New Jersey

We mourn Bill Pascrell Jr., Paterson’s champion who devoted life to American democracy

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2024

Press Room

We mourn Bill Pascrell Jr., Paterson’s champion who devoted life to American democracy

3-minute read

USA TODAY Network New Jersey Editorial Board
| NorthJersey.com

Paterson has lost a giant. And so has New Jersey.

A relentless promoter of his native Silk City, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. simply loved Paterson. He was certain of its eventual renaissance and he was devoted to it like no other.

At 87, he died Wednesday.

Pascrell, who had been ill for more than a month, was mourned deeply and personally by hundreds across the city as news of his death spread.

“He loved this city and its people with all his heart,” said Bob Guarasci of the New Jersey Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization focused on building quality of life in Paterson. “He fought for the people of Paterson, and for all our nation’s middle class, right to the end. It’s going to be hard to imagine the landscape without him, and we should all be motivated to honor him and his life through service to others.”

Hours after the congressman’s death, flags across the city, including at the Robert A. Roe Federal Building, were lowered to half-staff.

The shock of Pascrell’s passing will surely continue for days — and so it should as a scrappy New Jersey city grieves a former mayor, a longtime congressman and its most loyal son.

Paterson shaped its champion

A lifetime spent in Paterson — a city that has been the cradle of the American Dream for so many in northern New Jersey and well beyond — informed Pascrell’s devotion to fairness for middle-class New Jersey residents.

Paterson and its many troubles — and its many strengths — transcended his approach to politics. Pascrell was, after all, a veteran of the city’s tough-guy politics whose own journey led him through Passaic County Democratic circles, stints in the Legislature in Trenton and, finally, the mayor’s office. First elected to Congress in 1996, he served 14 terms and was seeking a 15th this November.

Silk City mourns: Paterson laments Rep. Bill Pascrell’s death

He never strayed from what he believed was his duty to represent his Paterson neighbors in Washington — the police, the firefighters, the small business owners and the newly-arrived immigrants starting their American journeys in northern New Jersey. They were his priority — as was, in recent years in particular, the preservation of our great American democratic traditions.

Pascrell championed economic policies he believed would benefit his neighbors across his district. He worked to protect Social Security and Medicare, to expand access to health care, to better protect first responders on the job and to better serve veterans. He supported broader investment and stimulation of American manufacturing and, recently, was a vocal advocate for investment in American community colleges.

He was also among the New Jersey congressional delegation’s loudest advocates for the restoration of the state and local tax exemption, which was capped during the administration of former President Donald Trump. Pascrell supported investment in infrastructure and successfully steered federal dollars to support NJ Transit and infrastructure investment.

He took good care of Paterson’s greatest asset, too, ensuring that the Great Falls will enjoy a long future under the stewardship of the National Park Service as a tourism driver and an indelible focal point in the city he loved.

“Forget about changing the world,” Pascrell told our editorial board as he sought a new term in Congress in 2022. “Change your community.”

A champion of fairness: These were the causes dear to the late Rep. Bill Pascrell’s heart

A champion of our democracy

Pascrell, as we were, was disgusted and dismayed by the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He was deeply concerned about the prospects of a second Trump presidency and blasted Republican attacks on what he saw as fundamental rights in a near-constant barrage of press releases that filled New Jersey press corps inboxes over the last few years.

He was unequivocal about his commitment to the American experiment in representative democracy. He always reminded us of his years as a history teacher in the Paterson public schools at the start of his career.

When we interviewed him in advance of his re-election in 2022, he was straightforward as ever about his priorities.

“First thing on my list is democracy,” he said. “That’s why I took the stand that I did after Jan. 6. … I’m gonna be a protector of speech and accountability and voting rights.”

And he was.

We will always admire — and will greatly miss — Pascrell’s devotion to Paterson, a city whose fortunes are essential to northern New Jersey.

We will always admire — and remember — his unshakeable belief that American government can be a force for good.

Godspeed, Congressman.

Source link

Click to comment

New Jersey

Devils Out to Rattle the Leafs | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Devils Out to Rattle the Leafs | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

THE SCOOP

The Devils began their season-high seven-game homestand with a decisive victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The win was their second consecutive victory after picking up a win in St. Louis earlier in the week.

There’s not a lot of runway left in the season, and stringing together a run of victories is at the top of their minds. New Jersey is 11 points out of the final Wild Card spot, and 13 out of third in the Metropolitan Division. Tuesday will mark the Devils final game before the NHL Trade Deadline, which is on Friday at 3 p.m.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a down year, based on where the expectations were set heading into the season. The Leafs have struggled to gain any traction in their season and sit just two points ahead of New Jersey with 64. Toronto is 12 points out of third in the Atlantic Division, and nine points out of a Wild Card spot.

The Leafs have a tendency to give up an abundance of shots to their opponents, ranking first in the league in shots against, per game with 31.8, which bodes will for a Devils team that averages 29.4 shots per game, ranking sixth in the league. Despite their overall struggles, the Leafs do have the league’s fourth-best penalty kill, working at an 83.1 percent efficiency.

Source link

New Jersey

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

Published

18 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

A former mayor in Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to DUI and child endangerment charges after a 2025 traffic stop, according to prosecutors.

Lumberton Township committee member Gina LaPlaca, 46, was indicted last spring on child abuse charges after county prosecutors said she was observed driving drunk with her young child in the car, while serving as the township mayor.

Police arrested her at her home after reviewing video from a witness showing her swerving out of her lane and nearly hitting a utility pole. Lumberton police discovered her blood alcohol concentration was .30%, over three times the legal limit of .08%.

On Monday, LaPlaca was sentenced to three years in a diversionary program for first-time offenders after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and a fourth-degree child abuse charge. As part of the plea deal, LaPlaca will avoid jail time as long as she abides by the terms of the program.

Under the terms of the Pretrial Intervention or PTI program, she must attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and comply with any requirements set by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Judge Craig A. Ambrose also ordered LaPlaca to have an ignition lock device on her car that will prevent it from starting up if the driver has consumed alcohol. She said in court she had already installed one in October 2025, the county prosecutor’s office said.

If LaPlaca violates the terms of the PTI program, she could be prosecuted for the child abuse charge.

LaPlaca completed an intensive treatment program in May 2025 and said in a statement that she is “fully committed to my recovery” and is doing the “daily, intentional work” that comes with it. She apologized to Lumberton residents while acknowledging a private struggle with alcohol addiction that was no longer private.

“The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply,” she said in a statement shared on social media. “What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable. I drove while intoxicated with my child in the car — a choice that could have caused irreversible harm. That reality is something I will live with, and learn from, for the rest of my life.”

LaPlaca served as mayor through 2025 but remains on the township committee. Terrance Benson was sworn in as mayor of Lumberton this year.

In:

Source link

New Jersey

Newark-bound United flight returns to LA airport for evacuation after reported fire

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

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.

Source link