Free Republic

Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) has passed away from complications after suffering a heart attack on April 6. Payne never regained consciousness after the cardiac arrest and was kept alive on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. He was 65 years old. "Tammy and I are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our friend, and a steadfast champion for the people of New Jersey, Congressman Donald Payne, Jr.," wrote New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in a statement released just after noon ET on Wednesday. Payne's office originally attempted to depict the heart...

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife has confided in friends that she is convinced she will go to prison because she is short of money for legal representation, The Post has learned. Nadine Arslanian, the Democrat’s second wife, faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on bribery and corruption charges when she goes on trial in July. Her attorneys withdrew from her case earlier this month after successfully having her trial put off until July because she has “a serious medical condition” — leaving her without a defense team. Now multiple members of her social circle have told...

Former President Donald Trump is campaigning in blue New Jersey amid his criminal trial in New York, making a play for these blue areas, exactly as he said he would do. The rally is taking place in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Saturday, May 11. Trump advertised the rally on Truth Social writing, “Join me in Wildwood, New Jersey on Saturday, May 11th at 5:00PM Eastern!”:

Atlantic City Mayor in New Jersey, Marty Small, Sr., and his wife, La’Quetta Small, a school superintendent, have been charged with child abuse involving their teenage daughter. The couple was charged on Monday with allegations of physical and emotional abuse that reportedly occurred over several months. Marty Small, Sr., a 50-year-old Democrat, faces charges of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, third-degree Terroristic Threats, third-degree Aggravated Assault, and disorderly persons Simple Assault. His wife, La’Quetta Small, a 47-year-old public schools superintendent, is charged with second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child and three counts of disorderly persons Simple...

A married teacher has been arrested over an alleged sexual relationship with a student after they were caught in 'states of undress' in a nature preserve. Jessica Sawicki, 37, from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, taught English at Hamilton High School West in Trenton, which is about a 20-minute drive from the preserve. She is accused of sexually assaulting the student - who has been described as 'at least 16 but not yet 18' - at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in Upper Freehold.

Earthquakes on the East Coast are rare but sea level rise and frequent flooding may lead to a higher frequency of quakes. But here's why you shouldn't be alarmed. "An earthquake is based on tectonic plates, and New York is sitting on a 'lazy' plate, which is good, meaning we do not have so many earthquakes, but there are other things that happen -- too much rain or drought," Dr. Marsellos told NBC New York. Long periods of flooding can cause water levels to rise leading to possible landslides. Those slides can "lubricate" faults and may account for a higher...

A candidate running for Senate in New Jersey was ruthlessly goaded on social media after claiming the “climate crisis” was to blame for the Friday earthquake that rocked the tri-state area. Green Party member Christina Amira Khalil shared the controversial message just minutes after the quake, which was the strongest temblor to strike near the Big Apple in 140 years. “I experienced my first earthquake in NJ. We never get earthquakes. The climate crisis is real. The weirdest experience ever,” Khalil wrote on X.

The new "EV Tax" is the highest in the nation and will likely put the brakes on EV adoption in the Garden State. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With the stroke of a pen, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has unplugged the state's pro-electric-vehicle position, signing into law a new EV road tax that is the highest of its kind in the nation. Starting in July, New Jersey EV owners must pay an annual $250 road tax fee in an effort to offset the state's loss in fuel tax revenue. The new fee will increase by $10 each of the next four years until...

This call is so bad it feels like a fix.Referees generally catch too much flak when they botch a call, but this one from the New Jersey high school basketball playoffs utterly defies belief. The No. 3 ranked Camden Panthers were on the verge of winning vs. Manasquan when their opponents took the ball down the court and hit a very obvious buzzer beater. Cheering and sadness then reversed, as referees inexplicably waved off the final shot — saying it came after the buzzer. This isn’t even a borderline call. In real time it’s incredibly clear that Manasquan got it...

Two New Jersey officers were attacked after responding to a 911 hang-up call, police said. The attack occurred Sunday night as officers responded to a 911 hang-up call in Galloway Township, New Jersey, according to the police department. 10 Philadelphia reports that the call brought two officers to a home on Cresson Avenue, where they were attacked as they investigated the call. The attacker injured both officers — one suffered a head injury and the other was “stabbed in the face.” The attacker has been caught, and both officers were treated at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, although ABC 6...

A 64-year-old New Jersey man who operates a Trump RV was brutally beaten with a hammer on Friday and airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition. Rocky Granata of Edison, a beloved father and grandfather, was well-known in the region and across the nation for his Trump RV. Granata attended Trump rallies, traveled across the country in his Trump RV and sold merchandise. The suspect, Michael Gonzales, 36, was charged with attempted murder. The Asbury Park Press reported: A 64-year-old man from Edison was hospitalized after he was struck with a sledgehammer during an attack at Crown Tire on...

Former President Donald Trump is within single digits of President Joe Biden in blue New Jersey, the latest survey from Emerson College Polling/PIX11/the Hill found. The survey asked respondents, “In a hypothetical 2024 Presidential match-up between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who would you vote for at this time?” Less than a majority, 46 percent, said they would vote for Biden, followed by 39 percent who said they would support Trump. This puts Biden’s lead in the single digits in New Jersey — a difference of seven percentage points between the two. Another 15 percent remained undecided. Biden’s lead shrinks...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Friday was dinged on social media after saying that the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that shook New York hit “west of Manhattan” rather than mentioning New Jersey. “A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York,” Hochul said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” she continued. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the quake was near Lebanon, N.J, a description...

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook the New York City area Friday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter of the earthquake was in Lebanon, N.J., according to USGS. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said it was felt throughout the state. “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” her office said on social media. The New York City Fire Department said it had no reports of damage at this time. New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s office also said he was briefed on...

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook the coast of the northeastern United States on Friday morning. The earthquake was felt from Boston down to Baltimore, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Many incoming flights at major airports in and around New York City were being diverted from landing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in a tweet said, “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.”

My house in NJ rattled for 5 seconds, on phone with coworkers in Albany and Westchester NY, they had issues at the same time. This was about 30 sec ago.

US anti-Israel protest escalate with calls to 'attack Tel Aviv'. Pro-Palestinian protesters in Manhattan chant antisemitic slurs and praise Hamas commanders outside a ZAKA volunteering event held in Teaneck .. In footage from a protest held at Union Square in Manhattan, New York last Saturday, one of the organization’s activists, Abdallah Aqel, is seen passionately addressing the crowd and inciting provocative chants. Aqel and the surrounding protesters voiced praise for Hamas military wing spokesperson Abu Obaida, and called to "attack Tel Aviv." ...Rabbi Daniel Friedman, from the Jewish Center of Teaneck in New Jersey, recounted, "They come to the city...

The Democrat mayor of Atlantic City’s home was raided by armed police officers last week in what he now calls a “political” attack as police investigated a “family matter.” Mayor Marty Small Sr. said Monday he was approached by two Atlantic City Prosecutor’s Office officers while he was helping his mother-in-law into the car so his wife could take her to get bloodwork done at around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Fox 29 reports. The officers then presented him with five search warrants on Small’s home and vehicles as part of an ongoing investigation the mayor said he had been aware...

The Daily Mail reports that eight states are planning to BAN the sale of gas-powered cars entirely – after Biden unveiled ambitious plans to phase them out by 2032. California was the first state to adopt the plan to ban sales of gas cars by 2035. Electric vehicles made up 7.6 percent of new car sales in the US last year. It seems clear that the government will ban gas stations at some point, and they don’t seem to care that you can’t afford an EV. The rule, first adopted by California, means that automakers and dealerships would be banned...

An LGBTQ activist with top degrees from Harvard, Yale and Princeton is facing up to five years in jail on charges of downloading child porn. Roy 'Trey' Farmer, 53, was arrested at his home opposite the gates of Princeton in New Jersey on Friday after a tip-off from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) The former 'piano prodigy' sits on the board of the New York Philharmonic and is president of Queer Princeton Alumni, but it has since had his details removed from their website. A successful banker and entrepreneur, he is a former president of the...