New Jersey
NJ-11 County and Local Elected Officials Back Mikie Sherrill for Governor – Insider NJ
Today, more than 100 elected officials at the county and local levels from across New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District announced their endorsement of Mikie Sherrill for Governor of New Jersey. These leaders, from across Essex, Morris, and Passaic Counties, collectively released the following statement in support of Mikie Sherrill:
“For Mikie Sherrill, there’s no challenge too big and no problem too small. That’s why we’re thrilled to support her run for Governor of New Jersey.
“We represent communities across New Jersey’s 11th District, and we’ve had the privilege of working alongside Mikie Sherrill since as early as 2017. We’ve seen firsthand how she’ll never back down from a challenge, and how she’s willing to work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, to get things done for New Jerseyans. In times of crisis, she’s a leader – she makes tough decisions and she delivers.
“After Trump was elected in 2016, New Jersey needed real leadership, and Mikie Sherrill stepped up. In the three election cycles since, Mikie Sherrill has paved the way for strong Democratic leadership focused on results in every corner of the district. She’s helped elect Democratic mayors and council members – even in areas once taken for granted by the Republican Party. She listens to neighbors and community members, takes their concerns to heart, and will never back down when it comes to serving our state.
“Take, for example, the Gateway Tunnel. Mikie ran her first campaign on a vow to build the Gateway Tunnel, and, after years of broken promises, we were skeptical. Yet, she did just that – leading the fight to fund the Gateway Tunnel and secure a federal cost-sharing agreement that will allow us to get the project done without raising state or local taxes on families. And Mikie didn’t stop there – she continues to be a fearless advocate when it comes to holding New Jersey Transit and Amtrak accountable for the ‘summers of hell’ we’ve experienced year after year. She knows what it’s like for parents not to know if they will be able to make it back in time to pick up their children from daycare, or to be able to coach their kids’ soccer team.
“That’s just one of the big issues Mikie has tackled during her time in Congress, but we also know that she cares deeply about making life easier for our residents and cutting through the bureaucratic red tape that frustrates all of us. Mikie and her team are always a phone call or a text away. When our residents come to us needing help, we often tell them to reach out to Mikie and her staff. From ensuring local veterans get all of their health care benefits, to helping our seniors navigate Medicare or Social Security, to making sure the IRS gives you back every dollar you’re owed, Mikie will stop at nothing to ensure that every New Jerseyan who needs help gets it.
“Time and again, we’ve seen Mikie – a lifelong public servant – step up to make life easier for New Jersey families. As Governor, we know she’ll do exactly that, and we’re excited to support her every step of the way.”
Sincerely,
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
Essex County Clerk Christopher J. Durkin
Essex County Sheriff-elect Amir Jones
Essex County Register Juan Rivera, Jr.
Essex County Commissioner President Carlos M. Pomares
Essex County Commissioner Vice President Tyshammie L. Cooper
Essex County Commissioner At-Large Patricia Sebold
Essex County Commissioner At-Large Romaine Graham
Essex County Commissioner At-Large Brendan W. Gill
Essex County Commissioner At-Large Wayne L. Richardson
Essex County Commissioner District 1 Robert Mercado
Essex County Commissioner District 4 Leonard M. Luciano
Passaic County Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof
Passaic County Sheriff-elect Thomas Adamo
Passaic County Commissioner Orlando Cruz
Passaic County Commissioner Bruce James
Passaic County Commissioner Pasquale “Pat” Lepore
Passaic County Commissioner-elect Rodney De Vore
Bloomfield Mayor Jenny Mundell
Bloomfield Councilwoman At-Large Monica Tabares
Bloomfield Councilwoman Third Ward Sarah Cruz
Glen Ridge Mayor Deborah Mans
Glen Ridge Councilor Ann Marie Morrow
Glen Ridge Councilor Rich Law
Glen Ridge Councilor Peter A. Hughes
Glen Ridge Councilor LoriJeane Moody
Glen Ridge Councilor David Lefkovitz
Glen Ridge Councilor Rebecca Meyer
Livingston Council Member Shawn Klein
Livingston Council Member Michael Vieira
Livingston Council Member Ketan Bhuptani
Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams
Maplewood Deputy Mayor Jamaine Cripe
Maplewood Committeeperson Dean Dafis
Maplewood Committeeperson Victor De Luca
Maplewood Committeewoman-elect Malia Herman
Millburn Mayor Annette Romano
Millburn Committeeman Michael Cohen
Montclair Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen
Montclair Third Ward Councilor Rahum Williams
Nutley Commissioner Thomas J. Evans
Roseland Mayor James R. Spango
Roseland Council President Christopher Bardi
Roseland Councilman John Biront
Roseland Councilwoman Eileen Fishman
Roseland Councilman Neal Goldstein
Roseland Councilman Marcelino “Moose” Trillo
Boonton Ward 2 Council Member Jacob Hettrich
Boonton Ward 2 Council Member Marie Devenezia
Chatham Borough Mayor Carolyn Dempsey
Chatham Borough Council President Jocelyn Mathiasen
Chatham Borough Council Member Justin Strickland
Chatham Borough Council Member Karen Koronkiewicz
Chatham Borough Council Member Brian Hargrove
Chatham Borough Council Member Irene Treloar
Chatham Borough Council Member Katherine Hay
Chatham Township Mayor Stacey Ewald
Chatham Township Deputy Mayor Michael Choi
Chatham Township Committeeperson Jen Rowland
Chatham Township Committeeperson Marty McHugh
Dover Mayor Mayor James P. Dodd
Dover First Ward Council Member Claudia P. Toro
Dover First Ward Council Member Sandra Wittner
Dover Second Ward Council Member Geovani Estacio
Dover Third Ward Council Member Michael Scarneo
Dover Third Ward Council Member Karol Ruiz
Dover Fourth Ward Council Member Arturo Santana
Dover Fourth Ward Council Member Marcos Tapia
Lincoln Park Ward III Councilman Patrick Antonetti
Madison Mayor Robert H. Conley
Madison Council President Eric Range
Madison Council Member Rachel Ehrlich
Madison Council Member Robert E. Landrigan
Madison Council Member Tom Haralampoudis
Madison Council Member Melissa Honohan
Madison Council Member John Forte
Mendham Township Deputy Mayor Lauren Spirig
Morris Plains Mayor Jason Karr
Morris Plains Council President Nancy Verga
Morris Plains Councilmember Joan Goddard
Morris Township Mayor Donna J. Guariglia
Morris Township Deputy Mayor Jeffery R. Grayzel
Morris Township Committeeman Mark J. Gyorfy
Morris Township Committeeman William “Bud” Ravitz
Morris Township Committeeman Siva S. Jonnada
Mountain Lakes Mayor Khizar Sheikh
Mountain Lakes Deputy Mayor Lauren Barnett
Mountain Lakes Councilmember Chris Cannon
Mountain Lakes Councilmember Cynthia Korman
Mountain Lakes Councilmember Tom Menard
Mountain Lakes Councilmember Melissa Muilenburg
Parsippany Councilwoman Judy Hernandez
Rockaway Township Ward 4 Councilman Jonathan Sackett
Rockaway Township Ward 5 Councilman Emanuel “Manny” Friedlander
Little Falls Mayor James Damiano
Little Falls Council President Anthony Sgobba
Little Falls Councilman Christopher Vancheri
Little Falls Councilwoman Christine Hablitz
Wayne Ward 5 Councilwoman Francine Ritter
Woodland Park Mayor Tracy Kallert
Woodland Park Council President Vincent DeCesare
Woodland Park Councilwoman Tina Gatti
Woodland Park Councilwoman Christine Tiseo
Woodland Park Councilman Michael Sica
Woodland Park Councilman Adam Chaabane
Woodland Park Councilman Luis Torres
###
(Visited 87 times, 90 visits today)
New Jersey
Newark-bound United flight returns to LA airport for evacuation after reported fire
NEWARK, New Jersey — A United Airlines flight headed to Newark, New Jersey returned to the Los Angeles airport Monday about 40 minutes after taking off for an emergency evacuation after a reported fire, authorities said.
All flights at the LAX International Airport were ordered to remain on the ground for about half an hour during the flight’s return and evacuation, according to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported.
The flight, which was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport returned to LAX to address an issue with one of the engines, the airline said in a statement. There was no mention of a fire, but the LA Fire Department said it responded and there was a fire that was contained as of an hour after the plane’s landing.
The flight took off at 10:43 a.m., began to turn around at about 11 a.m. and landed again at 11:19 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware.
The LA Fire Department said they assisted with the evacuation of more than 250 passengers and crew. Passengers exited the plane on the taxiway using slides and stairs and were taken to the terminal, the airline said.
The airplane was a Boeing 787-9, a variant of the popular line of 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More New Jersey news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
New Jersey
Division 3 NCAA Tournament: Three NJ basketball teams make the bracket
Manasquan HS grad Matthew Solomon has special motivation in leading red-hot TCNJ. Montclair State, Stevens also repping the Garden State.
video David Buley’s dunk energizes CBA crowd as Colts win Shore title
David Buley’s dunk in the third quarter energized CBA crowd as Colts won the Shore Conference basketball title in 58-37 rout of Red Bank Catholic.
It was the kind of sequence that embodies everything we love about sports – and especially college basketball.
With 10 seconds left in the Saturday’s New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament final, TCNJ guard David Alexandre drove the lane, got cut off, spun around a whipped a pass into the paint as he fell backward. There to receive it was forward Matthew Solomon, a Manasquan High School grad, who finished his hard cut with a dunk that gave the Lions a two-point lead at Montclair State.
Then, on the other end, Montclair State star Jacob Morales had a long look at a game-winner with two seconds left – but Solomon closed out and blocked the shot as time expired.
Both teams are headed to the Division III NCAA Tournament, which unveiled its bracket today (so is a third New Jersey representative, Stevens Institute of Technology). It was an incredible moment on its face, so exhilarating that former Villanova coach and two-time March Madness champion Jay Wright spotlighted it on social media.
“That’s surreal,” Solomon said. “I grew up watching Nova, so to see that was really cool. He was giving Division 3 basketball some love, which is deserved.”
One of the best-kept secrets in college sports is just how high-quality D-3 hoops is, and Jersey has long been a hotbed, regularly sending squads to the Final Four. On the men’s side the Garden State’s last national champion was Rowan in 1996. That could change in the coming weeks.
But along with quality hoops, Division 3 ball features amazing stories, and the story behind Solomon’s heroics is even more incredible than jaw-dropping end to Saturday’s classic.
On his left wrist, the 6-foot-7 senior out of Spring Lake Heights wore protective tape over a wristband that read, “Paterno Strong” in honor of his cousin Billy Paterno, who died in 2024 at age 3 of leukemia. His parents, Point Pleasant residents Danielle and William, were at the NJAC title game.
“They’re an amazing family,” Solomon said. “The stuff they went through showed me what real strength looks like. Me facing adversity on the basketball court, when I look over and see them and look down on my wrist and see the Paterno Strong wristband, after what they did, I can keep playing for 40 minutes of basketball.”
Solomon finished the epic final with 22 points and 17 rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting, but he was quick to credit Saddle River Day grad Alexandre (24 points, 4 assists) and ace point guard and Don Bosco Prep grad Nick Koch (14 points) for their contributions.
For some context on the achievement: Montclair State was 24-0 and ranked No. 1 in all of Division 3 when TCNJ beat the Red Hawks twice in three-game span.
“Jersey basketball, you know how it is – the best in the country,” Solomon said. “We got a taste of playing the top team in the country and that definitely prepared us for what’s next, and hopefully we prepared them, so we can both show the whole country what New Jersey basketball is about.”
There’s one more powerful aspect to Solomon’s story. His father Larry Solomon died of Covid in February 2021, and a month later his brother Andrew Solomon hit the game-winning shot with one second left in the Shore Conference A final, capping a perfect season for Manasquan High. Andrew went on to serve as a manager with Monmouth’s basketball program.
“People are trying to compare my shot to his, but Andrew’s got me topped by a million,” Matthew said.
But between his father and his cousin Billy, “I’ve got people watching me from above,” Matthew said. “All the things I do are for them.”
Keep that in mind as TCNJ (21-6 overall, 14-4 NJAC) opens the Division 3 bracket against Johns Hopkins (20-7) Friday Randolph-Macon in Ashland Virginia. The winner will face either host Randolph-Macon (25-3) or North Carolina Wesleyan (21-6) Saturday at the same site.
“We know we can run with the best of them,” Solomon said. “We’re not pleased with just being here now. Maybe the past two years, just making it was enough. This year that’s not enough. We’ve got a special group.”
In a new wrinkle this year, the D-3 quarterfinals, semifinals and final will take place in Indianapolis, sharing a stage with the Division I Final Four. It’s a fitting reward.
“Playing Division 3 basketball has changed my life,” Solomon said. “You’ve really got to love the game, but I’ve built relationships with teammates, coaches and alumni – connections that I’m going to have the rest of my life. If I were to go back to high school, I would make the same exact decision a thousand times out of a thousand.”
Montclair State (25-1, overall, 17-1 NJAC)
The Red Hawks reached No. 1 in the nation after reeling off 24 straight wins to open the campaign. They average 92.1 points per game shooting a whopping 40.4 percent from 3-point range and hitting 13.1 triples per game.
They will play host to Maine-Farmington (22-5) on Friday, and if they win will host the winner of Bates (18-8) vs. Yeshiva (20-8) in the second round on Saturday.
Leading the way is senior forward Jacob Morales, a Montvale native, Pascack Hills High School grad and former Rutgers walk-on. The NJAC Player of the Year averages 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.
Sophomore guard and Trenton native Kabrien Goss (14.7 ppg), freshman guard and Morris Catholic grad Cristian Nicholson (11.4 ppg) and sophomore forward and Lenape High School grad Myles Primas (9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) are key contributors.
Under head coach Justin Potts, the Red Hawks reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year and also made the field in 2022-23.
Stevens (18-9 overall, 10-4 MAC Freedom)
The Ducks are four-time MAAC Freedom champions under head coach Bobby Hurley, who won his 300th game at the program’s helm in February.
They will visit Christopher Newport (21-5) in Newport News, Va., on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s second round at the same site against either Mount Union (23-3) or Washington and Jefferson (22-6).
Junior guard Tommy Scholl, the MAC Freedom MVP, averages 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Junior forward Harmehar Chhabra, a South Brunswick High School grad, averages 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists and recorded a triple-double (12 points, 11 boards, 11 assists) against Lebanon Valley last month.
Junior guard Kyle Maddison (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.0 apg) and senior guard Matt Leming out of Haddonfield (9.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) add to an offense that shoots 47 percent from the field.
This is the program’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, all under Hurley. The Ducks reached the second round in 2022.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
New Jersey
Blizzard causes heavy damage to New Jersey animal refuge
A New Jersey animal shelter is asking for the public’s help after last month’s blizzard did heavy damage to its property in Ocean County.
On social media, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge posted a video and described the fury of the storm. saying that the blizzard “caused unexpected damage… impacting habitats, fencing, structures, and critical infrastructure.”
The nonprofit animal haven says its team “worked tirelessly to keep every animal safe during the storm,” however, “the aftermath has left us facing urgent repairs and significant financial strain.”
Photo: Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
The refuge says this winter has been “especially challenging.” It says “repeated severe weather has forced extended closures to the public, further limiting vital support and creating an added burden during an already difficult recovery period,” adding “we need our community now more than ever.”
Popcorn Park was established in 1977, according to its website. It’s part of the Associated Humane Societies — which bills itself as New Jersey’s largest animal welfare organization. Popcorn Park describes itself as “a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused, or elderly farm animals, birds, and wildlife (domestic and exotic).”
-
World5 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts6 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO5 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Oregon4 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling