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He rescued a kitten from a recycling compactor and named her Squishy

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He rescued a kitten from a recycling compactor and named her Squishy


Mark Motta was checking the hydraulics on a recycling truck just past 7 a.m. when he noticed two shiny eyes looking at him from behind the compactor’s crushing mechanism.

Motta took a close look and saw that a tiny gray and white kitten was stuck in the hopper, where recyclable materials are loaded and compacted. The kitten was covered in oil and shaking in fright.

The driver of the truck, Moses White, had already started the engine to head out on his rounds in Burlington County, N.J., that day, July 8. Motta told White to turn off the engine, then he climbed into the truck’s bin and delicately pried the kitten free from the hopper.

“I’ve had cats my whole life, and I know that when they’re babies, if you grab them by the skin on their necks, it makes them think they’re being carried by their mother,” he said. “So that’s what I did.”

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The kitten didn’t fight him.

“She was really scared, but she seemed happy to be rescued,” he said.

Motta used his bright yellow safety shirt to wipe the kitten off the best he could, then he called safety officer Samantha Stamile to let her know what had happened.

Stamile told Motta to put the kitten in a box, then she rushed to her office.

“I got there, and there’s this sweet little kitten, absolutely saturated in some kind of oil from inside the truck,” she said. “She also had a green eye discharge, and she was wheezing. We decided to clean her up right away.”

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Stamile and Motta took the kitten to the fleet mechanic shop and gave her several baths with Dawn dish soap to remove the oil.

“The first bath did nothing — she needed quite a few,” said Stamile, noting that she also cleaned the kitten’s eyes with a saline solution and gauze.

Motta decided there was only one name that suited the cat: Squishy.

“I thought it was perfect, because if I hadn’t seen her that morning, there would have been no saving her,” he said.

Stamile gave Squishy some cat food, then took her to All Creatures Veterinary Care Center in Sewell, N.J., where she was examined at no charge and given antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. The vet said she appeared to be about 2 months old.

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Otherwise, the kitten was fine, Stamile said, so she contacted Rise Again Animal Rescue, a New Jersey animal foster and adoption nonprofit. The Asbury Park Press was among several local news organizations to cover the happy rescue.

“I told them I’d like to foster Squishy until she’s old enough to be spayed, vaccinated and put up for adoption,” said Stamile, 30, who has fostered cats for four years for the animal rescue.

Ekaterina Sedia, a founder of Rise Again Animal Rescue, said she added Squishy to her adoption list.

“We know how easily a cat — or especially a young kitten — can get hurt,” Sedia said. “Unless people interfere, an accidental injury is often a death sentence for a cat on the streets.”

Stamile said her two daughters, Arabella, 7, and Adelyn, 2, were delighted when she brought Squishy home and introduced her to the family’s other cat, Rascal.

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“My kids have always loved fostering cats, and it instills the importance of treating all life kindly and with respect,” Stamile said.

Squishy is a good fit with the household, and she now enjoys romping around with Rascal and playfully jumping on everyone’s bare feet when they wiggle their toes, she said.

“She’s now completely oil-free, and when you hold her, she’s an absolute cuddle bug,” Stamile said. “She’s becoming more and more social with time.”

It isn’t known how Squishy ended up trapped inside the recycling truck, but Stamile speculates she might have been a feral kitten who climbed in after the driver’s previous run.

Motta said he was happy that Stamile could take in Squishy.

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“I don’t think I could have another cat right now because I already have a male cat at home,” he said. “His name is Stinky.”



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Monmouth County high school among best schools for athletes across NJ

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Monmouth County high school among best schools for athletes across NJ


New Jersey has many schools that offer a great education for students interested in sports.

Student-athletes seeking the best schools with leading sports programs have options in the Garden State, says Niche.com.

The online platform for rankings and review rounded up the top New Jersey schools with the best high school sports programs based on analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education.

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In addition these rankings based on the number of state championships, student participation in athletics and the number of sports offered at the school.

One school from Monmouth County made the list in the number 6 spot.

Red Bank Catholic

Red Bank Catholic is a private Catholic high school in Monmouth County and offers students extracurriculars that include an award winning athletic program with 28 varsity sports. The institution also ranked in the top 5 list for Best Private High Schools in Monmouth County.

Here’s why RBC made the list:

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  • Sports: grade A+
  • Clubs & Activities: grade A+
  • Academics: grade A
  • College Prep: grade A minus
  • Teachers: grade B+
  • Diversity: grade B minus

Red Bank Catholic overall Niche grade: A

Top 10 High Schools for Athletes

This list is was compiled from Niche.com and includes private and public schools across New Jersey.

  1. Delbarton High School
  2. Bergen Catholic High School
  3. Seton Hall Preparatory High School
  4. Saint Peter’s Prep
  5. Don Bosco Preparatory High School
  6. Red Bank Catholic High School
  7. Haddonfield Memorial High School
  8. Westfield Senior High School
  9. Ramapo High School
  10. Northern Highlands Regional High School



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Isolated snow showers, wind gusts up to 35 mph in N.J. forecast for Sunday

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Isolated snow showers, wind gusts up to 35 mph in N.J. forecast for Sunday


Rain will continue through tonight across New Jersey before a cold front passes through Sunday morning, followed by wind gusts up to 35 mph and the chance of isolated snow showers.

The heaviest rain tonight is expected along the southern portions of the state where 1 and 1.5 inches rainfall totals are possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Most other areas of New Jersey should receive around 1 inch of rain, with the northwest portions of the state picking up 0.5 to 0.75 inches.

Heavy rain is expected to soak New Jersey through most of Saturday with rainfall totals up to 1.5 inches expected in the southern half of the state.National Weather Service

Once the rain ends between 6 and 9 a.m. Sunday, conditions should remain cloudy and foggy until a cold front passes through late Sunday morning into early Sunday afternoon.

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Temperatures will drop into the upper 30s to low 40s Sunday morning as cold air moves in behind the first cold front.

A secondary cold front will cross New Jersey late Sunday afternoon accompanied by a period of rain and snow showers.

The isolated snow showers are possible mainly from 7 to 11 p.m., the weather service said. Snow accumulations are not expected in New Jersey.

Winds of 15 to 20 mph on Sunday afternoon are expected to increase to 25 to 35 mph by sunset.

Monday’s forecast calls for mainly clear skies with temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s and winds gradually diminishing.

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Tuesday will be milder with above-normal temperatures and mainly clear to partly cloudy skies, with a slight chance of some rain showers possible.

Wednesday’s temperatures will remain above normal with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain showers as a cold front approaches from the west.

N.J. weather: Snow from costal winter storm possible next week
Forecasters are tracking the potential for a coastal storm that could bring snow to New Jersey late next week, or veer out to sea.AccuWeather.com

A potential coastal storm could impact New Jersey with snow on Thursday and Friday, though significant uncertainty remains regarding the exact track and timing of the system, the weather service said.

Some forecast models suggest a significant winter storm while others indicate the system will remain offshore.

N.J. weather: Snow from costal winter storm possible next week
Forecasters are tracking the potential for a coastal storm that could bring snow to New Jersey late next week, or veer out to sea.AccuWeather.com

A colder air mass is forecast to move into New Jersey by late next week and into the following weekend.

Current weather radar



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NJ officers surprised with Eagles playoffs tickets for saving boy who fell through ice

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NJ officers surprised with Eagles playoffs tickets for saving boy who fell through ice


Officers in Gloucester County, New Jersey, got a big surprise on Friday morning.

A representative from Dunkin’ gave them free tickets to this weekend’s Eagles playoff game as a huge thank you for their courageous actions last weekend.

It was a tense scene in Woolwich Township when officers used ropes and went into a frozen body of water to save a child who had fallen through the ice.

“As soon as he started screaming that he couldn’t feel his hands, I just went out there and tried to go get him,” Sgt. Joseph Rieger said. “Immediately thought of my own son and what I would have done with my own son- just go out and get him as soon as I could.”

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The boy was screaming and was not able to grab onto the rope that the officers had thrown to him.

“I try to get him the rescue rope but he can’t hold it because his hands aren’t working. So I go to grab him out of the awter and we both go into the water. So I was able to stand up and throw him on top of the ice and start breaking my way back,” Rieger explained.

The team was able to get the 13-year-old out of the frozen water with no one getting hurt.

Then, Dunkin’ showed up to the police department for Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and praised their actions by giving them tickets to Sunday’s Eagles playoff game against the 49ers.

“This is my job. It was what I signed up to do so getting this kind of attention, I’m not used to it. I’m very appreciative and very excited,” Rieger said.

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The officers said that if there’s anything to take away from this story, it’s to stay off of the ice.

Thankfully, the boy they saved is doing just fine and stopped by the police department earlier this week to thank them.

“It was awesome. It was nice to see that he was safe. He learned his lesson. He was very appreciative,” Rieger said.



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