Home Care In Howell, NJ

Howell did something Monday night that no wrestling team had accomplished since January 30, 2016.

Win at Phillipsburg’s storied former home gym, “The Pit.”

The Raiders won 8 of 14 bouts, with every bout producing bonus points, to defeat the Stateliners 46-29.

“It was awesome, we’ve been looking forward to this for weeks,” said Howell junior Luke Johnston, who sealed the win for the Raiders. “There’s a lot of hype around this place. To come in here and not only get the win, but just to get that experience, me and my brothers, my teammates; it’s good.”

Howell, ranked No. 11 in the state by NJ.com, improved to 7-1 with the win over No. 18 Phillipsburg.

“The environment is awesome. It was so important for us to be here with this atmosphere and this program,” Howell coach John Gagliano said. “They are a well-coached team every year, they have a great team and it was just good for us to be here and wrestle in this environment.”

Phillipsburg had won all six of its return matches to “The Pit” since it began returning to its old home in 2017, one season after P’burg’s new high school opened.

“We knew they (Howell) were tough coming in. We knew were gonna need bonus and not give up bonus, all of that stuff,” Phillipsburg coach Tim Longacre said. “We were trying to battle and I think we did that. Overall, I’m pleased with the performances of my guys. At the end of the day, they had more dudes than we did at that level, but I think it was a good test for a lot of our kids on where they’re at and where they need to get better.”

As Longacre, who said that his rapport with Gagliano helped move the matchup to “the Pit,” alluded, the Stateliners (2-1) had their moments.

Freshman Noah Regemann’s takedown in the third period helped hold Howell junior Shane Maghan to a major decision as opposed to a technical fall in the opening bout at 132 pounds.

“For him to step up and not break, that’s a huge plus for us,” Longacre said of Regemann. “Again, we’re not looking to win every bout. We’re looking to win battles and positioning so it’ll help us down the road.”

Senior Massimo Gonzalez posted a team-high four takedowns in a 17-2 tech fall at 138 before sophomore Mason Hawk (in 1:59 at 144), junior Owen Garriques (in 1:47 at 150) and senior Gavin Geleta (in 0:56 at 175) all won by fall to put P’burg up 23-13 halfway through.

Hawk took down freshman Ryan Going off a restart with 30 seconds left in the first period, pushed for back points 15 seconds later and kept working for the fall, which the sophomore got at the buzzer.

“Mason Hawk, by far,” Longacre said when asked of the Stateliners’ most impressive moment of the night. “We expected a win there, we didn’t expect a pin there. He outperformed what we thought he was going to do. I’m super happy with him.”

“We were down and you just gotta battle back,” Gagliano said.

The Raiders’ upperweights responded in a big way.

Junior Tyler Going improved to 9-0 on the year with a pin in 46 seconds at 190 and sophomore Timmy O’Rourke was also dominant in a 15-0 tech fall in 4:41 at 215.

At heavyweight, junior Tanner Hodgins bumped up two weight classes for Howell and gave up 52 pounds to Phillipsburg senior Ben Ellis.

Undeterred by the weight disparity, Hodgins pushed forward immediately, scored two takedowns each in the first and second period before locking up the “assassin” headlock.

“He knew he had a job to do and he’s all about the team,” Gagliano said of Hodgins. “He’s giving up weight but he needed to do that and he never questioned anything. He’s always about the team.”

Howell freshman Justin Jani put in a frenetic pace at 106 as he scored seven takedowns in a 21-5 tech fall in 3:23.

That one extended the Raiders’ lead to 35-23 with three bouts to go, but sophomore Zack Swingle gave P’burg life with a pin in 38 seconds at 113.

In the penultimate bout at 120, Johnston got a couple of early takedowns to take control against freshman Lorenzo Ricci before securing the fall in 67 seconds to clinch the victory.

“I feel like I wrestle better with these big environments, it’s what we train for,” Johnston said. “We don’t train to wrestle in front of 10 or 20 people, we train to wrestle in big atmospheres like this. A lot of respect to Phillipsburg for hosting a great event and having a lot of people come out.”

Freshman Sean Elliot capped the Raiders’ win with another tech fall, 16-0 in 3:20 over junior Anthony Pettinelli. Howell, which dropped a close match with powerhouse Delsea after beating North Hunterdon and Newton on Saturday, will travel to Ocean Township 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“We’re really young, we return most of our starters next year. A lot of freshmen, a strong junior class,” Johnston said. “To have a team like that, coaches like that, it makes you better every day. You’re rooting for each other, but you’re constantly chasing each other. To have those guys in the room to push you, it’s big.”

The Stateliners, who did not compete or practice in the week before Christmas, won their first two duals of the season Saturday, 46-22 over Cranford and 34-27 over Old Bridge.

“It’s been tough. A couple of our kids had a really good Bethlehem Holiday Classic, but then we had New Year’s and we’re off from school and off the routine,” Longacre said. “We really only had one practice on the 26^th… It’s been tough. Saturday, we struggled, I’m not going to lie. I was very disappointed on Saturday, but today, we came together huge."

Phillipsburg hosts North Hunterdon, which beat the Stateliners twice last winter, 7 p.m. Wednesday.

“I only have five seniors on the total roster. This is a very young, inexperienced team,” Longacre said. “The thought of the schedule and everything we’re doing with it is so these guys get that exposure so they know what needs to happen. This year’s gonna be like this, next year’s gonna be like that, hopefully these guys can build in the next two years and we can make a big run.”

Army Major Dolly Harris developed multiple sclerosis from toxic exposures in Iraq. A new home donated to her gives her some independence.

HOWELL, NJ — U.S. Army Major Darlene "Dolly" Harris says she was looking for something more fulfilling when she decided to enlist in the New Jersey Army National Guard in 1988.

"I would go to work and I would go home and then I'd be now what," Harris said. After meeting a woman who was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force she saw a poster for the Army National Guard.

"That was one of my top three best decisions of my life. It was fun. It was adventurous. It was great," she said.

Harris feels that way in spite of the fact that her National Guard service led to her developing multiple sclerosis, which has forced her to use a wheelchair and other assistive devices.

"It's a brutal diagnosis for somebody who is independent and active," she said. "Life is never the same, will never be the same."

Harris has lived in Howell for 30 years and loved her home. But as her illness progressed, her home became unworkable.

The doorways were only about an inch wider than her wheelchair, so the molding around the doorways was beaten up from her hitting them. She had to rearrange furniture to accommodate the chair, and the kitchen had become unworkable because she couldn't reach anything up higher than the counters.

That's where Homes For Our Troops came in. The nonprofit organization focuses on building and donating specially adapted custom homes to veterans who have served post the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and were severely injured as a result of their service.

"Most of these veterans have sustained injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, blindness, severe burns, and/or severe traumatic brain injury," the organization, which formed in 2004, says on its website. "These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives."

Harris was called to active duty in June 2004 and in January 2005 went to Iraq. Her job as a logistics officer with the 42nd Division included checking and recording the serial numbers on destroyed vehicles, and she said there was a burn pit on the base as well.

"You'd walk out and you're like 'oh yeah the oil fields are on fire again,' because you could smell it," Harris said. "You'd look at the water and you'd see the oil slick going down."

"There was a lot of bad exposures," she said.

Harris started suffering problems with her balance and her ability to get around.

"I was tripping and falling constantly, always looking for something to lean onto," she said. "I was active, I was fit, so obviously that was not like me."

Harris said she avoided going to the unit's medical staff because she believed that if something was diagnosed, she would be sent home and she didn't want that. She was diagnosed with service-induced multiple sclerosis in 2006.

"I knew it before I got diagnosed because all you have to do is look up symptoms on the internet," she said.

Since Harris was diagnosed, her condition has significantly declined. She cannot move her legs, and damage to her spinal cord continues to progressively limit mobility in her arms.

Those struggles along with a home not built for a wheelchair were taking a toll. Then she learned from a friend about Homes For Our Troops.

"I didn't believe her. I never thought that I'd be a candidate," Harris said.

The home they proposed to build her was beyond anything she could dream, she said.

The one-story home has about 40 customized adaptations, including roll-under countertops, pull-down shelving, an open floor plan with wider hallways and doorways, and an accessible bathroom with a roll-in shower, all designed to support her accessibility needs.

A concrete sidewalk encircles the home and will allow her to go outside and enjoy birds at her bird feeders, one of her hobbies.

"I couldn't believe how big the bathroom was" in the plans, she said. "That is just outstanding."

The whole home, which was given to her for free, "is life-changing, just life-changing," she said.

Harris was presented the keys to her new home on Dec. 13 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and her joy and relief were audible as she gasped rolling through the front door for the first time.

And just in time for Christmas, there was a Christmas tree all decorated and lit up.

"I didn't expect that," she said.

"Homes For Our Troops is an amazing organization," Harris said. "It's just shocking that an organization would do that and then continue to do that for so many people all over the United States. They are amazing."

Homes For Our Troops builds homes where the veteran chooses to live and "continues its relationship with the veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives," the organization says. It has built and donated 426 specially adapted custom homes and has 66 ongoing projects. For more information, visit www.hfotusa.org.

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Much of the work to support those in need in our communities is performed by charitable organizations. Donations are critical to their work.

HOWELL, NJ — There’s no single way to show generosity on Giving Tuesday, which falls on Tuesday, Dec. 2, this year, but several nonprofits in Howell are counting on end-of-the-year donations and support.

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday all focus on consumerism, while the idea behind GivingTuesday is to galvanize fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes.

Since 2012, nonprofits, community and grassroots groups, and mutual aid networks worldwide have used the #GivingTuesday hashtag to encourage fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes, according to the nonprofit of the same name behind the movement.

Local nonprofits remain heavily dependent on donor support. Charitable contributions increased 2.9 percent from June 2024 to June 2025, according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Report analysis.

Notably, although total dollars raised have increased, year-to-date performance among supersize donors has been softer than in 2024, making small contributions more important than ever.

In the United States, Giving Tuesday is led by hundreds of communities, networks and coalitions.

Here are five nonprofits in Howell that depend on community support (donations should be made directly to each of the nonprofits below):

Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey: This organization helps senior citizens age in place and remain in their homes by providing caregiver assistance and programs to support them and their families. Operates in northern Ocean County and part of Monmouth County.

Meals on Wheels of Ocean County: Meals on Wheels delivers hundreds of meals daily to homebound seniors throughout Ocean County, providing not only nutrition but connection for people who are not able to get out often. Meals on Wheels drivers spend time with those receiving meals, providing wellness and safety checks.

Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity: The local chapter has been building homes in Ocean County for more than 25 years. They also help low- and moderate-income homeowners make repairs to their homes through the hand-up, not hand-out model in which homeowners invest both sweat equity and affordable payments to get the work completed.

Hope Sheds Light: The organization works to raise awareness and educate individuals, families and the community about the impact of addiction along with offering resources to help people achieve long-term recovery.

Animal rescues: There are several animal rescue organizations in Ocean County that assist with finding homes for dogs, cats, puppies, kittens and other animals. Here are some to consider; click the names for more information.

The Giving Tuesday movement encourages “radical generosity,” the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering, according to the movement’s website.

Giving Tuesday was created in New York City in 2012 with a simple goal: to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, the idea has grown into the global movement it is today.

Last year, Giving Tuesday participants raised a record-breaking $3.6 billion from 36.1 million participants, bringing the total raised on the day since 2012 to $18.5 billion.

HOWELL, NJ — Visits and pictures with Santa Claus are treasured traditions for many Howell families.

In Howell, kids have several chances to see jolly old St. Nick in person.

Here are the details:

Dec. 2: Howell will hold its Christmas Tree Lighting celebration from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at the municipal building, 4567 Route 9. Santa Claus will be on site with Mrs. Claus and their Elf. There will be hot drinks from The Caffeine Haven, cookies, games, inflatables, a petting zoo, hair tinsel and glitter by the Salon Professional Academy, musical entertainment by the Howell High School and Memorial 5th Grade chorus. Parking is available at the municipal building and there will be a shuttle service from Howell Commons Shopping Plaza, near Old Navy and The Salon Professional Academy.

Dec. 14: Pancake Breakfast with Santa at Ramtown Fire Company, 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Adults $10; children 3-12 years old, $5, children under 3 free. Photos with Santa. Call Pete Realmutto at 973-420-0437.

Santa is also holding court at several shopping malls in the local area, including:

Ocean County Mall: Santa Claus arrives at the mall on Hooper Avenue on Dec. 4 and will be welcomed with a celebration from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. He will "make a grand entrance on a fire truck, followed by a holiday story time and a special surprise visitor you won’t want to miss," according to mall officials. There will be music, crafts, and plenty of holiday cheer, mall officials say. The celebration and the Santa Photo Experience are at Center Court at the mall. If you're looking to take photos with Santa, reservations are required. A special sensory-friendly Santa photo experience for children with special needs and their families is set for Dec. 7 from 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Reservations are required.

Freehold Raceway Mall: Santa Claus is welcoming children and families on the lower level of Freehold Raceway Mall in Zara Court daily through Christmas Eve. Mall officials recommend reserving your visit; doing so comes with a free personalized digital message from Santa before the visit, "powered by Portable North Pole," and a free 3-month trial to Crayola Create and Play, mall officials said. There also are two pet photo nights, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, and the Santa Cares sensory-friendly event from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, for those with special needs and their families.

CAMDEN, NJ — A Howell Township man has man has admitted to taking part in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme that and fraudulently obtaining more than $1.8 million in small business loans offered during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal authorities said Monday.

Joshua Feldberger, 43, of Howell, pleaded guilty on Oct. 22 before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel to one count of bank fraud conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Mendel Deutsch, 39, of Toms River, pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 before Kiel to one count of bank and wire fraud conspiracy and one count of wire fraud, authorities said.

Authorities say Deutsch and Feldberger conspired with a third man, Arthur Spitzer, in June 2020 to make it appear as if Spitzer owned three properties in Brooklyn, New York, and agreed to sell them to Deutsch, who obtained a $4.5 million mortgage loan in connection with the transaction.

Feldberger facilitated the fraudulent transaction as the owner of the settlement company that handled the transaction, authorities said.

The three created and sent letters stating that Deutsch had deposited significant funds into escrow toward the transaction, when in reality he had not; they created fake documentation purportedly transferring control of the properties to Spitzer; and they lied to the mortgage lender by stating that the settlement company had received more than $2 million from Deutsch at closing, which led the mortgage lender to fund the loan, authorities said.

Deutsch, Feldberger and Spitzer then used the mortgage loan proceeds to fund Deutsch’s down payment, which he had supposedly already provided, authorities have said.

Deutsch, Feldberger and Spitzer, 38, also from Toms River, were indicted in the scheme in September 2024. Authorities have alleged Spitzer identified properties that had either no mortgages or mortgages well below the property’s market value, then obtained mortgage loans secured by those properties and forged documents to make it appear control of the properties had been transferred to him.

The loan proceeds were disbursed to bank accounts controlled by Spitzer or were used to otherwise benefit Spitzer, such as to pay off his debts, and then he allowed the loans to default by not making the required payments, leaving the true property owners subject to foreclosure and eviction, authorities have alleged.

The charges are still pending against Spitzer, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Feldberger is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23. He faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million on the count of bank fraud conspiracy.