Free Republic

Forest City Ratner's $4 billion Atlantic Yards development project will be delayed by an additional six months or more in the wake of a ruling by a state Appellate Court. The court rejected a motion put forth by the Empire State Development Corp. to dismiss the lawsuit filed by nine property owners in the footprint of the project challenging the use of eminent domain. The ruling has forced the developer, Bruce Ratner, to reverse a pledge that ground for the project would be broken by the end of the year. "While the Appellate Division Second Department's decision to hear the...

CAPE MAY, N.J. (CBS) ― Robert Martin is no Ken Doll, although it appears he wishes he was. The Atlantic City man was arrested by New Jersey State Police for allegedly displaying a variety of pornographic magazines and his collection of naked Barbie Dolls in his car, CBS station KYW-TV in Philadelphia reports. The vehicle, which was parked at a rest stop along the Garden State Parkway, is said to have been filled with other x-rated material, including magazines, DVDs and other paraphernalia. According to investigators the bizarre nature of the lewd material found in the car didn't stop at...

I am writing on behalf of a group of McCain/Palin volunteers who met yesterday in Ramsey, NJ, in order to try to get out out the vote and garner support for the 2008 Campaign. . . the most important Presidential Campaign in recent memory. We were wondering if any thought has been given to holding a rally at Liberty State Park, in Jersey City, NJ sometime in October? In light of the enormous crowds Sarah Palin has been generating (most recently yesterday in Florida), we thought a perfect venue for a rally would be right on the Hudson at Liberty,...

AVON, N.J. (AP) — With oil and gas drilling heating up as an issue in the presidential race, environmentalists and the governor reiterated their opposition to tapping reserves off the state's coast, saying it would endanger the environment and the tourism industry on which New Jersey is so dependent.

TRENTON, N.J. - Two presidential race polls out Tuesday indicate Republican John McCain has cut into Barack Obama's lead in New Jersey. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, McCain has narrowed his 10-point gap of a month ago to just 3 percentage points among likely voters, with 48 percent saying they favor Obama to 45 percent supporting McCain. A Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll has Obama's lead at 8 percentage points among likely voters, down from 14 points in July. In the most recent poll, Obama leads McCain 49 percent to 41 percent, with McCain having picked up 5 percent...

Call it bovine intervention: Authorities have found the owner of a cow that had to be lassoed, "Bonanza"-style, after running loose through Ho-Ho-Kus last night.Peter Bossart, of Saddle River, said he didn't know the cow had high-tailed it until he got a phone call this morning from his brother-in-law, who read about it in The Record. Dr. Peter Bossart and his wife, Virginia, are glad to have their heifer back. Bossart said he brought Shorty, who belongs to his granddaughter, to his home to chew down the grass on his property. He has no other animals there, although he...

With 15 electoral votes up for grabs in New Jersey, 47 percent of registered voters in the state said they support Sen. Barack Obama for president while 40 percent said they back Sen. John McCain in the presidential race, according to a new Marist College Institute for Public Opinion poll. (Snip) However, Obama’s lead shrinks when looking at likely voters, including those who are leaning toward a specific candidate.

Presidential Race in New Jersey • Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Leads Republican Opponent John McCain by 7 Percentage Points in New Jersey: With 15 electoral votes up for grabs in New Jersey, 47% of registered voters in the state say they support Senator Barack Obama for president while 40% say they back Senator John McCain. That’s the same margin in New Jersey with which former Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry beat President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. However, Obama’s lead shrinks when looking at likely voters, including those who are leaning toward a specific candidate. 48%...

 At 30 years old, Sister Danielle Gonzalez is the youngest of 19 nuns at the community of Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon. No lightning-bolt moment brought Danielle Gonzalez to the convent at St. Joseph's Provincial Center, just a gentle and consistent call that only she could hear.  Gonzalez, 30, who grew up in Pequannock, was a senior at the College of New Jersey who enjoyed wearing Jones New York suits by day and dancing at clubs with friends by night. She earned a black belt in karate before the idea of becoming a nun ever entered...

Jose Juarez is a shaman, a Mesoamerican healer from a village in Mexico. He owns a botanica, called New Age Store Leecatzin, in Clifton's Botany Village. In the background an Aztec drawing represents life, strength and prosperity, with a reminder to rem A shaman helps clients with a variety of problemsAlbert Ponce had a broken spirit. Life for the 25-year-old Clifton resident had recently hit a bumpy patch. He couldn't land a job working in an office. He didn't want to settle for a retail job, or working in a factory; he wanted to make use of his business...

This is a love story. It’s about passion, infatuation and lifelong devotion. It’s about the unthinkable price that one man would pay to be with the object of his affection. Oh, did we mention this is about a 60-year-old man … and his Hot Wheels? “It’s become an obsession,” admits Joe Scangorella of Elmwood Park, who owns more than 27,500 Hot Wheels. “It just got to the point where I needed to have them all. Why? I don’t know.” Scangorella is one of Hot Wheels’ biggest fans. This year, as the Mattel-owned brand of toy cars celebrates its 40th anniversary,...

Three Somerset County residents have learned firsthand the dangers of picking and eating wild mushrooms. The trio from Franklin Township have been hospitalized with liver toxicity; one is in critical condition and may need a transplant. Bruce Ruck, director of drug information and professional education at the New Jersey Poison Control Center in Newark, identified the victims as a mother and her daughter and son-in-law, all Asian Indians. The mother is in critical condition and being evaluated for a liver transplant at University Hospital in Newark; the other two are at Princeton University Medical Center. "They picked and ate wild...

WYCKOFF, N.J. - If only Goldilocks had had a cockapoo. A 15-pound cocker spaniel-poodle mix named Pawlee scared off a mother bear and her two cubs Sunday morning after they strayed into his owners' back yard. Whether his bark was worse than his bite, Pawlee's tactic worked just fine. These three bears got the hint and took off. -snip-

NPR's IQ   The Litmus test of NPR's intelligence...   On August 18, 2008, Jonathan Capehart sitting in for Leonard Lopate Show - WNYC , www.WNYC.org  (212 433 9292) [NPR's outlet in NY] interviewed in the last part of of the first hour Liz from 'The Daily News', first Liz brushed off any doubts if NY Yorkers are behind Hillary, "everybody is for NY" - she "decided",  yet, Jonathan in his desperation and worry that Mccain might win NY (NPR is independent" of course...),  asked her "but... there's no chance Mccain can win NY, Right?" Liz was "struggling" with Obama's loss from...

BEIJING (Reuters) - American Rebecca Soni broke the world record to win the women's 200 meters breaststroke final on Friday to collect her first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics. Soni surged to victory in two minutes 20.22 seconds, wiping 0.32 off the previous world record set by Australia's Leisel Jones at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Jones, who won the 100 earlier in the week, faded on the last lap to finish second in 2:22.05 while Norway's Sara Nordenstam was third in 2:23.02. Soni became just the second American female swimmer to win gold in Beijing after Natalie Coughlin won...

ANN ARBOR, MI — Today, July 31st at 10:00AM EST, a New Jersey Federal Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to a public school district’s policy totally banning Christmas music, including simple instrumentals without words, during year-end celebrations in its schools. The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan filed the federal lawsuit on the grounds that the school district’s ban on religious music conveys a government-sponsored message of disapproval and hostility toward religion in violation of the Establishment Clause. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center,...

Sharpe James, the five-term Newark mayor and a towering figure in New Jersey politics, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for failing to disclose his romantic relationship with a girlfriend he helped get lucrative city land. "This is a sad day," U.S. District Judge William Martini said, announcing the decision after a four-hour hearing in a packed Newark courtroom. Martini also ordered James to pay $100,000 fine and report to prison Sept. 15. "A sad day for the citizens of Newark who are disappointed in the conduct of the mayor." James, 72, stood stoically as Martini imposed the...

Deputy Assembly Speaker Neil Cohen is being investigated for alleged possession of child pornography, according to two of his Democratic colleagues who said they brought the matter to the attention of law enforcement. In a joint statement, Sen. Raymond Lesniak and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (both D-Union) confirmed they alerted authorities to the possibility Cohen (D-Union) had child pornography on his computers. "As the facts became apparent in our office, we notified the appropriate agency and will continue to assist in any way possible," Lesniak and Cryan said. "While it was our proactive steps that led to the investigation to this...

N.J. Councilman Starts Crusade Against Saggy PantsPaterson Politician Is Sick And Tired Of The Look And If He Has It His Way, Indecency Fines Will Soon Follow Reporting Christine Sloan Jul 15, 2008 8:08 pm US/Eastern PATERSON, N.J. (CBS) ― Instead of "stick 'em up," it will be more like "pull 'em up" now that fashion police in New Jersey have started a crackdown on baggy pants. It's happening in Paterson, where city officials want to put the kibosh on this form of fashion. Bart Johnson says wearing his pants low in a fashion statement, but one councilman is saying...

Democrat Frank Lautenberg, seeking a fifth term in the U.S. Senate, can breathe a little easier this month. The incumbent leads Republican challenger Dick Zimmer 49% to 36% in the latest Rasmussen reports telephone survey in New Jersey. When “leaners” are included, Lautenberg leads the Republican 50% to 37%. Last month, the two candidates were virtual tied, with Lautenberg on top by just a single percentage point. That poll was taken just days after Lautenberg survived a primary challenge that raised questions about whether he was too old to serve. Still, while the new poll provides better news for the...

A banner slogan on the Pemberton Republican Club's Web site that said, "Obama loves America like O.J. loved Nicole," disappeared yesterday after local Democrats alleged racist campaign tactics. The Web master, Ed Kuck, a recently elected Republican County committeeman, said he had seen the slogan on an Internet site and copied it onto the club's Web page about a month ago as "a joke." He removed it yesterday from the site, http://homewebs.net/pem, after a community person told him it would offend people, he said. "I found out it was inappropriate, and I took it down," Kuck said, adding: "I just...

On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court held what is plainly obvious to any grade school student who can read and understand English: that when the Constitution says a "right of the people," it really means a "right of the people," even when the Constitution is talking about firearms. That such a question was even the subject of controversy, or that there were dissenting Justices, is a sad testimony to the state of our nation. It is also a testimony to one of the worst hoaxes and frauds ever perpetrated by gun ban extremists: the phony claim that the phrase...

As investigators review video footage they hope will reveal why a Denville police officer shot a 21-year-old motorist five times, the dead man's mother called the officer a murderer and said she has hired an attorney. Miles holds a photo of her son Ruben Martinez when he was a junior at Morris Knolls High School. Martinez now 21 and living in Texas, was shot and killed early Thusrdsay morning by a Denville police officer.  "Last night, I kept visualizing five gunshots pounding into a young man, 140 pounds," Maureen Miles, the mother of Ruben W. Martinez, said Friday. She...

Police have named the female suspect wanted for a double shooting in Newark that killed an 18-year-old girl celebrating her high school graduation. Sujeidi Ocasio and another teen were shot at a graduation party outside 196 Lincoln Avenue just after 12:15 a.m. Ocasio was rushed to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities say the single bullet, allegedly fired by 18-year-old Nicole Guyette, went through Ocasio's neck and struck 15-year-old Jasmine Perez. Perez was treated and released from University Hospital in Newark, officials say. "She got shot for no reason," Perez said. "So the bullet went through her and...

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling recognizing an individual right to bear arms set off an immediate debate on how it will affect New Jersey's gun laws, which are among the toughest in the nation. State Attorney General Anne Milgram saw minimal if any impact, noting the District of Columbia handgun ban that was invalidated by the high court is unlike anything in the Garden State. "We regulate the possession of handguns; we don't ban handguns," Milgram said. "We believe the court affirmed the right of states to regulate gun ownership to protect public safety and endorsed common-sense licensing of firearms...

VIDEO: Watch Fox 5's coverageA man being sought for shooting and killing his estranged wife to death while she watched one of their children swim at a Montclair YMCA had been ordered in October to have no contact with her. Kenneth A. Duckett was under a restraining order that specified no contact with Monica Paul, but allowed him to have visitation rights with their two children, said Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.  "Basically, it was like a curbside drop-off," Loriquet said. The couple had separated in August, but it was unclear when they had...

It’s the US constitution which protects my right to free speech; the first amendment specifically. And since the members of the major news media are protected by the same law, they have certainly (and repeatedly) made you aware of it. There is no doubt about it ... the right to freedom of speech is highly regarded by those who make their living speaking freely, but there are several other rights in the constitution as well. And as of yesterday, the only real difference between those and the right of free speech is the volume and frequency the major media reminds...

New Jersey is prepared to "vigorously enforce" its tough firearms laws following a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a handgun ban in the nation's capital, state officials said Thursday. Attorney General Anne Milgram said the decision affirmed New Jersey's right to regulate firearms ownership, while gun rights proponents took a different tack, calling the ruling an "opening salvo" to a nationwide overhaul. "We regulate the possession of handguns — we don't ban handguns," Milgram said. "But we have strict licensing requirements and we are prepared to maintain those requirements and vigorously enforce our laws." Wayne LaPierre, executive...

The Court did not much address the issue of machine guns, but the “common use” test that it prescribes will be problematic. However, I think The Court has set itself up for an intellectual bind. Machine guns are not in common use, but that’s entirely because of the 1986 prohibition on new registrations preceded by 18 years of heavy regulations inder GCA 68, and decades of regulation prior to that under the National Firearms Act. In short, machine guns fail the common use test because government regulations and prohibitions make them uncommon. I think this is an argument that could...

The minister who survived a lightning bolt [Rockaway, NJ] -- A fall into Purgatory Chasm couldn't take down the Rev. Matthew McNamara many years ago, and a bolt of lightning that ripped through him from head to toe this week was no match either. "I feel blessed," McNamara said yesterday from his hospital bed at Morristown Memorial Hospital, where he is in good condition and being treated for burns to his head and foot. The Pequannock resident was hit by lightning Monday night as he was readying Camp Marcella, a state-run summer camp for blind and visually impaired children, for...

A rare wildflower never before seen in the Garden State has been discovered in a forest in northwest New Jersey, state officials said Thursday. The fern-leaf scorpion-flower, or Phacelia bipinnatifida, was found on the forest floor and adjacent rock outcrops in the natural area at Whittingham Wildlife Management Area in Sussex County, a botanically rich location already home to 22 other endangered or threatened plants. "The amazing discovery of this beautiful wildflower underscores the importance of the work we are doing to thoroughly inventory the natural treasures that exist within hundreds of thousands of state-owned lands," said Lisa Jackson, commissioner...

Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and '40s, Ed Deeb attended a Syrian Orthodox church where members worshiped entirely in Arabic. But by the time Beeb moved to North Jersey in the 1950s, he was ready for a new direction. He and several other Syrian Orthodox Christians from Brooklyn founded St. Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church, a congregation that maintained Eastern Orthodox traditions but held its services in English and recruited people of different nationalities. The approach seemed natural at the time, Deeb said. "When we were growing up in Brooklyn, our parents were very strong on us becoming Americans,"...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- To draw attention to the way abortion disproportionately affects the African-American community, black pro-life advocates will be protesting outside the upcoming annual meeting of the nation's largest organization representing blacks. The NAACP protest will also reach the Democratic presidential candidate. Rev. Clenard Childress, a New Jersey pastor, told LifeNews.com about the protest and said pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama and former candidate Hillary Clinton will be at the convention.  "Because 2008 is an election year, the presidential candidates will undoubtedly speak at the convention. This gives us a national stage to make our case to the...

CNN's Lou Dobbs isn't talking about rumours that he's thinking about running for governor of New Jersey. Dobbs lives on a 300-acre farm in Sussex County. Dobbs told The Star-Ledger of Newark he's "not going to comment.'' State Republican chairman Tom Wilson tells the newspaper the Dobbs' buzz is circulating among GOP officials and fundraisers in New York City and Washington. Wilson says the first thing Dobbs should do is register as a Republican. The CNN host switched from the GOP to an independent in 2006. Dobbs gained fame hosting "Moneyline.'' Gov. Jon S. Corzine became a multimillionaire on Wall...

NJ Assembly Committee To Consider Gun Ban!Bill is an Attack on Sportsmen, Collectors, and Target Shooters On Thursday morning, June 12, the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider legislation that would ban the purchase, transfer, and inheritance of many popular hunting guns, historical American firearms, and large bore target firearms, based on alleged public safety concerns. Touted as a ban on .50 caliber and larger firearms, A2116 assaults New Jersey sportsmen by banning dozens of models of popular hunting guns, including traditional .50 muzzle loaders with synthetic stocks, fiber optic sights, or scopes in lieu of sights....

Memo to NBC’s Bob Costas and everyone else covering today’s 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore:  The name of the race is pronounced “prake-ness” — not the commonly repeated “preek-ness — and if you don’t believe it, talk to old-timers in Wayne, where a famous racehorse of long ago still is remembered as a hometown hero.  “I cringe every time I hear them say the name ‘Preakness’ on television,” said Dr. Robert Brubaker, the 84-year-old chairman emeritus of the Wayne Township Historical Commission. “They always pronounce it wrong. The word rhymes with ‘break.’Costas, a sports announcer with...

Another New Jersey school principal -- the third educator in a month -- has been indicted on car arson charges in Essex County as prosecutors crack down on suspected insurance fraud. The charges against Amanda Wright-Stafford, principal of the Lincoln Avenue Elementary School in Orange, come as cases of auto insurance fraud are growing nationally, according to experts who blame the souring economy. Wright-Stafford, 51, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges she faked the theft of her 2000 Honda Passport, which was found burning in East Orange in 2006. An indictment handed up in Superior...

The Hill of Crosses, hundreds of thousands of them, tightly packed and dating from about the 14th century, stands in the city of Siauliai, Lithuania, as a symbol of opposition to foreign occupation and persecution in the small Eastern European country. During the Soviet era, the communists tried to bulldoze and flood the sacred national site.  In Paterson, a framed photograph of the hill hangs in the basement of St. Casimir's Parish, a testament to the enduring national pride of the Lithuanian Catholic church, one of the city's last churches catering to the ethnic group for which it was...

PARIS - Police detained a suspected pedophile in New Jersey Thursday, just two days after Interpol made a rare appeal for public help in the international manhunt to catch him, the police agency said. Wayne Nelson Corliss, 58, was detained in Union City, N.J., Interpol said. He is suspected of sexually abusing at least three boys from Southeast Asia thought to have been as young as 6 to 10 years old, the international police agency said. Interpol had asked for the public's help because two years of police investigations had failed to determine the man's identity, nationality and whereabouts. It...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... . U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. . . Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their...

Christie clarifies: 'Illegal' immigrants are in civil violation by Brian Donohue/ Star-Ledger staff Tuesday April 29, 2008, 12:03 PM The office of U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie on Monday issued a statement addressing criticism of remarks he made regarding illegal immigration at a church forum in Dover Sunday. In response to a question from an audience member, Christie said that immigrants are not committing a crime by being in the country illegally.Monday, Christie said that while entering the country illegally is considered a federal misdemeanor, simply lacking legal immigration status is a civil violation.

NJ has thousands of far more pressing problems,but... a NJ Assemblyman wants to ban the sale of high-caffeine beverages to "underage" consumers. It never stops !!!

A Gannett New Jersey study finds the number of government employees with two or more public jobs that paid more than $100,000 together swelled by 20 percent last year. Those multiple job holders had a collective salary of $107.8 million. My colleague James W. Prado Roberts reports there were 6,271 multiple job holders including one woman who had 12 jobs. Sen. Stephen Sweeney asks "Is it really right for part-time workers to be in the pension system?" Does the question really have to be asked? To take a look at the double-dippers click here.... http://php.app.com/NJpublicemployees/results2.php

What is good for the goose evidently isn't so good for the gander when it's New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine doing the honking about New York City's congestion-pricing plan. Leading up to yesterday's deadline for New York state lawmakers to vote on the proposal, Corzine weighed in last week by saying that he was dismayed by the scheme and would bring suit against New York if it went ahead with the proposal to charge motorists $8 and truckers $21 to drive into the most heavily trafficked parts of Manhattan; the N.J. governor was angry as well that the fees...

The state Senate today gave final legislative approval to a bill to allow workers to take paid leaves of absence to care for family members. The measure passed by a vote of 21-15 despite the objections of opponents who said it will hurt the state's economy and make New Jersey less competitive. The paid family leave act (A873) would allow workers to apply for up to six weeks off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or a sick parent, spouse or child, and collect up to two-thirds of their pay, up to a maximum of $524 a...

Biotech exec puts ailing children before U.S. Senate run by Robert Schwaneberg/ The Star-Ledger Sunday April 06, 2008, 1:05 PM Despite the encouragement of thousands of New Jerseyans and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, a Princeton father who founded his own biotech company to save two of his children from a rare disease will not run for U.S. Senate. John Crowley, a Navy reservist and president of Amicus Therapeutics of Cranbury, decided this morning not to seek the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, his friend, adviser and fellow Republican Bill Spadea said. "Given his tremendous level of responsibility, first to...

3 Comments | Post CommentApril 6, 2008 - 11:16am The GOP mess: Crowley won't run; Unanue is reconsidering By Editor Tags: U.S. Senate, Rob Andrews, Murray Sabrin, Joseph Pennacchio, John Crowley, Frank Lautenberg John Crowley will not seek the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, and Andy Unanue is now reconsidering his decision to drop out of the race, as Republicans continue their quest to find a candidate to face off against the winner of the Frank Lautenberg vs. Rob Andrews primary. Crowley, who wanted to run, has been unable to transition out of his role as President and CEO of...

Sweeping changes are afoot for Roman Catholics in South Jersey, as the bishop of the Diocese of Camden announces a plan to consolidate parishes and probably close dozens of churches.Half a million Catholics from Camden, NJ to Cape May, NJ were hoping to discern the fate of their individual houses of worship as Bishop Joseph Galante announced his plans for parish consolidations.But the plan was being presented as a "work in progress" for change within the Catholic Church in South Jersey.Bishop Joseph Galante (above) made the announcement on Thursday afternoon that the 124 parishes across the southern part of New Jersey were being consolidated into 66,...

Ignoring calls by party leaders to stay out of the race, U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, D-1st, said he would take on U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., in the June Democratic primary, according to an e-mailed statement from Andrews spokesman Bill Caruso. Andrews said people across the state wanted "real choices based on a positive, substantive campaign" and that state voters deserve a choice. "Today's newspapers carry stories of 'threats of retribution' against citizens who wish to engage in such a campaign," Andrews said in the release. "It is time that someone stood up to this kind of politics and stood...

LODI — The Sopranos may not be sleeping with the fishes after all. The manager of Satin Dolls, known to fans as the infamous Bada Bing, says Tony Soprano and his crew could be smoking cigars at their favorite gentleman’s club once again — to film a Sopranos movie. Nick D’Urso, the manager, said renovations at “The Bing” were put on hold after the club received a phone call about plans for a feature film version of Jersey’s favorite crime family. Unwilling to break his vow of omerta, D’Urso refused to say who contacted him, but he insists the information...