February 13, 2023
The Pole Farm, Reed Bryan Farm and Hunt House regions of Mercer Meadows will be closed to the public until further notice, beginning Tuesday, February 14, 2023 for prescribed burning. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has determined that the weather conditions will be safe and suitable for prescribed burning. Rosedale Park will remain open. For your safety, please observe all closure signage posted at parking lots and on the trails.
The fire will be lit, monitored and managed by the Forest Fire Service officials who have undergone rigorous training and are experienced in conducting safe and effective prescribed burns. Specific conditions must be met in order to burn, including temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction. All appropriate safety measures and precautions will be taken by those performing the burn, including having a contingency plan. While the burn is in progress and until the Section Warden has deemed the fire out, there will be law enforcement and fire personnel, equipment and vehicles present at Mercer Meadows and surrounding areas.
Forest Fire Service officials and Mercer County Park Commission staff will be onsite and actively monitoring the burn site until it is determined the park is safe to reopen to the public. Local police and fire departments have been made aware of the activities.
In the days following the prescribed burn, it is normal to see smoldering and smoking logs and debris. If you believe fire is a threat, call 1-877-WARNDEP. Once reopened, park users are encouraged to please stay on the trails.
For thousands of years, fire has been an active part of the New Jersey landscape. Fires caused by natural conditions, lightning strikes, or fires intentionally set by Native Americans shaped the ecological communities present in our state today. With the current lack of intermittent fire, many of the species that evolved with this disturbance have suffered. Properly conducted prescribed burns can replace the natural fire disturbance that was historically a piece of the New Jersey natural lands. Fire encourages native seed germination, reduces invasive plant pressure, and cycles nutrients into the soil; these effects all aid in increasing habitat quality and diversity, while promoting forest regeneration and grassland establishment.
While managing invasive species and promoting habitat regeneration and enhancement is an important component of the burn plan for both Mercer Meadows, the Park Commission anticipates the burn to have additional benefits such as reducing hazardous fuel loads to prevent unplanned, higher intensity wildfires. Prescribed burns have also been successful in reducing tick and insect pest populations.
In addition to the Park Commission, land managers throughout the State have been using this management tool for its ecological benefits and to reduce the chance of unplanned forest fires.
File photos of prescribed burning
February 13, 2023
BRICK TOWNSHIP, NJ (OCEAN)–Ryan Mack of Jersey Shore Fire Response reported that around 4:45 p.m., yesterday February 12, 2013, Brick Township received a 9-1-1 call for a structure fire involving a chimney. Chief 2110 arrived on the scene and confirmed the smoke condition inside the home. The fire was quickly upgraded to a 2nd Alarm. Chief 2200 established operations while 2231 was first due hooking the hydrant outside of the home. Crews stretched two 13/4″ hose lines off 2231 one inside and one to the exterior of the chimney. Crews operated for around and hour and twenty minutes before bringing the fire fully under control. Fire was held to the area around the chimney with some extension into the home. Mutual aid from Point Pleasant Borough, Point Beach, Bayhead, Mantoloking, and Toms River were requested to the scene or for cover assignments.
No further information is available at this time.
February 13, 2023
EAST WINDSOR, NJ (MERCER)–Mayor Janice S. Mironov and Council Members Denise Daniels, David Russell and John Zoller joined Co-Owners Tony and Anna Gao and staff for the grand opening of the new restaurant Yummy Fusion in Windsor Center at the intersection of Route 130 South and Route 571.
Mayor Mironov stated, “We welcome and congratulate family owned Yummy Fusion restaurant as it opens in a prominent shopping center in East Windsor. The Township appreciates Yummy Fusion’s investment in East Windsor, adding another eatery choice to the many varied restaurant options in East Windsor.”
Family-owned Yummy Fusion, located in space previously occupied by Sushi King, serves a wide variety of sushi offerings and includes a sushi bar. The restaurant also features a wide choice of popular Asian dishes, including chicken, beef, shrimp and vegetable entrees and hibachi, as well as noodles and fried rice dishes. Yummy Fusion joins other Windsor Center businesses Aldi, Staples, Petco, Ross Dress for Less and Retro Fitness. The restaurant offers dine-in and take-out service for customer convenience. Current hours for Yummy Fusion are Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 am to 2:30 pm for lunch service and Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Friday and Saturday from 4:30pm to 10 pm, and Sunday 3pm to 9:30 pm for dinner service. For more information, visit their website at www.yummyfusion.com or call (609) 371-2663.
Mayor Janice S. Mironov and Council Members join owners to celebrate the grand opening of Yummy Fusion restaurant in Windsor Center at the intersection of Route 130 South and Route 571. Pictured (from left to right) are: Council Member John Zoller; Council Member David Russell; Mayor Janice S. Mironov; Council Member Denise Daniels; Tony Gao, owner, and Anna Gao, owner.
Mayor Janice S. Mironov and Council Members join owners to cut the ribbon to celebrate the grand opening of Yummy Fusion restaurant in Windsor Center at the intersection of Route 130 South and Route 571. Pictured (from left to right) are: Council Member David Russell; Council Member John Zoller; Council Member Denise Daniels; Mayor Janice S. Mironov; Tony Goa, owner; Anna Goa, owner; Tymur Usmanov, Yummy Fusion team; Kenji Lim, Yummy Fusion team; MinHui Pan, Yummy Fusion team; Steven Chang, Yummy Fusion team, and Emily Lu, Yummy Fusion team.
U.S. Congressman Chris Smith Calls On Biden Administration To Suspend Offshore Wind Projects Over Whale Deaths
February 13, 2023
MANASQUAN, NJ (MONMOUTH)–Ryan Mack of Jersey Shore Fire Response reported that another dead whale has washed up on the beach in Manasquan, NJ this afternoon February 13, 2023. In the video below the whale can be seen just off the coast of the beach.
On January 31, 2023, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith called on the Biden Administration to suspend all offshore wind projects over growing concerns about recent whale deaths.
Amid growing concerns over recent whale deaths, ongoing questions about environmental impacts and a call from 12 Jersey Shore mayors for a moratorium on offshore wind activity, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) on Monday urged two Biden Administration Secretaries in separate letters to immediately suspend all offshore wind projects until “ecological safety can be assured.”
Smith, writing on behalf of the 12 mayors, including four from his own congressional district, said, “I share their concerns regarding the several offshore wind projects under development off the coast of New Jersey, and their requisite impact on recent whale deaths, as well as the potential impacts on the broader environment and the fishing industry.”
“Over the course of the past several months, there have been repeated instances of dead whales washing up on New Jersey’s shoreline, and the proximity of nearby offshore wind development has raised concerns that ongoing activity on these projects may be contributing to whale fatalities,” Smith said in his January 30th letters to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
“The federal government has a responsibility to ensure the Jersey Shore’s environmental viability, and any projects that may affect not only whales, but the broader marine ecosystem and the economy it sustains, must be comprehensively reviewed before allowed to proceed,” said Smith.
“The New Jersey mayors, local environmental leaders, and members of the fishing community all share a deep concern that four major offshore wind projects have been approved concurrently within the span of two years. That these projects are being built at such a large scale and in such a short amount of time casts doubt over whether there was sufficient time to properly evaluate these projects’ impact on marine ecosystems, fisheries, shipping channels, tourism, and other important factors that may be affected,” Smith said in the letters.
“It was recently reported that, last year, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network raised a concern that construction related to offshore wind was harmful to Atlantic Sturgeon. While at first their review overlooked this concern, NOAA subsequently found new information corroborating this claim. Still, construction continued in the interim, causing undue environmental harm,” Smith wrote.
“Similarly, the lack of conclusive evidence disproving the link between offshore wind development and whale deaths is sufficient enough to require a pause until assurances can be made to the public that the environmental and maritime safety of these projects has been properly reviewed,” Smith continued.
“Accordingly, I request that all work be suspended until such time that ecological safety can be assured,” wrote Smith.
2023-01-30_letter_to_secretary_raimondoDownload 
February 13, 2023
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–A Burlington man has been arrested and charged for the murder of Stephanie Vil yesterday in Trenton, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported.
Jamar Leonard, 38, is charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and certain persons not to possess a weapon. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Leonard pending trial.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department. At approximately 9:06 a.m. on Sunday, February 12, 2023, Trenton police responded to a ShotSpotter activation and Trenton Communications received calls for a female shot in the area of Prospect Street and W. Hanover Avenue. Patrol officers arrived and located a black female with a gunshot wound lying in the street next to a heavily damaged vehicle. She was pronounced deceased at the scene at 9:19 a.m. The victim has been identified as 34-year-old Stephanie Vil, of Burlington, New Jersey.
Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jamar Leonard, 38, is charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and certain persons not to possess a weapon. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Leonard pending trial.
Names of the 2023 Trenton Homicide Victims
Photos and video by: Brian McCarthy OnScene News
Police Investigate Morning Homicide In Trenton
February 13, 2023
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)–Robbinsville Fire Department responded to the New Jersey Turnpike mile post 63.6 north bound inner roadway for a vehicle fire at 8:24 a.m. Upon arrival firefighters found a well involved car fire and quickly knocked down the flames. Firefighters remained on scene for a short time for overhaul. No other details were available.
