WOND News

Two people, an adult and a child, were shot at Friday night’s high school football game between Pleasantville and Camden, while other spectators were sent fleeing. According to witnesses, people running from the gunfire, along with players, knocked over a fence in their efforts to seek cover. Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner says a young boy was airlifted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with serious injuries. He says the gunfire came from the Pleasantville side of the stands, apparently. The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. during the third quarter of a playoff game. No word on suspects in the case.

More than half a million New Jersey Natural Gas customers will now pay more after a multi-million dollar rate hike was approved. And another spike could be on the horizon. The State Board of Public Utilities approved a settlement allowing the utility company to raise another $62.2 million through its base rate, officials said in a press release. The hike goes into effect today. The utility company requested the increase to “recover costs associated with the responsible operation of its business, including operational and maintenance enhancements, among other things.

Marijuana-related arrests in New Jersey jumped about 35% over a four-year period ending in 2017, according to a report released earlier today by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. The ACLU-NJ published the data — based on FBI crime figures — showing nearly 38,000 arrests for cannabis possession, distribution or both in 2017, up from about 28,000 in 2013.

A teacher in Pleasantville High School accused of having a sexual relationship with a former student, has pleaded not guilty. 30 year old Jessica Gaeckle of Galloway Township is charged with having relations with a then-18 year old student and is charged with allegedly telling the unnamed student to destroy evidence after learning of an investigation. According to Breaking AC, the state has offered a plea deal that would require Gaeckle to forfeit all current and future public employment and serve a five-year prison sentence.

30 pounds of pot, a weapon and $43,000 in cash was the haul in a search of a South Seaville home this week. The Press of Atlantic City reports State Police went into the residence on the 100 block of Corson Tavern Road following an investigation by the Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Task Force within the Cape May County Prosecutor’s office. 25 year old Ernest McCarraher Jr. was charged with drug and firearms counts. A 21-year-old woman and an 8-year-old child were also in the home at the time of the search. The woman wasn’t charged.

Democrats emerge as the winners in the 2nd District Assembly race and apparently they have mail-in ballots to thank. According to the Press of Atlantic City, Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo and John Armato, both Democrats, were ahead by 2,254 and 939 votes, respectively. The pair claimed victory as their opponents, Republicans John Risley and Phil Guenther conceded. In terms of mail-in votes, Mazzeo and Armato each received about 5,000, while their opponents garnered just under half that number each.

New Jersey lawmakers are set to consider legislation to ban flavored e-cigarettes.
Democrat-led Assembly and Senate committees have scheduled hearings for today on the measure, which was first called for by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy last month. The push comes after a nationwide outbreak of vaping-related illnesses. More than 2,000 Americans who vape have gotten sick since March, many of them teenagers and young adults, and at least 40 people have died.

Some New Jersey officials think the state should consider placing a limit on how many casinos would be allowed to operate in Atlantic City. There are currently nine casinos in the resort, and a Rutgers University report presented earlier today to a state Assembly panel highlighted familiar and oft-proven themes: that the northeast U.S. casino market is saturated and that new casinos would actually hurt Atlantic City. Jim Johnson, who formerly led Gov. Phil Murphy’s Atlantic City recovery efforts, has suggested a cap on the number of casino licenses. He reiterated that suggestion today, calling the ongoing health of the existing casinos “a very serious concern.”

Villas volunteer firefighters dealing with a Tuesday fire at 2727 Bay Drive. A waterfront home there went up in flames prompting a second alarm. Crews remained on the scene for about five hours battling the flames and making sure there were no hotspots. No one was home at the time and there were no injuries. No word on a cause nor an estimate of the damage done by the fire.

Democrats Vince Mazzeo and John Armato have built their lead in the 2nd District Assembly race after mail in ballots were counted. According to the Press of Atlantic City, the totals now are Mazzeo 22,364, Armato 21,090, and Republicans John Risley 20,322 and Phil Guenther 20,307. Guenther and Risley had the lead based on machine votes on Election Day, but the Democrats took the lead after mail-ins, and last night’s new numbers gave them an even bigger advantage. Also, 2,100 provisional ballots are being counted.