7+ min ago (223+ words) The long wait is finally over. After three years without it, Stranger Things'came back to our TVs this past Wednesday. The hit show released its first season back in 2016 and will have its fifth and final season drop on Netflix in just a few hours. It's been one of my favorites since its inception, so the excitement has been off-the-charts over the last few days and weeks. Season four was released back in 2022, so it's been a long time coming for us to finally get this final season on our television screens. The first four episodes of the season came out Wednesday, then three more come out on Christmas, and the finale comes out on New Years Eve. The wait between today and Christmas will be excruciating, I'm sure. I'll be binging the first four episodes over the next few…...

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (24+ words) As the Thanksgiving holiday weekend ends and November turns to December, New Jersey's weather will turn more active and potentially more wintry next week....

2+ day, 10+ hour ago (747+ words) Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized in critical condition after the'Wednesday afternoon shooting'near the White House. Trump announced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office said the charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, now include one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard as part of President Donald Trump's'crime-fighting mission'that federalized the D.C. police force. The president has also deployed National Guard members to Democratic-run cities " from'Chicago'to'Los Angeles" to assist with his mass deportation efforts. Trump called the shooting a "terrorist attack" and criticized the Biden administration for enabling Afghans who worked…...

2+ day, 10+ hour ago (227+ words) As the holiday season returns, we're once again inviting you to help Light Up New Jersey with the biggest and brightest display of outdoor holiday lights the Garden State has ever seen. Whether you're decorating a home or a business, this is your moment to share joy, hope, and cheer with your entire community. The tradition continues: one lucky participant will take home a $500 cash prize! Thanks to our sponsor, Danley 911Electrical " Top-rated, fully licensed and insured electricians inCentral Jersey since 1921, with expert solutions servicing all brands. As entries roll in, our contest page will showcase the season's most dazzling displays in a live gallery for everyone to enjoy. All eligible submissions will be entered into a random drawing, and the winner will be announced on Dec. 23, 2025 " just in time to make someone's holiday a little brighter. This is your year…...

2+ day, 12+ hour ago (198+ words) ORANGE " Authorities have identified two sisters killed in a fire in North Jersey on Thanksgiving. The fire broke out at 660 Mosswood Avenue in Orange around 5 p.m. Thursday, as many people were sitting down for dinner. Frantzia Fleury, 49, and Pojanee Fleury, 42, were found inside the home and pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m., according to Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Carmen Martin. Martin said it appeared the two women, sisters, were trying to help their disabled father escape from the house as it burned. Their father was not hurt in the blaze. Six other people inside the home were also not injured. One neighbor said to ABC 7 Eyewitness News that firefighters arrived at the scene within minutes of her noticing the blaze. "The flames were enormous," she said. Another neighbor said the sisters were "super friendly." Authorities are still investigating what caused the fire. According…...

3+ day, 16+ hour ago (470+ words) Now there are different ways of going about this: It could be that you love the song so much that you can't help but pump the gas when it comes on. I, for one, am not one who hates on Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You.' I mostly like that it reminds me of the movie "Love Actually.' Then there are Christmas songs that you wish you had never heard. For instance: Christmas Shoes. You remember the song about the kid wanting to buy shoes for his dying mother?For some reason, that was supposed to get us in the Christmas spirit. But it isn't out of rage that we could drive dangerously during the Christmas season; there are different metrics. According to research'the tempo of a song, the beats per minute, can make you more or…...

4+ day, 6+ hour ago (429+ words) New Jersey has seen more consistent growth in the number of registered electric vehicles statewide, reaching beyond a milestone of 250,000. Using data from the state Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Census, the North Jersey Transportation Authority put together the top towns or cities for electric vehicle use " not including fleet vehicles. Edison, Jersey City, South Brunswick, Monroe and Lakewood were the top five municipalities, according to the analysis by NJTPA. Environment New Jersey Director Doug O'Malley says the word of mouth is starting to take off. While most people still haven't driven one themselves, more New Jerseyans now personally know an electronic vehicle driver, which helps them consider it as an option for their next buy or lease, O'Malley said to New Jersey 101.5. This year, some electric vehicle drivers hustled to get a $7,400 federal rebate that was allowed to expire…...

4+ day, 7+ hour ago (251+ words) A suspect is in custody in the shooting of National Guard members in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, police said. Two guard soldiers were shot near the White House and their conditions aren't immediately known, according to two law enforcement officials not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Emergency vehicles were seen responding to the area and at least one helicopter landed on the National Mall. The Joint DC Task Force confirmed they were responding to an incident in the vicinity of the White House in the movements after reports of the shooting. However, the spokesperson wouldn't immediately confirm or deny if any National Guard members had been shot. The Metropolitan Police Department said they were responding to a shooting but didn't immediately provide more information. A spokesperson for Mayor Muriel Bowser said…...

4+ day, 15+ hour ago (570+ words) Wednesday is, infamously, one of the busiest travel days of the entire year. And as you are flitting around preparing for Thanksgiving Day, you may have to dodge some raindrops. But you may not need a jacket at least. Temperatures are eerily mild to start the day, mainly in the 50s across New Jersey. And we will see highs in the lower to mid 60s Wednesday afternoon. That is well above normal for late November. (In fact, I would not rule out someone in the state touching 70 degrees " that would flirt with the record high for this date.) Around 7 or 8 o'clock Wednesday evening, a cold front will put an end to rain chances, kick up a brisk westerly wind, and open the door to much colder air once again. Gusts to 30 mph are possible through the overnight, as temperatures drop quite quickly....

4+ day, 15+ hour ago (292+ words) New Jersey legislators in Trenton took a significant step Monday toward legalizing therapeutic psilocybin, pushing forward a bill supporters say could revolutionize mental-health treatment for thousands of residents. The Assembly Health Committee's Democratic majority advanced the measure, which would authorize supervised psilocybin therapy for adults over 21. During an hour of testimony on Monday, veterans and mental-health advocates urged lawmakers to look beyond the substance's recreational reputation. Stacy and Jeffrey Swanson, a military couple speaking for Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, described how guided psychedelic-assisted therapy restored their family after years of failed traditional treatments. "This treatment reached the roots of trauma in a way nothing else could," Stacy Swanson said, adding that her husband now sleeps, no longer self-medicates with alcohol, and is fully present for their children. Advocates like Neal Usatin of New Jersey for Fungi and Plant Medicine argued…...