New Jersey

Vito the pug made history at the National Dog Show. See the complete results here

Published

2 years ago

November 29, 2024

Press Room

Vito the pug made history at the National Dog Show. See the complete results here

3-minute read

Vito the pug is living his best life after beating out a field of nearly 2,000 dogs on Thanksgiving and securing the prestigious Best in Show award − a first for his breed in over two decades of the National Dog Show.

The small but sturdy 2-and-a-half-year-old pup is certainly living up to his moniker — Vito is derived from the Latin word for vita, which means “life” or “victory” — and while he may have looked a bit puzzled as the crowd cheered his win during the NBC event on Thursday, he was probably just playing it cool.

Following the win, which was taped on Nov. 16 and 17 and aired after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, NBC on-site reporter Mary Carillo asked Vito’s handler Michael Scott if he thought the pug was aware of his victory.

Scott’s reply? “He is a little smug. I do think he knows.”

But what really made Vito stand out?

“He has a beautiful head and expression,” Scott said, adding that Vito is a compact dog who has “wonderful movement,” which appeals to “a lot of people whether they know the breed specifics or not.”

While still young, Vito, who is owned by Carolyn Koch of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the No. 1 pug in all show systems and the No. 2 toy dog in the U.S., according to NBC. He also snatched the top spot in best of his breed at this year’s Westminster Dog Show in New York City and claimed best of breed at the American Kennel Club National Show in 2023.

Scott, of Chesapeake City, Maryland, previously won the National Dog Show in 2008 as handler for Holly, a pointer. Last year, he won reserve best in show (runner-up) with New Jersey dog Pumpkin, a Dalmation from Milltown in Middlesex County.

Vito may have notched the Best in Show accolade but there were plenty of superstars inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. With the newest addition of the Lancashire heeler, which debuted on the American Kennel Club’s official list earlier this year, there were 205 breeds sorted into seven groups: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding.

National Dog Show 2024 winners

Verde the Welsh terrier took second place, also known as Reserve Best in Show. The medium-size, wiry-coated canine is a breed “used by Welsh farmers to rid their land of foxes, badgers and rodents of all kinds,” co-host John O’Hurley said during the two-hour telecast. The pup has won 21 best in shows.

Here are the winner from the seven groups:

Toy: Vito the pug from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Terrier: Verde the Welsh terrier from Rialto, California
Sporting: Houston the Clumber spaniel from Keyport, New Jersey
Working: Monty the giant schnauzer from Chaplin, Connecticut
Hound: The Zit, an Ibizan hound from Spring Hill, Florida
Herding: Rupert the Berger Picard from Shing Springs, California
Non-sporting: JJ the Lhasa apso from Sabot, Virginia

Judges evaluate the canines based on “how closely each dog compares with the judge’s mental image of the perfect dog as described in the breed’s official standard,” based on qualities such as the dog’s overall appearance, temperament and structure.

In 2023, Stache, a Sealyham terrier from Pennsylvania, was crowned Best in Show.

Missed the National Dog Show? Here’s how to rewatch

Too busy whipping up those mashed potatoes or traveling to the in-laws to catch the National Dog Show? No worries. The show is available to watch on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, with a subscription.

For those that can’t get enough canine content, full episodes of the National Dog Show can be watched dating back to 2013. Highlights from the competition, including a “Best Moments of the Show” compilation, can be found on the NBC YouTube channel.

The is now available to watch on Hulu with a subscription and will re-air at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30 on CNBC and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1 on NBC 4 New York.

Email: lcomstock@njherald.com; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook.

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New Jersey

NJ fines Sen. Wimberly $24K after use of donations for hotels, airfare

Published

3 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Press Room

NJ fines Sen. Wimberly K after use of donations for hotels, airfare

2-minute read

PATERSON — In a three-month span at the end of 2022, state Sen. Benjie Wimberly, then an assemblyman, spent more than $7,200 in political donations on hotel bills, airfare and other travel expenses.

Now, Wimberly has been fined about $24,000 by New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission, partly for spending campaign funds on his own personal use.

The ELEC complaint against Wimberly had been pending since December 2024, and a settlement between the state and the senator was reached at the end of May 2026. ELEC made details of the deal public on July 1.

“Senator Wimberly chose to settle the matter with ELEC because his priority is addressing the immediate and important needs of his district,” said his attorney, Angelo Genova, a prominent and well-connected lawyer in New Jersey political circles.

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“As expressly stated in the Consent Order and Final Decision, Senator Wimberly and his treasurer neither admit nor deny the violations, and they maintain their good-faith belief that the disputed expenditures were permissible under the law,” Genova added.

Wimberly’s campaign treasurer, David Cozart, works as an assistant superintendent for Paterson Public Schools, with a $213,000 salary. Wimberly also works for the city school district as director of recreation, with a $194,000 salary.

The commission determined that 19 of Wimberly’s expenditures at the end of 2022, when he was still an Assembly member, were for impermissible uses. The order said $10,861 of the fine stemmed from Wimberly’s improper use of political funds. The rest of the penalty was for late filing of a finance report that covered October through December of 2022.

Among the expenditures highlighted by ELEC were:

$645 to the Hilton Garden Inn Lodge Colonial on Oct. 11, 2022.
$751 to the Embassy Suites Hampton on Oct. 25, 2022.
$497 to the Landing at Hampton on Nov. 8, 2022.
$322 to the Hilton Garden Inn on Dec. 6, 2022.
$378 to the Omni Hotels on Dec. 14, 2022.

The ELEC complaint did not provide specific locations of those businesses.

Partial payment of $4,000 in April

The order said Wimberly and Cozart made a partial payment of $4,000 in April 2026. The election commission also reduced the penalty, lowering it to $15,335.

Going forward, Cozart and Wimberly would make four payments of $3,833.99 through April 2027, the order said.

Wimberly supporters noted that the original complaint filed against him came at the end of 2024, when he was still an Assembly member making a bid for the vacant New Jersey 35th District Senate seat left vacant when Nellie Pou went to Congress.

Wimberly sought the Senate seat even though several Passaic County Democratic party leaders were backing then-Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter for the Senate. After the initial tally ended in a tie, Wimberly won the internal party election by one vote over Sumter.

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New Jersey

Heat wave to bring near 100 degree weather. When does NJ heat wave start

Published

15 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Heat wave to bring near 100 degree weather. When does NJ heat wave start

Last week wasn’t a great one when it comes to weather at the Jersey Shore.

This one will be much better, at least if you like heat.

A heat wave will hit New Jersey this week with hot weather moving into the area on Tuesday. The warm temperatures will stick around for most of the week before we get a little relief by the end of the weekend.

The National Weather Service forecasts the heat wave to start July 14 with a sunny day with highs around 92 degrees. Wednesday is even hotter with temperatures expected to flirt with 100 degrees. Thursday stays hot with a high of 92 degrees forecasted, with Friday and Saturday also expected to see highs in the low 80s.

According to the NOAA, Wednesday the Jersey Shore area will be under an extreme heat watch.

Tuesday through Friday are expected to be sunny, with some clouds. Saturday is when showers roll in.

Sunday the heatwave is expected to break. Showers are also expected to stick around with a high of 84 degrees expected.

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New Jersey

New NJ businesses include non-alcoholic liquor store, art school

Published

1 day ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

New NJ businesses include non-alcoholic liquor store, art school

2-minute read

The Record, NorthJersey.com, the Daily Record and the New Jersey Herald want to keep you up to date on all the newest shops, restaurants and service providers moving into your towns. Below is a roundup of businesses that recently opened or are coming soon.

Are you opening a business in North Jersey? Get the word out to your neighbors as soon as possible. Send us your information and photos and we will try to add them to our next new-business roundup.

We’re also interested in reporting business closings. Have a tip? Contact Business Reporter Daniel Munoz at munozd@northjersey.com, or 201-270-9870, and Stephanie Noda at noda@northjersey.com, or 973-558-0950.

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