Games you need to hear about as the tournament rolls on.

Former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman toured the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter in Bridgewater on Thursday, May 26, 2016.

BRIDGEWATER -- Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and Capt. Tim Pino, K9 Unit commander for the Somerset County Sheriff's Office, have known each other for more than 20 years.

Their bond is a love of animals.

In January, Pino was appointed to the Executive Board of the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter and one of his first thoughts was to extend an open invitation to Gov. Whitman to take a tour of the shelter.

Thursday morning, Whitman, driving a Prius and dressed casually, pulled up to the shelter alone just before 10 a.m. to take that tour.

"This means so much to me and the shelter," said Pino, the former handler of Dano, the drug-detecting K9 who inspired a law protecting police dogs. "The Governor and I share a similar passion for animals. We have been long-time friends. She's a fantastic person."

Shelter takes in 4 dogs, 40 cats

Whitman, who gave one of her beloved Scottish Terriers to President and Mrs. George W. Bush while they were in the White House, toured the facility for approximately an hour. She stopped to pet and talk to several dogs and visited with a number of cats.

The former governor even took Frannie, a 8-year old beagle mix who is up for adoption, along with litter mate, Moses, for a short walk on the grass around the front entrance of the shelter.

Whitman was impressed with the shelter's number of adoptions and its Trap-Neuter-Return program for cats and its junior volunteer program.

"It's a small operation and they do a terrific job," said Whitman, adding that she has adopted a number of dogs. "(The shelter) serves a large area and doesn't euthanize."

Asked if she would adopt another dog, Whitman said, "I'm ready for it if they get a scotty."

"It was great having someone of her stature here," said Brian Bradshaw, executive director of the shelter. "She seemed very impressed. Hopefully, she can share her excitement about the shelter with others. We're so excited about our work and the progress we have made."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Police are looking for two suspects who eluded police in a pursuit following an incident that originated in Seaside Heights.

File Photo 

PERTH AMBOY -- Two suspects remain at large after eluding authorities on foot following a police pursuit on the Garden State Parkway late Wednesday night, officials said.

At around 11:30 p.m., state police received a BOLO alert (Be On the Lookout) regarding an investigation originating out of Seaside Heights, according to Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams, of the New Jersey State Police.

Seaside Heights police had been investigating an armed robbery that had occurred earlier in the borough, according to Det. Steve Korman of the Seaside Heights Police Department.

State police spotted a 2016 Kia Forte driving on the Garden State Parkway, but when authorities attempted to pull the vehicle over, the car refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued, Williams said.

The car eventually stopped near Exit 126 in Sayreville, and four occupants "jumped out of the vehicle and ran on foot," Williams said.

The two of the occupants were able to elude police and remain at large as of Thursday afternoon, police said.

The other two occupants -- a 16-year-old male juvenile and a 20-year-old Elizabeth man named Roberto Garcia -- were apprehended and taken into custody, officials said.

Authorities also discovered a .22-cal silver revolver in the vehicle, Williams said.

The 16-year-old was taken to a juvenile detention center, and Garcia was taken to the Middlesex County Correctional Facility with bail set at $75,000, police said.

The matter remains under investigation.

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

About 100 elementary school students from Orange got a chance to run their own city in Edison.

EDISON -- The students spent hours during the year learning how to run businesses, handle finances and run a city -- but that was in a classroom.

Thursday was the time for the students of several elementary schools from Orange to show what they learned from Junior Achievement of New Jersey's JA BizTown program -- by running their own town for the day.

They had to role play chief executives of companies and make speeches to convince people to use their products. They had to be bank tellers, medical technologists, utility workers, design engineers, politicians.

Junior Achievement's new facilities at Raritan Center are set up as a mini Main Street and the children, fourth, fifth and sixth graders, had no time to talk -- they had work to do.

They had help from volunteers who work with various businesses and give their time.

Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey had advice for his counterpart, Mayor Luis Perez, 11 -- "make sure you keep taxes low. Then you keep everyone happy."

Perez said he really enjoyed the program and really "like being mayor."

The students receive "pay checks" and have to learn how to use them wisely--how much to put in checking accounts, how much to save and how much they can spend.

Dawn Schwartz, senior vice president for development, communications and capstones for Junior Achievement of New Jersey, said the program is offered free of charge to the schools.

Schwartz said the program starts with 13 teacher-taught lessons and culminates with the day-long field trip that the students experienced in Edison Thursday.

Junior Achievement also has a program for high school students known as JA Finance Park.

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

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker will headline an East Brunswick fundraiser.

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is coming to raise money in New Jersey on Tuesday, a week before the state's presidential primary that could clinch the Democratic presidential nomination for her.

Clinton's special guest at the fundraiser will be U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who endorsed her early and has campaigned around the country for her. He has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Clinton.

The two politicians are scheduled to be in East Brunswick at a fundraiser where tickets are priced from $250 to $2,700. Those who raise at least $10,000 will be invited to a private reception with Clinton, according to an invitation on the campaign website.

The New Jersey primary could put Clinton over the threshold and guarantee her a first-ballot victory at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia in July. She is 74 delegates short of the 2,383 she needs to be nominated, according to the Associated Press, and the Garden State will send 142 to the convention.

Could this hurt Booker's VP chances?

The Clinton campaign has yet to disclose whether the candidate will make other appearances in New Jersey leading up to the June 7 primary. 

Clinton and the rest of her family, former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton, have campaigned in the state, as has her Democratic opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

President Clinton is scheduled to campaign in Edison on Friday, appearing at an event at Edison High School.

The most recent poll of likely Democratic primary voters, taken May 10-16 by Quinnipiac University, had Clinton ahead of Sanders, 54 percent to 40 percent.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook 

Ideally, Cassie and Ellie should be adopted together.

Cassie and Ellie 

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Cassie and Ellie are sister cats, approximately 9 months old. They were rescued from an industrial site near Rutgers University by Scarlet Paws Rescue.

Cassie, at the top of the photo, is energetic and bold while Ellie is shy and cautious.

Ideally, the two cats should be adopted together as they are bonded very strongly. Both are FIV/FeLV negative, spayed and up-to-date on shots.

For more information on Cassie and Ellie, email mcancio@comcast.net, call 609-575-5428 or go to scarletpaws.rutgers.edu. Scarlet Paws is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing strays and the humane treatment of domestic animals.

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.

 

NJ.com takes a look at 18 of the best storylines to keep an eye on at the state sectional track and field championships

A man was killed and a woman seriously injured in a fire that destroyed a home in South Plainfield Thursday night.

A man died and a woman was injured in a fire that destroyed a home on Florence Place in South Plainfield.Google maps 

UPDATE: Family grieves loss of father, grandfather, great-grandfather

SOUTH PLAINFIELD -- A man was killed and a woman seriously injured in a fire that consumed a house on Florence Place overnight.

The fire was first reported sometime before 9:30 p.m. Thursday. It was fully involved by the time firefighters got there, according to reports in Tap into South Plainfield.

Firefighters rescued the woman, but the man was found dead in the home by firefighters, according to News 12.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and South Plainfield Fire Department are investigating the cause of the fire.

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

Dead battled scarred vets, too, should be remembered on Memorial Day

There is no bronze nameplate for Michael Patrick Burke on Ocean County's monument to the 13 men who died in Iraq or Afghanistan.

He is not listed with Army Spc. Christopher Duffy, 26, of Brick, the first casualty, or Marine Cpl. Christopher Monahan, 25, of Ocean Gate, the last, or the 11 men in between.  The men on the memorial died between 2004 to 2012, and include Marine Maj. James Weis, 37, and Navy Seal Denis Miranda, 24, both of Toms River.

Mike Burke was from Toms River, too. He was a lifelong resident, a graduate of Toms River North High School and, like many locals, worked the Seaside Heights boardwalk as a teenager.

Then he joined the Army in 2006 and was part of the Iraqi surge of 2007, when 20,000 additional American troops were sent to fight advancing jihadists and quell sectarian revolts. Burke was part of a field cannon crew in the violent Kirkuk region, where Kurds and Sunni Arabs still battle.

On Oct. 21, 2015, after years of dealing with psychological and physical aftershocks of combat, Mike Burke wrapped a belt around his neck and hanged himself in the apartment he shared with his fiancee and toddler daughter. He was 32.

"To me, he is a casualty of war," said Judi Hundemann, 27, Burke's fiancee. "It (combat-related death) extends out. People don't realize it, unless you live with it."

Monday is Memorial Day, when we pause to remember our war dead. Our eyes fall on names on bronze or copper scrolls or etched in marble tablets in towns across America. Scouts will plant flags in cemeteries and the dwindling number of Legionnaires and Veterans of Foreign Wars will lay wreaths at monuments.

But there are many names not memorialized in metal or stone. These are men and women who did not die in combat, but because of combat. These are the people who came home crippled and scarred, with physical and mental injuries that became too much to bear.

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns

"These people carry our burden," said Michael Pasquale, an attorney who offers free legal services for disabled veterans through his nonprofit Officers of the Court (officersofthecourts.org). "When our country is at war that means all of us. But they are the ones who do the dirty work and are exposed to the horrors. I have more than a few clients who have come very close to suicide."

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Mark Graham, the senior director of Rutgers Behavioral Health Care Call Center in Piscataway, spoke of  psychological "invisible wounds that sometimes do not manifest for years."

The call center includes Vets4Warriors 24/7 a national helpline for suicidal and troubled veterans and their families. (The phone number is 855-838-8255 and every call is answered by a veteran.)

"What they see and do is contrary to our moral compass. How can you not be severely impacted?" said Graham, whose son, Kevin, committed suicide in 2003 while in a college ROTC program. A year later, his son Jeffrey, an Army second lieutenant, was killed by an IED in Iraq.

The subject of veteran suicide is complex and impossible to accurately measure.

The most cited statistic, released by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2012, says 22 veterans commit suicide every day. But that study included combat and non-combat veterans of all ages and was conducted in only 21 states.

Other statistics say there have been alarming spikes in female and young male veteran suicides. The suicide rate for Iraq-Afghanistan combat veterans is 41 percent higher than the general population, but those studies tracked veterans only until 2011.

Last year, a veteran's suicide prevention act became law, aimed at improving VA response. It was named for Clay Hunt, a twice-deployed Marine sniper who committed suicide at age 28, after being frustrated with the VA's disjointed treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

But VA reforms have not come fast enough for people like Burke, or Gary Dorman who jumped to his death from the roof of the Philadelphia VA Center last November, or Charles Ingram III, who set himself on fire outside the VA clinic in Northfield, Atlantic County, in April.

"Mike (Burke) was a really, really great guy," said Hundemann, who has moved back in with her parents in Bayville to help raise her daughter, Ayra, 2. "But he struggled with things."

One was depression. Another was alcohol. He was diagnosed with PTSD, and traumatic brain injury from an IED explosion.

"We couldn't go to fireworks," she said. "They would freak him out."

The VA put him on medication.

"He was really frustrated with the VA. They gave him three-month prescriptions and appointments every six months," Hundemann said. "He'd get appointment notifications in the mail after the appointment date passed."

Meanwhile, his explosive anger and dark sullen periods grew.

"He would go into (internal) places where he wouldn't want anyone around, so I would leave," she said. "With the anger, it got to where I had to worry about safety for me and the baby. But he wasn't some horrible person. He was a very loving guy."

As she spoke of Burke, Ayra began to laugh and jump and say, 'Daddy, Daddy,' as she played with her father's Army dog tags.

A month before died, Burke posted a video of himself playing with Ayra on his Facebook page. He looked happy as he bounced his laughing child around. He titled the post, "I love this kid with all my heart."

But about the same time, he posted lyrics from Johnny Cash's "Hurt."

What have I become 
My sweetest friend 
Everyone I know goes away 
In the end 

Burke rarely spoke of war experiences, except "when he was drinking," Hundemann said.

There was a story of the Iraqi boy who game offering water, then threw a grenade and had to be gunned down. There were stories about explosions and friends being dismembered.

"I never pressed him for details, I didn't want to pry into things he really didn't want to talk about," Hundemann said.

Before he died he spent two weeks in the VA hospital in Lyons.

"Nothing seemed to work," she said. "I just wanted him to have a happy life and he couldn't."

Those are sorrowful words. For military casualties like Burke - and thousands of unnamed like him - death is slow and agonizing, for themselves and their families. They deserve to be in our thoughts this weekend.

"It's important to honor those who made that sacrifice," Graham said. "No matter what their manner of death."

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.

A pursuit up the Garden State Parkway south ended in a crash and led to the car's driver's arrest.

A man was arrested after leading troopers on a chase on  the Garden State Parkway south into Woodbridge and crashed into the trees around milepost 133, state police said.NJ Turnpike Authority 

WOODBRIDGE -- Troopers pursued a car on the Garden State Parkway south until the pursuit ended in Woodbridge, according to NJ State Police Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Williams.

The highway was closed Friday morning while troopers handled the aftermath of the crash and investigation, but reopened several hours later.

"The violator was taken into custody," Williams said, adding the pursuit began about 10:19 a.m. at Milepost 136.

He said a trooper tried to pull the driver over for a motor vehicle violation, but the driver would not stop.

"He (the driver) took off," Williams said.

Reports said it ended about half an hour later when the crashed into a tree.

He said no troopers were injured and the incident is under investigation.

Williams was not releasing the identification of the man in custody.

He said the driver was taken to JFK Medical Center in Edison with non-life threatening injuries and later released.

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

The N.J. State Police corrected the information in the story.

MILLTOWN — This photo shows a group known as the Middlesex County French Veterans in front of the French School on Main Street in Milltown in the 1920s. The group, which brought together World War I veterans of French heritage, was similar to a VFW or American Legion post. In remembrance of those who have died in service of the...

MILLTOWN -- This photo shows a group known as the Middlesex County French Veterans in front of the French School on Main Street in Milltown in the 1920s.

The group, which brought together World War I veterans of French heritage, was similar to a VFW or American Legion post.

In remembrance of those who have died in service of the United States, the  Joyce Kilmer American Legion Post 25 in Milltown will conduct events at six different locations in Milltown and New Brunswick tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. with services at Memorial Park in Milltown. For more information, go to milltownnj.org.

If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to middlesex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history in our online galleries Thursdays on nj.com.

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

 

Robert Vedutis, 83, lived in his South Plainfield home for 58 years before he died Thursday night when the home went up in flames.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD -- Robert Frank Vedutis was remembered Friday morning as a man who loved his family and a "sweet guy."

"He lived for his family," said his daughter-in-law, Deborah Vedutis of the 83-year-old man who perished in a fire Thursday evening in a Cape Cod home on Florence Place, a house he called home since 1958. "He had five children, 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren."

Several of his sons and his daughter, Donna, who lived with Vedutis and had to be rescued by firefighters Thursday night, were also in front of the charred remains of the neatly kept home Friday morning, but they didn't want to talk.

Fire officials and investigators went through the home, finding what they could and bringing objects out to the family, as well as trying to determine what caused the blaze that consumed the home.

Jim and Kathy Nilla have lived next door to the Vedutis family for 30 years.

"Bob was the first neighbor to come and introduce himself to us when we moved here," Jim said.

Jim said he heard popping sounds "like firecrackers" Thursday night around 9:30 p.m. and looked out in his backyard.

"We were sitting in the living room," he said. "At first I ignored it, but then it happened again so I went to the backyard. The whole backyard was aglow. At first I thought it was our house, but then I realized it was Bob's. It started on the back porch."

He said he ran in and told his wife to call 911 and grabbed a shovel.

"I just kept yelling to Jim to get Bob out," Kathy said.

Jim Nilla said he tried, but all the doors were locked. He said he broke some windows, but couldn't get in and when police officers arrived within minutes, "they told me to get away."

Flames consumed a South Plainfield home Thursday night, killing its owner, 83-year-old Robert Frank.Tom Curtis 

Jim Nilla said Vedutis's daughter, Donna was living in the basement and was banging on the window trying to get out.

"The firemen got her out and took her to Robert Wood Johnson (University Hospital in New Brunswick)," Nilla said, adding she told him "Bob was found in a hallway."

Nilla said investigators questioned him about the propane tank on Vedutis's deck that seemed to be leaking.

"I think that's where they are zeroing in," he said.

He said Vedutis walked slowly because he had a bad back.

"It was terrible," Kathy said, her eyes welling up. "You feel like there must have been more you could do, but I don't know what it is."

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

A U.S. Postal Service carrier is under investigation after allegedly being found with old mail.

Justin Lane/EPA 

SPOTSWOOD -- A Spotswood postal carrier is under investigation after allegedly being found with mail two years old, according to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG).

The inspector general's office said the old mail was allegedly found in the worker's vehicle, but would not release any further information on how it was discovered or about the postal carrier, including the worker's name or gender.

But Matthew Modafferi, deputy special agent at the USPS inspector general's office, said the mail had been discovered "within the month."

The mail carrier "is still currently on the rolls but not at work," said George Flood, spokesman for the Northeast Area U. S. Postal Service.

Flood added, "Underscore not at work pending the outcome of the investigation. I will just leave it at that."

The USPS inspector general's office said this type of situation was no small matter.

"We take these (situations) very seriously," Modafferi said. "And we try to uncover any other incidences ... that are occurring."

The investigation falls under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, which says a postal worker found to have destroyed, delayed or detained mail or package could face a fine or prison term of up to five years or both, according to the U.S. Code.

Flood said employees are trained and take an oath to "protect the sanctity of the mail."

"And when (employees) come on board ... they are messaged internally by guys like me to take delivering America's mail very seriously," Flood said.

Modafferi emphasized for people who suspect their mail may have been compromised to reach out to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General at 1-888-USPS-OIG or by email at hotline@uspsoig.gov.

For more information on how to file a complaint, visit www.uspsoig.gov.

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

An attorney in Hopewell has been indicted for allegedly falsely incriminating a detective in the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office

Gavel and blind justice for online use on October, 9, 2013. Ed Murray/The Star-Ledger Murray, Ed 

NEW BRUNSWICK -- An attorney has been indicted for allegedly falsely accusing a detective in the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office during an investigation into a motor vehicle crash, according to a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Mark Kentos, 46, of Freehold, who practices law in Hopewell, was charged with one count of falsely incriminating another individual after allegedly claiming a detective from the county Prosecutor's Office was "driving Kentos's vehicle in the crash, when, in fact, the detective was never at the scene and was not involved," the statement said.

An investigation determined that Kentos was "driving a 2006 Dodge Ram pickup truck in the parking lot of a nightclub in Sayreville" on Dec. 4, 2015 when he "crashed into the rear passenger side of a 2013 Subaru at 11:20 p.m.," the statement said.

Kentos, according to the statement, allegedly told police his pickup "had been driven by the detective from the country Prosecutor's Office and "claimed the detective fled."

The probe found that not only was the detective not the driver, the statement said, but he "was not at the scene of the collision, and had not been at the nightclub."

Kentos was charged by police on Dec. 28, 2015.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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

No one suffered serious injuries in a crash in the north lanes in which a van erupted in flames on the Parkway by milepost 137.

Two cars, including a van, were involved in an accident on the Garden State Parkway north Friday morning. No one was seriously injured. state police said.Reader submitted photo 

WOODBRIDGE -- Two vehicles crashed near Exit 137 near Woodbridge in the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway Friday morning about 10:30 a.m., leading to partial closures of the highway, according to New Jersey State Police spokesman Sgt. Jeffrey Flynn.

Flynn said a gray van and a Honda collided and the van burst into flames, but no one was seriously injured.

He said the crash is under investigation.

Flynn said the accident scene was cleared by noon.

Two vehicles, including a gray van, were involved in an accident Friday morning on the Parkway northbound, but no one was seriously injured, state police said.Reader submitted photo. 

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

Perth Amboy police are looking for a missing 13-year-old boy.

Darlyn Sanchez, 13Perth Amboy Police Department 

PERTH AMBOY -- Police are asking for public's help n finding a missing 13-year-old boy, according to a statement from authorities Friday afternoon.

Darlyn Sanchez was last seen on Commercial Street in Perth Amboy on Thursday, the statement said.

He is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and about 100 pounds.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the Perth Amboy Police Department at 732-442-4400.

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