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Football preseason Top 20: 8 teams unranked at end of 2015 make it; Who's No. 1?

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NJ.com releases the 2016 preseason football Top 20. Share the preseason rankings with your scholastic football-loving friends.


Town-by-town breakdown shows N.J.'s great degree divide

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New Jersey's science and business majors have settled in the middle of the state, while the surrounding areas are dominated by liberal arts majors

Lodi police seek shooting suspect

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The victim was shot in the leg about 2 a.m. Wednesday on Central Avenue, police said.

LODI - Police are investigating after a man was found shot in the leg early Wednesday near a bar in the borough.

The victim, who was not identified, was found about 2 a.m. on Central Avenue in the area of Donnie & Juniors Bar, police said in a statement. Officers were called to the area on a report of shots fired, police said.

"The victim had been shot in the leg and was taken to the hospital for treatment," said Lodi police Lt. Robert Salerno.

Police are looking for a suspect, Salerno said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Lodi police at 973-473-7600.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Paterson wants to move World War II sub to Great Falls, report says

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The submarine is looking for a new home as it currently sits on property scheduled for redevelopment.

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PATERSON -- Mayor Joey Torres wants the New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack to move a World War II-era submarine to the silk city, according to a report.

Torres sent a letter to the naval museum last week saying the relocation of the USS Ling just upstream from Great Falls would attract tourists visiting the national park, Northjersey.com reported.

The mayor said the new location would be a good fit for the USS Ling due to the city's industrial legacy involving John P. Holland's development of the first modern submarine.

Gilbert De Laat, president of the Naval Museum, said moving the ship from Hackensack to Paterson would not be an easy feat considering obstacles like the Dundee Dam and depth of the Hackensack River. 

Laat estimated the move to cost around $1 million dollars, which he said the museum would not pay for. 

With enough financial problems of their own, Torres said they city would pay for the move by getting a federal grant.

The submarine is looking for a new home as it currently sits on property scheduled for redevelopment. 

Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

N.J. chiropractor suspended for fondling patients, exposing himself

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Archer Irby was arrested July 30 for engaging in criminal sexual contact with three female patients.

irby.jpgArcher L. Irby (BCPO) 

TRENTON -- A chiropractor in Bergen County has temporarily surrendered his license while he faces criminal charges and a disciplinary board's investigation for groping three patients, Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced Wednesday.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office arrested Archer Irby, 45, of Leonia for criminal sexual contact on July 30, the same day a 46-year-old woman ran from his Englewood office after he placed his mouth on her breast during treatment, Porrino's announcement said.

The investigation also revealed two other patients who reported they had been fondled. One woman told police Irby had touched her inappropriately and exposed himself on July 20 and July 27. Another woman alleged he had groped her during an office visit in October 2012.

"We allege that Archer Irby hid behind his chiropractic license to use patients for his own sexual gratification," Porrino said. "This kind of alleged depraved behavior is a stain on the health care profession that will not be tolerated. We will not allow chiropractors or other licensed providers to victimize the patients who trust them."

North Jersey chiropractor groped patients, authorities say

The Enforcement Bureau of the Division of Consumer Affairs conducted the investigation assisted by the Englewood Police Department and the Bergen prosecutor's office.

"By obtaining the temporary suspension of Dr. Irby's license, the Board has acted swiftly to ensure that he will not have contact with patients while these very serious charges are pending," said Steve Lee, Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. "Protecting the welfare of the public is paramount, and any professional engaging in this kind of alleged misconduct will face severe consequences."

Patients may file complaints against licensed health care professionals online with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 or 973-504- 6200.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

 

Macy's to open discount store at Paramus Park location

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Macy's Backstage sells items at clearance prices.

PARAMUS -- Macy's plans to open one of its popular outlet stores at Paramus Park Mall.

The department store chain announced it will open the Macy's Backstage Store Sept. 10 inside its existing Paramus Park store.

Macy's Backstage offers discounted products from Macy's stores and lower-priced offerings from fashion brands. There are about 19 other Macy's Backstage stores in the United States.

Macy's first tested the stores at a handful of locations in New York in 2015. They take Macy's charge cards, but not coupons.

Sales fell 3.6 percent for Macy's last year and the company announced it would close 100 locations across the country. Most of the closing locations will be named by January.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Car fire causes delays on George Washington Bridge

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The fire was spotted about 12:15 p.m. on the eastbound lower level and extinguished.

FORT LEE - Officials reported delays on the George Washington Bridge Wednesday afternoon following a car fire.

The fire was spotted about 12:15 p.m. on the eastbound lower level and extinguished by Port Authority bridge and tunnel agents, authorities said.

The affected lower lanes were closed, resulting in eastbound delays on the upper level of the bridge.

All lanes were reopened at 12:45 p.m., said Joe Pentangelo, spokesman for the Port Authority Police Department.

No injuries were reported in the fire.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

This Bergen County woman's doll collection will blow you away (PHOTOS)

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For the past 15 years, Lelya Gokhman has been collecting dolls from all over the world

FRANKLIN LAKES -- When you walk into the display room of Lelya Gokhman's house, you are immediately met with hundreds of faces staring back at you. A woman in all yellow sits perched atop a cabinet. A witch and a mermaid crouch in a corner. A pair of red-headed twins laugh from inside a Plexiglass case.

For the past 15 years, Gokhman has been collecting dolls from all over the world. But it wasn't until about three years ago that her collection exploded when she began seeking out original and unique creations. Once they were niche items, but online communities and websites such as Etsy have made it easier for enthusiasts to connect with makers. Gokhman has accumulated almost 200 dolls, as well as a small collection of miniatures houses, complete with furniture.

Gokhman sees the dolls less as playthings and more as works of art. "To make a good doll, you have to do everything," she says. "You have to be a sculptor, a painter and a seamstress." Since many of the dolls are one of a kind, and fabrication is so elaborate, it often takes months for a single doll to be made from start to finish.

"I love their faces," Gokhman muses. "They have such emotion."

Alex Remnick may be reached on Twitter @AlexRemnick. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Christie conditionally vetoes bill to create committee to oversee Bergen Regional

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Gov. Christie issued a conditional veto Wednesday on a bill that would've created an oversight committee for Bergen Regional Medical Center.

Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed a bill Wednesday that would establish a committee to oversee the state's largest hospital, Bergen Regional Medical Center.

The bill would create an 11-member committee with representatives from various industries to oversee the hospital. Christie wrote in his veto that he objected to what he called "problematic reforms" that were included in the bill.

The bill has a provision that says workers employed for services by a "private entity that has entered into a public-private partnership agreement with a county hospital authority" won't be paid less than the "prevailing wage rate," as determined by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.

Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), a sponsor of the bill, had said that the language was not a "major portion of the bill."

Christie also wrote that he had "no objections" to a county creating a hospital authority and that the authority be able to create "public-private partnerships."

"Indeed, a single-purpose authority is likely necessary to oversee the State's largest, publicly-owned hospitals," he wrote.

Christie's recommendations will go back to the Legislature to accept or reject them. The bill, S2361, had passed the Senate 25-11 and the Assembly 52-25 in June.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.

What investigation? N.J. court rules cops don't even have to say if records exist

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New Jersey newspaper gets "Glomared" when seeking records.

TRENTON -- A state appeals court ruled on Wednesday that government officials don't necessarily have to acknowledge the existence of a record when refusing to release it.

The three-judge panel sided with prosecutors in Bergen County, who responded to a request from a news organization by saying they could "neither confirm nor deny" they had documents related to a possible criminal case.

The court agreed that in some cases, even acknowledging a record exists can divulge sensitive information. The so-called Glomar response, originally invoked by the federal government in a matter of national security, has been finding its way into state courts in recent years, a trend free press advocates have called troubling.

At issue in Wednesday's decision was a request made by the Community News, a weekly newspaper in northern New Jersey, for records held by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office regarding an individual who had been accused of sexual abuse but never criminally charged.

The decision did not name the individual, although he has been identified elsewhere as a Catholic priest.

A trial court judge ruled the request violated the priest's privacy rights, but the news organization appealed. The appellate ruling found prosecutors could withhold the information under state records laws. 

What police records should be public?

A coalition of media entities and free press advocates --led by North Jersey Media Group, which owned the paper, and including Advance Publications, the parent company of NJ Advance Media; the New York Times;  the Wall Street Journal and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press -- has advocated for the release of the documents.

The Glomar response owes its name to a CIA operation involving the Hughes Glomar Explorer, a secret giant ship, to retrieve a sunken Soviet submarine in the early 1970s. In response to press inquiries about the operation, the federal government argued even acknowledging its existence could undermine national security.

In the decades since, the federal government has used the case as precedent to refuse records under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. 

The media groups argued the "can neither confirm nor deny" defense employed by government record keepers had been "overused and abused" as a means of curtailing public access. Until Wednesday, it had not been used successfully in state cases involving New Jersey's Open Public Records Act. 

Tom Cafferty, an attorney for the news organizations who joined the suit, said Wednesday that the ruling could have broad implications for access to government records in New Jersey. 

"Will records custodians seek to apply this 'Glomar doctrine' to records beyond law enforcement records of the type that were at issue in this case?" he asked. 

In their decision, the court held that "in order to protect the confidentiality of persons who have been the subject of investigation but not charged with any offense," prosecutors must have a consistent policy on the release of such records. 

"To deny records exist in some cases and to issue no denial in others would implicitly confirm the existence of records in a particular case, entirely defeating any effort to protect the confidentiality interest at stake," Judge Marianne Espinosa wrote in the decision. 

In a statement Wednesday, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal said the court ruling "allows law enforcement agencies the flexibility they need" to protect the privacy of those they investigate. 

"The court simply codified a basic tenet of common sense and fair dealing with which any reasonable person would agree: An innocent person's name does not belong in a newspaper every time a law enforcement agency receives an anonymous note," the prosecutor said. "It is as simple as that."

Cafferty said there was "no question" that in cases where criminal charges are not brought, privacy implications should be considered when discussing investigations.

"On the other hand, is the appropriate way to address that concern to (refuse to divulge information), or is the appropriate response to say, 'We found no basis to the allegations'?"

According to the appellate decision, government agencies can't use the "neither confirm nor deny" response indiscriminately, but would rather have to establish "sufficient basis" for such refusals and make their case to a judge. 

But Cafferty said that court oversight would happen behind closed doors, giving the requesting party -- be they private citizens or the press -- little insight on the arguments the government is making for withholding information from them. 

"Now, requesters and their attorneys are effectively going to have one arm tied behind their back," he said.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

N.J. college probes origin of email critical of black students

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The email sent to students, faculty and administrators may have been sent by someone who hacked the administrator's email account, campus officials said.

An administrator at Felician University was still on the job Wednesday as school officials investigate how an email critical of black students was sent from her campus account.

The investigation into the email sent Monday to students, faculty and staff has not turned up anything yet and is continuing, said Felician President Anne Prisco.

Laura Pierotti, the university's director of residence life, will remain in her post on the Lodi campus while school officials determine whether her email account was "compromised" by someone who sent the racist message under her name, the president said.

Though some on campus have called for Pierotti to be placed on leave during the investigation, Prisco said the administrator is "innocent until proven guilty."

"There's plenty of work to be done, so we've got her working and that's where we are right now," Prisco said.

Neither Pierotti nor other officials in the Catholic university's residence life office responded to requests for comment.

The email, sent from Pierotti's account late Monday, referred to black students in the university's residence halls. The email, which was first reported by NorthJersey.com, contained numerous spelling mistakes and little punctuation, leading to speculation that it was unlikely to come from a senior college administrator who had worked at Felician for nine years.

There is no evidence other university accounts were hacked, the president said.

Felician is a 2,200-student, private Roman Catholic college with campuses in Lodi and Rutherford. About 38 to 40 percent of students are white, 25 percent are Hispanic, 20 percent are black and eight percent are Asian, according to campus statistics. Other students didn't identify as one race or selected more than one race.

Taylor Plummer, a Felician senior from Plainfield, said he received the email from Pierotti and had to re-read it several times to understand the message beyond the grammatical mistakes.

"After reading it a couple of times, she couldn't have sent that. She doesn't come off as someone who would say something racist like that," said Plummer, who is black.

Plummer said he, along with other students at Felician, have interacted many times with Pierotti and the email seemed out of character for the administrator. But the email spread rapidly over students' social media accounts earlier this week.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.

Boys cross-country 2016 preseason Top 20

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Take a look at N.J.'s top boys cross-country teams heading into the season

Vintage photos of jobs and workers in N.J.

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Labor Day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day is "dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

The Department also notes that Labor Day, which grew out of local and state initiatives, became a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1894.

563460_228856270597387_2031337687_n.jpgMy dad, John Hatala Jr., designing something that would go completely over my head at Struthers-Dunn in Pitman in 1967. In fact, it likely did go over my head; he designed relays for, among other things, F14 fighters and the Titan rocket. 

We post this gallery in celebration of the hard working people in the Garden State.

Here, we pay homage to people working in a broad range of occupations -- oyster shuckers, glassware packers, linemen and builders, beer brewers and pear pickers.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Here, you will see photos of factory workers and hospital employees, embroiderers and farmers, piano makers and toll takers.

We salute them all. Be sure captions are enabled to read about each picture.

Can't get enough? Here's a link to last year's gallery.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

Crashes jam traffic on NJ Turnpike, George Washington Bridge

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Accidents were reported Thursday morning on the NJ Turnpike and the GWB.

FORT LEE - A pair of crashes on the NJ Turnpike and George Washington Bridge on Thursday morning were causing traffic delays for motorists in Bergen County.

fort-lee-traffic-95-crash.pngTraffic was backed up at 7 a.m. on the NJ Turnpike in the area of Route 3 due to a crash. (511nj.org) 

The first was an overturned truck reported around 5:15 a.m. on the New Jersey Turnpike. The crash occurred on Interstate 95 local southbound lanes near Exit 71. The right and center lanes were blocked, according to 511nj.org.

Shortly before 6:30 a.m., authorities reported an accident with injuries on the GWB that was causing one-hour delays into New York City. The accident is on the upper level eastbound approaching Harlem River Drive. All ramp lanes are blocked, according to 511nj.org.

At 8 a.m., the Port Authority reported a 25-minute delays for motorists crossing the bridge in the eastbound lanes.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Mother sues grammar school kids for sexually harassing son

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She's also suing Wilson Elementary School in Lodi for allegedly not stopping the harassment.

wilson-school.jpgThe lawsuit was filed on behalf of a male student at Wilson Elementary School in Lodi. (Google Maps) 

LODI - The mother of an elementary school student has filed a lawsuit claiming her son was sexually harassed by four male students and that teachers, the principal and other staff failed to intervene.

The student, who is only identified by initials, was harassed at Wilson Elementary School from September 2015 through June, according to the suit.

The suit states male students said the boy "likes boys" and enjoys performing oral sex on them, according to the suit, which was filed earlier this month in Bergen County Superior Court.

The harassment included students "making a motion where they imitate performing oral sex on a male," the suit states.

"These acts of harassment continued (on) a daily basis," the suit states.

Deaf prisoner sues North Jersey jail

The mother, identified as "G.T.," claims she approached her son's teacher about the harassment in October 2015, but that nothing was done.

In November, the mother alleges she reported the harassment to Principal Christie Vanderhook. She again reported the harassment on multiple occasions in December 2015, the lawsuit states.

"Despite plaintiff's mother's multiple complaints to the principal about the harassment her son was subjected to, no action was taken and the harassment continued," the suit states.

Earlier this year, the mother claims she reported the harassment to a guidance counselor, who allegedly told her that "kids will be kids" and the harassment continued.

The lawsuit alleges teachers, administrators and other school employees believed her son to be gay based on the actions of the four male students. That made the harassment severe and pervasive, the suit states.

The lawsuit was brought against the district and several male students identified as  "John Does." The mother alleges the school violated New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination based on gender, perception of sexual orientation, disability and perception of disability. Court documents also claim school officials failed to prevent or deter the harassment.

In addition to monetary damages, the lawsuit asks that Lodi Public Schools be ordered to educate students and staff to prevent unlawful harassment of students and asks that students who engage in future harassment be "significantly and severely punished."

Officials at Lodi Public Schools did not respond to requests for comment.

Deborah Mains, an attorney for the law group that filed the suit, declined to provide the age, grade or other details about the student whose mother filed the lawsuit on his behalf.

"We generally do not discuss ongoing litigation. We are particularly protective of our minor clients," Mains said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey: The Meadowlands at 40

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A history of the Meadowlands Sports Complex

Voter registrations surge in Bergen County ahead of Clinton vs. Trump

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There number of voters who changed their party registration to Democrat from unaffiliated more than quadrupled, according to the data.

Thousands more people have registered to vote in the November election in Bergen County as compared to the number of people who registered for the 2012 election, according to county data.

There were 10,479 new voters registered in the county from May 18 to August 16. Four years ago, 7,145 people registered to vote in that period.

"I think so many people are interested in this election," said Patricia DiCostanzo, superintendent of elections in the county. "I don't care who you vote for, I'm happy they get out and vote."

The biggest shift is in the number of voters who changed their party affiliation from undecided to Democrat. In 2012, 5,023 voters did so. So far in 2016, 22,898 voters have made the change.

"All of the movement that we are seeing is just reflective of the historic nature of this election," said Krista Jenkins, director of PublicMind and a political science professor at the Fairleigh Dickinson University.

In Bergen County, there are 356 Republicans who changed to Democrats in 2016. In 2012, there were just 89.

On the other side of the aisle, there are 466 Democrats who switched affiliations so far in 2016, while in 2012 there were 127 who made the switch, according to the data.

DiCostanzo said there was a surge in people registering to vote after some believed they had to declare a party ahead of the vote to participate in the primary, as they do in New York. In New Jersey, a voter can declare a party to vote on the day of the primary.

"People were asking us what delegates meant, what super delegates are. It's a history-making election," DiCostanzo said.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde

 

Crystal ball: NJ.com writers predict postseason football awards

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Who will be the Players of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year? Find out who we think could end up holding those titles.

Newark archbishop backs firing of school administrator in same-sex marriage

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John Myers says 'the Church must be free to take corrective steps to maintain the identity and the integrity of her mission'

NEWARK -- The Archbishop of Newark issued a statement in support of Paramus Catholic High School's decision to fire a administrator after she married a woman.

John J. Myers issued the statement nearly eight months after the school terminated former dean of guidance and girls' basketball coach Kate Drumgoole. Drumgoole, 33, has been married to another Paramus Catholic alum, Jaclyn Vanore, since 2014.

"A same-sex union violates the tenets of the Catholic faith," Myers wrote. "When that happens, the Church must be free to take corrective steps to maintain the identity and the integrity of her mission."

Without naming Drumgoole, Myers than asserted that her marriage is "confusing" to students.  

"Such actions can create confusion and uncertainty in the moral formation of the young people he or she encounter," the statement read.

Editorial: PC's bigotry is 'odious'

Drumgoole, of Bogota, has filed a lawsuit arguing she was fired as retaliation for notifying administrators that three students alleged they had been sexually abused during a 2011 trip to Europe. 

She filed the suit against Paramus Catholic earlier this month. Last week, a judge denied the school's request to dismiss the suit.

Instead, the judge ruled the case should move forward, with attorneys examining whether Drumgoole worked in a ministerial capacity and whether the dispute is secular or ecclesiastical.

Paramus Catholic learned of the marriage when Vanore's estranged sister posted wedding pictures on Facebook pages associated with the school, NorthJersey.com reported.  

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

DWI checkpoints set for Hudson River bridges, tunnels this weekend

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Random motorists will be stopped from 10 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday

Drivers crossing the Hudson River late Saturday and early Sunday should be prepare for the possibility they'll be pulled over.

Drunk driving checkpoints will be run from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. at the Lincon Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge, Port Authority police said Thursday morning.

Police will conduct random inspections. In addition they'll hand out literature warning of the danger of driving while intoxicated.

Cops running the checkpoints might find themselves standing in the rain as the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine might bring heavy precipitation and gusty winds to the area beginning Saturday.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

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