Here's How Much Fourth Of July Costs Are Rising In 2026: New Study Here's How Much Fourth Of July Costs Are Rising In 2026: New Study
Here's How Much Fourth Of July Costs Are Rising In 2026: New Study The nation's 250th birthday celebration is coming with higher costs due to rising inflation and the ongoing effects of the US-Israeli war with Iran. WalletHub released its annual 4th of July Facts & Figures report on Wednesday, June 24. The personal finance website estimates Americans will spend $9.4 billion on Fourth of July food, up from $8.9 billion in 2025. In 2026, the Fourth of July also marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Semiquincentennial will arrive with countless local, regional, and national events celebrating the …
NJ Man Used Confidential Docs From Girlfriend's Laptop to Make Millions In Stock Trades: Feds NJ Man Used Confidential Docs From Girlfriend's Laptop to Make Millions In Stock Trades: Feds
NJ Man Used Confidential Docs From Girlfriend's Laptop to Make Millions In Stock Trades: Feds A 27-year-old Rockaway Township man has been indicted on insider trading charges after he took confidential information from his girlfriend's job, authorities announced Tuesday, June 23. Justin Jennings is charged with one count of engaging in a securities fraud scheme, eight counts of securities fraud for insider trading, and two counts of transacting in criminal proceeds, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said. Jennings was a former professional soccer player in Europe and started dating his then-girlfriend in 2019. In 2021, he returned to the United States and their relationship became more se…
Headstone Scammer Duped Grieving NJ Families, Feds Say: Now He's Facing 152 Years In Prison Headstone Scammer Duped Grieving NJ Families, Feds Say: Now He's Facing 152 Years In Prison
Headstone Scammer Duped Grieving NJ Families, Feds Say: Now He's Facing 152 Years In Prison A Pennsylvania man admitted to defrauding hundreds of grieving families out of more than $1.7 million through his headstone businesses, including a South Jersey mother who ordered a memorial for her slain son and never received it, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday, June 23. Gregory J. Stefan Jr., 56, of Upper Merion, pleaded guilty in federal court in Philadelphia to seven counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing a false tax return, according to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. Among Stefan's victims was Luz Vasquez, whose 31-year-old son, Chad Stuart, was fatally shot outside a Vine…
NJ Man Beat 2-Month-Old Daughter Dead: Prosecutor NJ Man Beat 2-Month-Old Daughter Dead: Prosecutor
NJ Man Beat 2-Month-Old Daughter Dead: Prosecutor A 39-year-old Phillipsburg man has been charged in the death of his infant daughter, authorities announced Tuesday, June 23. James Capo Jr. is charged with homicide and endangering the welfare of a child following the 2025 death of Sophia Capo, who was two months old, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office said. At 2:10 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, Lopatcong police responded to the 700 block of Youngs Road and found Sophia unresponsive, authorities said. Officers performed CPR and she was eventually airlifted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was pronounced dead a week later, …
New Storm System Will Arrive After Brief, Pleasant Break New Storm System Will Arrive After Brief, Pleasant Break
New Storm System Will Arrive After Brief, Pleasant Break The break from wet weather will be pleasant, but brief. Click here for a new, updated story - Drenching Downpours, Gusty Winds Possible As Cold Front Approaches: Updated Timing Thursday, June 25, will be mainly dry from the New York City metro area into southern New England and the mid-Atlantic. Then the pattern starts to turn again. Unsettled conditions are expected to return Thursday night as a cold front approaches, triggering widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms across the Northeast. The first round is expected to develop Thursday afternoon and evening across western port…
$22.5M Gold Heist: Suspect In One Of Canada's Biggest Thefts Sentenced For US Guns In Socks $22.5M Gold Heist: Suspect In One Of Canada's Biggest Thefts Sentenced For US Guns In Socks
$22.5M Gold Heist: Suspect In One Of Canada's Biggest Thefts Sentenced For US Guns In Socks A man wanted in one of the biggest gold thefts in Canadian history is facing years behind bars in the United States after a Pennsylvania traffic stop uncovered a cache of guns hidden in a rental car, federal authorities announced. Durante King-Mclean, 27, of Cambridge, Ontario, was back before a Harrisburg federal judge on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, for a 2023 case that prosecutors say exposed a cross-border weapons pipeline stretching from Florida to Canada. He had 65 handguns crammed into the trunk of a rental car, each one hidden inside a sock, authorities said. Among them were stolen weap…
M&M's Makeover Coming: What Shoppers Will Notice M&M's Makeover Coming: What Shoppers Will Notice
M&M's Makeover Coming: What Shoppers Will Notice One of America’s most recognizable candies is getting a new look. Mars plans to debut an artificial dye-free version of M&M's in August, The Wall Street Journal first reported in a story published Thursday, June 18. The new version will not include the full classic color mix at first. The dye-free M&M's will launch in red, yellow, orange, and green, according to the WSJ report. Blue and brown will be omitted from the initial release. The problem is blue. Mars has been working to replace synthetic dyes with colors from natural sources, but creating a reliable blue at a huge scale …
Popular Comedian Charged In $8.7 Million Tax Evasion Case Popular Comedian Charged In $8.7 Million Tax Evasion Case
Popular Comedian Charged In $8.7 Million Tax Evasion Case A familiar comedy name is facing a serious legal spotlight far from the stage. Carlos Mencia, 58, has been charged with 12 felony counts of state tax evasion after prosecutors said he failed to report $8.7 million in personal and corporate income from 2019 through 2024, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced in releasing the complaint arrest warrant. Mencia pleaded not guilty on Monday, June 22. His bail, initially set at $250,000 after his arrest, was reduced to $50,000, and he is scheduled to return to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, Aug. 14. The complaint …
Costco Pilot Program Could Change How Members Pay Costco Pilot Program Could Change How Members Pay
Costco Pilot Program Could Change How Members Pay Costco’s checkout line may be getting a serious speed boost. The warehouse chain is testing a pre-scan system that could make the final payment step take about 8 seconds, according to multiple reports. Under the pilot, a Costco employee scans a shopper’s membership card and the items in the cart while the shopper is still waiting in line, Inc. reported. When the shopper reaches the front, the member card is scanned again at an automated pay station. The pre-scanned order then loads on the screen, and the shopper pays by tapping or swiping a card. The goal is simple: reduce the time shoppe…
Lucchese Mob Gambling Ring: Bergen Man Pleads Guilty In $4.8M Scheme, AG Says Lucchese Mob Gambling Ring: Bergen Man Pleads Guilty In $4.8M Scheme, AG Says
Lucchese Mob Gambling Ring: Bergen Man Pleads Guilty In $4.8M Scheme, AG Says Eight defendants admitted their roles in a Lucchese crime family-linked gambling and money laundering enterprise, state officials announced Tuesday, June 23. The defendants are among 42 people indicted following April 2025 arrests that capped a two-year investigation into alleged illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, and money laundering operations tied to the Lucchese crime family, according to New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. Those who pleaded guilty include: George Zappola, alleged Lucchese crime family member, second-degree racketeering Joseph R. Perna, allege…
Pickup Smashes Into 2 Utility Poles In Hawthorne, Driver Hospitalized Pickup Smashes Into 2 Utility Poles In Hawthorne, Driver Hospitalized
Pickup Smashes Into 2 Utility Poles In Hawthorne, Driver Hospitalized A driver was hospitalized when a pickup truck crashed head-on into two utility poles in Hawthorne on Tuesday afternoon, June 23, according to incident photographer Boyd A. Loving. The white Chevrolet pickup struck the poles near the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Van Winkle Avenue, Loving said. One of the utility poles was destroyed in the collision. An ambulance from The Valley Hospital transported the driver to the hospital's emergency room for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, Loving said. Firefighters from Hawthorne Engine Company No. 1 and Rescue Company No. 5 respo…
NJ District Mourns Loss Of HS Freshman Jounir Badawy NJ District Mourns Loss Of HS Freshman Jounir Badawy
NJ District Mourns Loss Of HS Freshman Jounir Badawy A North Jersey school community is mourning the loss of ninth-grade student. Jounir Badawy's death was announced by Bayonne Schools Superintendent John J. Niesz on Tuesday, June 23. "I have some very sad news to share - one of our 9th grade students, Miss Jounir Badawy passed away this weekend," Niesz wrote in a message to students, staff, faculty, and the Bayonne community. "The death of someone so young and vibrant is incomprehensible especially when it is so sudden." Niesz said the district's thoughts are with Badawy's loved ones as they navigate the loss. School counselors were m…