The final boys basketball Top 50 for the 2017-18 season

We rank the best wrestlers in the state, regardless of weight class, from 50 to 1.

Carol Rhodes writes that instead of underfunding other programs, the state should cut back the tax incentives offered to George Norcross III's business interests.

The old-time comedian Henny Youngman had a one-liner joke that went: "Take my wife ...(long pause), please.

That's the way I feel about the Norcross family in Camden County, including Democrat power broker George Norcross III and his brother, U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist.

Businesses associated with George Norcross scored major tax credits -- up to $500 million worth -- authorized by the state Economic Development Authority for expansions or relocation to Camden City. This is after some George Norcross-linked entities received economic development funds from Delaware River Port Authority toll revenue. 

Now they're hitting up Camden City for property tax deferrals on a new office building and apartment building in which George Norcross is an investor, and which had already received $265 million in EDA incentives. And, this is going on while the state Homestead Rebate program for property tax relief and the state's public-employee pension plan are both underfunded.

Apparently, a Norcross-linked business can only survive if taxpayers provide major subsidization. In the meantime, Gov. Phil Murphy and state Senate President Steven Sweeney (D-Gloucester) have competing plans to raise state taxes. Murphy wants to increase the sales tax back to 7 percent, which would affect the poorest of the poor.

If New Jersey could collect all of the revenue it has committed to forgo from Norcross-involved businesses, the state would be in much better shape. New Jersey has been ranked 49th of all the states in fiscal stability.

So I say to Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, anybody: Take our Norcrosses ..., please." 

Carol Rhodes, Sewell

Sharing and school aid need N.J. reboot

New Jersey's high property taxes continue to be the biggest burden on us as residents. The cost of these taxes is always a heavy weight to bear for families trying to make ends meet.

One of the main reasons our property taxes are so high is because our towns and school districts rely heavily on them to fund schools and municipal services. One major way to reduce those taxes is to pay school districts more from state aid. Some districts, mostly fast-growing ones, are owed state aid, based on full funding of the current formula. Other districts across the state receive too much state aid, mainly because aid has not been reduced when their enrollment declines.

Another way to reduce property taxes would be for towns to enter into service-sharing agreements with other towns. Shared services have been shown to save money. They can increase efficiency by eliminating unnecessary overlap in government services. 

School funding reform and shared services are key to addressing New Jersey's property tax problem in a real way, and our elected officials should support them 100 percent.

Joe Baker, West Deptford Township 

Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

The National Weather Service is calling for up to 18 inches of snow in some spots and the vast majority of the state could see at least 8 inches Watch video

With another significant storm expected to hit New Jersey with up to 18 inches of snow, high winds and coastal flooding, school districts across the state announced school closures and delays for Wednesday, March 21.

The following Camden County school districts have made announcements for Wednesday, March 21:

CLOSURES:

• Audubon Public Schools
• Barrington School District 
• Bellmawr Public School District 
• Berlin Borough School District 
• Berlin Township Schools
• Black Horse Pike Regional School District 
• Brooklawn Public Schools
• Camden Charter School Network Schools
• Camden City School District 
• Camden County Technical Schools School District 
• Cherry Hill Public Schools
• Clementon Elementary School
• Collingswood 
• Eastern Regional High School
• Gibbsboro
• Gloucester City Public Schools
• Gloucester Township Public Schools
• Haddonfield Public Schools
• Haddon Heights Public Schools
• Haddon Township Schools
• Laurel Springs School
• Lawnside School District
• Lindenwold Public Schools
• Magnolia School
• Merchantville School District 
• Mt. Ephraim Public Schools
• Oaklyn Public Schools
• Pennsauken Public Schools
• Pine Hill Public Schools
• Somerdale Park School
• Sterling High School
• Voorhees Township Public Schools
• Waterford Township School District 
• Winslow Township School District 

DELAYED OPENINGS:

• No announcements yet

If you know of any delays or closures not on this list, let us know in the comments.

See the final Top 50 teams in N.J. girls basketball this year.

16 All-State stars, plus a bunch of All-Group players from 2017 are back this season.

Another powerful storm hit New Jersey, dumping snow across the state Watch video

After another powerful storm hit the state Wednesday with heavy snow and high wind, schools called for another day of closings and delayed openings on Thursday.

The following Cumberland County school districts have made announcements for Thursday, March 22: 

CLOSED

• Barrington
• Berlin Borough 
• Berlin Township 
• Black Horse Pike Regional 
• Brooklawn 
• Camden City 
• Camden County Technical School
• Clementon 
• Eastern Regional High School 
• Gibbsoro
• Gloucester City
• Haddon Heights
• Haddon Township 
• Merchantville 
• Mt. Ephraim Public School
• Pennsauken 
• Pine Hill 
• Voorhees 
• Waterford Township
• Winslow Township
• Woodlynne 

DELAYED OPENING

• Audubon - 90 minutes 
• Bellmawr - 2 hours
• Cherry Hill - 2 hours 
• Collingswood - 90 minute
• Haddonfield - 2 hours
• Laurel Springs - 2 hours 
• Magnolia - 1 hour
• Oaklyn - 90 minute
• Runnemede - 2 hours
• Stratford - 2 hours 
• Sterling - 2 hours 
• Somerdale - 2 hours 

If you know of any delays or closures not on this list, let us know in the comments.

Unquestionably, this gallery SHOULD go on and on.

To be certain, reference books should provide a more balanced view of the historical contributions made by women. 

Writing for time.com in 2016, Anita Sarkeesian and Laura Hudson pointed out that "if we were to judge by the history books, it would be easy to think that men were pretty much the only people who mattered in history -- or at least, the only ones worth remembering. That isn't true, of course, but that's the story we're accustomed to hearing about the past: one where the presence of men is taken as a given, and the presence of women is exceptional." 

As an example, history books refer to "Molly Pitcher" as a person in New Jersey, usually Mary Ludwig Hayes, who assisted her husband and others in the Continental Army by carrying water to soldiers in battle and helping the wounded and injured. But revolutionary-war.net notes that "there is some debate among historians as to who the 'real' Molly Pitcher was. Most believe that the title is a composite character of all of the women who fought in and supported the Continental Army."

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

There were likely scores of "Molly Pitchers" during the Revolutionary War, yet they were summed up in history books by one character, while heroic men were remembered as individuals. 

As Sarkeesian and Hudson noted, "Regardless of what our cultural narratives tell us, women as leaders, heroes and rebels isn't unrealistic -- either now or throughout history. It's reality -- just not a reality we get to hear about often enough." 

In this gallery, we highlight just a handful of women from New Jersey who have impacted history, including computer pioneer and Navy officer Grace Hopper, agricultural scientist Elizabeth Coleman White, playwright Ntozake Shange and entertainer Dionne Warwick. Unquestionably, this gallery could go on and on.

And here are links to other galleries you'll enjoy.

Vintage photos of women and the war effort in N.J.

Vintage N.J. photos that are works of art

Vintage photos from N.J. that are works of art

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

The main march in D.C. and sister marches across New Jersey call for strengthened gun control laws.

A look at the top contenders in each group heading into the 2018 girls lacrosse season.

A 63-year-old man died but his his father was saved, witnesses said Watch video

Rutgers-Camden students rushed into a burning building across from a campus dorm early Friday and pulled a man in his 90s from the flames, though authorities later said that the man's 63-year-old son died in the blaze.

The fire broke out around 12:15 a.m. in a multi-story brownstone on the 200 block of Cooper Street in Camden, according to a city spokesman.

Firefighters found the 63-year-old man's body in a back bedroom on the third floor with the help of thermal imaging cameras, a spokesman said. 

"There were huge flames - it looked like there was a hole in the side of the building," said Rutgers-Camden sophomore Sam Tuero, who was in his apartment across the street when one of his friends looked out the window and saw the fire.

One man was killed and another rescued during a fire in Camden early Friday. (Photo courtesy Ryan Parada) 

Students broke a window and had started to pull the man from the home when firefighters arrived, according to Chief Michael Harper. 

Camden officials are trying to figure out who the Good Samaritans are so they can be thanked.

Smoke damage was lagely contained to the bedroom, the chief said. 

Camden firefighters battle house fire overnight on Cooper St. One person is dead. https://t.co/JDFt2eSvgX

-- Camden Fire Officers (@CfdLocal2578) March 23, 2018

It took firefighters about a half-hour to control the blaze, which broke out in the rear of the building.

The cause of the fire has not been determined. It remains under investgation, though it is not considered suspicious, Harper said. 

The victim's mother also lives in the home but was not home when the fire broke out, the chief said. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the number of people pulled from the fire and to add new information from Camden officials.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

There are 17 returning all-state players from 2017 returning to start the 2018 high school baseball season

These are the athletes to keep an eye on in 2018.

These guys are destined to be the goalies' biggest enemies in 2018

Two college-aged men ran into the Cooper Street home after midnight to pull a man in his 90s from the burning building. Watch video

Camden officials are hoping to find the two people who ran into a burning building near Rutgers-Camden's campus overnight, risking their lives to save a 90-year-old man from the flames. 

The two unidentified men, who some say may have been Rutgers-Camden students, took that risk early Friday morning while flames were engulfing the upper part of a Cooper Street duplex, officials said.

They were able to pull the 90-year-old man from his home just before firefighters arrived at the scene. The man's son, a 63-year-old resident in a third floor bedroom, died in the fire. His name has not been released.

"It's an unfortunate situation for us," Camden Mayor Frank Moran said, addressing members of the press gathered outside of the city home around noon Friday.

The Cooper Street building where a fire that left one man dead broke out early Friday morning. Amanda Hoover | For NJ Advance Media 

The fire remains under investigation, but does not appear suspicious, he said. 

The fire department received the report of the blaze around 12:13 a.m., and had it under control about a half hour later, Camden fire Chief Michael Harper said.

Two Rutgers-Camden students were evacuated from the attached residence, Harper said. They will be able to return to the building Friday night, as that half was not significantly damaged.

The unit where the 90-year-old man lived with his son, however, sustained extensive damage, he said. 

Camden Fire Chief Michael Harper (center) speaks to the press along with Camden Mayor Frank Moran (left) outside of the Cooper Street home where a man died in a fire early Friday morning. Amanda Hoover | For NJ Advance Media 

Harper said city officials want to find the rescuers to thank them for their efforts.

"For not thinking of themselves, and for thinking of someone else. That was remarkable," he said.

He said he also wants to make sure the two individuals are okay, and didn't sustain any injuries.

The smoke began mostly on the third floor, which mitigated some of the risk of pulling the man from a different part of the home.  

"But it's still a dangerous operation for anybody to do," Harper said. 

Mary Beth Daisey, associate chancellor of student affairs at Rutgers-Camden, said that some students who live in the campus apartments across the street witnessed the flames and called police. They then went outside and started throwing rocks at the windows, hoping to alert anyone inside to the flames. 

She said it's not clear if the two men who ran into the building are students, but said they appeared to be student-aged. The university is reaching out to its student body via email and social media to ask for more information.

Anyone with information about the rescuers may contact the Camden Fire Department, Rutgers-Camden or Moran's office. 

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

A look at N.J.'s top defenders heading into the 2018 girls lacrosse season.

Thousands of New Jersey's young people, joined by their parents, teachers, clergy members and neighbors, will take to the streets on March 24, 2018, as part of the national March for Our Lives movement. Watch video

One paragraph in the mission statement of March for Our Lives stands out for its sheer horror.

"Every kid in this country now goes to school wondering if this day might be their last. We live in fear."

Thousands of New Jersey's young people, joined by their parents, teachers, clergy members and neighbors, will take to the streets Saturday in a desperate attempt to make that fear go away.

They will be marching for their lives - for all of our lives - to convince the adults in Congress to put an end to the gun violence that has become the equivalent of an extra-curricular activity in our nation's schools.

Residents in close to two dozen Garden State communities are planning sister events to the main march in Washington, D.C. organized by the students of Parkland, Florida, who lived through one of the most terrifying days of their lives on Valentine's Day.

Princeton, Audubon, Asbury Park, Red Bank, Englewood, Montclair and Morristown are among venues where the protests will take place.

Thinking of taking your kid to the March for Our Lives?

Gov. Phil Murphy is slated to speak at the march in Newark, joined by the mother of Newark's Mayor Ras Baraka. Amina Baraka lost a daughter in a domestic violence incident almost 15 years ago.

New Jersey's first lady, Tammy Murphy, and U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th District) are expected to be among the protesters in Hackensack.

The marches, nearly 900 of them throughout the world, are part of a grass-roots movement steadily gathering strength after a gunman with an AR-15 weapon murdered 17 people at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Baby Boomers grew up convinced they were going to save the world, and in some respects, they succeeded.

They organized massive protests that eventually ended the war in Vietnam, they helped move the country in the right direction when it came to women's rights and civil rights, they made discoveries to conquer or at least control AIDS and cancer.

But now it's falling to a new generation to attack the deadly plague of gun violence that the adults in the room have not been able - or willing -- to contain.

Held hostage by a lobby whose sole reason to exist is to sell more guns, legislators have memorized a playbook of thoughts and prayers to use after a gun-wielding sociopath rampages through a shopping mall, an outdoor concert, a nightclub or a school.

With youths' clear-eyed vision, these committed organizers see right through the hypocrisy. They're demanding that their lawmaker care more about the children in their districts than about the dollars in their campaign chests.

They may be novices at pulling together marches and planning rallies, these students of today. But they are driven by a fear that goes bone deep. We pray Congress hears them.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Surveillance video shows the cop take the man to the ground and punch him 12 times in the head. Watch video

Federal prosecutors are looking into a February incident when a Camden County police officer was caught on camera punching a man 12 times in the head.

The attorney for Edward Minguela, 32, of Camden, has demanded criminal charges be filed against the officer he said threw the punches: Nicholas Romantino, a 24-year-old who has been on the job for less than two years.

Camden County Police Chief J. Scott Thomson said he was "extremely disturbed" by the video and has suspended the officer without pay while the county prosecutor investigates.

But the county revealed Friday that the case is also being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office of New Jersey.

The information came out when the county was denying an OPRA request for body camera footage, claiming it was exempt due to the ongoing federal investigation. 

Camden County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Alexandra McVeigh said Friday that the prosecutor is still investigating the incident. She declined to comment on the feds' involvement.

It's the latest development in the case that came to light in late February, when Minguela posted the surveillance video of his own beating on his Facebook page.

Minguela told NJ Advance Media that he was walking away from Fairview Liquors on Collings Road Feb. 22 when police ran up with guns drawn and told him to put his hands up. They were responding to a 911 call about a man with a gun, and he matched the description, according to the county.

The surveillance video, which Minguela said he obtained from the liquor store, shows him holding his hands up as an officer approaches him and takes him to the ground. He then punches Minguela 12 times in the head while two other officers appear to hold him down, and others look on.

Police never found a gun on Minguela, but they charged him in municipal court with resisting arrest and obstruction.

He claims officers took him to the hospital but told him there that if he told hospital staff he needed treatment, they would also charge him with the more serious offense of assaulting a police officer. Minguela said he followed officers' instructions and declined medical care, but he went back to the hospital the following morning.

His attorney, Devon Jacob of Pennsylvania, said his client was treated for a concussion and a fractured wrist.

"I look forward to learning the outcome of the police department's internal investigation, and the state and federal criminal investigations," Jacob said in a statement Friday. "These three independent investigations will undoubtedly reveal the disparate treatment, and the malicious intent of the prosecutor's office, in continuing to violate Mr. Minguela's civil rights by refusing to dismiss the frivolous criminal charges."

Last week, McVeigh said the prosecutor's office had stayed the charges against Minguela while it continued investigating.

Chief Thomson said he was aware that someone had requested that county, state and federal officials look into the matter, but said he could not comment on any ongoing investigation other than to say that the police department is cooperating.

"I was extremely disturbed by what I saw on the video," Thomson said in a statement Friday. "The observed actions are completely contrary to how we train our officers and the culture of this organization and will not be tolerated."

Jacob and the Camden County chapters of the NAACP have called for Romantino to be charged and fired and for the Attorney General's Office to investigate. While Romantino is suspended without pay, the other two officers involved are on paid leave.

Matthew Reilly, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey, said he could not confirm or deny that the office was investigating Romantino, per office policy.

No federal charges have been filed against Romantino, who earns a salary of $41,158.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The two cranes were headed to the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia. A cargo ship carrying two massive cranes from China safely edged its way under the twin spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge around midnight Friday Watch video

It was smooth sailing.

A cargo ship carrying two massive cranes from China safely edged its way under the twin spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge around midnight Friday, officials said.

The Zhen Hua 16 was carrying the cranes on the last leg of an approximately 90-day voyage from their manufacturer in Shanghai to the port in Philadelphia.

All went as planned with the trip under the two four-lane bridges, according to Jim Salmon, spokesman for the bridges' operator, the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

Traffic was halted on the spans for about 15 minutes as a precaution and to prevent drivers from being distracted. 

Stopping traffic on both spans of the bridge was a rarity, officials said. The cranes are believed to be one of the largest cargoes ever to sail under the twin spans.

Originally it was thought the Zhen Hua 16 would pass under the bridges sometime around 1 a.m. Saturday.

The passage came at low tide to give the cranes extra clearance under the bridge. While it was first thought it might be a tight squeeze, there was a space of 5 feet, 8 inches between the top of the cranes and the steel supports under the roadway of the bridges.

The bridges at mid-span are just under 200 feet above the river.

After navigating under the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Zhen Hua 16 was set to clear the Commodore Barry Bridge which crosses the river between Chester, Pa., and Bridgeport.

Michael Howard, principal engineer for the Delaware River Port Authority, the Commodore Barry's operator, said Friday that span would also be closed to traffic briefly.

Howard said there would be plenty of clearance under the five-lane bridge since the Zhen Hua 16 was expected to arrive overnight at a lower tide period.

Once it approaches its final destination, the ship will wait in the Delaware River at the Mantua Creek Anchorage near Philadelphia International Airport. It is scheduled to sail from the anchorage to the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. where it will dock to unload the cranes.

Once in place, the cranes will be used to unload cargo from ships at the terminal.

Suggested locations to see the ship and its unusual cargo from the New Jersey shoreline include Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park and Proprietors Park and Freedom Pier, both in Gloucester City.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

The Great Egg Hunt is an annual event in Ocean City, N.J.

Hundreds of kids took to the Ocean City beach Saturday afternoon. Some came with a simple plastic bag, many had plastic pails, some carried elaborately decorated baskets. A few kids even used 5-gallon paint buckets.

But they all arrived with one goal in mind: collect as many Easter eggs as possible.

That goal was easily attained by most, as approximately 60,000 plastic eggs were scattered across the beach for the Great Egg Hunt.

Once the horn sounded, children raced to pick up the colorful eggs dotting the beach. The 6- and 7-year-olds cleaned up their pen in only two minutes; there were an estimated 14,000 eggs to be found for this age group. The 5-year-olds collected an estimated 9,000 eggs in about five minutes.

After the chaos came the calm: parents and kids reunited and found a place to crack open their eggs to see what prizes they found.

A second Great Egg Hunt will take place on Saturday, March 31, at 2:30 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, April 1. The event is divided into several age groups, and meet on the beach at the corresponding locations:

• 1- to 2-year-olds: 11th Street beach
• 3-year-olds: 11th Street beach
• 4-year-olds: 12th Street beach
• 5-year-olds: 12th Street beach
• 6- to 7-year-olds: 13th Street beach

For more information, call 1-800-BEACH-NJ.

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.