The main union for casino workers in Atlantic City and the New Jersey attorney general are asking a judge to throw out a lawsuit from another union that wants to stop smoking at the city’s nine casinos.
Local 54, part of the Unite Here union, said in court that if smoking were banned, 1/3 of the 10,000 workers they represent could lose their jobs and not be able to support their families.
Right now, people can smoke on 25 percent of the casino floor. However, those areas are not connected, and as a result, secondhand smoke can be found in different parts of the casino floor.
A lawsuit filed by the United Auto Workers wants to change a law in New Jersey that bans smoking indoors in most workplaces, but allows it in casinos. The workers represent dealers at Bally’s, Caesars, and Tropicana casinos.
Matthew Platkin, the lawyer for the Democratic Governor of New Jersey, represented him. Phil Murphy and the state health department said that the indoor smoking law is fair to everyone and does not take away anyone’s rights. They want the court to throw out the case.
Nancy Erika Smith, the lawyer who submitted the lawsuit, was very surprised by the request from Local 54.
“She said unions always fight for their members’ health and safety. ” “Thankfully, Unite’s economic arguments are not important for the current constitutional issue, even though they are not true. ”
Donna DeCaprio is in charge of Local 54, a group that helps hotel workers, beverage servers, baggage handlers, public area cleaners and other workers at nine casinos.
“We want to make the work environment better to keep our members healthy and safe,” she said on Monday. “We need to find a balance that keeps workers healthy and keeps their jobs secure. ”
DeCaprio thinks a complete ban on smoking would be really bad for Atlantic City. He said that most of the money from in-person gamblers comes from the areas where people can smoke.
The union supports a new law that wants to keep the casino floor’s smoking limit at 25 per cent.
However, people can smoke in certain parts of the casino where there are slot machines and it’s at least 15 feet away from the tables with live dealers. It would also let casinos have special rooms for people to smoke in, as long as those rooms have good ventilation. And no employee can be made to work in those rooms if they don’t want to.
Should smoking be banned in Atlantic City casinos and other states where workers are worried about breathing in secondhand smoke. They are running similar campaigns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Virginia.
The smoking ban could make many people lose their jobs and that would affect their pay, health, and retirement benefits. The union wrote this in a court document.
In 2008, when Atlantic City banned smoking in casinos, their profits dropped by 19. 8 percent in the first week. This led to the current rule that only 25 percent of the casino floors can be for smoking.
Some workers, like table game dealers, think that not allowing smoking at the casino would bring in more customers than it would lose.
Nicole Vitola, who works as a dealer at Borgata, is leading the effort to ban smoking at the casino. She said that the workers’ union, Local 54, is acting the same as the casino’s bosses.
“She said that instead of trying to protect the workers’ health and safety, Local 54 is going to court to let casinos continue to expose their members to harmful secondhand smoke. “
Tag: new jersey
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New Jersey and union ask judge to dismiss anti-smoking lawsuit
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FIFA announces New Jersey as host of 2026 World Cup final
2026 World Cup final is set to take place at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, as announced by FIFA on Sunday.
The global showcase, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will feature a 48-team tournament culminating in the final on July 19th at the open-air stadium with a capacity of 82,500.
MetLife Stadium previously hosted the Copa America Centenario final in 2016, where Chile secured victory over Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a penalty shootout.
The tournament will kick off at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on June 11th, making Mexico the first nation to host the World Cup for the third time.
Estadio Azteca previously hosted the World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986, witnessing memorable moments such as Pele’s Brazil defeating Italy 4-1 and Diego Maradona’s Argentina beating West Germany 3-2.
Maradona’s iconic ‘Hand of God’ goal and the ‘Goal of the Century’ were also scored at the same venue during the 1986 quarterfinals against England.
Canada, hosting its first World Cup games, will commence its matches on June 12th in Toronto at the home of the city’s MLS team.
Meanwhile, the opening game in the United States will be held in Los Angeles at the home of the NFL’s Rams.
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Choose New York and New Jersey, World Cup final should be hosted on biggest stage
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in collaboration with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, is making a strong bid to host the final match of the 2026 World Cup.
The United States, Canada, and Mexico are set to co-host the prestigious global soccer event, and the selection of the final venue is still underway.
Cities such as Dallas, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, and the state-of-the-art $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium are expected to compete for the opportunity.
However, Adams and Murphy emphasized, during a call with Reuters, that they firmly believe there is only one choice for the world’s biggest game to be played on the world’s biggest stage – New York/New Jersey.
“The biggest game should be played on the biggest stage and there is no stage bigger on the globe than this region,” Adams told Reuters.
A YouGov online survey of professional football fans from across the US released on Wednesday agreed with Adams and Murphy that New York/New Jersey was the preferred place for the final.
The survey found 21% of those polled wanted the final in New York/New Jersey followed by Los Angeles with 17% and Miami 10%.
But 25% polled expect to see Los Angeles awarded the marquee match with New York/New Jersey on 23%.
FIFA is expected to announce the locations for marquee games, including the World Cup Final, later this year.
Co-hosting is nothing new to New York/New Jersey, the cities having combined resources to stage the 2014 Super Bowl with New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium the venue for the game and New York providing the glitz and glamour.
The plan would be the same for the final with the 82,000 seat MetLife getting the match and the Big Apple being party central, hosting the many other events.
“If I had to guess we will get eight or nine games no matter what, that’s eight or nine Super Bowls in six weeks with an enormity of scale,” said Murphy. “Obviously we think we are absolutely well suited to host the final.
“It’s going to be a huge event unlike any other… this is sort of the grand daddy of them all.”
The New York/New Jersey pitch to FIFA will centre around the region’s diversity and experience staging big events.
New York is also one of the world’s largest media markets and has infrastructure in place to handle hundreds of thousands of visitors.
“No team or player will come to our region and feel homesick,” assured Adams. “You point to a country on the globe and you are going to find a community here.
“That is our biggest selling point, our diversity and how everyone is going to feel at home playing here.”
While the New York/New Jersey bid has its obvious strengths there are questions about violent crime which has made headlines recently.
“We are going to tell the real story,” said Adams. “We must now go in and get away from the fiction and show people the facts, this is the safest big city in America and we have one of the finest police departments on the globe and we know how to host big events.”
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Two firefighters perish while tackling a fire on a cargo ship
While combating a fire on an Italian cargo ship in New Jersey, two firefighters perished after being trapped.
On Wednesday night at around 9.30 p.m., a fire started on the Grande Costa d’Avorio, which was berthed at Port Newark. According to the Grimaldi Group, the ship’s owner, it was laden with roughly 1,200 vehicles, including 157 containers and new and used automobiles, trucks, and vans.
As crew men were loading the vehicles onto the ship’s tenth deck, a fire broke out.
Augusto Acabou, 45, who served the Newark Fire Department for nine years, called for help, said Chief Rufus Jackson. Shortly after, 16-year firefighter Wayne Brooks Jr, 49, got trapped. Both of them died.
Smoke rises from a burning cargo ship in the Port of Newark in New Jersey (Picture: EPA) Neither of them hesitated in responding to the fire on the ship with at least a dozen decks, which they ‘had not trained’ to do, said Mayor Ras Baraka, according to The New York Times.
‘These were two of our best,’ Baraka said.
Emergency responders discovered that five to seven vehicles were ablaze. The fire spread to two overhead decks rapidly and continued burning into Thursday morning.
‘This is the ultimate, ultimate sacrifice of the fire service, to lose a brother or sister of this profession,’ said Jackson, according to CBS News.
‘I ask that each and every one of us – not only the ones who are standing in front of me, but the citizens of Newark, the communities throughout our country – fire service is not just a municipality, it’s a brotherhood, a sisterhood throughout the country, and I ask that each of them pray for our brothers.’
Five other firefighters were hurt, including one who is at a hospital in critical condition, CBS News reported.
The ship was not carrying electric cars or hazardous materials, according to the company.
Baraka said the ship built in Europe did not have equipment that was compatible with the 2.5-inch hose lines in Newark.
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New Jersey: Mother and 9-year-old daughter murdered in their home
A mother and her 9-year-old daughter have been discovered dead with axe wounds in their Roselle home on Wednesday, and police in New Jersey have opened an investigation.
According to NBC New York, the bodies of 9-year-old Kelsey Morrison and Keisha Morrison, 45, were found in their home after the minor failed to show up for school and efforts to get in touch with her mother had proven futile.
The deceased woman’s husband, Gary Morrison, is said to have come across bloody sheets in their bedroom after he rushed home to check on the victims. Officers who later responded to the scene found the bodies of the two victims under a bed. Atasha Scott, who is Gary’s sister, told the news outlet that the attacker “wrapped them up in bed sheets, and stuffed them under my niece’s bed.”
Gary also found a bloody axe – which was purported to be the murder weapon – in their residence. “On the floor, it seemed like somebody was trying to clean up blood, like it was swirled around,” Scott said.
Gary’s brother, Evory Morrison, was at the home when police arrived. Though he drove away in Keisha’s car, police managed to locate and arrest him – he is currently accused of car theft.
Evory had been staying in the house for more than two years, but he was told to move out not too long ago, per NBC New York. He had, however, not moved out at the time of the killings, and was at home when his brother returned to check on the victims.
“I can’t go into details exactly what occurred, but I can tell you she was uncomfortable and neither were his nieces with him being in the home, in the basement,” Scott said. She also alleged Evory was jealous of Gary and the things he had.
“[Keisha’s] birthday just passed on the 6th. We went partying — she, my brother, and I — for her birthday, her birthday month. This guy was jealous of my brother and what he had. He wanted what he had,” Scott added. “My daughter and her are best friends, I don’t know what I’m going to tell her.”
Prosecutors are yet to provide further information on the case.
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Woman in New Jersey flees man who allegedly held her against her will for nearly a year, authorities say
James Parrillo Jr has been charged with kidnapping, strangulation and aggravated assault, and criminal restraint, officials told NBC News.
A man in the US is accused of holding a woman against her will for nearly a year before she escaped and asked for help at a petrol station.
The woman ran to the store in New Jersey on 7 February where she alleged she had been kidnapped, the state attorney general’s office said.
Security footage showed the woman running into the petrol station and locking the door, with a man following her.
James Parrillo Jr has since been charged with kidnapping, strangulation and aggravated assault, and criminal restraint, officials told NBC News.
The 57-year-old is being held in custody awaiting trial, the broadcaster said.
Image:James Parrillo Jr is awaiting trial, NBC News reported Attorney General Matthew Platkin said: “This is a deeply disturbing case in which the defendant allegedly held a woman against her will for nearly a year, while travelling with her throughout the country, before ending up here in New Jersey where she was able to escape.”
The woman – whose identity has not been revealed – told police that she and Parrillo Jr met at a petrol station in New Mexico in February last year, when he asked her for a ride to Arizona.
They initially were in a relationship but Parrillo allegedly assaulted her a month later in California, and she felt unable to leave, the attorney general’s office said.
Parrillo took the woman’s phone and credit and debit cards, kept her from her family, and held her against her will, it is claimed.
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She fled the home where they lived in Burlington County on 7 February after she was allegedly choked and assaulted.
The woman had marks on her neck, according to a New Jersey State Police statement filed in court.
According to the statement, the woman said she had been held against her will for a year and that Parrillo had been refusing to allow her to contact her family.
Jamie Garthaus, who works at the petrol station that the woman entered, told NBC: “The lady came running, like barefoot, and she was like, ‘he kidnapped me’.
“So we ran inside and locked the door.”
A lawyer representing Parrillo could not immediately be reached for comment, NBC News said.
Source: SkyNews
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4 New Jersey teens charged for bullying 14 year old who later committed suicide
Four New Jersey high school students have been charged in the vicious beatdown of a 14-year-old classmate who died by suicide.
The news arrives several days after Adriana Kuch, 14, was found dead in her Bayville home on Feb. 3, less than 48 hours after video of Kuch getting brutally attacked in the hallway of Central Regional High School was posted on social media.
NBC News reports one juvenile is charged with aggravated assault, two other juveniles are charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and one juvenile is charged with harassment.
The four teens, who have not been identified as they are minors, and their guardians were given a copy of the criminal complaint against them. The students were then released pending future court appearances, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer confirmed.
Shortly after the charges were handed down, the Central Regional School District announced Saturday that Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides had resigned.
“The Central Regional School District board of Education has accepted the resignation of Dr. Triantafillos Parlapanides, and is evaluating all current and past allegations of bullying,” the district wrote in a statement on its website.
“The Central Regional family continues to mourn the loss of one of our children,” the statement continued.
“The District has contacted the Department of Education and will undergo an independent assessment of the District’s anti-bullying policies and ensure every necessary safeguard is in place to protect our students and staff.”
Source: Complex.com
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Man admits hiring hit man to kill 14-year-old in exchange for $20,000 in Bitcoin
A man has confessed to contacting a hit man with the intention of murdering a 14-year-old in exchange for $20,000 in Bitcoin.
The New Jersey man admitted he paid a hit man $20,000 in bitcoin to kill a 14-year-old boy in an effort to prevent him from testifying in his child sex abuse case, NBC News reports.
31-year-old John Michael Musbach pleaded guilty in Camden federal court last week to an indictment that charged him with hiring a killer online. He pleaded guilty to “one count of knowingly and intentionally using and causing another to use a facility of interstate and foreign commerce, that is the internet, with the intent that a murder be committed,” per the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Musbach was initially accused of exchanging sexually explicit material with a victim who was 13 during the summer of 2015. According to prosecutors, the victim’s parents learned of the exchange and alerted authorities. Musbach was identified by police in March 2016, and was arrested on child pornography charges following a search warrant on his home in Galloway, New Jersey.
As the criminal case was pending, Musbach attempted to hire the killer through the use of cryptocurrency. Between May 7 to May 20 in 2016, he “repeatedly communicated with the administrator of a murder-for-hire website” on the dark web. “Musbach asked if a 14-year-old was too young to target, and upon hearing that the age was not a problem, paid approximately 40 bitcoin (approximately $20,000 at the time) for the hit,” the release reads.
The administrator of the website was contacted by Musbach multiple times, who was asking when the hit would happen. The admin then asked for $5,000 more, and Musbach attempted to cancel the transaction in an attempt to get a refund. They revealed to him that the site was a scam, and said they would reveal his attempt to hire a killer to authorities.
Musbach is currently facing a potential decade behind bars, and a fine of $250,000. He is set to be sentenced on June 13.
“Mr. Musbach decided to put this matter behind him and accepted his responsibility without a trial,” said his attorney Rocco C. Cipparone. “The more limited sentencing range negotiated in this plea agreement appropriately limits Mr. Musbach’s sentencing exposure for reasons which will be expounded upon at sentencing. We now look forward to putting forth in context at sentencing, detailed mitigating information, and positive information, about Mr. Musbach.”
Source: Complex.com
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Woman detained after enrolling as a high school student in New Jersey
In New Jersey, a 29-year-old woman has been detained on suspicion of pretending to be a high school student.
Police have charged the woman, Hyejeong Shin, with enrolling in New Brunswick High School using a false identification.
Before teachers learned her age, Ms. Shin had been a student at the school for four days.
Police are looking into the situation, according to school officials, and the district’s enrollment procedure will be examined.
The matter was brought up at a local education board meeting on Tuesday, when Superintendent of the New Brunswick Public School District Aubrey Johnson informed the audience that Ms. Shin had been discovered at the institution.
The matter was brought up at a local education board meeting on Tuesday, when Superintendent of the New Brunswick Public School District Aubrey Johnson informed the audience that Ms. Shin had been discovered at the institution.
“Last week, by filing some false documents, an adult female posing as a student was able to be enrolled in our high school,” Mr Johnson said.
He added that she had been in a few classes and spent some time with guidance counselors, who tried to find out more information about her.
Ms Shin’s false age was then uncovered, Mr Johnson said, and the school immediately notified police.
She has since been arrested for providing a false birth certificate “with the intent to enroll as a juvenile high-school student,” the New Brunswick Police Department has said.
Students said the woman had texted some of them, asking them to hang out.
One told CBS New York that the girls “never showed up, and she [Ms Shin] started acting weird with them”.
New Jersey state law allows students to be enrolled in school even without a guardian or without all the required paperwork, police said.
This is not the first time an adult has been caught posing as a high school student.
A man named Brian MacKinnon posed as a fifth-year student in a high school near Glasgow in 1993 when he was 30 years old. He claimed to be a 17-year-old from Canada.
MacKinnon remained enrolled at the school for a whole year. He was exposed a year later when he was a student at Dundee University’s medical school, after a newspaper reported on his real identity.
His story drew worldwide attention and was the subject of a 2022 documentary film.
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Gospel musician Mike of Willie & Mike music group fame ordained as man of God
Michael Adomako, better known by his stage name Mike of the award-winning gospel duet Willie & Mike, was ordained and consecrated as a minister last Saturday at the Paintsil & Associates School of Ministry at Hyatt Regency, New Jersey, United States.
Many people in Burkina Faso, South Africa, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, North America, and other regions of Africa have been moved by his music.
When asked about what being called into the ministry would mean for his music ministry, the successful musician said he sees it not as a setback but as an opportunity to reach more people for Christ via his songs.
Mike has served as a minister for 27 years and counting.
“This honor is humbling to me. Because I know that this is not going to be an easy road, but because I also know that God’s love and mercy will carry me through any difficulty that may arise, I am asking for greater prayers and support and seeking God’s direction.”
Several well-known gospel artists, such as Rev. Graceman, Mary Agyemang, Nana Yaw de Worshiper, the Lord of No Tribe Group, and many more dignitaries from over the globe attended the coronation basically to show their support for their fellow minister friend.
The worship leader thanked God for the day, his family, Apostle Dr. Steve Paintsil, his fellow members of the gospel music community, and everyone who had prayed for him and supported him over the years.
PHOTOS BELOW:
Source:ghbase.com
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Man has been peeing “almost daily” on grave of ex-wife he divorced 48 years ago
A New Jersey man has apparently been holding such a grudge against the ex-wife he divorced nearly five decades ago that he goes to her grave almost every day just to relieve himself on her grave.
This shocking story was recently made public by 43-year-old Michael Murphy who used hidden cameras to catch the culprit in the act after finding traces of urine and plastic bags with feces whenever he visited his mother’s resting place at the cemetery at Tappan Reformed Church in Orangetown, New York. The captured footage revealed an elderly man visiting the grave almost every day, at around 6:00 in the morning, and casually relieving himself on the woman’s headstone. He was later identified as her ex-husband, whom she had divorced 48 years ago and whom she had not been in contact with since 1976.
“THIS IS BREAKING MY HEART,” Michael wrote on his Facebook page a few days ago. “A man from Bergen county New Jersey has been leaving bags of poo and p*****g on my mother’s tombstone almost every morning like a ‘normal routine’ assisted by his wife also. We have weeks and months of evidence. It has been reported to the police and the news outlets. No one in my family has had contact with him since 1976 or so.”
Michael’s mother, Linda Louise Torello, was married for a brief period of time to the man captured on video but had a falling out when she became pregnant and the man did not want responsibility for the child. He has apparently been holding a grudge ever since…
“How he found my mother’s grave site we are not sure. But this stems back to a problem almost 50 years ago. Pray for us thank you and please share this!!!” Linda’s son wrote in his Facebook post.
Michael and his sister asked permission from the cemetery administration to install the hidden cameras, hoping to catch the culprit in the act, after discovering traces of urine and bags of feces at their mother’s grave almost daily. The captured footage also revealed that the man was almost always accompanied by his current wife, which only makes the deed more insidious.
After police said that they couldn’t take any actions against the man reliving himself on a dead woman’s grave on a daily basis, Michael Murphy told reporters that he hoped to file a complaint against the guy for cemetery desecration.
Source: Oddity Central
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Ghanaians troll Nigerians over new Super Eagles jersey
Some Ghanaians have turned to social media to make fun of Nigerians after Nike unveiled the Super Eagles’ new jersey.
Some have sarcastically questioned Nike’s decision to design a new kit for Nigeria, who will not compete in the World Cup.
Nigerians themselves have been divided regarding the design as some are pleased while others opined that it’s below-par.
Nike released the jersey on Thursday, September 15, 2022, along with other sponsored national teams ahead of the World Cup.
Nigeria could debut the new outfits during the upcoming September international break. The Super Eagles will face Algeria and Portugal.
France, Portugal, Qatar, Canada, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Poland, Brazil, England, and South Korea have all had their World Cup jerseys designed by Nike announced.