Six months into the administration, what are folks saying in one of New Jersey's most Republican strongholds? Watch video

Warren County is about as red as a "Make America Great Again" cap. 

In fact, you can win one of two of these caps in the Warren County Republican Committee tent at this week's Warren County Farmers' Fair. They're doing a free raffle, to be drawn at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Even though he lost New Jersey, President Donald Trump won Warren County with 29,858 votes, or about 60 percent of the total, to 17,281 for Hillary Clinton, or about 34 percent. Take out the third-party candidates and write-ins and Trump took 63.3 percent of the vote for the top two candidates, just shy of the 65.8 percent margin Trump won in neighboring Sussex County that was tops in the state.

Warren County Republicans outnumber Democrats by a margin of 28,070 registrants to 16,966, according to the latest figures from the Warren County Board of Elections.

So, a little more than six months into his administration, where do folks at the 80th annual fair stand on Trump's job in office? 

"I think he's doing great," Betty Schultheis, a former mayor in her hometown of Allamuchy Township, said Tuesday. She was manning the GOP tent, taking tickets to win the "MAGA" caps and backing candidates like Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in this year's gubernatorial race. 

Two "Make America Great Again" Donald Trump caps are available in a raffle during the Warren County Farmers' Fair, at the county GOP tent, July 29-Aug. 5, 2017. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com) 

"I am extremely pleased, and I watch very carefully all the signings of bills and resolutions and everything on a daily basis," Schultheis continued. "And if the world got to see all of those signings they would realize what a magnificent job he's doing and the work that's getting done."

She likes Trump's first-blush reactions on things, often shared via Twitter. And she's not too concerned about the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in last year's election and whether the Trump campaign was involved in any way.

"I think if people let them distract them, but I think if you go back in history everybody's had contact with people from other countries during the campaign," said Schultheis, who spent 19 years as an elected official. "And that's not irregular. That's always happened, or at least in recent time it's happened."

3 members of Congress visiting Warren County

Sandy Ekis, a Trump supporter from Phillipsburg, called the Russian probe "ridiculous. It's asinine, I think."

She said she's disappointed -- "that's putting it mildly" -- that the Senate fell short on fulfilling the president's campaign pledge to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and that she appreciates the perception of the president from supporters like Sean Hannity.

"It should be much more positive," Ekis said of views of Trump. "He's out for on the positive side, and I favor all his theories that he's approaching. I just wish we had more positive results from the media."

Lingering in a livestock exhibit under roof, away from a pop-up thunderstorm, Frelinghuysen Township resident Roger Topping said Tuesday he's OK with health care stalling. He takes a more Libertarian view of government than Trump, is how he put it.

"I think gridlock is OK because it seems to me the country has been kind of like going in the wrong direction, so at least if there's gridlock it's not getting any worse," said Topping, 63. 

"The president was not my choice, but neither was the major competitor for the president," he also said. "But I think most of the problems that the president's having is because he's not a politician. And the career politicians are pretty much trying to sabotage him left and right. Of course, he could probably tone himself down a little bit, and it wouldn't hurt."

Donna Fetchko, joined at the fair by husband John and their 9-year-old grandson, Ronin "Bubba" Harris, said the country needs to address health care. She saw a steep increase in her plan purchased through an ACA exchange and believes the country needs either single-payer or the elimination of a mandate for those who choose to go without health insurance.

"But what he's doing isn't working either," Fetchko said of Trump. "So they need to work together and fix something because neither one is working."

Farmers' fair baby-crawling contest (PHOTOS)

While it's something that has to happen, the Russian probe isn't the only distraction in the White House, she said.

"Especially with Trump firing and hiring all the time, that's a distraction," said Fetchko, who lives in Whitehall Township. "He just needs to stop. He needs to stop his tweeting. He's not very presidential. So, I mean, I didn't vote for him, but I wished him well and hoped he would do good for the country, but it doesn't appear like that's going to happen.

"I'm not one of these people that went out there and absolutely hated him. You wish your president the best, but at this point it looks hopeless and I can't wait another three years for another election."

In the Warren County Democratic Committee tent, touting Phil Murphy-for-governor among other candidates, volunteer Fred Cook said the president needs to begin working across the aisle on issues like health care, tax reform and infrastructure.

"I actually wish he would do well because we all would suffer if he doesn't, but so far like with health care the Republicans have no plan," said Cook, from Blairstown Township. "His most serious problem is he doesn't know what he's doing. He has no experience in government, no experience in the military. He wasn't even a big CEO, he ran a family real estate business."

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Lehigh Valley towns continued the public safety awareness idea born in 1984.

Communities across the Lehigh Valley and Warren County hosted National Night Out events Tuesday night.

The goal is to bring together police and the public in a relaxed setting.

Departments provided technique demonstrations and equipment displays amid cookouts, family fun and other attractions.

Each party is locally coordinated, with the idea for National Night Out coming from the National Association of Town Watch. The first one was held in 1984.

Poll: No-parole life sentences for juveniles?

Scroll through the photos above for a look at some of the activities.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Of course you'll find legends like Star Tavern, Pete & Elda's and Benny Tudino's but your local favorite might have made the list as well

The short promotional film premiers in September. Watch video

As a Delaware River town dating back to the 1800s, Phillipsburg has a lot of history. And now it has something new to show for it.

Lou Reda productions on Tuesday released a trailer for "Phillipsburg," a short film about the town, which was posted on YouTube and the town's website.

In a Facebook post about the trailer, Mayor Stephen Ellis said the film is a first for the town and is meant to attract new homeowners, businesses and investors.

The 19-minute documentary will include the rise and fall of Ingersoll Rand, the new Phillipsburg High School and input from residents, according to a WFMZ report. The $20,000 cost of the video was paid for through the town's Urban Enterprise Zone, the TV station reported.

The film's premier is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at the high school.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

NJ.com recently profiled two young adults from Hamilton who succumbed to the grim reaper known as heroin.

When you can put a face or a name to the opioid addiction epidemic it becomes personal and not just some abstraction that happens to other people.

NJ.com recently profiled two young adults from Hamilton who succumbed to the grim reaper known as heroin.

Nick Leona was only 20 years old when the addictive pull of heroin ended his life on July 22.

On the same day but in another location, 23-year-old Nicole Germann met a similar fate.

Both had promising and long lives ahead of them.

Leona, a talented baseball player, graduated from Hamilton High West and was attending Rowan University.

Germann played soccer and swam at Steinert High School and joined the Army National Guard as a way of giving back to the country that gave her so much.

Their deaths made them part of the growing statistics that reflect the scourge of opioid addition. A study done by NJ.com found statewide drug overdose deaths likely topped 2,000 in 2016 - the highest ever recorded in New Jersey.

To put that in perspective, drugs claimed more lives than car accidents and suicides combined.

But numbers can be numbing.

The death toll from drugs just reached a grim new high in N.J.

A preliminary report by the commission chaired by Gov. Chris Christie states President Donald Trump should declare a national emergency and put the federal government fully behind efforts to curb opioid addiction.

What the statistics and recommendations don't tell is the anguish that loved ones suffer when someone in their family or circle of friends is struggling with addiction. And the statistics don't come close to describing the heartache and grief when someone we cherish dies from an overdose.

That's why it is so important that we know who these addicts are. The closer you look, the more you realize they are our relatives, our friends, the people we work with, even ourselves.

It took courage for Leona's and Germann's family members to publicly share their stories, but in doing so, they are giving all of us a better understanding of just how powerful a hold these drugs have. And no matter how strong you may think you are, they will suck you in and kill you, as John Rossi, Leona's godfather, observed.

No stranger to the ravages of drugs is former Hamilton Councilman Kevin Meara, who lost his son KC Meara to a heroin overdose in 2008. It prompted him to set up an addiction recovery organization called City of Angels.

If there is one lesson Meara has learned, it's that drug deaths are preventable. He is encouraged that treatment options are expanding and improving, but the problem is so pervasive that "the system hasn't caught up to the epidemic yet," Meara said.

Treatment that is accessible and effective will obviously play a big part in fighting drug abuse. But it's also going to take a change in mindset to lessen the lure of drugs.

And that's where the willingness of those touched by drug addiction to speak out can play such a big role.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

From hall of famers to one-hit wonders, pop music has a rich history in New Jersey.

A little New Jersey music trivia to go with our gallery about Garden State acts large and small.

* Frankie Avalon was not given his name as a play on the New Jersey shore town. Actually, he was born Francis Thomas Avallone in Philadelphia in 1939.

* Ella Fitzgerald had her version of Benny Goodman's "Jersey Bounce" on two of her albums, "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!" and "All That Jazz."

* "The Diamond Church Street Choir" by Gaslight Anthem is an ode to the New Brunswick bar at which the band played its first show.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

* "Everything's Going to Be All Right" by Naughty by Nature is a version of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" reworked to detail life growing up in New Jersey.

* Country and western superstar Clint Black was born in Long Branch. And that's his given name.

And as you go through the gallery, here's a little game you can play along; see how many of the songs you can hum or sing.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

New Jersey's hospitals will receive an extra $33 million from the federal government to care for Medicare patients.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's administration has agreed to extend for another year a policy that will mean $33 million in federal funding to help New Jersey hospitals treat Medicare patients.

The decision by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services means that New Jersey medical facilities will remain eligible under a program designed to reimburse rural hospitals for the actual costs of treating Medicare patients.

"This extension will bring millions of dollars to our state and will help our hospitals continue to provide quality care for the most vulnerable New Jerseyans," said Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3rd Dist.).

Hospitals in line for $33M

Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.) said the decision would "ensure our hospitals are able to continue serving New Jersey residents most in need."

The state otherwise would be ineligible because all of New Jersey's hospitals are classified as being located in urban areas. The funds are based on what doctors would get paid to serve rural communities.

"Providers in New Jersey are often excluded from policies designed to help address some of the unique needs hospitals face," said U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee that also has jurisdiction over health policy. 

All 14 members of the state's congressional delegation had urged CMS to reject a proposed policy change that would have excluded New Jersey.

The action will "help level the playing field for New Jersey's hospitals,'' said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th Dist.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee that oversees health issues, urged the agency to permanently make New Jersey eligible for the funding. 

"Although this one-year extension is welcome news, I strongly urge CMS to address this issue permanently, so New Jersey hospitals aren't left in limbo year after year," Pascrell said.

The affected hospitals are:

-- Cape Regional Medical Center (Cape May Court House)

-- Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell (Pennington)         

-- Cooper Hospital (Camden)

-- Deborah Heart and Lung Center (Browns Mills)

-- Hackettstown Regional Medical Center

-- Inspira Medical Centers (Elmer, Vineland and Woodbury)

-- Kennedy University Hospital (Cherry Hill)

-- Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County (Willingboro)

-- Memorial Hospital of Salem County (Woodstown)

-- Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center (Camden)

-- R.W.J. University Hospital  (Hamilton)

-- St. Francis Medical Center (Trenton)

-- St. Luke's Warren Hospital (Phillipsburg)

-- Virtua Hospital (Voorhees)

-- Virtua Memorial Hospital (Mt. Holly)

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

The Palmer Township man is not charged with a crime but was the subject of a search after he jumped out of an ambulance in June.

A Palmer Township man who jumped out of an ambulance in June in Freemansburg and ran off naked was picked up Tuesday by Pohatcong Township police.

Trevor Atkinson. (Facebook photo) 

Police from at least three departments were on the lookout for Trevor Atkinson, who is in his mid 20s, but he doesn't face any criminal charges.

Atkinson was being taken June 16 by ambulance from St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem Township to another hospital when he got out in Freemansburg, stripped off his medical gown and ran toward the Lehigh River, borough police said at the time. The ensuring search didn't locate him.

Freemansburg police listed Atkinson as "missing and endangered," Chief Jonathan Itterly said Thursday. Atkinson is not charged with a crime in the borough, the chief added.

There was a concern Atkinson was a danger to himself or others, authorities said.

On June 21, Atkinson took a two-door, black 1999 Toyota Solara from his mother's home in the 400 block of Wedgewood Drive in Palmer, township police said. But his mother didn't want charges brought, township police Detective Jim Alercia said Thursday.

At one point he contacted his mother from Lopatcong Township and police in neighboring Pohatcong Township thought they had a location for him but he wasn't there.

He was found Wednesday walking along a road in Pohatcong, police Chief Jeffrey Greenemeir said Thursday in an email. Atkinson was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Phillipsburg for evaluation, Greenemeir added.

Atkinson was later released from the hospital, Greenemeir confirmed.

Now that Atkinson has been evaluated in the hospital, he's no longer considered endangered in Northampton County, Itterly said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

A Califon woman wanted on numerous warrants out of Hunterdon and Warren counties was arrested on Aug. 1, 2017, after running from police, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III said.

FLEMINGTON - A Califon woman wanted on numerous warrants out of Hunterdon and Warren counties was arrested on Tuesday after running from police, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III said on Thursday.

Somer Stephenson

Somer Stephenson, 40, was taken into custody by the Hunterdon County Fugitive Task Force and the Tewksbury Township Police. She was also charged with third-degree hindering apprehension after she fled into the woods when approached by police, Kearns said.

A K-9 officer and handler from the Readington Township Police Department assisted in her apprehension.

Stephenson has been arrested a number of times in recent years, and was named a fugitive of the week by the prosecutor's office in 2015.

She was charged in 2015 for possession of methamphetamines in Readington Township, and in 2013 she was charged in Greenwich Township after police found cocaine and drug paraphernalia in her hotel room, it was previously reported.

Also in 2013, she had been arrested in Chester Township on drug possession and intent to distribute charges after the rental car she was driving was involved in a brush fire. Police also charged her with DUI. According to court records she was sentenced to 90 days in jail for failing to report the fire.

Woman arrested after her car gets stuck in the mud

She had also been sentenced to 106 days in jail and five years of probation after being found guilty of drug possession, according to court records.

Stephenson, in 2008, spoke to NJ.com about her efforts to get her father Owen, then 72, out of federal prison, where he was serving a 12-year sentence for conspiracy and bank fraud. She was an advocate for the release of elderly prisoners as few commit crimes after their release. U.S. Justice Department statistics at that time showed the recidivism rate for prisoners over the age of 60 is about 1-percent.

Her arrest Tuesday was jointly announced by Kearns, Chief of Detectives John J. Kuczynski, Tewksbury Township Police Chief Thomas Holmes and Readington Township Police Chief Sebastian Donaruma.

"We should be civil with each other, and he certainly has not been," New Jersey's Leonard Lance said.

Leonard Lance told of his first visit to the Oval Office. It was less than three months ago, he said, after nine years in Congress.

It was the only time he has met President Donald Trump. And un that meeting with a dozen or so House Republicans, Lance said he and two others -- including the Lehigh Valley's Charlie Dent -- took a stand.

"We said we wouldn't be voting for the (health care) bill. That's a very difficult position to be in, as you can understand," the representative said to cheers at a what was a small and fairly mellow town hall meeting Thursday evening at Warren County Technical School.

"I can't prove that" conversation happened, he said, pausing. "Unless the Oval Office is bugged." The audience laughed.

"But the proof is in the pudding -- I didn't vote for the health care bill."

Dent: 'Impulsive' tweets not the way to set policy

The anecdote was in response to the final question posed by a resident at Lance's 45th town hall meeting, in which the congressman was heckled for his support of Trump during last year's election.

Boos rained and thumbs-down signs waved for several of his responses over the 90-plus minute gathering -- particularly from those who felt his record wasn't as favorable toward environmental protection as he bragged. However, the crowd of approximately 150 was also not shy in cheering positions of Lance's that they supported.

Trump expected Friday for long stay in Bedminster

Queries ranged from health care, to environmental issues, gun control and air traffic regulations. But it was his comments about Trump at the end that drew the strongest reactions.

Lance, a moderate Republican, has been targeted by Democrats for 2018's midterm elections. His 7th Congressional District includes the president's the president's golf club residence in Bedminster, but he has taken steps to distance himself from Trump.

Lance boasted of promoting new sanctions on Russia, though he did give credit to the president for signing the bill, however grudgingly. He also said he supports Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

But Lance said he supports the president in some areas, particularly for the appointment of John Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. The congressman said he hoped the former general could bring better leadership to the administration.

"I will continue to vote my conscience," Lance said. "Where I disagree with the president, I will continue to state that publicly," and vice-versa.

Then Lance took one more dig at Trump.

"We should be civil with each other," he said. "And he certainly has not been."

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The driver of a Cadillac XTS 4 Vsport crashed through the entryway of the Rite Aid off Route 513 in Califon on Aug. 4, 2017.

CALIFON - The driver of a Cadillac XTS 4 Vsport crashed through the entryway of the Rite Aid off Route 513 on Thursday afternoon.

No one inside the store was injured, according to emergency crews on the scene. Police did not have information on the female driver as of Friday morning.

The Rite Aid was closed after the crash, but kept the drive through open for customers picking up prescriptions. The accident happened at 2:30 p.m. and the scene was cleared at 4 p.m.

Responding were police from Washington Township in Morris County, Califon Fire Department, Califon Rescue Squad, Lebanon Township Fire Department and the High Bridge Rescue Squad. Paramedics from the Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township were cancelled while heading the scene.

More than 100,000 are expected to attend the New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm and Horse Show Watch video

FRANKFORD -- Sussex County's signature summer fair begins its 10-day run Friday but without a popular carnival ride deemed too similar to the Fire Ball ride that fatally malfunctioned at the Ohio State Fair last week.

The banished ride, a swinging and spinning attraction known as the Wild Claw, was also removed from the Monmouth County Fair just hours after the Fire Ball broke apart July 26, killing one and injuring seven.

The Wild Claw is supplied by Florida-based Reithoffer Shows while Amusements of America in New Jersey operated the Fire Ball attraction.

Reithoffer Shows is providing the 40 rides at the county fair, whose official name is the New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm and Horse Show.

The company's owner, Rick Reithoffer, was at the Sussex County Fairgrounds on Thursday.  

Asked about safety, Reithoffer said it is his company's "biggest concern," adding, "Especially in light of what happened out in Ohio, everybody is even more aware of that concern."

Sussex County Fairgrounds Manager Gary Larson encountered two state inspectors who were checking up on the rides, including the Zipper and Tornado. 

Larson said that Reithoffer Shows and the fair jointly decided to remove the Wild Claw.

He said the remaining rides are getting "continuous inspections" and that he is "quite comfortable with what we have to offer to all of our customers at this point from a safety standpoint." 

Larson added that, while the Ohio tragedy had provided additional attention on safety, from a procedural standpoint at the fair nothing has changed -- other than the removal of the Wild Claw.

"We're following the same protocols we had in the past," Larson said.

The state Department of Community Affairs, which oversees carnival and amusement park rides, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Wild Claw had a following in Sussex County. The fair described it as "one of the most popular rides" in posting a video to YouTube in 2014.

New Jersey thrill seekers recently experienced the Fire Ball at the State Fair Meadowlands, which concluded its two-week run in East Rutherford on July 9.

The Fire Ball has been described as swinging riders 40 feet above the midway while spinning them at 13 revolutions per minute.

The annual fair in Sussex County, now in its 77th year, is perhaps the county's most visible event, offering a mix of entertainment and agriculture.

Larson said more than 100,000 are expected to pass through the gates by the time the fair concludes Aug. 13.

Workers and volunteers were getting things ready on Thursday, putting up banners and unloading food. About 180 vendors have reserved space.

Jim Taylor was volunteering at the Newton Rotary Club's booth. He said he picked up 900 pounds' worth of hot dogs, Italian sausages and kielbasa, 500 pounds of bratwurst and weisswurst.

He went a little lighter on ground beef, buying only 60 pounds.

"I don't think that's going to get us through the week," Taylor said.

Larson was walking in and out of the administration building and dashing around the fairgrounds in a golf cart. The retired public school teacher and former Frankford mayor was hired in 2015 to manage the non-profit fair organization.

Looking ahead to the next 10 days, Larson said, "There is such a mixture of things that go on here that any visitor gets a taste, not only of New Jersey, but a strong taste of rural Sussex County."

The rides, he acknowledged, are a highlight for many.

"Our visitors are going to have real treats with thrill rides as well as the simple ones for young children," Larson said.

The gates open Friday at 10 a.m.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook

Anthony C. Innarella, 60, of Kunkletown, Pa., and his son, Anthony A. Innarella, 32, of Bethlehem, Pa., charged earlier this year in a Connecticut bank fraud scheme, have been arrested for using other people's identities to register trade names in Somerset County.

SOMERVILLE - A father and son from Pennsylvania, charged earlier this year in a Connecticut bank fraud scheme, have been arrested for using other people's identities to register trade names in Somerset County.

Anthony C. Innarella, 60, of Kunkletown, Pa., and his son, Anthony A. Innarella, 32, of Bethlehem, Pa., used people's identities without their consent to obtain New Jersey Certificates of Trade Names, Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said on Friday.

Detectives, on July 21, learned Anthony A. Innarella was being held in the Northampton County Jail in Easton, Pa. He waived extradition to New Jersey and was released from the Somerset County Jail after a detention hearing, the prosecutor's office said.

Anthony C. Innarella turned himself in to the prosecutor's office on Wednesday and is being held in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Anthony A. Innarella, 32, of Bethlehem, Pa., (left) and his father, Anthony C. Innarella, 60, of Kunkletown, Pa., allegedly used people's identities without their consent to obtain New Jersey Certificates of Trade Names, Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said on Aug. 4, 2017. (courtesy photo) 

Both had been charged in April in Fairfield County, Conn., after defrauding several banks, it has been reported. They were arrested after a Wells Fargo Bank employee told police Anthony C. Innarella tried to withdraw $18,000 in cash from a fraudulent account, it was reported.

Anthony A. Innarella was also charged in 2010 for trying to cash three fake checks totaling $10,000 at a check-cashing business in Bethlehem, Pa. No information on the outcome of that case was available on Friday.

A year later, Anthony A. Innarella was arrested in Bethlehem after firing a gun at the driver of another vehicle in what was described as an ongoing dispute, according to a report. He plead guilty to reckless endangerment and receiving stolen property, according to court documents.

Police looking for Bound Brook ShopRite robbery suspect

Anthony A. Innarella, in 2009 and 2010, plead guilty to receiving stolen property and, in 2009, to use of a Grand Lodge of the Free Masons insignia without approval, court documents show. He had been charged with stealing checks in both cases.

His father, court documents show, filed for bankruptcy three times, in 1998, 1999 and 2015.

Robertson said the prosecutor's office was tipped off to the trade mark fraud in February by the Somerset County Clerk's Office.

Detectives discovered that, from Feb. 15 through April 25, three separate victims were contacted by detectives and confirmed that they had not applied for or signed any documents to register a Certificate of Trade Name, Robertson said.

Robertson said surveillance footage from the clerk's office confirmed both men went to the office and applied for Trade Name Certificates.

Robertson said both men have been charged with third-degree identity theft, forgery and conspiracy to commit identity theft.

Anthony A. Innarella is chief executive officer of NexGen Energy Consultants, according to his LinkedIn page. There is no website, phone number or address for NexGen in the Lehigh Valley area.

The company is described as "an energy management and consulting firm that delivers a comprehensive energy solution to large commercial, industrial, municipal, and private industry clientele," according to the same page.

He was previously president of energy procurement at Coastal Energy Consultants, described as providing the same services as NexGen, according to the LinkedIn page. Coastal Energy opened in 2011 and closed about a year later, it has been reported.

In 2013, two years after Coastal Energy closed its doors, three people connected to the firm were charged with wire fraud after altering already-signed contracts, it has been reported. Anthony A. Innarella, who left the firm in 2011, was not charged in connection with that alleged fraud.

Prior to working for Coastal Energy, Anthony A. Innarella owned Holly Cannoli in Conchahauken, Pa., and Ax2 Motors in Easton, Pa.

One boy is taken to an area hospital for observation.

Four people ran into trouble tubing through the Foul Rift rapids Thursday afternoon on the Delaware River near White Township and three had to be assisted out of the water, authorities said.

One boy got out on his own, but rescue personnel helped a woman, a boy and a girl get to shore, Harmony Township fire Chief Wes Garrsion confirmed. The woman and the girl were just below the severe rapids and the boy was in the rapids, Garrison said.

One boy was taken to an area hospital for observation, Garrison said.

MORE: Medical call turns search in Easton

The 911 call was reportedly made about 5 p.m. by a Foul Rift Road resident who heard the tubers calling for help.

Good Will Hose Co. of Belvidere headed the effort and was assisted by the Harmony department, rescue personnel from Belvidere, Lopatcong Township and Phillipsburg, Hunterdon Medical Center paramedics and New Jersey State Police from Washington, reports from the scene said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Chad Longell served in the Army, and through the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation, he is working to honor the veterans of the war with a memorial in Washington, D.C.

Federal lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution on Thursday that will allow for the construction of the Global War on Terror Memorial.

Chad Longell, one of the founders of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation, regularly passes the monuments scattered across the National Mall in Washington, D.C. He's watched the tourists and veterans who drift through the memorials paying their respects to those who have served.

"You see how much healing comes from it and it really unifies a group of people," Longell said.

Originally from High Bridge in Hunterdon County, Longell is currently in the Army reserves and has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The army veteran is on a mission to build a memorial honoring the servicemen and women he fought alongside during the war on terror.

"The memorial is going to be for all who served or have been affected by the global war on terrorism," Longell said.

Remembering my greatest hero on Memorial Day | Izenberg

But erecting a memorial in Washington, D.C. is a lengthy, and costly, process.

The foundation has started raising funds for the memorial which they hope to have built by 2024. They estimate the memorial will cost $30 to $50 million. "We are not asking for any appropriations from Congress and the government. We're going to completely fund it all through private donations," Longell said.

But, there are other roadblocks. The first the group faces is the 1986 Commemorative Works Act which requires a war to be over for 10 years before a memorial can be built in Washington, D.C.

Unsure if the war will ever end, Longell said they can't afford to wait to build a memorial. The group proposed an exemption to Congress that will allow them to go ahead and build it.

The House of Representatives passed the exemption to the Commemorative Works Act last week, and the Senate passed the exemption on Thursday.

They are confident the president will approve the exemption. 

Longell said people often ask why they want to build a memorial for a war that hasn't ended.

"One of the design portions is going to be the unfinished nature of the war," Longell said. "The memorial is not only an effort to memorialize those who have died, to honor those who have served, but also a call to action to future generations to continue the fight, to pick up the torch."

Longell said the memorial needs to be built while the veterans are still alive to see it. The World War II memorial wasn't completed until nearly 60 years after the war ended. As a result, many veterans of that war died before their memorial was completed.

So far, the group has raised more than $300,000, and recently started a gofundme page to help with funding.

"If everyone puts in a little bit each month, just a few dollars, we can really have a high impact," Longell said. "Everyone can then come down to Washington D.C., see the memorial built and say, 'I helped build that memorial.'"

For more information on the memorial, visit the foundation's website.

The 28-year-old is wanted on a narcotics charge, according to the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.

Rebecca L. Campagna (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) 

Rebecca L. Campagna, 28, is wanted on a narcotics charge, under a warrant dated June 28, 2017, according to the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.

Campagna, whose last-known address was in the first block of Lincoln Trail in Hopatcong, N.J., is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

The prosecutor's office asks anyone with information about Campagna to contact investigators via a tip line at 908-475-6643, the fugitive unit at 908-475-6272 or via fugitive@co.warren.nj.us.

A historic site is at the center of a political fight.

On Saturday, Phillipsburg's Democrats will open their headquarters at a historic site in town.

In the shadow of the Black Bridge on South Main Street, Union Station is a relic of transportation history. It falls within Phillipsburg's Commercial Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places.

It is currently owned and restored by a non-profit group. And the property is exempt from taxes.

And that is one reason why the town's council president has a problem with Democrats moving in.

Union Station in Phillipsburg is at the center of a political fight. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) 

"I am appalled to see the grant-funded Union Station building be used for political gain," said Todd Tersigni, a Republican, in a statement read at a recent council meeting and provided in writing to lehighvalleylive.com. "Already, I have had many concerned residents come to me and ask if it's a correct and legal use of the building that is considered public, not private property."

With few exceptions, state law prevents public property from being leased for any political or religious purpose. However, the station at 178 S. Main St. is not owned by the town.

Joshua Davis, a town councilman and chairman of the Phillipsburg Democratic Committee, said his organization's signed lease with the building's owner, the Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center, is strictly a business transaction.

"Ultimately, we're paying them to use their building," Davis said.

Officials in the town's land use board office said the site has had several business uses in the past, including as office and retail space. Davis said it was the headquarters of New Jersey Gov. Robert Meyner's campaign in the 1950s.

Calls to the town's tax office for comment on permitted uses at the site were not returned Thursday or Friday.

WATCH: Preview for 'Phillipsburg,' a documentary

Tersigni requested the town Democrats halt their use of the property pending a legal review of their lease. Davis said that will not happen.

An opening ceremony is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday at the station, and Mayor Stephen Ellis has said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker will help cut the ribbon.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The crash was at 7:52 p.m. Saturday on Route 22.

A crash victim was flown to a hospital Saturday evening in Phillipsburg.

The crash involved a motorcycle. It was at 7:52 p.m. on Route 22 near Lincoln Street and Prospect Street.

A helicopter responded for at least one person involved in the crash. It flew out from behind the National Guard Armory on Heckman Street.

New Jersey State Police's public information bureau couldn't be reached for comment late Saturday.

Responding to the crash were Phillipsburg police, fire and EMS as well as paramedics from Hunterdon Medical Center.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.

The stone's story and the life it symbolizes crisscross the Lehigh Valley.

The woman was "the only thing standing in the way of him having this perverted, continued relationship with this young child," one prosecutor said.

"Mommy's been murdered."

A child told that to police arriving in at a Washington home that May day in 2014, the Warren County judge said during the killer's sentencing. Prosecutors said the children were so panicked, they told the officers that they needed to run because he would kill them, too.

Ralph Atkinson had coveted his relationship with a juvenile girl so much, prosecutors said, that when it was threatened he killed the woman in his way.

He did it brutally, and in front of the children. He wrapped 45-year-old Margaret Graf-White, his girlfriend, in a blanket, bludgeoned her with a hammer, stabbed her with a pocket knife and left her body in a closet.

For at least a week before that, according to Atkinson's plea, he had sex with a 7-year-old child, taking video and photographs on multiple occasions -- though prosecutors say the investigation uncovered a long-perverted mind and years of abuse.

For all of that, Atkinson will serve 26 years behind bars.

Ralph Atkinson (Courtesy photo) 

The sentence follows the guidelines of a plea agreement from March, one prosecutors say they reached to avoid the young victim testifying at what would have been two separate trials.

"Nothing that the court can do ... can ease the victim's pain or sadness," Judge H. Matthew Curry said during the 41-year-old's sentencing hearing Tuesday. "And my condolences to the victim and her family."

Atkinson previously lived in Paterson, though authorities had earlier cited his address as in Knowlton Township. He appeared in state Superior Court in Belvidere wearing green jail garb and shackles. The large man's hair, graying around the temples, was more closely cropped than previous court appearances, but his beard was still scraggly.

"I feel very sorry for what I've done," he said softly to the court. "I do feel regret."

Atkinson plea ends 2 brutal cases

Judge Curry on Tuesday abided by the earlier plea agreement, in which Atkinson had admitted in March to first-degree manslaughter -- reduced from first-degree murder -- and aggravated sexual assault. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to simultaneous sentences of 26 years for manslaughter and 20 years for sexual assault, with other conditions including a lifetime of parole supervision, Megan's Law registration and a restraining order barring him from ever contacting the young victim.

"We wanted to prevent a young girl who had been victimized by this defendant (from) repeatedly being victimized by having to recount these acts on more than one occasion," Assistant Prosecutor Victor Jusino, who was prosecuting the homicide case, said after the plea in March.

Also as part of the plea, the defense dropped its claim of insanity and Atkinson admitted he was sane during the crimes, though the defense tried to argue his mental condition called for a reduced sentence of 16 years.

"All of the anger and pain and desire for punishment are understandable," Atkinson's public defender, John McGuigan, said during Tuesday's hearing. He said Atkinson has a documented history of mental health problems, including schizophrenia, dating back to when he was 17.

However, the judge asserted that Atkinson chose not to take his medication prior to the crimes and found no reason to reduce the sentence.

Atkinson has a prior criminal record. In 1995 in Camden County, he was charged with unlawful possession of weapon and threatening violence, and those were dismissed after he pleaded guilty to a disorderly persons offense.

Before the sentence was imposed, statements were read by people close to the victims, and Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Knutsen -- who handled the sex assault charges -- gave an impassioned plea for the harshest possible punishment under the plea agreement.

Knutsen said Atkinson was "truly evil," described his "absolute obsession" with young girls and said he "wanted the victim all to himself." The young sex-assault victim has suffered lasting trauma from the ordeal, she said.

"The only thing standing in the way of him having this perverted, continued relationship with this young child was (Graf-White)," Knutsen said.

A wake-up call on domestic violence

The slaying victim had been trying to distance herself from a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with Atkinson, who was known to police from previous domestic violence reports. Graf-White's two children were taken into state protection after her death.

One of their legal guardians gave a statement to the court, saying that no sentence can make up for the damage Atkinson has done.

"I wouldn't want to see or hear of the defendant prey on another woman or her family," the guardian said. "How can you call yourself a human being?"

Graf-White's mother, Elizabeth Graf, told Atkinson: "God will judge you harshly. His wrath is more powerful than a court of law."

A woman at the hearing who identified herself as Atkinson's sister (but declined to give her full name) said after the hearing that her brother deserves prison time for his crimes, but complained that the court only heard "one side."

"It's not fair for any of them," she said. "It's not fair for Margaret. It's not fair for the kids. It's not fair for my brother."

Other Warren County homicide cases

Atkinson's is one of three homicide cases in Warren County to be resolved this year. A fourth is pending.

• Salim Newton, 30, of Sussex County, in May pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose for the shooting death of the mother of his child in 2013 at her Phillipsburg home. He was sentenced in June to 24 years in prison.
• Daniel Lawrence, 29, of Phillipsburg, in April was convicted of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing a man in 2014 outside a home in Washington. In May, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
• Zachary Flowers, 24, of Allentown, is the last of four co-defendants to either take a plea or stand trial for a deadly 2012 gas station robbery in Phillipsburg. In April, a trial date was tentatively set for this fall.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.