May 27, 2022
EWING TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–Ewing Township Firefighters, EMS and Police responded to a motor vehicle accident with extrication on West Ingham Avenue near Kelsey Avenue at 1:12 p.m. Firefighters were able to extricate the trapped occupants. EMS transported the injured to a local hospital for treatment. Ewing Township Police is investigating the crash. No further details are available at this time.
Photos by: Brian McCarthy, OnScene News
May 27, 2022
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–It was only yesterday when a bullet went flying through a window of a Trenton Fire Station on West State Street. Today a fire department engine calls in shots fired as a Shot Spotter activation comes into Trenton Police in the area of Southard Street and New Willow Street around 1:14 p.m. The firefighters asked for police to respond since they heard several gunshots near their location. Police, Trenton EMS and Captial Health Paramedics responded to the scene. There were reports of a person shot but it was unclear if anyone was hit and transported to the hospital.
Then around 4:47 p.m. in the 1500 Block of West State Street shots were fired but there were no victims found. This was also in the area of Trenton Engine 9 the same area were a bullet flew though the window near the “watch desk” of the fire station yesterday.
Trenton Police are investigating the shootings.
No further information is available at this time.
Another Trenton, NJ Firehouse Shot Up By Neighborhood Gun Violence
Trenton Police in the area of Southard Street and New Willow Street around 1:14 p.m. Photos by: Brian McCarthy, OnScene News
As a thank you for combatting last September’s fire, Big SNOW’s ceremonial “first chair” honored representatives from various responding fire departments.
May 27, 2022
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (May 2022) – Big SNOW American Dream, North America’s first indoor, real-snow ski and snowboard center providing guests with year-round winter indoors, reopened today, Friday, May 27. The indoor ski resort is open from 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. today. The indoor ski resort suffered a 3-alarm fire on September 25, 2021 and repairs have been completed just in time for Memorial Day Weekend. During the reopening event the venue hosted a snow-studded Beach Party, including DJ entertainment, live ice-sculpting, complimentary photo shoot sessions and an opportunity to meet and ride with athletes from Burton. There were also door prize giveaways throughout the day, including 50% off return visit vouchers.
“We are excited to reopen Big SNOW to guests this Memorial Day Weekend,” said Trish McLeod, Director of Resorts Marketing & Sales, SNOW Partners. “We thank our visitors and team for their patience as we’ve worked diligently to resume the full operation of the facility. We are appreciative of all the hard work that has gone towards this reopening and look forward to welcoming guests back to our slope where we offer endless winter fun right here in New Jersey.”
As a thank you for combatting last September’s fire, Big SNOW’s ceremonial “first chair” honored representatives from various responding fire departments. The venue will also offer discounted tickets to responding firefighters and their families interested in hitting the slopes this summer.
“We are tremendously thankful for the quick response and efforts made by the local fire departments last fall,” continued McLeod. “These complimentary tickets are just a small token of our appreciation. At Big SNOW, every day is a snow day, so we hope to see local firefighters and their families cool off and hit the slopes this summer.”
Ideal for first-timers or those just looking to keep their ski skills intact this summer, Big SNOW offers Snow Day packages that provide everything needed to enjoy a day on the snow. Packages include ski/board rental, outerwear, complimentary access to Terrain Based Learning skills areas and a team of dedicated instructors. This summer also marks the return of Camp BIG’s Summer Series – a four-day camp designed for children ages 5-12 to level-up on their ski and snowboard skills. Participating campers will receive continuous supervision with personalized on-snow instruction, complimentary ski or snowboard equipment rental and outwear rentals, as well as, slope access tickets, daily snacks and a goodie bag.
For more information, guests can visit BigSNOWAmericanDream.com, or keep up with Big SNOW on Facebook and Instagram @bigsnowad
As a thank you for combatting last September’s fire, Big SNOW’s ceremonial “first chair” honored representatives from various responding fire departments. The venue will also offer discounted tickets to responding firefighters and their families interested in hitting the slopes this summer.
Firefighters and NJ State Troopers who responded to the 3-Alarm Fire at Big Snow on September 25, 2021 were honored at Big Snow’s Reopening Today.
May 27, 2022
TRENTON, N.J. – The Assembly on Thursday passed Assemblyman Ron Dancer’s bill that names new management to the nation’s oldest and largest university-based environmental education facility.
The Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation are named manager under Dancer’s legislation (A3149), taking the reins from Montclair State University, which had managed the New Jersey School of Conservation since 1981. The school is located on 240 acres in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County.
“The Friends has been an indispensable asset to the running of the school, and stepped in when Montclair found it was no longer viable to keep the school open during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Dancer (R-Ocean) said. “The organization submitted a plan to keep the school running. It will be exciting to witness what this new chapter brings to the school and the thousands of teachers and students who benefit from it.”
The Friends has shifted its focus to restoration, preservation and advocacy in recent years. With Montclair out, at the height the pandemic, the Friends reopened the school on a limited basis in the summer of 2020 and secured $1 million from the state Legislature for repairs at some of the 55 buildings that comprise the campus. Partnering with Rutgers University, Ramapo College and Sussex County Community College, the organization plans to upgrade and transform the school into a premier training and research facility. Dancer noted he appreciates Montclair’s role in the transition.
Dancer’s bill requires the Friends to submit a financial statement annually to the Department of Education, which would be responsible for funding the school. Its plan proposes a $1.72 million budget by FY2025.
“The New Jersey School of Conservation has provided valuable environmental education programs for decades,” Dancer added. “My bill will ensure the school continues to provide that for years to come.”
The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for signing.
Located on a 240-acre tract of land in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County, New Jersey, the School of Conservation is our nation’s oldest and largest environmental education center. NJSOC has a long and celebrated history, beginning in 1949 when officials from the Department of Higher Education, college presidents, the Department of Conservation and Economic Development, politicians, and conservationists worked together to realize the promise of a world-class outdoor education center in an abandoned CCC camp. It played a key role in the development of the environmental education movement, and has served as a model for environmental centers throughout the world. The SOC’s resident programs and summer camps have served more than 400,000 students, teachers, masters and doctoral candidates, faculty and visiting professionals from every walk of life through the nearly 40,000 workshops and environmental education programs offered at the SOC over its 71-year history.
Yesterday at the NJ State House 
Above photos of past events from the Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation Facebook Page
May 27, 2022
TRENTON, N.J. – The Assembly on Thursday passed Assemblyman Ron Dancer’s bill that will allow wineries on preserved farmlands to continue hosting special occasion events.
Dancer’s bill (A4037) reinstates the pilot program allowing those special occasion events for two years once the bill is adopted. The bill also retroactively approves such events held since May 30, 2020, when the program expired and confusion reigned over its status.
“Reports from the initial winery pilot program showed it to be a huge success. Not only did it improve farms’ bottom lines, but we saw an increase in overall ‘agritourism,’” Dancer (R-Ocean) said. “My bill helps the state’s agricultural community remain economically viable by permitting more public activities at wineries on preserved farms.” The bill allows wineries on preserved farmland to hold special occasion events, such as weddings or other milestone celebrations, provided the farm produces agricultural or horticultural products. The pilot program was launched back in 2014, and renewed in 2018, with seven of the 19 wineries on preserved farmland participating. “Agritourism is a $1 billion industry in the U.S. that has created 9 million jobs since 2007, and continues to grow,” Dancer said. “I am committed to helping this industry grow in the Garden State, and I’m gratified that this goal has strong bipartisan support.”
The bill now goes to the governor’s desk for signing.
Photo by Rachel Xiao on Pexels.com
According to Prosecutors, Tsamas was working for a company hired by Verizon to solicit customers on a door-to-door basis.
May 27, 2022
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Jackson Township Police Chief Matthew Kunz announced that on May 26, 2022, Michael Tsamas, 32, of Laurence Harbor, was charged with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1), in connection with the death of Joseph Delgardio in Jackson Township on May 26, 2022. Tsamas was also charged with Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4d, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5d.
On May 26, 2022, at approximately 6:15 p.m., Officers from the Jackson Township Police Department responded to the area of West Veterans Highway and Conor Road in reference to a 911 call stating that a male was lying in the roadway in a pool of blood. Responding Officers found Joseph Delgardio, 44, of Jackson Township, with a severe wound to his neck. At the time of the Officers arrival, Mr. Delgardio was already receiving first aid CPR from Fire Department personnel. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and Mr. Delgardio was pronounced deceased at the scene.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Jackson Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that Tsamas was working for a company hired by Verizon to solicit customers on a door-to-door basis. Tsamas knocked on Mr. Delgardio’s door in an attempt to solicit his business. Mr. Delgardio told Tsamas that he was not interested, and Tsamas left Mr. Delgardio’s residence. A short time later, Mr. Delgardio confronted Tsamas on the street and a physical altercation ensued. During the altercation, Tsamas removed a knife from his pocket and stabbed Mr. Delgardio in the neck. Tsamas was taken into custody without incident at the scene, and is currently lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Prosecutor Billhimer and Chief Kunz commend the collaborative efforts of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Jackson Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their collective and cooperative assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Tsamas’ apprehension.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).
Michael Tsamas, 32, of Laurence Harbor
Michael Tsamas, 32, of Laurence Harbor, was charged with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1), in connection with the death of Joseph Delgardio in Jackson Township on May 26, 2022. Tsamas was also charged with Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4d, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5d.
According to Prosecutors, Tsamas was working for a company hired by Verizon to solicit customers on a door-to-door basis. Tsamas knocked on Mr. Delgardio’s door in an attempt to solicit his business. Mr. Delgardio told Tsamas that he was not interested, and Tsamas left Mr. Delgardio’s residence. A short time later, Mr. Delgardio confronted Tsamas on the street and a physical altercation ensued. During the altercation, Tsamas removed a knife from his pocket and stabbed Mr. Delgardio in the neck.