NJ man accused of stealing over $9K in lottery tickets – NJ Top News

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Wednesday

⚫ NJ County’s COVID Program Riddled With Waste And Abuse

An anonymous tip led a New Jersey government agency down a path that uncovered alleged waste and abuse in Essex County's COVID-19 vaccination program.

The Office of the State Comptroller on Tuesday announced that the $40 million program, which was funded with federal COVID dollars, was riddled with deficiencies and violations as it administered more than 620,000 doses of coronavirus protection from December 2020 through August 2023.

According to the report, Essex County spent $17 million on program staffing but failed to implement systems to verify that the workers were working the hours they logged.

⚫ NJ Man Accused of Stealing Over $9K In Lottery Tickets

A 41-year-old Burlington County man has been busted for stealing $9,300 in New Jersey lottery tickets from a convenience store in Somerset County.

Joseph Holman, of Willingboro, was already in police custody when he was dealt charges related to the smash and grab robbery last month.

⚫ Detectives: Daughter's Boyfriend, Disliked by AC Mayor, Records Abuse

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Prosecutors in New Jersey say Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife disapproved of their teenage daughter’s boyfriend, who secretly recorded an incident of him allegedly assaulting the girl over a video chat. Small and his wife LaQuetta, Atlantic City’s superintendent of schools, were charged Monday with child endangerment and assault regarding interactions with their daughter. According to an affidavit filed by prosecutors, the girl told authorities she made up the allegations because she was angry at her parents. But the affidavit says she also told friends the abuse was real, and she was looking for a safe place to stay. A lawyer for the parents says they did nothing wrong and will ultimately be vindicated.

⚫ This Is My 'F--ing Territory' - Woman Shoots Montclair Cop

MONTCLAIR — A woman shot a police officer responding to a report of a person with a gun Monday afternoon.Shots were fired about 1:10 p.m. as Montclair police officers approached the residence on the 100 block of Forest Street, according to Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.

Officer Michael J. Medrano, 33, was shot in the shoulder while a second officer returned fire.The suspect, identified as Maryann Swain, 39, of Montclair, was hit by gunfire.She and the officer were taken to University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Medrano has been released from the hospital.Stephens did not disclose the motive for the shooting.

⚫ Where Is Central Jersey? It May Be Bigger Than You Think

In case you didn't know, the debate over whether "Central Jersey" exists has already been settled — Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in August 2023 that officially creates a Central Jersey tourism region that'll get its own share of marketing.

The more timely question is, where does Central Jersey begin and end? The Monmouth University Polling Institute asked hundreds of adults in February and March, in order to get an answer.

Opinions from New Jersey residents differ a bit from the regional definitions that Monmouth Poll has been using to analyze poll results.

According to responses from New Jersey residents, Central Jersey consists of all of Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, and Monmouth counties (the counties that Monmouth Poll considers to be in Central Jersey). But the region also includes portions of Union and Ocean Counties, according to the folks who live there.

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