Acupuncture in Kinnelon, NJ

PERTH AMBOY – The Kinnelon girls swim team knows what it's up against on Saturday morning. The Colts have never won a NJSIAA swimming team title. Haddonfield, their opponent in the Public C final, have claimed three in a row – and swum in the last seven.

But after finally getting past Mountain Lakes to win a sectional plaque for the first time since 2013, the Kinnelon swimmers are trying to stay loose. They'll have a long bus ride to Gloucester County Institute of Technology to bond on Saturday morning.

Haddonfield edged Kinnelon, 87-83, the last time they faced off. It was a 2012 Public B semifinal, and the Bulldawgs went on to lose to Chatham in the championship meet.

Haddonfield beat Mountain Lakes in each of the past three seasons, the same team the Colts finally defeated in the North 2-C final. The Bulldawgs had lost to the Lakers in the previous three finals, so they have plenty of championship-meet experience – something longtime Kinnelon coach Brian Boardman said can't be duplicated or taught. But most of the Colts are year-round swimmers, not rookies to high-pressure meets.

"As much as you want to say it's any old meet, it's not," Boardman said. "They still feel the pressure. It's different representing your town, swimming for your team. ... We're excited for Saturday. It's going to take everything to beat Haddonfield. We're looking forward to the challenge."

Will Chatham roar in state finals again?

Public C is the second of five NJSIAA championship swim meets on Saturday. Top-seeded Chatham (14-0) will open the series facing No. 3 Princeton (13-0) in the Public B girls final.

The top-seeded Cougars boys will try to cap another perfect season with a second straight Public B title on Sunday morning against No. 2 Tenafly. Both teams come into the championship meet undefeated.

Flashback!Chatham boys swimming caps perfect season with first NJSIAA team title

Chatham's girls were last in the state final in 2020, and haven't won since defeating Ocean City in 2017. They have won four championships in seven tries, dating back to 2011.

The Cougars have defeated Princeton three times in that stretch, to win the Central B title in 2012 and 2013, and a 2011 Public B semifinal.

The Tigers haven't been to a state final in more than a decade.

More:History made as Chatham girls, boys defend Morris County swim titles

The Chatham boys (13-0) don't exactly have the pedigree their girls do. However, the current Cougars seniors are 49-4 in their high school swimming careers, with two Morris County and one NJSIAA title.

Not to be outdone, Tenafly (11-0) comes in with three straight sectional titles and a 40-3 record over four seasons. The Tigers were last in a state final in 2014, losing Public C to Haddonfield.

"It's amazing," Chatham coach Laura Hartnett said. "It says how powerful we are. It was definitely on our radar to make it to the finals."

A homeowner in Kinnelon, New Jersey, is about to find out what happens when you cut down a neighbor’s trees.

Tree law is a subject of interest in online communities like r/legaladvice, so much so that there’s even an often-shared comic about the subreddit’s enthusiastic response. The potential penalties in these cases can make them very satisfying to read about.

Twitter user Sam Glickman (@SamAsIAm) recently took to the platform to share a story relayed by the borough forester involved in the case, later identified as John Linson by Northjersey.com.

A friend who is a municipal arborist just called to tell me about a guy who cut down 32 big mature trees on his neighbor's NJ property to get a better view of NYC. He hired a guy who hired another guy. Cut them down and left the debris there. The fine per tree is $1000 so the 1/

— Create Alliances for Better and Prepare for Worse. (@SamAsIAm) June 26, 2023

As Glickman explained, the alleged culprit, also identified by the local outlet as Grant Haber, “cut down 32 big mature trees on his neighbor’s New Jersey property to get a better view of New York City. He hired a guy who hired another guy.”

Unfortunately for Haber — but fortunately for the rest of the U.S. — most states have laws against cutting down another person’s trees since they’re so hard to replace, so valuable, and so important for purifying our air. Sometimes, the laws protecting them can be quite vicious.

“The fine per tree is $1,000, so the guy probably thought he was going to just pay a $32,000 fine,” Glickman said. “But the arborist wrote violations to all three parties, 96 in all, and there’s a provision requiring the replanting of like trees ‘of the same size.’”

In other words, the culprit and both the people hired to do the task may be held legally responsible for replacing the trees they removed — not just planting new saplings, but actually transporting full-grown trees to the victim’s lot and making sure they survive being transplanted.

Since trees are so big and so hard to move without hurting them, the process comes with a hefty price tag. According to Glickman, the victim had been in touch with the only company willing to do the job.

“They have to build a road, remove the debris, plant big trees, and water them for two years,” Glickman said. “He quoted $1.5 million. And additional fines total $400,000.” If true, that would bring the grand total price tag for cutting down 32 mature trees to almost $2 million.

A preliminary hearing in the Kinnelon Municipal Court was held on June 27 over Zoom, Glickman said.

“Zoom was overwhelmed,” he explained, adding that some viewers were “asked to leave so the prosecutor could log in.”

The session was rescheduled to July 18 after Haber’s lawyer requested additional time to review information related to the case.

When reached by Northjersey.com, Linson would not comment on the social media price estimate for replacing the trees other than to say it was “slightly exaggerated.”

“I am only able to state that 32 trees were removed without a permit,” he told the outlet.

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ATLANTIC CITY – Kayla Vazquez is in a league of her own.

The Kinnelon junior joined elite company on Saturday when she became just the second Morris County girl to capture a state wrestling title.

Vazquez, a three-time state medalist, defeated Maya Hemo of Cherry Hill East, 5-0, in the 132-pound championship match at Boardwalk Hall.

"This is unreal. I've dreamt about this since I was in fourth grade. The fact that I'm finally here doing it, especially in Atlantic City, is amazing," Vazquez said. "This moves my momentum forward. I'm already looking forward to next year and defending my title."

Vazquez (18-0) joins Morris County pioneer Sydney Petzinger, who won back to back state titles in 2019-20, as the only girls in county history to accomplish the feat. She is the second Kinnelon wrestler to capture a NJSIAA crown, joining two-time champion Evan Mougalian, who won in 2020 and 2022.

Vazquez placed third in the state at 120 pounds in 2021 and was third again in 2022 at 126 pounds.

"There's wrestling in Kinnelon. That's what I would say," Kinnelon coach Eric DiColo said. "I don't care what size school you are, if you have a solid recreation program, kids that commit at a young age, and compete in your high school and club, this is what you get.

"Kayla has been active since she was young, similar to Evan [Mougalian]. It just goes to show you if you're dedicated, this is the result and you can do it anywhere."

Vazquez jumped out to a 2-0 lead midway through the first period on a takedown and stretched the lead to 4-0 with another takedown with 34 seconds left in the second. She sealed it with an escape with a minute left in the third.

Her wrestling path started when she was 3 years old and involved in Judo. After moving to Kinnelon in fourth grade, a family friend invited her to a wrestling workout. The rest is history.

"The next thing I knew, I was on a wrestling mat. I fell in love with it," Vazquez said. "I work out almost every day. But when I need a break, I take a day or two. I love the sport, but I don't want to treat it like a job. I make it fun and change it up a little."

DiColo said Vazquez has been an inspiration to the younger girls in the Kinnelon feeder program.

"We've had about 10 to 12 girls join our rec program in the last two years. It's starting to happen and the future is bright because of Kayla," DiColo said. "You have these little girls running around and they want to be just like her [Vazquez]. It's awesome.

"I'd like to see Kayla repeat next year. I think she's now the top pound-for-pound girl wrestler in the state with [Kira] Pipkins moving on."

KINNELON,NJ - Meet your superintendent: Dave Mango.

Mango describes himself as a very proud husband and father with a lifelong dedication to education.

Aside from work and spending quality time with his family, Mango enjoys weight training and hunting. His passion for both these hobbies derives from his participation at a young age alongside his father.

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Dave Mango relocated to Kinnelon in 2017 with his wife and daughter. He is the Superintendent of Kinnelon schools and a proud Kinnelon dad.

“Who I am personally is the same person I am professionally. The staff knows that when they’re talking to me, they are just talking to Dave,” said Mango.

Dave explained he pursued a career in education as a result of previously experiencing the impact of good educators.

“What propelled me into education was my high school vice principal, guidance counselor, and coach; they all gave me so much that when I left there I wanted to give back. By the end of my senior year I knew that I wanted to make a positive impact,” said Mango.

Since becoming superintendent, Mango has implemented new technology infrastructure upgrades and a full-day Kindergarten program. Pre-K and speech services have been added to the top floor of Sisco Building. Google Classroom will be utilized across the district. High school students will be receiving new Chromebooks. The athletics department added new fencing around sports facilities, including around the bleachers. Lastly, the weight room renovation has begun, and all former equipment will be donated to charity.

In addition to those advancements, Mango instilled upgrades to safety and security as he feels safety is a priority.

“No matter where I've been or the position, I've always valued security. You have to have security,” explained Mango.

The safety improvements included revising new security signage, partnering with Eastern DataComm for a lens visitor management system, adding surveillance to Sisco building, adding vestibular in areas throughout the district, and extending technology further to the school’s fields.

The district applied for the “ROD” grants for partial roof replacement at Kiel School and Stonybrook school.

Additionally, Kinnelon is anticipating a security grant worth up to $500,000. If the grant is approved, taxpayers would only pay 60% of improvements and the state would pay for 40%.

Mango also changed district policy to require all students to wear student identification in their lanyards (grades 7-12) in efforts to enhance safety.

With all the new developments within the district, Mango expresses appreciation for the Kinnelon Board of Education.

“We have an outstanding board of education, they are committed. They work around the clock with me. We are in this together,” said Mango.

Dave Mango is looking forward to the school year and leaves us with a message to the community:

“School is not the same without students and staff. We are missing the laughter, the cheers, the smiles, and honestly the noise. We look forward to having our students and families come back and return to our buildings, as we are excited to embark on the 2023-24 calendar year.”

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The parents of an 18-month-old boy have filed a lawsuit after he was attacked by a pit bull and permanently scarred.

|Updated Mon, Sep 25, 2023 at 12:30 pm ET

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The parents of an 18-month-old boy who was attacked by a pit bull during a borough-wide garage sale in Kinnelon last year have filed a lawsuit against the homeowners and the borough.

According to the lawsuit, Samuel Miller Sr. and Roxanne Miller were on a Kinnelon Borough property on Sept. 24, 2022, when their child, who was secured in a stroller, was mauled by a pit bull, who was being handled and controlled by Lori J. Cipra-Gabriele, Gary Gabriele and Kurt Stelzenmueller.

Shortly after the attack began, the mother was able to fight the dog and pull him off her toddler, but was hurt in the process, the suit alleged.

Roxanne Miller was also "splattered by the blood of her son," the lawsuit states.

In the lawsuit, the homeowners are accused of neglecting to control and properly handle their dog. They are accused in the lawsuit of being reckless, negligent and failing to oversee the animal, which resulted in the Miller family suffering serious, irreversible injuries, mental anguish, agony and suffering.

Find out what's happening in Parsippanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Following the attack, in which the dog tore a large chunk of flesh from the toddler's cheek, the family rushed to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where he received "excruciating treatment" for his injuries, according to the claim.

The family states in the lawsuit that their son was left with chronic scarring that will be visible throughout his life.

The claim, filed on Sept. 11 in the state Superior Court in Morristown, demands compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and any other relief that the court deems to be just and equitable.

Along with suing the dog owners, the Millers have also named the borough as defendants, as they sponsored the borough-wide garage sale as a fundraiser for the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Auxiliary and Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company.

Kinnelon Borough did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment on the matter.

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