New Jersey
State of emergency declared in NJ ahead of massive Northeast winter storm
The heavily traveled northeastern portion of the Interstate 95 corridor is expected to experience a significant bout of snow as a winter storm strengthens along the coastline.
The FOX Forecast Center is monitoring the potential for a widespread area of 1-3 inches of snow to start falling on Sunday evening from Washington, D.C. to Boston, with 5-8″ amounts expected to the north and west of Interstate 95.
Due to the expected snowfall in combination with dangerously cold air, the governor of New Jersey has issued a state of emergency and told residents to be ready to brace for below-zero wind chills.
“Following this weekend’s snow, we are expecting extreme cold with wind chills reaching -10° or below. Dangerously cold conditions are expected to persist through most of next week. Please limit your time outdoors and keep your pets inside as much as possible,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement on Saturday.
Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, schools, banks, and other services that would normally be in session on Monday have the day off, which will help keep roads clear for snow removal crews.
More than 30 million residents from the Appalachians to the Northeast are under some type of winter weather alert, which includes Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
Depending on how much snow falls, the system could produce the largest accumulations of the season for a region that has otherwise seen significant snowfall deficits.
Philadelphia sits at around 5″ of snowfall below normal, with New York City closer to half a foot behind what typically accumulates during the first half of winter.
Included in the zone of sleet and snow is the nation’s capital, where accumulations could reach 1-3 inches before the start of the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Monday.
The president-elect’s team said due to concerns over brutally cold air following the precipitation, most major inaugural events will take place indoors, which is a break from long-standing tradition.
Agencies around Washington, D.C. had been preparing for months for outdoor events, including a parade and the swearing-in ceremony.
The high temperature is expected to reach the mid 20s on Monday, which will plummet to near zero by Wednesday evening as the full scope of the Arctic air mass entrenches itself over the eastern two-thirds of the nation.
In all, more than 300 million people are expected to see below average temperatures as the coldest air of the season invades the nation.
Due to the threat of hypothermia, many communities from the U.S.-Canadian border to Florida plan to open warming centers so that those without shelter will have a temporary housing option.
New Yorkers honor lost African American holiday older than Juneteenth
An African American holiday older than Juneteenth was almost lost. These New Yorkers are bringing back Pinkster, which was outlawed in the 1800s.
Every year, on June 19, Americans celebrate the end of slavery.
The day is known as Juneteenth, a blend of the words “June” and “nineteenth.” It refers to June 19, 1865 — the day when news of emancipation finally reached Texas, the last place to learn about the abolition of slavery proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier.
But this year in New Jersey, Juneteenth is set to be observed on June 20, not on June 19. Here’s why.
When is Juneteenth celebrated in New Jersey?
In June 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law the incorporation of Juneteenth as one of the state’s holidays, to be celebrated on the third Friday of June.
This happened a year before President Joe Biden would do the same at the federal level. Back then, Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday to be celebrated on June 19th every year, regardless of what day of the week it falls on.
This has resulted is some confusion as to when the day should be celebrated.
In New Jersey, state offices and courts will be closed on Friday, June 20, but public federal workers and many employees at private companies will have Thursday, June 19 off.
OCEAN CITY, N.J. (WPVI) — People were milking the last hours of sunshine at the shore as the Memorial Day weekend came to an end.
In Ocean City, families lined the boardwalk for their favorite treats and attractions.
“I got the Manco & Manco, that’s some good stuff right there,” said Abel Cortes from Vineland, New Jersey. “It’s been just a nice day for ourselves, relaxing and ending the weekend.”
Visitors say they came not only for the food but also for the nostalgia.
“Every year on Memorial Day we come down to Ocean City to enjoy the Boardwalk, and if the day is warm, we get in the water,” said Eileen Clark of Williamstown, New Jersey.
It was a great day at the shore Monday to wrap up Memorial Day Weekend 2025.
In Ocean City, beach season also means the kick-off to summer tourism.
Shaina Faith, a returning Boardwalk musician, says she is excited for what this year has in store.
“It’s been fantastic. A lot of people. A lot of good energy, too. I stay for like three hours a day,” said Faith.
While many say Monday wasn’t the preferred 80-degree temperature, it was the perfect start to the scenic summer.
“It was pretty good. Nice and quiet and relaxing. I love it,” said Evelyn Cortes of Vineland, New Jersey.
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New Jersey
Religious freedom battle erupts as New Jersey town attempts to turn church property into pickleball courts
A New Jersey town has moved to seize a 10-acre church property and turn it into recreational space, outfitted with pickleball courts and soccer fields.
Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, New Jersey, found itself at the center of a highly charged legal battle after its leaders moved to expand outreach to the area’s homeless population and proposed a 17-bed overnight shelter.
“It didn’t take long for neighbors to become concerned,” Harvey York, the church’s attorney, told Fox News Digital.
On April 30, the Toms River Township Council placed an ordinance on its agenda to condemn the church’s 10-acre site, which includes the parish house, auditorium, school, sanctuary and deacon’s residence, under its eminent domain power.
CHURCH FIGHTS NEW JERSEY TOWN OVER PLANS TO SEIZE PROPERTY AND TURN IT INTO PARK
Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, New Jersey, where the town is moving to seize the congregation’s 10-acre property. (Good Maps)
The town’s plan is to turn the congregation’s property into a recreational area.
“Any governmental agency has the right to condemn property for governmental purposes. That’s clear. However, the township has never thought of this as a recreational site,” York said. “For them to say they need recreational land flies in the face of the facts and their master plan.”
York and his legal team argue that the move to seize the property is the township’s direct response to the church’s shelter initiative.
“It is clear that this is being done in retaliation for the church making an application for a homeless shelter,” he said, pointing to both the constitutional protections for freedom of religion and the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
“I don’t know that you’ll find a lawyer who will say, ‘Oh, yeah, they have every right to do this; they’re going to win.’”
On April 29, 2025, less than 24 hours before a Toms River Township Council meeting, a concerned community member alerted the leadership of Christ Church that its property had been added to a proposal for an eminent domain ordinance. (iStock/Getty Images)
Despite rising community support, from local congregants to offers of amicus assistance nationwide, reactions remain mixed within the New Jersey town.
“There are people that are thrilled that the mayor is going to condemn the property,” York said, but he believes “the majority of the community is shocked and dismayed.”
BUSINESS OWNERS TAKE ON CITY THEY SAY IS PLAYING ‘MUSICAL CHAIRS’ WITH PROPERTY IN EMINENT DOMAIN CASE
The property of Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, New Jersey.
As for the church’s next steps, litigation is certain.
“The plan will be decided by the diocese,” York said. “But they certainly will litigate the issue, and I believe it will be successful.”
The church’s attorney said the government should “mind their own business and stay out of the religious affairs of the community.”
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Five or six hearings have taken place, and the next zoning board meeting is scheduled for May 22. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Township of Toms River for comment on the pending litigation and the hearings.
The church originally applied in July 2023 to operate an outreach center for the homeless, an effort that was approved. According to York, their application for the shelter fully complies with local and state regulations.
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