Category Archives: New Jersey

Millions face road travel bans as snow blankets New York and north-east US

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Blizzard warnings issued as some areas receive over a foot of snow, creating whiteout conditions

Millions of people in New York City and a large swath of the north-eastern US were stuck at home under road travel bans and blizzard warnings on Monday as heavy snow and strong winds intensified, creating whiteout conditions in the densely populated region.

Snow fell at a rate of 2-3in (5-7.6cm) an hour early on Monday from New York through Massachusetts. Some areas have received well over a foot (30cm) of snow since Sunday, along with wind gusts of over 30mph (48km/h) and low visibility.

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New York City gets first blizzard warning in nine years as area hunkers down

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New Jersey and other east coast areas brace for storm threatening more than 1ft of snow and 55mph wind gusts

Blizzard warnings were issued Saturday for New York City, New Jersey and coastal communities along the east coast for a late-winter storm set to arrive on Sunday that could dump more than a foot of snow and bring wind gusts of more than 55mph.

The blizzard warning for New York City is the first since 2017 and comes as parts of the city are still dotted with hillocks of ice – leftovers from the previous major snowstorm nearly a month ago.

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US airports report over 20 air traffic controller shortage incidents in one day

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Transportation secretary says figure is ‘one of the highest we’ve seen’ since 1 October as shutdown drags on

US airports have reported more than 20 incidents of air traffic controller shortages on Saturday, said Sean Duffy, transportation secretary, in the latest sign of the government shutdown’s impact.

A ground stop was issued by the agency at Los Angeles international airport due to the air traffic controller staffing shortages at around 11.30am ET (15.30 GMT). The restriction covered most of the southern California region and delays are likely when flights resume.

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New Jersey officer charged after going out for pizza instead of responding to shooting

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Sgt Kevin Bollaro accused of misconduct and falsifying report after blowing off investigation of a double homicide

A New Jersey officer has been charged with misconduct after prosecutors say he didn’t quickly respond to and properly investigate reports of a shooting that turned out to be a double murder, instead stopping at an ATM and pizzeria.

Franklin township police sergeant Kevin Bollaro was the on-duty officer on the evening of 1 August when police received 911 calls reporting gunshots and screaming in Pittstown, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) from Manhattan in central New Jersey, according to Hunterdon county prosecutor Renée Robeson’s office.

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New Jersey declares state of emergency as nor’easter approaches

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Airports post delays and cancellations in advance of anticipated coastal flooding and strong winds

A nor’easter churned its way up the east coast on Sunday, with New Jersey declaring a state of emergency and some airports posting delays and cancellations in advance of anticipated coastal flooding and strong winds, as another storm system struck farther south with heavy rain and flooding.

“The greatest effects are going to be the coastal flooding potential, especially for areas from north-eastern North Carolina northward to much of the New Jersey coast,” said meteorologist Bob Oravec with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

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US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport

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Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled

A Rutgers University professor who taught a course on anti-fascism and was blocked from leaving the US for Spain on Wednesday night, according to media reports, hours after Donald Trump hosted a White House roundtable highlighting the impact of antifa – or “anti-fascist” – far-left activists is now departing.

Mark Bray, an historian who published the 2017 book Antifa: the Anti-Fascist Handbook and has taught courses on anti-fascism at the New Jersey university, posted on the social media platform Bluesky that “Our plane to Spain is in the air!”. Bray was attempting to board a plane at Newark airport when he was informed at the boarding gate that the reservations for him and his family had been cancelled.

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US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport

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Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled

A Rutgers University professor who taught a course on anti-fascism and was blocked from leaving the US for Spain on Wednesday night, according to media reports, hours after Donald Trump hosted a White House roundtable highlighting the impact of antifa – or “anti-fascist” – far-left activists is now departing.

Mark Bray, an historian who published the 2017 book Antifa: the Anti-Fascist Handbook and has taught courses on anti-fascism at the New Jersey university, posted on the social media platform Bluesky that “Our plane to Spain is in the air!”. Bray was attempting to board a plane at Newark airport when he was informed at the boarding gate that the reservations for him and his family had been cancelled.

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Maryland boy dies after being trapped in storm drain as rains drench east coast

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Baltimore saw up to 4in of rain and the New York transportation system was flooded on Thursday; more rain is possible, weather service warns

A 13-year-old boy has died after he was trapped in a storm drain in Maryland during heavy rainfall and flooding on the east coast, officials said.

Kids were playing in the rain on Thursday in a common area between apartment buildings in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people about 30 miles (48km) west of Baltimore, but flood waters rushed in and the boy was swept into the pipe, according to Mount Airy volunteer fire company spokesperson Doug Alexander.

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Intense rain and flash floods expected from New York City to Washington DC

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Acting New Jersey governor declares state of emergency as residents along US east coast prepare for severe weather

Authorities are urging residents to prepare for severe weather as a powerful storm system that could cause intense flash floods moves through a swathe of the US east coast stretching from New York City to Washington DC.

Forecasters are predicting intense rainfall, with rates possibly reaching up to 3 inches an hour. While most areas are expected to receive 1 to 3 inches of rain, certain isolated locations could see as much as 5 to 8 inches.

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Judges end Trump pick Alina Habba’s tenure as New Jersey’s top prosecutor

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Justice department retaliates by removing career prosecutor named as Habba’s replacement

Alina Habba, Donald Trump’s defence lawyer during a defamation case brought by the writer E Jean Carroll, has lost her bid to become New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, with the clock running out on her interim status on Tuesday.

According to an order from New Jersey’s district court, a panel of judges declined to permanently appoint Habba to be the state’s US attorney, signaling a rebuke against the Trump administration.

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Heavy rain kills two in New Jersey as subway and roads flooded in New York

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Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of New York and Pennsylvania and an emergency was declared in New Jersey

At least two people were killed Monday evening in New Jersey amid heavy rain and flooding in that state and New York, according to authorities.

The pair died in the city of Plainfield when the car they were in was swept into Cedar Brook during flash flooding, local officials announced on Facebook.

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‘Catastrophic’ flood in Texas kills at least 24, including children, with more missing from summer camp

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Up to 10in of rain fell overnight, prompting flash flooding in region west of Austin hit by long drought

Torrential rains unleashed flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday, killing at least 24 people as rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster, local officials said.

Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the rain-engorged Guadalupe, authorities said.

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Millions of people across central and eastern US under ‘heat dome’ warning

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Temperatures at or above 100F expected as extreme hot air and humidity are trapped in atmosphere

Scores of millions of people across the central and eastern US will swelter under the summer’s first “heat dome” beginning this weekend and extending through the end of next week as extreme hot air and humidity get trapped in the atmosphere.

The arrival of the heatwave coincides with Friday’s first day of summer and will bring temperatures at or above 100F (37.7C) to numerous cities as it moves to the east of the US in the coming days, forecasters say.

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Ex-senator Bob Menendez arrives at prison to begin serving 11-year sentence

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The New Jersey Democrat will be held in Pennsylvania facility after his conviction on bribery charges

Bob Menendez arrived at a federal prison on Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year sentence for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt. The New Jersey Democrat and former US senator has been mocked for the crimes as “Gold Bar Bob”, according to his own lawyer.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Menendez was in custody at the Schuylkill federal correctional institution in Minersville, Pennsylvania. The facility has a medium-security prison and a minimum-security prison camp. Given the white-collar nature of his crimes, it is likely he will end up in the camp.

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Detainees at New Jersey immigration center revolt as chaos unravels

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Four people escaped after group held at Delaney Hall Ice facility pushed down wall amid police and protester clashes

Unrest and protests have erupted in and around a controversial immigration detention center in New Jersey, with police and federal officials clashing with protesters after detainees reportedly pushed down a wall in revolt at the conditions they are being held in.

About 50 detainees pushed down a wall in the dormitory room of the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday night, according to an immigration lawyer representing one of the men held there.

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Canadian wildfires prompt air-quality alerts across five US states

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Officials in New York, New Jersey, Iowa, New Hampshire and Maine issued alerts due to smoke from fires in Canada

Smoke from wildfires in Canada is spreading across multiple states in the US including the eastern seaboard, prompting multiple states to issue air-quality alerts.

The poor air quality stretching across the US came as a result of dozens of wildfires burning across Canada as the country’s annual wildfire season roars into destructive action.

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Flights at New Jersey airport capped temporarily amid air traffic control issues

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Cuts to continue through October amid runway construction aimed at curbing delays and cancellations

The Federal Aviation Administration has finalized an interim order to temporarily cut the number of flights coming in and out of Newark Liberty international airport as the embattled transit hub has recently experienced widespread delays and cancellations due to air traffic control operations.

Beginning on Tuesday, 20 May, Newark airport’s maximum hourly rate is now 28 arrivals and 28 departures, for a total of 56 hourly operations. Prior to this change, Newark typically handled more than 77 flights per hour during peak times, according to USA Today.

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US transportation secretary plans to reduce flights at Newark airport

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Move after airport sees radar outages, flight delays and cancellations due to shortage of traffic controllers

The US transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, plans to reduce the number of flights in and out of the Newark Liberty international airport for the “next several weeks”, as the facility – one of the country’s busiest airports – struggles with radar outages, numerous flight delays and cancellations due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Duffy said he would convene a meeting with all the airlines flying out of Newark this week to determine the reduction, adding that it would fluctuate, with a larger reduction coming in the afternoons when international flight arrivals make it busier at the airport, one of the main hubs serving the New York City area.

Guardian staff contributed to this report

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New Jersey mayor to continue fight against Ice detention center after arrest

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Newark’s Ras Baraka says court fight against Geo Group will go on despite being jailed and charged with trespassing

Speaking out after his arrest on Tuesday, the Newark mayor Ras Baraka said his city would continue its fight in court against the company that runs an immigration detention facility in New Jersey.

“I know there are some protests that other people are planning, and if I feel obligated to be there, I will,” Baraka told the Rev Al Sharpton on MSNBC Saturday afternoon. “This doesn’t stop the city’s contention with the Geo Group, and we’re going to continue in court with them.”

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Mayor of Newark arrested for trespassing at Ice detention center

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Ras Baraka, who has spoken out against Trump’s immigration policies, was at the center with Democratic members of Congress

The mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, was arrested for trespass at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center in New Jersey on Friday as Democratic members of Congress also attempted to conduct what they say was a visit to the controversial facility to conduct “federal oversight”.

News of Baraka’s arrest at Delaney Hall was reported on X by Alina Habba, the acting US attorney for the district of New Jersey, and a former personal attorney and adviser to Donald Trump.

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