How accurate will our reporters prove to be?

Rutgers-Newark will have one less booth at its spring career fair after a protest led by unauthorized immigrant students.

Students interested in applying for a job at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency won't find federal recruiters manning a booth Rutgers-Newark's spring career fair.

ICE backed out of appearing at Wednesday's Government and Public Service Career Fair in the campus center after a protest organized by unauthorized immigrant students, Rutgers officials said.

Students from RU Dreamers, a group for unauthorized immigrants and their allies, organized an online "ICE is not welcome here" petition last week calling on Rutgers to withdraw its invitation to the agency to recruit applicants at the fair.

"This is disturbing and unacceptable," said the petition. "Career fairs are intended to promote an inclusive environment for all RU students. This decision would alienate (undocumented) students from access to academic and professional opportunities."

Rutgers officials said they did not withdraw the university's invitation to ICE. Instead, the agency voluntarily withdrew from the career fair after talks with administrators on the Newark campus.

"After conversation with Rutgers-Newark student affairs leadership, the local ICE legal research office concluded that their presence at the career fair at this point would run counter to their goals to recruit students at this event and to the spirit of the event, so they withdrew from participation," said Peter Englot, Rutgers-Newark's senior vice chancellor for public affairs and chief of staff.

ICE officials did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

Rutgers officials did not say who recruited ICE to appear at the career fair, which is scheduled to include more than 30 employers. ICE was not listed among last year's participants.

Other employers at this year's career fair include the FBI, the Office of Homeland Security, the New York Police Department and the New Jersey State Police.

The RU Dreamers petition called for revoking only ICE's invitation.

"Students with traumatic, personal experiences regarding ICE would be emotionally distressed," the petition said.

Arrests by ICE, which enforces the nation's immigration laws, have dramatically increased since President Donald Trump took office last year. In New Jersey, arrests increased by 42 percent last year, among the biggest jumps in the country.

Rutgers President Robert Barchi has spoken out in support of continuing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program that extends protections to students brought to the country illegally as children.

Barchi stopped short last year of calling Rutgers a "sanctuary campus" for unauthorized immigrant students. However, he said Rutgers will not share the immigration status of students unless required to do so by a court order.

Police were called to investigate possible threats in the Bloomfield and Little Falls school districts.

Police in the Bloomfield and Little Falls school districts have investigated questionable online posts over the past few days - including a photo of a student with a gun - but found that neither posed a threat to safety, authorities said.

In Bloomfield, police were called after a high school student posted a photo of himself holding a gun with a caption that "made a derogatory and inflammatory reference to the tragedy in South Florida," according to Public Safety Director Samual DeMaio.

On Monday, DeMaio said the photo was taken outside of New Jersey at a hunting camp and that the rifle in the photo is currently locked in a safe at the camp.

"The hunting rifle is owned by a relative and is a legally purchased weapon stored at the out-of-state hunting camp and used by the adult relative for the purpose of hunting," DeMaio said. "I will also emphasize that at no time was a threat to shoot at a school ever made."

The Bloomfield schools and BPD are aware of a picture posted by a student posing with a gun. The police investigated and there is no threat

-- Bloomfield H.S. (@07003BHS) February 20, 2018

In Little Falls, police were called over the weekend when district officials learned of a "digital exchange between students that contained potentially concerning content," schools Superintendent Tracey Marinelli said in an email to parents on Monday.

Marinelli did not say when the exchange occurred.

"There was an investigation and there was never a threat to our school or students," Marinelli said in an email to NJ Advance Media on Tuesday.

The two investigations were the latest over school safety in New Jersey since 17 people were killed at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

Last Thursday, Nutley schools Superintendent Julie Glazer ordered schools closed for several days after a video was posted to Instagram appearing to show local students firing a rifle and handgun.

Nutley police investigated and said they found no credible threat to safety. Glazer on Tuesday declined to comment on the investigation.

The incident prompted 16 parents to call for armed guards to be posted at all seven of Nutley's public schools.

Tonight, the district administration became aware of a security threat. The police are actively investigating. As it gets later in the evening, we have decided to err on the side of safety and close schools tomorrow, February 16, 2018. Read more: https://t.co/zh3ojZvW3A

-- NutleyPSD (@NutleySchoolsNJ) February 16, 2018

In Mahwah, Mayor Bill Laforet called for armed guards at township schools after district officials learned of a threat made several months ago by an eighth-grade student.

"We have all witnessed far too many horrific acts of violence against school children throughout our nation," Laforet said in a statement on Saturday. "As the mayor, I am committed to taking whatever steps are necessary to protect our students and district staff when attending Mahwah Township schools."

In Somerset County, a 14-year-old boy made threats against Franklin Township High School on social media late Thursday, police said.

Following an investigation, police found no imminent danger. The Franklin Township student was charged with making a terroristic threat and was suspended from school, Superintendent John Ravally said.

Brooklawn Middle School in Parsippany was under lockdown for 35 minutes Friday afternoon after a student found a bullet in the hallway, police said. Cops swept the school for possible threats before dismissing students at 3 p.m.

A threatening social media post regarding Carl Sandburg Middle School was brought to the attention of Old Bridge Police Thursday night, authorities said. After an investigation, no credible threat was found. However, police have increased their presence at the school, officials said.

In Jackson, police went to the home of a student after learning the student had a list of people he wanted to harm. However, police and school officials said the threat was unsubstantiated.

Fake threats also circulated in Monroe Townships in both Middlesex and Gloucester counties, causing confusion in both towns. None of the threats were credible, police said.

Screen grab from a video posted to Instagram shows a person shooting a handgun at a firing range. The video also contains a still photo of Nutley High School and students in a classroom. (Instagram)  

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A NJ transit bus driver suffered serious injuries after a crash between a bus and a garbage truck Tuesday afternoon in Maplewood, according to the prosecutor's office.

An NJ transit bus driver was undergoing emergency surgery Tuesday after he was seriously injured in a head-on crash with a garbage truck, according to the Essex County prosecutor's office.

Four people on the garbage truck were also seriously injured.

The No. 25 bus was traveling westbound just before 1 p.m. on Springfield Avenue in Maplewood when it collided with a dump truck, according to Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman for New Jersey Transit. 

There were no passengers on the bus.

Correction: At least one person was seriously injured when an NJ Transit bus and a garbage truck apparently collided head-on https://t.co/zR5P8GYJYp

-- NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) February 20, 2018

The crash happened in front of the Hilton garage. 

The prosecutor's office says that driver of the garbage truck along with three people on the truck also suffered serious injuries, and were taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The prosecutor's office along with the Essex County Fire Investigative unit and Maplewood Police Department are investigating the crash, according to a release.

Alexis Johnson may be reached at ajohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexisjreports. Find her on Facebook.

NJ.com previews the Region 2 wrestling tournament at Mount Olive on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

The family was ambushed in their Short Hills home's driveway after returning home from a vacation late last year

A grand jury has indicted a Newark man on charges he ambushed a Millburn family in their driveway, grabbed a 13-year-old girl in a chokehold and threatened to kill her unless her father handed over keys to two Range Rover vehicles.

Ahmed Anthony 

Ahmed Anthony, 30, is facing 11 counts including carjacking, robbery, kidnapping, conspiracy, terroristic threats, burglary, receiving stolen property and theft by unlawful taking, State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Tuesday.

Anthony and two unidentified co-conspirators ambushed the family, who live in the Short Hills neighborhood, at about 1:48 a.m. on Nov. 27 as they returned home from vacation.

The mother and an older daughter went into the house while the 13-year-old and the father were bringing luggage toward the home from their Range Rover when Anthony allegedly grabbed the girl from behind in a chokehold and pulled her back toward the vehicle. The father heard a man yell 'give me your keys or I will kill your daughter,' authorities said.

The father turned and saw two men, one holding his daughter and the other approaching him with what appeared to be a handgun. The father handed over the keys and the man drove away in the Range Rover. Anthony, still holding the daughter, demanded the keys to a second Range Rover in the driveway.

The father went inside and got the second set of keys, turned them over and his daughter was released. Anthony allegedly took the girl's suitcase and blanket and the father and daughter fled inside the house.

Men threatened to kill my 13-year-old daughter, dad says

The father retrieved a handgun and went back outside and confronted Anthony who was having trouble starting the second Range Rover. The father pointed his gun at Anthony and ordered him to get to the ground.

Anthony exited the vehicle but fled on foot into the street where he was picked up in a minivan driven by another co-conspirator, authorities said. 

Authorities arrested Anthony on Jan. 11 following an investigation by Millburn police, the state Division of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey State Police. 

"Our investigation continues for the other two suspects involved," said Millburn Police Chief Brian Gilfedder. "However, this is an important step in the prosecution of a violent offender who terrorized a Short Hills family."

Anthony was ordered to be detained pending trial.

"No parent should have to endure the horror of having their child's life threatened in front of them, and our hearts go out to the child who had to endure this traumatic experience," said Col. Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

Anthony faces up to 30 years in prison on each of the two carjacking charges alone. They also include a mandatory parole ineligibility period of 85 percent of the term. 

"This indictment reflects our commitment to meet this type of violent crime with aggressive prosecutions," said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. 

An attorney for Anthony has not yet been determined. 

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.  

Who's making it through to Atlantic City?

Garbage truck driver, three passengers taken to area hospital.

An NJ Transit bus driver died hours after a head-on crash with a garbage truck Tuesday in Maplewood, authorities said.

The No. 25 bus driver, Larry Wiley, 65, was pronounced dead shortly before 6 p.m. at University Hospital in Newark, where he was initially undergoing emergency surgery, according to officials.

Wiley was the sole occupant of the bus when it was involved in a crash with a garbage truck around 12:35 p.m. near the Hilton bus facility on Springfield Avenue, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino said in a statement.

The garbage truck driver and three passengers were being treated for non life-threatening injuries at University Hospital, according to the prosecutor.

Officials did not immediately release more details about the investigation, which was being handled by local police and the prosecutor's office crash and fire Investigative unit.

#breaking NJ Transit bus involved in head-on crash with garbage truck in Maplewood live updates at 3:30 on @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/RnQ2MAU3MQ

-- Jim Murdoch News12NJ (@ReporterJim) February 20, 2018

An autopsy was planned to determine the cause of the driver's death, according to the prosecutor's office.

Anyone with information was urged to call the prosecutor's office tip line at 877-847-7432.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Authorities said he injured three people when he drove a stolen bakery truck into the clinic in East Orange.

A Massachusetts man charged in an alleged truck attack that injured three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in East Orange is likely to face additional charges, an assistant prosecutor told a judge in Newark on Friday.

Marckles Alcius. (Essex County Prosecutor's Office)

An audio recording of Marckles Alcius' first appearance at the Essex County Veterans Courthouse, reviewed Tuesday by NJ Advance Media, shows the automated risk-assessment tool used by court officials initially had recommended Alcius be released pending trial, with a requirement he check in monthly with pre-trial services.

Records show Alcius, 31, of Lowell, has been jailed at the Essex County Correctional Facility since Friday, two days after he allegedly drove a stolen bakery delivery truck into the health clinic on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

One staff member and two patients -- one of them a pregnant woman -- sustained minor injuries in the crash, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. All three were released after being treated for their injuries at area hospitals.

The assistant prosecutor representing the state at Friday's hearing said the prosecutor's office objected to the recommendation Alcius be released, and that the state was requesting he remain jailed pending trial.

"I'd also like to make the record clear, judge, that this is a matter that continues to be under investigation," the prosecutor said. "It's my understanding, in speaking with (a supervisor), that additional charges are forthcoming."

Alcius currently is charged with attempting to cause widespread injury or damage and six counts of aggravated assault, among other offenses.

Alcius has no convictions for indictable offenses in New Jersey, Judge Marvin Adames said, although he does have an out-of-state criminal history.

Authorities have not publicly alleged a specific motive for the attack.

Superior Court Judge Peter V. Ryan is expected to rule Wednesday on prosecutors' motion for pre-trial detention, following a scheduled hearing in Newark.

The case will be assigned to Judge Nancy Sivilli following the detention hearing, Adames said.

It was not known Tuesday whether Alcius had retained an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

It certainly feels like spring in New Jersey, with temperatures rising into the 60s and 70s. Does that mean we're done with winter? Weather experts weigh in with their predictions.

Which high finishers in districts have the best chance of reaching the podium in Atlantic City?

How accurate will our reporters prove to be?

Students are being kept in their classrooms, police said

Students were being kept in their classrooms at Irvington High School on Wednesday morning after a former student made a threat on social media, authorities said. 

The teenager, who now attends Carteret High School, posted on Snapchat "I might shoot this s--t up", Irvington police said. Police said they believe he was referencing Irvington High School.

Irvington students saw the post on Snapchat and reported it to school officials, who notified police. 

N.J. schools remain on edge as reports of online posts stream in

Students have been under a "shelter in place" for about an hour, police said just before 10:30 a.m. 

No charges have been filed. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is assisting in the investigation.

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

Our wrestling writers preview all eight regions and make picks in every weight class

The march to March and the NJSIAA Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City resumes Wednesday with eight regional tournament across the state.

MORE: Complete 2018 NJSIAA region wrestling brackets (printable)

The top four wrestlers in each weight class, in each of the eight regions advances to the state championship March 2-3-4 at Boardwalk Hall.

NJ.com gets you ready for the regions with preview and selections in all eight tournaments. Previews will be added as they are completed to check back often to get the latest information.

• Region 1 at West Milford
• Region 2 at Mount Olive 
• Region 3 at West Orange 
• Region 4 at Union
• Region 5 at Hunterdon Central 
• Region 6 at Brick Memorial 
• Region 7 at Toms River North
• Region 8 at Egg Harbor

Joe Zedalis may be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephzedalis. Like NJ.com HS sports on Facebook.

NJ Advance Media ranks all the counties with D1 women's basketball players.

Students across New Jersey stood with their peers in Parkland, Fla. to demand action on gun control after a shooter killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The N.J.-based Wendy Williams, who has been dealing with hyperthyroidism for years, told viewers of "The Wendy Williams Show" that her doctor has ordered her to take a three-week break because of the Graves' disease diagnosis. Watch video

An endocrinologist has ordered Wendy Williams to step away from TV for three weeks because of a Graves' disease diagnosis and symptoms of hyperthyroidism, she announced on Wednesday's show. 

"My doctor has prescribed -- are you ready? -- as of today, three weeks of vacation," she said, to a roar and applause from her audience at "The Wendy Williams Show."

"What? Who are you? I was pissed," she said. "Encore performances (reruns), really?" 

Williams, 53, who grew up in Ocean Township and lives in Livingston, said a recent checkup with her doctor for hyperthyroidism, which she has dealt with for years, revealed new problems. 

"My thyroid has been totally cattywampus," she said. "That is the eye thing that you all have been seeing." 

"My thyroid -- my hyperthyroid -- is attached also to Graves' disease," Williams said, explaining that the autoimmune disease "squeezes the muscles behind your eyeballs," resulting in bulging eyes.

She said that in addition to eyelid retraction, symptoms of the condition, which is caused by an overactive thyroid, can include weight loss and anxiety. The talk show host had lost 50 pounds in recent years, but she says she had intended to lose the weight -- "50 for 50 (years old)." 

"No, I'm not nervous," Williams said, speaking about the other common symptom of Graves' disease. "Anxiety? Please. I'm over 30 years in this game."

"Now I can cop to irritability," Williams continued, maintaining her sense of humor. Oh, please. I will snap your head off." 

But Williams said she has demonstrated other symptoms of Graves' disease, like sleeplessness (she had been taking melatonin for that), rapid heartbeat, trouble with swallowing and intolerance of heat. 

In October, during a Halloween episode of her show, Williams staggered and fainted on live TV. She later said she had overheated, and that paramedics who checked her out found she had been dehydrated. 

Williams, who urged women to put their health first, said she had postponed the doctor appointment in December because of a business meeting and had been distracted lately by her son's college admissions process and other daily concerns. She mused she would likely return to the show after two weeks instead of three.  

Temperatures soared into the upper 70s and even reached 80 degrees in some places across the Garden State, breaking an all-time February record in Newark. Watch video

How hot did it get Wednesday in New Jersey, you ask?

Well, this morning we were talking about the likelihood that spring temperatures would warm the Garden State landscape. Turns out it was more like summer heat that invaded towns across our region Wednesday afternoon.

Mother Nature threw the Garden State a curveball and skipped right over March, April and May, delivering afternoon temperatures that are far more common in early June than late February -- and shattering longtime weather records along the way.

The most notable record: The thermometer at Newark Liberty International Airport soared to 80 degrees at about 3:30 p.m., making it not only the hottest temperature on record for Feb. 21 but also the hottest temperature ever recorded in Newark during the entire month of February, said Faye Morrone, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's regional office in Upton, N.Y. 

Newark's climate records date back to 1931, Morrone said.

Dear February, I love you.[?][?] pic.twitter.com/UbJP2uxBSn

-- Lauren Casey (@LaurenCBS3) February 21, 2018

Prior to Wednesday afternoon, forecasters had expected some daily records to be broken, but few anticipated the mercury would rise as high as 79 or 80 degrees. A big factor in the summer-like readings was the longer than expected span of sunshine that heated the atmosphere, said Dean Iovino, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's office in Mount Holly. 

"We pretty much had sunshine since this morning, once those areas of fog dissipated," Iovino said. 

Is winter over in N.J.? Here's what experts say.

The unseasonal temperatures -- which have been as much as 30 degrees warmer than normal -- came from the warm southwest air that drifted across New Jersey because of a large high-pressure system known as a Bermuda high, which was planted over the western-north Atlantic, Iovino noted. The high's circulation spins clockwise, pushing warm air from the south and west up toward the Mid-Atlantic region.

Worth noting: A cold front in central Pennsylvania will be pushing into New Jersey Wednesday night, causing temperatures to drop significantly overnight and into Thursday morning. But warmer temperatures are forecast to return this weekend. 

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

A judge is expected to hear arguments Friday about whether he'll stay jailed indefinitely pending trial.

As Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday signed into law legislation restoring $7.5 million in grants for Planned Parenthood, a judge in Newark postponed until Friday a hearing to determine whether a man accused of intentionally crashing a truck into one of the organization's clinics last week remains jailed pending trial.

Marckles Alcius (Essex County Prosecutor's Office) 

Marckles Alcius' defense attorney, Alexandra Briggs of the state Public Defender's Office, told Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin she had only just received discovery materials the Essex County Prosecutor's Office was required to turn over under a state Supreme Court decision. 

Briggs' request for an adjournment came approximately six hours after Alcius' detention hearing was scheduled to start at the Veterans Courthouse in Newark, where it had originally been slated to be heard by Judge Peter Ryan.

Alcius, 31, of Lowell, Massacheusetts, has been held in the Essex County Correctional Facility since Friday, when the prosecutor's office announced he had been charged with intentionally injuring three people two days prior when he allegedly crashed a stolen bakery delivery truck into the clinic, on Martin Luther King Boulevard in East Orange.

Briggs cited a February 2017 decision in which the state Supreme Court ruled defendants facing pre-trial detention are entitled to review all reports and statements relied upon by prosecutors in their initial charging documents.

The defense attorney said she had not had sufficient time to review the documents under that ruling.

Assistant Prosecutor Adam Wells, who is representing the state, told the court he had already offered earlier in the day to adjourn the hearing and had no basis to oppose the defense request.

"I think it's very unfortunate that there were people associated with this case who have been here all day, but as a legal matter, I don't there is any legal basis to deny the request for the adjournment," Ravin said.

The prosecutor's office, which has not publicly specified an alleged motive for the attack, said one clinic staff member and two patients -- one of them a pregnant woman -- received minor injuries as a result of the crash.

Ravin indicated Alcius will remain jailed until the detention hearing.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Before convenience stores, there were neighborhood food stores.

The time before the convenience store was the time of the neighborhood food store. And, although neighborhood food stores still exist, they're getting harder and harder to find.

As I recall, neighborhood stores were alike in many ways, but not in the indistinguishable way of today's convenience stores. The neighborhood stores had sawdust on the wood floors, meats and cheeses hanging from the ceiling and unpackaged foods that created a heavenly aroma that those of us who experienced it will never forget. Perhaps what was most memorable for me was the total organized clutter.

Mary Morello displays a choice cut of meat for a customer in the G. Morello and Sons Market on Cherry Street in Vineland in this photo from the late 1960s.Courtesy of Linda Schaefer 

I had the good fortune of having one of these stores in my family, G. Morello and Sons on Cherry Street in Vineland, where I could experience the sensory wonders firsthand. Every square inch of space in my Uncle Lou's store, and stores like it, was used to display products that ran the gamut from national brands to local specialty items. And the proprietors of such stores always knew where everything was.

Before convenience stores, Morello's and its ilk were where you went to get cold cuts ("lunch meats" in my family) or a good cut of meat for dinner. And "Cheers" wasn't the only place where everybody knew your name; you were greeted as an old friend when you entered these neighborhood food stores.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

They were located throughout the state. There was the U-Buy Market in Somerset, Celentano's Market in Newark (the birthplace of what eventually became a national brand), the Somerset Fish Market in North Plainfield with the huge crustacean on the roof, Moe's Market in Hammonton, Cameron's Meat Shoppe in Kearny and so many others.

Here's a gallery of neighborhood food stores from New Jersey, and links to other similar galleries you'll enjoy.

Vintage photos of small food stores in N.J.

Vintage photos of eclectic eats in N.J.

Vintage photos of N.J. diners

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