NJ Advance Media breaks down the top lockdown defenders back in 2018.

These were the head-turning plays as Union City rolled to a 34-10 victory.

Following a ban on hard-liquor at most fraternities in the U.S., experts and educators wonder how the new policies will be enforced at New Jersey universities.

They generally agree that the recent hard liquor ban at sororities and fraternities across the U.S. is a good thing, but experts and educators in New Jersey are still questioning how the rule will be enforced.

The North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), which represents over 80 percent of fraternities nationwide, voted last week to ban drinks above 15 percent alcohol by volume from "any chapter facility" or event -- unless a licensed third party sells it.

The hard alchohol ban applies to everyone, including adults over the age of 21, and comes in the wake of several instances of students dying at fraternity events after drinking. NIC member fraternities and their more than 6,000 chapters must approve a policy compliant with the hard alcohol ban by Sept. 1, 2019, according to the resolution.

Representatives for many New Jersey colleges said they were happy with the ban, but not yet sure just how it will play out on their campuses.

"We don't have a way of enforcing it," said Marybeth Boger, dean of students and campus life at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Most of NJIT's fraternity houses are off-campus and privately owned by the fraternities themselves, Boger said. NJIT has imposed several rules about drinking on its Greek Life groups for over a decade, including no kegs, no selling alcohol, and requiring students must provide identification at the door to fraternity and sorority parties. If university officials hear of an infraction of those rules -- for example, an underage student is caught drinking -- the student is reprimanded through a process that includes alcohol education.

Only NIC-member fraternities will be forced to adopt the policy, meaning NJIT will have about 10 frats that do, and a handful of others that don't. Still, Boger said she supports the NIC's ban and thinks it is the university's role to work with the affected fraternities to develop ways in which the groups can monitor themselves.

She said NIC's decision "opened the door" for universities to take similar hard-line approaches in the future and it is only a matter of time before all  NJIT students see more alcohol-related restrictions.

It's unclear exactly how many NIC-member Greek organizations there are in New Jersey. The NIC does not track their member chapters by state, but on "virtually all campuses that have fraternities (or) sororities, there are NIC organizations," Chief Communication Officer Heather Kirk said.

Some Jersey fraternities are ahead of the curve. Sigma Phi Epsilon, which has a chapter at Rider University, adopted alcohol-free common spaces by August 2018 and voted for all of the chapter facilities to be dry by 2020.

Carristian Brown, a senior and the Sigma Phi Epsilon president at Rider, said the fraternity decided to go dry to make it easier to insure.

Insurance can cost anywhere from $20 to $300 per student member, and those numbers have been on the rise because of the recent tragedies, Marc Mores, Executive Vice President of James R. Favor and Company said.

"If somebody died, God forbid, their insurance policy would go up," he said.

Mores said his company insures about 40 percent of all U.S. fraternities, including 60 different chapters at various campuses in New Jersey. According to him, although beer, wine and malt drinks will still be allowed, the absence of hard liquor could reduce the risk of injury to members and severity of insurance claims fraternities file.

"Nearly all hazing and over-consumption deaths in the past two years have involved students consuming high-percentage alcohol beverages," the NIC policy said.

Tim Piazza, a sophomore from Lebanon, New Jersey, who died after consuming a dangerous amount of alcohol at a Penn State fraternity event last year, is still on the minds of many school officials. Piazza suffered a series of falls that left him with a fractured skull and severe abdominal injuries at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity event.

Monmouth University, a private college in West Long Branch, took matters into its own hands, announcing last week it's suspending its entire Greek life system indefinitely. A letter obtained by NJ Advance Media cited a series of "serious conduct violations," involving hazing, alcohol, drug use and lack of academic focus.

In 2014, another New Jersey student, 19-year-old Caitlyn Kovacs died of alcohol poisoning after a party at Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house near Rutgers University.

Rutgers fraternity members will seemingly be unaffected by the new ban. The school's "long-standing policy on parties by registered fraternities or sororities requires that beer is the only alcoholic beverage allowed at parties," Neal Buccino, the school's associate director of public and media relations, said. Beer is typically below 15 percent ABV, and therefore within the NIC's standards.

Montclair State University, which has eight fraternities associated with the NIC, will largely go unaffected by the ban, as well, Director of Media Relations Erika Bleiberg said. All of the fraternity houses are off-campus, so drinking policies are an issue between the students and the landlords, not the university, she said.

The various set-ups have led some to question the efficacy of the hard liquor ban.

"The rule is as only as good as its being enforced," Mores said, adding that fraternities and sororities often depend on student leaders to monitor their peers.

Rowan University has a "grey area" when it comes to enforcing its existing alcohol rules, Gary Baker, who works in Rowan's Greek affairs department, said.

Rowan formally recognizes several fraternities, but not the houses or facilities the fraternities own or rent. Some houses are completely filled with residents of only one fraternity or sorority, but it is more common for indivdual students to face disciplinary measures, rather than a whole organization to recieve a sanction.

Still, the new hard alcohol ban is a good thing, Baker said, as it will assist administration in making it easier to hold students and organizations accountable and promote social responsibility.

Cassidy Grom may be reached at cgrom@njadvancemedia.com Follow her at @cassidygrom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

A scholarship in memory of a New Milford man killed during a terrorist attack in New York City, has been awarded to help young person from his town pursue a career in trade and technical professions.

James Drake wasn't part of the selection process to see who would receive a scholarship in memory of his late son.

But if you ask him, he says the young person should be someone "who likes to get his hands dirty.''

His late son, Darren Drake, would agree. Darren, a New Milford resident, was killed last year during a terrorist attack in New York City, but his passion to help young people pursue trade and technical professions lives on. When he was a board of education member from 2009 to 2013, Darren saw a need to prepare students at Milford High School who were interested vocational education.

Photo of Darren Drake, who was killed in the NYC terror attack on Oct. 31, on Wednesday, in New Milford, NJ. 11/1/17
 

Christian Pavone, a graduate of New Milford High School, is the beginning of Darren's legacy for young people choosing a different path than college. Pavone is an 18-year-old who plans to attend Lincoln Technical Institute and pursue a career as an air conditioning technician.

He'll do so with a $2,000 scholarship from the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's (NNJCF) Darren Drake Memorial Fund. It's the first award from the fund to a student in Darren's memory.

"He could not have been a better choice,'' James said.

Pavone works part-time now for DeMauro Towing in Bergenfield and he's volunteer firefighter for the New Milford Fire Department.

"He's a dynamite kid,'' James said.

The man Pavone never met was a dynamite son and friend, before his life was taken.

Darren, 32, was riding his bike during a break from his project manager job at Moody's Analytics when Sayfullo Saipov, an ISIS sympathizer, plowed into him and others with a rented Home Depot truck in lower Manhattan. Eight people died in the attack.  

His death was devastating to family and friends, who cope with the loss by keeping Darren's passion for young people alive. In May, James Drake and his wife Barbara, set up the Darren Drake Foundation to provide scholarships to graduating New Milford High School students who pursue careers in the trades.

Next Saturday, the foundation has its first fundraiser that will be held at the Elks Lodge in New Milford. It starts with a half-mile walk and is followed by food and entertainment, including bagpipers playing Irish tunes.

As much as he and his wife would love for their son to be here, James said the community response to ensure his son's legacy has been heartwarming. Local businesses, James said, have donated food and supplies for the fundraiser.

Darren knows what's going on in his absence, his family says. His father keeps him informed when he drives through Bear Mountain Harriman State Park when he takes a moment to talk Darren.

Father and son used to go there every weekend after Darren finished with his studies. His bachelor's degree was from Rutgers University, but Darren also had a master's in business administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University and was working on a second masters from Stevens Institute of Technology.

"As I drive around (at Bear Mountain), talking to Darren, I say, 'we're really keeping your name alive,''' James said.

Moving forward, the scholarship will be given annually to a graduating senior taking up a trade or technical career. Pavone was selected for good grades in high school and his community involvement.

The public can continue Drake's commitment to education with tax-deductible donations online. Contributions may also be sent by check and made out to 'The Northern N.J. Community Foundation' with 'Darren Drake Memorial Fund' entered in the memo line.  They can be sent to the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, 1 University Plaza, Suite 128, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601. 

For further information about the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, contact nnjcf@nnjcf.org or call 201-568-5608.

Lastly, good luck to you Mr. Pavone. The Drake family is cheering for you.

Read More

• 'Shoot or get shot.' Boy's chilling street poem a wake-up call for urban N.J.
• Islamic community and black police officer's group forge alliance to decry violence
• This puck is for you. Kids get outdoor hockey rink at N.J. school

Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Homeless residents at a shelter learn construction trades to change their lives.

It didn't take long for Attorney General Grewal to act. But there is still work to do in the Legislature. Watch video

For decades, the leaders of the Catholic church have mouthed the language of virtue as they protected child rapists.

It is heartbreaking to think of the 1,000 sexual abuse victims described in the Pennsylvania grand jury report - most of them children, some of them in diapers or hospitals - but more chilling was the bishops' meticulous strategy to cover up this criminal rampage over more than half a century.

The policy lobbyist for our state's Catholic bishops asserts that "New Jersey is not Pennsylvania," but that doesn't exactly merit an amen. New Jersey is where Archbishop John Myers' tenure was marked by victim payoffs, coverups, and predator protection. Myers' predecessor, Theodore McCarrick, had a history of abusing seminarians and a minor as he ascended to be the highest prelate in the nation.

So the offer to review sexual abuse allegations in the Newark archdiocese by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, while appreciated, doesn't change an institutional legacy of moral cowardice and manic secrecy that allowed corruption to flourish.

This could only end through the intervention of the law, so it comes as a relief that state attorney general Gurbir Grewal - compelled by the depravity in Pennsylvania and a two-decade quest for justice from Joseph Vitale, the intrepid state senator from Middlesex County - has seized this moment as an inflection point for abuse victims and the church itself.

Grewal announced Thursday that he will form a task force to investigate allegations of abuse by clergy members in our five Catholic dioceses and examine the 2002 agreement requiring them to report abuse to county prosecutors, which is the only place to start the long process of healing and validation for past and present victims. The force, led by Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino, will have every investigative tool necessary to compel testimony, including subpoena power.

The AG also set up a clergy abuse hotline (855-363-6548), which advocate Mark Crawford of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) predicts will lead to "a deluge - they will be overwhelmed by the calls they get."

This is a good start, but judging by the 900-page Pennsylvania report, which covered 70 years, it's going to be a harrowing process. While we know the vast majority of priests are not child molesters, the opening words from the Pa. investigation - a plea of terrified bewilderment - warns us to be prepared for anything.

"We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this," it began. "There have been other reports about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. But never on this scale. For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere."

So the task force is merely a step. Other measures are needed to get a headlock on this crisis, as Vitale sees it.

Deadlines for child sex abuse cases abet predators | Editorial

He has drafted legislation that removes name redactions from grand jury proceedings if there is a "credible" accusation of abuse or a coverup, which Pennsylvania shows is best for transparency.

And Vitale wants another crack at extending the civil statute of limitations for abuse cases, as the existing window is ludicrously short: A victim currently has to bring a case before they are 20, or within two years after they connect the abuse to existing trauma. Vitale has been trying to eliminate the statute since 2002, but the church has proved a formidable opponent. The Legislature needs to support this effort.

We know why the church wants to maintain the status quo: Victims of assault take time to come forward. Some are children, too young to understand what happened to them, and by the time they figure it out, justice is out of their reach.

Yes, the church, like any institution, has a right to protect itself. But when children are raped and the crime is hidden, the law must step in. Lawmakers must engage - starting by extending the window to prosecute - because this is the moral calling of our age. The Catholic Church in New Jersey cannot be a subsidiary of a global child sex ring or just another nonprofit corrupted in the name of God.

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

Dogs and cats throughout New Jersey patiently await a permanent home.

According to gulfnews.com, a dog lover in Dubai is supplying fresh home-cooked meals for pets in order to provide them with an alternative to processed foods.

Egyptian expat Nael Basily, 35, said it was his pet dog's medical condition that led him to launch the initiative "Just Chew."

Basily said his 6-year old golden retriever, Twixy, was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, and veterinarians attributed unhealthy diet and lifestyle to be one of the reasons for the ailment.

"Back home in Cairo, I used to cook for my pet every day. But ever since I moved to Dubai two years ago, I began feeding her processed food. Although I relied on only premium brands that promised the best nutrition, it was not helping her. So I decided to start cooking for her again and it's working wonders on her health and looks," said Basily.

"There are 40 pet owners ordering food from me. I have a set menu prepared for all days of the week. I cook two days a week - Sunday and Wednesday. Delivery is done on the same days. I pack food boxes with days of the week marked. Initially I used to do the delivery myself, but now I have a delivery boy," he explained.

The dishes on his menu include: Chunky Chic, a mix of steamed potatoes, carrots and brown rice topped with a boneless chicken leg, eggshell powder and a splash of olive oil; Jerkey Turkey made of sweet potatoes, zucchini and brown rice topped with Turkey eggshell powder and olive oil a meal containing a mix of steamed veggies, brown rice and salmon bites.

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

The end the state's longest winning streak means some shuffling among the Top 10

Find where N.J. colleges finished in the latest list of top national universities.

Dubbed "Whitney!," the exhibit, which was curated by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston, is making its first East Coast appearance.

A Whitney Houston museum exhibit with "never-before-seen" artifacts, like the pop star's childhood Bible and the Dolce & Gabbana full-length fur she wore during the "My Love Is Your Love" tour in 1999, will debut in her hometown of Newark at the  GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center starting Oct. 19, the museum announced.

Dubbed "Whitney!," the exhibit, which was curated by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston, is making its first East Coast appearance.

The exhibit will be open to the public until June 30.

"Whitney Houston's dynamic and illustrious career remains one of the most decorated in music history and her connection and impact on the city of Newark will forever be celebrated," Hugh Weber, president of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, said in a news release.

The exhibit will look into all aspects of the six-time Grammy winner's life, "bringing together a collection of diverse artifacts, rare photographs and footage from the private collection of the Houston Family," according to the release.

Besides her childhood Bible and the fur, other items that will be on display include the Marc Bower outfit from her 1991 "I'm Your Baby Tonight Tour," and the red leather Versace pant suit Houston performed in at the 2002 MTV European Music Awards.

Tickets to visit the  GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center range from $7 to $10. The Experience is open Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on non-event days and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on event days.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Check out the numbers for your district.

Check out which teams made the cut in the second Top 20 of the season.

The new partnership is the first of its kind in New Jersey and aims to prevent impaired and distracted driving

Rider University students can catch a free ride home from Lyft late at night, thanks to a new partnership the school started with the widely used on-demand transportation company. 

The new partnership is the first of its kind in New Jersey, and it's part of an initiative by Lyft called "Ride Smart," which aims to prevent impaired and distracted driving. 

"The safety and well-being of our students is paramount to our mission," Rider's Vice President of Student Affairs Leanna Fenneberg said in a statement. "Partnering with Lyft to implement our Safe Rides program makes sense using technology that is familiar to our students. We look forward to putting this program into operation."

Students seeking a late-night ride can get back to campus safely in just a few simple steps, the university said. 

After registering for a Lyft account with a Rider email address, a student has to call the public safety office to get a discount code that credits their Lyft account with $20 for a ride. 

Students have to be within 10 miles of either Rider University or the university's Westminster Choir College in Princeton, and will be brought back to a designated drop-off location. The rides are available between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays. 

"We are not only offering the convenience of using Lyft, but helping to ensure that students can get around with ease and increase the opportunity for drivers in the area to earn additional income," Ann Ferracane, general manager for Lyft in New Jersey and New York, said. 

Rider is among three other New Jersey universities who have introduced a Lyft partnership.

Rutgers, Princeton and Seton Hall have all initiated rides for students in recent weeks for athletic events at the schools, Lyft spokesman Zachary Kizer said. And Rowan College at Burlington County also started a program with Lyft in 2017 to bring students to and from class. 

However, Rider is the first university in the state to offer late-night rides to students.  

Uber has been forging partnerships with universities too. In February 2017, La Salle University in Philadelphia was the first college in the area to introduce discounted rates for students, and the University of Pennsylvania followed soon after. 

Michael Reca, vice president of facilities at Rider, said the Lyft partnership "illustrates our commitment to providing reliable and convenient options for student transportation when they might be in an unsafe situation."

Gianluca D'Elia may be reached at gdelia@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @gianluca_delia. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

In time for the start of school, experts unveiled statistics showing how traffic safety signs posted at key intersections improved behavior and reduced accidents.

The mourning light from 9/11 survivors help others remember loved ones they have lost.

Out of the night that covered them, they came to remember their loved ones, walking into a mourning light on Sunday along a three-mile stretch of boardwalk in Long Branch.

Some were folks who lost family members 17 years ago, when nearly 3,000 people died during the World Trade Center attacks in New York City.

Most of them, though, were not part of that tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001.

Still, the past is helping the present. Members of a 9/11 support group are sharing what they learned so painfully when they were together back then. The result is Stephy's Place, a support center for grief and loss in Red Bank.

"We are experienced in grief, helping people who are experiencing grief," said Sheila Martello, who lost her husband, James, on 9/11 and is founding director of Stephy's Place. "Our loss is no more profound than yours."

Stephy's Place, a support center for grief and loss in Red Bank, held a mourning walk with others to remember those they have lost and loved. Event was held at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch on Sunday, September 9, 2018.Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media 

Turning out Sunday under gray skies for "A Mourning Walk -- Journey in the Light" were people like you and me, people who don't have to hear the names of their loved ones called during an annual observance.

"These people have been in the darkness of grief and now they can enter the lightness of mourning," said Martello. "I wanted to give everybody a place that every year they could come and remember their loved one just like every year on Sept. 11 the world remembers our loved ones."

That meant people like Michelle Ghoniem of Howell, who showed up at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park at 6:45 a.m. She carried a picture of her 18-year-old son, William T. Belson, who died in his sleep two years ago after he ingested bath salts.

"Not all is lost," she said, finding the words for strength. "You can survive this."

Then there was Lisa Rittweger, also of Howell. Her husband of 20 years, Bill, collapsed from a heart attack on Valentine's Day last year during a business trip. He managed to type a text to say that he had gotten the card she placed in his luggage, but he never got to send his message.

Stephy's Place, a support center for grief and loss in Red Bank, held a mourning walk with others to remember those they have lost and loved. Event was held at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch on Sunday, September 9, 2018. Michelle and her husband Nabil Ghoniem, Howell, carry a sign honoring Michelle's son William Thomas Belson who died in 2016.Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media 

Whatever the untimely circumstance, those who have died deserve to be remembered, just like the fallen who went to work that day in lower Manhattan. Stephy's Place made that happen.

Martello, a resident of Rumson who has a certificate in grief, has shown them how. She was a mother with two young sons when her husband, James, a partner and equity sales trader for Cantor Fitzgerald Securities, died at the World Trade Center. Since then, she emerged from the horror of that day after joining the New Life Support Group and has since remarried. The group helped her through the pain with 22 others who had a family member die on Sept 11.

"That was our lifeline," Martello said of the group.

They met at Holy Cross Church in Rumson for three years, on a Tuesday, because Sept. 11 that day in 2001 fell on a Tuesday. It was a safe space for them to cling to one another until it was time to move on, even though they've stayed in touch after all of these years.

That brings me to Stephy's Place, a nonprofit named after Stephanie Hardman-Kaminoff, whom Martello met in 2014. The Middletown native and mother of three children, was dying of stage 4 cancer, but Martello said Hardman-Kaminoff understood that her family and others in the same situation are the ones would need help after the funeral. 

Martello, who was inspired by Hardman-Kaminoff's insight, reached out to her 9/11 support group members and pitched the idea of a grief center.

Stephy's Place, a support center for grief and loss in Red Bank, held a mourning walk with others to remember those they have lost and loved. Event was held at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch on Sunday, September 9, 2018. Dawn Massabni, Rumson, back to camera) gets a hug from "dear friend" Julia Drechsler, Rumson.russ 

Hardman-Kaminoff died in 2014, and the center opened under her first name a year later in Red Bank. Through word of mouth, it has grown from one support group to 28. The groups range from loss of a spouse, a child, a sibling, and loss due to suicide and divorce.  All of the services are free and get funded through donations and grants.

"There is nowhere (else) people can go for open-ended grief," said Pat Wotton, public relations director for Stephy's Place. She was pregnant when her husband, Rodney, died on 9/11.

Sunday's walk was proof of that. The people wore lavender T-shirts, carried signs and released butterflies into the cloudy skies.

Stephy's Place, a support center for grief and loss in Red Bank, held a mourning walk with others to remember those they have lost and loved. Event was held at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch on Sunday, September 9, 2018. Christina O'Neal (left) and her sister Angie Harris (both Stephy's sister) flank Angie's son Kellen Harris, 8.Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media 

Some held pictures like Ghoniem, who wore a pink bandana to match the one her son was wearing in the image that showed him smiling and happy. Her husband, Nabil, wore a fuchsia-colored bandana. He held up the picture too, in memory of the young man he loved as his own.

While the gathering was a fundraiser to keep Stephy's Place doing its important work, the event was mainly another way to help families keep loved ones in their hearts.

Leading the way was Stephy's family. Angie Harris and Christina O'Neal of Middletown are her sisters, and they had Hardman-Kaminoff's children with them: Zach, 14, Alexander, 10 and Lila 9.

"It's a beautiful thing," said Harris, speaking of the people who came. "My heart is full."

Zach, who loves soccer and has a firm handshake, said he was glad to see a large turnout, too.

"It's not just for me," he said. "It's for all of the people here who have lost someone they love."

Stephy's Place, a support center for grief and loss in Red Bank, held a mourning walk with others to remember those they have lost and loved. Event was held at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch on Sunday, September 9, 2018. Angelina Trocchia, Ocean Twp., who lost her grandfather, releases a butterfly.Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media 

Amanda Doerr of Tinton Falls said Stephy's Place saved her life after her husband, Sean, died in a car accident two years ago.

"I was in a low place," she said. "They (Stephy's Place) could relate to what I was going through. It's like I have a new family."

It's still tough, though. Her son, who is now 2 years old, points to the sky and says "heaven" when she asks him, "Where's Daddy?" On a drive past the cemetery, Doerr says, he's knows his father is there, too.

"Minute by minute is how I take it," Doerr said.

Rittweger has been with Stephy's Place since January and doesn't know what she would do without the group meetings.

"You can cry openly," she said. "Nobody judges you."

Look for them next year and beyond. They will be in Long Branch walking into a mourning light under early morning skies for as long as you want to walk with them.

Read More

• From homeless to $22 an hour, thanks to new construction program
• He died in an NYC terror attack. Now, his passion lives on.
• 'Shoot or get shot.' Boy's chilling street poem a wake-up call for urban N.J.

Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Here are our 18 top performers from around the state in New Jersey high school football in Week 1.

United Airlines awared most of the wheelchair, security and passenger service works to one of its subsidiaries.

More than 800 workers at Newark Liberty International Airport are facing layoffs after United Airlines changed contractors, but the employees will be given a chance to re-apply for similar jobs.

United Ground Express, a subsidiary of United Airlines, will begin handling many of the wheelchair, security and passenger services that vendor ABM Aviation currently provides, United Airlines said in a statement.

How do you improve Newark Airport? Tear it all down and start over, plan proposes

United Airlines' contract with ABM was due to expire and sent out to bid, the airline said. United is the largest carrier at Newark Liberty International Airport.

United Group Express was awarded about two-thirds of the existing work and will begin recruiting for the open positions. Omni-Serv will take over some mail room support, door monitoring, inter-terminal bus transfers and bag room work. ABM will continue to provide skycap services, United said. 

Ask Alexa

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice issued by the state department of Labor and Workforce Development says 821 employees of ABM Aviation will be laid off on or before Nov. 1.

The WARN notice is a required 60-day notification that must be provided when mass layoffs are planned. 

"All impacted employees have the opportunity to interview for other roles within ABM, and we are working closely with them for placement opportunities," an ABM spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. 

ABM Aviation supplies 15,000 employees to airlines and airports across the country. 

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

See which players were selected as NJ.com's Players of the Week across New Jersey.

The fire began about 3:20 p.m. in building on Nelson Place in Maplewood and left 14 people homeless

Maplewood police and firefighters rescued a woman and her teenage son early Tuesday from an apartment fire that left 14 people homeless, authorities said.

The four-family home on Nelson Place caught fire about 3:20 a.m.

All of the residents made it outside except for the mother and son, according to Maplewood Fire Chief Michael Dingelstedt.

Diglelstedt said firefighters and Maplewood police worked together to lead the woman and teenager outside, where they were taken by ambulance to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

Their injuries were not considered life-threatening, the chief said.

No firefighters were hurt.

Two people were taken to the hospital after they were rescued from a fire in this 4-family home, authorities said. (Google Maps) 

The cause is under investigation but not considered suspicious, according to the fire department.

Later Tuesday, the building was deemed by inspectors to be uninhabitable.

The American Red Cross said it was helping 14 people in 9 families with accommodations and supplies, authorities said.

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

Here are the 20 best games in N.J. boys soccer this week