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Group celebrates with free adoptions in East Brunswick

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The rescue group will offer fee-free adoptions for all dogs and cats through May 21.

newbegin.jpg 

EAST BRUNSWICK -- New Beginnings Animal Rescue will hold an open house on May 21, from noon to 4 p.m. celebrating the shelter's two-year anniversary.

As part of the celebration, the rescue will offer fee-free adoptions for all dogs and cats through May 21. Adopters must still complete applications, but all fees normally associated with adoption will be waived.

The open house also will feature the dedication of the shelter's "catio," an enclosed outdoor play area for cats built by a local Girl Scout and her father.

New Beginnings is located at 706-R Cranbury Road in East Brunswick. For more information, call 732-238-1348.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email middlesex@starledger.com.

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

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Despite lead-tainted water, N.J. school district says it's 'ahead of curve'

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Despite recent tests showing elevated lead levels at the water fountains of several schools, the school head said the issues were not systemic.

water-fountain.JPGA water fountain is pictured in this February file photo. 

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Despite the revelation of elevated lead levels in several city schools, the school superintendent issued a resolute statement on Wednesday saying the school district was "ahead of the curve" concerning water testing.

Superintendent Aubrey Johnson said, "Many organizations have not taken the steps New Brunswick has."

And, he added that "any rumors claiming that our district's water is currently unsafe, or that we withheld information, or failed to take swift action are unequivocally false."

Recently testing revealed that 14 water fountains at six schools showed elevated levels of lead -- nine of which ranged from two to four times the federal limit.

One fountain at an elementary school tested more than 12 times the federal limit at 187 parts per billion, according to the testing report posted on the school district's website.

Nevertheless, Johnson maintained that there were "no systemic problems with the water," and that children were "far more likely to come in contact with lead through the paint in their homes, dust, toys, and even food than they are in their schools."

He further described the problem as "isolated to a handful of faucets and fountains, all of which are now out of service in preparation for repairs."

He said every parent "should be discussing the risks of lead poisoning with their health care provider."

But the level of danger faced by children who attend these schools remains unclear.

Kurk Praschak, a spokesman for the school district, said in a statement that "any detailed answer needs to come from a medical professional."

He noted, however, that potential exposure to lead can result from "many different sources" and that "a medical test can only indicate if lead is present in a person's system," adding, "but cannot determine its origin."

While he said he understood the attention brought to the issue, he added: "We shouldn't be condemning those with a proven record of testing and remediation -- we should be concerned about those that fail to even look."

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Man charged with stealing large amount of perfume from work

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Holmdel police were called to CEI because of an ongoing investigation into the theft of perfume and cologne from the company

HOLMDEL -- A Middlesex County man was charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of perfume and cologne from a cosmetic fragrance facility in Holmdel, authorities said Wednesday.

Holmdel police were called to Cosmetic Essence Innovations at 3:05 a.m. on May 4 about an ongoing investigation into an employee stealing large amounts of perfume and cologne, according to a release by police.

When police officers arrived, they found Gary Rivera, 49, of the Parlin section of Old Bridge, loading more than $31,000 worth of perfume and cologne into his car, the release said.

Rivera was arrested at the company and charged with theft. He was being held at the Monmouth County jail in Freehold in lieu of $15,000 bail.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Scrap for N.J. Assembly seat to be settled at Edison confab

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Who will be chosen to fill the vacancy in the state Assembly's 18th Legislative District?

State Assmebly chambers at the Statehouse in Trenton.jpgThe state Assembly chambers at the Statehouse in Trenton. 

EDISON -- After a spirited debate and political confab Thursday night, the roughly 300 members of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization will select the candidate to fill the vacant seat in the state Assembly's 18th Legislative District.

The candidates vying for the seat are Highland Park Councilwoman Elsie Foster-Dublin, Edison council members Robert Karabinchak and Sapana Shah, and South River Councilman Matthew Vaughn.

The meeting comes just a few days after the former bearer of the Assembly seat, Patrick Diegnan, was appointed to fill another vacancy in the state Senate after former state senator Peter Barnes III  was nominated a state Superior Court judge.

Diegnan was widely considered the favorite to ascend to Barnes' seat.

But less clear is who will replace Diegnan.

And ever since the opportunity emerged, lots of curiosity has permeated throughout the county's political sphere, all tensely wondering who would be tapped to fill the intermittent opening.

The committee will hold its confab at the Middlesex County College Performing Arts Center on Woodbridge Avenue in Edison at 6 p.m.

Seven towns will be represented by the 300 members on Thursday.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Prosecutor in Lodzinski murder trial: 'Timmy was no longer wanted'

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The jury will begin deliberating Thursday. Michelle Lodzinski is charged with the 1991 murder of her 5-year-old son. Watch video

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Timothy Wiltsey was a week away from graduating from kindergarten when he went missing on May 25, 1991, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christie Bevacqua told a jury in the beginning of her closing remarks Wednesday afternoon.

"In a few short days, there would be no kindergarten, no after care to take care of her son," Bevacqua said. "She was struggling. So she had had enough by May 25, 1991. She had a solution--a life without Timmy. Timmy took his last breath. He was taken out of the world by the very person who brought him into it -- his mother. Then she dumped him in a drainage ditch off Olympic Drive in Edison, an isolated, desolate place."

A place, Bevacqua said, that Lodzinski was very familiar with having worked about a quarter mile away off Raritan Center Parkway a year earlier. Both locations are in Raritan Center.

"Then she did something only a mother would do--she left her child with a blanket, only this blanket did not cover Timmy's remains--it uncovered his murderer," the prosecutor said.

It was the blue blanket, found the day Timmy's skeletal remains were found on April 23, 1992, 11 months after Lodzinski reported him missing at a carnival in Sayreville May 25, 1991, that led to her being charged with her son's murder in August 2014.

The investigation into the boy's killing was reopened in 2011 when the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office received an anonymous tip, according to county Detective Sgt. Scott Crocco. Crocco testified the tip was not usable, but he decided to reopen the case and show the evidence to other witnesses who may not have seen it 20 years earlier--that included the blanket found near the boy's remains.

The blanket was identified by three witnesses, all of whom babysat for Timmy, as belonging to Lodzinski.

"All of the evidence points to the defendant," Bevacqua told the jury in her lengthy summation. "Michelle Lodzinski was the last person to see Timmy alive. The carnival was just the coverup."

She said Lodzinski's behavior after reporting him missing at the carnival--her calm demeanor and lies to police, including providing different versions of his disappearance, were "evidence of her guilt."

She also dismissed the testimony of Damien Dowdle, the convicted bank robber from Arizona who came in and testified that a man he was involved with in Arizona the late 1980's confessed to him in 1991 that he killed a 5-year-old boy possibly in New Jersey.

Dowdle testified he was paroled from prison in March 2015 and went on the Internet to see if there were any cases that fit the circumstances he claimed McShane told him in 1991-- that he killed a child in "Atlanta City" in a park at a big event. He said he found the Timothy Wiltsey case and contacted Lodzinski's attorney, Gerald Krovatin.

The man, Bernard Joseph McShane, testified for the prosecution and denied killing anyone or ever being in New Jersey until he came to testify for the trial.

"This is some creation of Damien Dowdle's," Bevacqua said. "He is on a mission to make Joe McShane's life hell."

The prosecutor said the state doesn't have to prove a motive to prove murder, but said it was clear that in May 1991, Timmy was no longer wanted."

"Verdict in Latin means speak the truth," Bevacqua told the jurors. "The truth is the defendant is guilty of murder."

The defense summations were Wednesday morning.

Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves will charge the jury, explaining the law governing all of the charges, including murder and the lesser included offenses of aggravated manslaughter and manslaughter, Thursday morning. 

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Vintage photos of N.J. in the 1960s

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It's impossible to define the tumultuous 1960s in any one context.

Carol Clark, writing on esciencecommons.blogspot.com, notes "scientists have long known, based on interviews with adults, that most people's earliest memories only go back to about age 3. The term 'childhood amnesia' was coined to describe this loss of memory from the infant years."

That permits those of us born in the late 1950s to say we "remember" the '60s, a decade chock full of change. Below are some of the cultural changes that took place in the 10-year span.

* Thepeoplehistory.com shows that among the top-selling Christmas toys of 1960 were the board game "Life," transistor radios and Daisy BB guns.  In 1969, the top sellers were models of the Saturn 5 moon rocket, a portable 8-track tape player and Hot Wheels and Matchbox die cast cars.

* "Ben Hur" starring Charlton Heston won Best Picture for 1960; the musical 'Oliver!' won in 1969.

* "Theme from a Summer Place" by Percy Faith was 1960s top-selling single, with the top album of the year being the soundtrack from "The Sound of Music." In 1969, those number-ones were "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies (best-selling single) and "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly (best-selling album)

* The highest rated TV show of 1960 was "Gunsmoke;" in 1969, it was "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

* In 1960, "U.S. Scientists" were named "Persons of the Year" by Time Magazine. Represented by men including Linus Pauling, William Shockley, Edward Teller and James Van Allen, it was only the third instance Time awarded the designation to a group. In 1969, a group -- "The Middle Americans, also known as the Silent Majority" - won the distinction, too.

* On April 1, 1960, the United States launched TIROS 1, the first successful meteorological satellite. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and New Jersey's Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on another celestial body.

It's impossible to define the 1960s in any one context. This gallery simply shows some of the visual images from New Jersey during that decade of rapid and tumultuous change.

Can't get enough? Here's a link to a previous gallery on the 1960s in New Jersey.

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

A roadmap to Rutgers graduation ceremonies

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More than 30 events will be held to celebrate the graduation of an estimated 16,944 Rutgers University students, capped by the visit of the president to mark the 250th anniversary of the state university.

From High Point Solutions Stadium on the Busch Campus in Piscataway, to the Prudential Center in Newark, an estimated 16,944 graduates will receive degrees from Rutgers this year.

Among them will include 10,902 students receiving baccalaureate degrees, 4,210 receiving master's degrees, and 1,830 doctorates.

And marking the university's 250th anniversary will be President Barack Obama, who will be the keynote speaker at commencement.

The convocation, commencements and other ceremonies will be spread across the state, on every campus.

Click here for a roadmap to the celebrations:

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Track & Field's Fab 50: Ranking N.J.'s top male athletes, Nos. 1-35

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Who is the best of the best in New Jersey track and field? NJ.com tries to answer that question this season with the brand new Fab 50 individual male rankings. Check back each week for five new additions to the Fab 50.


NJ.com's Softball Top 20: 2 teams added and a new No. 2

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We take a look at who is in this week's rankings

Here are N.J.'s 10 most endangered historic sites for 2016

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Preservation New Jersey released its annual list Thursday

TRENTON -- The Union Hotel that was made famous by the Lindbergh kidnapping trial and the state's deteriorating infrastructure are among this year's 10 most endangered sites in New Jersey.

Preservation New Jersey released its annual list Thursday in hopes of encouraging people to try to save the sites.

The group says the sites show both the need to balance preservation and development and the value of using preservation as a positive tool for revitalization.

Each year, 10 sites are chosen based on three criteria: the historic significance and architectural integrity, the critical nature of the threat identified and the likelihood that inclusion on the list will have a positive impact on preservation efforts.

This year's list is as follows:

Union Hotel (Flemington, Hunterdon County)

The circa-1814 hotel gained national notoriety in early 1935 when the "trial of the century" unfolded across the street at the Hunterdon County Courthouse and the hotel's rooms housed the reporters and sequestered jurors.

The landmark is now faced with the threat of demolition as the latest redevelopment plan calls for some buildings to come down and, in their place, build restaurants, retail space, a new hotel, college and underground parking.

East Broadway Historic District (Salem, Salem County)

This historic district, along a main artery in Salem, contains over twenty vacant buildings in a two thirds-mile stretch, reflecting the declining economy and population of teh city. Salem, like countless other communities in the state, needs to motivate current owners to rehabilitate their buildings and attract new owners to purchase and restore abandoned structures. -PNJ

Deliverance Evangelistic Center (Newark, Essex County)

Originally constructed as Temple B'nai Abraham, this 1924 circular building with a 2,000-seat sanctuary is owned by Deliverance Evangelical Ministries. The congregation, in decline for many years, no longer uses the building, which is need of extensive repairs. Local government and spiritual and civic groups need to partner to put this important Newark landmark back into use. -PNJ

Dr. James Still Office (Medford, Burlington County)

This one-story hipped-roof vernacular building was built in 1836 by James Still, an herbalist and practitioner of folk medicine. The state purchased the property in 2006 but has undertaken no work at the deteriorated and vacant building despite completion of a New Jersey Historic Trust-funded preservation plan. -PNJ

Rahway River Park (Rahway, Union County)

Construction is underway on a $4.9 million facelift of the park, a project that a grassroots group of opponents say will desecrate a pristine open space. The upgrades include a multipurpose synthetic turf field, a new eight-lane track, bleachers for 1,200 fans and a fieldhouse with restrooms and a concession stand. The park was designed by the landscape architecture firm Olmsted Brothers.

Van Dien-Ruffgarten House (Paramus, Bergen County)

This 1840s Jersey Dutch Stone house sits vacant, deteriorating and for sale. Paramus declined to purchase the nine-acre property, and with tremendous development pressure in the area, the building's future is uncertain. -PNJ

The Forum Theatre (Metuchen, Middlesex County)

This 1928 red-brick theater only receives intermittent use and is currently for sale due to severe competition from mass market movie theaters. Despite being great cultural resources, many historic theaters in the state face similar circumstances and threat of demolition. -PNJ

Hugg-Harrison-Glover House (Bellmawr, Camden County)

Built in stages between the 1720s and 1764, the Hugg-Harrison-Glover House is notable for the 1764 date visible in its patterned brickwork and for its association with the War of Independence. The house sits in the path of a massive "direct connection" project linking I-295 with Route 42 and is threatened by demolition. After its significance was overlooked during early project planning, the Department of Transportation must now exhaust all efforts to save this building. -PNJ

Deteriorating infrastructure of New Jersey (statewide)

The state's infrastructure was given a D+ in a recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Despite the vast need for construction, repair and maintenance, the state's bridges, tunnels, dams and roads -- often older and historic -- is critically underfunded. -PNJ

Whyman House (Elizabeth, Union County)

This late-nineteenth-century cubical Italianate villa with intact outbuildings and landscape features is one of the last unaltered examples of a once-common housing type in Elizabeth. Now vacant, for sale and facing threats from development, this local landmark provides an opportunity to show the value of our historic and architectural resources and their ability to be put to new uses.

Previous Preservation New Jersey's top 10 lists:

For more information, visit preservationnj.org.

Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Meet the Rutgers student who interviewed President Obama

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What do you do after interviewing the president? If you're Dan Corey, you go back to your parents' house and look for a summer job.

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Two years ago, Daniel Corey wasn't even sure he wanted to go into journalism.

But since he had dabbled in writing for the literary magazine at Middletown High School South, Corey said he decided he might as well join the student newspaper when he began classes at Rutgers University in the fall of 2014. 

"I just figured, why not?" said Corey, now a sophomore and the editor-in-chief of the paper, the Daily Targum

Two years later, that same "why not" approach landed Corey the biggest interview of his young journalism career.

For 15 minutes on Monday afternoon, Corey conducted a telephone interview with President Barack Obama, who will deliver the keynote address at Rutgers commencement ceremony this Sunday.

Corey had time to ask the president five questions covering a range of topics from student debt to low voter turnout. The Targum published the interview today.

"I couldn't believe it happened when he agreed to it, and I can't believe it happened after it happened," Corey, 19, said Wednesday. 

9 other presidents who visited Rutgers

It's highly unusual for any reporter, let alone a college student, to land an interview with a sitting president, said Lonnie Isabel, a senior lecturer at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Media access to presidents is carefully guarded and Obama rarely holds news conferences, said Isabel, a former deputy managing editor of Newsday who oversaw the paper's Washington bureau. 

"Many White House correspondents spend their entire career never sitting down for a one-on-one with a sitting president," Isabel said. 

Landing the interview 

While Corey's persistence played a big part in the Targum securing the interview, the paper also "really lucked out," Corey said. 

When the White House announced April 14 that Obama would speak at Rutgers Commencement on May 15, Corey had an idea, he said. Why not call the White House switchboard and ask for an interview with the president? 

After a short conversation, Corey was directed to the press office and told to send a formal request to interview Obama. 

The White House neither granted the interview nor officially rejected the request, he said. But, fortunately, for Corey, it invited him to the first-ever White House College Reporter Day on April 28, where dozens of student journalists would have a chance to meet with White House officials and participate in a news conference with Press Secretary Josh Earnest. 

Corey was planning to ask Earnest if the Targum could get an interview with Obama, he said. But Earnest didn't call on him for a question, he said. 

Then, Obama surprised the students by appearing at the podium. And, for his first question, the president called on Corey, pointing to the young man "right here in the red tie." 

"I was just shocked," Corey said. "And I figured, well, I have the opportunity, I might as well take it."

Corey told Obama the Targum is the country's second oldest student newspaper and then posed the question: "In light of the news of you speaking at our commencement, I was wondering, would you be interested in being interviewed by our newspaper?" 

Obama said he usually coordinates carefully with his press team before granting interviews but would make an exception for Corey. 

"It may not be a really long interview," Obama said. "But I figured, give the college newspaper a little bit of play.

The element of surprise likely helped Corey secure the interview, Isabel said. 

"I think he caught the president in a moment he was feeling generous about it, and I would imagine his press secretary and everyone else probably said 'Why are you doing this?'" Isabel said. 

Talking to the president 

Corey crafted his questions with the help of the Daily Targum staff and received plenty of input from friends and family who had their own questions for the president, he said. 

Being on the other side of the news -- Corey participated in TV interviews and fielded phone calls from reporters between studying for finals -- also helped him prepare, he said.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Corey sat in the studio of the campus radio station, where he could get a high quality recording of the interview, and waited for the phone to ring.

A White House staff member placed the phone call and then put Obama on the line. 

"Hello, is this President Obama?" Corey asked, according to a transcript of the interview. 

''It is," Obama replied. 

Setting aside his nerves, Corey began to ask his questions, getting the president to talk about conflict with the Republican party, financial aid for college students and the role of journalists in politics. 

"I was trying as hard as possible to stay tuned to what he was saying or stay glued to what he was saying while also trying to figure out what to say next," Corey said. 

On Sunday, Corey and other Targum editors will briefly meet with Obama when he comes to campus, Corey said. Then, Corey will move back to his parents house in Middletown and look for a summer job.

Young journalists are often taught not to become part of the story, but Corey said he's comfortable with the fact that he made news. 

"I guess it would be wrong to not at least try to get an interview with him, right?" Corey said. "It's weird having the newspaper make news, but, it's for a good cause, and I don't see why not."

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClarkFind NJ.com on Facebook.

What every NJ.com Top 20 team's coach says about Rutgers-Michigan recruiting war

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See how many of the state's top high school football coaches pledge support for the Scarlet Knights in its football camp showdown with Michigan

Lodzinski case goes to the jury: The reasons for acquittal, or conviction

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Jurors will have Michelle Lodzinski, charged with her son's murder, fate in their hands this afternoon.

 

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Michelle Lodzinski's fate is now in the hands of a jury.

Jurors will decide whether the 48-year-old former New Jersey woman killed her 5-year-old son on May 25, 1991 or whether he was abducted from a carnival in Sayreville as she told police.

Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves instructed the jurors Thursday morning on the law for murder, and the lesser included offenses of aggravated manslaughter and manslaughter.

Should Lodzinski be convicted? The defense and prosecution summed up their arguments yesterday. Here's the reasons for both.

Why prosecutors say she should be convicted:

She gave police at least four different versions of how he disappeared, within three weeks of reporting him missing. Why would a parent lead police astray, lying to them, prosecutors say?

She showed no emotion about her son's disappearance, either in reporting him missing or in the hours and days after he was gone.

No one saw him at the carnival. One witness was in back of Michelle at the concession stand and testified she had no child with her and was flirting with the guy behind the counter.

Three witnesses, including his cousin, identified a blanket found by his remains in Raritan Center, as coming from Michelle's apartment and used by Timmy.

She was struggling, both financially and emotionally, holding down more than 20 jobs in a few years. She was struggling to keep herself and her son afloat and was working 2 jobs.

When she gave police a list of places she worked, she left off Florida Fulfillment at Raritan Center, the place located about a quarter of a mile from where Timmy's remains were found.

Why the defense says she should be acquitted:

*There is no direct evidence linking her to the disappearance or death of her son.

She gave the different statements because she was afraid the police would think she was a bad mother. She was also afraid to tell the police about people she claimed abducted Timmy for fear they would kill him.

She loved her son and would never hurt him.

* The blanket has no connection to Timothy Wiltsey or Michelle Lodzinski.

* An Arizona ex-con testified that his former cellmate told him that he killed a young boy at an event in New Jersey in 1991, strangling him after he kidnapped him from his parents. Although the inmate who is accused of making the admission testified that he was never in New Jersey, the story was likely expected to add an element of doubt about how Timothy died.

The FBI and law enforcement agencies bungled the search for Timmy's remains at Raritan Center in 1992.

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Rutgers plans 'airport-like' screening for Obama commencement speech

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Rutgers won't allow students to bring anything other than their photo ID, cell phone, sunglasses and cap and gown, according to the university.

PISCATAWAY -- Guests attending Rutgers University's commencement will be subject to "airport-like" security screening on the way into the ceremony and won't be allowed to leave until after commencement is finished, according to the university. 

Rutgers on Thursday released the latest details for the May 15 ceremony, where President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address. The president's appearance has led to increased security measures, a limit on guest tickets and other departures from the typical commencement day protocol. 

The gates to High Point Solutions Stadium will open to the public at 8 a.m. with shuttle routes beginning at 7 a.m. The ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m., and guests should plan on needing about two hours to park and get inside the stadium, according to the university. 

How this student interviewed Obama

Graduating students and their guests must show valid photo identification when they arrive at the stadium, according to Rutgers. 

Rutgers will not allow students to bring anything other than their photo ID, cell phone, sunglasses and cap and gown, according to the university. 

Guests are allowed to bring cameras, video recorders, uncased binoculars, seat cushions, and cell phones or other electronic mobile devices. 

Purses, bags, umbrellas, liquids, balloons and noise makers are all on the lengthy list of prohibited items

Friends and family of graduates will not be allowed to bring flowers into the stadium but will be able to purchase flowers inside. 

Visit Rutgers' commencement page for more information about attending the ceremony. 

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClarkFind NJ.com on Facebook.

 

15 stars on latest boys lacrosse Player of the Year watch list

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15 players are highlighted in the latest NJ.com boys lacrosse Player of the Year watch.


Jury asks to rehear testimony of 2 witnesses in Lodzinski murder trial

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Jurors will resume their deliberation tomorrow in the trial of Michelle Lodzinski for the murder of her 5-year-old son in 1991.

 

NEW BRUNSWICK -- The jury deliberating the fate of Michelle Lodzinski, charged with the 1991 murder of her 5-year-old son, asked Thursday afternoon to rehear the testimony of the medical examiner and the nurse at the school the boy attended.

Jurors will hear the testimony Friday morning of Geetha Natarajan, retired Middlesex County Medical Examiner, who testified after reviewing the original autopsy report by the late Marvin Shuster, the medical examiner at the time, and other reports, she could not determine a cause of death for Timothy Wiltsey.

Wiltsey's skeletal remains were found in a swampy area of Raritan Center in Edison 11 months after his mother reported him missing from a carnival in sayreville the evening of May 25, 1991.

Natarajan testified that the boy's death was a homicide because he was placed in the area where he was found, some 11 miles from where he was reported missing and from all reports was healthy.

The jury also asked to hear from Mary Ellen Quirk, the school nurse at St. Mary's Elementary School where Timmy attended kindergarten. Quirk testified that Timmy was late 63 times to school and absent more than 20 times.

The jury began its deliberations Thursday afternoon. They must decide between murder, aggravated manslaughter and manslaughter. Here's the difference:

-- Murder is punishable by up to life in prison, and the state has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Lodzinski purposely and or knowingly caused the death or serious bodily injury resulting in the death of her son.

-- Aggravated manslaughter is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and the state must prove that Lodzinski recklessly caused Timothy's death under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life.

-- Manslaughter is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and the state must prove that Lodzinski recklessly, or in the heat of passion, caused Timothy's death as a result of reasonable provocation. 

Lodzinski was charged with her son's murder in August 2014 after the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office reopened the case in 2011.

But, according to testimony, she was a prime suspect in her son's disappearance early in the investigation after giving police several difference versions of how he went missing.

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Sister of N.J. trucker found shot and killed wants justice

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The sister of the Perth Amboy trucker driver found shot and killed recently speaks out.

George Guerrero.jpgGeorge Guerrero of Perth Amboy was shot and killed by another truck driver on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla. 

PERTH AMBOY -- Dina Guerrero was stunned when she learned on Mother's Day her brother, George Guerrero, had been shot and killed in Florida in a road-rage incident.

Dina Guerrero, 43, of Perth Amboy, said she was overwrought with anger and sadness. She said she wanted justice.

"I know he's out there somewhere," she said of the person who killed her brother.

"The guy is an animal," she added. "He took another human being's life. That guy needs to pay."

George Guerrero, a 44-year-old trucker driver of Perth Amboy, was shot and killed on Saturday by another truck driver during a road-rage incident in Jacksonville, Florida. He was shot three times, including once in the head along Interstate 10 at around 2 p.m., according to a report on WKOV.com.

After Guerrero had changed lanes on the highway, the driver of a semitrailer pulled alongside Guerrero, bumped his truck and opened fire, according to Jacksonville.com. Guerrero's truck left the road and ended up in a wooded area off the highway.

Police are still looking for a suspect. Dina said she was informed that police had recently made an arrest, but that it turned out the person was not connected in the incident. 

And as the investigation persists, as does her grief.

"You are never going to see this person again; you are never going to hear this person again," she said. "My body is just tired; I don't even know ... It's just been terrible finding out on Mother's Day."

George lived with Dina and her daughter, she said. And she just can't come to terms that someone would shoot and kill her brother over a road rage incident.

"He was trying to make a living the right way, and this man (kills him) over road rage," Dina said, stunned. "To this day, I still can't believe my brother is gone. I don't know how long I'm going to end up feeling like that. I don't know if that is ever going to go away. That's my only brother, and he just took him."

But Dina said she took some comfort in knowing her brother's body would soon be back home from Florida and laid to rest.

Dina said her brother had been transporting loads back and forth between Florida and Georgia. She hadn't seen him in three months.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Muslim poultry processor may continue discrimination suit, judge says

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A federal judge this week allowed the processor to amend its discrimination complaint against Perth Amboy and Middlesex County.

NEWARK -- The operators of a shuttered halal meat processing facility in Perth Amboy can move ahead with their lawsuit charging that city and county officials shut down the plant because the owners are Muslim, a federal judge has ruled. 

American Halal Live Poultry and its owner Wahid Abdul, filed the federal lawsuit earlier this year charging that that inspectors violated their constitutional rights and enforced regulations in a discriminatory fashion because they are Muslim. The defendants include the city, Middlesex County and nine code enforcement officials as well as unnamed police officers. 

In a ruling this week, U.S. District Judge William J. Martini ruled that Abdul and his company could amend their original complaint but denied their request for a preliminary injunction. 

The ruling could bring clarity to an argument that Martini said has many points in dispute. 

According to court records Martini cited in his ruling, Abdul has operated the plant in Perth Amboy for the last five years. It has an adjacent duplex that Abdul rented, with the other side used for workers who use the space to sleep. The plant, records say, operated 24 hours a day.

Abdul charged in the complaint that city Councilman Fernando Gonzalez canvassed the neighborhood for citizen complaints about the business and told Abdul that he was going to put him "out of business." 

DOJ investigating denial of mosque plan

Gonzalez declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

The plaintiffs say that they were issued numerous citations last year, alleging in unspecific charges that they violated cleanliness, zoning and property maintenance codes. Then in December, the business was denied a renewal of its food and beverage license, Martini's summary says.

Further, workers in the duplex were taken "into custody" and brought to a motel during a re-inspection, it says. 

Non-Muslim businesses were not similarly targeted, the complaint says. 

But Martini also noted that Perth Amboy in its response says inspectors were dispatched because neighbors complained of odors. They reportedly found "excessive flies, foul odors, feces, blood and animal refuse on the property," it said. The problems were left uncorrected, it said. 

In addition, it said that "undocumented" workers, paid under the minimum wage, were found in the duplex in "deplorable living conditions."

Martini in his ruling allowed the company to expand its complaint. F. Michael Daily Jr., the lawyer for Abdul and the business, said the amended complaint will add more acts to bolster the charge of discriminatory acts. 

Regarding the denial of the preliminary injunction, Daily said the company wants the city to tell it what it needs to do to reopen. "We'll do it," he said.

Alex J. Keoskey, lead attorney for the defendants, did not comment. 

In a reply filed in April, the defendants denied any discriminatory intent, saying they operated in good faith. 

In the meantime, Martini wrote, further arguments will be needed to determine a number of issues: whether the company complied with building, health and safety codes as well as labor and wage laws; whether it received proper notice of code violations and had an opportunity to appeal; whether the duplex was searched legally and whether the inspectors were motivated by "discriminatory animus."

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Take this week's New Jersey news quiz

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A perfect score earns you the glory you can only attain by acing an online quiz.

If you're like most New Jerseyans, you devour countless local news stories on NJ.com each week. Now, it's time to prove your mettle vs. the other NJ.com users just like you. Take the seven-question quiz below and see how well you remember the biggest NJ.com stories of the week gone by. Then, share your score in comments to see how well you stack up with other NJ.com users. And remember, there's no Googling allowed.

 

John Shabe can be reached via jshabe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow John on Twitter, and find NJ.com on Facebook.

The complete list of banned items at Rutgers graduation

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If you want to get into Rutgers University's commencement ceremony, make sure you don't bring any of these items.

PISCATAWAY -- Rutgers University will be on high security when President Barack Obama speaks at commencement, so graduates and guests will have heavy restrictions on what they can bring into High Point Solutions Stadium.

Here is the complete list of banned items for the May 15 ceremony:

  • Liquids of any type
  • Empty bottles
  • Flowers or flower leis (flowers and gifts are available for purchase and pickup of preorders inside the stadium)
  • Umbrellas
  • Coolers
  • Backpacks
  • Purses
  • Bags (clear or otherwise)
  • Noisemaking devices (e.g., compressed air horns)
  • Mace or similar substances
  • Signs or banners of any size
  • Glitter or confetti
  • Beach balls
  • Balloons
  • Sticks, "selfie sticks" or poles
  • Pocket knives/multi-tools
  • Lighters
  • Laser pointers
  • Fireworks
  • Can openers
  • Weapons of any type
  • Disruptive behavior
  • Pets (except service animals)
  • Any items deemed dangerous and/or inappropriate by security staff

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClarkFind NJ.com on Facebook.

 
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