EDISON, N.J., Oct. 19 (ZFJ) — The Edison Board of Education voted 5-3 to abolish Policy 5756, which concerns transgender students, at their action meeting on Monday, Sept. 30. Since they didn’t properly follow the procedure to abolish a policy, it is still in effect.
The abolishment was not on the publicly posted agenda for the night and arose from a motion made from the floor.
This move follows the abolishment of Policy 5756 by many other school districts in N.
Oct. 14 (ZFJ) — The deadline to register to vote for the general election in New Jersey is Tuesday, Oct. 15 (21 days before election day on Tuesday, Nov. 5).
As of press time, that’s tomorrow, so don’t delay any longer if you haven’t registered yet!
Anyone who is a U.S. citizen, at least 17 years old, a resident of their county for 30 days before the election, and not convicted of a crime is eligible to register to vote.
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 13 (ZFJ) — A vigil held by UMD Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on McKeldin Mall on Monday, Oct. 7, took place without incident.
On Sept. 1, the University of Maryland, College Park, attempted to limit all demonstrations on campus on Oct. 7 after thousands of people wrote objecting to SJP’s permit to protest on that day. The significance of Oct. 7, 2023, is that it was the day when Hamas militants stormed into nearby Israeli towns from the blockaded Gaza Strip to kill and take hostage hundreds of civilians.
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 5 (ZFJ) — A federal judge ordered the University of Maryland, College Park, to allow UMD Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to proceed with their demonstration on Monday, Oct. 7.
On Sept. 1, after significant outcry over UMD granting a permit to SJP to use McKeldin Mall for an “interfaith vigil,” the university announced that demonstrations would be prohibited on campus on Oct. 7, and that a “university-sponsored Day of Dialogue” would be held instead.
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 5 (ZFJ) — Dr. Dominique Mwepu, 53, was fatally struck by a car on Monday, Sept. 30, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.
At about 7:55 p.m., county police officers from the 5th district and fire rescue personnel responded to reports of a collision involving a blue Honda Prelude and a pedestrian at the intersection of Frederick Road and High Point Drive.
Mwepu sustained life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene.
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 6 (ZFJ) — The University of Maryland, College Park, will not allow any student group protests on Oct. 7, 2024, following controversy over a pro-Palestinian protest planned for that date.
The University System of Maryland said in a press release on Sunday, Sept. 1, that special campus events—those requiring approval or permitting—will be suspended only on Oct. 7 in favor of a “university-sponsored Day of Dialogue” to promote reflection instead.
Aug. 25 (ZFJ) — The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has revised its use-of-force policy to “increase the likelihood of peaceful resolutions to encounters between police and barricaded individuals,” Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement.
The change in policy, which had last been changed in December 2020, comes weeks after the July 28 shooting of Victoria Lee, who was killed while threatening cops during a “mental breakdown.
METUCHEN, N.J., Aug. 22 (ZFJ) — Walid Beshai, 36, of Bayonne, was arrested by Metuchen police at his residence on Wednesday, Aug. 14, in connection with a fire in the borough on June 27, 2024.
Patrol officers responded to the scene of a fire on June 27, 2024, at about 1:30 a.m., according to an affidavit of probable cause submitted to the court by police. Three residents were removed from a two-family residential structure, and a garage that contained one of the victim’s vehicles was actively on fire.
EDISON, N.J., Aug. 11 (ZFJ) — Andrew “Dean” S. DeNicola, 55, band director at John P. Stevens High School for 50 years, died on May 20, 2024, after many years of battling heart disease.
“His devotion toward music, the band program, and his students was unparalleled, and anyone who had the pleasure of getting to know Andy knew he was having fun and living his life to the fullest,” wrote the Central Jersey Music Educators Association on Instagram.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This news report contains graphic details of the police-involved shooting and vulgarities that could be offensive or disturbing to some readers.
Aug. 19 (ZFJ) — Body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Victoria G. Lee, 25, of Fort Lee, by Fort Lee Police Officer Tony Pickens, Jr., during a mental health call on July 28 was released by the N.J. Attorney General’s Office (OAG) on Friday, Aug.
