New Jersey
South Jersey will play a major role in New Jersey’s 2025 governor’s race
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The 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election was not supposed to be that close.
A week before the general election, polling consistently showed Democratic incumbent Phil Murphy with a solid lead over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli.
On Election Day, Ciattarelli nearly pulled off an upset. But, Murphy managed to squeak through with 3% more votes in a low-turnout election, becoming the first Democrat since 1977 to win a second term.
In 2025, with Ciattarelli attempting his third run for governor, and former Senate President Steve Sweeney hoping his home base will propel him to the Democratic nomination, South Jersey is no longer a pit stop on the campaign trail. In fact, it could be the key to winning the general election.
Ciattarelli’s 2021 run stirred up Republican excitement
Political analysts credit a surge of voters in Republican-leaning counties for helping Ciattarelli get close to victory, particularly in South Jersey. The Republican was able to flip three counties that went for Murphy in 2017: Atlantic, Cumberland and Gloucester counties.
Four years ago, as he was doing a campaign stop at the New Italy American Society in Vineland, Cumberland County, Ciattarelli told the audience “no gubernatorial candidate has spent more time in South Jersey” than him. Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci said Ciattarelli has continued to visit the region since his last gubernatorial run.
“Jack has a special place in people’s hearts down here, because he’s paid more attention than anyone that I can remember in my history of being not just an elected official, but living in New Jersey,” he said.
Fanucci said he supported Ciattarelli in 2021 and is “gladly” endorsing him again this year. He said the former assemblyman took time to familiarize himself with issues of importance to South Jersey, such as tourism, agriculture, infrastructure and economic development, as well as many others.
“I know he won’t forget the south, let alone anywhere else in the state,” Fanucci added.
Before Ciattarelli, the last time the Rev. Benjamin Ocasio Sr. remembered a gubernatorial candidate visiting Vineland was when former Gov. Chris Christie was running for a second term in 2013. He feels throughout the years that other candidates have “forgotten that there is a South Jersey.”
Ocasio, pastor of the Rock of Salvation Church in Vineland, said he also saw Republican candidate Bill Spadea this year. But he would like to see statewide leaders visit the area more often, though understands their schedules being set in advance.
“Obviously, I get to see my mayor, and I get to see the city council, and they do try to pop in to different affairs,” he said.
New Jersey
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.
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:
- 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.
- Delbarton High School
- Bergen Catholic High School
- Seton Hall Preparatory High School
- Saint Peter’s Prep
- Don Bosco Preparatory High School
- Red Bank Catholic High School
- Haddonfield Memorial High School
- Westfield Senior High School
- Ramapo High School
- Northern Highlands Regional High School
New Jersey
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A colder air mass is forecast to move into New Jersey by late next week and into the following weekend.
Current weather radar
New Jersey
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.”
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.
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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