A Washington man has been charged with theft, Clinton police reported on June 13, 2016.

CLINTON -- A Washington man has been charged with stealing from the cash register at Elite Meats, where he worked, police said.

On May 18, police received a report of the theft of about $2,300 from the cash register at the business, located at 23 Old Highway 22.

Patrolmen James Crilly and Anthony Robbins investigated, and filed a theft charge against former employee Jose Rivas-Miranda, 24, of Washington, police stated in a release Monday. Rivas-Miranda was released after being processed.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The Reading-Large House in Flemington was the home of the prosecution during the Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial. Watch video

FLEMINGTON -- The Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce Foundation has purchased the historic Reading-Large House on Main Street, with plans to open a center for business and entrepreneurship that will serve the county.

"To be on Main Street in Flemington, it's amazing," said Anne Thornton, who sits on the board of the chamber's foundation. "And the physical space is really going to be conducive to what we're trying to do."

The house, built for John Reading in 1847 by Mahlon Fisher, was named among Hunterdon County's most endangered historic sites this year and previously in 2010. Judge George K. Large lived there, and in 1935 he was named a special prosecutor in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial, which became known as the Trial of the Century. His office, former stables, became the home of the prosecution.

Unity Bank has donated $100,000 to establish the Unity Bank Center for Business & Entrepreneurship at the site, with the aim of becoming a place of training and support for all of Hunterdon's businesses.

Hunterdon Freeholders awarded a grant to help with the home's purchase, and Freeholder Director Suzanne Lagay said at a gathering at the house on Tuesday that the plans please her on several fronts.

"It's an historical building that's going to be preserved and taken care of," Lagay said. "And it's repurposing a building that means a lot to Main Street and the county seat."

Most at-risk historic sites in Hunterdon

The announcement of the plans for the Reading-Large House came a day after Flemington Mayor Phil Greiner said it is unlikely the Union Hotel just down the street can be preserved. The hotel topped this year's county list of most endangered historic sites.

Standing in front of the Reading-Large House on Tuesday, Lagay commented on the home's history, saying, "If these walls could talk."

Cathie Large shared some of her memories of her ancestral home, including a trap door in the floor of the parlor that accessed a basement vault where people could deposit money. A great-great uncle held many meetings for community betterment projects at the house, and Large said her great-great aunt, a celebrated pastry cook, made sure during breaks that the men who were most involved got the best treats.

One piece of the house's history seems a natural fit for the Chamber of Commerce. In the late 1930s, a decision was made to cut corporate taxes in the borough and, in 1937, Standard Oil was the first major American corporation to register in Flemington, using the offices of George Large.

"By the mid 1950s, Standard Oil, Quaker Oats, Eastman-Kodak, United Fruit (Chiquita bananas), Borden's and 100 other corporations came to Flemington every year with thousands of stockholders for their annual meetings," Large said. 

"Businesses in town made more money during spring corporation season than during the holidays."

Plans to create the business center have been in the works for years and years, said Ed Kurowicki, chairman of the chamber foundation. At first, the chamber dismissed the Reading-Large House as a possibility. "There was so much to do, and it's much larger than it looks because it goes so deep," he said. "But the more we heard, we started to fall in love with the story."

The foundation and the chamber are in the early stages of planning what types of programs to offer, but "the need for businesses to cultivate education into their organizations is critical to their success," he said. "Ongoing education and training for owners, partners and their employees is something we want to help facilitate."

Support and funding came from a wide range of sources, including a county historic preservation grant, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program, the Large Foundation, and many area businesses. A capital campaign is planned to raise additional money to complete the project.

Renovations are planned to start in the fall, and chamber President Chris Phelan said the organization's goal is to move into the front portion of the Reading-Large House by Labor Day. Work on the back of the building will take longer.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

For the first time ever, NJ.com expanded its statewide rankings to 50 teams for the end of the 2016 season.

Vote now for your favorite Central Jersey ice cream shop in our N.J.'s best ice cream showdown.

Central Jersey won our N.J.'s best diner showdown last year; how will it do in our best ice cream shop competition?

Show your ice cream loyalty by voting for your favorite shop/stand/store. You can do that starting right now. 

You can vote once in each category per day. Deadline for voting is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, June 22.

The top five vote-getters in each category, plus my 20 picks, will comprise our 40 semi-finalists, which I will visit starting Friday, June 24.

Don't forget to vote in our other categories:

North Jersey 

South Jersey

Jersey Shore

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.

An accident involving a tractor-trailer closed northbound Route 31 for several hours on June 13, 2016.

CLINTON TWP. -- A tractor-trailer reportedly ran a red light on Route 31 at County Club Drive before colliding with a Ford van on Monday, police said.

The accident happened at approximately 1:25 p.m., when Travis Miller, 39, of Carteret, driving a 2012 Freightliner tractor-trailer north on Route 31, allegedly traveled through a red light at the intersection with Country Club Drive and Walnut Pond Road, according to police.

The tractor-trailer reportedly hit a 2007 Ford E34 driven by Thomas Emery, 55, of Lopatcong Township, as Emery was pulling into the intersection on a green light, police said.

The crash disabled the tractor-trailer and it spilled a substantial amount of fuel onto the roadway, police said.

Traffic was backed up for several hours while northbound Route 31 was closed to allow the trucks to be removed and a fuel spill was cleaned up by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Emery was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center for treatment of apparent minor injuries, police said. Miller was issued a motor-vehicle summons for failure to observe a traffic signal.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Police in Raritan Township arrested and charged three with driving while intoxicated in separate incidents.

RARITAN TWP. -- Three people have been charged with driving while intoxicated following recent traffic stops in the township.

On Sunday at 7:06 p.m., police arrested and charged James Dwane, 76, of Readington, with driving under the influence of alcohol following a stop on Allens Corner Road. Police initially received a report of a possible intoxicated driver in the area.

Patrolman William McEnroe III located a vehicle matching the description provided by a caller stopped in the middle of Allens Corner Road, police said.

McEnroe checked the vehicle and allegedly found Dwane slumped over the steering wheel with his eyes closed. Dwane was taken into custody and released to a family member after processing. His vehicle was towed.

On Saturday at 2:37 a.m., police arrested and charged Scott R. Hogrebe, 25, of Readington, with driving under the influence of alcohol following a stop on Route 202.

Hogrebe was reportedly initially stopped by Patrolman Aaron Roth for failure to maintain his lane, police said. He was issued motor-vehicle summonses for failure to maintain lane control, reckless driving and failure to exhibit documents (insurance card). The vehicle was towed and Hogrebe was released to a friend after processing.

On May 31 at 2:07 p.m., police arrested and charged Lisa M. Gomez, 54, of Raritan Township, with driving under the influence of alcohol following a stop on Voorhees Corner Road.

Cops: Tractor-trailer ran red light before crash

Police were initially called to the area for a report that Gomez was allegedly driving her vehicle while clearly intoxicated. A physical description of Gomez and her vehicle, with license plate number, were provided. Patrolman Christopher Vallat found and stopped the vehicle, police said.

Gomez was arrested after allegedly exhibiting signs of being under the influence of alcohol, but refusing to complete the field sobriety tests, police said. She was also charged with driving while intoxicated in a school zone and issued motor-vehicle summonses for reckless driving, failure to exhibit documents (driver's license) and refusal to submit to chemical breath testing, police said. The vehicle was towed and Gomez was released to a family member after processing.

Other recent incidents reported by police include the arrest of three people on charges of heroin possession; shoplifting charges against two young women for allegedly concealing merchandise at Kohl's; marijuana charges against four people; and a prescription drug charge against one person.

Police also charged an Joshua R. Kuznetzoff, 18, of Asbury with possession of prohibited weapons, a spring-loaded knife and dagger, following a traffic stop on Route 31 on June 6 at 1:30 p.m.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The complaint states that PennEast is exercising a new form of market abuse that federal regulators can only assess through formal hearings.

TRENTON -- An environmental group filed a complaint and motion with a federal regulator Wednesday requesting a hearing to assess the public need for the proposed PennEast pipeline in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The Eastern Environmental Law Center (EELC) filed the motion with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on behalf of New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

The complaint and motion state that PennEast is exercising a new form of market abuse that (FERC) can only assess by conducting an evidentiary hearing.

"FERC must have substantial evidence of significant public benefit to approve the PennEast application, but the company's existing record fails to meet that test," senior EELC lawyer Jennifer Danis said. "Before FERC proceeds, it needs to take a closer look at the application."

Critics say that the PennEast project fails to provide proof of public benefit because contract arrangements between the gas providers and the pipeline owners are set up so that the companies can create their own supply and demand -- and charge customers whatever rate they want to cover costs.

FERC generally relies on contracts made through natural gas companies and pipeline companies to establish that there is both an adequate supply and demand by the customer.

An analysis from Skipping Stone, an energy market service provider, concluded that FERC should not rely solely on the PennEast contracts to demonstrate public need for the gas. A deeper inquiry or hearing is needed.

Skipping Stone President Greg Lander said the reason that FERC should not rely solely on the PennEast contract to establish a need for the project is because when a gas provider owns a portion of the pipeline, the provider can adjust the rate customers pay so that the company can profit regardless of actual supply and demand economics.

Profits from customers' payments would go right to the parent companies and shareholders, ensuring a shareholder profit regardless of market forces -- the company profit could be the motivator for the project.

A parent company of New Jersey Natural Gas owns 20 percent of the PennEast Pipeline. In return, New Jersey Natural Gas has a contract to provide almost the same percent of gas to the pipeline -- the parent could be paying itself by owning a portion of the project.

The PennEast pipeline is proposed by six major natural gas companies, including all four major companies in New Jersey. In total, the six owners of PennEast have contracted for 74 percent of the proposed pipeline's initial capacity.

According to the Skipping Stone report, New Jersey Natural Gas, PSE&G, South Jersey Gas, and Elizabethtown Gas have purchased 50 percent of the total capacity of the pipeline, while their corporate affiliates own 70 percent of PennEast.

Lander says that to make sure there is a fair deal for customers, gas distributors and pipeline capacity providers should be owned by separate entities. This would ensure that supply and demand are covered fairly -- the two parties would likely not enter an agreement if it were not.

"This doesn't necessarily mean there's a smelly deal, but (FERC) should ask because it's not obvious," Lander said.

"They'll be able to increase rates to absorb the cost to transport the gas," said Tom Gilbert, campaign director of NJ Conservation Foundation. "They're manufacturing their own demand."

"The proposed pipeline would have significant adverse impacts to existing ratepayers, landowners and the environment," Gilbert said. "FERC must account for the serious questions that the public and industry experts have raised about the economics of this project."

The complaint comes on the heels of testimony delivered to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday by the Environmental Defense Fund which highlighted the lack of need for additional pipelines in the Northeast and cautioned against overbuilding unnecessary infrastructure.

PennEast representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

It was a pleasant late spring evening for the 271 graduates who received their diplomas at Voorhees High School on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.

GLEN GARDNER - It was a beautiful late spring evening for the graduating seniors receiving their diplomas at Voorhees High School on Wednesday.

Of the 271 seniors, 68 graduated with high honors having earned at least a 3.7 grade-point average. Another 51 graduated with honors with at least a 3.4 grade-point average.

The ceremony began with Principal Ronald Peterson taking a moment of silence to pay respects to senior Austin Fischer, who passed away in November. Students wore blue ribbons and blue flowers were given to his parents following the ceremony. 

Voorhees High School prom 2016

Later, during a speech presenting the the Class of 2016, Peterson asked the graduates to sing along with him to the song, "Stressed Out."

He used this moment to describe this senior class in one word: Fun. 

"If I could make a shirt for this class it would say, 'What's the big deal? We are only having fun,'" Peterson said.

In all the speeches, the students resonated on one thing - this graduating class was a community that came together in times of sadness and joy. 

Read Salutatorian Soren Denlinger's speech, as well as the speeches of Valedictorian Sarah Malzberg and Class President Michael White.

The ceremony for the school's 416 graduates was held outside for the first time in four years.

CLINTON TWP. -- North Hunterdon High School's Class of 2016 graduated Wednesday evening in a ceremony held on the school's football field. It's the first time in four years the weather cooperated enough to hold graduation outdoors.

Students filed out of the school and split in two directions, descending around the sides of the field and walking up the 50 yard line to midfield for the ceremony. Firefighters had two tower trucks parked on a hill behind the field, with an American flag stretched high between them, forming a billowing backdrop to the ceremony.  

There are 416 graduates in the class, led by Salutatorian Christopher Mead of Clinton Township, son of Michael and Mindy Mead. He plans to attend Cornell University.

More North Hunterdon 2016 graduation photos

Two Valedictorians were named this year. Cecelia Higgins of Bethlehem Township is the daughter of William and Teresa Higgins; she plans to attend the University of Iowa. Tiffany Q. Yang of Clinton Township is the daughter of Jiqing Wu and Guang Yang; she plans to attend Rutgers University.

Principal Dr. Richard Bergacs shared some of the seniors' accomplishments, reeling off a long list of academic achievements and prestigious colleges where grads are heading. He also praised the class's contributions to the community, saying they logged more than 6.400 hours of community service this year, and raised more than $160,000 for a variety of charities.

A group of the school's top graduates gave a joint speech in the form of letters to their previous and future selves. They spoke of dreams, accomplishments, courage, and the support from people around them.

North Hunterdon grads decorate their caps

Addressing the seniors, Tyler Lardieri said, "I tried to come up with a specific label for this class, are we the smart class, the athletic class, the artistic class etc. and what I settled on was that this was the class that made the most of their time together, we didn't just have our eyes on the horizon; we savored the present." 

Senior Class President Jenna Ferreira said the more than 400 members of the class have come together from many different schools.

"We no longer define ourselves by our sending districts; we have grown together as one class," Jenna said. "How many other classes can say their football team held onto the Milk Can all four years?  Or their marching band performed in a parade on Main Street, not just in Clinton, but at Walt Disney World?

"Not only have our accomplishments brought us together, but also walking around the track during Relay for Life while holding hands with your best friend, and attending pink outs, white outs, black outs, and all the football games at Singley Field in the jungle, chanting 'I Believe That We Will Win.'" She called on a classmate to lead the chant once more.

"As you walk across the stage tonight to accept your diploma, prepare yourself for the future," Jenna said, "but I also ask that you take time to think about all of the people that have helped you these past four years."

Wednesday night's ceremony was live-streamed by Bruce Pearson of Jersey Talk Radio, and will be archived on YouTube, where people who couldn't attend will be able to watch it.

The members of the North Hunterdon High School Class of 2016 are: 

Iris F. Ahmed, Damian J. Allen, Emil K. Alummootil, Osmar E. Amaya, Andronicos Anastasi, Alexandra M. Anderson, Madeleine Patricia Andreas, Mikael Ashraf, Thomas Anthony Attanasio III, Madison T. Aulson, Emily K. Bardecker, Andrea Barrett, Katherine S. Barter, Conner S. Barwick, Hunter M. Barwick, Travis James Bate, Jacob R. Battipaglia, Ryan M. Beadle, Brady M. Bean, Kevin Stephen Becker, Devyn J. Bellanca, Liliana Faith Bellini, Erika Bernasconi, Luke Matthew Bernick, Adam J. Bettelli, Carl Bjorkman, Jacquelyn A. Black, Sara A. Blair, Melanie L. Blew, Vanessa Gabrielle Bonanno, Cory J. Booth, Christopher Talor Bourque, Erin Virginia Boutillier, Kyle Bower, Stephanie Kellys Braddock, Emily Watters Brand, Sean Joseph Brennan, Taylor Patricia Brinker, Logan J. Brown, Maximilian C. Brzezinski, Kirsten Buck, Abbie K. Buckhout, Dante S. Buffa, Jordan Phillip Bunting, Dana Arleigh Burnejko, Adriana C. Burton, Kyle Busher, Theodore J. Butler;

Thomas J. Callari, Cameron James Calv, Elizabeth Victoria Cancelliere, Rebecca Canright, John A. Capezzuto, Alyssa Marie Cardenas, Nicole Antonia Cardenas, Brandon C. Carnevali, Anna Jane Carosi, Katelyn Elisa Carswell, William M. Carver, Christopher Cheng, Audrey Elizabeth Chester, Haley Chioda, Derek Thomas Ciavarro, Patrick B. Clements, Cameron Cobb, Kyle David Conti, James Cooper, Hayden Leigh Coyne, Steven M. Crawford, Cameron T. Crisologo, Nicholas Luke Da Prato, Taylor Elizabeth Danson, Siena Wilder Dante, Chaz P. Darby, Frederick Robert Darcy, Thomas J. DeAngelis, Anthony Robert DeAngelo, Jeremy A. Decker, Sarah Jean Dehkes, Andrei M. Delia, Colin Patrick DelSantro, Connor Francis DePalma, Sommer Rae Desousa, Domenic Di Pace, Danielle B. Donaruma, Samuel David Dopp, Alexandra Hope Dorsey, Anisa Celine Douglas, McKenna Claire Douglass, Caitlyn Rois Downey, Fiona Claire Duckworth;

Asante Edwards, Emily A. Ehrhart, Brian Eichlin, Jr, Anthony Tyler Emilut, Rebecca K. Errickson, Alec C. Esposito, Gillian Anne Evers, Kelsey Taylor Farbanish, Leigh Q. Federici, Samantha Rose Fegely, Corey Feick, Hannah C. Ferenci, Stephen R. Ferguson, Amanda Ferrante, Christopher Joseph Ferrara, Jenna Marie Ferreira, Sara Suzanne Fetzer, David N. Fierst, Jovan A. Figueroa, Charles W. Fischer, Olivia C. Fitzpatrick, Katie Jaine Flegg, Sean Michael Fluchel, John David Follansbee, Jessica L. Francis, Darian Francki, Jason T. Fresolone, Alyssa Lynn Frey, Dana Lynn Fuentes, Eric P. Gaidos, Tyler Stone Gallagher, Tyler M. Gapas, Michaela A. Gardiner, Ryan James Garvey, Marisa Aimee Gasalberti, Steven Tyler Gassaway, Anton Gavva, Leonardo Anthony Gelato, Landon K. Geyer, Maxwell M. Giannattasio, Colin E. Gibney, Katelyn Marie Glacken, Jacob T. Gladdis, Corey Michael Glucksman, Luis M. Gomez Tacuri, Mattheu A. Goncalves, Angie M. Gonshor, Paul H. Goral, Brendan A. Gordon, Jack Graham, Jessica Rose Graham, Frank J. Grampone, Brennan Granger, Laura Christine Greaves, Benjamin A. Green, Evan Maxwell Greenfield, Matthew T. Gregory, Julianne Rose Grillo, Nicasio Francis Gristina, George Hunter Grube, Shaylyn N. Guasta, Jeffrey T. Guile, Nicholas Lee Gurreri IV, Shannon Elizabeth Gurreri, Emily J. Gutierrez;

Jamie Leigh Hahn, Jillian A. Halliday, Colin W. Hallstrom , Christopher M. Hannemann, Braden William Haris, Cody D. Hartman, Taylor Marie Hatch, Jessen Austad Haug, Sean M. Healy, Lauren M. Herman, Emily Hermiston, Daniel Lee Hett, Emily Rose Hett, Cecelia Higgins, Kathleen Higgins, Russel A. Hillman, Zanna Hisena, Meghan E. Hoban, Blake Andrew Charles Horun, Parker Andrew Hughes, Andrew M. Jablonski, Derek J. Jacobi, Claire Lilian Jarvis, Abigail Celine Johnson, Kevin R. Johnson, Chinua C. Jones, Rebecca Ann Jones, Alexandra L. Jordan, Stephen R. Joswick, Sirius Joseph Just, Michael Kaplan, Lexie Kassebaum, Jakob Christian Kastrud, Erin Rose Kelly, Lauren Elizabeth Kepenis, Sophie Kerschner, John H. Kerwin III, Aidan C. Kidd, Sarah Yong Kim, Madison A. King, Ryan L. King, Ayla M. Kinnaird, Chloe Alison Kirchberger, Ian M. Kirk, Brandon Klisch, Steven T. Knoble, Sean S. Kochhar, Zachary Ty Koehler, Andrew M. Kopchak, Gregory James Kortina, Samuel Alexander Kowal, Brett Daniel Kramer, William Michael Kubas, Brian R. Kunz;

Celine Martin LaBelle, Kelly N. Landers, Connor Patrick Lane, Tyler J. Lardieri, Declan T. Laskey, Tyler P. Laustsen, Jordan J. Law, Claire Lee, Grace Marian Leffler, Lorenzo Peter Lemise, Alison K. Lenahan, Rebecca C. Leonard, Jake R. Leuzzi, Coulter William Lewis, Taylor Hope Lewis, Sarah A. Lezak, Yaozu Lin, Faith Skye Lindabery, Ava L. Lockner, Crystal Londono, Brandon A. Lopez, John W. Lukens, Ethan Ross Lyte, Mhairi E. B. MacMillan, Jenna Ann Macri, Colin T. Makombe, Nicholas James Mannix, Isabella Many, Lucas Ryan Marchiondo, Alexander R. Marker, William Randolph Maroney, Robert Nicholas Marron, Morgan A. Mastorio, Theodora Elizabeth Mavros, Jessica J. Maziarczyk, Joshua David McBriar, Matthew McDevitt, Rebecca Taylor McElroy, Thomas Christopher McGourty, Brian M. McMahon, Marinne E. McNally, Christopher Evan Mead, Justin Tyler Mehrmann, Kathleen E. Menezes, Megan Elizabeth Mercurio, Justin Miao, Griffin D. Middleton, Lilianna Vera Mikitiuk, Olivia A. Miller, Ernest Salvatore Monaco Jr., Ross Monteith, Cole August Richard Montervino, Rachel Elizabeth More, Daniel Christian Morel, Olivia R. Morris, Peter J. Mosko, Eric Alexander Moul, Marissa Christine Mugnano, Ryan C. Mulhall, Alara Murphy;

Christopher Thomas Nand, Tyler Nanne, Ryan William Negoescu, Catrina M. Nelson, Nicholas J. Nelson, Michelle Tiffany Nguyen, Alexandra M. Niebling, Erin Marie Nolan, Joshua Z. Obidike, Maggie Mei O'Connell, Connor Joseph Oldakowski, Sabrina Bryana Olivieri, Stephanie C. Ostrowski, Bianca L. Pardo, Michelle Parkhurst, Peter A. Patino, Christopher Scott Patkochis, Margaret Anthony Penn, Jacob Patrick Pepe, Pamala Pepe, Jasmine Andrea Perez, Joseph A. Perez, Samantha Perry, Jack Frederick Peterson, Joseph R. Petrone, Lucca Y. Pirozzi, Nicholas Peter Plakotaris, Andrew David Popa, Gianna Nicole Porfano, Brandon Avery Puc, Dominique Quartararo, Robert G. Quinn, Ana Yorette Ramirez, Chetram P. Ramsood, Carmine A. Ricciardi, Madison L. Riley, Margaret Robustelli, Brianne Leanor Romano, Sean E. Rooney, Colin Andrew Roper, Elizabeth A. Rotolo, Griffin E. Rottner, Kisaragi G. Ruben, Tyler Paul Rubner, Olivia Russillo, Sarah J. Russo, Evan Joseph Rys;

Stewart Michael Saharic, Tempe Lynn Salatiello, Brandon Matthew Salter, Samantha Santamaria, Kaitlin M. Scarperi, Richard E. Schlack, Cortney Rose Schwar, Alyssa Lynn Schwartz, Vincenzo J. Sciacca, Christopher William Scopetto, Alexa Helena Sendro, Andrew Serian, Cara R. Shannon, Alyssa M. Shapiro, Katherine Ann Shea, Ellen E. Shelly, Hunter Grant Simpson, Steven W. Slack, Samantha Caroline Slapa, Dylan James Smith, Glenn A. Smith, Ryan W. Smith, Brian Baird Smolinsky, Katie R. Snedeker, Alexander Lincoln Spann, Ivan Robert Spann, Maximillian Maurice Eble Spann III, Robert Charles Spichiger, Robert Thomas Spies, Jr., Amy Elizabeth Sroka, Gemma Nicole St. Louis, Julia Christene Staszak, Wyatt Stockwell, Justin T. Straight, Devin Tadgh Strange, Thomas Kenneth Strupp, Caelan Kipp Sujet, Sean Andrew Sullivan, Sean Patrick Sullivan, Jeremy J. Switlyk, Tim Swyzen, Daniel E. Szalecki;

Courtney J. Tampone, Joseph W. Tampone, Nicole A. Tampone, Nicholas S. Tasy, Jesse Robert Joseph Taylor, Lydia Claire Taylor, Rachel Elizabeth Thatcher, Matthew James Thomas, Natalie Helena Thompson, Stephanie Noelle Thompson, Jessica E. Tippmann, Christine Marie Torrey, Heather L. Tostevin, Samantha R. Tracey, Sara E. Tumulty-Ollemar, Austin John Turner, Ellen Tracey Tyerech, Shannon N. Tyms, Christopher Tywanick, Jena Rose Ungarten, Anthony Michael Vacca, Samantha Audrey Vallay, Daria Corinne Van Doren, Abigail Nicole van Esselstyn, Megan Rose Vecchia, Michael R. Vitti, Hunter M. Vogel, Courtney Nicole Voorhees, Wyatt West Vrancken, Julianna Katherine Walchuk, John L. Walton, Allen L. Warner, Caroline Elizabeth Wasser, Cassandra Diane Weller, Andrew Steven Wells, David Ronald Wells, Trevor Wene, Olivia Wierciszewski, John Denton Williams, Jacob Crandall Willsey, Austin Louis Wilson, John F. Wilson, Ethan L. Witherup, Alexander J. Wong, Alexandra Rose Wood, Sean James Wood, Courtney Alexandra Wright, Matthew James Wunder, Tiffany Yang, Benjamin Job York, Erin Jade Yu, Steven Zakszewski, Jacob R. Zalewski, Luke John Zengel, Isabelle Zerfas, Hannah Leigh Zundel.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The crash happened on June 4, 2016, between Blossom Hill Road in Clinton Township and Main Street in Lebanon.

CLINTON TWP. -- An Easton woman suffered apparently minor injuries when the BMW she was riding in crashed on Route 22.

Thomas Perretta, 65, of Easton, was heading west on the highway at 8 p.m. on June 4, between Main Street in Lebanon Borough and Blossom Hill Road, when he apparently fell asleep, township police reported.

Perretta's 2015 BMW sedan allegedly went off the road and hit a utility pole support wire, a curb and some bushes before traveling back onto Route 22 west and ending up in the center median, police said.

The airbags in the vehicle deployed and it had to be towed. Passenger Alice Perretta, 63, of Easton was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center for treatment of apparent minor injuries, police said.

The investigating officer issued Perretta a motor vehicle summons for careless driving.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

A Whitehouse Station man was allegedly found in possession of cocaine and an open bottle of whiskey during a motor-vehicle stop on Route 22 on June 11, 2016.

READINGTON -- Andres S. Villa-Cardoso, 22, from Whitehouse Station, was allegedly found with cocaine and an open bottle of whiskey in a vehicle on Saturday, police said.

Villa-Cardoso was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and issued motor-vehicle summons for possession of a controlled and dangerous substance in a motor vehicle, possession of an open alcoholic container in a motor vehicle and maintenance of lamps, police said.

Cpl. Steve Rindock stopped Villa-Cardoso on Route 22 for allegedly failing to maintain his lights, and Rindock reported seeing an open bottle of whiskey in the car. A search of the car also uncovered bags of suspected cocaine, police said.

After being processed at headquarters, Villa-Cardoso was released pending a Superior Court appearance.

In a separate incident, Cody Wood, 25, from Hillsborough, was arrested on June 9 and charged with eluding and driving while intoxicated. He was also issued motor-vehicle summonses for reckless driving and speeding.

Patrolman Pat Brown reported seeing Wood speeding on Route 629. When Brown tried to stop him, Wood allegedly sped away and tried to elude Brown by driving into a development and attempting to hide in a driveway, police said.

Wood was allegedly unable to complete field sobriety tests at the scene. After being processed at headquarters, a family member arrived and posted Wood's bail. He was released pending a court appearance.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The art students at Delaware Valley Regional High School took a field trip to Parsons in New York to experience a new way of creating art.

FRENCHTOWN - Delaware Valley Regional High School art students recently took a field trip to Parsons in New York City to experience art in a new way.

Art teachers Sarah Ruppert and Jason Farnsworth partnered with Parsons School of Design Professor Tom Bosket after watching a his documentary as part of their classes on graffiti and color theory.

They sought to create a workshop for 40 of their students so they could stretch their imagination, work collaboratively on illustrations and explore new and unique artistic processes. 

Bosket had the students stretch their boundaries. For example, he had them sketch with different parts of their body, such as their feet, elbows or forehead.

"This trip got me to open up about art. I've never been a true artist and I'm not very good or talented at it," senior Lake Cole said. "No matter what you did or what you drew, everything was fine and it made me feel better about drawing."

Delaware Valley students shine at prom

For Junior Aeva Karlsrud this trip showed her there is more to art than just the finished project and it is the inner creative process that is most important. Karlsrud went on the trip because of her interest in pursuing an art degree. This trip affirmed her decision in pursuing a career in art and will be applying to Parsons next year.

Another student, Ellis Stanton, wants to pursue a career in media and used this opportunity to explore. This trip helped her see what you can really do with art.

"We learned to really value the process of something," Stanton said. "Normally we value the process less than we value the product, but really it's the road you take to get there that is most beneficial."

Sophomore Elizabeth Preston said she is considering going to an art college, so she used this experience to see the city and learn what it is like at a school like Parsons.

Both Ruppert and Farnsworth, who are new to the high school, used the visit to help develop ideas for expanding the art department's curriculum.

"The objective in the end was to empower students with creative confidence and expand creative art making," Ruppert said. "We have an obligation to these students to realize that their authorship doesn't have to follow specific rules."

Farnsworth said they hope to partner with Parson's for future workshops and would eventually like to create ground sculptures for the high school. 

Hunterdon County has several spas and salons offering a variety of services.

Salons and spas are popular destinations, and the words frequently pop up in conversations. But they are general terms that need an explanation.

When you delve into the differences between salons and spas, you find quite a diversity of meanings. You quickly get into a discussion of services offered.

Salons usually offer services related to hair and nails. Hair can be on the head or anywhere else on the body. It can be cut, styled, colored, shaved or removed completely. Nails on both fingers and toes can be shaped and manicured, colored and decorated.

Spas might offer salon services, but these operations can go much further. They might surround you with steam, dip you in various waters, bathe you in mud, rub you with oils, massage away your troubles, provide some exercise, and otherwise get you where you want to be.

Many salons offer their services in this area. Some of these salons have expanded into various spa services. To home in on what you want, do searches on Google, Bing, or Yahoo for the town of your choice.

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La Bella Salon & Spa by Regina is located at 1237 Route 22 East in Lebanon. It is owned and operated by Regina Ingenito.

This is a full service hair and nail salon, and more, with a staff of 15 professionals. Women, men and children come here to satisfy their various needs. There is a special salon room for children.

Hair stylings vary from contemporary to conservative. Color is professional and organic. Men's cuts can include beards and mustaches.

"We offer the Light Concept Nail treatments, as opposed to acrylics," Ingenito explained. "It's the number one nail system used in Europe--odor-free and flexible."

Spa services include various types of massage--including upper body, Swedish, hot stone, deep tissue, and reflexology. Massages are done on heated tables. Reiki and aromatherapy are also offered, along with glycolic facials or peels, eye and lip treatments, and waxing for both women and men.

The Swedish massage is recommended for first-timers and the elderly. It is a lighter type of massage. Pre-natal and oncology patient massages are also offered.

"We specialize in you," said Ingenito. "We do many different types of facials and body massages based on your needs. I've been in the business for over 30 years."

She grew up on a farm locally and attended Hunterdon Central.

One of her daughters, Dana Ingenito, has joined the team. Dana specializes in women's cuts and coloring.

"It takes lots of training," noted Regina.

La Bella is open Monday through Saturday by appointment. On Sundays, the place is available for parties.

"People regularly make arrangements to hold events here on Sundays," she explained. "Bridal showers and birthday parties are popular--with pastries and tea."

For more information, call 908-236-0866. Visit the extensive website where you will find specials and discounts, LaBellaSalonAndSpaByRegina.com. Also see Facebook for the VIP cards.

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In Frenchtown, the Euphoria Studio is a salon and boutique that offers spa services. It's located in the Feed Mill, 15 Trenton Ave.

"I started out as a hair stylist," said Melissa Olson, owner of this large operation. "We are now celebrating 16 years."

Today, she has some 25 professionals, including 10 stylists for hair.

"Hair styles are ever-changing," she noted. "And it's one of the things you can change to make you feel better."

But you will find much more than hair styling and salon services here.

"We are constantly re-inventing and adding new services and keeping on the cutting edge," Olson said. "The mind-body connection is what keeps us balanced and healthy and moving forward in our lives."

Spa services include Hammam from the Mediterranean nations, Red Flower from Japan, and full body spa treatments. Each of these are in 90-minute sessions.

Hammam derives from spa therapies in Spain, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. It's as ancient as Roman bathhouses, and it employs heat, steam, detoxification, and rich scents. It is "a retreat into relaxation and healing, as well as the euphoric lightness of being," Olson said.

The Red Flower spa treatment employs "a warming blend of indigenous essential oils and plant, fruit, and nut extracts, carefully chosen for their therapeutic and healing properties, drawing deep impurities from the body," Olson explained. "It's a sensual ritual of heat, steam and detoxification."

Or you can choose a 75-minute custom massage. Relax and tackle puffiness issues, or injuries.

"And we are in the process of adding acupuncture to the services we offer," she added.

For more information, call 908-996-3399 or visit EuphoriaStudio.com. It's open seven days--call for hours.

You can reach Al Warr by calling 610-253-0432 or email AlWarr16@gmail.com

In the pre-internet days, a research project was way more involved than Googling a subject.

According to my kids, school is much harder now than it was when I was a student.

My son and daughter might say, "Yeah, we know, you walked five miles to school - uphill both ways; you had to get up an hour before you went to bed."

Don't even get me started on what we had to go through to get a smart phone ... (ba-dum-BUM)Courtesy of postrad.blogspot.com 

I can mute them, if only for a moment, with two words: the internet.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not proselytizing for a return to the (ahem) "Good ol' days of readin', writin' and 'rithmatic." I'm simply pointing out how they have more time for learning because it takes less time to gather information.

In the pre-internet days when a student was assigned a research project, the process was way more involved than Googling a subject. Here's how it worked in the 'good' old days:

Many families had encyclopedias, so research projects typically would include the words "According to the World Book Encyclopedia or Encyclopedia Britannica...." But teachers would not tolerate what amounted to the ancient version of copy-and-paste. Students were expected to visit the library, collect lots of sources and cite them.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Students would find a spot in the library, spread out source books, take notes on index cards and make copies of important pages on the copy machine, which would cost a kid a dime a sheet. Oh, we also had to learn the Dewey Decimal System because libraries weren't like bookstores with huge signs hanging over the shelves.

Our papers often started with a handwritten draft, which would later be typed on a manual typewriter. For us, the electric typewriter and Whiteout were gifts from God.

These are just a few of the things that made learning a little more challenging in the pre-search engine days.

Here's a gallery featuring vintage photos of schoolchildren and their activities around New Jersey. Be sure captions are enabled for all the information about each photo. And if you'd like to see more, you can click this link and this one.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

Fentanyl, which is 25 to 50 times more powerful than heroin, has become popular in New Jersey and is killing at an alarming rate.

Fentanyl, an opioid up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, is killing New Jersey residents at a skyrocketing rate, representing a deadly new wrinkle to the state's opioid crisis, data obtained by NJ Advance Media shows.

The ultra-potent drug, which was revealed to have killed Prince in April, has become increasingly common in the Garden State during the last few years. New data from the New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office shows that through the first six months of 2015, it killed people at eight times the monthly rate compared to 2013.

Through June 2015, the most recent data available, fentanyl killed 150 people, more than in all of 2014. And this after deaths tripled from 2013 to 2014 in New Jersey.

"Fentanyl is deadly," said Carl J. Kotowski, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Newark office. "With heroin, an addict can possibly survive an overdose. But with fentanyl there are often no do-overs or second chances. All you need is a very small amount and it can be fatal." 

Until recently, fentanyl was a prescription medication typically only given to the most severe chronic-pain victims, such as end stage cancer patients. But, according to the DEA, the drug is now shipped into the United States illegally from China or manufactured by Mexican drug cartels, who smuggle it across the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Inside Herointown, NJ's 4th biggest city

The drug adds a confounding wrinkle to law enforcement fighting the heroin epidemic in New Jersey, which has enslaved at least 128,000 and killed more than 700 in 2014. Data shows that the heroin monthly death rate also rose significantly in the first half of 2015, and is likely to rise again for the 6th straight year. 

Fentanyl is especially troubling for law enforcement for a number of reasons. 

Consider: 

• Its power -- between 25 and 50 times that of street-level heroin -- renders opioid reversal drugs such as Narcan much less effective, increasing the likelihood that an overdose will lead to a death.
• It is often used as a lacing agent in heroin, making it both harder to track, and in many cases, more deadly to opioid users who purchase it unknowingly.
• It can be ingested, smoked, snorted or absorbed through the skin, allowing it to be distributed in multiple forms like pills and powder.
• Its potency allows it to be trafficked in much smaller amounts, making smuggling from Mexico or overseas easier for potential sellers.

"It's a tough situation," Kotowski said. "A lot of times when we go into cases and make seizures, we don't know what we're getting. We think it's heroin and then the lab results come back and it turns out its fentanyl."

Atlantic County Investigator Dan Kallen and Detective Eric Price were confronted by fentanyl's potency firsthand during a recent investigation.

In a video produced by the DEA, Kallen said he was in the process of sealing a bag of fentanyl following a narcotics investigation when a small puff of powder blew into his face, as well as Price's.

Almost immediately, both officers said it felt like their bodies began to shut down.

"People around me said I looked really white. I lost color," Price said. "It really just felt like ... I thought that was it. I thought I was dying. That's what my body felt like."

Kallen said he was taken aback by how little it took for both of them to be incapacitated by the drug.

"It wasn't like the whole bag had dumped out or anything like that," he said. "It was so quick and it was such a small amount."

Kotowski said fentanyl is unlike any drug he has dealt with in his career.

"I've been an agent for 32 years. I've never had a situation where you have to be that concerned that if you don't handle a particular drug properly as a law enforcement official that it can be fatal to you." 

Fentanyl Deaths By County

Click or tap on a county for more information.

The final 4.5 acres of a 78-acre tract of open space within the Sourland Mountain Preserve has been deeded to the Somerset County Open Space program.

HILLSBOROUGH - A closing held on Monday completed the purchase of the remaining 4.5 acres of a 78-acre acquisition of land being deeded to the Somerset County Open Space program by land owner John Higgins. 

The $165,000 acquisition was completed through a partnership with New Jersey Conservation Foundation and township, according to a Somerset County news release.

"The acquisition of the Higgins property is another in a long line of successful partnerships with New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Hillsborough Township," said Freeholder Director Patricia Walsh. "It is satisfying to see all groups contributing resources and funding toward the common goal of preserving the rich cultural and environmental resource that is the Sourland Mountain. 

"We look forward to continuing this partnership as we identify other key preservation opportunities in the region."

New Jersey Conservation Foundation secured an option agreement to purchase the 78 acres from Higgins, which was transferred to Somerset County. The township has contributed $500,000 toward the county's preservation of the entire 78 acres, which had a total purchase price (including the 4.5 acres) of $1,342,472, according to the news release. 

100 acres of landmark N.J. farm preserved

The county closed on the initial 73.5 acres in September 2015.

"Hillsborough Township remains committed to land preservation," said Mayor Frank DelCore. "When accomplished through long-standing partnerships, the benefits are far-reaching. Hillsborough's successful record of continued land preservation remains a top priority as we continue to seek opportunities to further preserve additional land."

The property will remain largely in its natural state of woodland and open fields and the remains of two structures on the property are scheduled for demolition.

The county and New Jersey Conservation Foundation will work together to develop a management plan that will outline planning and management activities most appropriate for the health and public enjoyment of the land.

"This is beautiful land with both fields and forests," said Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation. "We're very pleased to once again partner with Somerset County and Hillsborough Township to expand the Sourland Mountain Preserve."

The property, located near the intersection of Wertsville and Montgomery roads, is contiguous to other open space lands acquired by Somerset County in recent years and will encourage the expansion of the Preserve to the Hunterdon County border, where many local, county and nonprofit preservation initiatives are currently underway. 

Preservation of the property and surrounding land is consistent with the goals and objectives of the county's Parks Recreation & Open Space Master Plan for the Sourland Mountain region.

"The acquisition of the 4.5- acre Higgins parcel, although small in size, constitutes another important piece of the puzzle that makes up the vast Sourland Mountain Preserve," said Freeholder Mark Caliguire, Open Space Advisory Committee liaison. "Starting with the county's preservation of one 22-acre parcel in 1972, the Preserve has grown into one of the largest county park areas in the state. 

"Continued preservation of the Sourland Mountain will maintain critical wildlife habitat and the many stream corridors that feed the drinking water supply for so many county residents."

The Sourland Mountain region is an expansive green swath of intact forest and farmland spanning parts of three largely developed central New Jersey counties. It extends from the central part of Hillsborough Township southwest to the Delaware River in West Amwell, Hunterdon County, and Hopewell Township, Mercer County.

Famous N.J. horse farm preserved

The Sourlands contain over 20,000 contiguous forested acres, which protect the water supply to the headwaters of several significant streams flowing to the D&R Canal, Millstone, Raritan and Delaware Rivers. The Sourlands support many rare plant and animal species and provide nesting and migratory stopover habitat for over 100 species of migratory birds.

Somerset County began the preservation of the Sourland Mountain in Hillsborough and Montgomery townships in the early 1970s. With the addition of the Higgins property, the Preserve exceeds 6,000 acres, making it the largest park in Somerset County's 14,400-acre park system.

The township has been very active with preservation efforts in the Sourlands. The township and county have worked together on several open space acquisitions in the Sourland region, creating linkages between county and local preserved lands.

The Far Hills-based New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which preserves open space and farmland throughout the state, is working to protect additional acreage in the Sourland Mountains.

The Readington Museums are looking for those who remember President Ronald Reagan's 1982 visit to Readington Township.

The Readington Museums are creating an exhibit reflecting on President Ronald Reagan's 1982 visit to Readington Township and are looking to include the thoughts and memories of residents.

The official reason for the trip was Citizenship Day and the welcoming of 77 new citizens to what President Reagan called this "freest land on earth," according to a 1982 report in the Hunterdon County Democrat.

A crowd of approximately 700 waited patiently in front of the newly build platform decked in borrowed bunting in front of the freshly painted Polish American Hall on Kline Boulevard.

The exhibit will explore the diverse perspectives from which residents experienced and recall the occasion, according to a news release. Anyone who remembers the event is invited and encouraged to share their story with the museums. Anything from sending a short sentence-or-two recollection to participating in an interview will help tremendously. You can email Readington Museums intern Julia Sirota at ReadingtonMuseums@gmail.com, call 908-236-2327 or fill out an online form.

A bit of fun trivia from Reagan's visit, as reported by the Democrat: 

"How do you make spaghetti for President Regan and 1,499 other people? With lots of meat and tomatoes, Mama's secret recipe (but it's no secret to the Secret Service), and the watchful eye of White House security men."

Members of the Setnicky and Stiff families are serving together on the Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad, where they said everyone feels like family.

CLINTON -- If anyone needs emergency help this Father's Day, the fathers, sons, and daughters of Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad will leave gifts unopened and barbecue on plates to give it.

"Providing urgent medical care and rescuing people from dangerous situations are the proudest traditions our families observe together on Father's Day and every day of the year," said Chief Frank Setnicky, whose three children followed him and his wife, Kim, into the volunteer squad.

"It makes me proud that they are willing to put whatever they have going on aside to help other people," he said of daughters Rebecca and Alexis and son Ryan. Rebecca is vice president of the squad.

The time spent saving lives or training in the skills required to do so strengthens any family that volunteers together, and it also builds friendships that feel like family among people related only by a shared desire to give back to their communities.

The Setnickys were at the station recently before yet another training drill, and joking with their fellow squad members as tasks were completed. Andrew Schneier was cleaning hydraulic tools squad members use to open crushed doors and cut metal; the tools easily weigh 40 pounds and more.

Video: Life on the rescue squad

"Try holding it over your head to use," suggested squad member Scott Jarvis.

"Cross Fit doesn't have anything on us," Rebecca added.

"What I noticed when I got here is that CFARS people include you immediately," said volunteer EMT George Stiff, who in an unusual twist followed his son, Deputy Chief of Rescue Matt Stiff, into the squad.

Three volunteer generations and counting

Saying Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad is a Setnicky family tradition only hints at the story. Kim and Frank met at the squad. She volunteered in July 1984, as soon as she turned 16, following in the footsteps of her parents. He first volunteered in his home town, then joined Clinton in 1984, weeks after moving to town.

"On her way home from the hospital where she was born, we stopped with Becky at the squad and had her picture taken in front of the ambulance," Kim remembers.

Becky and her siblings grew up helping around the squad where they could, with each joining the squad as soon as they turned 16.

"It's in my blood," Rebecca said. "I knew my grandparents did it, and my parents were in it, and now I'm in it. ... it's kind of the family business."

"It's just the love of helping people," Alexis said. "Both of my parents raised me to care about others."

Kim switched from emergency response to a role helping to run the organization, supporting volunteers and organizing community outreach when the kids were small. If they were together somewhere when Frank's pager went off, the entire family reported to the scene and, from a safe distance, the children saw their father in action.

"After going out on a call with my dad when growing up as a kid, what could I look forward to more than volunteering with him?" Ryan said. He continues to be inspired by his dad. "My father has not cared about anybody more than he cares about the person on scene at a call."

Some dads wake their kids to go to school in the morning. At the Setnicky household, that wake-up call often came much earlier. "When the pager went off in the middle of the night, he went around the house screaming, 'Get up! Let's go!' and banging on our doors," remembers Rebecca, who moved to her own place last year.

Like son, like father

Matt Stiff joined the squad about a decade ago, when he was still in college and living with his parents. He was working part-time at a local state park and there was an emergency. "We were waiting for the ambulance, and all I could think was, 'I'm here, but I can't do anything because I don't have any medical training,'" he remembered. Soon after, Stiff signed up with the squad.

One night at dinner, his dad asked him just what he was doing with all the time he spent over there.  "Why don't you just come down and see what we do?" Matt suggested. And so George, who already served as a volunteer EMT in his job at a chemical company, did.

What does it mean to the two to volunteer together? The Stiffs are jokesters: "It means we can tell lots of good stories together and drive my mother nuts!" said Matt. "Like the time Matt was hanging off the side of a building, and she was all, 'Don't tell me that!'" adds George.

New equipment on squad's ambulances

They do have a serious answer: "It's great when we're on the same crew. It's almost like you don't have to verbally communicate, you can just figure out what the other guy is going to do," George said.

"It makes things a lot easier more or less having the same brain," Matt agrees.

Alexander Stiff isn't yet old enough to learn CPR. But his parents -- Rebecca Setnicky and Matt Stiff -- and grandparents confirm the 4-year-old can already identify every type of rescue vehicle by name. On a recent evening he jumped up into the cab of a rescue vehicle at the station and turned on the emergency lights without any problem. 

Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad's call volumes have grown exponentially over the past several years. In 2015, the squad handled more than 3,000 calls, Frank Setnicky said.

It has paid staff on duty Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and volunteers cover the rest of the time. The squad covers the Town of Clinton, Clinton Township, Lebanon Borough, and parts of Franklin and Union townships. Its staff also covers High Bridge, Hampton, Califon and Lebanon Township during the day. "Their call volume isn't high enough to justify having paid staff," Setnicky said.

More volunteers are needed to keep up with the demand and maintain quality service.  Earlier this year, the squad launched a proactive recruitment and awareness campaign, based on the theme: The Power to Save Others is In Your Hands. Share it. It's brought in about 30 people since mid-January, Setnicky said, but more are needed.

People interested in finding out more can contact the squad through the website joinclintonems.com or by calling 844-4-CLINTON. Training is free once a volunteer commits to the squad, and there are ways to help the squad that don't require responding to calls.

"The squad turned our family of five into a family of 50," Kimberly Setnicky said.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Police were called to a Clinton residence on June 15, 2016, on a report of a person who had reportedly overdosed on heroin.

CLINTON -- A man found unresponsive at a residence on Wednesday was revived with a heroin antidote, police report.

Clinton Patrolman Timothy McGuire was dispatched at 4:55 p.m. to a residence in town for a report of a heroin overdose. He found a 38-year-old man from Washington in Warren County unresponsive, police said. McGuire also reportedly found evidence of heroin use.

Hospital updates cops' heroin antidote supply

McGuire and Deputy Chief Bucky Buchanan of the Clinton First Aid and Rescue Squad administered Naloxone and performed CPR, police said. The man became responsive and was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center by the Clinton First Aid and Rescue Squad for further treatment.

Since 2014, police in Hunterdon have been equipped with Nalaxone, which blocks the effects of an opioid for a period of time and permits emergency responders to get the victim to the hospital for treatment.

Looking at statistics from 2015, county Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III has stressed the worsening heroin epidemic in Hunterdon. Forty overdoses were reported by law enforcement officers in Hunterdon in 2015, more than triple the 12 reported in 2014. And most of those overdoses recorded were from heroin or opiates.

If not for Nalaxone, the statistics would have been more grim. "In 2015, police deployed Narcan 19 times and 16 people were saved," Kearns said in mid-January, when the numbers were released.

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find The Hunterdon County Democrat on Facebook.

The deadline is Friday, June 17, at 5 p.m.

TRENTON -- In what affordable housing advocates are calling a "huge opportunity" for lower-income New Jerseyans, the state is accepting applications for about 10,000 federally funded rental vouchers this week.

The applications must be submitted online no later than 5 p.m. Friday, according to the Department of Community Affairs website. A lottery will be held after applicants are screened to determine income eligibility. 

People may submit multiple applications if they meet income guidelines for specific counties, the state website says. For example, a family of four earning no more than $51,900 would qualify to live in Middlesex, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.

People who live in the county for which they've applied will get preference, the website said.

"This is a huge opportunity for people," said Laura Ramos, co-founder of the nonprofit housing advocacy group, Everyone For Accessible Community Housing Rolls. "They often open the waiting list for a brief period of time and then it's closed for years."

Ramos said she learned of the voucher lottery because she received a notice as a resident of a special needs housing complex. She called the community affairs office to learn how people may get assistance if they can't apply online or need help doing so.

N.J.'s rents among most expensive in U.S.

"it's a mess. It's exceedingly difficult to get through," Ramos said. "There's been a  huge response -- 100,000 have applied." Because people may apply in more than one county, the actual number of individuals seeking applications is probably much lower, she added.

Rental vouchers, which typically pay two-thirds of a recipient's rent, are hard to come by in an expensive state like New Jersey. People can wait for years before a new round of "section 8" or other rental assistance programs become available.

Last year, the Christie administration declined to renew two housing assistance programs, affecting 3,000 people. After a public outcry, the assistance was extended temporarily while county social service and nonprofit agencies were told to find them housing alternatives.

Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget includes $5 million to fund 500 additional vouchers for the state's Rental Assistance Program. The vouchers would go to chronically homeless or people that rely on public assistance, although not to the 3,000 people whose assistance program expired last year. 

Submitting an application "is the first step in the process to apply for the Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance program," according to the website. "The pre-application you submit will be entered into the Lottery. If you are selected through the lottery, you will be notified via email of your selection then you will be placed on the waiting list and continue through the application process." 

Applicants can check www.waitlistcheck.com on June 24 to learn if they were selected through the computer-generated lottery, department spokeswoman Tammori Petty said.

"It is our expectation that many applicants will not have to wait long to get a voucher, and that we expect to turn over the entire list in no longer than three years," Petty said,

Details are available at the Department of Community Affairs website, at www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/hc_vouchers.html

People with disabilities who need assistance with submitting applications may call at 609-292-4080 and select Option 1 or 8 from the menu, according to the website. if Seniors seeking assistance may contact one of the organizations listed on the Division of Aging County List. 

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.