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New Jersey calls off turkey hunt as state’s bird population in dips

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New Jersey calls off turkey hunt as state’s bird population in dips


Turkeys, rejoice?

New Jersey’s fall turkey hunt usually starts about a month before the Thanksgiving holiday. But not this year.

State regulators last week announced Fish & Wildlife has canceled the fall 2025 statewide wild turkey hunting season.

The closure, approved by the state’s Fish and Game Council on March 11, takes effect immediately, officials said in the April 8 announcement.

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Though there are more turkeys in New Jersey now than there were decades ago, officials said they voted to cancel the hunt until the animal’s population further stabilizes.

New Jersey’s wild turkey population was once as low as 6,200 birds in the mid-1980s, according to state data.

Each year between 2013 and 2020, the total was up to around 23,000. But the state’s 2025 population estimate is 20,000 turkeys statewide, Larry Hajna, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson, told NJ Advance Media.

“This is the first time the Fish and Game Council has voted to close the fall either-sex season (hunt),” Hajna said Friday. “This season closure is in effect until the population stabilizes and can support the season.”

During the state’s spring turkey hunt last year a total of 2,321 turkeys were killed, mostly in South Jersey and by hunters here and from over 30 other states.

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Most of those turkeys were harvested by shotgun with compound bows and crossbows also used by hunters for just over 100 birds.

“Wild turkey harvest trends have continuously declined since the early 2000s and are similar to population estimates statewide,” the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said in a summary of the latest decision Tuesday.

The DEP said turkeys face several threats, including habitat loss and predation.

Although the department clarified that hunting was not the sole cause for the turkey population decline, it said the current populace of birds “cannot support a hunting season that includes hen harvest.”

The state believes closing the season will work to increase hen survival and reproduction.

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In a brief history on wild turkeys, New Jersey underscored that by the mid-1800s turkeys were nearly wiped out as the state’s habitat changed and because they were killed for food.

Garden State biologists, along with the NJ Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, reintroduced turkeys here in 1977 starting with 22 birds.

Four years later, the population rebounded enough to support a spring hunting season and by 1997 a limited fall season kickstarted too.

Trends have evolved though.

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The spring turkey hunt was not affected by the vote this past March to call off fall hunting.

However, state Fish and Game Council data showed declines in the spring harvest as well.

Between 2001 and 2010, on average more than 3,000 turkeys were hunted and killed in the spring (peaking at 3,779 in 2002). Yet, in recent years the spring hunt has yielded closer to between 2,300 and 2,500 birds.

State Fish and Game Council data shows a decline in the turkey hunting season total. The past few years have yielded fewer birds to hunt — between 68 and 111 from 2017 to 2023). The state also said since the early 2000s, the turkey population has dropped from about 23,000 in 2012 to — now — closer to 20,000.Graph by NJ Fish and Game Council

The Fish and Game Council’s nine members considered various options before calling off the state’s fall turkey hunt.

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Leaving the season fully open has the potential to “negatively affect future populations,” according to a presentation from the March 11 meeting.

A partial closure of the fall season could have increased a portion of the turkey population. However, the council added, it could have made for uneven and complicated regulations with adverse effects for bird populations in others parts of the state.

Closing just the hen harvest was also considered, as that would make more female birds available to breed. However, the state said that could also needlessly remove male turkey populations for future hunts.

Closing the full season was thought of as the best option. Council members — made up of both hunters and farmers — said the only con by choosing that path was simply the loss of a hunting season.

The response online to New Jersey nixing a fall turkey hunt appears to be even-keeled so far.

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“Loss of habitat and changes in farming practices might also play a role,” one Facebook user said in response to a State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs’ post — while speculating on the cancelation. “I suppose we have to wait and see the results of the monitoring programs in New Jersey and surrounding states.”

In response to losing the fall hunt, another user on a Pennsylvania hunting forum, noted that back in the 1970’s “turkeys were not as numerous as today.”

“If you heard a gobble over on the next ridge, there was a good chance he would come looking, because hens were scarce.”

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @stevenrodas.bsky.social.

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Did anyone win Powerball? Winning numbers for Dec. 24, 2025

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Did anyone win Powerball? Winning numbers for Dec. 24, 2025


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Powerball winning numbers are in for the Wednesday, Dec. 24 drawing with a jackpot that reached an estimated $1.7 billion ($781.3 million cash option).

The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing are 4, 25, 31, 52, and 59, with Powerball number 19.  The Power Play number is 2. 

Did anyone win the Powerball jackpot?

No one won the Powerball jackpot.

When is the next drawing of the Powerball?

The next Powerball drawing is Saturday. Drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

How late can you buy a Powerball ticket?

In New Jersey, in-store and online ticket sales are available until 9:59 p.m. on the night of the draw.

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What does it cost to play Powerball?

Powerball costs $2 to play. For an additional $1 per play, the Power Play feature can multiply nonjackpot prizes by two, three, four, five or 10 times.

Are you a Powerball winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All New Jersey Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.99. For prizes over $599.99, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at New Jersey Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to New Jersey Lottery, Attn: Validations, PO Box 041, Trenton, NJ 08625-0041.

Winners can drop off their claim form and winning ticket in person at the New Jersey Lottery office where a secure drop box is available. Claim forms are also available at the office. Hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Lawrence Park Complex, 1333 Brunswick Avenue Circle, Trenton, NJ 08648.

To find a lottery retalier, you can search the NJ lotto website.

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What is the Powerball payout?

The complete guide to winnings is:

  • Match 5 White Balls + Powerball: Jackpot
  • Match 5 White Balls: $1 million
  • Match 4 White Balls + Powerball: $50,000
  • Match 4 White Balls: $100
  • Match 3 White Balls + Powerball: $100
  • Match 3 White Balls: $7
  • Match 2 White Balls + Powerball: $7
  • Match 1 White Ball + Powerball: $4
  • Match Powerball: $4
  • Match 5 White Balls with Power Play: $2 million
  • Match 4 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $200,000
  • Match 4 White Balls with Power Play: $400
  • Match 3 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $400
  • Match 3 White Balls with Power Play: $28
  • Match 2 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $28
  • Match 1 White Ball + Powerball with Power Play: $16
  • Match Powerball with Power Play: $16

What are the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot?

The overall odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292.2 million.

How do I find the Powerball winning numbers?

Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. Drawings are also lived streamed on Powerball.com. The winning numbers are posted to the Powerball and New Jersey Lottery websites.



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Love at first slice! Dough-kneading dream girl goes viral tossing pizzas at NJ eatery 

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Love at first slice! Dough-kneading dream girl goes viral tossing pizzas at NJ eatery 


She’s hotter than a brick oven right now.

A New Jersey pizza slinger with model-worthy good looks is going viral while tossing dough at her family restaurant — with more than 1.5 million followers lining up to watch videos of her smoke show.

Julia Molinari, 21, who goes by Jumo, posts footage of herself cooking everything from classic caprese to artichoke-topped pies as she banters with her uncle and other workers at Molinari’s Restaurant in Neptune City.

Julia Molinari of Molinari’s Restaurant posts Instagram videos of herself making pizzas. @iamjumo / TikTok

“The Italian-American pizza maker and influencer known as Jumo from Molinari Pizzeria in New Jersey can literally compete with Sydney Sweeney!” @mamboitaliano__ wrote on X.

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“Her popularity is skyrocketing and so are her pizzas!”

Another fan gushed, “Jumo’s got sauce and not just on the pizza.”

A recent video shows the dough-kneading dream girl making a pizza with “house dressing on top” — as she flips her waist-length hair.

The saucy pie-slinger makes equally appetizing pizzas. @iamjumo / TikTok

“Tomatoes from the family garden,” she says, adding the topping. 

“You know what’s funny? It’s November in Jersey, and we’re still getting tomatoes,” she says while standing next to an industrial oven in the eatery’s kitchen.

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She then tastes a slice and calls it “a winner.”

But plenty of pizza buffs cringed at the thought of a long, loose hair ending up in their mouths.

“Tie your hair back if you are in the kitchen,” a viewer scolded — as another quipped, “There is seventeen feet of hair in that pie.”

Molinari has 1.5 million followers on Instagram. @juliahmolinari / Instagram

A third person added,  “Who makes pizza while wearing rings or has her hair loose??

“I don’t buy my pizza because of how the cook looks, I only buy pizza by the taste!”

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But any way you slice it, Molinari is fun to watch, fans said.

“Bro, Jumo is straight fire. Way hotter than Sydney Sweeney imo, and those pizzas look insane,” a viewer wrote.





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N.J. congresswoman charged in ICE jail melee returns to the facility after detainee’s death

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N.J. congresswoman charged in ICE jail melee returns to the facility after detainee’s death


U.S. Rep. Lamonica McIver returned to the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark on Tuesday for the first time since May, when an encounter with a federal agent resulted in criminal charges against her that are still pending in federal court.

McIver’s return was for a congressional oversight visit two days before Christmas and 11 days after detainee Jean Wilson Brutus died on Dec. 12, the day he arrived at Delaney Hall.

“It is very traumatic to be back here, personally,” McIver, D-10th Dist., told news crews during a press conference, when she offered her condolences to Brutus’ family. “But I had to put aside my traumatic experience here, and come back here and represent for them what is happening inside of this awful detention center.”

In a Dec. 18 announcement of Brutus’ death, ICE said the 41-year-old Haitian immigrant had died from what the agency said were “suspected natural causes.”

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ICE said its officers arrested Brutus on Dec. 11 on criminal mischief charges. Local police had arrested him four times previously and released him each time. He initially entered the United States illegally through the port of Hidalgo, Texas, on June 20, 2023.

The case is being investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, a kind of internal affairs bureau within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, said U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, D-8th District, who was with McIver on Tuesday and during the May 9 oversight visit.

They are among members of Congress demanding information on Brutus.

The charges against McIver stem from her May 9 attempt to shield Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka from arrest by a federal officer just outside Delaney Hall’s barbed wire security fence. Charges of assaulting and impeding a federal officer are pending against her in U.S. District Court.

The two were joined Tuesday by another House Democrat, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.

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Menendez said the State of New Jersey would conduct an autopsy on Brutus, though the congressman did not know how long the OPR investigation would last or when the autopsy would be performed.

The City of Newark’s top lawyer, Corporation Counsel Kenyatta Stewart, offered his condolences to the Brutus family on behalf of Baraka, who was traveling on Tuesday.

Stewart said the city expected a thorough investigation into the death, and criticized ICE for being less transparent about the people it held than officials of the Essex County Detention Center are about the criminal suspects they hold in the big jail right next door.

McIver said she was traumatized by the events surrounding Baraka’s arrest, but that whatever she suffered was nothing compared to what the families of Brutus and other detainees were going through.

McIver and her House colleagues said detainees complained of dehumanizing conditions including bad food served at odd and restricted hours; overcrowding and inadequate medical attention, a particular concern in the wake of Brutus’ death.

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The House members noted that Brutus was one of four ICE detainees to die in a four-day period this month.

Spokespeople for ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Several members of the Brutus family appeared outside Delaney Hall on Tuesday, though they declined to talk to reporters.

One of their lawyers, Oliver Barry, said the family had received little information on what had happened. But he said the family was heartened by the concern they saw outside Delaney Hall on Tuesday, when immigrant rights advocates from Pax Christi, Eyes on Ice and other groups were demonstrating.

“They are glad that there are so many people in the community who are taking this matter very seriously and coming out to show respect for their loved one who is no longer with us,” Barry said of the family.

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His co-counsel is Joseph Champagne Jr., a former mayor of South Toms River who in 2010 became one of New Jersey’s first Haitian-American elected officials.

The House members said several detainees told of being taken into custody by ICE after emerging from asylum hearings or otherwise complying with the legal immigration process. They also said others recounted being arrested at their jobs or other habitual locations despite having visas or working papers.

“These people are not criminals,” said Menendez, a vice chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “These people have been part of our community for decades.”

Menendez put the number of Delaney Hall detainees at 952, close to the 1,000 capacity under a 15-year, $1 billion contract between its private owner and operator, the GEO Group of Boca Raton, Florida, and ICE.

GEO did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

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The House members said some detainees told them they had been waiting for months even after agreeing to be deported.

Clarke said the mass incarceration of immigrants was motivated by greed, and likened the repeated transfer of prisoners to human trafficking.

“I was searching my heart as I drove from Brooklyn, and I thought about the fact that this is the holiday season,” Clarke said. “They were showing up for their asylum hearings. They had viable cases within immigration courts, only to be kidnapped and trafficked across the country.”

And it’s all at taxpayers expense, Clarke said.

“Many of them have been circulating throughout the private prison system around this country, and brought back,” Clarke said of detainees. “How could that be?”

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