Hector Lora was re-elected mayor of the city of Passaic in tonight’s non-partisan municipal election, scoring a third term in a landslide against perennial candidate Diomedes Minaya.

Lora defeated Minya with 89% of the vote, 3,494-405.

Minaya has run for various local positions twelve times without success.

City Councilmen Jose Garcia and Dr. Terrence Love, both longtime incumbents, ran unopposed; so did Daniel Meyer, who will get the seat being vacated by retiring incumbent Daniel Schwartz.

Lora was elected to the city council in 2011 and won two races for Passaic County freeholder.

He became mayor after Alex Blanco’s resigned in 2016 after admitting to taking more than $100,000 in bribes from housing developers seeking federal funding.

Mayor Sammy Rivera admitted taking bribes in exchange for insurance contracts in 2007, and Mayor Joseph Lipari left office in 1993 after his conviction on conspiracy and tax charges.  The only one of Lora’s immediate predecessors who had no hint of scandal was Marge Semler, who served from 1993 to 2001.

Planning on giving your child their first smartphone?

On average, parents in Louisiana give their children their first cellphones before they reach 10 years old, and in New Jersey, parents wait until their children are just a bit older.

Here’s when parents begin giving their children their first iPhone or Pixel in New Jersey, and what you should think about first before setting your child up with a cellphone.

How old should my child be to get a cellphone?

According to Secure Data Recovery’s report, children average 10.77 years old when parents in New Jersey give them their first cell phone.

In comparison, the average age when kids get their first cellphone is 10.66 in Pennsylvania and 10.97 in New York.

That’s about the age when kids start pressuring their parents for a cellphone.

“By the time kids are in middle school, the pressure from kids can be intense, and parents worry that their child will feel isolated if other kids have phones and they don’t,” according to the Child Mind Institute. “According to Common Sense Media, 42 percent of kids have a phone by age 10. By age 12, it’s 71 percent. By 14, it’s 91 percent.

“Max Stossel, the founder and CEO of Social Awakening, recommends that parents hold the line on giving kids smartphones until at least eighth grade.”

Things parents should consider before giving their kids a cellphone

Age and level of responsibility are just two factors that parents should consider when giving their children their first cell phone.

“Increased cellphone use has added more distractions and interruptions for students, along with an increase in cheating and cyberbullying,” advised the All for Kids nonprofit. “Technology can have a significant negative impact on kids, while the benefits of reading to children and other non-technology pastimes, such as music, writing, or art, are clear.”

In New Jersey, parents will need to also consider cellphone restrictions imposed by the New Jersey Schools Boards Association.

“Currently, there are districts that collect phones and store them, some in dedicated lockers or pouches,” advised the NJ school boards website. “Other districts require that the phones be stored in students’ lockers. Others do not allow them in classrooms or require that they be turned off during certain parts of the day.

“Some districts have installed technology to block internet access, or access to certain platforms or apps in school.”

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

New Jersey Forest Fire Service officials announced Monday that the Jones Road wildfire is 100% contained, more than two weeks after the blaze was first reported.

The acreage of the blaze continues to be held to 15,300 burned.

Two people have been charged in connection with the wildfire. Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, was taken into custody April 23. He was released to home detention with an ankle monitor May 5. Also charged, a 17-year-old boy. Both have been charged with arson, aggravated arson and hindering apprehension.

According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, both are accused of setting a stack of wooden pallets on fire and leaving the area without extinguishing the bonfire properly. A further investigation found that Kling and the teenager gave false information about how the fire started, according to the prosecutor’s office.