At least two drones were spotted above another military base in New Jersey during the recent surge in unexplained sightings across the state, Navy officials said.

Naval Weapons Station Earle, a military base in Colts Neck in Monmouth County, has had two reports of drones in its airspace, facility spokesman William Addison said Thursday.

“While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm at least two instances of an unidentified drone entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle,” he said. “The base remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities.”

He encouraged members of the community to report any suspicious activity near the base to local law enforcement officials.

Naval Weapons Station Earle is at least the second New Jersey military base to report drone sightings after Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County said it had at least 11 confirmed drone sightings in recent weeks.

A spokesperson for the federal Department of Defense’s U.S. Northern Command confirmed drones were spotted above the New Jersey military facilities.

“We are aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey to include Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, and we refer you to those installations for information on any efforts they are may be conducting to ensure the safety and security of their personnel and operations,” the spokesperson said.

“Local law enforcement and the FBI are currently investigating,” the spokesperson said. “U.S. Northern Command conducted a deliberate analysis of the events, in consultation with other military organizations and interagency partners, and at this time we have not been requested to assist with these events.”

Drones have been reported hovering across New York and New Jersey’s night skies over the past few weeks.

The sightings, which began last…

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When a rare tornado swept through the north side of Minneapolis, Michelle Neal scrambled for cover at a fast-food restaurant. “It was unreal—we could have died,” she told Minnesota Public Radio. “McDonald’s saved me.”

It’s the kind of scenario that Julia Nerbonne, executive director of Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, wants to make sure communities are better prepared for as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather. The faith-based nonprofit hopes to transform churches and other congregations into emergency shelters with solar power and battery storage to withstand power outages—especially in historically disadvantaged communities, like north Minneapolis, which have long been overburdened by pollution and underinvestment.

“We want to have a building,” she said, “in which they can have a cooling place, in which they can refrigerate their medication—a place where they can be with the community in the midst of a crisis.”

Around the country, nonprofits and other community organizations like Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light were hoping these sorts of projects would receive funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has $3 billion to spend on environmental justice community grants through Sept. 30, 2026. But the Biden administration has only been able to award about half the money so far, and experts say the unspent 50 percent can most likely be clawed back by President-elect Donald Trump—a blow to communities of color and poor rural communities that had long waited for help like this.

Among the threatened initiatives is the EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, which dedicated $600 million in block grants for projects aimed at tackling…

American taxpayers with dependents who have already been claimed on another taxpayer’s return should sign up for an identity protection program ahead of tax season to avoid refund delays with e-filing, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced this week.

Starting next year, the IRS will accept certain e-filed forms even if a dependent has already been claimed on a previously-filed return as long as the primary taxpayer on the second return includes Identity Protection Personal Identification Numbers (IP PINs), the agency said.

Forms 1040, 1040-NR and 1040-SS are the forms for which the IRS is asking IP PIN signup for taxpayers with dependents claimed on another taxpayer’s return.

In previous years, the second tax return had to be filed by paper, but the IP PIN update will allow for e-filing. The change will reduce the time for the agency to receive the tax return, and speed up tax refunds for those with duplicate dependent returns.

IP PINs provide a way for taxpayers to help protect themselves against identity theft. Under next year’s changes, the IP PIN will also help protect taxpayers when someone fraudulently claims a taxpayer’s dependent.

According to the IRS, taxpayers who plan to file early in 2025 should sign up for an IP PIN before Saturday. After that date, the IP PIN system will be offline for annual maintenance until early January 2025.

Taxpayers who do not have IP PINs will have their e-filed returns rejected if one of their dependents has already been claimed by another taxpayer, according to the IRS.

To get an IP PIN, taxpayers should go to IRS.gov and follow the steps for identity verification.

For those unable to create an Online Account, alternative methods are available, such as in-person authentication at a Taxpayer Assistance Center. More information is available on how to sign up at Get an identity protection PIN (IP PIN).

Last February, Rick Pitino suggested he wanted his son Richard to succeed him one day as the head coach at St. John’s.

“I personally want him to stay at New Mexico. I want him to stay at New Mexico until I leave St. John’s and he can take my place then,” the elder Pitino, 72, told reporters after a game.

With Richard and his New Mexico Lobos (3-0) set to face Rick and No. 22 St. John’s (3-0) on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, the son was asked what he thought about his father’s comments.

“I thought, oh there’s my dad saying another insane thing, hopefully nobody’s listening to him,” Richard, who is 1-2 coaching against his father, said Friday on a Zoom call with reporters. “I think he was probably messing around. I’m not sure where that came from. That’s never, ever been a conversation that we’ve had.”

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Richard doesn’t think his father, a Naismith Hall of Fame coach who led Kentucky and Louisville to NCAA championships, is going anywhere anytime soon and that coaching “keeps him young.”

“Yeah, I have no idea how long he’s going to coach,” Richard said. “What I will say is he’s 72 years old, and I think the way that he lives his life and the way that he coaches, it’s inspiring….You have a lot of complainers out there, and for a 72-year-old man, he’s never complaining.

“I think he knows that coaching keeps him young, keeps him busy, and I think that he wants to do that as long as he’s healthy and he is healthy, so I know he’s really enjoying it, and I don’t see him slowing down anytime soon.”

Asked if being in the Big East and competing against coaches like Dan Hurley, who has won the last two NCAA championships, motivates his dad, Richard said his father is more motivated by trying to get St. John’s back to the upper echelons of college basketball.

“I don’t know if Danny Hurley motivates him, or any other coaches motivate him,”…

The Atlantic Group Tide advanced to the Senior division semifinals last weekend as the Staten Island Boys Football League’s playoffs got underway in two divisions.

The Mannix Family ShopRite Gators, Gotham Auto Ducks and Bella Mama Rosa Steelers all moved on in the Junior division.

Dylan Tronolone hooked up with Anthony Largo and Lorenzo Scotto for touchdown passes in the Tide’s 27-13 triumph over the Leaps and Bounds Rebels. Scott (three PATs) and Vinny Fahim also added rushing scores.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — There’s a chill in the air and fall colors surround us, so we all know what comes next.

Shorter days and darker evenings: Daylight Saving Time comes to an end in 2024 just as we greet November.

We officially return to standard time on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m., so on Saturday night, Nov. 2, we’ll be asked to set our clocks back one hour — if they don’t reset themselves — as we “fall back” into standard time until spring 2025.

The morning will greet us earlier, at 6:29 a.m., on Nov. 3, bringing us daylight about an hour earlier than the day before.

The earlier sunrise will help us out if we take like to take early walks or commute early in the day.

But we’ll be greeted by darkness sooner that evening.

And on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 4:19 a.m., the winter solstice will mark the end of fall and beginning of winter, and from that day on, the hours of sunlight in the days will increase. It’ll continue to do so until the summer solstice on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 10:41 p.m.

Daylight will get some help on March 9, 2025, when we “spring forward” again,’ seemingly granting us one more hour of daylight in the evening hours — just when most of us want to enjoy outdoor activities in daylight.

Benjamin Franklin is the one credited with suggesting the concept as a way to save resources by making use of daylight. His satirical essay in 1784, entitled “An Economical Project,” raised the idea of saving money and resources by making good use of daylight.

In the United States, Daylight Saving Time was established in 1918, when Congress passed the Standard Time Act, establishing the time zones.

Yet, not all states participate. Two states — Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation, and Hawaii — do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

In addition, some overseas territories, such as Guam, Puerto Rico, the American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, do not change their clocks at all, remaining in Standard Time year round, according…

DEAR ABBY:

My son and his wife have been married for three years and have an 8-month-old son. She stays home to care for the baby. My son works from home as well. He has now taken a second job to make ends meet, so three days a week he works 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then leaves from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and returns home at 11 p.m.

His wife believes in co-sleeping, which means she sleeps in the bed with the baby, while my son sleeps on a mattress on the floor. This has been going on since the child was born. My son also does 80% of the cooking. They live a thousand miles away, so I can’t help. He is almost her slave. I don’t want to say anything, but I would like their marriage to last. What should I do? — CONCERNED IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR CONCERNED:

The last thing you need to do is interfere. Unless your son complains to you about the arrangement, stay out of it. If the situation becomes intolerable, your son will deal with it.

** ** **

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

** ** **

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order “How to Have a Lovely Wedding.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

DEAR ABBY:

Our friend “Carrie” revealed to our close friend group that for the last few years she has been having an affair with her best friend “Julia’s” husband. Their kids are best friends, and they spend a lot of time together, even taking family vacations. We have told Carrie many times how this can affect the kids, which she acknowledges, but the affair continues. This dirty secret is becoming increasingly difficult to keep because we love Julia, but nobody wants to be the messenger. Should we tell Julia, or wait until it inevitably comes out? — ROTTEN IN RHODE ISLAND

DEAR ROTTEN:

Are you sure Julia knows nothing about the affair and hasn’t chosen to ignore it? Julia has children who still live at home. If you spill the beans, what will it do to the intact lifestyle they presumably enjoy? If you prefer not to hear any more about Carrie’s hijinks, tell her you don’t want to know any more. But I vote for keeping your mouth shut when it comes to making the revelations.

** ** **

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

** ** **

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order “How to Have a Lovely Wedding.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)