Can you name the No. 1 team that produces D1 talent? The answer might surprise you.

For more than three decades, New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone program has boosted businesses hoping to compete with their suburban counterparts by offering reduced sales taxes and subsidies for unemployment insurance, among other incentives.

If lawmakers in the state have their way, a powerful engine for economic development in our cities will come roaring back to life.

For more than three decades, New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone program has boosted businesses hoping to compete with their suburban counterparts by offering reduced sales taxes and subsidies for unemployment insurance, among other incentives.

Trenton was one of five pioneering cities signing on to the program when it launched in 1986; at its height, the program had branched out to 37 different municipalities across the state, touching some 6,800 businesses all told.

While the initiative was designed to expire 20 years after it began in the individual communities, legislators voted in 2001 to permit a one-time extension for another 16 years.

As 2017 dawned, however, former Gov. Chris Christie chose not to approve a measure to save the program, despite pleas from such powerful UEZ advocates as the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.

The League termed the UEZ designation "a vital tool in the tool kit of local leaders working to bring their communities back from decades of decline."

Last month, the New Jersey Business & Industry Association added its backing as the state Senate Economic Growth Committee passed a bill seeking to tack another 10 years onto the program in communities where it remains in force.

The measure, sponsored by Sens. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) and Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Camden), also would bring the original cities - Trenton, Bridgeton, Camden, Newark and Plainfield - back into the UEZ fold.

The news should bring joy to owners of the 900 or so local business owners in the Capitol City who over the years benefitted from the plan, including free marketing services and networking opportunities.

"By extending the UEZ designation, we can provide an opportunity for disadvantaged communities not only to attract new companies that bring jobs for local residents, but also to keep existing businesses and to keep our residents working," Turner said.

Participation in the program is not meant to be a free ride. To qualify, business owners must meet certain requirements, such as hiring local residents or individuals who have faced long-term unemployment.

It's uncertain how Gov. Phil Murphy will respond if the Turner/Cruz-Perez bill eventually wins full approval in the Legislature.

But we're hopeful that the business-savvy governor will recognize that a state's economy rests largely on the success of its cities. UEZ's are one proven strategy to ensure that success.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Viva la familia!

Everyone likes to recall fond family memories. And, what's even better is when a family moment remains vivid because it has been captured on film.

But, sometimes all we can depend on is our memory because the photographs we took failed to come out. Or, we didn't have a camera on hand to make sure the memory could be placed in a frame.

My family shot daguerreotypesCourtesy of the Hatala family 

The current high quality of digital cameras in smart phones makes it, pardon the pun, a snap to shoot a great family photo at an event or gathering. And, of course, there's the biggest benefit of all - knowing immediately whether you should take another one.

I was recently discussing with my Mom how many one-time-only group family photos were never captured over the years because someone forgot to wind the film or buy flashbulbs. With a film camera, you only knew if the shot came out after the time it took for developing; how many once-in-a-lifetime family photos ended up as totally dark or washed-out prints?

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Someone will likely mention Polaroid here. Okay, yes, you could see the result of your shot in a minute with a Polaroid instant camera ... a camera that had a lens with limited capability to include more than a handful of people in the photo. Polaroid group shots usually boiled down to faces the size of dots.

But all family photos weren't missed or messed up. No matter where and when photos like these were taken, they all preserve the importance of family for posterity.

Here's a gallery of vintage family photos from New Jersey, and some links to other family galleries you might enjoy.

Vintage photos of families in N.J.

Vintage photos of fathers, sons and daughters in NJ

Vintage photos of mothers and their children in NJ

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

According to its Trulia listing, the taxes on the property are listed at $27,918.

In this week's "Sold!" property, we feature a home in Maplewood with nearly 3,000 square feet of living space.

The house sold for $1,055,000 in January. According to its Trulia listing, the taxes on the property are $27,918.

The home features five bedrooms, three full bathrooms and one partial bath. The house was assessed at $830,500.

The median sale price for homes in the area is $642,500.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Among them are child-sex predators, killers - and even an alleged crime boss.

Democratic candidate Lisa Mandelblatt, who had lent her campaign $300,000, threw her support to rival Tom Malinowski.

WASHINGTON -- Lisa Mandelblatt, who inserted $300,000 of her own money into her congressional campaign, suddenly withdrew from the Democratic race to take on Rep. Leonard Lance and threw her support to rival Tom Malinowski.

Mandelblatt, a teacher, was one of two women among seven Democrats seeking their party's nomination against Lance.

Malinowski and Mandelblatt together had more campaign cash to spend going into 2018 than incumbent Lance, rated just a slight favorite to win re-election in one of the 23 Republican-held congressional districts that supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.

"It is time to put changing our country over my own candidacy and do what is best for our shared goal in November," Mandelblatt said. "I want to ensure that the candidate who is best able to take out Congressman Leonard Lance has a clear field to do so. I urge the other candidates to consider the consequences of a bloody primary."

Streisand opposes Trump-friendly lawmaker

Mandelblatt had $414,239 cash-on-hand as of Dec. 31 after raising $359,023 and lending herself $300,000.  

Malinowski, a former assistant secretary of state in President Barack Obama's administration, reported raising $517,471 through Dec. 31. more than other Democrat seeking to take on Lance.

He entered January with $446,082 in the bank, less than $200,000 behind Lance, who had $607,730 to spend.

"We are so grateful for the bravery Lisa showed and can't thank her enough for the faith she has shown in Tom," Malinowski campaign manager Colston Reid said.

"Lisa's campaign has always been about living her values and doing the hard work of changing our politics and we look forward to working together with her to advance those values throughout this campaign and beyond."

Lance, meanwhile, announced his 46th town hall meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School in Bridgewater. Tickets will be available beginning at noon Thursday at lance.house.gov.

Mandelblatt's withdrawal still leaves one female candidate, bank executive Linda Weber, in the race. Weber has the endorsement of the Somerset and Essex Democratic committees, guaranteeing her the party ballot line in the June 5 primary in both counties.

"Obviously, Linda respects Lisa's decision," Weber spokeswoman Tara Dowdell said.

Mandelblatt said the 7th Congressional District was one of the "must wins" if Democrats are to win the 24 seats they need to capture a House majority in November.

"There is nothing more important than beating Lance in November, and I will do everything I can on behalf of Tom or whoever it may be to do so," she said. 

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

It's not too late to find a place in N.J. to go to for Valentine's Day.

Don't worry there's still time to find a spot to take your significant other for Valentine's Day, and if you looking in New Jersey, you are in luck because, according to Open Table, six of the most romantic restaurants in the entire country are located in the Garden State.

Based off an analysis of 12 million reviews of over 26,000 restaurants, the popular online reservation company selected six restaurants scattered throughout the state:

• Franklinville Inn in Franklinville, which "boasts an atmosphere of relaxed sophistication and style" while serving up "the finest in American cuisine," including dishes ranging from crab bisque to prime rib, according to their website.
• Peter Shields Inn in Cape may is described as "a romantic seaside getaway, with nine well-appointed guest rooms, breathtaking ocean front views and gourmet dining."
• The Saddle River Inn, which was named by Open Table as one of the 100 best restaurants in 2017, is a fine dining French restaurant located along the banks of the Saddle River

• Restaurant Lorena's in Maplewood is also a fine French cuisine with dishes ranging from Mediterranean stone bass to Australian lamb.
• Scalini Fedeli in Chatham. Located in a 260-year-old farmhouse, the food is described as "modern Italian with a distinct French flare," according to their website. Their is a second Scalini Fedeli location in Manhattan.
• Washington Inn in Cape May. Located in Victorian plantation house on Washington Street, the fine dining establishment features entrees such as espresso-rubbed Hudson Valley duck breast, grilled filet mignon and Scottish salmon. The restaurant also has a wine bar. 

In December, Open Table also named Steve & Cookie's By the Bay in Margate City as one of the best 100 restaurants in the country.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jatmonavageNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook

See the latest girls basketball Top 20 as the regular season wraps up play across N.J.

Bergen Catholic football went one from Campanile to another in regards to its head coach, as Vito will be taking over the program after Nunzio departed for Rutgers this week.

It's five o'clock somewhere, right? 2018 will bring sports bars, snazzy cocktails spots and everything in between.

Where is your team in the power points report?

A Q&A with Bergen Catholic Jack McGovern after naming Vito Campanile the 11th head coach in program history Thursday.

Paths to sectional championships

Check out NJ.com's interactive, printable brackets for this year's tournament.

The Newark student sit-in three years ago was an act of civil disobedience considered the beginning of what would eventually lead to the school district regaining local control after 22 years of state governance.

Several Newark high school students, mostly from Science Park, were not playing around three years ago when they got off the elevator on the eighth floor of the Board of Education office.

As members of the Newark Students Union (NSU), they were fed up with then- Superintendent Cami Anderson's controversial policies, school closures and her community snub when she had not been to board meetings in nearly a year.

"We found that to be blatantly disrespectful,'' said Tanaisa Brown, a former member, who is now a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in political science at Rutgers University-Newark.  "Since she decided to stop coming, we decided to meet her where she was.''

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns  

About 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, 2015, the students made their move. After attending a business board meeting on the 10th floor, they rode the elevator down two flights and took over her office for four days.

Their act of civil disobedience is considered the beginning of what would eventually lead to the school district regaining local control last Thursday after 22 years of state governance.

"We would not be where we are today had they not taken those actions,'' Mayor Ras Baraka said during an announcement at Science Park High School to mark the return of local control.

"We thank them for their effort, for their valor, their risk because they believed that their school and their school system should be moving in a direction that they agreed with.''

Unfortunately, it wasn't.

There were budget cuts, teacher layoffs, too many substitutes and a lack of resources, such as textbooks. The core issue, however, was Anderson's One Newark plan. It replaced principals and created a lottery system to enroll students that critics said destroyed neighborhood schools.

When the elevator doors opened that evening, about 10 NSU members ran into Anderson's office and set up shop, hanging their banner that read: "Now entering student territory."

"This is our space,'' said Gabrielle Vera, now an 18-year-old sophomore at Rutgers University-Newark, also a political science major, who was a freshman during the sit-in. "When you try to privatize the education of a district and you try to take away from a community the idea of a public school, it sort of takes away that space. We wanted to reframe the narrative to say this is student territory. All of this is here because of students.''

The sit-in had been planned for months, but the students already were protesting the year before, using strategies from the civil rights era on civil disobedience.

"As we were learning more about organizing, everything was an escalation of our previous actions,'' said Jose Leonardo, 20, a sophomore majoring in environmental sustainability at William Paterson, who was the NSU vice president.

NSU members attended board meetings, sometimes with tape over their mouths to symbolize how district policies silenced them. They held citywide school walk-outs, with the largest crowd attracting thousands of students to the steps of Newark City Hall. To dramatize their issues further, Leonardo, Brown and NSU President Kristin Towkaniuk and other students chained themselves, using PVC pipes, to a traffic light on Broad Street near the Board of Education office on Cedar Street. On another occasion, several of them took over a Board of Education meeting, setting the stage to take over the superintendent's office.

The four-day sit-in drew widespread media coverage, but students were out front with their cause. They live-streamed the demonstration on YouTube and posted it on Facebook and Twitter.

Parents, community leaders, city officials and board members --  many of whom had been calling for an end to the state takeover -- rallied outside of the board office to support the students. They held press conferences and brought them blankets and food when the district initially wasn't going to allow meals upstairs. TV talk show host Montel Williams tweeted his support.

"This was no joke,'' Brown said. "We were serious. We weren't just hanging out.''

They called for Anderson's resignation. They wanted an end to One Newark enrollment. They demanded movement toward local control, and for Anderson to meet with them.

When she did, the students left the building understanding what they had done was monumental. They realized the moment was bigger than them when they saw the crowd gathered on the street.

Making a difference in their education was no longer a cliche. They made that  oft-talked-about concept real, using their power to effect change that came three years later with local control.

"It definitely transformed all of us,'' Leonardo said. "Knowing that you were a part it, it's very humbling.''

Looking back, Vera is still stunned that it actually happened. "I'm like, wow, that was intense.''

For Brown, she said the struggle for self-determination, "gives me hope that change is possible when you fight.''

MORE CARTER: WWII chaplains' legacy honored by Kearny church | Carter

 The fight, however, is not over. It continues with a new group of students who have resurrected (NSU), which disbanded after former members graduated high school.

One of its leaders, Bradley Gonmiah, 16, of Science Park High School, said the return to local control means students must have a voice in district decisions and be aware of what's going on with their education, a campaign he plans to undertake.

"We're the consumers in this,'' Gonmiah said. "We're the stakeholders."

Last week, during the announcement, several board members told students in the auditorium of his high school to hold them accountable. City officials did, too.

Don't worry. They held their first meeting later that day.

And if they are as tenacious as their predecessors, they'll definitely be at board meetings -- unless they decide to take it over instead.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or 

nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

Gordon is a "friendly and energetic" dog who is well-behaved with food and treats.

Gordon 

NEWARK -- Gordon is 2-year-old pitbull terrier in the care of the Associated Humane Society.

Rescued as a stray in Newark, shelter workers say he is a "friendly and energetic" dog who is well-behaved with food and treats.

Gordon would need to first meet any other dogs in his potential new home; he has been neutered and is up-to-date on shots.

To meet Gordon and other adoptable pets, visit the Associated Humane Society at 124 Evergreen Ave. The shelter is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5:30 p.m. and weekends from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 973-824-7080 or go to petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=NJ01.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email essex@starledger.com.

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

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NEWARK -- This 1918 photo was taken on North Seventh Street across from Nicastro's Restaurant in Newark. MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey Pictured are Frank and Rose Molinaro Travisano with their children Peter, Marie and Catherine. If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an...

NEWARK -- This 1918 photo was taken on North Seventh Street across from Nicastro's Restaurant in Newark.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Pictured are Frank and Rose Molinaro Travisano with their children Peter, Marie and Catherine.

If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to essex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history in our online galleries on nj.com.

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

The NJSIAA Sectional Team Tournament finals are Friday night. NJ.com previews every sectional title match statewide.