In Middle Township South Jersey Gas has suspended a long-term construction project on Route 9 between Avalon and Sea Isle boulevards at the request of mayors of two affected communities.Middle Township Mayor Christopher Leusner posted an update shortly after noon Friday, informing residents of the suspension of the project, which had been underway.Leusner, who had sent a joint letter with Dennis Township Mayor Zeth Matalucci earlier that day to South Jersey Gas criticizing the project for a lack of notice and planning for public safety and economic impacts.

In Hamilton Township Police arrested two Atlantic County men Friday after finding a gun in their car at a local shopping center.K-9 Officer Stephen Boyd stopped a 2007 Dodge Charger at 1:14 p.m. near the McDonald’s in the Festival Mall on the Black Horse Pike. During the course of the investigation, he observed the car’s occupants to be in possession of a large amount of currency, police said in a news release.After deploying his drug-detecting dog and searching the car, Boyd found a semiautomatic handgun loaded with hollow-point ammunition, police said.Jeremiah Doucet, 21, of Mays Landing, and Jesus Davila, 19, of Atlantic City, were each charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Two New Jersey lawmakers have proposed a bill that would extend new tax breaks to New Jersey diners in a bid to counter post-pandemic slowdowns and inflation.According to the Press of Atlantic CIty the bill, dubbed the “Saving Our Diners and Protecting Our Past Act,” would exempt qualifying diners from New Jersey’s sales tax and create new tax credits for the state’s historic diners and other restaurants. It is sponsored by Sen. Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester) and Assemblyman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden).

The Mendocino Ballet celebrates the 40th anniversary of “The Nutcracker,” opening this Friday, at Mendocino College Center Theater. Director/choreographer Esther Hansen will be directing the show for her first time. Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19-20, with 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday. Find more information on the Mendocino Ballet Facebook page.

The Upper Lake Unified School District and the Upper Lake Employees Association (ULEA) have declared a stalemate in contract negotiations, with ULEA members authorizing a potential strike. Talks stalled over teacher pay, safety, and special education class sizes. ULEA says it is “prepared to take lawful action.” Both sides await mediation.

Early Thursday morning, Art director Scott Bartholomew, spotted a large mountain lion crossing his driveway on his Google Nest Cam a mile up Little Lake Road from Mendocino, a mile up Little Lake Road from Mendocino. Though shy and mainly hunting deer across huge ranges, mountain lions sometimes approach developed areas.

The Kiwanis Club of Lakeport will host its free, fourth annual Lakeport Blizzard at Library Park next Monday, the 22nd, at 6 p.m. This beloved tradition brings holiday magic, lights, music, and “real snow” to downtown Lakeport, transforming the Library Park Gazebo into a winter scene. Attendees should bring warm clothing, cameras, and holiday spirit.

The early December dry spell is expected to end as a series of weather systems move over the region. The National Weather Service says wetter weather will return starting today, bringing light to moderate rain and wind along the North Coast early next week. A break in the weather is expected on Wednesday, followed by another incoming system on Thursday or Friday.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals agreed to directly review an appeal in the state’s school vaccine exemption lawsuit.

The case was first filed with the Intermediate Court of Appeals, but the Supreme Court granted a motion to take it up instead.

Just before Thanksgiving, Kanawha County Judge Michael Froble issued a permanent injunction allowing religious exemptions for school vaccines. The Supreme Court later paused that ruling pending an appeal.

Froble also certified the case as a class action, combining cases from the state and Raleigh County Boards of Education. About 600 students are seeking religious exemptions.

The lawsuit challenges Governor Patrick Morrisey’s executive order issued in January.

A West Virginia National Guard member shot last month in Washington, D.C., is moving into the next phase of his recovery.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe is being transitioned from acute hospital care to in-patient rehabilitation after what doctors describe as extraordinary progress. His medical team says Wolfe is now breathing on his own and can stand with assistance, marking major milestones after a critical gunshot wound to the head.

Wolfe’s family thanked hospital staff for lifesaving care and asked for continued prayers as he begins what they say will be a long and challenging rehabilitation. The location of his rehab facility is not being released.