• Fisher interested in agriculture position
BRIDGETON Assemblyman Doug Fisher could be New Jersey's next secretary of agriculture.

• Hospitals clearing the air on smoking
All three campuses of the Kennedy Health System will go smoke-free beginning Jan. 1 barring tobacco use on any of its properties and grounds.

• Obama seeks govs' aid with economy
PHILADELPHIA President-elect Barack Obama met with governors from across the country Tuesday and asked for their help in crafting a stimulus package to boost the lagging economy and help their struggling states.

• Official faces clothing protest
By Jessica Coomes

• One for the books
WASHINGTON TWP. For years, the waiting list for children's programs at the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library has often been as longÊ if not double the amount of kids the library can actually take in.

• Auctions open up housing market
The state of the economy has made the housing market a difficult field to venture into. It is, without question, a buyer's market, as those looking to invest in a home have a plethora of options at their disposal, and the perfect home has become the one with the best price.

• DTEA votes to stop volunteer activities
DEPTFORD TWP. Karen McCusker's two daughters have been practicing for months for their winter band concert next week a concert that has now been canceled by the school district after the education association voted to do no more volunteering until their contracts have been settled.

• Officials upbeat on Obama's new national security team
New Jersey's elected officials on Monday said Barack Obama's selection of his national security teamincluding Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State demonstrates an ability in the president-elect to discard partisan politics and political rivalries for the betterment of the country.

• GCIT teen lands the hottest ticket
DEPTFORD TWP. While most teenagers are picking out prom dresses, Vicki Whitby was getting her $100 dress for the Inaugural Ball.

• Losses disrupt plans in A.C.
ATLANTIC CITY New Jersey's seaside gambling resorts will likely continue to take a beating through the rest of this year as the economy continues to struggle, experts said.

• Obama to name 6 top posts
By Nedra Pickler

• Officials: Empty stores mean opportunity
WOODBURY The Goodwill Store, a consignment shop, a car dealership, Polsky's, The Art Lounge.

• Police: Kashmir militants to blame
By Ravi Nessman

• This fix may be less taxing
Should Gloucester County get the chance to be the first in the state with a countywide tax assessment program, it could keep several municipalities from being forced to conduct pricey revaluations or reassessments.

• Tree hunting kicks off despite weather
PITMAN Even before Halloween, Santa has Rudolph poking his nose into the holiday festivities, letting everyone know it's almost time for his big day. But it's after Thanksgiving when things really start to swing into full gear.

• WT mayor-elect shows Obama isn't sole quick starter
WASHINGTON TWP. Mayor-elect Matt Lyons isn't wasting any time.

• GCIT teen lands the hottest ticket
DEPTFORD TWP. While most teenagers are picking out prom dresses, Vicki Whitby was getting her $100 dress for the Inaugural Ball.

• This fix may be less taxing
Should Gloucester County get the chance to be the first in the state with a countywide tax assessment program, it could keep several municipalities from being forced to conduct pricey revaluations or reassessments.

• WT mayor-elect shows Obama isn't sole quick starter
WASHINGTON TWP. Mayor-elect Matt Lyons isn't wasting any time.

• BP seeks later deadline to build LNG terminal
LOGAN TWP. ÊLess than two months after energy giant BP announced it was halting work on a $700 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the eastern shore of the Delaware River, officials are now asking for an extension on a construction deadline.

• Panel to study river basin rules
A group of 20 people, including many state or federal officials, will soon take a comprehensive look at flood plains in each of the four states that feed the Delaware River in an attempt to replace 30-year-old regulations.

• Shopping but dropping: Holidays get hectic start, yet crowds seem smaller
DEPTFORD TWP. Sam Washington knew Black Friday was going to be a little crazy when he saw people camping outside the WalMart in Berlin at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving night.

• Every event's a costume ball for school mascots
Sheila Harvey has always had a good head on her shoulders, but for the last four years that head has sometimes been several sizes too large and prone to fall off if she's not careful.

• Time to ship out Ð a gift
If you want your soldier, sailor or Marine to get some hometown cheer this holiday season, it'd probably be best to get moving double-time Ð the dates by which you need to send items abroad are quickly creeping up.

• Verizon seeks a pole vault over a key tax
Communications giant Verizon is looking to utilize language in a state law nearly 70 years old to stop paying taxes on the utility equipment that lines streets throughout the state.

• His trip isn't guided by traffic, but tides
FAIRFIELD TWP For those who must make the trip, today's Thanksgiving journey is often more dreaded than dealing with in-laws.

• Mother of all bake sales is a holiday tradition
WOODBURY HEIGHTS While most families bake three or four pies to accompany their Thanksgiving feasts each year, the Budd family prepared more than 1,600 in the days leading up to the holiday.

• Sweeney task for 2011: Pick one job
Will it be Gloucester County freeholder or state senator?

• Black Friday expects to be a big one for sales
Millions of consumers are expected to line up early to get some of the season's best sales on Black Friday, despite the nation's recent economic uncertainties.

• Corsey accused of aiding robber
Earlier this month, Leon Glaspie eluded a massive police manhunt for hours after allegedly robbing a Deptford Township bank and crashing into a police officer during his getaway.

• Fugitive program draws a crowd
CAMDEN From the first day, there was no doubt that New Jersey's first fugitive safe surrender program was going to attract more attention than law enforcement originally thought.

• Dem funds already ahead of GOP
The Republican Party in Gloucester County must start fresh with raising funds for next year's races, but the Democrats have a decent nest egg for 2009.

• Early contracts may have heating customers seeing red
The price of home heating oil has plummeted since the summer months good news for those looking to buy oil right now, but bad news for anyone who locked in their price amid fears of rising oil prices earlier this year.

• Mourners recall life of doctor, wife
WOODBURY Hundreds of mourners stood outside in the cold Wednesday afternoon, waiting to pay their last respects to Dr. Lawrence Epple Jr. and Nancy Johnson-Epple at St. Patrick's Church.

• Communities unite to send photos to troops
WOODBURY With Halloween over and holiday paraphernalia appearing in the store aisles even before Thanksgiving arrives, it won't be long before Christmas is actually here.

• Cutback may cripple Mummer's strut
It takes a lot more than just "O Dem Golden Slippers" to be a Mummer nowadays.

• Panel: Tourism begins at home
If Gloucester County is going to boost economic development by promoting tourism, it needs to start that push with its own residents.

• Close to home, attractions try to adjust
As frugal families celebrate Thanksgiving at home after an entire summer of "staycations," those looking for nearby entertainment are inadvertently affecting local attractions.

• Doctor succumbs to injuries
WOODBURY The beloved pediatrician who lost his wife of 25 years in a house fire Wednesday morning died overnight Friday, according to hospital officials.

• Obama may loosen stem cell research limits
WASHINGTON In one of his first moves in the White House, President-elect Barack Obama could free up federal money for studying controversial stem cells taken from human embryos.

• Coach denies tamper claim
WOODBURY A former Kingsway High School teacher categorically denied that she ever tried to force a female student to change her story about a romantic relationship with another teacher in May 2007.

• Friends pray for doctor, wife
WOODBURY Funeral services are being planned for the Woodbury woman who died in an early morning fire Wednesday in her Delaware Street home.

• Judge OKs sale of Boscov's
WILMINGTON, Del. A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Friday approved the sale of the Boscov's department store chain to two former executives.

• Corzine: Delay payments to save
ATLANTIC CITY Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Thursday told local officials they could put off paying their full contribution to the pension system due in April of next year, as a way to hold down property taxes during the economic slump.

• County gets an early deal for winter
The price of road salt may have increased by some $10 a ton in the past year, but the county and state may have dodged the bullet by purchasing the salt early, at last year's prices.

• Fire victim continues fight for life
WOODBURY A small memorial of flowers and a teddy bear rested on the cold November ground Thursday, outside the Delaware Street home that was gutted by a fire the day before and claimed the life of a beloved pediatrician's wife.

• Extension cords blamed in fire
WOODBURY When friends, neighbors and patients heard about a pre-dawn fire Wednesday in a Delaware Street home, they thought it couldn't possibly have happened to this wonderful couple again.

• Family of hunter won't stop search
PAULSBORO The family of a missing duck hunter said Wednesday they will not stop searching until the 23-year-old Gibbstown man is found.

• Fugitives given chance for safe surrender
CAMDEN Rodney Campbell could be the poster child for the allure of the fugitive safe surrender program.

• Pension credits under scrutiny
The conviction of former Sen. Wayne Bryant rang the alarm on public-sector attorneys who sent subordinates to perform their work, a practice the defense argued was common throughout New Jersey.

• Teachers back student's story in intimidation case
WOODBURY A series of Kingsway High School teachers testified Wednesday to corroborate the story of a student who claims she was intimidated by her coach to recant on claims of a sexual relationship with another teacher.

• Another round, but no bids for WT liquor licenses
WASHINGTON TWP. Ott's has one. PJ Whelihan's has one. Salina Wine & Liquor has one. The Liquor Hut was the last to get one.

• Bryant guilty of corruption with ex-UMDNJ dean
TRENTON Former Sen. Wayne Bryant, who over a quarter-century rose to become one of the most influential legislators in New Jersey, was found guilty Tuesday of using his power for personal gain.

• Coach's misconduct trial opens
WOODBURY Just eight days after a fellow coach was charged with having a sexual tryst with a Kingsway High School student-athlete, a colleague allegedly went on a mission to get the girl to change her story.

• House to be handicapped-accessible
DEPTFORD TWP. For the past decade, students at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology have worked with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for those in need.

• Jury deliberates in Bryant case
TRENTON Jurors deliberated for the first full day Monday in the corruption trial of former state Sen. Wayne Bryant, without reaching a verdict.

• SEC discusses binge drinking, underage consumption
TRENTON The state Senate Education Committee held a special hearing Monday morning on underage drinking on college campuses, prompted by a recent petition signed by more than 140 college presidents.

• State's U.S. attorney to resign Dec. 1
By John P. Martin and Josh Margolin

• '08 elections to alter Capitol landscape
By Jessica Coomes

• Eatery unfazed by liquor approval
HARRISON TWP. ÊIf there's anyone in Mullica Hill who knows how well a nice glass of Merlot can accentuate a plate of fine pasta, it's Mimmo Atie.

• Fight looms on auto bailout
By Stephen Ohlemacher

• Gibbstown man fell into Mantua Creek
PAULSBORO The search for a duck hunter who fell into Mantua Creek after his boat overturned has turned into a "recovery operation," a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday.

• N.J. to fugitives: Surrender safely
By Angela Delli Santi

• As more residents lose homes, local animal shelter sees the four-footed victims
Sasha is an affectionate, 8-year-old beagle who lived happily with her owners until they recently lost their home to foreclosure.

• County says it foresaw trouble
A $4 million revenue shortfall is what Gloucester County faces this year because of the struggling economy and stagnant housing market, officials conceded this past week.

• Hunter missing as boat flips
PAULSBORO A duck hunter was missing late Saturday night after the boat he and three others were in capsized in the Mantua Creek about the time a fast-moving rainstorm passed through the region.

• Fatal DWI sentence: Six years
WOODBURY When a young Persian Gulf veteran died last year in a car crash, her family went on a mission in search of justice.

• Jury gets Bryant corruption case
TRENTON Ð Jurors began deliberations Friday in the federal corruption trial of former Sen. Wayne Bryant, once one of New Jersey's most powerful legislators, accused of using his influence to get a "low-work" job at the state's medical school to pad his taxpayer-funded pension.

• Woman admits rest home killing
WOODBURY Sharon Maslanka, a woman accused of strangling a man to death in a National Park rest home, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter Friday evening.

• Attorney: No crime in Bryant case
TRENTON Federal prosecutors put former Sen. Wayne Bryant's personal and professional life under a microscope for a year but failed to find a crime, his attorney said Thursday in closing arguments.

• Bond planned to bail out township
EAST GREENWICH TWP. The township committee plans to bond $650,000 to bail the municipality out of a financial quagmire the mayor contends is left over from the last administration.

• Obamas enjoy fine food, wine, but hold the beets
By Deanna BellandiI

• WT council OKs library purchase
WASHINGTON TWP. After years of waiting, the township is finally getting what it's been asking for Ð a new, bigger library.

• Academy School project reduced
The Gloucester County Institute of Technology will be expanded to provide admission for more students under a plan that calls for a scaled-back Academy High School construction project first discussed last year.

• County flu shot program in full swing
Gloucester County has provided 14,636 flu shots to residents since the free vaccination program began on Oct.22 and offers 19 more clinics before the program ends on Dec. 29.

• Prosecution: Bryant offered post 'for hire'
TRENTON Former Sen. Wayne Bryant "sold" his public office to the School of Osteopathic Medicine in exchange for a stream of corrupt payments, a federal prosecutor told jurors Wednesday during closing arguments in Bryant's corruption trial.

• Show of respect: County honors vets while it expands services
DEPTFORD TWP. To many, Veterans Day is seen as a day off from work or a day of sales at the stores, but those at Gloucester County College on Tuesday for the county's annual ceremony were reminded of its true significance.

• State has Obama to-do list
From those advocating for health care reform to others pushing alternative energy production, organizations in New Jersey are waiting, rather impatiently, for President-elect Barack Obama to begin work in the Oval Office.

• Trio sought in Rowan assaults
GLASSBORO Four Rowan University students were robbed Ð two of them beaten in the process ÐÊby a group of armed men early Tuesday morning, police said.

• County searching for target range site
After local opposition removed South Harrison Township from the list of potential sites for a police shooting range, law enforcement officials are continuing their search for a suitable location for the much-needed practice range.

• Higher landlord fee would pay for new officer in Woodbury
WOODBURY The city has plans to hire a new police officer by next year, a move that will be funded by raising the landlord licensing and inspection fees here.

• Students honor local veterans
WASHINGTON TWP. A sea of red-, white- and blue-clad children greeted dozens of local veterans Monday morning with patriotic songs and thank-you notes to honor those who have served the country.

• Eagles tailgating just fun at games
PHILADELPHIA They show up in roaring droves while the hours of the day are still counting off the remainder of the morning.

• Schools to extend veteran services
The New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities wants its nine member schools Ð among them, Rowan University Ð to do more to serve students who are veterans.

• County GOP still hopeful
Republican leaders in Gloucester County were certain that at least one freeholder candidate would end the decade-long Democratic stronghold here.

• Phillies poised to become champs in another area Ð merchandising.
You've seen them on billboards hawking hometown sweets.

• Rowan Blvd. rises without a ruckus
GLASSBORO Diane Rennles is happy with the borough's financial offer for her Whitney Avenue home and grateful for their offers to ease her transition to a new residence, but she and her husband are still having difficulty finding a place that can compare to their home in Glassboro.

• Economic woes push gas prices below $2
While people are still concerned about the slumping economy, motorists across the region have benefited from the market contraction and are paying far less at the pump than earlier this year.

• Family sues in fatal crash
WASHINGTON TWP. The family of a local soldier who lost his life in a motorcycle accident just a few months after he returned home from Iraq is suing the township for wrongful death, because the sharp curve in the road where the accident occurred was poorly lit and marked.

• Voters wrote in big names
Barack Obama and John McCain may have been the two major-party candidates on the ballot for president, but that doesn't mean some other high-profile names didn't get some attention.

• Corzine at center of Obama cabinet talk
By Josh Margolin and Claire Heininger

• County gang sweep nets 59
WOODBURY Nearly 60 people, all of them with alleged ties to various violent street gangs, have been arrested following a five-month investigation into gang activity in suburban Gloucester County.

• Bryant defense: Another senator had high pension
TRENTON Attorneys for former Sen. Wayne Bryant and his co-defendant, R. Michael Gallagher, on Wednesday presented the jury with what could be the last pieces of evidence in defense of federal corruption charges, making way for closing arguments next week.

• Officer hurt, 1 held in holdup, collision
DEPTFORD TWP. One of the men allegedly responsible for a botched bank robbery that injured a police officer was still missing Wednesday evening as police wrapped up a day-long manhunt.

• Teachers see historic lesson in Obama win
It may be awhile before Barack Obama's win as president appears in new editions of school textbooks, but educators agree the moment the country elected its first black president will definitely fall on the timeline of this nation's historic events.