CNN
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When Mary Cooper downsized her home, she brought boxes of her late mother’s belongings to her new home. Sorting through them after the move, Cooper, 81, discovered an artifact — a library book 99 years past due.

“I was looking through the books and found one about (building) toys for boys and girls,” Cooper, who lives in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, told CNN. “I thought, ‘That’s a neat book. Maybe my son would like it — he loves to build things.’”

But Cooper’s son isn’t the only one with an interest in craftsmanship: Her grandfather, Charles Tilton, who had originally checked out the library book, was a boatwright and carpenter.

When Cooper opened the book “Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys” by A. Neely Hall, she realized it was checked out in March 1926 from the Ocean County Library system in New Jersey — the year before Tilton died.

The book, published in 1911, is a manual of illustrated instructions for simple toys made from wood, metal and household items.

“He had a little girl, my mom. I figured he would want to build her some toys,” Cooper said.

While Cooper doesn’t have any personal memories with her grandfather because he died before she was born, her mother often shared stories about Tilton. She remembers her mother saying he built her toy wooden sailboats, which Cooper later donated to the Bay Head Historical Society in New Jersey.

When Cooper found the book, she knew it was time to return it.

“I thought, I don’t have grandchildren, and my kids are getting older. Even if my son took it, I didn’t know what they’d do with it,” she said. “I figured it belongs to the library.”

Walking into the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library, Cooper did not know what to expect but hoped the library would want the book back. She never imagined the excitement it would stir, especially in light of the library system’s centennial date approaching in September.

Cooper was also worried the library would charge her a late fee, which staff joked would have added up to $18,000 if they still charged fines, according to CNN affiliate WPVI.

“I said, ‘I think you want to look at this book.’ So, (the staff member) took it,” Cooper said. “And then she goes, ‘Oh my God, this book is almost 100 years old.’ She said, ‘Don’t move. Don’t go anywhere.’”

Cooper spent the next few hours digging into her grandfather’s ancestral records and flipping through the book with library staff.

At one point, Cooper recalled, they came across an image of a boat in the book – the same toy boat her grandfather had made for his daughter and Cooper had donated to the historical society.

She believes that connection is why her mother held onto the book for so many years.

“At least 10 people came over and wanted to see the book and touch it,” she said, including the library’s janitor.

Now, the book is on display for anyone to view with other mementos, kept in a locked case at the library in Toms River, WPVI reported.

President Donald Trump’s administration has canceled leases for 14 federal office buildings in New Jersey, saving nearly $7 million, amid sweeping nationwide cuts to the federal budget initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Among the leases terminated are New Jersey federal offices for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Food and Drug Administration and Bureau of Labor Statistics, according to data compiled by USA TODAY Network.

Here’s the list of all 14 leases in New Jersey the Trump administration reports have been canceled, along with where they are located, building size, annual lease cost and total savings reported by DOGE:

Federal office leases canceled by DOGE in New Jersey

There are 14 federal office buildings in New Jersey that had their leases terminated by DOGE. Overall, DOGE says it has saved $6,810,083 million by cutting annual lease costs totaling $2,757,520, according to the USA TODAY Network calculations.

Here’s the New Jersey list:

DOGE savings tracker: How much has DOGE saved?

DOGE indicates it has saved an estimated $105 billion through a series of actions including asset sales, workforce terminations and contract/lease cancellations, as of March 5, the most recent data on the DOGE website.

The website lists the breakdown of the savings as follows:

• The termination of 4,083 federal contracts totaling roughly $15 million
• The termination of 6,289 grants totaling roughly $15 million
• Canceled leases for 748 buildings, a total of roughly $468 million in savings.

The Department of Government Efficiency created a website that tracks how much money has been saved through cancelled contracts, grants and leases.

The website tracks the purported cuts made within each federal department and money it has saved through cuts with an “Agency Efficiency Leaderboard,” which lists the top 22 federal agencies where the “most savings” have been made, according to the DOGE website.

The General Services Administration, tasked with managing federal real estate and contracts, tops the “leaderboard,” with the second “most savings” within the U.S. Department of Education, which Trump seeks to eliminate.

DOGE reportedly made changes to the website in recent days, deleting the five biggest “savings” on their original list, after several media outlets claimed they were filled with errors, but the website reflects the data has been updated as of March 5.

Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.

Here’s the stories you’ll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show with Eric Scott on Friday:

• Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 am on March 9, 2025, requiring clocks to spring forward to 3 am.
• Studies indicate a 24% increase in heart attack risk and higher rates of car accidents and strokes in the days following the time change.
• To prepare, experts recommend gradually adjusting sleep schedules, prioritizing daylight exposure, and practicing relaxation techniques.

🔴 Police responded to 9 burglaries in less than a week
🔴 Cash registers were pried open
🔴 He was released and remains wanted

SOMERVILLE — A North Jersey man has been charged in connection with nine burglaries at businesses throughout Somerset County late last year, according to authorities.

Emmanuel Tolentino, 26, faces seven counts of third-degree burglary, four counts of third-degree theft, one count each of third- and fourth-degree criminal mischief, and two counts of having burglary tools.

The man from Scotch Plains has been arrested and released three times since in the past three months, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Investigators are now trying to find Tolentino and arrest him for a fourth time.

✅ A woman told police about her relationship with a Manchester teacher in 2012
✅ The teacher was the longtime boys basketball coach
✅ She told police they met in a bathroom on ‘numerous occasions’

MANCHESTER — A longtime high school teacher and basketball coach faces sexual assault charges from incidents that happened 13 years ago.

Ryan Ramsay, the head boys coach and social studies teacher at Manchester Township High School, is being held at the Monmouth County Jail on a charge of sexual assault by someone with supervisory authority over a minor. Officials tell New Jersey 101.5 that Ramsay is no longer teaching and stopped coaching the team in January.

According to the affidavit, the victim began messaging Ramsay while playing the computer game “Words with Friends,” where she said their conversations turned “flirtatious.” In February 2012 and continuing until June, the victim said she met Ramsay met in a bathroom at the high school on “numerous occasions.” They also met at his apartment in Seaside Heights.

🔥 A tanker was rear-ended by a sedan after pulling onto Route 22
🔥 The impact fused the tanker and sedan
🔥 A Bridgewater police officer on patrol pulled the car driver out

A Bridgewater police officer is being hailed a hero after dragging an unconscious driver out of a burning car that crunched into a tanker truck early Wednesday morning.

The truck pulling onto Route 22 west from a Speedway gas station near Thompson Avenue was rear-ended by a Hyundai Elantra around 2:10 a.m., according to Bridgewater police safety officer Joseph Greco. The tanker and car caught fire and became fused together.

The Hyundai was dragged approximately 685 feet before the driver of the tanker, Zachary J. Roslin, 33, of Freehold, brought them to a controlled stop.

Roslin told Bridgewater police officer Noah Allat, who stopped at the scene, the tanker was empty but had been carrying a load of kerosene.

Body cam footage shows that after speaking to the tanker driver, Allat ran to the Hyundai, opened the door and dragged passenger Della-Ventura out by the hood of his sweatshirt.

• As spring break approaches, the TSA warns New Jersey travelers about the dangers of using public USB charging ports at airports.
• This practice, known as “juice jacking,” can allow hackers to install malware on devices, potentially accessing sensitive information and locking users out of their phones.
• Travelers are advised to bring their own AC adapters and power bricks to safely charge devices without risking data security.

It’s something we all do, plug devices into USB power ports at airports. Most of us do not have our devices fully charged before boarding a plane and especially when we have those annoying delays at the airport. I know, you want your phone or tablet charged before boarding the plane.

There are a lot of charging stations at the airport with a USB port, either on the floor or a pole, waiting for the plane to board. But, now we have to worry about this? Now we have to worry about the charging stations. This is called juice jacking and/or port jacking?

TSA shared a warning on their Facebook page cautioning travelers against using those public ports. They explain: “Hackers can install malware at USB ports (we’ve been told that’s called “juice/port jacking”). So, when you’re at an airport do not plug your phone directly into a USB port.”

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

Eric Scott hosts the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show from 6 – 10 a.m. on New Jersey 101.5.

Join the conversation by calling 1-800-283-1015 or download the NJ101.5 app.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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