, you look for something significant or unique that puts you on the map,” says Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner. “So to have this building still in existence continues to tell…that historic story for Mendham.” —Julie Gordon
MOST EXCLUSIVE DINNER Somewhere in Ridgefield, Bergen County—that’s your only clue to where the state’s most exclusive dining experience, Sushi By Sea, is. Only 12 people are invited to each seating of this 16-course omakase dinner. Those wanting to enter the secret sushi club can register online at sushibysea.com (and cross their fingers for an invite!). Once selected, you will be given the exact address of the dinner. But remember, no one likes a tattletale. —Maggie Leenas
Buy our March 2023 issue here. Cover illustration by Mary Kate McDevitt
BIGGEST COCKTAILFor the biggest and booziest, find your way to Cellar 335 in Jersey City—and bring a few friends. Full of rum, absinthe, cinnamon and Angostura bitters, the Zombie Priest Punch (serves 2-3, $40) is elaborately garnished with a pineapple top and comes in a bowl, not a glass. And that’s not the only multiple-straw concoction the modern tiki bar offers. There’s also the Oaxacan Tiki Hut, served in a conch shell-shaped glass and featuring mezcal, rum and amaro, as well as the rum- and Cognac-ridden Scorpion’s Tail—each designed to be shared. —SV
MOST INTENSE COOKIEThe Jersey mini-chain Cookie Connect concocts some intense cookies—cinnamon roll (topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal), salted caramel pretzel, apple pie—but the most inspired is the stuffed peanut butter cup. Yes, a Reese’s is stuffed inside cookie dough, and it’s as gooey, delicious and over-the-top as it sounds. —GK
MOST SECLUDED RESTAURANTWith its closest neighbor a pet cemetery about a half-mile east, Lucille’s Luncheonette in Warren Grove, deep in the Pine Barrens, has been serving hearty breakfasts and lunches since 1975. After founder Lucille Bates died in 2016, her daughter, Karen Flynn, took over with her sister, Diane Brown. “We’ve had a lot of retirees, truckers and widowers who meet here every day for brunch,” says Brown. “We lost a number of them over Covid, but we’re hanging in there.” —Jill P. Capuzzo
PEOPLECHEESIEST RESIDENTTelina Cuppari’s pizza-centric collection includes books, toys, mugs, jewelry, clothing, dolls and much, much more. Photo by Chris Buck
To say that Telina Cuppari of Kenilworth loves pizza is an understatement. Cuppari is so into slices that she has filled her home with more than 800 pizza collectibles—and even holds the Guinness World Record for the most pizza-related items. “My husband said, ‘I lost my garage, I lost my attic; our dining room is a pizza-themed dining room,’” the mom of two says with a laugh. Some of her favorite pieces include a gown by Union designer ModMara by Faraj Couture, a pizza-shaped eyeshadow palette, and a shower curtain that features a sloth, dinosaur and pizza. Read more about Cuppari here. —JG
YOUNGEST SMARTY-PANTS At 7 years old, Amogh Banagere of Millburn is the youngest member of Mensa in New Jersey. But the youngster is an old pro in the lauded high-IQ society, having joined at age 5 with an IQ of 148. His mother, Swathi Jayanth, says Mensa allows him to “harness his high intelligence for the betterment of society” and meet like-minded peers. Some of Bangere’s hobbies are chess, guitar and reading. He read 135 books last year alone! —Thomas Neira
MOST DECORATED OLYMPIAN Carl Lewis, 61, is arguably the greatest track-and-field athlete to ever grace the Olympic stage, but many seem to forget about his Garden State origins. The “Olympian of the Century” first competed for Willingboro High School, and his nine gold medals and one silver medal in the ’90s make him the most decorated Olympian in Jersey history. —TN
LONGEST BOOK DRIVEIn 2015, Marley Dias campaigned to collect 1,000 books with a Black girl as the protagonist. Today, Marley has collected nearly 14,000 books. Photo by Erin O’Brien
Kudos for the longest book drive ever go to Marley Dias. In November 2015, as a pre-teen, this West Orange resident made an offhand remark to her mom about how few books she read in school that featured Black girls as the protagonist. In response to Marley’s frequently quoted remark, “I’m tired of reading books about white boys and their dogs,” Marley’s mom, Janice Johnson Dias, who runs a public health and social action nonprofit, challenged her with, “What are you going to do about it?” What she did was set an ambitious goal to collect 1,000 books featuring Black girls by February 2016. Marley’s efforts went viral, and she neatly exceeded her goal. Today, thanks to her website, the initiative has collected more than 14,000 books. Read more about Dias here. —Deborah P. Carter
MOST TONGUE PIERCINGSFrank Vacca has the sharpest tongue in Jersey. He broke the Guinness World Record for tongue piercings in 2012 with a whopping 16 piercings, then beat that record by increasing his tally to 20 in 2017. Vacca plans to break his record yet again this year at Invisibleself Body Art in Lyndhurst. “From time to time, I like to test the boundaries on how many I can fit,” he says. —TN
MOST OSCAR NOMSAs the saying goes, it’s an honor just to be nominated for an Oscar. For Meryl Streep, that’s been true—21 times. America’s most celebrated actress caught the bug playing a robot in a fifth-grade play, then starred in musicals at Bernardsville’s Bernards High School. Fast-forward 50 years, and this Jersey girl has earned the most Oscar noms of any actor ever. She’s won three times, as has New Jersey native Jack Nicholson of Neptune City; Katharine Hepburn holds the record for most acting Oscars with four. —JG
OLDEST MAYORWorld War II veteran Vito Perillo, 98, who was reelected mayor of Tinton Falls in 2021, is thought to be the oldest person in Jersey history ever to hold the position of mayor. And when he turns 100 in September 2024, he’ll break the same record for U.S. history. Perillo has said that his current four-year term will be his final one. —Jennifer Finn
FUN & ATTRACTIONSMOST EXCLUSIVE GOLF COURSEMembership in Pine Valley, in the sandy pine barrens southeast of Collingswood, is by invitation only. Only members (including women, since late 2021) and their guests can play. Be careful what you wish for. Pine Valley is considered one of the most difficult courses in the world: gaping bunkers everywhere, fiendish greens, and no carts. You’re walking, mostly up and down hills. Have a nice day. —EL
LONGEST GO-KART TRACKJersey City’s RPM Raceway recently unveiled a multimillion-dollar renovation. Photo courtesy of RPM Raceway
Race over to Jersey City’s RPM Raceway, where the longest go-kart track in the world is ready after a six-month, multimillion-dollar renovation. Unveiled in January, the multilevel, 2,200-foot track features a 72-second lap time that speed demons will love. Once drivers are done tearing up the track, they can check out the venue’s virtual reality experiences, bowling and more. There’s also the RPM Bar & Grill—just don’t drink and drive! —Gary Phillips
SWANKIEST MALL Shop until you drop in Short Hills. Photo courtesy of the Mall at Short Hills
The Mall at Short Hills is home to a seemingly endless row of high-end department stores and designer boutiques, including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Gucci and Chanel. Even the food court is gourmet (called Primo Mercato, it features Italian artisanal food stations and cocktails). Of course, valet parking is available. The mall is so tony that, in the past, the ATM only gave $50 bills. If the prices are too high, window shop or people watch. —Jacqueline Mroz
WIDEST BEACHWhoever heard of taking a shuttle bus to get from one end of the beach to the ocean? But that’s what some people do in Wildwood—the widest beach in New Jersey at 500 yards (or five football fields). Wildwood is the state’s only beach that isn’t threatened with shoreline retreat, giving beachgoers more room to spread out. That means no jockeying for the perfect spot. —JM
BIGGEST STADIUMThe home of the Jets and Giants since 2010, East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium is not just the biggest stadium in New Jersey, it’s the biggest of all NFL venues, with capacity for 82,500 people on game days. The 2.1 million-square-foot outdoor stadium, which cost $1.6 billion, can also accommodate 50,000 people for most concerts. No doubt aided by its size, the stadium is a finalist to host soccer matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026; MetLife also hosted the first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl in 2014. —GP
LONGEST MODEL RAILROADLocated in Flemington, Northlandz features the world’s largest model railroad, which measures over 8 miles long and occupies a spot in Guinness World Records. With perfectly replicated trains chugging by mini-mountains, forests, tunnels, bridges, towns and more, patrons can immerse themselves in an entire world that’s been scaled down more than a few sizes, yet is realistic and detailed. —GP
BIGGEST PLANETARIUM In 2017, the Liberty Science Center entered the big leagues with the addition of the $5 million Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium—not only the largest planetarium in New Jersey, but the biggest in the entire United States. Stargazers experience the state-of-the-art, 89-foot full-dome view of the night sky, distant galaxies and themed laser shows from the Jersey City-based interactive museum (which made NJM’s 52 Things You Must Do in New Jersey list). —Jacqueline Larcara
LARGEST PICKLEBALL CLUBLike millions of others, Becky and Frank Gabriele and Sharon and Bob Voelzke discovered a love for pickleball after the pandemic started, playing the mix of tennis, table tennis and badminton in their cul-de-sac almost daily. Last year, the couples opened Mercer Bucks Pickleball Club in Ewing. The 26,000-square-foot space is the Northeast’s largest pickleball facility. It boasts nine courts and hosts open play, tournaments, lessons and more. “Pickleball is not and should not be an intimidating sport,” says Becky. “It’s a very social sport.” —GP
MOST SHARK-FILLED WATERSAdventure Aquarium’s Shark Realm exhibit, which mostly features sandbar and sand tiger sharks, holds 550,000 gallons of water. Photo courtesy of Adventure Aquarium
Camden’s Adventure Aquarium boasts more than 15,000 aquatic animals and the largest collection of sharks in New Jerseyand the entire Northeast. Multiple exhibits, including the aptly named Shark Realm, feature the creatures. Kids can also get acquainted with small bamboo sharks in the touch tank, while the more daring patrons aged 12 and up can swim with sandbar and sand tiger sharks (and some stingrays) during a $190 encounter. —GP
TALLEST ROLLER COASTER Located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, Kingda Ka is the tallest roller coaster in the world. With a maximum height of 456 feet—or 45 stories—plus the ability to go from 0 to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, as well as a 270-degree spiral, this 3,118-foot-long, 50-second ride has never been for the faint of heart since opening in 2005. And if the king of coasters isn’t enough, Six Flags unveiled the Jersey Devil, the world’s tallest, fastest and longest single-rail coaster, in 2021. Read more about Jersey roller coasters here. —GP
PLACES TALLEST BUILDING At 900 feet, Jersey City’s 99 Hudson Street is the tallest building in New Jersey and one of the tallest in the country. The 79-story luxury high-rise on the waterfront, which began construction in 2016, replaced the 781-foot-tall Goldman Sachs Tower, also in Jersey City, as the Garden State’s tallest. Opulent condos look out at the Manhattan skyline, and the area below features 7,500 square feet of plazas and more. —GP
OLDEST BOARDWALK With the goal of keeping sand out of rail cars and hotel lobbies, construction of the Atlantic City Boardwalk began in 1870. The raised, wood-planked structure became a popular place to see and be seen in the Victorian era. Over the years, the Boardwalk has undergone five reconstructions to address damage and development. Originally, it was 8 feet wide and 1 mile long; now the iconic structure spans just over 4 miles and is 60 feet wide. Walking it scored a spot on our Jersey Shore bucket list.—DPC
SNOWIEST AND RAINIEST SPOTSnow and rain are expected parts of life here in New Jersey, but which area gets the most of the white and the wet each year? The Newark region, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Average annual snowfall is 31.5 inches, and average annual precipitation is 46.6 inches. —TN
MOST INSTAGRAMMABLE LOCALEClinton’s Red Mill Museum Village, which has graced the cover of New Jersey Monthly, is said to be the most photographed place in New Jersey—and for good reason. The historic building, dating back to 1810, is set on the banks of the Raritan River, with sweeping views of a waterfall, nature and beautiful old buildings providing a picture-perfect backdrop. We’re particularly fond of the area at holiday time, when the Festival of Trees turns it into a winter wonderland. —JG
WORST TRAFFIC BOTTLENECK As we once memorably declared on our cover, “Traffic is endless. Potholes devour tires. Bridges are crumbling. Dollars for repairs are scarce. And that’s just part of why NJ roads suck.” So it is no surprise that Jersey’s worst traffic bottleneck is the country’s worst, per the American Transportation Research Institute. The location? The intersection of I-95 and Route 4 just west of the George Washington Bridge. —JG
FIRST SEASIDE RESORTSince 1816, Congress Hall in Cape May has been welcoming guests at the block-long resort on Beach Avenue. A favorite getaway of several United States presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, the original structure burned to the ground in 1878, only to be rebuilt in brick one year later. It still stands and is operating today. —DPC
ARTSIEST SHORE TOWNAsbury Park, known as a music center, is anchored by the legendary Stone Pony. Beyond music, the city by the sea is crawling with culture. Dozens of vibrant murals (one of which appeared on our December 2022 cover!) line the boardwalk. Noteworthy art galleries include rock ‘n’ roll photographer Danny Clinch’s Transparent Clinch Gallery. Festivals like Sea.Hear.Now (which takes place every September) celebrate creativity of all kinds. —JL
OLDEST LIGHTHOUSE Thanks to an act of the New York Assembly and a subsequent lottery, a building with a lantern on top beamed across the southern half of New York Harbor for the first time in 1764. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the nation’s oldest in continuous operation, guides ships through the shoals at the northernmost tip of the Jersey Shore, even though it now stands a mile and a half from the ocean’s waves. —RC Staab
OLDEST BUILDINGConstructed between 1638 and 1643, the C. A. Nothnagle Log House is believed to be the oldest log cabin in the country and the oldest surviving building in New Jersey. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the Gibbstown house was built by Finnish settlers in what was once the New Sweden colony. No nails were used in the original construction, yet the log house remains to this day. Interested in owning a piece of New Jersey history? The three-bedroom, one-bath cabin is listed for sale at $375,000. —GP
QUIRKYBIGGEST ZOMBIE GATHERING Grh. Graagh. Mrh? These are actual zombie expressions, and they might come in handy at the next New Jersey Zombie Walk event. Twice in three years, this group took the Guinness World Record for largest gathering of zombies. They had 9,592 people dressed up as walking-dead creatures on the boardwalk in Asbury Park in 2013. Will 2023 see a new record? —JM
MOST GIGANTIC GLASS BOTTLE The world’s largest hand-blown glass bottle was crafted at WheatonArts in Millville (which is on display there; WheatonArts reopens on April 1), not far from Alloway Creek, where American glassmaking first began in 1739. Steve Tobin, a sculptor with a lot of hot air, led a five-person team to blow the record-breaking, 100-pound, clear-glass bottle, which is almost 8 feet tall. Made in 1992, the impressive creation retains its Guinness World Records status. And its 188-gallon volume can accommodate an awesome quantity of Guinness. —Fred B. Adelson
BIGGEST BOAT PARADELast August, New Jersey took the Guinness World Record for the largest parade of canoes and kayaks after 1,105 paddlers filled Toms River in Ocean County, easily surpassing the previous record of 329, which had been set in Poland. The Garden State boaters floated through a one-mile course to break the record. —JM
LONGEST CRAPS ROLLAnyone who has ever hit the craps table in Atlantic City knows just how wild this record is: New Jerseyan Patricia Demauro had a 4-hour-and-18-minute craps roll at the Borgata back in 2009, during which she threw the dice a record 154 times. The odds of the feat are 1.56 trillion to one. She never revealed her winnings. —JG
BIGGEST MIRRORThe mammoth glass-box exterior of Bell Works in Holmdel is either a vision of our dystopian future—it’s the office featured in Severance on Apple TV+—or a wonder of modernist architecture. Dubbed “the biggest mirror ever” by Architectural Forum magazine, the building is roughly a quarter of a mile long and six stories high. —RCS
ARTS & POP CULTUREMOST POPULAR FILM LOCALESWith an influx of studios and location shoots for film and TV, New Jersey is embracing its reputation as Hollywood East. At present, the most popular filming locations are Newark (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake), Jersey City (The Union with Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg), Montclair (Maybe I Do) and Cranford (Mother’s Instinct), says Steven Gorelick, head of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. —JG and JM
STARRIEST HIGH SCHOOLMost New Jersey high schools have a few or even a handful of famous alumni, but Columbia High School in Maplewood has a whole yearbook’s worth. Celebri-grads of the school, which serves both Maplewood and South Orange, include actor/director Zach Braff (who shot his flicks Garden State and the new A Good Person locally), singers Lauryn Hill and SZA, actors/siblings Elisabeth and Andrew Shue, author Paul Auster, style expert Robert Verdi and more. —JG
MOST SOPRANOS SCREEN TIME From 1999-2007, Jerseyans not only tuned into tuned into The Sopranos each week for compelling story lines and award-winning acting, but also to see which local businesses and backdrops were featured. But which towns got the most airtime? Per the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, that distinction goes to North Caldwell, the location of Tony Soprano’s house in the opening credits; Kearny, the home of fictitious Satriale’s Pork Store; and Lodi, where the fictional Bada Bing club was. —JG and JM
LARGEST INSTRUMENT The circa-1930 pipe organ at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City is the biggest instrument in the world (dubbed the sonic Mount Rushmore). Fifty-three percent of the organ—which is made up of more than 33,000 pipes—is fully functioning; in 2014, that number was 10 percent. On certain days, visitors are invited to hear an organist play and then take a tour to see the pipes, which are hidden inside the walls. It’s free, but donations are welcome. —GK
OLDEST THEATER GROUPThe Civil War Drill Hall Theater, built in 1859, has been home to the Players Guild of Leonia since 1919. The Bergen County enclave was once home to a popular artists’ colony. The troupe, a product of the community’s creative spirit, has been offering a continuous repertoire of performances ever since—including online shows during the pandemic. —DPC
BIGGEST GIFTTrenton history captured in a painting by master artist N.C. Wyeth became the largest gift ever receieved by Thomas Edison State University. Valued at $4 million, the 17-by-12-foot-wide mural, donated by Wells Fargo, depicts George Washington riding through Jersey’s capital city on his way to be inaugurated in 1789. —DPC
HIGHEST-PAID ENTERTAINER Bruce Springsteen raked in $435 million in 2022, making him the highest-paid Jersey entertainer of the year (and the second-highest-paid entertainer overall, behind director Peter Jackson), according to Forbes. That influx of cash came mostly from Springsteen selling his music catalog to his record label, Sony Music. —JG
NATURE & OUTDOORSLARGEST WATERFALLThe Great Falls in Paterson is the largest waterfall, by volume, in New Jersey and the second largest, by volume, on the East Coast, after Niagara Falls. Located in the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, the cascades, which are 77 feet high, are the reason the city of Paterson exists. Alexander Hamilton came upon the falls in the 1700s and had the idea to harness their power and create an industrial center. The views are spectacular. A new visitor’s center is in the works. —JM
LONGEST HIKING TRAIL With 311 out of 383 miles completed as of mid-January, the NJ State Long Trail is and will remain the longest trail in New Jersey. “We are continuing to make slow forward progress,” says Dave Matek, the NJ Sierra Club’s trails issues coordinator. Already, hikers and explorers can experience every terrain the Garden State has to offer on a trail that will link the north end of the state (High Point) with its sea-level southern end (Cape May Point). The lengthy path intersects with numerous other trails, including the Appalachian Trail. —GP
MOST BUTTERFLIESCape May Point is the best place in New Jersey to see monarch butterflies migrating each September through November, when thousands use the area to rest and refuel on their long trip from Canada to Mexico. Though these stunning creatures can be seen at other spots in New Jersey during this period (especially at monarch waystations), there is nothing quite like the spectacular sight in Cape May. —JG
HIGHEST POINTHigh Point, appropriately, is the highest point in the state, with a peak elevation of 1,803 feet. The mountain peak is located within High Point State Park, bordering Wantage Township and Montague Township in Sussex County. This beautiful park is located in the area known as the Skylands and features gorgeous foliage in fall, cross-country skiing in winter and hiking year-round. —JM
OLDEST BLOOMSAs many as 100,000 flowers reach for the sun at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Montclair during blooming season, mid-May through early June. Now in its 96th year, the garden boasts more than 3,000 varieties of rhizomes, bulbs and rooted plants across the garden’s 6.5 acres. Founded in 1927, the 99 original irises have been propagated to produce more and healthier blooms every year. —DPC
TOP SPOT FOR BIRDINGOne shorebird species, the red knot, travels 9,000 miles from South America to the Arctic each spring, stopping in Cape May on the way. Photo courtesy of Gregory Gard/Alamy Stock Photo
There is no better place for birding than Cape May, which is known as the birding capital of North America. Between late August and early November, more than a million birds stop in Cape May as they fly south for the winter. Then, at the beginning of each spring season, more than 460 species of birds return to the the Garden State, including hawks, falcons and scoters. —TN
BIGGEST FORESTChalk it up to poor soil. That’s why, even by 1978, Congress was able to carve out more than 1 million acres of largely undeveloped land as a national reserve in the nation’s most densely populated state. The Pinelands is the biggest surviving forest on the Eastern Seaboard south of Maine’s North Woods. The Pinelands stretch almost the state’s entire width. —RCS
LARGEST LAKEWhile the Shore inevitably comes to mind when most people think about New Jersey’s waters, beauty and fun abound at our lakes, too. The biggest (and one of our favorites) is Lake Hopatcong, located in Hopatcong State Park, at 9 miles long, with 2,500 acres of freshwater. Hang out at the small beach and swim, picnic or take a private boat ride. Area restaurants offer a nice end to a day in the sun. —JG
MOST CHERRY BLOSSOMSYou may think Washington, DC, has the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in the United States, but it’s actually New Jersey. Each April, more than 5,000 trees bloom in shades of pink at Branch Brook Park in Newark and Belleville, creating a sight like no other. This year’s festivities take place from April 1-16. —JG
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The post New Jersey Monthly’s Book of Records appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
New Jersey is the birthplace of many inventions and innovations that Americans couldn’t imagine living without today.
FIRST BASEBALL GAMEHoboken is the birthplace of modern baseball (about 70 years before it became the birthplace of Frank Sinatra). The country’s first organized game took place in 1846 at Elysian Fields, where the New York Nine beat the Knickerbockers.
FIRST M&M’SThe inaugural batch of the chocolate candies was made in a Newark factory in 1941. Since 1958, the M&M’s factory has been located in Hackettstown; today, it operates as one of three plants in the United States that produces M&M’s (more than 400 million annually). The North American headquarters for Mars Wrigley is also located in Newark (in the Ironside building); it returned to New Jersey from Chicago in 2020.
FIRST PLAY-DOHPlay-Doh is just one of the toys invented here. Jersey is also the birthplace of Colorforms, toy trains, the talking doll and the Flexible Flyer.
FIRST DRIVE-INThe Camden Drive-In opened its doors on June 6, 1933. Sadly, it closed three years later, but not before giving birth to a beloved American tradition.
FIRST READY-TO-EAT-SOUP The Campbell’s factory in Camden put out the first jar of ready-to-eat soup, Beefsteak Tomato, in 1895—a perfect ode to the Jersey tomato. Two years later, the process of condensing soup came along, allowing for smaller packaging in the form of the soup cans we all know and heat today.
FIRST LIGHT BULB Thomas Edison, who had labs in Menlo Park and West Orange, created some of the most important inventions ever, all in New Jersey, including the light bulb, the automatic telegraph, the phonograph and the movie camera.
FIRST MISS AMERICA PAGEANTMiss Washington, DC, Margaret Gorman, won the 1921 pageant in Atlantic City. The pageant’s archives are housed in a secret storage facility in Atlantic County.
FIRST SALTWATER TAFFYThe Shore staple dates back to Atlantic City in the 1880s; John Ross Edmiston invented it.
FIRST BAND-AIDAn employee of Johnson & Johnson, headquartered in Jersey, came up with the idea for the Band-Aid in 1920. It clearly stuck.
FIRST NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARKMorristown National Historical Park encompasses the site of George Washington’s headquarters and Fort Nonsense in Morristown, Jockey Hollow in Morris Township and the NJ Brigade/Cross Estate in Harding.
Want to see more of our state’s biggest, boldest and one-of-a-kind feats and wonders? Check out New Jersey Monthly’s Book of Records.
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Now a freshman a Harvard, Marley Dias, 19, has collected more than 14,000 books with a Black girl as the protagonist. Photo courtesy of Andrea Cipriani Mecchi
Kudos for the longest book drive ever go to Marley Dias.
In November 2015, as a pre-teen, this West Orange resident made an offhand remark to her mom about how few books she read in school that featured Black girls as the protagonist. In response to Marley’s frequently quoted remark, “I’m tired of reading books about white boys and their dogs,” Marley’s mom, Janice Johnson Dias, who runs a public health and social action nonprofit, challenged her with, “What are you going to do about it?”
What she did was set an ambitious goal to collect 1,000 books featuring Black girls by February 2016. Marley’s efforts went viral, and she neatly exceeded her goal. Today, thanks to her website, the initiative has collected more than 14,000 books, helping her land a spot in New Jersey Monthly’s Book of Records.
Distributed to community groups and schools, Marley explains, “We want them to go where they can have the most impact. In a community educational space, more than 30 kids may read each book, and students will have the benefit of reading the books with teachers and educators who understand the importance of racial identity, diversity and inclusion.”
Marley Dias kicked off her campaign in 2015. Photo courtesy of Erin O’Brien
Fast-forward to 2023, 19-year-old Marley is now a freshman at Harvard. She has spoken at the White House, was named one of the nation’s most influential teens by Time in 2018, and was the youngest honoree on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list that same year.
In 2020, she hosted Bookmarks, a Netflix children’s show where celebrities read books by Black authors. This year, she served as the first guest editor for an online magazine called Feminist.
A published author, her book, Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! (Scholastic 2018) is a guide to inspire other young people find their voices to make changes in their communities.
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Telina Cuppari holds the Guinness World Record for owning the most pizza-related items. Photo by Chris Buck
Meet New Jersey’s cheesiest resident.
To say that Telina Cuppari of Kenilworth loves pizza is an understatement. Cuppari is so into slices that she has filled her home with more than 800 pizza collectibles—and even holds the Guinness World Record for the most pizza-related items.
“My husband said, ‘I lost my garage, I lost my attic; our dining room is a pizza-themed dining room,’” the mom of two says with a laugh.
When Cuppari, a California native and lifelong pizza lover, moved to New Jersey in 2012, she started collecting pizza knicknacks—an appropriate hobby for someone living in a state with so many pizzerias. Then she started wearing quirky pizza-print fashions, nabbing the nickname “Pizza Girl” in the process.
“If I’m going to do chores or go to the grocery store, why not dress up?” says Cuppari, who even owns a “corporate”-looking, collared pizza-print dress for meetings.
While some people took up puzzles or baking while home during the pandemic, Cuppari, who is publisher of the news site Tapinto Kenilworth, honed her collection.
On a whim, she looked up the Guinness record for pizza memorabilia (561 items at the time) and decided to try to beat it. To achieve her goal, she bought more items and received gifts from friends and fans; she even threw a big Pizza Palooza party, at which people brought memorabilia.
Cuppari’s pizza-centric collection includes books, toys, mugs, jewelry, clothing, dolls and much, much more. Photo by Chris Buck
The mother of all pizza moments? When she gave birth at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center during the pandemic, she brought supplies to deck out her hospital room in a pizza theme. She even set up a photo booth.
“Because it was the pandemic, you didn’t have that camaraderie,” Cuppari says. “The staff really enjoyed it.”
Though she broke the Guinness record in late 2021 with 669 items, Cuppari now owns 800 and counting. Some favorites include a gown by Union designer ModMara by Faraj Couture, a pizza-shaped eyeshadow palette, and a shower curtain that features a sloth, dinosaur and pizza. Her collection includes books, toys, mugs, jewelry, clothing, dolls and much, much more.
She also eats pizza about once a week. Some of her favorite local spots include Capri in Kenilworth, where she orders a veggie pie with crushed garlic instead of olives (“I love garlic”), and Santillo’s in Elizabeth. “I will even have Santillio’s for breakfast if there are any leftovers. It’s that good,” she says.
Cuppari hopes to turn her garage, where she keeps a lot of her collection, into a museum of sorts one day.
Want to see more of our state’s biggest, boldest and one-of-a-kind feats and wonders? Check out New Jersey Monthly’s Book of Records.
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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy gave a perfectly fine State of the State address to kick off 2023, yet he didn’t address any of his administration’s shortcomings.
He touched a lot of key bases, saying, “We are rebuilding the American dream right here.” Murphy, who often displays an enthusiastic demeanor, called Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver “rock solid” and spoke about the expansion of the film and television industry here, saying, “New Jersey is ready for our close-up.” He also said that New Jersey is “cool” again. Murphy praised the ANCHOR property-tax relief program, talking about the historic $2 billion investment. He gets points for getting this done with a Democratic legislature—but why weren’t those rebate checks sent out sooner?
Another area where Murphy gets points is maternal health, praising the work of First Lady Tammy Murphy and Oliver for “taking on longstanding racial inequities.” Real progress has been made on Murphy’s watch. And, as someone who loves the Jersey Shore, I am happy the governor announced a new Boardwalk Fund to provide critical state aid to struggling Shore towns that have been especially devastated by Covid-19.
All this is well and good, but I just keep wondering why political leaders like Murphy can’t simply own their mistakes. I’m disappointed that he didn’t address the ways his administration failed or fell short on several fronts.
Consider this: More than 9,000 people died as a result of Covid in New Jersey’s long-term care facilities. Was that really the best we could do? No regrets about that? No lessons learned for the future about how to manage our veterans and nursing homes, or how to prepare for a future pandemic or other health crisis? And why, exactly, are we waiting until late 2023 for an outside report on how the state handled Covid? Don’t we have enough information now?
Speaking of candor, why can’t we honestly acknowledge that for more and more New Jerseyans, our state is simply not affordable? Murphy is not uniquely responsible for this, as it has been going on for years. New Jersey has increasingly become too expensive. Why not just acknowledge it along with saying how “cool” New Jersey is?
And what about small business? The New Jersey Economic Development Authority has many programs and initiatives in this regard. But what if the governor acknowledged that we’ve lost over a third of small businesses in our state, and that his administration simply needs to do better at creating an environment where small business can survive, thrive and feel welcome?
And what about student learning loss? Our kids suffered terribly in public schools during the pandemic, and it took too long for Murphy’s Department of Education to release this data. It’s a problem. Why not just say we need to play catch-up to help our kids? Isn’t that a part of the state of our state?
So here’s the deal. There was nothing wrong with Murphy’s State of the State address. It was upbeat, but that is only part of the picture. It would have felt a little more real if he had acknowledged how they (and we) have fallen short. Why not just say we must do better, and we will? Is that really too much to ask?
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award–winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show, and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the news was personal for Dillon Carroll, a 24-year-old Ridgewood resident whose best friend, Mark Kreynovich, was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The two met when they were roommates at Cornell University and have remained close.
In 2018, Carroll got a firsthand look at Ukraine and its people when the friends took a trip to Kreynovich’s hometown.
As news of the war reached the United States, Carroll says his mind immediately turned to Kreynovich and his family. “I was so scared and so concerned,” recalls Carroll, who, along with his friend, graduated from Cornell in 2020. “I knew these people; I knew how peaceful and loving they were.”
Wanting to offer support but feeling helpless from afar, Carroll suggested they go to Ukraine. Kreynovich responded, “And fly into a war zone?” So the two devised a plan and, that night, after telling their parents they were leaving for a week, were on a plane to Vienna, where they connected with a Cornell graduate who would help them find supplies.
“Many Ukrainians were behind the Polish border, and many were in Ukraine needing help,” says Carroll. “The war broke out on February 24, a day before Mark’s and my shared birthday, so our birthday was a call to action.”
They started fundraising online through SpotFund and, in less than 24 hours, had received nearly $10,000 for their newly formed organization, Mission to Ukraine. In Vienna, they found a pharmacy that agreed to sell them discounted items in bulk, such as insulin, baby food, diapers and medications. The supplies would go to refugees and those still in Ukraine. Through Kreynovich’s connections, a hospital in Ukraine sent invoices itemizing needed supplies.
On their second day in Eastern Europe, realizing that most refugees were fleeing across the Polish-Ukrainian border, Carroll and Kreynovich drove from Vienna to Krakow.
“In those early weeks in Krakow, 20,000-30,000 Ukrainians were at the train station,” says Carroll. “We knew that wherever there were refugees, help was needed.”
[RELATED: One Ukrainian Family’s Story of Fleeing War and Finding Hope in NJ]
They found an apartment that could house a family of nine and their pets, purchased groceries for families settling there, and helped refugees find their way around strange surroundings. “The need was immense, and we worked long days and paid little mind to sleep,” says Carroll.
Returning to Vienna, they picked up the medical order and drove to a warehouse in Bratislava, Slovakia, 45 minutes away. Trusted Ukrainian drivers, whom they found through word of mouth, then collected the critically needed items and delivered them to Ukraine.
The one-week plan to provide aid stretched into eight months as contributions from 1,800 donors worldwide rose to $570,000. Both Carroll and Kreynovich have taken leaves from work and are now focused on their mission full-time.
As of our deadline, they have delivered more than $500,000 worth of critical equipment, helped evacuate more than 1,000 civilians from Russian-occupied territories in southern Ukraine, and sent food and medication to more than 3,000 people.
Now based in Kiev, Carroll says it’s necessary to be somewhere he’s needed, regardless of the risks.
“You become accustomed to a war zone. Despite the curfew, Kiev functions like any city in the United States, with people going to cafés and restaurants,” he says. “The air raids are scary, but you learn life needs to go on despite terrible circumstances.”
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Working as a naturalist primarily from her Vineland home, Mary Treat was a groundbreaking scientist who discovered new flora and fauna, including three species of ants that were named in her honor, and was praised by Charles Darwin for her work. Treat has also inspired modern-day writers, appearing as a character in Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Unsheltered and inspiring a character in The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert.
While Treat wrote six books and more than 100 scientific articles, her achievements have mostly receded into the background since her death in 1923—until now. Deborah Boerner Ein takes the trailblazing scientist out of the historical shadows with Mary Treat: A Biography (Lulu), the first book-length account of her life. For Ein, a Hammonton resident who spent four years researching and writing, a Treat biography was overdue.
“So many women who contributed to science, art and other disciplines have gone unnoticed or were not given the recognition they deserve,” says Ein, editor of SNJ Today, a weekly newspaper in Vineland.
Born in 1830, Treat studied botany in school and became an advocate of the sciences. The “study of botany,” she noted in an 1866 article, “raises woman above the frivolities of dress and fashion.”
Treat, who lived in Vineland from 1868 to 1919, specialized in the study of carnivorous plants, such as the Venus flytrap, and branched out into entomology. Charles Darwin praised her findings and acknowledged that “I am much indebted to Mrs. Treat” in one of his books.
“Darwin corresponded with Mary Treat more than any other woman scientist,” Ein says. “There are 15 known letters that passed between the two of them.”
Treat took advantage of the biological diversity in her backyard and surrounding region. “Vineland and South Jersey were a tremendous influence on her,” Ein says, adding that Treat traveled to Batsto and Atsion in the Pine Barrens to complete her studies on carnivorous plants.
Ein hopes her book ensures that Treat’s contributions will be remembered.
“She forged a wider path for women to follow their interests and passions,” Ein notes, “and laid the groundwork for later generations of ecologists to further explore and understand how all living things are interconnected in nature.”
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Editor’s note: Brothers Building a Better Nation recently announced it is on hiatus until May 15, 2023.
Quadeer Porter is the founder and president of Brothers Building a Better Nation (BBABN), an organization whose mission is to educate, mentor and inspire young men of color in the Newark area to build resilience and improve their health and well-being. BBABN accomplishes this through community-based engagement and advocacy, outreach, health education and support services.
Porter was born and raised in Newark, and he says that the impact of what he saw growing up influenced the leader he is today. Says Porter, “The nonprofit started several years ago. I moved from the Pavilion Apartments [in Newark] to my first house, and I saw a lot of brothers on the streets going through a lot of the same things I was going through.”
He says he started getting a lot of knocks on his door from people asking how he overcame having a parent who was addicted to drugs, and how he managed to get out of poverty and go to college.
As Porter kept seeing the questions coming, he decided that, instead of just helping these individuals one at a time, he would use the tools he gained working at Rutgers University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering and other organizations to create a nonprofit to address their questions. “These young men needed work, job training and case management. There are lot of complex systems in Newark, as well as through the federal government, that many people have a hard time navigating, so I put those things into our organization,” Porter says.
One of the most important tools that Porter believes is essential for any successful nonprofit is empathy. “The ability to be empathetic with a lot of brothers’ situations that are causing them to not be able to get over the hump is so important,” he says.
“A lot of times, these young men have been ostracized in their community because they have gotten into the drug trade or done something to become incarcerated,” Porter says. Sometimes, when these individuals go back into the community, they can be seen in a negative light, so BBABN helps reintroduce them to the community and shows them a better way to go forward.
Porter says he believes BBABN reinvigorates hope in the young men they serve.
“Often, these young men have been going through the system or they try to get welfare or affordable housing, and a lot of times they feel like they hit a rock in the road, and that is where we come in. Often, people in my community want to see somebody doing well. It becomes infectious. I want them to become the role model that I know they can be,” he says of the young men the program serves.
As for his commitment to the future of Newark, Porter says: “I see the beauty in Newark, and I want to continue to grow and contribute to it. I feel as though I owe it to my great-grandfather, to my family and future generations to make Newark even more beautiful.”
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award–winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show, and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
No one knows New Jersey like we do.* Sign up for one of our free newsletters here*. Want a print magazine mailed to you?* Purchase an issue from our online store*.
The post Newark-Area Nonprofit Offers Support Services—and Hope—to Local Young Men appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Robin Nardi spends one morning a week cuddling babies, and she loves it.
She’s a patient cuddler at Children’s Specialized Hospital, an RWJ Barnabas Health facility in New Brunswick, where young patients typically stay four to six weeks. In her role, Nardi plays with the babies, talks to them, sings songs and reads to them. If they are fussy or crying, she may hold them for a half-hour or so.
When infants are hospitalized for an extended period of time, parents can’t always make daily visits. They may have jobs, other children to care for, or a long drive to the hospital. Some New Jersey hospitals welcome baby cuddlers who fill in when the parents can’t be there. Patient cuddlers pick up the slack, easing the burden for parents and nurses and comforting the babies.
A retired occupational therapist, Nardi, 69, has been participating in the program since May. “I love kids. I worked with children my whole career,” she says. “This is something the children need.”
Most of the babies come from hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) with conditions that include neonatal abstinence syndrome (caused by exposure to certain drugs before birth), respiratory distress, failure to thrive, chronic heart and lung conditions, or genetic disorders.
“We have terrific nurses, but if we have 20 babies and eight are screaming, we run out of hands,” says Charli Nobles, the hospital’s child life specialist. “The volunteers give them the special attention they wouldn’t get otherwise.”
Currently, 21 volunteers participate in the program at Children’s Specialized Hospital. Each volunteer sees at least five babies during their shift.
“With the volunteers helping, the babies don’t have to wait so long for a response to their needs,” explains Nobles.
Interested in volunteering as a patient cuddler at Children’s Specialized Hospital? Fill out their volunteer application, and email volunteers@childrens-specialized.org with questions.
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Cops are searching for Teresa Giudice’s car after it was stolen from the driveway of her Montville mansion this week, police tell New Jersey Monthly.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star filed a police report on Tuesday morning, saying the vehicle had been snatched.
“The case is currently under investigation and all leads are being followed up,” Montville Township Police Department Chief Andrew Caggiano told us Wednesday.
According to TMZ, police have “early leads” because surveillance video captured the suspects and theft.
The car is a Mercedes-Benz, TMZ reported.
Giudice reportedly has had two Mercedes-Benzes in recent times: a G-Class and a white sedan that her now-husband, Luis Ruelas, gave her as a high-priced Christmas gift back in 2021.
The couple wed this past August at the Park Chateau Estate & Gardens in East Brunswick, a French countryside-inspired venue that can accommodate up to 420 guests; they held their rehearsal dinner at the recently redone Highlawn in West Orange, which is one of New Jersey Monthly‘s 30 Best Restaurants in the state.
Giudice isn’t the only RHONJ star to experience car theft in recent months. Her co-star Jennifer Aydin had a Ferrari stolen from the garage of her Paramus home last year. She later posted on Instagram that the “car has been found, abandoned in a hotel parking lot in Irvington,” and added, “Grateful that my family is safe- that’s the most important thing.”
In Giudice’s case, Montville police ask anyone with information to call 973-257-4300.
New Jersey Monthly has reached out to Giudice’s attorney for comment.
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Chris Soucy runs the Raptor Trust in Millington, a family business his late parents founded. “As the legend goes, all this started because my mom asked for a bird feeder in 1951,” he says. Photo courtesy of Becky Bedrosian
On a spring day in 2008, a baby bird fell out of a tree in our backyard. My kids found him on our driveway, chirping pitifully, his leg clearly broken. We gently placed him in a cardboard box lined with a soft towel and tried to think what to do. Our answer came when we searched online for “How to help an injured bird.” And then we were on our way to the Raptor Trust rehabilitation center in Millington, the tiny bird chirping all the way.
Located on White Bridge Road off Route 287 in Morris County, the Raptor Trust was a surprising discovery. Bordering the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, the rustic little oasis in the middle of the woods was 14 acres of green space dotted with small, wood-frame buildings: a bird hospital, a gift shop, and an education center. Set farther back on the property were the aviaries: large, screened structures framed in chunky wood, arranged village-like on curving gravel walkways.
Carefully carrying our cardboard box, we knocked on the door of the infirmary. A kind veterinarian opened the door and ushered us inside. We waited while she examined our little friend, then came out to talk to us. She promised to treat the bird and, if she could, release him back in the wild when he healed. This comforted my children and reassured me that we had done the right thing by bringing him here.
The vet then encouraged us to tour the property before going home, and we did. This proved to be a nearly magical experience. Here were the majestic animals of storybooks and legend: bald eagles, vultures, red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons. We felt privileged to commune with such beautiful, dignified creatures, especially in such a charming, intimate setting.
When we left the Raptor Trust that day, I marveled that this hidden gem existed so close to New Jersey’s urban and suburban areas. It was just a 40-minute drive from our Montclair home and only 26 miles from Manhattan. I vowed to visit again, and I did—but not until 2022. By then, a lot had changed.
Notably, the founders of the Raptor Trust, Len and Diane Soucy, had passed away, leaving their unique family business to their son, Chris. In a span of five decades, the once quaint backyard hobby of his parents had grown into New Jersey’s preeminent wild-bird rehabilitation center. The property Soucy grew up on had not changed, but the Raptor Trust had expanded to include a fully staffed hospital with an intensive care wing, offering state-of-the-art services like ultrasound, X-rays, ophthalmology and orthopedic repair. Many more aviaries and outbuildings had cropped up as the number of feathered residents increased. But the family’s mission remained the same: to provide free medical care and assistance to injured, sick or orphaned wild birds.
An American kestrel at the Raptor Trust, which cares for more than 6,000 birds annually. Photo courtesy of Ashleigh Scully
Unable to continue to defray the costs themselves, the Trust became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1982. Today, more than 6,000 birds a year—50 percent of all injured and orphaned birds in the state—and 25 percent of all wildlife are being cared for by the Raptor Trust. It has been quite a legacy to inherit.
“As the legend goes, all this started because my mom asked for a bird feeder in 1951,” Soucy told me when I visited the premises. (Before starting their organization, Soucy’s father worked as a machinist and his mother worked in a bank.) “Then they got into bird-watching. Then my dad got interested in raptors, and then the birds just started showing up. For a while, we had cardboard boxes all over the house. There were barn owls on the curtain rod in the bathroom, and blue jays and robins in the laundry room.”
Growing up like this, Soucy says, was not necessarily easy, but it was always interesting. He remembered wanting to ride his skateboard on Saturday mornings like other kids, but instead he had to “rake up leftover rodent tails, shovel bird poop and build bird cages.”
“I was my parents’ first volunteer, not really by choice,” he recalls ruefully. “But, you know, I came to appreciate how interesting and valuable that work was. I mean, it was sort of cool to have owls in my backyard, you know? That made me an interesting teen.”
Even so, it was never Soucy’s plan to take over the family business when he grew up. After earning a bachelor’s degree in literature from Rutgers University, he got a master’s in education from Smith College and traveled and worked around the country for years, teaching music to elementary school students.
“I think I always had a sense that someday, I might be called home to roost,” he says, laughing at the pun. “Which is exactly what happened about 10 years ago.”
By then, his parents were advanced in age. His father died not long after he moved back, in 2014. His mother helped him run the business for a few years. Then, in 2020, she died, too. Now the director of the Raptor Trust, Chris honors their memory by carrying on their life’s work.
“I mean, every single day, I feel that legacy,” he says, glancing around the education room, a testimony to the Soucy family’s love of wildlife. The paneled walls are covered in colorful maps, charts, drawings and photographs, with jokes to amuse the children who visit (“Egg-citing facts about birds!”) Real birds’ nests hang on the walls. Lifelike stuffed raptors are perched on shelves, some with wings extended, yellow eyes glinting. It gives the room an active mood, a vibrancy.
“Everything here was built with my father’s two hands,” Soucy notes. “It’s one of the cool things about this place, you know, it’s not a faceless corporation. It’s identity.”
Soucy with his parents, Len and Diane, who passed away in 2014 and 2020, respectively. Photo courtesy of Becky Bedrosian
When asked what it takes to run the Raptor Trust day to day, Soucy considers carefully how to answer, perhaps because his knowledge of wild birds is so deep and granular. He begins with a problem he faces daily: how to feed 6,000 birds a year.
“OK, a lot of the songbirds eat insects,” he begins, “so we buy large numbers of insects at warehouses that supply pet stores. We don’t buy just 10 crickets, we buy 350,000 crickets…. Last year, we bought three-quarters of a million insects.
“The object is to feed our birds whatever comes close to what they get in the wild,” he continues. “Doves, finches and sparrows eat seeds and berries. Some of the birds are omnivores. We buy fish for the bald eagles, herons and other waterbirds. Quails for the peregrine falcons, seeds for the seed eaters, berries for the fruit eaters. We spent $67,000 this year on frozen mice. Our food budget is well into six figures.”
He pauses. “The swans and geese eat grass, so we mow the lawn, put all the grass in a bag, and give it to them. They gobble it up.”
Twenty employees help keep the operation running year-round. Veterinary staff is always on hand to do triage work, as well as the labor-intensive work that bird rescue requires. For example, many sick, injured or baby birds must be fed by hand. About 100 volunteers, student scholars and interns also pitch in.
Another expense is the aviaries themselves. There are upkeep and repair costs, as well as the cost of building new structures. The day I visited, a new aviary was being built. The construction team had framed out the structure, which was roughly the size of a garage. It cost about $35,000, according to Soucy.
As we talked, Soucy took me on a tour of the aviaries. Seeing the birds was just as awe-inspiring as it had been before, only this time, I was given a proper introduction to the inhabitants. Like household pets, each bird has a distinct personality and a few idiosyncrasies, too. There was Pearl, the shy albino robin, and Vilma, the gentle barred owl. Some were in the process of being rehabilitated and would one day return to their natural habitats. Others would live permanently at the Raptor Trust for their own protection.
They all had different reasons for being there. “Some of our birds have wing injuries that didn’t heal properly or an eye injury that prevents them from hunting successfully. That’s a no-go in the wild,” Soucy explains. “A couple of birds are here permanently because they have neurological damage from an impact injury, like if they flew into a window. We also have quite a few birds here that, unfortunately, were just imprinted by humans.”
At this, Soucy shakes his head. “Baby birds are really cute, but people who raise them prevent them from ever becoming birds. They grow up to be people. And they can’t survive in the wild.”
Soucy says protecting wild birds from dangers caused by humans is the most meaningful part of his job. “Remember, if you can walk up to a wild animal and pick it up, there’s already something seriously wrong. But you have to consider the situation. If the bird is a juvenile and it’s not obviously injured, it’s often best not to intervene. If there are no cats nearby, the bird’s parents will usually come back to feed it,” he says. “Of course, if a bird is obviously injured, or you find a large, possibly dangerous bird, such as a raptor, call us.”
Wild birds often suffer because of human encroachment on their habitats, negligence, or both. It is common for people to try to solve a problem or remedy an inconvenience in nature and never realize how much their actions impact wildlife.
“We have many conversations about invasive and non-native species such as the spotted lanternfly,” an insect causing damage to trees and plants in New Jersey, Soucy says. “I know it’s a danger to agriculture, but people put sticky tape around trees, and then birds get caught in the tape. We saw about 100 birds this year with their feathers ripped off from that tape. Some of them broke their own bones trying to free themselves. The survival rate for them was very low.”
Soucy also cautions people against leaving fishing wire, sports nets or plastic bags outside.
From Soucy’s perspective, protecting birds is not only his life’s work, but part of a larger effort to protect wildlife and the environment.
“For us, birds are our little niche, so at the micro level, we deal with individual stories,” says Soucy.
“But at the macro level, when we release a bald eagle or peregrine falcon, we have to consider where those endangered species will be in New Jersey in the future.”
Leaving the Raptor Trust that day, I felt reassured, just as I did on that day long ago, when I knew our little foundling was in good hands. But this time, I felt a greater gratitude for the big work this small organization was doing.
“Growing up, I always understood that the work my parents were doing was not just repairing injuries. It was educating people,” Soucy told me at the conclusion of our interview. “Part of our mission was providing a humane example for how to be better stewards of our environment. That was pretty easy to grasp, even for a kid.”
The Raptor Trust is supported by grants and donations. It is open for free, self-guided tours of the aviary trail seven days a week from 9 am–4 pm. If you find an injured bird, call 908-647-2353 for an appointment.
Linda Federico-ÓMurchú is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared on NBC News, Today, CNBC and in other publications. She is the author of two books in progress.
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On New Year’s Eve, 1956, relative newlyweds Harry and Doris Knowles took over a moribund Moroccan restaurant on Prospect Avenue in West Orange and renamed it the Bow & Arrow Manor. Harry and Doris had met at another New Jersey restaurant, the Robin Hood Inn, where she checked coats and he bartended, served and bussed tables.
That is the origin story of the Manor, according to Keith Sly, veteran communications manager of the establishment, long one of the top catering sites of North Jersey. “It started as a casual place, but quickly became fine dining, based on the clientele,” Sly says.
That chapter is coming to an end. The Manor will fulfill its remaining bookings as a top-drawer wedding and events place, then close on July 5. The reasons?
“Unforeseen circumstances. Operating through the pandemic and then record inflation brought us to a point where we had to make that abrupt and hard decision. It was not made lightly. We’ve been here 66 years and were hoping for a hundred. For the first 30 years, Harry felt he was in the construction business he was so busy adding and renovating. His philosophy was to provide the same fine Manor experience to everyone.
“There were events here every Friday through Sunday 52 weeks a year, often as many as nine events in a weekend, from the early ’60s to this day. An episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey was filmed here at least 10 years ago.”
A feature of the property not to be missed was the glass dome. “People dined downstairs,” Sly says, “then went upstairs for cocktails and dancing under the dome for the rest of the evening.”
Visitors to the dome, Sly says, include George Burns, Ronald Reagan and Stevie Wonder. “There was a Sweet Sixteen here in the ’60s,” he says, “when a helicopter landed in the parking lot, bringing guests for a Sweet Sixteen.”
Operation as an a la carte restaurant ceased with the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Sly says. In 2021, the Manor reopened strictly for private events.
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The post The Manor, Beloved Wedding Site, Closing After 66 Years appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Whether the Philadelphia Eagles win or lose Super Bowl LVII, students from at least one South Jersey school district will have a reason to celebrate the next morning.
With the Eagles set to play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Big Game on Sunday, February 12, the Gloucester City school district is planning for a two-hour delay on Monday, February 13. Gloucester City, located in Camden County, is less than 8 miles from Philadelphia, making it a hotbed for Eagles fans, much like other parts of South Jersey.
The Walt Whitman Bridge separates the three-school district—which includes Cold Springs School, Gloucester Middle School and Gloucester High School—from the Eagles’ home, Lincoln Financial Field.
“It is a rare and special time for families to watch our local professional football team compete in the Super Bowl,” the Gloucester City school district wrote in a message to parents, per the township’s Patch website. “We feel that it’s important to give students and staff the opportunity to enjoy the game with their families and still attend school and work the next day safely and well-rested.”
While schools and employers across the country typically deal with tardiness and absences after the Super Bowl—especially in areas with a vested rooting interest—Gloucester City students and educators won’t need an excuse after watching quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes duel in Glendale, Arizona. The game kicks off at 6:30 pm.
Eagles fans have become notorious for their celebrations after significant wins—grease won’t stop them from climbing poles—so some districts in the Philadelphia area have also announced delays. That includes the Quakertown Community School District (Bucks County) and Wissahickon School District (Montgomery County).
“Fly Eagles Fly,” Quakertown Superintendent Bill Harner wrote on social media when he announced the delay on Thursday.
The Eagles last appeared in and won the Super Bowl in 2018. Several South Jersey school districts, in addition to those in Pennsylvania, canceled classes for the team’s celebratory parade that year.
Perhaps another Eagles championship will lead to another day off in the Philly–South Jersey area.
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If you’ve ever taken a flight out of Newark Liberty International Airport—and that would include many New Jerseyans—you know just how much of a drag the terminals can be. But the opening of Terminal A may just change your mind about air travel.
On a recent trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, I stepped into the newly opened Terminal A with some trepidation. Would it measure up to all the hype that a $2.7 billion construction project merits? The answer is yes.
The first thing that tipped me off that we weren’t in in the 1970s anymore was that everyone seemed, well, happy. The terminal was spacious, clean and orderly, and everything in it was brand-new. The furniture was modern and comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. There was plenty of seating. Marsh grass similar to the iconic plant found in the Meadowlands, as well as trees and gardens, decorate the waiting area. Even the bathrooms are pleasant, with maps of New Jersey cities decorating the walls of the stalls.
Travelers relaxed with their laptops on cozy wooden chaise lounge chairs, waiting for their flights. No one looked weary or frustrated. People actually smiled.
Terminal A signals a new era for air travel in New Jersey. Photo: Jacqueline Mroz
The changes begin with dropoff, where four lanes replace what was formerly a smaller road that often resulted in bottlenecks. There are wider sidewalks for travelers to pass through.
Once you step inside, the airy and bright terminal is striking. Natural light filters in through the floor to ceiling windows. Beautiful permanent public artwork by Layqa Nuna Yawar and Karyn Olivie signal that the Port Authority planned for something monumental when this one-million-square-foot terminal was designed.
Large art pieces adorn Terminal A. Photo: Jacqueline Mroz
After you pass through security, which was a breeze for me, you enter the main area where the gates are located. A concourse with New Jersey businesses welcomes visitors, with mini cupcakes (Tonnie’s Minis), Bold Newark (which features Black-owned local designs), the Black Home (a candle and lotion store from Newark) and Jersey & Co. gelato from Jersey City.
Local shops have real estate at Terminal A. Photo: Jacqueline Mroz
Leo Zuniga, co-owner of the Artist Pop Shop, based in Elizabeth, was there selling sweatshirts, T-shirts and prints designed by local artists. “We’re going to rotate art from local artists. We want to provide a unique experience,” he says.
Restaurants include Jersey-based concessionaires such as The Office, Jersey Mike’s and Town Bar + Kitchen.
Even New Jersey Monthly has a store there, selling magazines and snacks and showcasing beautiful pictures taken by past entrants in our annual cover contest with Unique Photo. A second New Jersey Monthly shop will open soon in the pre-security area.
This is just the first part of the construction; a second phase is expected to be completed this summer and will include 12 more gates (for a total of 33 gates), restaurants and shops.
Despite some opening-day hiccups, my flight with JetBlue got off without a hitch.
For now, airlines using the new terminal also include Air Canada, American Airlines and select United flights. Delta is slated to move in later this year.
The new terminal signals a new era for air travel in the Garden State, finally bringing some cachet to an airport that has long been disparaged as one of the worst in the country. I’ll certainly be back.
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The post The New Terminal A at Newark Airport Truly Wowed Me appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Ridgewood native Keith Dawkins is the new president of the Harlem Globetrotters. Photo courtesy of Harlem Globetrotters
Keith Dawkins recalls watching the Harlem Globetrotters when he was growing up in New Jersey. Seeing the iconic basketball tricksters astound sold-out crowds was a pivotal part of his childhood, as it was for many other Black children across the country at the time.
“[Watching] TV and sports and seeing athletes on the screen who looked like me, that was a powerful thing for me as a little boy,” says Dawkins, 52. “I saw Meadowlark [Lemon] and Curly Neal doing things I could never imagine you could do with a basketball in front of a crowd and lighting them up.”
After spending much of his professional career in leadership positions at companies like Viacom, the Ridgewood native and Ramapo College graduate sprang at the opportunity last year to lead the legendary Globetrotters and parent company Herschend Entertainment Studios as president.
Dawkins and the organization have found ways to bring attention back to the exhibition team, such as an NBC series, Play It Forward, which aired in late 2022 and showed the players participating in their communities.
But Dawkins insists the exhibition games will remain a staple, with their 2023 world tour running through May. There are three stops in New Jersey this month, beginning with Newark’s Prudential Center on February 16.
“It’s a fan base that has a big appetite for the type of product we have,” Dawkins says of the significance of Tristate area stops. “They know basketball; they love to be entertained; it’s good, wholesome fun for everyone. The Prudential Center has always been an important stop for us.”
The Globetrotters also play at Trenton’s CURE Insurance Arena on February 18 and Atlantic City’s Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on February 20.
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Illustration by James O’Brien
When I learned last year that there was an artists retreat in Lambertville, I jumped at the opportunity. During the decade I’d spent writing a book about the enslaved women in my family, I’d traveled to Mississippi and Louisiana, and even returned to the town in Brazil founded by U.S. Confederate soldiers at the end of the Civil War, where I’d spent my junior year of high school. I had learned about slavery worldwide, but not about my own hometown’s deep connection to this institution, so fundamental to my family’s story. So to write my final draft, I returned to where my part of the story began, in Burlington County, about a half hour from the MarthaMOCA artists residency.
Perched on a rolling hill that gives the accompanying organic farm its name, MarthaMOCA is bounded by forest, a crane-filled pond, and every kind of fruit tree and vegetable that grows in New Jersey. Its long, narrow driveway reminded me of Range Road, the shortcut behind McGuire Air Force and Fort Dix Army bases that my parents took to get from our house in Browns Mills to my grandparents in Cookstown.
I loved playing in the yard of my grandparents’ rental property near an African Methodist Episcopal church cemetery. The worn gravestones fascinated me. “Colored infantry” was inscribed under the names of men who’d fought in the Civil War. We moved to northern New Jersey when I was 11, but I never forgot those gravestones. When I became a reporter, I confirmed with the local VFW that the headstones belonged to Black Union soldiers. My childhood playground was a part of the rich history of Burlington County, a portal to freedom during slavery.
Burlington was the birthplace of the father of the Underground Railroad, William Still, and where Hannah Craft’s protagonist finds freedom in her book The Bondwoman’s Narrative, thought to be the first novel written by an African American woman and the only one written by a fugitive from slavery. The county is also home to Timbuctoo, a settlement started in 1826 by formerly enslaved and free Black people in a section of Westhampton.
An established stop on the Underground Railroad, Timbuctoo had more than 125 residents at its peak. What remains is the final resting place of many of them.
Seashells were lovingly placed at one gravestone, and pennies lined the front of several markers when my sister and I visited Timbuctoo last fall. It transported me to the Gulf Coast, Mississippi, where I had placed stones at the gravesite of my enslaved great-great-grandmother years before. We didn’t have stones, but we had water, so my sister and I poured it as a libation at the Timbuctoo graves.
My time at MarthaMOCA was a precious reprieve from the demands of my life that also gave me a portal to a past life—my own, my ancestors’—and a once-vibrant Black community in New Jersey.
Dionne Ford is the author of Go Back and Get it: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing, which comes out in April.
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It looked like an impossible task.
Around 2012, then-pastor Susan Kramer-Mills knew the dwindling congregation of her New Brunswick First Reformed Church couldn’t raise the millions of dollars it needed to renovate the 200-year-old house of worship. But as she investigated ways to save the building, she recalled the time, 40 years earlier, when an abusive man had burned the sanctuary, angry that the church had sheltered his girlfriend, a victim of domestic violence.
“We said, ‘God was telling us to do something,’” Kramer-Mills says, “so, like a phoenix, let’s bring some hope out of the ashes and help survivors of domestic violence.”
Over the next four years, she helped form the nonprofit Town Clock CDC, working with social service agencies, land developers and Bergen County United Way to transform the church into a residence hall called Dina’s Dwellings. Established in April 2016, the converted 10-unit apartment building—the largest of three such facilities in New Jersey—provides affordable, long-term housing to female survivors of domestic abuse and their children. In addition to professional, financial and educational counseling, Town Clock offers cooking and art classes and a stocked pantry.
Town Clock CDC has hosted 28 residents, including children, since its inception.
As executive director, Kramer-Mills says some residents—many stay an average of four to five years—struggle with depression, anxiety and PTSD. But through Town Clock’s therapeutic and programmatic resources, “We’re teaching people how to live.” As one current resident attests, Dina’s Dwellings is a place “where I could heal and stand up to face the world again. It’s a place where we, the survivors, can sleep knowing the next day, we’ll greet the sun with a smile on our faces.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 57 percent of homeless women cite domestic violence as the cause of their homelessness, and 33 percent have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. Children who have been domestically abused are three times more likely to repeat the cycle of abuse in adulthood, according to the Childhood Domestic Violence Association.
“How can you take that next step of freeing yourself from abuse with your children when you don’t have anywhere to go?” asks Town Clock board president Rebecca Escobar. “There are shelters, which are great, [but] we are able to provide permanent housing that is safe and peaceful.”
In 2019, Town Clock turned First Reformed’s custodial home into the Barbara Littman House, offering housing to an entire family. It has also raised funds for another expansion project that will add six more apartments and a nutrition training center. It’s a small response to a pervasive problem in the state and the country.
“We give survivors time to heal—that’s the goal,” Kramer-Mills says. “If they didn’t have this time, where would they be?”
Founded in 2016, Town Clock CDC strives to provide long-term, affordable, safe housing and supportive services to survivors of domestic violence and their children. Town Clock CDC welcomes donations and volunteers. For more information, visit townclockcdc.org.
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The brownstone-and-brick First National Bank building has dominated the main downtown intersection of the little Salem County borough of Woodstown since it was erected in 1892.
Unlike New Jersey’s many neoclassical banks, the Victorian-inspired First National was built in the ornate Romanesque Revival style, with an open-arched tower rising 70 feet above the entrance. A slate-clad pyramidal roof capped by a weathervane tops the tower. Arched windows flank the entryway, and round pillars rise to the tower above. The building’s original cost: $17,000.
The bank was modernized in the 1940s and restored in 1987, when it was taken over by the First National Bank of Toms River. It functioned as a Sun National Bank branch and then a law office before going vacant. By 2018, the bank made an appearance on Preservation New Jersey’s annual most endangered buildings list.
The building sat vacant for more than a decade until August 2021, when Mike and Rebecca Melniczuk, of nearby Pilesgrove, swooped in. Mike, an engineer by trade and a self-described history buff, had long dreamed of opening a craft brewery. The couple purchased the old bank building and, armed with a Small Business Association loan, began what remains an ongoing renovation project. Developers are undertaking similar projects throughout the Garden State.
The Melniczuks transformed the bank’s more recently renovated area into a modern tap house. Photo courtesy of Farmers & Bankers Brewing
When the Melniczuks took over the building, the roof was leaking and “trees were growing out of the tower,” says Mike. The couple concentrated first on renovating the newer, less architecturally significant rear part of the bank, which had been added in the 1970s. Taking it down to the studs, they remodeled the interior (once a grocery store) as a small, modern tap house.
In June 2022, the Melniczuks opened the doors on Farmers & Bankers Brewing. The 2,500-square-foot space has seating for 125 and a beer garden outside. And what of the bank’s original space? The 1987 restoration had revealed parts of the original pressed metal ceiling, the old mosaic-tile entry vestibule, a fireplace (hidden behind a plaster wall), and the elaborately painted vault door.
The Melniczuks have applied for a grant to help them renovate the old section of the bank, which they plan to use as an event space.
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Downtown banks used to be where eager home buyers applied for mortgages, workers cashed hard-earned paychecks, and youngsters watched nickels and dimes grow in their first savings accounts. But in recent decades, ATM machines and online banking have made these once essential institutions obsolete.
Fortunately, developers and businesses across New Jersey have repurposed dozens of downtown banks as office spaces, restaurants and, in at least one case, a vape shop.
For developer Bob Silver, rescuing old banks has become a personal crusade. “I love everything about history, preserving history and rescuing buildings for different purposes,” says Silver. “I’m very environmentally sensitive, and the greenest thing you can do is keep a building in place and repurpose it.”
Silver, the cofounder and chairman of the Bravitas Group, a Montclair development company, has renovated and transformed three classic bank buildings in Montclair and Caldwell and is working on a fourth. His bank jobs pay close attention to preserving the distinctive original features of the buildings, including their impressive façades, high ceilings, walk-in vaults and other architectural details.
Developer Bob Silver enters the safe-deposit vault that now serves as a hallway in Grover House in downtown Caldwell. Photo by Chris Buck
Bravitas is hardly alone in such endeavors, known among preservationists as adaptive reuse. By saving banks, these developers help maintain the character of downtowns and set a standard for further preservation.
In fact, older bank buildings are ideal candidates for adaptive reuse. David Listokin, a professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, enumerates the reasons that many bank buildings, although aesthetically striking, have become relics. They typically lack drive-through windows, are not energy efficient, and were mainly intended for services now fulfilled electronically.
Still, the banks have “desirable characteristics,” says Listokin—principally, their presence downtown. “They were prominent buildings in prominent locations,” he adds.
Vintage bank details contrast with modern lighting in the vast event space that is now Felina in Ridgewood, formerly the Citizens Bank building. Photo courtesy of Edgardo Dander
Hard hat in place, Silver is giving a tour of his latest construction site, a former Chase Bank location across from the train station in Montclair’s busy Watchung Plaza. Workers have restored the brick-and-granite façade of the building to its original 1925 glory, with tall windows and two-story columns flanking the main entrance. Silver has dubbed this project the National, after its first incarnation as the Montclair National Bank. (It was later the Montclair Trust Company.)
Inside, the linoleum has been ripped up to reveal the bank’s original terrazzo floors. The dropped ceiling has been pulled down—Silver despises dropped ceilings—restoring the first floor to its intended 14-foot height. Nine consulting rooms are framed out for the building’s future tenant, Montclair Speech Therapy, a local business that provides speech, behavioral and occupational therapy for all ages.
On this day, workers are drilling through the 21-inch-thick concrete-and-steel wall of the vault, creating a passage for electrical wiring and HVAC. The vault will be converted into a multisensory therapy room. The vault door will remain in place as a feature in an adjacent consulting room.
Working within the original footprint of a bank is not easy. “They were purpose-built like fortresses with reinforced concrete,” says Silver.
Another six rooms have been framed on the second floor, including a pantry where the young and elderly will be taught to prepare food for themselves, and a high-ceilinged occupational therapy space with a wall for rock climbing. Bare brick and wooden joists are exposed where feasible. Everything is ADA compliant, and an elevator is being installed for easy access to all floors.
Just a few minutes away in downtown Montclair, Silver’s first bank job, Vault491, occupies a former Midlantic Bank location, originally constructed in 1926 as the home of the Bank of Montclair. Its restored, neoclassical, brick-and-granite exterior gives no hint of the interior’s modern, sun-splashed office spaces and street-level retail shops.
On the first floor, a vault has been repurposed as a wet bar and wine room for one tenant, Mindful Wealth Management. In the offices of Cornucopia Capital, a massive vault door hides what Silver calls “a collaboration space.” The entire building has earned LEEDS Gold certification.
Candles set in a wall of former safe-deposit boxes illuminate a corner of Felina in Ridgewood. Photo courtesy of Edgardo Dander
These and other restored—or still endangered—bank buildings are the vestiges of a downtown building boom that swept across New Jersey in the early decades of the 20th century. Bankers built in downtown locations to garner foot traffic and to be closer to local businesses.
In those days, before federal deposit insurance, many depositors were reluctant to put their hard-earned money in the hands of local bankers. To counter this skepticism, banks commissioned top architects to construct jaw-dropping neoclassical structures reminiscent of Greek or Roman temples. With their soaring columns and brawny façades, the banks were often the most formidable structures on the block.
Inside the banks, marble counters, polished terrazzo floors, high ceilings, thick walls and seemingly impregnable vaults gave potential depositors an added sense of security. “They were built grand,” says Silver, “to present the idea that your money was going to be safe.”
Rikki Massand, chairperson of the Montgomery Township Landmarks Preservation Commission and a board member at the nonprofit advocacy group Preservation New Jersey (PNJ), points out that in small New Jersey towns, banks were often the largest and most imposing downtown buildings.
In recent decades, however, banks were built smaller, with utility in mind. Less space was needed for tellers and bank operations; drive-through lanes became essential. This generally meant a migration from the tighter confines of town centers.
In time, as downtown banks changed hands or were converted for other businesses, many of the original surfaces were hidden behind paneling or plasterboard. Original floors and tall windows were covered over. Dropped ceilings were installed in response to rising energy costs. Even classic exteriors were modernized.
These days, the tendency is toward restoration. That attitude could be accelerated by new state tax credits for historic redevelopment that make preservation more viable. “The numbers make sense now,” says Listokin.
Under New Jersey’s Historic Property Reinvestment Program, enacted in January 2021 as part of the state’s pandemic-era Economic Recovery Act, developers of properties listed as historic or in historic districts can be eligible for tax credits typically worth 40 percent of the total project cost, up to $4 million. This is in addition to existing 20 percent federal tax credits for historic redevelopment.
Silver named the renovated Caldwell National Bank building after his father. Photo by Chris Buck
Four miles west of Montclair, on Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell, Silver has revived the former Caldwell National Bank building, now called the Wilson after the developer’s father, Lewis Wilson Silver. Once obscured beneath lime-green paint, the building’s Indiana limestone exterior has been restored to its original pinkish hue.
Inside the Wilson, Silver repurposed bank features as art pieces. At the side entry, an elaborate marble-faced clock from the teller floor greets visitors, and brass teller stanchions frame the tenant directory. Framed bank ephemera (a vintage check, boiler-room keys, bank-guard badges) hang along the entry hallway. Further on, a bank vault has been reimagined as a conference room. The numbers on reclaimed safe-deposit box doors double as suite numbers.
Framed bank ephemera greets visitors to the Wilson. Photo by Chris Buck
One block away, the old Citizens National Bank building, with sections dating to 1914, has been reborn as Grover House, named by Silver in tribute to Stephen Grover, first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church across the street and namesake of President Grover Cleveland, whose birthplace is a nearby state historic site.
Six fluted columns and preserved copper-and-brass framed Kalamein windows highlight the Grover House façade. Inside, salvaged stained-glass panels from the building’s original skylight are framed as art pieces on walls throughout the building. (“We saved them all,” says Silver.) A narrow vault lined with safe-deposit boxes serves as a corridor to the rear of the building. White marble service counters from the bank have been transformed into a conference-room table replete with Grover House notepads that resemble old deposit slips.
The gilded capital of an ornate column is among the preserved details inside Grover House’s David Chad Beauty Parlor. Photo by Chris Buck
The expansive David Chad Beauty Parlor occupies the cavernous, two-story teller floor of Grover House. Take the winding steps up to the balcony, and you are on eye level with the gilded tops of the Corinthian columns and the elaborate plasterwork of the coffered ceiling. Below, the original marble pillars and terrazzo floor remain in place.
Silver equips all of his projects with environmentally friendly electrical and plumbing fixtures and highly efficient HVAC systems. And all preserve as much of the original materials as feasible. Silver credits his team—builder Jack Finn, architect Paul Sionas and designer Rachel Grochowski—with the fulfillment of his vision.
The former Citizens Bank building in Ridgewood has been transformed into Felina, a Landmark Hospitality restaurant and event space. Photo courtesy of Felina
Other developers have brought similar care and innovation to former downtown banks around the state. In late 2018, Plainfield-based Landmark Hospitality restored the former Citizens Bank in downtown Ridgewood. The front section of the stout old bank, where the tellers greeted customers, is now an elegant, high-ceilinged event space; the rear, where bank offices were located, has become Felina, a highly regarded restaurant operated by Landmark. The metal used for the restaurant’s bar was reclaimed from the old bank. Safe-deposit boxes remain in place on one wall of the restaurant, with candles illuminating some of the vacant boxes. The back of the vault door graces another wall.
Frank Cretella, cofounder of Landmark Hospitality and president of Landmark Developers, has since repurposed the former Plainfield Trust Company building in downtown Plainfield as another event space, dubbed Banq on Parq; it opened last summer. His newest project: rejuvenating the Trust Company of New Jersey building on Newark Avenue in downtown Jersey City.
Erected in 1928, the Trust Company building most recently housed a Capital One branch, but has been vacant for several years. Outside, a fleur-de-lis pattern is sculpted into the arches around six tall windows; delicate scrollwork frames the revolving entry door. Inside, a thick marble balustrade flanks the curving ramp to the teller floor. Above, five ornate chandeliers hang from the coffered ceiling above the mezzanine.
“They put these buildings on a pedestal to attract the very affluent,” says Cretella as he surveys the vast space.
Cretella plans to transform the bank into a restaurant and build an adjoining five-story, 80-room hotel above an existing rear parking lot. A new parking lot will be built below the hotel.
PNJ’s Massand cites the old First National Bank on Main Street in High Bridge as typical of the impressive bank buildings that once dominated some New Jersey downtowns. The Art Deco–style building, which dates to the early 1930s, was restored and reopened in 1997 as the home of Riverside Wines and Liquors. Intricately designed metalwork still surrounds the entrance; inside, the original teller counter, with its brass gates, serves as the checkout desk.
In South Jersey, a 1903 bank building in Riverside that sat vacant for some 10 years was reborn in 2015 as Maja-Flava Vape Den. Inside, the vaults are used as storage closets for the shop’s vaping products. In Woodstown, a couple turned an empty bank into a modern brewery. In historic downtown Pitman, a stone bank building dating to the first decade of the last century was reopened as Merryman’s Pub in May 2020. The building, originally the Pitman National Bank, had been vacant for 30 years and was slated for demolition. “There were plans on the table to make it a parking lot,” says bar manager George Del Duca.
Bank preservation is also in evidence at such Shore towns as Asbury Park, where a former downtown bank on Mattison Avenue is now home to pizza parlor Killer Pies, and in Ocean City, where developers transformed the 120-year-old First National Bank building into an outpost of Island Gypsy, a clothing boutique.
“It looks like you’re stepping back in time,” says Surf City–based Paul Maina, the main contractor on the Island Gypsy renovation. The bank’s exterior remains unchanged from the original, says Maina. Inside, designers gave the 1,700-square-foot retail space a sleek, modern look, but with respect for its history. The new windows preserve the arched shape of the originals, the ceiling remains 25 feet high, and the crown moldings are “still very much intact,” says Maina.
Maina confirms that such conversions present unique problems. “These old buildings, they fight you,” he says. “Every time you turn the corner, it’s a new adventure.”
In Morristown, an adaptive reuse of the National Iron Bank Building on South Street was less of a headache. When David Balsamini opened his Morristown Game Vault in the old bank in 2016, almost all he had to do was drill holes to run electrical wires from the basement. Then the former pharmacist from Basking Ridge filled every nook and cranny with more than 100 video games and pinball machines from his personal collection, including a game called Safe Cracker, whimsically installed in the safe-deposit vault.
More bank jobs are in the works. At deadline, the borough of Spring Lake was closing a deal to purchase the red-brick First National Bank building from Wells Fargo. Ownership of the building—the oldest in downtown Spring Lake—will allow the borough to “create a concessionaire’s license… and lease out the main floor as a restaurant,” says Mayor Jennifer Naughton. Additionally, three affordable-rate housing units will be built on the second floor.
All of this is music to the ears of preservationists. “I like to preserve these buildings and I like to give them new life,” says Landmark’s Cretella. “You put something in that’s a vibrant business, and you ensure the buildings are here for future generations.”
Ken Schlager is a former editor of New Jersey Monthly and a frequent contributor.
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If, like many New Jerseyans, you’ve been spending fruitless hours trying to get through on the phone to the state so that you can apply for the ANCHOR property tax relief program, we have some answers from the state Division of Taxation.
First, the good news—the deadline to apply has been extended to February 28.
If you don’t know your ID number or PIN, which are necessary for homeowners to apply, you can email the Division at nj.anchor@treas.nj.gov. You should receive a response in a few days, says state tax representative Greg Sherron.
“People here have been working almost around the clock to answer these emails, so we’re a few days behind,” he says.
New Jersey homeowners and renters—who lived at their New Jersey residence on October 1, 2019—are expected to benefit from the program, which offers direct relief for property tax payments. While homeowners need an ID number and PIN to apply, renters do not.
Homeowners making up to $150,000 will receive $1,500 rebates on their property tax bills, and those making between $150,000 and $250,000 will receive $1,000 rebates. Renters making up to $150,000 will receive $450 checks to offset rent increases.
New Jerseyans can get more information or file online here.
The post ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program: Your Questions Answered appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
It’s been 87 years since the state of New Jersey executed an unemployed German immigrant from the Bronx for kidnapping and killing famous aviator Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son.
Bruno Richard Hauptmann’s trip to the electric chair on April 3, 1936 followed one of the biggest criminal investigations in American history: It generated more than 200,000 documents and pieces of evidence, including hand-written ransom notes, pieces of wood from Hauptmann’s attic and a homemade ladder that police said was used to snatch Charles Jr. from his second-floor nursery at Lindbergh’s home in the Sourland hills outside Hopewell.
All of that evidence remains in storage at the New Jersey State Police headquarters in West Trenton. The archive and a modest museum attached to it have become holy ground for a small but fervent army of researchers, writers and kidnapping hobbyists. They’ve spent years elaborating on revisionist theories about the boy’s murder and insisting that the state subject the evidence to modern-day forensic testing that might show, for example, that Hauptman did not act alone.
A 1932 wanted poster seeks information about the kidnapping of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. Photo: Photofest
Late last year, Margaret Sudhakar, a freelance researcher from Princeton, filed a Superior Court lawsuit demanding the state release samples of some evidence for DNA analysis and other lab tests. In court filings, Sudhakar said she had spent years researching the case and had volunteered at the museum for a decade, befriending its chief archivist, Mark W. Falzini.
Sudhakar has been working with a Los Angeles-based filmmaker since 2015 and says she has assembled a team of 30 experts to analyze the evidence, including pediatric neurosurgeons, forensic pathologists, medical examiners and DNA experts.
“The time for speculation about the New Jersey State Police’s most famous case is over,’’ Sudhakar wrote to the court. “The time for answers is upon us. The answers to the most basic questions of this case, including who sealed the envelopes, who licked the stamps and who made the ladder, can all be obtained with modern day forensics at no cost to the state of New Jersey.’’
New Jersey Monthly can reveal that in January, Judge Robert Lougy dismissed Sudhakar’s claim, ruling that the researcher had no legitimate right to take evidence for analysis that could permanently alter it, even if the evidence belonged to the public. The state’s open record law, Lougy wrote, “is not the vehicle by which a citizen can march up to a museum and demand that the custodians of historical artifacts and documents surrender the state’s treasures for analysis, alteration and destruction.’’
Sudhakar’s lawyer, Kurt W. Perhach, declined to comment on the ruling and said his client was unavailable for comment. But he said they were considering an appeal to Lougy’s ruling. Perhach, who took on Sudhakar’s case pro bono, is a kidnapping buff himself who said his fascination with the case initially sparked his interest in the law.
Despite winning this round, the state will certainly face mounting pressure to subject the Lindbergh evidence to the kinds of high-tech lab analysis that did not exist in the mid-1930s. In recent years, there has been a raft of new books, including a multi-volume set over 1,000 pages long, exploring every possible angle of the kidnapping case. A trio of Lindbergh internet blogs and discussion forums draw millions of hits every year.
In her suit, Sudhakar recounted comments from a state police official who told her it was long past time for critical evidence, such as the ransom notes and kidnapping ladder, to be released for scientific testing.
“The questions will keep coming because the full story isn’t out there,’’ Perhach says.
The State Police did not respond to written questions submitted by New Jersey Monthly about its handling of the Lindbergh evidence and unwillingness to release material for tests using current forensic technology.
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Jamir and JaQuan Harris never imagined being teammates at the collegiate level.
There’s a sizeable age gap between the two basketball-playing brothers, so the idea had always seemed like a mathematical impossibility when the guards were growing up in North Brunswick. But the NCAA’s pandemic-inspired decision to grant athletes an extra year of eligibility allowed Jamir, a grad student, to prolong his career at Seton Hall. JaQuan, meanwhile, is a freshman with the Pirates.
“I never thought I’d have the chance to play with my younger brother,” Jamir says. “So when the opportunity presented itself, on top of having the chance to play for [Seton Hall’s new head coach Shaheen Holloway], I thought it was the perfect fit.
“It’s a special feeling.”
Jamir (No. 15) and JaQuan (No. 23) Harris hail from North Brunswick. Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics
It’s also a feeling that two other Seton Hall players can relate to, oddly enough. With Dre and Tae Davis on the squad as well, the Pirates have two sets of brothers for the first time in program history. The unique situation has helped the Hall develop a literal family atmosphere in Holloway’s first year at the helm.
Unlike the Harrises, being teammates is nothing new for the Davises.
Tae, a freshman forward, and Dre, a junior wing, competed together at Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, where their father, D’Andre, coached. The two had originally planned on reuniting at Louisville, where Dre began his college career before transferring to Seton Hall this past off-season. Tae ultimately decommitted from Louisville, which endured coaching changes and scandal, and followed his brother to South Orange. But the two insist they were not some sort of package deal.
“We were recruited individually, and we both felt like this was the right place to be,” Dre says. “It just happened to work out that way, and I’m happy to be here together.”
Adds Tae, “It’s kind of crazy how it all worked out.”
The Davises wanted a “fresh canvas,” as Dre puts it, and had reasons for picking Seton Hall aside from each other. Both wanted to play for Holloway, however, after he led Jersey City’s Saint Peter’s Peacocks on an all-time underdog run in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Fortunately for the Davises, Holloway happily accommodated the duo. The coach has received modest production from them within his ensemble rotation: Dre is averaging 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 20 minutes per game, while Tae has added 3.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 14.8 minutes per game.
“Those two guys battle, they give me everything they’ve got,” Holloway says. “They work hard. Their father was a coach, so they understand what hard work is.”
That’s not to say the Harrises don’t. But a knee injury has kept JaQuan off the court since the preseason and will prevent him from playing alongside Jamir in an actual game this season, the older brother’s final year of eligibility.
Jamir is averaging just 4.4 points, 1.2 assists and 22.2 minutes per game entering Seton Hall’s high-stakes matchup with No. 15 UConn on Wednesday.
While not all has gone according to plan, the Jersey natives have relished the opportunity to be teammates in their home state. Despite having a few years between them, Jamir and JaQuan spend plenty of time together off the court. Jamir is in his second season at Seton Hall, so he can show his little brother the ins and outs of the campus and the best nearby spots for soul food, in addition to helping him with the playbook and time management. Prior to JaQuan’s injury, Jamir had been eager to chase rebounds for his little bro when the two wanted to get extra work in.
Jamir reminds JaQuan that he’s poised to attract attention as a Division I athlete, so it’s important to make smart decisions. He also preaches patience and hard work, as nothing will be guaranteed to JaQuan next season when he returns to good health.
“I try to teach him as much as I possibly can,” Jamir says.
Tae and Dre share a similar relationship. Even though they are both in their first year at SHU, Dre has college experience that he and his brother can lean on.
“He knows more than me. He has more knowledge than me,” Tae humbly admits when asked about his big bro. “I’m always open to listening to him. He’s been here before, so I’m always open to his advice.”
But Dre is also more hands off than he was when the two played together in high school. He trusts Tae’s basketball IQ, even if the college game comes with a learning curve.
“At that time, it was more me teaching, guiding,” Dre says. “Now he knows what to expect. He knows where to be, how to play the game…. I can sit back a little bit and be comfortable with how prepared he is coming into this.”
Tae Davis has been Seton Hall’s most productive brother, averaging 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 20 minutes per game. Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics
The Davis brothers room together—as the college veteran, Dre handles the cooking—and the Harrises see each other plenty. But both younger brothers take time to lead their own lives off the court. Tae and JaQuan have different friends and classes to worry about and are just beginning to find their way, not only as basketball players, but as college students and young adults. Dre and Jamir realize that sometimes requires space.
On the court, however, sibling rivalries bleed into practice. “When we get in between the lines, it’s very competitive,” Jamir says—but that’s not a bad thing.
No brother wants to be outplayed by the other, and the freshmen are already looking to prove themselves. Things have gotten chippy, but the rest of the Pirates feed on the added intensity.
“The younger brothers are always trying to outcompete the older brothers,” says senior forward Tyrese Samuel. “The older brothers never want that to happen, so it just adds a little more fire to practice.”
Dre adds that “it kind of feels like a battle” when the siblings match up. “But iron sharpens iron. We have a great relationship on the court. We both want to see each other succeed.”
That desire for shared success has spread to the rest of Seton Hall’s roster. Even though the Pirates are 11-8 overall and 4-4 in Big East play, this was supposed to be a transition year with Holloway taking over. While winning is the goal, the coach is also focused on establishing his own culture at his alma mater.
Creating a family feeling is part of that. Having actual family members on the team seems to help.
“A lot of people talk about chemistry. That’s even more chemistry that you add to the team, and then you add it to everybody else,” Tae reasons when asked about the siblings’ impact. “[Dre’s] my brother, but I feel like all these guys are my brothers on the team.”
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Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz’s reputation as a New Jerseyan certainly didn’t help his U.S. Senate campaign in Pennsylvania last year. But could it benefit the Republican if he were to run for office in the Garden State?
According to a recent Monmouth University poll, the answer is no. The poll found that just 24 percent of residents would like to see Oz run in New Jersey, while 66 percent would not. Only 51 percent of Republicans expressed interest in a hypothetical campaign.
Oz’s campaign, which still lists a Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania address online, did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding his future political plans.
“I have no idea if Oz is harboring any notions of using New Jersey as another political launching pad,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, one of the country’s top polling centers, “but it doesn’t look like he’s got enough fuel to take off.”
Oz lived in a multimillion-dollar home in Cliffside Park for two decades before he moved and changed his residency to his in-laws’ place in Bryn Athyn, Pennslyvania in late 2020 in hopes of winning a U.S. Senate seat. Backed by former President Donald Trump, he won the Republican primary in Pennsylvania by just 951 votes after more than 1.3 million were cast. But Democrat John Fetterman took Oz down in the general election with a 51–46 percent margin.
While Fetterman’s campaign tried to sway voters by highlighting Oz’s connection to Trump and views on abortion, among other issues, the Democrat also harped on the TV star’s ties to New Jersey. Such efforts included the Fetterman campaign enlisting help from celebrities like Steven Van Zandt and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and flying a banner over the Jersey Shore that read, “Hey Dr. Oz, Welcome Home To N.J.!”
“Nobody wants to see you get embarrassed,” Van Zandt, a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, said of Oz in a video posted to social media. “So come on back to Jersey where you belong, and we’ll have some fun, eh? We’ll go to the beach, we’ll go surfing.”
“I want to say, ‘Best of luck to you,'” Polizzi, a Jersey Shore star, trolled in another Fetterman campaign clip. “I know you’re away from home and you’re in a new place, but Jersey will not forget you.
“And don’t worry, because you’ll be back in Jersey soon. This is only temporary.”
While the Monmouth poll did not specify any particular type of office, 2024 would give Oz another shot at the Senate by way of New Jersey. Sitting Democratic Senator Bob Menendez will be up for re-election next year.
Oz has not made his next political ambitions—or where they will take place—clear yet, but there is one subset of New Jerseyans who wouldn’t mind a Garden State campaign. That would be the state’s Democratic coalition, which views Oz as vulnerable and unpopular after his Pennslyvania shortcomings.
“New Jersey Democrats would welcome a chance to beat Dr. Oz here as well and send him back to one of his other 10 houses,” Saily Avelenda, the executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, recently told the New Jersey Globe.
New Jersey Republicans tried to get Oz to run for Senate in 2006 and 2008, but he declined. He even told New Jersey Monthly he wasn’t considering a career in politics in 2010. Now it appears Oz’s candidacy is less viable—though, as he’s shown, things can change quickly in politics.
Monmouth’s poll, which surveyed 809 New Jersey adults from January 5-9 and cited a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points, made a few other notable findings regarding the state’s politics and politicians. Among them: 53 percent approve of the job Governor Phil Murphy is doing, while 35 percent disapprove; 46 percent approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing, while 48 percent disapprove; both of New Jersey’s Senators, Menendez and Cory Booker, received higher approval ratings than disapproval ratings—though Booker’s was far higher (54–39 percent); and only 20 percent of residents think former Governor Chris Christie would make a good president.
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Illustration by Kavel Rafferty
For better or worse, the clothes in my closet serve as a journey through the past.
The blue suit I purchased in August 1986 to wear as an usher at a friend’s wedding doubled as formal wear on my New Orleans honeymoon (1990) and attire for the funerals of my dad (1989) and my mom (2015). My softball jersey for the South Jersey Media All-Stars represents the three losing seasons (1987–1989) the team endured, with a cumulative record of 21–65.
Winter’s arrival is a reminder that the hiking boots on the closet floor have been companions on my life’s journey for more than half a century, taking me from teenager to senior citizen.
My parents bought the tan-colored boots at JCPenney in March 1970, when I was 14, for a three-week trip that August to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. I was part of a bus caravan from New Jersey with more than 100 other Boy Scouts. It was the longest stretch of time I had spent away from my parents.
I relished the high adventure and natural wonders of Philmont. My boots covered nearly 60 miles of terrain over 11 days, highlighted by the ascent of 12,441-foot-high Baldy Mountain.
That trip whetted my appetite for more hikes. In 1971 and 1972, John Spielberger, a fellow Scout and friend since fifth grade, and I hiked the nearly 30-mile Batona Trail through the Pine Barrens in one day. The first year, it took 14 hours and 25 minutes. Better prepared in 1972, we completed the trail in 12 hours and 50 minutes.
During spring break in April 1973, John and I took on a new challenge: the Appalachian Trail. We covered 37 miles over three days from Palmerton, Pennsylvania, to the Delaware Water Gap, and my boots withstood the heavy rainfall that drenched our tent and muddied the trail.
While I have grown about 8 inches and gained about 70 pounds since 1970, the size 10 boots still fit. They faded in color but remained in decent shape as I hiked Parvin State Park, Belleplain State Forest, and Round Valley Recreation Area in New Jersey; the Catskills and Adirondacks in New York; and up Mount Rainier, where I reunited with John, then living in Washington state, in June 1986.
My hiking days are over as I enter my late 60s. The boots remain my go-to footwear for shoveling snow and providing traction when navigating icy sidewalks and streets, most notably during the blizzard of January 1996, which dumped about 30 inches of snow on South Jersey.
Each time I wear the boots calls to mind the distance I’ve traveled geographically and chronologically, and they remind me of John, who was best man at my wedding and died at 64 in December 2020.
With more snow likely this winter, the boots are ready to return for a 54th year. The final step hasn’t been taken.
Tom Wilk writes from and shovels snow in Pitman.
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On the day before his 26th birthday in 2015, Tom Turcich took his first steps westward on what would become a record-breaking, 25,000-mile trek around the world.
He calculated the walk would take five years. It wound up taking seven.
Starting out solo, the Haddon Township resident realized after about five months that he wanted both the companionship and protection of a dog for the rest of his journey. In Texas at that point, he found an animal shelter, bonded with an abandoned Australian shepherd mix puppy, and was approved to take her with him.
Turcich’s adopted dog, Savannah, became the first canine in recorded history to complete a worldwide trek. Photo courtesy of Tom Turcich
Little did he know that his adopted dog, whom he named Savannah, would become the first canine in recorded history to complete a worldwide walk. Turcich became the 10th human to do so. Together, they covered six continents and 38 countries.
“I wasn’t out to prove anything,” says Turcich, who lost two close friends from Haddon Township while they were both still in their teens. “Their deaths drove home to me that life is short. I wanted to experience the world before I had to leave it, too.”
So, while completing high school and college, Turcich carefully mapped out a walking trip around the globe.
The journey included some unwanted surprises. Among the reasons the walk lasted an extra two years were pandemic restrictions and the time Turcich and Savannah had to take off to recover from life-threatening illnesses. For Turcich, it was an abdominal bacterial infection that started showing symptoms in Scotland; for Savannah, a bleeding disorder from a tick bite apparently inflicted in Peru.
They were held up at knifepoint in Panama, needed police escorts throughout their 45-day walk through Algeria, nearly froze while camping in South America, and were detained at gunpoint for two hours in Turkey near the Syrian border.
Though unsettling, these and other incidents weren’t enough to dampen Turcich’s spirits. “I never seriously considered ending the walk,” he says.
Tom Turcich and his dog Savannah enjoy the nice weather in Angoulême, France, during their trek around the world. Photo courtesy of Tom Turcich
There were countless positive aspects of the trip, such as his stop in Guatemala, where he visited Lake Atitlan. Nestled among mountains, it’s considered the world’s most beautiful lake and became one of his favorite places.
Turcich started his world walk with a positive outlook on humanity.
“Thousands of people worldwide helped Savannah and me,” he emphasizes. “We were offered places to sleep, meals, interesting conversation, encouragement and moral support, among many other kindnesses. I always kept in mind that I was a guest in other people’s countries. For that, I was repaid many times over.”
In the spring, the pair triumphantly crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philly to Camden, surrounded by family members, friends and well-wishers.
Turcich is working on a book about his and Savannah’s world walk. A documentary is in the making, and a television docuseries is under consideration. He also has an agent arranging speaking engagements for him.
On February 18, Turcich will give a TEDx talk at Rutgers-New Brunswick, sharing highlights of what he saw and learned during his travels.
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For years, Newark native Paul Auster wondered how his paternal grandfather had died. The famed author knew that his father, Samuel Auster, had spent his early years in Kenosha, Wisconsin. But there were no clues about his grandfather’s death.
Whenever he asked his father to tell him what had happened, he was told a different tale. One time, his father said it was a hunting accident. Another time, he said it was a construction accident. His father had also told him his grandfather was killed as a soldier in World War I.
The younger Auster continued to wrestle with this, asking his cousins if they knew what had happened. They didn’t. They had been fed the same stories about their grandfather’s death. Auster suspected his family was hiding something—and he was correct. But it wasn’t until what Auster describes in his new book, Bloodbath Nation, as “an improbable trick of chance” that he found out what had really happened.
In Bloodbath Nation, author and Newark native Paul Auster examines America’s obsession with guns. Photo courtesy of Spencer Ostrander
The moment that changed everything came in 1970, when Auster was in his 20s. His cousin, traveling abroad, just happened to be seated on a plane next to someone from Kenosha who knew the entire story.
Auster never told his father that he discovered the truth of what had happened on that horrible night in 1919. He never revealed that he knew that his grandmother, estranged from her husband, shot and killed the man she was married to while he was tinkering with a light switch in the kitchen. After the trial—Auster’s grandmother was acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity—she and her five children left Wisconsin and ended up in Newark, where the children were instructed to never, ever tell anyone what had happened.
But years later, the novelist came to realize how the very gun that had taken his grandfather’s life also ruined his father’s life and turned his uncle—the one who actually had witnessed the murder—into a successful “but haunted man given to savage bursts of rage, horrific jags of shouting, screaming, and uncontrollable anger,” Auster writes.
The revelation that gun violence had impacted his own family, juxtaposed with the country’s gun-violence crisis, forced Auster to think critically about America’s obsession with guns. He also wrestled with his own appreciation of guns. He was a good marksman as a child and says, “I understand the pleasure that shooting guns gives people.”
Then, one summer evening in 2020, before sitting down for a family dinner in Brooklyn, Auster’s son-in-law, photographer Spencer Ostrander, shared his vision for a big project about gun violence in America. Ostrander had been taking photos of places around the country where there had been mass shootings, saying he felt compelled to document these graveyards.
Photographer Spencer Ostrander set out to document “the omnipresence of violence all over the United States” for this project. Photo courtesy of Adam Ferguson
Ostrander is no stranger to loss. In his early 20s, several friends died in one year from drunk driving, overdoses and suicide. He says taking pictures helped him mourn his friends while reminding himself that he was alive. He abandoned plans to attend social work school, instead enrolling in art school. When it came to the mass-shooting sites, Ostrander says, he wanted to take pictures because he didn’t want people to forget what had happened. “My whole goal of the project was to show the omnipresence of violence all over the United States.”
It’s not that hard. Each year, approximately 41,000 Americans are killed by gunshots, according to the Giffords Law Center. Twenty-three thousand of those deaths are suicides. Experts say 400 million firearms are owned in the United States, with firearm sales surging in early 2020. Here in New Jersey, 475 people are killed by guns in an average year, according to the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.
Experts say the number of people in New Jersey wounded by guns is likely double that.
Auster and Ostrander spent a lot of time together during the pandemic. They belonged to the same Covid pod. The more images Ostrander showed Auster, the more impressed he was with the project, volunteering to write the text to accompany the photos.
Auster says Bloodbath Nation “grew organically out of these photographs.” The photos are bleak. Mostly exterior shots, they include schools, a church and a car wash. There are no people in any of the images, and no guns. The images are both bland and haunting. The photos, says Auster, require the viewer to use their imagination and “try to thrust yourself into the day when the massacre took place.”
A mass shooting occurred in this Tucson parking lot in 2011. Photo courtesy of Spencer Ostrander from Bloodbath Nation
He wanted to broaden the scope of Ostrander’s work and write a text that would also provide a historical look at guns in America.
Ostrander researched mass shootings across the United States. But there were so many, he had to set grim parameters. Twice. First, he selected shootings that took place from the year 2000 to 2020. Then, he set parameters on the number of people shot. At one point, he was looking at shootings involving two or three people. But he couldn’t manage a project of that size, so he set a minimum of four people killed. He studied the cases and mapped out his travels.
Ostrander started the project about a year before the pandemic hit. In some cases, going to these places was logistically difficult. He desperately wanted to avoid re-traumatizing victims. He also wanted to avoid sensationalizing the crimes or inspiring copycats.
There were some sites where he didn’t even get out of the car. One time, in Colorado, he says a state investigator took down his license plate and called him to find out what he was doing.
A Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs was the site of a 2015 mass shooting. Photo courtesy of Spencer Ostrander from Bloodbath Nation
So when Covid hit, he could travel around the country more freely without drawing attention to himself.
Auster says Bloodbath Nation is a tough read. He says it’s “the most difficult thing I’ve ever done as a writer in all the years I’ve been writing.” But he wanted to create a dialogue about gun violence in America.
Ostrander says he wants people to continue to think about these events even when the news coverage has waned. “I wanted people to look around America and say, ‘This is my car wash, this is my church, this is my synagogue, my temple, my shopping center.’”
Bloodbath Nation explores the deep roots of gun culture in America. The book retells the story of many shootings in America, including the one in 2019 in Jersey City that targeted Jewish people and law enforcement outside a kosher grocery store and at a cemetery.
One thing Auster does not do in this book is name names. For the most part, he has purposely omitted the names of perpetrators out of respect for the survivors and to reduce any type of idolization.
Mass shootings are a tragedy. But they also only represent 1 percent of American gun violence. It’s hard for Americans to wrap their heads around the statistics. But they should, says Michael Anestis, executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center. He says Americans need to look more closely at the daily toll of gun violence in their communities, and that it’s time for policy makers to figure out solutions.
New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States. The state is ranked eighth for gun-law strength by the organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
In recent news, Governor Murphy signed legislation in December that sets strong minimum standards for who can carry concealed guns in public and clarifies where guns are prohibited in the state—including playgrounds, polling places, train stations, and bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The move came after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that lowered the bar for who can carry guns in public.
Ultimately, Bloodbath Nation is a work about the way guns impact American life. Some stories are very private. Others are public. But there’s a common denominator, and that is the gun. In sharing his own family story about his grandparents, Auster asks the reader to consider the sweeping impact of gun violence inside of the American home and at school, the movie theater, houses of worship, the supermarket, the car wash. The list goes on. And on.
Jaime Bedrin teaches journalism at Montclair State University and co-founded the Essex County chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
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In an effort to combat the rise of misinformation, Garden State students are getting a new addition to their curriculums.
Governor Phil Murphy signed bipartisan legislation (S588) Wednesday that requires K-12 instruction on information literacy under the implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. In doing so, the Democrat made New Jersey the first state with such a mandate.
Under the new bill, students will develop critical thinking skills while learning how to find information, produce and spread information online, and the difference between facts and opinions. Per a news release, information literacy includes digital, visual, media, textual and technological literacy.
“Our democracy remains under sustained attack through the proliferation of disinformation that is eroding the role of truth in our political and civic discourse,” Murphy said in the news release. “It is our responsibility to ensure our nation’s future leaders are equipped with the tools necessary to identify fact from fiction. I am proud to sign legislation that is critical to the success of New Jersey’s students and essential to the preservation of our democracy.”
The legislation requires the commissioner of the Department of Education to form a committee, which will assist in the development of information literacy standards. The committee will include certified school library media specialists and teaching staff members, and standards will be reviewed by experts.
The public will also get to offer input before standards are implemented by the State Board of Education.
“Information literacy is more important now than ever before, especially with the growing prevalence of social media and online news,” said Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, acting commissioner of education. “Students for generations will be well-served by this legislation, which sets into statute the requirement for schools to provide instruction on information literacy.”
While it’s unclear when a committee will be formed or standards will be decided on, seven minimum curriculum guidelines were outlined in the bill. They are as follows:
- The research process and how information is created and produced;
- Critical thinking and using information resources;
- Research methods, including the difference between primary and secondary sources;
- The difference between facts, points of view, and opinions;
- Accessing peer-reviewed print and digital library resources;
- The economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information; and
- The ethical production of information.
The topics of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories have become politically polarizing in recent years, but the new bill received immense bipartisan support in the State Legislature. Primary sponsors of the bill include Senators Michael Testa (R-1) and Shirley Turner (D-15), and Assemblymembers Daniel Benson (D-14), Pamela Lampitt (D-6), and Mila Jasey (D-27).
“Teaching children about information literacy will help them to weigh the flood of news, opinion, and social media they are exposed to both online and off,” said Testa, the Senate version’s lead sponsor. “This law isn’t about teaching kids that any specific idea is true or false, rather it’s about helping them learn how to research, evaluate, and understand the information they are presented for themselves.”
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A rock ‘n’ roll icon selling natural, holistic remedies?
It may sound implausible, but when you talk to Stevie Van Zandt—Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band—about why he wanted to create a line of healthy products, it starts to make sense.
“For me, the message from the pandemic was that we all need to strengthen our immune systems,” says Van Zandt, who grew up in Middletown. “My wife (actress Maureen Van Zandt) is a vegan, so I’ve been conscious of developing good habits for years.”
Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary line of natural, holistic remedies was created to help improve physical and mental health while boosting the immune system.
Little Steven’s Apothecary includes coffees (seen here), teas and more holistic products. Photo courtesy of Astrida Valigorsky
Van Zandt, who starred as Silvio Dante on The Sopranos, as well as in the TV show Lilyhammer, says he noticed a big difference in his health when he cut out sugar. “You’re fighting a war all the time. I’m always taking ginger and blue pepper onstage—I find it really helps my voice,” says Van Zandt, 72.
That’ll come in handy when the E Street Band heads out this year on tour, which includes a special “homecoming” show on April 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The products are now sold in select stores and online at wickedcoolwellness.com and littlesteven.com. They include boutique teas, coffees and lollipops, and use products such as Wakaya’s ginger, turmeric, kava, maca and Manuka honey.
Ten percent of the profits are being donated to Teach Rock, Van Zandt’s music-education initiative.
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Illustration by Katy Lemay
New Jerseyans can be an opinionated lot. Ask their views on issues as weighty as mass transit or crime, or as frivolous as pumping your own gas or the real name of an iconic breakfast sandwich, and you are likely to get very divergent opinions.
However, there are two topics that have united residents for more than a half century: property taxes and the economy.
When the public-opinion researchers at the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University first began polling New Jersey residents on state issues more than 50 years ago, property taxes and the economy were the issues that concerned them the most.
Some things never change.
With 2023 underway, property taxes and the economy continue to be the most pressing issues facing New Jersey. “In the five decades we have been polling New Jersey, taxes perennially have the number one spot when it comes to what residents say is the top problem,” says Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center.
Economic concern is almost universal in polls taken everywhere in the country, pollsters say, but property taxes are a much greater concern in high-tax states like New Jersey.
Despite ongoing worries over property taxes and the economy (and increasing focus on the rising cost of housing), no matter what area of the state they live in, a majority of residents say that, overall, they like the state, and especially their hometowns. A majority of residents also have positive views about our education system, career and business opportunities, and cultural attractions.
[RELATED: How New Jerseyans Can Save Money in 2023]
On a host of other issues, however, there is much less consensus, with differences of opinion driven by factors such as age, gender, education, income, race, ethnicity, geography and, in recent years, cultural identity.
Whatever opinions residents hold, they can be fairly certain to be asked their views at some point.
There are almost certainly more public-opinion surveys taken here than almost anywhere else in the country. Four universities—Rutgers (the first university-based public-opinion research poll in the country), Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth and Stockton—all regularly take the pulse of the Garden State. By comparison, with roughly three times as many residents, New York has only two university-based centers that track state policy issues.
In recent years, geography and political affiliation have increasingly become the factors most strongly correlated with most public-policy issues, pollsters say. People in South Jersey say they are very concerned with drug abuse, especially opioids; crime; and the future of agriculture, with warehouses, solar and wind farms, and housing developments replacing traditional farms.
Conversely, people in North Jersey are very concerned with mass transit, congestion pricing in New York City, and the proposed Gateway rail-tunnel project. These topics “fall off the map” in South Jersey, says Dan Cassino, executive director of Fairleigh Dickinson’s FDU Poll.
These regional differences attest to the state’s changing political identification, says Patrick Murray, founding director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
South Jersey has grown more conservative and more Republican, and North Jersey has grown more liberal and more Democratic, he says, as part of a national phenomenon where “cultural identity has become even more important than the issues themselves.”
There is a “huge gap” on issues between the south and north, mostly along partisan lines, says Cassino. Koning agrees, saying “partisanship has become a social identity, and it bleeds into everything, even grocery bags.”
The state’s new ban on single-use plastic bags, indeed, has become a political issue. In one 2022 poll from Monmouth University’s Polling Institute, 72 percent of registered Democrats say they support the measure, but only 44 percent of Republicans agree.
Of course, people’s views can and do change. Unlike property taxes and the economy, over time, some negative opinions morph into more positive ones. Issues that once were hot-button concerns—gay marriage, abortion, casino gambling and legal marijuana—now enjoy strong support.
“In a state as densely populated and diverse as ours,” Murray says, “if we got into each other’s values, we’d be at each other’s throats. New Jersey’s unofficial motto is ‘Live and let live.’’’
Other issues have become major concerns through external forces, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, in 2021, a solid majority (as many as 6 in 10 in one poll) supported strong Covid-19 mandates, but by 2022, that number had decreased to about one-third in the latest Monmouth polls.
While fears about Covid-19 have diminished, “concerns about mental-health issues, many of them stemming from the pandemic, remain,” says Alyssa Maurice, research associate at Stockton University’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy. One recent survey found that 58 percent of respondents said they or someone close to them has experienced mental health issues coming out of the pandemic, and 68 percent reported that mental health issues had worsened during the pandemic, according to a 2022 Stockton University poll.
It is impossible to predict what events may impact the state in the coming year, but there are several issues likely to be points of contention, including education.
Most residents report they are happy with their local schools, with as much as an 80 percent approval rating in one poll. Yet there are different areas of concern about education, mostly depending upon where you live.
In the more affluent suburbs, a majority of parents say they want more extracurricular activities for their students, and they’re willing to pay for them. They also want to see the start of classes moved back to give students more sleep time, says Cassino. In the urban areas and less affluent suburbs, though, more parents say they are concerned with funding for schools than with additional after-school programs or class start times, he adds.
Two issues that may become more hotly debated in 2023 are the state’s new health and sex education guidelines and what role parents may play in following these guidelines.
One recent Eagleton Center poll found very strong support for the guidelines, with 88 percent of respondents saying they favor teaching sex education in high schools and 71 percent in middle schools. That number drops precipitously, though, to 46 percent when it comes to elementary schools; 51 percent of respondents say they oppose teaching sex education at all in elementary schools.
There is also strong support for “parental rights” in education, with 60 percent saying parents should have the right to take their children out of health and sex education classes; that number increases to 70 percent among parents with children in school.
While most surveys have shown consistently that residents like New Jersey, several polls have also shown that roughly one-third of respondents (and as high as 59 percent in one poll) would choose to leave one day, if they could. This group mostly includes younger people born in the state, as well as older people in or near retirement.
“The population in the north is more fluid than in the south. North Jersey has a lot of students who go off to college out of state and never return,” says Cassino. “But they’re being replaced by new residents who chose to live here, and they like it. People in the south leave, but they aren’t being replaced.”
The reason for older people leaving, or wanting to leave, is almost purely economic: the high cost of living.
“When you’re younger, career opportunities, education and a wide range of cultural attractions can be important,” says Murray, “but when you retire, you may find you don’t need all these benefits, and you aren’t willing to pay for them.”
Not every issue polled is a major policy concern for the state, although most have policy implications.
One issue driven more by gender than anything else is the state’s ban on self-service gasoline stations. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where you can’t legally pump your own gas across the entire state. A recent poll found only 45 percent of female respondents would fill up their tanks themselves even if there were an attendant present, while 63 percent of men said they would. The 45 percent support from women falls down to 28 percent when asked if they would use self-service with no attendants.
What’s driving this gender split? “It’s simple,” says Murray about the Monmouth poll. “Jersey girls don’t want to pump gas.”
The proper name of everyone’s favorite breakfast meat has long been a point of contention in New Jersey. Photo: Shutterstock/Ezume Images
Oh, and what about that iconic breakfast sandwich? Is it Taylor ham or pork roll? Statewide, it’s a statistical draw: 38 percent say it is pork roll and 35 percent say it is Taylor ham, according to a 2022 Eagleton poll.
If you’re hungry and want to make sure you get the right sandwich, when you are in the north, it’s advisable to ask for Taylor ham, because that’s what it’s called there by nearly 60 percent of the people. If you’re in the south and craving your favorite breakfast sandwich, however, you had better make it pork roll, because that’s what nearly two-thirds of people call it.
Joe Lauro is a longtime contributor to New Jersey Monthly.
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Eugene Campbell III knows what it’s like to be overlooked.
Campbell, who grew up in Jersey City, has felt that way throughout his basketball career, which really began when he failed to make the team at East Brunswick Vocational Technical School as a freshman. But Campbell worked tirelessly to make the cut as a sophomore, walked on at Middlesex County College, and transferred to Division III New Jersey City University, where basketball helped him earn a master’s in educational psychology, one of three degrees.
Eugene Campbell III played basketball at NJCU before his professional career took him overseas. Photo courtesy of NJCU Athletic Communications
Now 27, Campbell plays professionally overseas in Tunisia after stints in Moldova, Armenia and Bosnia. As a combo guard, he can shoot and pass on the court. Off it, however, he’s focused strictly on assists.
Campbell is the founder of Walk a Mile N Our Shoes, which helps homeless people and low-income families. The Jersey City nonprofit was partly inspired by Campbell’s athletic journey, but also by a childhood in the Hill, a Jersey City neighborhood that exposed him to poverty.
“There’s so many people out there that are overlooked,” Campbell says. “I want to help them out because I know what it feels like. I know what it feels like to be underappreciated.”
Walk a Mile N Our Shoes has two or three outreach events each month, during which the group distributes clothes, shoes, backpacks, toiletries and water. The organization accepts financial donations and new or used goods. Volunteers are also welcome.
Walk a Mile has performed community service throughout New Jersey, as well as Philadelphia, New York, Virginia and Utah. Campbell’s work with the fraternity Psi Sigma Phi has helped Walk a Mile leave an imprint on college campuses, where bins collect donations.
Campbell, meanwhile, is only home in New Jersey for two to three months a year due to his overseas career. But distance has not stopped him from remaining involved; he’s frequently in Zoom meetings and communicating with COO Shawn Hawkins, chief technology officer Christopher Lugo, and Walk a Mile’s committee. “I’ve got a wonderful team,” Campbell says. “I keep it to my family and close friends. People that I know, people that I trust…. I can do things and still follow my dreams at the same time.”
Campbell could have focused solely on basketball once he got his first professional contract, but Walk a Mile started to take off when he was in graduate school. The sport had already taught him not to give up, and Campbell knew he could make a difference in areas like the one where he grew up.
So once again, he stuck to it.
“Tomorrow is not promised, and you only live once,” Campbell explains. “So if you have a great idea in your head that you feel like can change the world, just go ahead and do it. If there’s a will, there’s a way. You just gotta do it.”
Founded in 2021, Walk a Mile N Our Shoes assists those in need, including homeless people and low-income families. The nonprofit welcomes donations of goods and money, as well as volunteers. Visit walkamilenourshoes.org or email walkamilenourshoes@gmail.com to learn more.
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The 2022 midterm election was a big deal. The GOP now controls the lower house. Nancy Pelosi will no longer be speaker, but the Democrats control the Senate, which many didn’t expect. Joe Biden is still President, last time I checked, and 2024 doesn’t seem that far away now. New Jersey has a new congressman named Tom Kean Jr., who will soon be going to D.C. Now what? What are the issues that matter most to 9 million New Jersey residents, and what do our leaders in Washington and Trenton need to do this year and beyond? Here we go:
InflationIt’s real, no matter what President Biden may say or think. Democrats didn’t want to admit it, but it is not only gas prices—a lot of things cost more. The Republicans? While they blame the Democrats for inflation, I don’t see their plan to fight it, so let’s get real about what Congress can and can’t do to fight inflation and stop all the finger-pointing.
AffordabilityI recently interviewed Governor Phil Murphy on NJ PBS, and he didn’t buy my comments about wealthy New Jerseyans leaving the state for Florida (with no income tax) and the Carolinas. New Jersey is NOT affordable for many, and while the ANCHOR property tax program is nice, a lot more needs to be done.
SALTFormer President Donald Trump’s gift to New Jersey, including to Republicans who voted for him, was to limit state and local tax deductions (SALT) to $10,000. It was his way of saying “screw you” to so-called blue states, where property and income taxes are high. Congress must address SALT, but the Republican House doesn’t seem anxious to do that. Congressman-elect Kean, what do you say?
Democracy in peril January 6 was very real and very violent. It was an insurrection—an effort to overthrow our government and stop the peaceful transfer of power. That seems obvious, but in a recent interview I conducted with Republican state senator Edward Durr, he argued that January 6 was a group of protestors challenging an election. He says we should “move on” and put January 6 and denying elections in the past. Here’s the problem: We can’t move on unless we acknowledge how horrific January 6 was. Election denial must end now, and political violence must be condemned. Period.
AbortionThe U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and moving the abortion issue back to the states is obviously a big deal. New Jersey has codified the right to abortion. In 2023, expect to see more women from states that have banned or limited abortion access come here seeking reproductive services. That will put a strain on our health care system and must be addressed.
ChildcareOur state and nation must continue to acknowledge the connection between accessible, affordable, high-quality childcare and our economy. People—particularly women—simply can’t be gainfully employed if their childcare needs are not addressed. We need to pay childcare workers a lot more and continue to subsidize lower-income New Jerseyans who can’t afford the rising costs of childcare. To do anything less is shortsighted.
That’s my 2023 political agenda. What’s yours? Write to me at steveadubato@gmail.com.
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award–winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show, and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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The post What New Jersey’s Leaders Must Do in 2023 appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
Between 2008 and 2017, nearly 100 people were killed in traffic crashes in Jersey City, with pedestrians accounting for nearly half of all fatal victims.
In 2022, it had zero traffic-related fatalities at press time. What changed? The city’s adoption of Vision Zero, a global campaign that aims to eliminate traffic-related deaths and injuries.
“The progress is clear,” Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop says. “Vision Zero is impactful and can save lives.”
The Vision Zero task force collaborates with residents to create plans that aim to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
Both Jersey City and Hoboken have made improvements over the years, from repainting high-visibility crosswalks to adding curb extensions that reduce pedestrian walking distances. The latest feat is the installation of a protected bike lane, connecting both cities.
The bike lane, which extends from 18th Street in Jersey City to Hoboken’s Observer Highway, is in an area with a high volume of traffic.
The protected bike lane was created with a separator curb and flexible bollards, which create a physical border between the motor vehicle and bike lanes.
“[The task force is] really trying to focus on preventing crashes before they happen,” says Ryan Sharp, Hoboken’s parking and transportation director and manager of its Vision Zero task force.
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New Jersey lost many bright stars in 2022.
We remember the famous faces who were born here, made their home here, or represented the Garden State in another, memorable way. Although they are gone, their legacies live on.
Ron GalellaJanuary 10, 1931-April 30, 2022
Ron Galella, a legendary celebrity photographer considered to be the “Godfather of U.S. paparazzi,” died of congestive heart failure in his Montville home on April 30. He was 91 years old. Galella made waves as trailblazer capturing candid shots of celebrities, who had previously maintained highly-curated public images. Galella was dubbed a creep, a stalker and worse when he was making a name for himself in the 1960s. Marlon Brando even once punched him in the face, breaking Galella’s jaw. His hunt for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s pictures led her to sue him, and a judge barred him from photographing her anymore. Luckily for Galella, this happened after he captured his most famous photograph of her, wandering the New York City streets in 1971, where she is seen with a half-smile and her hair blown across her face from the wind. He told New Jersey Monthly that he considers it “his Mona Lisa.” The walls of the photographer’s Montville home were covered with his iconic work, when we visited about a decade ago. There was even a room dedicated to and inspired by the legendary Andy Warhol, who was rumored to be a Galella fan.
Ray LiottaDecember 18, 1954-May 26, 2022
Ray Liotta is seen on NBC’s “Shades of Blue” in 2016. Photo: NBC/Photofest
Ray Liotta, whose unforgettable role as Henry Hill in the 1990 mob classic Goodfellas made him a household name, died on May 26 at the age of 67. The star, who grew up in Union after being adopted as a baby, passed away in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he’d been shooting the film Dangerous Waters. Liotta, an alum of Union High School, was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2016 and said on stage of his home state, “To me, New Jersey is about family. And Taylor ham,” which garnered laughs from the crowd. “Which you can’t find anywhere but here.” He also recalled that in Union, there was a saying that “Union has loads of good kids.” “But what I have to say is, New Jersey has loads of great people,” he added. In 2021, he gave another nod to his Jersey roots with a role in the Sopranos prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark, as “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti.
Tony Sirico1942-July 8, 2022
Tony Sirico is seen on “The Sopranos.” Photo: HBO/Photofest
Tony Sirico—a Brooklyn native who played one of the most memorable New Jersey television characters of all time, mobster “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on The Sopranos—died on July 8 at 79 years old. “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone i’ve ever known. I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. But mostly good,” actor Michael Imperioli wrote on Instagram upon announcing Sirico’s passing (He played Christopher Moltisanti and shared many a scene with Sirico). “And we had a lot of laughs. We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony.” Sirico died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Taurean Blacque1940-July 21, 2022
Taurean Blacque starred on “Hill Street Blues” in the ’80s. Photo: NBC/Photofest
Taurean Blacque, an actor best known for his role as Detective Neal Washington on NBC’s acclaimed drama “Hill Street Blues,” died on July 16 at the age of 82. He passed away in Atlanta following a brief illness, according to Deadline. Blacque was born in Newark and graduated from its Arts High School; however, he did not pursue acting until he was almost 30. He takes credit for making Neal Washington a quiet character, aiming to move away from the “hip, jive Black man” stereotype, he once told TV Guide (via the New York Times). His name at birth was Herbert Middleton Jr., but he took on the stage name Taurean Blacque to capture casting directors’ attention. The name is an homage to his astrological sign, Taurus, which is a Venus-ruled Earth sign represented by the Bull. As the Times reports, he had two biological sons and 11 adopted children. This led him to become an adoption advocate, serving as a spokesperson for Los Angeles County adoption services and later becoming the national spokesman for adoption under the Bush Administration in 1989.
Paul Sorvino1939-July 25, 2022
Paul Sorvino is seen in 2017 in “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.” Photo: CBS/Photofest
Paul Sorvino—best known for roles like “Big Paulie” Cicero in the 1990 mob classic Goodfellas and Sergeant Phil Cerreta on Law & Order, but also a gifted opera singer, sculptor and chef—died on July 25 at the age of 83. The New York-born, former Tenafly resident, whose Oscar-winning daughter, Mira Sorvino, spent much of her childhood in the Bergen County suburb, is also survived by his children Amanda Sorvino and Michael Sorvino and his beloved wife of nearly eight years, Dee Dee Sorvino. Although he left the Garden State years ago, he once told New Jersey Monthly, “I still have a lot of fondness for New Jersey. If there was a New Jersey song, I’d sing it.”
Anne HecheMay 25, 1969-August 12, 2022
Anne Heche is seen circa 2007/2008 promoting “Men in Trees.” Photo: ABC/Photofest
Actress Anne Heche died on August 12 following a horrific car crash in Los Angeles, which was ruled an accident. A Hollywood star, Heche spent some of her difficult youth at the Jersey Shore, including Atlantic City and Ocean City. “That’s where I first became an actress,” she told Suburban Life magazine in 2017 (via nj.com). “I literally started singing for my supper, right on the Boardwalk. I would flip burgers and sing show tunes to get people to come to our stand.” Her first job was at a local dinner theater in Swainton, which she said helped support her family. “So, you could definitely say that New Jersey changed my life,” Heche said. “I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Jersey.”
Frank Vallelonga Jr.Green Book actor and former Bergen County pizzeria owner Frank Vallelonga Jr. died on November 28 at 60 years old. He formerly served up pies as the owner of Tony Lip’s Italian Restaurant & Pizza in Franklin Lakes, which was a nod to his father, who was nicknamed Tony Lip (and was known for playing crime boss Carmine Lupertazzi on The Sopranos). Vallelonga’s body was found dumped in the Bronx, according to the New York Times, and Bronx man Steven Smith, 35, was charged with concealing the corpse. Smith has claimed Vallelonga was “dead already,” per the Times.
Bob McGrath1932-December 4, 2022
Bob McGrath (bottom right) appears with the cast of “Sesame Street” in 2004. Photo: PBS/Photofeset
Bob McGrath, who for decades put smiles on the faces of children and parents alike as Bob Johnson on Sesame Street, died at his Norwood home on December 4. He was 90 years old. McGrath, an original cast member who worked on the children’s program until 2016, was born in Illinois but lived in New Jersey for the last 60 years, the bulk in Teaneck. He was as beloved off-screen as he was on TV, according to northjersey.com. “He was a person we’d see in our neighborhood,” former Teaneck Mayor Jackie Kates told the website, referencing a famed Sesame Street tune. “But he was also part of our family. The loss feels very personal.”
Helen Slayton-Hughes1930-December 7, 2022
Photo: ABC/Photofest
Helen Slayton-Hughes, best known for her role as Ethel Beavers on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, died on December 7 at the age of 92. She was born in Glen Ridge. In addition to Parks and Rec, she made appearances on numerous other popular shows over the years, including The West Wing, The Middle, Arrested Development and Pretty Little Liars. She reportedly had four children and six grandchildren, and was related to another Jersey celeb, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (who grew up in Mendham), her first cousin once removed, according to nj.com.
Dino Danelli1944-December 15, 2022
Dino Danelli, the Jersey City-born, original drummer of the rock group the Rascals (first known as the Young Rascals), died on December 15 at age 78. He had been in declining health for years, Joe Russo, the group’s historian and a close friend, told the New York Times. The band, formed in Garfield in 1965, is considered among the first American bands to form following the British Invasion the year prior. The band made their debut at the Choo Choo Club in Garfield. The group dissolved in the early 1970s, but Danelli’s music career carried on. In 1980, he collaborated with fellow Jersey boy Steven Van Zandt, guitarist of the E Street Band, on a side project called the Disciples of Soul. Van Zandt, a longtime Rascals fan, delivered the group’s 1997 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction speech, where he called Danelli “the greatest rock drummer of all time,” according to the Times.
The post New Jersey Celebrities Who Died in 2022 appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
She’s a Jersey girl.
The popular American Girl brand has launched its 2023 Girl of the Year doll, Kavi Sharma—and she hails from the great state of New Jersey, specifically Metuchen in Middlesex County.
“We are so excited that American Girl chose Metuchen. Our Borough is a diverse, vibrant community with residents and programming that reflect the world around us,” Metuchen Mayor Jonathan M. Busch tweeted following Thursday’s announcement. “Kavi is a welcome addition to the ‘Brainy Borough’ and we can’t wait for the children in our community to share her and their Metuchen stories with the rest of the country.”
As American Girl notes, theater enthusiast Kavi lives “a short train ride” from New York City and her beloved Broadway. The ride from Metuchen takes about an hour. Photo courtesy of American Girl
Each year, American Girl releases a Girl of the Year doll, all of which are contemporary characters “that represent a wide range of backgrounds to reflect what it means to be an American girl today,” according to the company. American Girl famously crafts detailed back stories and books to accompany its dolls, who represent various time periods in history as well as modern-day life.
Kavi’s story is of an Indian-American girl growing up in a close-knit family in New Jersey. She loves singing, dancing and performing, and her dream is to one day be on Broadway.
A paperback journal and a hardcover Kavi novel are being released in collaboration with author Varsha Bajaj. “Kavi’s story is important to all the young readers who will see parts of their lives represented. I took immense delight in showcasing slivers of Indian culture, including dance, yoga traditions, food, clothing, and magical festivals like Diwali and Holi,” Bajaj said in a statement released by American Girl on Thursday.
According to reports, Kavi is the brand’s first South Asian Girl of the Year.
Kavi seems to already have a lot of fan love, garnering positive comments on social media after the doll’s release was announced. Photo courtesy of American Girl
To celebrate Kavi’s release, Metuchen is hosting a Bollywood block party at Metuchen Town Plaza on December 30 (5-7 pm).
Kavi already seems to have a plethora of local support. After the news of the doll’s release, social media was flooded with fan love.
“I am so excited for this doll!” one local parent wrote on Instagram. “My soon to be 2 yr old daughter is named Kavi. We’re an Indian American family living in NJ and my little one practices yoga with her grandma. It feels like this doll was made for her and I cannot wait to purchase it for her. I can’t explain how big this is. Growing up I would never see my name anywhere. Now my daughter has a doll with the same name as her. This is huge!!!”
Kavi is available online now and in American Girl stores and other select shops beginning January 1.
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The post American Girl’s 2023 Girl of the Year Doll Hails From New Jersey appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.
New Jersey has recently become a shocking case study for hate crimes.
But long before groups like the Proud Boys showed up, historians say 60,000 Jerseyans joined the Ku Klux Klan between World War I and World War II, with local groups in places like Scotch Plains, Mountainside, New Brunswick, Plainfield and the Amboys. They were led by a former vaudevillian named Arthur Bell, who lived in Wall Township and assembled a real estate empire in Monmouth County by collecting membership dues and selling “official” Klan hoods and garb. “Bell was a showman who basically ran a pyramid scheme,’’ historian Joseph Bilby, author of The Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey, told New Jersey Monthly.
The Klan’s fortunes here ebbed after a mob of irate immigrants stormed an August 1923 Klan meeting in Perth Amboy. Five hundred panicked Klansmen who had gathered at an Odd Fellows Hall ripped off their hoods and dashed out of town. The mob overturned a police wagon full of cowering Klan members. A front-page story in The New York Times said one hapless Klansman was almost stuffed down a manhole. The headline: “Perth Amboy Mob in Anti-Klan Riot; Scores are Beaten. Crowd of 6,000 Drive Ku-Kluxers from Hall, pummeling and stoning them; police tear gas futile.’’
Bilby said Jersey Klan leaders eventually started fighting among themselves and with national Klan leaders over their real estate holdings and pyramid-scheme profits. Bell ended up broke, jobless and living over a garage in Belmar.
By the mid-1930s, members of the German-American Federation—the Bund—were writing a new chapter of Jersey-style white supremacy. More than 112,000 people of German descent lived in Depression-era New Jersey. Historians say about one-third of them sympathized with the racist vision of Adolf Hitler.
To lead the U.S. Bund, Hitler selected Fritz Kuhn, a Munich-born World War I veteran who came to be known as the American Führer. Under Kuhn, Bund chapters opened across New Jersey. There were also rural, woodsy retreats for Bundists in Bloomingdale, Griggstown and Andover, home of the infamous Camp Nordland, which drew 10,000 people on opening day alone.
Bund members enjoyed all the advantages of a close-knit social club—singing, dancing, drinking beer.
Hitler Youth at the German-American Bund Camp Nordland in 1939, having a meal together. Photo courtesy of weirdnj.com
But the main business was the celebration of the Fatherland, Aryan culture and nascent Nazi ideology. Photos from Camp Nordland’s heyday record one-arm saluting and uniformed Hitler Youth marching in rank and file.
As the reality of Nazi evil started sinking in, the American Bund drew increasing attention from suspicious lawmakers and law enforcers, from local sheriffs to the FBI. Bund leaders at Camp Nordland were investigated for a string of vice crimes ranging from child abuse to embezzlement.
Kuhn was convicted of stealing $14,000 in Bund funds and ended up in Sing Sing prison.
By the start of World War II, the Jersey Bund was anemic and officially disbanded after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.
Jeff Pillets is an award-winning investigative reporter.
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