Free Republic

The hazing antics of two New York City high school students during a school trip stop at a New Jersey motel last year that included branding a fellow student’s buttocks have landed them a two year prison sentence, officials said. The students, whose names were not released because of their age, pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated hazing and three counts of hazing, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday. The Queens-based Francis Lewis High School students will serve their time at the New Jersey Training School in Monroe Township, prosecutors said. “We believe...

A woman in Shamong Township, Burlington County, was found living with 44 dead dogs and 130 living dogs in "deplorable" conditions, State Police said. Donna Roberts, 65, was charged with animal cruelty Tuesday after State Police from the Red Lion Station inspected her home on Oakshade Road. With the Burlington County Health Department, authorities discovered "evidence of animal cruelty inflicted upon various breeds of dogs on the property," State Police said in a statement. The odor of animal feces and ammonia permeated the inside of the residence, which caused several responders to feel dizzy and nauseous, State Police said. The...

Prosecutors say a woman shot and killed her wife Sunday in their New Jersey home. Laura Bluestein, 28, was charged Monday with first degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and tampering with evidence. Police were called Sunday by a relative of Bluestein, who reported a possible assault at her home in Mount Holly, New Jersey. When they arrived they found 29-year-old Felicia Dormans dead from a gunshot wound to the face. …

With Congress deadlocked over how to handle illegal immigration, a growing number of towns and cities are taking matters into their own hands, using local laws to crack down on the problems associated with a massive underground population. In New Jersey, some towns have toughened traffic laws to deter contractors from picking up day laborers on city streets. Others have tried to ban workers from gathering on street corners to wait for work. Several have launched housing code crackdowns to combat overcrowding. One has banned illegal immigrants from renting apartments altogether. And few, are having much success. In a growing...

TRENTON, March 25 - After countless newspaper headlines and snide pop-culture references about the misdeeds of New Jersey politicians, it has become conventional wisdom to assume that the state is controlled by a handful of self-interested political bosses. Many New Jersey political leaders insist that the reputation is undeserved and argue that the state's public servants are no more mercenary than their counterparts elsewhere. Still, decisions involving the intersection of politics, government policy and private interest are usually made so far from public view that there are few actual opportunities to watch government in action. A court fight in Burlington...

The familiar black and white speed limit signs in some rural parts of Burlington County aren't getting drivers to slow down. They're also not getting any laughs, but officials believe new signs going up on a few roads should do both. The brightly colored signs are scheduled to go up next week along county roads in Shamong and Medford Lakes. The signs include messages like "Free Speeding Tickets Ahead" and "Meet Our Judge -- Exceed 25 mph." Vincent Farias, a Burlington County freeholder, saw similar signs in Long Beach Township and thought they might work in Burlington County too. "Most...

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) _ A couple charged with beating their baby to death then burning the body in a fireplace are to return to Burlington County to face murder charges this week, authorities said. Jessica Morgan and Kevin Abrahams were arrested July 16 in Kissimmee, Fla. Both are charged with murder. They did not fight extradition to New Jersey. Officials tracked them to Florida about a month after they left New Jersey. The charred remains of their infant son Sage Taylor Abrahams-Morgan, were found June 21 in the Burlington City home where the couple had lived. Burlington County authorities...

<p>May 22, 2003 -- Soon after Acting New Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco left office early last year, he joined the board of directors of a bank that got his help while he was still in office.</p> <p>In one of his last acts in office, DiFrancesco signed legislation giving the Burlington County Bridge Commission, which operates two Delaware River toll bridges, the power to issue bonds for other government entities.</p>