Crime & Safety
Schools Closed as Hopatcong, Sparta Dig Out From Nor'easter
Students get another day off after more than a foot of snow piled up Thursday.
Hopatcong and Sparta schools have another snow day on Friday.
More than a foot of snow fell Thursday, closing schools and municipal offices.
Sparta officials declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon to keep motorists off township roads.
Mayor Molly Whilesmith and Police Chief Ernest Reigstad, who is also the township's emergency management coordinator, signed the proclamation as "most secondary roads have all but disappeared under the continuous snowfall" Thursday morning, according to Sgt. John-Paul Beebe.
The travel restrictions were lifted at 8 a.m. Friday.
The township has a limited amount of salt remaining, but expected to have enough to make it through the nor'easter, Beebe told ABC New York.
The storm had not caused power outages in Sparta as of Thursday afternoon, according to Beebe. The Sparta municipal building will be open if there are significant outages for residents to charge electronic devices and warm up, Beebe said.
Those who need shelter should contact the police department's non-emergency line at 973-729-6121.
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