PATERSON, NJ - For three Paterson men, Diayaa Khatib, Mohammed Hlal, and Samir Al Khawaldah the challenge of overcoming the economic downturn brought on by COVID-19 was secondary to the one that saw them arrive from Syria less than five years ago to build new lives for themselves.

On Monday, those new lives, in what may be the ultimate manifestation of the American Dream, culminated in them ...

TRENTON, NJ – As winter turned to spring and the coronavirus began taking hold in New Jersey, small business owners faced a variety of pressing questions. Were they considered essential services? Would the federal government provide financial aid to keep them afloat? When could customers safely return in person? 

Enter the state’s Business Action Center (BAC) and its executive ...

PATERSON, NJ – A fundraising effort launched by students at the School of Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance (BTMF) at the John F. Kennedy Educational Complex raised enough money to show appreciation for 170 essential workers. So what will these future business leaders do next? Raise more money!

The students, led by Lorennys Garcia and Reyismel Valerio, are members of ...

PATERSON, NJ - One of Paterson’s longest running businesses made their contribution to local students as they continue in the new, COVID-19, way of education. On Monday, Mayor Andre Sayegh helped deliver 25 Chromebooks donated by Bacon and Graham to local children. 

Speaking to the recipients inside St. Luke’s Baptist Church, Sayegh first congratulated Superintendent of ...

PATERSON – Four more members of the International Baccalaureate (IB)Program at International High School’s Class of 2020 have been notified that they met the rigorous requirements to earn the distinguished IB Diploma, Superintendent Eileen Shafer announced Monday. That brings the total number of successful recipients of the prestigious diploma to seven in this year’s graduating ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - So, you think being able to Google the answers on your smartphone will be your ticket to good grades as the school year kicks off?

Think again, says Rutgers researchers.

The ease of finding information on the internet is hurting students’ long-term retention and resulting in lower grades on exams, according to a Rutgers University–New Brunswick study.

The ...

NEW JERSEY — Less than two months from Election Day, Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday said a new website will allow New Jersey residents to register to vote and track their mail-in ballot all while on the go or from the comfort of their home.

“This online form is safe and secure, and can be accessed anywhere – whether from a library computer or your smartphone,” Gov. Phil ...

TRENTON, NJ -- Responding to the news that the Trump campaign is suing New Jersey over mail-in voting, Gov. Phil Murphy went on the offensive during his COVID-19 press briefing in Trenton Wednesday.

“Vote-by-mail is not new in New Jersey and takes on the added importance of protecting both public health and the right to vote during a deadly pandemic that has already taken more than ...

TRENTON, NJ -- Speaking at Governor Murphy's Monday COVID-19 press briefing, NJ Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli warned of a possible “twin-demic” this year during flu season and urged New Jerseyans to get their flu shots.  

“As we enter the fall season, we are also moving into the flu season. This year we are preparing for the possibility of a ...

TRENTON, NJ – As end-of-summer parties give way to welcome-back-to-college keggers, the cases of COVID-19 among New Jersey’s youngest populations are on the rise.

Residents in the 19-24 age range now represent the highest percent positivity rate in the state, according to State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.

About 6% of those ages 19 to 24 are COVID-19-positive and those ...

TRENTON, NJ  – 179 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) teams throughout New Jersey will receive 11,352 free doses of the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone (commonly called Narcan) state officials annouced recently  The effort builds upon other naloxone distribution programs to make the life-saving antidote available to those who need it. 

Naloxone reverses overdoses from ...

PATERSON, NJ - When Labor Day hit earlier this week the realization set in for countless New Jerseyians that not only was summer over, but it also passed without them ever getting to the beach. Such is the reality in a COVID-19 environment.

However, now, thanks to the vision of developer Levi Kelman, the beach came to Paterson and summer has been extended. Located in the heart of ...

PATERSON, NJ - While the impact from a size perspective may not be as great as his transformation of the site that was once home to the Paterson Armory, the difference Charles Florio's resurrection of a long derelict lot in the city’s Fourth Ward will mean just as much to the community, city officials predicted Tuesday. 

Less than three weeks after ground was broken on the $40 ...

NEW JERSEY - While for most Labor Day is simply a marker on the calendar to denote the last unofficial day of summer, leaders of two northern New Jersey unions want residents to know that it carries a much deeper meaning.

And this year, they are asking all workers, whether they are represented by a union or not, to take one very specific action to help improve opportunities for safer ...

PATERSON, NJ - 20 minutes before a formal ribbon cutting of a new apartment building on Paterson’s South Side, a more urgent circumstance unfolded. As a Department of Public Works crew unloaded the podium from a pick-up truck for the event, screams were heard from across the street, less than a block away.

A casual look revealed billowing smoke pouring out of a window on the side of a ...

PATERSON, NJ- As the nation comes together for the 19th annual commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks, one local business continued to memorialize the nearly 3,000 Americans, including Paterson’s Kenneth Lira, went to work in the Twin Towers and never returned home.

For Mario Tommolillo, long time owner of Classic Auto Body, the desire to honor those lost on that ...

PATERSON, NJ - A 33-year-old Paterson man led police on a foot chase during which he discarded a loaded handgun before being apprehended, Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said.

Speziale reported that members of the Paterson Police Street Crimes Unitwere in the area of 10th Avenue and East 22nd Street at approximately 12:15 a.m. when they noticed a man, later identified as Akeem ...

PATERSON, NJ - Efforts to shut down drug sales around the Paterson Free Public Library continued Thursday with a narcotics investigation by the Paterson Police Department that lef to the arrests of six individuals.

Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale announced that in addition to the arrests 24 criminal complaints were filed, 651 glassines of heroin and 10 baggies of crack cocaine were ...

PATERSON, NJ - An investigation into suspected drug sales in the area of Main Street and Weiss Street led to the arrest of an alleged seller, as well as the confiscation of a loaded handgun Tuesday, Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale announced.

In a statement Speziale said that at approximately 6:00 p.m. detectives assigned to the Paterson Narcotics Division observed a suspect, ...

PATERSON, NJ - While Paterson’s restaurant scene may not be world famous yet, the city is home to some of the world’s best restaurants, at least according to Mayor Andre Sayegh, a self-confessed “foodie.”

On Friday Sayegh was celebrating the return of indoor dining, making his first stop at Toros. While the mecca of Turkish cuisine boasts four locations, including in ...

TRENTON, NJ - Legislation championed by Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson) that will allow college athletes to earn compensation for use of their name, image or likeness was signed into law Monday by Governor Phil Murphy.

The new law (A-2106), known as the “New Jersey Fair Play Act,” received final legislative approval in July, passing the full Assembly 56-16-2, and full ...

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ – The NJSIAA (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association), the governing body for high school sports in New Jersey, has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with the NFL. The organization will host a two-day, virtual, diversity, bias, and cultural competence workshop for football game officials. The two-day session’s goal is to increase ...