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New Jersey lawmakers fast track bill that could restrict records access under open records law

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New Jersey lawmakers fast track bill that could restrict records access under open records law


The bill’s sponsors pushed back at the notion that it was aimed at limiting access to public records.

They said the legislation is a necessary update to the law that hasn’t been overhauled in more than two decades. It’s also aimed at reducing a wave of requests inundating local governments, particularly by commercial interests, according to the sponsors.

“I look at this as a modernization of OPRA,” state Sen. Paul Sarlo, the bill’s sponsor and budget committee chairman, said. “We want to stop people from profiteering from OPRA on the backs of of the taxpayers.”

In some cases, town officials get overwhelmed by the number of records requests they face, taking over their entire shifts, according to Lori Buckelew, the director of government affairs for the influential League of Municipalities, which represents the state’s towns. Processing and redacting one hour of police body cam footage, for instance, could take three hours, she said.

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The bill’s passage comes during Sunshine Week, a time when journalism, civic and other groups spotlight the importance of public records and open government, and just a year after Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the Democratic-controlled Legislature upended state campaign finance laws to allow for higher contribution and spending limits.

Former state Senate majority leader Loretta Weinberg called the bill an embarrassment and urged lawmakers to oppose it.

“This is a complete gut of OPRA,” she said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “It should be stopped! Please do not turn NJ backwards.”

Access to officials’ emails and other public records regularly results in news stories aimed at shedding light on how the government works.

In 2018, for instance, the records law resulted in the disclosure of emails showing the then-governor’s administration working with the executives of a utility company lobbying lawmakers for a $300 million bailout for its nuclear plants.

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The measure also includes $8 million to provide for making records available electronically and for the state’s Government Records Council, which hears disputes over publicizing records.



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Woman charged with theft for taking dog outside N.J. home, police say

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Woman charged with theft for taking dog outside N.J. home, police say


A woman has been charged with theft for taking a dog outside a Clifton, New Jersey, home in April, police say.

Last month, William Chan told CBS News New York his dog, a 7-year-old Shih Tzu-Yorkshire Terrier mix named Rocky, somehow got out of the house on April 5 while his nephew was dog-sitting.

The Clifton Police Department said investigators determined that while Rocky was loose, he ran down the street and was running in or near the road at times.

Video shows Rocky did eventually return to his own yard, and a child holding a blanket can be seen chasing the dog before a woman gets out of a black SUV parked in the road. Rocky then runs onto the back porch of his home, where the woman and child corner him, grab him with a blanket, take him back to the SUV, and drive away.

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The family said Rocky was wearing a harness and ID tag at the time.

Police said the woman did not make any attempt to talk to anyone inside the home or any neighbors, and neither animal control nor police received any calls about a loose dog being found on that day.

Chan called police on April 6 to report that Rocky had possibly been stolen, and investigators were later able to identify 29-year-old Mery Cepeda-Chevalier, of Newark, as a person of interest.

Officers spotted Cepeda-Chevalier’s vehicle in Passaic on April 8 and pulled her over, police said.

According to police, Cepeda-Chevalier cooperated with detectives, admitted she had Rocky, and agreed to have the detectives follow her back to her home. She then handed over the dog, and detectives reunited Rocky with his family.

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On Thursday, Cepeda-Chevalier was charged via summons with one count of theft of a domestic companion animal.



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Browns Hand Out New Jersey Uniform Numbers for All 10 Draftees, Plus a Dozen UDFAs

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Browns Hand Out New Jersey Uniform Numbers for All 10 Draftees, Plus a Dozen UDFAs


The Cleveland Browns announced jersey numbers for all 10 draftees, as the team’s rookie minicamp is underway at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. 

While First-round picks Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion had already shown off their numbers — 55 and 17, respectively .. at their introductory press conference a few days ago, the jersey numbers for other rookies hadn’t been disclosed until today. 

Second-round wideout Denzel Boston will now wear No. 12, quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ old number. Sanders, a fifth-rounder last year, had previously announced a switch to his old college No. 2 beforehand. 

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Fifth-round linebacker Justin Jefferson has been assigned jersey No. 10, which was used by last year’s second-round running back Quinshon Judkins. No announcement has been made yet on Judkins possibly changing his number, though. He wore No. 1 at Ohio State.

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Not all jersey numbers are available in Cleveland, as the team has officially retired five of them: 14 (Otto Graham), 32 (Jim Brown), 45 (Ernie Davis), 46 (Don Fleming) and 76 (Lou Groza).

Jersey

Round

Pick

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Name

Position

School

55

1

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9

Spencer Fano

OT

Utah

17

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1

24

KC Concepcion

WR

Texas A&M

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12

2

39

Denzel Boston

WR

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Washington

28

2

58

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

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S

Toledo

58

3

86

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Austin Barber

OT

Florida

52

5

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146

Parker Brailsford

C

Alabama

10

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5

149

Justin Jefferson

LB

Alabama

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18

5

170

Joe Royer

TE

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Cincinnati

15

6

182

Taylen Green

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QB

Arkansas

48

7

248

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Carsen Ryan

TE

BYU

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At this point in time, eiht of the 10 rookies drafted by Cleveland in last months 2026 NFL Draft have signed their contracts. The only still-unsigned draftees are wideout Concepcion and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.

In these cases, players sign a participation agreement that covers the team’s liability during the event, ensuring players are covered for injury.

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Browns officially add 12 undrafted free agents

Cleveland also announced the formal signing of 12 undrafted free agents to complete it’s rookie class. 

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The most notable name on this list appears to be Logan Fano, a defensive end out of Utah who just happens to be Spencer Fano’s brother. 

All undrafted free agent rookies were also assigned their numbers for the Browns’ rookie minicamp.

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Jersey

Name

Position

School

29

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Davon Booth

RB

Mississippi State

34

Zion Washington

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S

Boise State

36

TJ Harden

RB

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SMU

36

Wes Pahl

P

Oklahoma State

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38

Kole Wilson

WR

Baylor

43

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Nate Evans

CB

Delaware

47

DeCarlos Nicholson

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CB

USC

60

Izavion Miller

OT

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Auburn

64

Tyreak Sapp

DE

Florida

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66

Bernard Gooden

DT

LSU

90

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Khordae Sydnor

DE

Vanderbilt

97

Logan Fano

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DE

Utah

Other players that have reportedly accepted invites to Browns’ rookie minicamp include Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes, West Virginia linebacker Reid Carrico, Fordham linebacker James Conway, and Bowling Green tight end Jyrin Johnson.

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Crash closes Route 38 in Hainesport, New Jersey

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Crash closes Route 38 in Hainesport, New Jersey



A serious crash in Hainesport, New Jersey, has forced Route 38 to close Thursday night.

The crash happened on Route 38 near Creek Road at around 9:30 p.m. Chopper 3 was over the scene, where two cars were badly damaged. 

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CBS News Philadelphia


According to Burlington County dispatch, several people were injured in the crash. 

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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