U.S. farmers will plant the most acres in a generation this year, led by the biggest corn crop since World War II, taking advantage of the highest agricultural prices in at least four decades. They will sow corn, soybeans and wheat on 226.9 million acres, the most since 1984, a Bloomberg survey of 36 farmers, bankers and analysts showed. The 2.5 percent gain means an expansion the size of New Jersey as growers target fields left fallow last year and land freed up from conservation programs. Read full article > >

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Farmers to plant most acres since 1984, prompted by higher crop prices

The campaign trail can be a lonely place, so Mitt Romney frequently invites friends to accompany him. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is an occasional companion. So is Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. But more often, Romney brings a large clock. Read full article > >

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Doing the math on Obama’s deficits

His moves on same-sex marriage highlighted the considerable political skills that have made Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey one of the Republican Party’s rising stars.

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Political Memo: Christie Avoids Problems by Seeking Vote on Same-Sex Marriage

The New Jersey governor insists the sooner the better.

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Chris Christie to Romney: Show Your Tax Returns

Through an interschool project, students from different worlds are receiving a lesson that goes beyond the pages of the classic ‘Of Mice and Men.’

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Studying Steinbeck, New Jersey Students Find Common Ground

Not long ago, Ovi vs. Sid was appointment viewing for fans and the rivalry the NHL used to market its game to the masses. But when the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Wednesday at Verizon Center, anticipation will be low, relatively speaking. It’ll have more juice than, say, New Jersey at Edmonton, sure. But the feud no longer has the tension it once did, not with Sidney Crosby sidelined indefinitely with a concussion and Alex Ovechkin struggling to regain his MVP form. Read full article > >

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Capitals vs. Penguins: A rivalry with a big missing piece in Sidney Crosby

As the long and busy final day of New Jersey’s legislative session was coming to a close, most lawmakers were preparing to head home for a few hours of sleep before the new session got under way.

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Alex DeCroce, New Jersey Assembly’s G.O.P. Leader, Dies at Statehouse

In a statement, Senator Robert Menendez denied speculation that he was holding up an Obama administration nomination for a judgeship because of “some petty political vendetta.”

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Senator Robert Menendez, in Statement, Airs Concerns With Judge Patty Shwartz

Two doctors who Maryland authorities say botched an abortion last year in Elkton have been indicted on murder charges — in what appears to be the first use of the state’s fetal homicide law involving a medical professional performing surgery. “We’re in uncharted territory,” Cecil County State’s Attorney Edward D.E. Rollins said Friday. He declined to comment further because the indictment will remain sealed until the suspects are arraigned in Maryland. They were arrested Wednesday in New Jersey and in Utah. Read full article > >

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Two doctors charged with murder under Md. fetal homicide law

NEWARK, N.J. — Paroled American Lori Berenson, who stirred international controversy when she was convicted of aiding Peruvian guerrillas, arrived in the United States Tuesday morning for her first visit home since Peruvian authorities arrested her in 1995. Berenson’s plane touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey around 7:35 a.m. After going through customs, the 42-year-old did not speak to reporters as she and her 2-year-old son were escorted by Port Authority police to a black sedan with New York plates. They were joined by Berenson’s mother, and the boy looked with wonderment at the gaggle of reporters and flashing cameras. Read full article > >

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Paroled American Lori Berenson arrives in US to spend holidays with family in NYC

Returning to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to testify before the Senate, Jon Corzine backed off his earlier remarks that he could have inadvertently authorized an transfer of customer funds to the firm account of MF Global, the failed commodities brokerage that he had led. “I never directed anyone at MF Global to misuse customer funds. I never intended to, and as far as I’m concerned, I never gave instructions that anyone could misconstrue,” Corzine told the Senate Agriculture Committee, which subpoenaed the former New Jersey governor and senator to appear before his former colleagues Tuesday. Read full article > >

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Corzine: ‘I do not know whether all of these transactions were properly recorded and effectuated’

Mikhail D. Prokhorov, a billionaire industrialist and owner of the New Jersey Nets, said on Monday that he would challenge Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin for the Russian presidency.

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Prokhorov and Kudrin to Challenge Putin in Russian Presidential Election

The state took over Newark schools in 1995, but with an influx of money, some parents and officials have begun to seek more local control.

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Newark School District in Debate Over State Control

At Macy’s Herald Square store, an estimated 9,000 people were waiting for its midnight opening on Friday, more than in the last couple of years.

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Black Friday Shoppers Fan Out in the Dark of Night

A New Jersey congressman wrote directly to Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta two months ago to raise questions about the Dover Air Force Base mortuary’s longtime practice of dumping troops’ cremated body parts in a landfill , but says he never received a reply. The congressman’s letter raises questions about when Panetta learned that the mortuary disposed of cremated portions of remains at the King George County, Va., landfill between 2003 and 2008. His spokesman, George Little, said Panetta was first briefed on the issue Wednesday. Read full article > >

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Pentagon was warned about landfill issue