Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange plans a special Sea Turtle Sunrise Event on May 17 to raise funds for Sea Turtle Recovery, an organization dedicated to saving sea turtles. The event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., offers attendees an exclusive, intimate experience at the zoo before it opens to the general public. Admission to the Sea Turtle Sunrise Event includes a two-hour private zoo experience, a doughnut from Beignets of Denville and a choice of coffee or apple juice. Weather permitting, attendees can also enjoy free...

Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has proposed hiking the beverage tax on alcohol for retailers in New Jersey by 10% as a way to bring the state more money for its upcoming budget. The increased tax could force bars to charge more for beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks. Murphy administration officials said the proposed tax increase is projected to bring in an extra $18.5 million for the state if the plan passes the state Legislature. That could help increase revenue up to $175 million for the state budget in the...

The wildfire burning in state lands southeast of Vineland grew a little bit Sunday afternoon but remained 75% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said in an update. The blaze grew to 1,300 acres, up from 1,250 earlier Sunday. The forest fire service has named the blaze Danny’s Wildfire. It’s burning in the Peaslee Wildlife Management Area in Cumberland County. Firefighters remain on the scene Sunday night, the service said. The fire is in a remote area between Union and Hesstown roads just south of the Bennetts Mill along...

The wildfire that started on Friday at the Peaslee Wildlife Management Area in Vineland has expanded an additional 50 acres from Saturday’s 1,200. The blaze still remains 75% contained, according to a noon Sunday update from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The Cumberland County fire was previously described as 75% contained on Saturday afternoon There is now one road closure — Cow Turd Road between Cedar Branch Road and Hesstown Road. Union Road and Bennetts Mill Road were previously closed but have reopened. There are no current evacuations or...

A new state program will send trained mental health professionals and people with lived experience to respond to adults who contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams, which consist of one peer and one professional, will be dispatched through the state’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline centers to help adults struggling with mental illness and substance use disorder, without the need for police. “Today’s announcement underscores that — in New Jersey — help is truly only a phone call or text message away," Gov. Phil...

One night in April 1985, Mark Singleton and two friends walked into the kitchen at the Hoboken Shelter with their own recipe for feeding the hungry. The meal that Singleton, Eddie Lopez and Declan Carney cooked for the homeless that night – chicken, rice, and salad – became a Wednesday night tradition and earned the trio the nickname The Chicken People. Forty years later, The Chicken People is down to The Chicken Man, Singleton, who’s still cooking that same meal at the Hoboken Shelter on the second Wednesday of each...

Three police officers in New Jersey each have a new, four-legged sidekick after helping rescue — and becoming immediately charmed by — a litter of abandoned puppies. Back in December 2024, the three Clark Police Department officers responded to a call from a Good Samaritan about puppies who had been abandoned in a five-gallon bucket, according to a news release from the Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS). When they arrived, they found eight puppies, all just a couple of weeks old, cuddled together for warmth amid the frigid winter temperatures....

An updated weather alert was issued by the National Weather Service on Saturday at 7:42 p.m. for gusty showers until 8:15 p.m. for Berkshire County. Residents can anticipate wind gusts of up to 40 mph. "At 7:42 p.m., Doppler radar tracked gusty showers along a line extending from near Hoosick Falls to near Berne to near North Blenheim. Movement was east at 60 mph," states the weather service. "Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects." Locations impacted by the alert include Shakers, Bleecker Stadium, East...

A South Jersey wildfire has fanned out to an additional 200 acres as of Saturday afternoon but first responders have made significant headway, state officials announced. The blaze in the Peaslee Wildlife Management Area in Vineland began Friday and the response extended into Easter weekend. The wildfire, dubbed “Danny’s Fire,” has now burned at least 1,200 acres — up from 1,000 acres Saturday morning. In an update at 3:27 p.m., the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said crews have “made substantial progress” and the blaze is now 75% contained. That’s...

A wildfire burning through a forest in South Jersey has spread to 1,000 acres as of late Saturday morning, but the blaze is about 50% contained, officials said. The fire broke out about 12:25 p.m. Friday in the Peaslee Wildlife Management Area in Vineland, Cumberland County, and initially burned 20 acres. That number jumped to 500 acres Friday evening before growing to 800 acres at 10 p.m., then to 1,000 acres as of 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. In its latest update, the forest...