Tropical Smoothie Cafe Plans New CT Locations In Major Northeast Expansion Tropical Smoothie Cafe Plans New CT Locations In Major Northeast Expansion Tropical Smoothie Cafe Plans New CT Locations In Major Northeast Expansion
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Plans New CT Locations In Major Northeast Expansion Tropical Smoothie Cafe is expanding across the Northeast with plans to open 40 new restaurants in New York and Connecticut. The fast-casual restaurant chain announced a new development agreement with franchisee Aurify Kingstar in a news release on Monday, Oct. 19. The deal will bring new locations to the Albany area, Westchester County, The Bronx, and western Connecticut. The first new cafe is expected to open in early 2027, but specific locations and opening dates haven't been announced. "New York and Connecticut represent tremendous growth opportunities for Tropical Smoothie Cafe and ref…
Food Safety Alert Issued For Recalled Dessert Product Food Safety Alert Issued For Recalled Dessert Product Food Safety Alert Issued For Recalled Dessert Product
Food Safety Alert Issued For Recalled Dessert Product A frozen-dessert recall is prompting shoppers to check their freezers before serving a popular treat. Lidl US is recalling one lot of Gelatelli Coffee & Vanilla Gelato with Coffee Sauce & Cookie Pieces because it may contain Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA posted the company announcement on its website. The recalled gelato was sold at Lidl stores in Delaware, Washington, DC, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Consumers should check for 16-fluid-ounce containers of Gelatelli Coffee & Vanilla Gelato with Coffee Sa…
Cheddar Cheese Recall Issued Over Potentially Serious Health Risk Cheddar Cheese Recall Issued Over Potentially Serious Health Risk Cheddar Cheese Recall Issued Over Potentially Serious Health Risk
Cheddar Cheese Recall Issued Over Potentially Serious Health Risk A food-safety alert is urging shoppers to inspect their refrigerator before serving a popular cheese product. Family Farmstead Dairy, based in the upstate New York town of Worcester, is recalling a specific lot of its Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese because it may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.  The FDA posted the company's announcement on its website. The recalled product was sent to grocers in NY, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts. The company said it may have reached other states through downstream distributors. Consumers sho…
VIDEO: ICE Chase Ends In Crash Near Red Bank Train Station, Town Calls For Independent Review VIDEO: ICE Chase Ends In Crash Near Red Bank Train Station, Town Calls For Independent Review VIDEO: ICE Chase Ends In Crash Near Red Bank Train Station, Town Calls For Independent Review
Video: ICE Chase Ends In Crash Near Red Bank Train Station, Town Calls For Independent Review An attempted traffic stop by federal immigration agents turned into a police chase and crash in New Jersey, leaving two people injured and prompting borough officials to call for an independent investigation. Videos shared to social media captured U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempting to stop a vehicle near the Red Bank Train Station on Friday morning, Oct. 16. The driver refused to stop, leading agents on a pursuit that continued several blocks to Catherine Street, where the fleeing vehicle collided with one driven by an ICE agent, the Borough of Red Bank sa…
Northeast's Most Expensive ZIP Codes Revealed In New National Study Northeast's Most Expensive ZIP Codes Revealed In New National Study Northeast's Most Expensive ZIP Codes Revealed In New National Study
Northeast's Most Expensive ZIP Codes Revealed In New National Study One of the Northeast's wealthiest regions is climbing the ranks of the nation's most expensive places to buy a home, according to a new study. PropertyShark released its 2026 list of the nation's 100 most expensive ZIP codes by median home sale prices. The real estate data website's report showed the New York City metropolitan area claiming a record 25% of the rankings. The NYC region had 31 ZIP codes on the list, tying California's Bay Area for the most ZIP codes in the rankings. New York state had 20 ZIP codes in the rankings, up from 15 in 2025. The Hamptons dominated New York…
Rookie Middle Twp Cop Critical After Being Struck By DUI Driver During Traffic Stop: Officials Rookie Middle Twp Cop Critical After Being Struck By DUI Driver During Traffic Stop: Officials Rookie Middle Twp Cop Critical After Being Struck By DUI Driver During Traffic Stop: Officials
Rookie Middle Twp Cop Critical After Being Struck By DUI Driver During Traffic Stop: Officials A South Jersey rookie police officer is in critical condition after being struck by a suspected drunk driver during a traffic stop on Friday night, Oct. 16, authorities said. Middle Township Patrolman Austin Kapurelos, who joined the force last January, was conducting a motor vehicle stop on Route 47 South, also known as Wildwood Boulevard, shortly after 10 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle, Middle Township police said. Emergency crews treated Kapurelos at the scene before taking him to AtlantiCare Medical Center, where he remained in critical but stable condition as of Saturday, Oct. 17…
Springfield Police Chief Placed On Administrative Leave, But Why Remains A Mystery Springfield Police Chief Placed On Administrative Leave, But Why Remains A Mystery Springfield Police Chief Placed On Administrative Leave, But Why Remains A Mystery
Springfield Police Chief Placed On Administrative Leave, But Why Remains A Mystery A police chief in one New Jersey town is facing formal charges, announced at a Township Committee meeting held largely behind closed doors on Friday, Oct. 16. Springfield Police Chief John Cook, who was sworn in in 2011, has been placed on administrative leave and Capt. Jonathan Rachel has been named officer in charge. Cook is a 37-year veteran of the department. Springfield Mayor Harris Laufer read a statement before the special meeting adjourned, saying the committee had considered resolving the matter without formal charges but ultimately decided against it. "The com…
NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Ridgewood Cliff, Driver Escapes Through Window NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Ridgewood Cliff, Driver Escapes Through Window NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Ridgewood Cliff, Driver Escapes Through Window
NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Ridgewood Cliff, Driver Escapes Through Window An NJ Transit bus nearly plunged over a steep, rocky embankment in Bergen County on Friday afternoon, Oct. 16, but a steel guardrail and several large boulders stopped it from going over the edge, incident photographer Boyd A. Loving reports. The out-of-service bus was traveling down a steep hill on Glenwood Road in Ridgewood, just above NJ Transit's Ho-Ho-Kus train station, when the incident occurred, Loving said. The driver, who was the only person aboard, managed to escape through an emergency window before firefighters arrived and was not injured. Out of an abundance of caution, NJ Tra…
Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures
Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures Suspicious packages sent to the New Jersey offices of three members of Congress prompted closures and emergency responses on Friday, Oct. 16, officials said. U.S. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and Frank Pallone were among the lawmakers whose district offices received suspicious packages, according to statements from the lawmakers and News 12 New Jersey. Watson Coleman announced that her district office would remain closed for the day. Menendez said his Jersey City office was also temporarily closed while local authorities responded to a suspicious package. "The substance w…
Man Charged In $20K Tenafly Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase Man Charged In $20K Tenafly Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase Man Charged In $20K Tenafly Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase
Man Charged In $20K Tenafly Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase A New Jersey man once arrested following a high-speed pursuit on Route 80 has been charged again, this time in a nearly $20,000 check fraud scheme, authorities said. Nicholas G. Didio-Slaaen, 27, of Garfield, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 15, following a two-year investigation by Tenafly Police Detective Michael Vecchiarelli, Deputy Chief Michael deMoncada said. The investigation began in August 2024, when a victim mailed a legitimate $2,500 check to a contractor for work performed, deMoncada said. The check was intercepted, altered to list Didio-Slaaen as the payee, and deposited into his p…
Crumbl Closes 60 Stores As Cookie Empire Struggles With Plummeting Sales: Reports Crumbl Closes 60 Stores As Cookie Empire Struggles With Plummeting Sales: Reports Crumbl Closes 60 Stores As Cookie Empire Struggles With Plummeting Sales: Reports
Crumbl Closes 60 Stores As Cookie Empire Struggles With Plummeting Sales: Reports A popular cookie chain has closed dozens of stores nationwide in 2026, including several in the Northeast, amid plunging sales and growing financial problems, according to reports. At least 60 Crumbl locations have permanently closed in 2026 as of Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to the fan-run website Crumbl Cookie Flavors. The closures come as the chain faces declining customer traffic and concerns that more stores could shutter. Crumbl was founded in Utah in 2017 and became the nation's largest cookie chain in 2023. The company has grown to more than 1,000 locations nationwid…
'DWTS' Star Almost Went 'Will Smith' On Judge, He Says In Deleted Post 'DWTS' Star Almost Went 'Will Smith' On Judge, He Says In Deleted Post 'DWTS' Star Almost Went 'Will Smith' On Judge, He Says In Deleted Post
'DWTS' Star Almost Went 'Will Smith' On Judge, He Says In Deleted Post "Dancing With the Stars" pro and Bergen County, NJ resident Val Chmerkovskiy has issued a public apology after referencing Will Smith's infamous 2022 Oscars slap in a since-deleted social media post. The day after the show's first-ever "Super Bowl Night," Chmerkovskiy wrote on TikTok, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." The post appeared to be directed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba following a tense exchange with fellow pro Jenna Johnson, who is Chmerkovskiy's wife. Inaba had criticized Johnson's choreography with partner Harry Shum Jr., saying their samba lacked dance…