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Joe Cheringal, along with fellow coaches Andy Rossi and Alan Elwood, knew they had something special when they assembled the East Hanover/Florham Park Little League 12-year old team this past spring.

Cheringal, who has spent the last eight seasons coaching baseball in town, has fielded some competitive and talented teams over the years, but the 49-year old manager realized there was something different about this summer’s dozen.

“There was a lot of talented players to choose from, but Little League allows for just 12 players on a roster,” said Cheringal, who is also the vice president of the East Hanover/Florham Park Little League. “Around 10 of the 12 kids have played together for quite a few years. But still, you don’t really know what a team is all about until you get all the kids on the field and see how they mesh and play together. We were pretty confident we had a team that was going to compete and win games.”

Last Sunday, East Hanover/Florham Park captured its first-ever New Jersey Little League state title by stunning state power Holbrook (Jackson) in consecutive games. East Hanover is just the seventh Morris County team to capture a Little League state title since the tournament was first held in 1957, and the first since Parsippany-Troy East won it all in 2012.

Next stop for the East Hanover 12s is the Metro Region Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, which starts this weekend. The winner of the tournament goes to the Little League World Series.

Read more:What to know about the Metro Region Tournament, how to watch

Here's what you need to know about each player:

No. 00: Liam Wood

Position: Pitcher, first baseman, outfielder

Bats: Left | Throws: Left

Favorite hobby: Sports

Favorite MLB player: Babe Ruth

No. 3: Chike Orjiekwe

Position: Outfielder

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Sports

Favorite MLB player: Juan Soto

No. 5: Braden Edelle

Position: Pitcher, third baseman, outfielder

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge

No. 7: Dante Elwood

Position: First baseman, second baseman, third baseman

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Giancarlo Stanton

No. 11: Anthony Abrantes

Position: Pitcher, First Baseman, third baseman

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Bryce Harper

No. 16: Ryan Cheringal

Position: Pitcher, catcher, third baseman

Bats: Left | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Sports

Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge

No. 17: AJ Rossi

Position: Pitcher, first baseman

Bats: Right | Throws: Left

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Shohei Ohtani

No. 18: Anthony Sansonetti

Position: Outfielder

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge

No. 24: RJ Gossweiler

Position: Pitcher, second baseman, third baseman

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Ken Griffey, Jr.

No. 25: Tyler Ciasullo

Position: Pitcher, shortstop

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Derek Jeter

No. 27: Charlie Dorst

Position: Catcher, first baseman

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Playing sports

Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge

No. 28: Paul Carsillo

Position: Pitcher, second baseman, third baseman

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Favorite hobby: Baseball

Favorite MLB player: Cody Bellinger

Manager: Joe Cheringal

Coach: Andy Rossi

Coach: Alan Elwood

Swiss drugmaker Novartis is laying off 103 employees at its U.S headquarters in Morris County, the company stated in public filings with state regulators.

The layoffs in East Hanover are part of a reorganization effort by the pharmaceutical giant, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN notice, filed with the state on Aug. 18. The layoffs will go into effect on Nov. 24 this year, the company said.

Michael Meo, a spokesperson for Novartis, said in an email that the reductions were part of an “ongoing organizational evolution” that was being undertaken to improve the speed and success of drug development.

Last year, Novartis cut 285 positions across New Jersey, according to a WARN notice. There are roughly 4,100 people that work at the Novartis property along Route 10, Meo said.

In April, Novartis said it was cutting 8,000 positions from its global workforce, or roughly 7% of its staff. Amid rising costs, the company said it aims to save $1.5 billion by next year.

The company is spinning off its generics and biosimilars unit Sandoz later this year, according to a report by trade publication Fierce Pharma.

Novartis, and before it Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, has operated from the campus overlooking Route 10 and Ridgedale Avenue since the 1940s. But it has been downsizing the site for years. In 2021, it sold off 62 acres of the property, including its signature eight-story tower. A developer announced plans to demolish the tower and construct industrial space there.

More:Novartis HQ tower in East Hanover to be demolished; developer will build industrial space

Novartis isn’t the first New Jersey pharmaceutical and life sciences company to cut its workforce this year.

In Nutley, Eisai Inc. cut 91 jobs this April, while Bristol Myers Squibb announced 48 layoffs at its Princeton offices in May, with another round of 108 cuts set to occur across the state this November. Laboratory and diagnostics company BioReference Health LLC of Elmwood Park, cut 71 jobs in June.

Consulting firm BDO reported earlier this summer that 13% of life sciences companies were considering layoffs and furloughs as a cost-cutting measure this year, as the industry reacts to rising interest rates and a demand for higher profitability among investors.

Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.

Christopher Perillo went 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead top-seeded Hanover Park to a 10-1 win over Ridgefield Park in the semifinals of the North 2, Group 2 tournament in East Hanover.

Complete Box Score »

Toby Smith hit a home run with two RBI for Hanover Park (21-5), which advanced to the sectional finals for the third-straight season. It will look to win its second title in three years (2021) when it takes on second-seeded Rutherford in the final on Friday.

Alex Cheringal went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jack Massarano singled and scored three runs in the win. Toby Smith, Joe LoPinto, and Alex Cheringal combined to give up just one run on four hits.

Ridgefield Park dropped to 16-9-1 with the loss.

Rutherford 6, Caldwell 4

Luke Cerulli went 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead second-seeded Rutherford to a 6-4 win over third-seeded Caldwell in the semifinals of the North 2, Group 2 tournament in Rutherford.

Rutherford (19-9) picked up its sixth-straight victory and advanced to the sectional final for the second time in three seasons. It will face top-seeded Hanover Park- the team which ended its season the last two seasons in the final and semifinal, respectively- on Friday.

Van Weber went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI for Rutherford. Henry Hui went 3-for-4, while Sam Kelly pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to secure the victory.

Ty Fredo had four RBI for Caldwell (15-3-1), which included a two-run home run in the fifth inning to close the gap to 5-4.

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The best teams from the New York metro area will be competing for Little League glory beginning Saturday.

Only it won’t be in The Bronx or Queens or North Jersey.

The most talented played aged 10 to 12 from the area are set to battle it out in Bristol, Conn., at the Metro Region Tournament (a double-elimination bracket that also includes teams from East Lyme, Conn., and Smithfield, R.I.) for a chance at making it to Williamsport for the Little League World Series.

The two local teams couldn’t have more disparate identities: one is a state powerhouse; the other is a relative newcomer.

Representing New York is Massapequa Coast Little League, a Long Island team that has won the state championship for the third straight year.

East Hanover will represent New Jersey for the first time, aiming to become the first Morris County team ever to advance to Williamsport.

“Every year we’re pretty competitive as far as the district but for our town, we’ve never even got out of the districts and won anything,” East Hanover coach Joe Cheringal said. “So this is huge for our town and, and the town of Florham Park as well, because we go to the same high school together, so our towns combined for Little League.

“So both towns are super excited and showed really well in a lot of our state games. It’s huge for us. There’s a big buzz around the town.”

To reach the regional finals in Connecticut, East Hanover stunned state favorite Holbrook 4-3 last Sunday, beating the previously undefeated squad twice in the same weekend.

Massapequa, on the other hand, is no stranger to Williamsport.

The team made it to the Little League World Series last year but was eliminated in the second round after losses to Honolulu and Hollidaysburg, Pa.

“We’ve been preaching since the first day this year: our goal is to get to the Little League World Series and win — that’s step five,” coach Jon Henchy said. “Step one is districts which we accomplished, step two is section, which we accomplished, and we just finished step three, which is the state championship.

“We still have two more steps to go.”

The Massapequa first baseman and home run leader, Brady Hunt, said it has been thrilling to reach this level of success with his closest friends.

“It’s really fun and exciting to know how far we’ve come and it’s just very cool,” said Hunt, who has been with the team since he was 8 years old.

While nerves are sure to set in when the Long Island team plays Smithfield at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) on Saturday, Hunt said he knows he has to rely on his team.

“Knowing we have each other’s backs, the nervous factor kinda goes away, because we know if we make a mistake, our team can pick each other up,” he said.

East Hanover will kick off the tournament with a game against East Lyme at 4 p.m on Saturday. (ESPN+) on Saturday.

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“When we put the team together, we knew we knew we had a very good team,” Cheringal said. “Being that close to going to Pennsylvania, it’s becoming more of a reality for everybody. And everybody’s really excited about it.

“We just hope to put our best foot forward in the next couple of games.”

In New Jersey’s largest industrial sale of the year, retail REIT Urban Edge Properties has sold a 1.2 million-square-foot, seven-building portfolio in East Hanover, N.J., for $217.5 million. The buyer was an investment fund managed by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing together with Saxum Real Estate, its operator and manager. JLL Capital Markets brokered the transaction.

The deal was structured as part of a 1031 exchange transaction used to partially fund the $309 million acquisition of two Boston-area shopping centers totaling nearly 1.4 million square feet—Gateway Center in Everett, Mass., and Shoppers World in Framingham, Mass.—from SITE Centers. Urban Edge funded the remaining balance of the purchase with its line of credit.

READ ALSO: What’s Ahead for Industrial?

The sale of the industrial portfolio, located in Morris County, is part of the company’s strategy of acquiring high-quality retail real estate with future growth potential. The REIT, which owns and operates 76 properties totaling 17.2 million square feet, is actively negotiating the disposition of more than $100 million of non-core assets.

A Northern New Jersey industrial portfolio

Located at 901, 903-906, 601 Murray Road and 151 Ridgedale Ave., the light industrial portfolio is spread across seven buildings that were fully leased at the time of sale by a total of 13 tenants. Key features include an average clear height of 21 feet and 945 total parking spaces.

The properties are in the high barrier-to-entry and supply-constrained market of Northern New Jersey. One of the properties, 151 Ridgedale Ave., was acquired in October 2021. The 187,013-square-foot Paper Mart warehouse and distribution center had originally been owned by Urban Edge’s predecessor, Vornado Realty Trust. Vornado spun off Urban Edge into a separate company in January 2015. Vornado had sold the 9.17-acre property to Paper Mart in 1978. Purchasing the site back from Paper Mart in 2021 gave Urban Edge ownership of all the commercial assets on the block.

The Morris County submarket is the fourth largest submarket in Northern New Jersey, representing more than 33.4 million square feet of industrial space.

Arranged by JLL

JLL Capital Markets arranged the deal, representing the seller and procuring the buyer. The Investment Sales and Advisory team was led by Jose Cruz, Marc Duval, Jordan Avanzato, Nick Stefans, Jason Lundy and Austin Pierce.

In another recent transaction, three JLL brokers secured a $869 million financing package for an 11.4 million-square-foot industrial portfolio. The fully leased properties have an average completion date of 2020.