Who Should Consider Semaglutide Therapy in Byram Center, NJ?

The New York City area is the center of arts, culture, music and fashion.

This week, you can add hockey to that list.

With the Devils and Rangers going 1-2 in the NHL Draft for the first time in history, all eyes will be on the Hudson River rivals. We already (probably) know which players will be taken with the first two picks, though we don’t know the order. And after that? It’s a tightly-bunched group of players who could be in the NHL as early as this season.

With so many talented players in this class, this year’s entry draft will be both historic and entertaining.

Here are three things to watch for in the first round Friday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

More:What can the NJ Devils do with 10 draft picks? Offseason look-ahead

The Program

This is not only a banner year for the U.S. National Team Development Program, or just “The Program” as it’s often called, but it’s a banner year for American-born hockey players.

Center Jack Hughes, who will go either to the Devils at No. 1 or the Rangers at No. 2, headlines one of the best American draft classes in history. As many as 10 USNTDP products could be taken in the first round with five going in the first 10 selections. There’s also a solid crew of high school hockey players, led by Red Bank native John Farinacci, the top-ranked high school hockey player in the country and Central Scouting’s 35th-ranked skater in North America.

“I think USA Hockey is at the best it’s ever been right now,” Hughes said last month at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. “You see all the young guys in the NHL, the Americans that are at the top of the league right now. I think there’s a lot more where that came from.”

What sets these players apart is their maturity and work ethic. The USNTDP is known for intense practices and an excellent strength and conditioning program. Most draft-eligible hockey players leave home at a young age to pursue higher levels of play and the U.S. players are no different, but it’s obvious that the top prep schools and USA Hockey are doing something right in order to prepare players for bigger and better things.

More:Jack Hughes on Kaapo Kakko: 'We’ll be linked together for a long time'

Picks 3-10

The first two picks are easy but with so many impact players available this year it’s tough to tell just where the chips will fall. The Chicago Blackhawks have the third pick in the draft and they could go with defenseman Bowen Byram, a defenseman with Vancouver of the WHL who is the second-ranked skater in North America. The Blackhawks have a few up-and-coming blue-line prospects but would they pass up a chance for a player considered to be a future No. 1 defenseman? Maybe Chicago would take a chance on Cole Caulfield, a player who profiles similarly to one of their biggest stars, Patrick Kane?

If you’re trying to rank Byram, centers Kirby Dach (WHL Saskatoon), Alex Turcotte (USNTDP), Dylan Cozens (WHL Lethbridge) and Trevor Zegras (USNTDP) and right winger Vasily Podkolzin (KHL), it’s pretty tough. It will likely come down to the individual needs of the organization.

Conventional wisdom might dictate taking the best player available. Maybe Byram is a true No. 1 defenseman ready to play in the NHL today and the best player in his class after Hughes and Kakko. But if the Blackhawks don’t need a defenseman then it just doesn’t make sense.

This is a good problem to have and should make for an intriguing first round.

Elite company

If Spencer Knight, another USNTDP product, is taken in the first round, he’ll join an elite group of netminders. Knight is poised to become just the 20th goalie selected in the first round in 15 years. Few goalies have gone on to have the kind of careers you hope for as a first-round selection.

Devils goalie Cory Schneider is one of those few. He was taken by the Vancouver Canucks with the 26th pick in the 2004 Draft. Schneider thinks the reason goalies have been so hit-and-miss in the first round is because of the difficulty in projecting the position.

“Looking at an 18-year-old and trying to figure out what he’s going to be when he’s 25 is hard for anybody. I think that’s the nature of the position.” Schneider said in April. “But if you have a guy you think is going to be an elite, No. 1 goaltender, then he’s just as valuable as a No. 1 defenseman or a No. 1 center. Goalies can singlehandedly change the fortunes of your team or your franchise.”

Knight, who will play for Boston College like Schneider, appears to be one of the elites. At 6-foot-4, 193 pounds, he already possesses a sizable frame. The Darien, Connecticut, native is a good puck-handler who prides himself on his prep work and ability to read shooters.

On Tuesday, May 17, the Byram Senior Citizen Club hosted their annual Senior of the Year Luncheon at the Farmstead Golf and Country Club (88 Lawrence Road, Lafayette). Two Byram seniors, Ellen Mitro and Thomas Wray, were awarded a plaque and recognized by their peers and members of the town.

Ellen Mitro

Ellen was born and raised in Clifton, NJ, and graduated from nursing school in 1964. She married her husband John in 1966 and in 1968 they moved to Byram Township. There they raised four children while Ellen continued her job as a registered nurse in Hackettstown Hospital. They became members of St. Michael’s R.C. Church where Ellen began volunteering. She was a “room mom” in the school for many years, taught CCD classes and enjoyed being a leader for the brownie and girl scout troops. In addition, Ellen conducted seminars on drug prevention for high school students.

After retiring in 2012, Ellen joined the Byram Senior Citizens’ Club, continuing her volunteer spirit. She assisted on the Kitchen Committee and served for six years as recording secretary. Ellen is currently the first vice president and is on the Entertainment Committee. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crocheting, doing puzzles, and keeping up with her nine grandchildren’s activities.

“Ellen’s accomplishments and generous spirit to do whatever needs to be done are reasons why The Byram Senior Citizens’ Club takes pride in presenting Ellen Mitro with its Senior of the Year Award for 2022,” the organizers said.

Thomas Wray

Tom was born and raised in Queens, NY. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and was sent to Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. Tom and his wife became summer residents of Cranberry Lake, Byram Township, in 1971 and joined the Cranberry Lake Community Club (CLCC). After 35 years as a carpenter and installer for commercial overhead garage doors, he retired and with his wife became a full-time resident of Cranberry Lake in 2004.

Tom volunteered in different capacities for the CLCC, including using his boat to pull skiers for the Ski Team. In addition, he helped with the docks and different projects around the lake and was honored as Volunteer of the Year in 2011. In 2007, he and his wife, Sandra, joined the Byram Senior Citizens’ Club and since then has always helped wherever necessary, mostly behind the scenes.

As some members put it, “Tom has always been one of the first to step up to do the work and the last to leave doing things that no one else wants to do.”

“Tom’s generous spirit and tireless efforts helping wherever needed are reasons why the Byram Senior Citizens’ Club takes pride in presenting Thomas Wray with its Senior of the Year Award for 2022,” the organizers said.

A 10,000-square-foot mixed-use building in Byram Township has been sold, according to real estate firm NAI James E. Hanson.

The property, at 238 Route 206, was sold by H. Robert and April Kaprelian to Thomas Capo. NAI Hanson’s Joe Vindigni and John Schilp represented the sellers in the transaction, while United Real Estate of North Jersey represented the buyer.

Capo will use the property as a sales and inventory center for his business, KPODJ Lighting & DJ Gear, which will relocate from Lake Hopatcong.

The building includes flexible retail and office space on 2.35 acres, as well as two apartments, two parking lots and more.

“The past two years have forced businesses to reassess their short- and long-term plans,” Vindigni said in a prepared statement. “Relocations are becoming increasingly common as companies of all sizes look to adjust and find spaces that better fit their evolving needs. Amidst this ongoing shift, property owners have a unique opportunity to capitalize on the market and secure premium values for their adaptable properties across northern New Jersey.”

Maureen Schneider has been named president of Chilton Medical Center, following a successful tenure as chief nurse and operations officer at Chilton that saw numerous clinical care and quality achievements, according to a Thursday announcement from Atlantic Health System.

Schneider served as interim president of Chilton since November 2021, following the transition of Stephanie Schwartz to president of Atlantic Health’s Overlook Medical Center.

“Maureen is leading the Chilton team with the passion and vision she has exemplified since joining Atlantic Health System,” said Brian Gragnolati, CEO and president of Atlantic Health System. “Through her collaborative leadership and dedication to our patients and caregivers, Maureen is ensuring Chilton’s forward momentum while advancing our mission to build healthier communities.”

“I’m honored and excited to continue my journey at Chilton Medical Center, and, as a president, contribute to its ongoing commitment to clinical excellence and extraordinary patient care,” Schneider said. “I look forward to working more broadly with our physicians, as well as our clinical and support teams who make Chilton the hospital our community looks to for high-quality care.”

Schneider joined Atlantic Health in 2014 as chief nurse and operations officer at Chilton. As an integral part of Chilton’s leadership team, she maintained clinical, financial and operational responsibilities for all inpatient and outpatient units and clinical services for the 260-bed community hospital

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Schneider led Chilton to achieve Magnet Accreditation Recognition for Nursing Excellence, the third health care organization where she achieved this award.

— The township has high hopes for replacing what used to be its biggest taxpayer, after the State Planning Commission changed a formal designation — making development in the International Trade Center more attractive.

But the move comes over the objections of environmentalists who say development or the property would put sensitive lands at risk.

The commission agreed earlier this month to redesignate 413 acres in the ITC from "Planning Area 5" (for environmentally sensitive lands) to "Planning Area 2" (for suburban land). That opens up the land to large financial incentive programs like those run by the state's Business Action Center, intended to promote job growth and business development in New Jersey

And Mount Olive officials are hopeful that could help bring a new tenant into the long-vacant BASF building in the trade center.

BASF left Mount Olive in 2004, and abandoned plans that had been approved in 1991 to expand its office space. When BASF left, it was paying $257,000 in taxes to the township, said Sean Canning, Mount Olive's business administrator.

BPG Properties, a private equity real estate fund, decided it no longer wanted to try and sell or lease the former BASF site in 2009, and transferred the title to Wells Fargo.

"We're competing against states to the south and the west to get corporations," Canning said. "I think this is the largest unoccupied office building in the state of New Jersey, and Mount Olive is at a huge disadvantage."

Several large companies have considered the BASF building over time, including Verizon and Bayer.

"Bayer was the most recent, but they really weren't able to get any grant money, so they moved on to another town," Canning said.

The New Jersey Sierra Club said the decision to reclassify the land wasn't supported by "actual science."

"This re-designation will take care of a developer, and is political science, not actual science. There are more fitting sites for this type of development. Under the State Strategic Plan they will get sewers and public financing, promoting growth in areas that are environmentally sensitive at the expense of areas such as Dover and Morristown," it wrote in a statement the week the State Planning Commission took its vote.

The BASF building is on a 97-acre part of the redesignated land. A 57-acre part had originally been part of Allamuchy State Park, but BASF acquired it in a land swap, intending to use it for the eventually abandoned office expansion. Mount Olive later bought that property and has kept it as an undeveloped, wooded parcel — but declined to accept county open space funds, so that it would have the option of selling it to a developer in the future.

Other groups including the New Jersey Highlands Coalition, the Morris Canal Society and neighboring Stanhope and Byram Township have objected to the redesignation. Canning said the neighboring towns have expressed concern development could interfere with underground water that leads into their wells — but he said those concerns were "misplaced."

The wells were in place when the BASF office expansion was proposed more than two decades ago, and concerns about contamination were explored and ruled out at the time, he said. Canning stressed the redesignation isn't a rezoning, and doesn't change municipal rules for what's allowed on the property.

"One of the concerns is about the Morris Canal. There is a preserved piece, but it's not adjacent to this property. On our 57-acre piece, we are not aware of any canals on that property — but we're committed that were this property to be sold, it would be protected. We're committed to preserving anything that would be found on that parcel," he said.

He also said Mount Olive has no deal in the works for the 57-acre property — for now, it's still preserved land. The township might look at a sale at some point, though.

In the State Planning Commission's own August 2013 report on the change, it says the land is "ideally located" within Morris County — adjacent to Routes 80, 206 and 406, and close to train stations.

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It notes that in 2004, New Jersey passed the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act — and that the property is in the so-called "planning area." Highlands environmental restrictions are not mandatory in that area.

It says while the "underlying assumption" is that the area is environmentally sensitive, half of it is already built, and there's further growth potential with existing water and sewer capacity.

An adjacent, protected area of land in Netcong is subject to state Department of Environmental Protection and Highlands Councils restrictions, which will help ensure water quality isn't negatively impacted by overdevelopment, it says.

"They are deliberately using the State Plan to undercut Highlands protections," Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said in his group's statement. "This is a giveaway to developers at the expense of our water supply and our environment."

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This article has been updated to reflect the latest information for 2022.

What do you think of when you hear the words “ghost town?” Is it a cartoon with teenage mystery solvers and their lovable Great Dane? Or, maybe you think of ghosts and ghouls haunting a local town.

The truth is that society often changes and moves on, which may result in towns falling between the cracks and essentially becoming abandoned.

That is not to say there’s no worth in these abandoned towns. New Jersey may be a small state geographically, with its 8,722 square miles and ranked 47 out of 50 for state size, but every inch is packed with sprawls of countryside, suburbia and city life.

New Jersey’s abandoned towns exist everywhere, immortalizing a time in history regardless of place and space. They may be a bit rundown or unkept, but nevertheless they live on as a memorial to the people and places of the past. Here is a road map of a few worthwhile abandoned towns to explore in the Garden State:

The Deserted Village of Feltville is made up of eight houses, a church, a carriage house and a general house within the Watchung Reservation. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

The Deserted Village of Feltville

The first up to explore is the Feltville Historical District, located in the Watchung Reservation in Berkeley Heights in Union County. Locals refer to it as “the deserted village.” With buildings dating back to the 18th century, it was once the site of a small mill town, before becoming a religious community and after that, a summer mountain resort known as Glenside Park.

Its land was named for David Felt, a Boston entrepreneur and mill owner who moved to New York City and later brought the property. He named the site after himself and had the townsfolk refer to him as “King David.” After it left “royal” hands, it was transformed into a summer resort, but soon lost its appeal as more city people decided to travel down the Jersey Shore.

Today, the Feltville site is freely accessible and is made up of eight houses, a church, a carriage house and a general house. Only a few residents live there today, but the village is able to be explored and is often the place of historic demonstrations. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is preserved by the Union County Park Commission.

For those looking for more of a traditional “ghost town” experience, there are rumors of the Feltville area being haunted by ghosts.

Address: 9 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights, N.J. 07922

The former post office in Walpack, closed more than three decades ago but it still stands today. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Walpack Center

The second abandoned town to explore is the Walpack Center Historic District. Located in Walpack Township in Sussex County, Walpack is mostly an untouched gem since 1965 after the town became part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. While not totally abandoned, only eight people remain within the limits of the town, a 24-square-mile piece of rustic paradise. The town was a former farming community, established in the 1800s.

In the 1960s, the government forced people out of their homes in order to build a dam on the Walpack property for nearby Tocks Island. Ultimately, after the government spent over $100 million on the project, it was abandoned after reports of unsafe conditions for the project.

Still, these people’s houses were bulldozed, and they were forced to leave. The buildings that remain today date back to the 19th century. These include a post office, school, church and six uninhabited houses, which are all part of the National Register of Historic Places. There is a museum in Walpack open to the public on Sundays from May to October. (Click here for more information.)

Address: Walpack Center, N.J. 07881

Waterloo Village has an inn, general store, church, gristmill, pictured, and a blacksmith’s shop for visitors to explore. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Waterloo Village

The next abandoned town is Waterloo Village in Byram Township in Sussex County. This is a bit different from a ghost town, as it has been restored back to its status as a 19th century canal town. It was the halfway point of the Morris Canal, making it a popular stop for people traveling the route from New York to Pennsylvania during that time.

Canal workers lived in the town and were accommodated with an inn, general store, church, gristmill and a blacksmith’s shop. After the Civil War, when the railroad took on more traffic than the canal, the area became abandoned. The town was mostly abandoned until the 1960s, when the area took on a larger restoration project.

Today, the area is an open-air museum in the Allamuchy Mountain State Park. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September 1977, and is free to visit.

Address: Waterloo Road, Stanhope, N.J. 07874

The Batsto Mansion in Batsto Village is located in Wharton State Forest in the heart of the Pine Barrens. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Batsto Village

A fourth and final abandoned town is Batsto Village, a historic community located in Burlington County’s Washington Township. It is a part of the National Register of Historic Places and administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Batsto Village was home to a mining operation and the iron works industry during the 18th century, with hundreds of residents living there. As the need for iron declined and glassmaking was pursued, the population began to dwindle. The state bought the land in the 1950s, and people lived there until the end of the 1980s.

A good deal of the village was torn down, but today, there are several buildings that are used for reenactments and historical demonstrations. Batsto is home to a 32-room mansion in the center of town, with other buildings including a general store, blacksmith shop and church. There is a post office in Batsto Village that is still in operation, and it’s one of only four authorized by the postal service to to hand cancel mail without the use of a zip code. Batsto Village is free to visit after Labor Day.

Address: 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, N.J. 08037

These are just a few of the storied hidden gems that serve as a time capsule for the past. Explore these or do some more research to find others you may be interested in. The Garden State has more to explore than you think.

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