While standing in line at Trader Joe’s, I reached into my purse for my debit card and pulled out a pair of elephant tusks. OK, they weren’t real elephant tusks but, rather, wooden tusks that once belonged to a hand-carved elephant that now lay in pieces on my living-room floor.Deborah Jack
FURRY TAILS: Welcome to the jungle
While standing in line at Trader Joe’s, I reached into my purse for my debit card and pulled out a pair of elephant tusks. OK, they weren’t real elephant tusks but, rather, wooden tusks that once belonged to a hand-carved elephant that now lay in pieces on my living-room floor.FURRY TALES: 10 commandments of pet love
I watched in horror one night as my 1-year old kitten, Jack, knocked over and broke an $800 Murano table lamp. Gasping for air, I screamed, "Look at what you did!" He scurried away and left me to clean up the broken glass. Minutes later, he jumped on the couch to apologize, but I wasn’t having it. That night was the first he didn’t come to bed. The next morning I found him sitting in the living room. And then it hit me: He was playing with a toy I had given him minutes before the accident. How could I be mad at him for something that wasn’t his fault?FURRY TALES: The purr-fect Howl-een
With all of its mystique, legend and lore, Halloween is a fun event for the entire family -- including your furry friends. Keep your pets safe and happy this fall with a simple checklist.FURRY TALES: Looking for love in all the right cages
I was having lunch recently with one of my “clients,” a one-year-old pit bull named Homer. Petting him, I noticed scars on his face and body that I naively assumed were birthmarks. Then I talked to the folks at the Liberty Humane Society, where his new "parents" found him. That's when I discovered the depth of cruelty -- and the power of an organization driven by love.FURRY TALES: Talk about man's (or woman's) best friend
I was living a charmed life until my brother killed himself nearly 14 years ago. I spent weeks afterward in denial, begging God to bring him back. That miracle never happened, of course, but another did:
I found the healing power of love, empathy and support from Sam, my cat.
Lawmakers in Washington have finally come to understand that benefit: They are considering a tax break of up to $3,500 for pet owners, under what would be known as the "HAPPY" Act.
Officially titled Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years, the measure formally recognizes the role pets play in our physical and emotional well-being.
Public Safety
National Preparedness Month: It's not a celebration
September brings us not only the anniversary of the worst attack on U.S. soil: It’s also National Preparedness Month, a time when those responsible for our safety ask whether we’ve done what we can to help protect our families. So: How about checking this list to see how YOU measure up?
Critics of Bergen's first gun buy-back program are off-target
Naysayers are firing criticism at a gun buy-back program that netted more than 700 firearms this weekend, but Bergen County Sheriff Leo P. McGuire says they’re way off the mark.
Amber Alert nixed, Terry Dusseault and son found
UPDATE: Terry Dusseault and his 8-year-old son have been found, and New Jersey State Police have cancelled an Amber Alert.
No 'Kyleigh's Law' decal repeal: 6-month study instead
If Gov. Chris Christie goes along with it, state authorities will have six months to evaluate an unpopular law that requires young drivers to have red decals on their license plates -- a far cry from the repeal sought by several Bergen-area lawmakers and tens of thousands of New Jerseyans.
Firefighters helped catch wanted serial bank robbers
ONLY ON CVP: It’s no coincidence that New Jersey has the highest percentage of bank robbery arrests in the nation, not when there are people like the firefighters who helped lead to the arrest of two accused serial bank robbers.
String of high-figure bank jobs solved, FBI says
YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: Nathaniel Barreto of Newark admitted to being "the Black Stocking Robber" and Juan Perez of Clifton the wheelman in a string of bank holdups in Paramus, Boonton and elsewhere from North to Central Jersey that ended when they were tracked down following an armed robbery Tuesday, the FBI said.
Cops find new tactic: The Facebook perp walk
Posting mug shots on Facebook seemed a sweet idea for police in a small New Jersey town within spitting distance of Philadelphia -- only some people aren’t too crazy about it.Connect
Shout Outs
Muscle Maker Grill celebration in Edgewater
No reason to let the weather keep you indoors. Muscle Maker Grill in Edgewater is celebrating an extremely successful first year down in Edgewater.
US judo champ Toni Marie Geiger of Dumont aims for 2012 Olympics
ONLY ON CLIFFVIEW PILOT: Because U.S. Olympic athletes don’t receive government funding, Toni Marie Geiger of Dumont -- the #1 ranked female judo athlete in the U.S. and a member of Team USA -- has to raise the money she needs to train, travel and compete herself to qualify for the 2012 Summer Games in London.
Hot on the teen scene: North Jersey's hard-rocking Odd Man In
Remember the days when you and your friends dreamed of starting a band? Well, it’s wonderful to watch a group of kids pursue their collective dream today -- which, in the case of Odd Man In, is a record deal. What makes it sweeter: The oldest is 15.
Beloved Union City educator taught students to believe in themselves
Jack O'Connor is being remembered with intense love and affection by hundreds of former students whose lives he touched. "He was a true man's man," former student John ODonnell Rosales said of one of Union City's most popular educators.
Ex-Passaic sheriff Englehardt, 80, 'sharp as a tack' after heat sends him to hospital, Speziale says
ONLY ON CVP: Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale was driving on Route 80 when the radio crackled with the report of a disoriented driver who had blown a tire hitting a curb on Garrett Mountain. Imagine Speziale’s surprise when he pulled up to discover the motorist was his predecessor, perhaps the most legendary of all Passaic County political figures.
Those who knew Justin Sanchez recall 'that beautiful, bright smile'
ONLY ON CVP: Among those trying to make sense of the death of Justin Sanchez is Lucille Stanziale, who was there when the happy-go-lucky teen suffered a freak accident that killed him.
Site design by the special services division of Jaffe Communications, 200 North Avenue East, Westfield, NJ
