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Super Bowl Sunday storm could dump 3 to 6 inches of snow on parts of N.J.

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Most of New Jersey and New York City will likely see mostly rain, changing to snow at times, with very low accumulations.

large winter storm system is expected to bring a mix of rain and snow to the New Jersey region on Super Bowl Sunday, with the potential for some some areas to get 3 to 6 inches of snow, forecasters said on Friday afternoon.

Most of the heavier snow will likely be limited to high-elevation areas of the Garden State, such as Sussex, northern Passaic, northern Warren and eastern Bergen, according to forecasters from the National Weather Service.

Although the forecast could change as the storm gets closer, most areas of northern and central New Jersey -- aside from the high-elevation areas -- will likely see far more rain than snow because of warmer temperatures on Sunday.

nj-nyc-snow-forecast-super-bowl-sunday.jpgHere is the National Weather Service's snow forecast for northeastern sections of New Jersey, along with New York City and Long Island, N.Y., from early Sunday morning through early Monday morning. A forecast map for the rest of New Jersey is currently not available.  

The New York regional office of the National Weather Service, which handles the northeastern region of New Jersey, is forecasting as much as 4 to 6 inches of snow in much of Passaic County and in western Bergen County from early Sunday morning through early Monday morning.

The weather service's New Jersey regional office is forecasting 3 to 6 inches of snow in much of Sussex County and northern Warren County, 1 to 3 inches of snow in Morris County and lower Warren County, and up to a half-inch of snow in Somerset, Middlesex and Mercer counties, said meteorologist Lance Franck.

Most of central and southern New Jersey can expect the storm to bring mostly rain, with a potential for a dusting of snow, Franck said.

As of now, it appears temperatures will remain near the freezing mark in northwestern sections of New Jersey, so the precipitation in those areas will predominantly be snow on Sunday, Franck said. In other parts of the state, temperatures are expected to rise above the freezing mark, bringing some snow early Sunday before it changes to rain and possibly back to snow again.

Before the storm system arrives, New Jersey will be dealing with a cold and blustery day on Friday, with temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s and winds gusting as high as 30 mph at times. The mercury will drop into the upper teens Friday night into Saturday morning, with mostly dry but cold conditions on Saturday afternoon.

Precipitation is expected to arrive in the hours after midnight Saturday night.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 
 


Veteran leaders: N.J. girls basketball's top seniors - our picks, your votes

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Take a look at the top seniors in the state and places your votes for the best.

Louis Zorich, the dad from 'Mad About You' and longtime N.J. resident, dead at 93

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He is most well-known for his role on the hit television series "Mad About You."

These 35 N.J. inmates escaped and still remain on the loose

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A few are from prisons, but most ran away from one of the state's halfway houses.

This prominent Republican wants to succeed Frelinghuysen as he praises Trump

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A New Jersey state assemblyman just entered the race for the Republican nomination.

WASHINGTON -- A big-name Republican announced on Saturday that he would run for the congressional seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen.

Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Morris, became the first Republican to enter the race following Frelinghuysen's announcement and joins lawyer Martin Hewitt in the GOP primary. 

"I'm all in," said Webber, 45.

In an election year seen as a referendum on Donald Trump, who has record-low approval ratings, Webber praised the president's first year in office, promising to "continue the progress we've made in the last year toward reviving our economy, creating more and better paying jobs, strengthening the rule of law, and restoring America's security and standing in the world.

What happens next in 11th District?

He also took aim at critics of the Trump administration, deciding not to "give in to the angry intimidation of the far left who seek to 'resist' every idea that comes from someone who doesn't share their outlier extremism" and instead choosing to "stand up for the beliefs and principles that have served our country so well for so long."

Trump won the district, albeit with less than 50 percent of the vote, and Frelinghuysen voted against the Republican tax bill championed by the president. The legislation disproportionately affected New Jersey by gutting the federal deduction for state and local taxes.

In the Assembly, Webber opposed efforts by New Jersey Democrats to force Trump to disclose his income tax returns. Trump is the only president in 40 years to refuse to release his returns. Another New Jersey lawmaker, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., has led the fight in Congress to get the tax returns

The race is considered a toss-up by the two Washington-based publications that track congressional races, the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections.

Webber has served in the Assembly since 2008. Because New Jersey elects its state legislators in odd-numbered years, he does not have to give up his seat to run for Congress.

He starts with a financial disadvantage. Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor, raised $1.2 million last year and entered January with almost $822,000 in the bank, Federal Election Commission filings show.

New Jersey's 11th District is one of two open-seat races in the state. Besides Frelinghuysen, Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., is retiring. Both men were elected in the 1994 House Republican landslide that ended 40 years of Democratic control.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on FacebookFind NJ.com Politics on Facebook

12 families displaced after blaze tears through Newark homes

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Authorities say the the cause of the fire has not been determined but believe it may be a space heater.

A fast-moving fire that spread to three homes left 12 families displaced Saturday morning.

More than 60 firefighters battled the three-alarm blaze for hours in frigid conditions on Flemming Avenue where the fire started in a two-story residence and quickly jumped to two neighboring homes shortly before 2 a.m., according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

Newark's Fire Division's Arson Unit is still investigating but officials believe the cause of the fire was a space heater. 

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by 5 a.m., according to officials. 

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Newark police say the homes were destroyed, leaving 33 people without a home.

As a result, the American Red Cross of New Jersey, according to Communications Director Diane Concannon, responded to the scene with six volunteers to hand out emergency financial assistance for food, clothing and other immediate needs. 

Only two families needed lodging assistance, and the rest of the families are staying with friends and family Concannon said.

Three members of the Newark Fire Division were injured, all suffering from shoulder injuries and one also injuring his hip from a fall. They were treated at University Hospital.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyo.

Man found dead in car after apparent shooting, officials say

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The man, whom prosecutors have not identified, was suffering from gunshot wounds.

A man was found dead in a car in Bloomfield on Saturday after apparently being shot, officials said. 

Township police saw the unresponsive man in the vehicle around 7 p.m. on the 200 block of Ampere Parkway, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

The man, whom prosecutors said has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:12 p.m. 

The prosecutor's office Homicide Task Force and Bloomfield police are investigating. Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the Prosecutor's Tips Line at 877-847-7432. 

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook

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Legalize pot? Not so fast | Di Ionno

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Former state police superintendent Rick Fuentes and state Sen. Ron Rice raise objections

Rick Fuentes headed the New Jersey State Police for 15 years before retiring in October. He was appointed by Jim McGreevey, a Democrat, and stayed through the administration of Chris Christie, a Republican.

"I always believed the state police should be apolitical," he said. "You serve both sides of the aisle."

He decided to retire almost exactly a year ago, he said, long before the eventual near-certain election of Gov. Phil Murphy began to take shape.

"I had an excellent cadre of lieutenant colonels," he said. "I thought it was time to give some of them a chance."

So, he didn't retire because of Murphy's promise to legalize marijuana. But had Fuentes not retired before the election, he would have done so right after.

That's how strongly he disagrees with the legalization of marijuana.

"I would have stepped aside," he said. "It would have been a moral compromise for me."

New Jersey State Sen. Ron Rice (D-Essex) also sees moral compromise in passing a marijuana legalization bill without "bringing all the issues to light."

Rice, a former Marine and Newark police officer, is the chairman of New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus.

He is reaching out to those members and the larger New Jersey Black Elected Officials Policy Alliance to discuss the ramifications of legalized pot on the black community. He is planning a series of town halls in urban centers, beginning with Jersey City on Feb. 21.

"Everybody says, 'Let's legalize pot because we're locking up more blacks -- three times more than whites -- on pot charges,'" Rice said. "Well, we can decriminalize. We don't have to legalize to turn those people loose."

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns 

Rice and Fuentes said that the legal pot industry is targeting minority communities in Colorado.

"Look at where the stores are," Fuentes said. "Many are clustered in depressed neighborhoods."

"The last thing we need in Newark, which is finally starting to experience a comeback, is more stoned people on the street," Rice said. "I see this as big-money interests coming in to do harm to our community. Believe me, I've seen the effects of drugs on our streets. There are foreseeable consequences of legalization we would be negligent not to look at."

The two strongest arguments for legalization, both men said, are tax revenues and the disparity of arrests between whites and people of color.

"You can't make an economic argument when people's lives are at stake," Rice said.

Fuentes believes that any tax revenue will be negated by what it will cost to oversee and regulate implementation. 

"For what the state will make, the social cost is too high," he said. "To legalize it, then spend the revenue on drug enforcement, education and treatment is like a dog chasing its tale."

Fuentes, 67, has vast experience fighting drugs, dating back almost 30 years.

It began with the discovery of a Sylmar, Cal., warehouse where two Colombian drug cartels stored 21 tons of cocaine to distribute across the country.
"Many of the trucks outside were registered in New Jersey, so we knew it was headed here," Fuentes said, who was on a joint anti-terrorism squad with the FBI in Newark at the time.

But the big California case made the New Jersey State Police realize they needed more resources on drug enforcement and Fuentes was pulled into the "war on drugs." Not at the street level. At the distribution level. Working with police in California, Texas, Florida and other states, he and state police detective Greg Wilson gathered intelligence to stop major supplies from coming into New Jersey. In four years, they intercepted 4,000-pounds of cocaine.

"I saw how enormous a problem it was," he said. "Before that (while in anti-terrorism), I had never even seen a crack vile. But then I saw the impact it had on the street level."

Fuentes became so intrigued with the enormity of large-scale distribution, it was the subject of his criminal justice doctoral thesis at City University of New York.  With access to records of the Drug Enforcement Agency and interviews with cops and convicts alike, Fuentes researched the Cali drug cartel's business model, from the growing fields of Colombia to the streets of American cities.

 Now he is taking the same "academic approach" to his personal war on the legalization of marijuana.

"I'm basing my opinion not on emotion, but science," he said. "There is evidence being overlooked by the pro-legalization side, or not brought into the discussion, that needs to be looked at."

For starters, Fuentes cites a 2015 report from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Traffic Area, a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. 

Among the findings are that marijuana-related traffic deaths rose 154 percent from 2006 to 2014, and marijuana-related emergency room visits climbed 77 percent from 2011 to 2014. The report also looked at high school suspensions and expulsions, which climbed 40 percent from 2008 to 2014. Colorado voters approved recreational pot use in 2012 and it was legalized in January 2014.

The report is controversial in that the pro-pot advocates say the language can be loosely applied. Marijuana "related" doesn't necessarily mean pot was the cause of the crash, the ER visit, or trouble in school. Pot advocates say THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, can stay in the bloodstream long after the person is no longer impaired by its effects.

For Fuentes, those semantics are like playing with fire. Especially when it comes to cannabis users under the age of 21.

"Marijuana use by kids from 12 to 17 in Colorado leads the nation," he said. "And there are plenty of studies of the negative effect of marijuana on brain development in youth."

Because recreational pot is being sold in edibles, like brownies and cookies, Fuentes said, emergency calls to poison control are up 150 percent in Colorado.

Rice began his police experience in 1982, in the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic.

"I've seen it," he said. "I've seen what it does to a community. Now it's heroin, and opiates. Maybe you can't compare those to marijuana, but it is morally wrong for us to legalize any drug without fully understanding what we're getting into. There's a lot of problems with this and, to me, those problems are going to come down on the heads of the black community." 

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.


Boys basketball final power points, plus section-by-section analysis

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Where is your team in the power points report?

Girls basketball final power points, plus section-by-section analysis

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Take a look at the girls basketball power points as of the cutoff date.

Fatal Bloomfield shooting 'not random attack,' mayor says

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The mayor said the East Orange man was found shot dead inside his car but said the incident did not involve Bloomfield residents.

The man found dead inside a car in Bloomfield Saturday night has been identified as Juan P. Santos-Martinez, of East Orange. 

Santos-Martinez, 55, had multiple gunshot wounds when he was discovered by Bloomfield Police around 7 p.m. on the 200 block of Ampere Parkway, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:12 p.m., according to Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly.

Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia assured the community Sunday that the Ampere Parkway incident was not "a random attack" and did not involve any local residents. 

"It appears that both the victim and the assailant were residents of East Orange and were traveling through Bloomfield when the incident occurred," Venezia wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. "Residents, please be advised this was not a random attack and did not involve Bloomfield residents. Sadly, our town has been a victim of this incident as well."

The Essex County Prosecutor's Homicide Task Force and the Bloomfield Police Department continue investigating the shooting.

Anyone with information can call the Prosecutor's Tips Line at 877-847-7432.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.

 

Regeneron names student scholars

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New Jersey students are named scholars in the nationwide contest.

 

LIVINGSTON/MILLBURN -- Last month, 20 students from New Jersey were among the 300 students nationwide named as scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a nationwide science and math competition for high school seniors founded and produced by the Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit organization that promotes the understanding and appreciation of science.

The organization invites students to submit original scientific research to be judged by experts in their fields. Each of the scholars, selected from 1,818 entrants, received a $2,000 award for themselves and an additional $2,000 for their school.

Among those chosen as scholars were Millburn High School students Miriam Engel and Natalie Juo, and Carrie Li, a student at Livingston High School.

This year, no New Jersey students advanced to the finals. Last year, Indrani Das of Oradell, a student at the Academy for Medical Science Technology at the Bergen Academies, won first place and the $250,000 top prize.

To submit school news send an email to essex@starledger.com.

WATCH: Pras of the Fugees launches Blacture movement in Super Bowl ad

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'Be celebrated. Not tolerated.' That's the message of Blacture, a new movement and platform created by Pras Michel. Watch video

"Be celebrated. Not tolerated." 

That's the message put forth in a Super Bowl commercial on Sunday starring Pras Michel, who, alongside Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, is a former member of the New Jersey hip-hop group the Fugees, which originated in the Oranges. (Michel, who grew up in Irvington, attended Columbia High School in Maplewood with Hill.)

At the start of the spot, titled "Be Celebrated," which aired during the third quarter of the game, the Grammy-winning Michel stands onstage in a theater, blindfolded with his mouth covered. He then takes off the bindings and looks knowingly out into the audience.

Enter the message: "Be celebrated. Not tolerated." The ad directs viewers to blacture.com, a new movement started by Pras to empower and increase the visibility of black artists. The project's Facebook page calls Blacture "a voice and a vision for black culture" produced by Michel. 

According to Adweek, the Blacture ad, directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day"), is a collaboration between Michel and the advertising agencies McKinney and Leijas. The actual platform for Blacture, it says, is set to debut in March (though a countdown clock on the website currently stands at 56 days and 19 hours). 

In a video on the site, Michel, 45, describes Blacture as "the epicenter for everything that is black -- black excellence." He says black filmmakers, journalists and anyone who "creates" could be included on the platform. 

"Pras is passionate about giving black culture a voice, and, given the controversy surrounding Black Lives Matter that unfolded throughout the NFL season and the conversations taking place in the American political arena, he believes that this is the time for a call to amplify the underserved voices in black culture," said a representative for Michel in a statement to AllHipHop.com.

A section of the Blacture site is dedicated to Black History Month.

"Black History Month is the shortest month of the year," it reads. "It's time to change that. Blacture is proudly extending Black History Month from 28 to 31 days. In order to promote calendar equality, we will profile 31 pioneers of black excellence in America."

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

 

 

N.J. pets in need: Feb. 5, 2018

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Pets all over New Jersey wait patiently for adoption.

Here is this week's collection of some of the dogs and cats in need of adoption in New Jersey.

We are now accepting dogs and cats to appear in the gallery from nonprofit shelters and rescues throughout New Jersey.

If a group wishes to participate in this weekly gallery on nj.com, please contact Greg Hatala at ghatala@starledger.com or call 973-836-4922.

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

Cadets back in police academy a week after getting booted for booze

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The group was dismissed from the fall class on Jan. 16 for violating the academy's rules. They were re-enrolled in the next class a week later.

The four cadets who were kicked out of the police academy in Cape May for sneaking alcohol onto the barracks the day before graduation last month were re-enrolled in the training facility a week later, officials confirmed. 

Guy Cross of the Perth Amboy Police Department, William Omrod of Lower Township's Police Department, Anthony Payne of the Wildwood Police Department and Kirk Rohrer of Sea Isle City's Police Department started their second stint at the Cape May County Police Academy on Jan. 23 and are still enrolled in the program, county counsel Jeff Lindsay said in a statement.  

The group was dismissed from the fall class on Jan. 16 for violating the academy's rules during the five-month program, which requires recruits to live at the Cape May County Court House for the entirety of their training, Lindsay said.

The county previously would not release details of the incident but provided a statement Friday after records requests seeking class rosters. Lindsay said in the statement the four were removed for bringing "alcoholic beverages on to the academy grounds."

Academy officials reported the incident that was referred back to the cadet agency for any discipline, according to Lindsay. The departments chose to re-enroll the cadets into the next available class, he said.

Any other cadets, now sworn police officers, who were caught drinking would be disciplined internally by their sending agencies, Lindsay previously said. It was unclear how many recruits in the fall class were involved. 

The academy, which is overseen by the Cape May County Freeholders, trains police, rescue personnel and 911 dispatchers from around the state and charges agencies $2,500 for each cadet for the Basic Police Officer class. Cape May County agencies can send their recruits free of charge since they provide instructors.

"The Academy is not, nor should it be, involved in determining the appropriate corrective action that an employer takes toward a recruit who has been dismissed by the Academy," Lindsay said in an emailed statement. "Throughout this incident, the Academy acted diligently and consistent with its rules, regulations and applicable Police Training Commission Guidelines."

Calls to police officials in Wildwood, Sea Isle City and Lower Township were not returned. 

A Perth Amboy spokeswoman referred NJ Advance Media to the city's previous statement but did not answer questions about Guy's re-enrollment.

Payne was hired by the Wildwood in 2013 is paid $31,368 per year, records show. Omrod and Rohrer make about $26,000 per year, according to salary records from their respective municipalities.  Cross has an annual salary of $35,433, according to records. 

The academy graduated 58 officers from 18 separate agencies in at least four counties on Jan. 17.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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NJ.com boys basketball Top 20, Feb. 5: Top-ranked teams collide

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Who landed in NJ.com's most recent rankings?

One of the most stylish new bars in years just opened. Check out the digs

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Concert-goers can tote food and beverages from Pharmacie Liquor Bar right into the Wellmont.

3 arrested in drug, gun bust in Newark

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Search warrants executed at three spots on Mapes Street

Four guns and thousands of dollars in drugs were seized when authorities executed a search warrant at three locations in Newark on Friday.

newark-arrests.jpgFrom left: Jamil White, John Guy and Garry Curry. (Newark Department of Public Safety) 

Raids on Mapes Avenue yielded three handguns, an assault rifle, 196 jugs of cocaine and 176 decks of heroin worth $6,825, Newark police said in a statement. 

They also seized $770 in cash as some marijuana after executing the search warrant. 

Newark residents John Guy, 47; Garry Curry, 32, and Jamil White, 24, were charged with a various drug offenses, police said in a statement. 

Guy and White were also charged with a weapons offense. 

Newark police, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey State Police combined on the investigation. 

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

21 burning questions surrounding N.J. girls basketball as postseason nears

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The biggest questions in N.J. girls basketball as postseason play hits the court.

National Signing Day 2018: Status of all of N.J.'s top high school football recruits

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Who's signed, who's not and who's still deciding: Signing Day is Wednesday.

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